No. There wasn’t any room for terror in me. Instead I only felt annoyance and an all-consuming rage building inside me. He thought he was so gifted by his beloved entity? I was going to show him what a little integrity could do.
I narrowed my eyes and focused on the floor underneath him. He wanted to play air games, I could play air games. I pushed all of my energy out into the metal paneling, tightening my fingers in my concentration.
I pulled with everything I had, sweat beading oh my forehead and dripping down into my fake hair, but I didn’t stop until I felt the bolts holding the panel snap and the piece rocketed up like a elevator, smashing Maven into the ceiling above us.
The hands holding me disappeared, and I made another break for it. Sure, I wanted to stay and rip him limb from limb, but right now ensuring my escape was maximum priority. It was only then that I realized I hadn’t heard from my friends since the smack down had been thrown down. Reaching for my ear, I felt that the implant was completely gone.
Oh well. At least I was missing about a million and one ‘I told you so’s. If I died, I could be content in that.
Despite all odd, I reached the door, and I grabbed the knob to throw it open.
Only to have black energy shoot through me like I was touching a live wire and sending me flying all the way back into the office that this whole mess had started in.
This time I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t make a sound as my mind tried to process what had happened. Everything was hurting, and I could feel something warm and sticky dripping down my forehead.
My vision didn’t even clear before I felt hands wrap around my throat yet again. Why were people so strangle happy here? Was it a woman thing? Because it was starting to feel like a woman thing.
I tried to kick at him, to struggle, to come out on top like I always had, but the energy pouring from him bit at me viciously. I could feel him straddle me, and he was very obviously excited by my panicked bucking against him. Disgusting.
But it was hard to maintain my righteous anger when I was quickly losing consciousness.
“Did you really think you could beat me with the tiny little sliver of power that you have? Genesis has shown me entire realities that you could only imagine!”
“Genesis?” I squeaked out. “That’s the name of the cloud thingy? The one that wants to destroy everything in existence?”
“They’ve been chasing you for months, and you devoured them whole, and you couldn’t do them the decency of learning their name?”
The edges of my vision were transitioning from grey to black, and my voice was barely a gasp. “Thesss…thisfff-”
“What? Do you really want your last words to be unintelligible?”
I was fairly sure I was purple as I sputtered what might or might not have been a vowel. Finally he sighed, and loosened his grip just enough for me to suck in a dredge of air.
“There were never really any formal introductions.” I wheezed. “He just knew my name, tried to kill me, I ate him and now here we are.”
“Huh. Maybe I should have tried your method.” His hand relaxed completely and I sucked in more precious, beautiful, delicious air between violent coughs. “You know, I don’t have to tell Genesis you’re here. At least not right away.” His thumb brushed my cheek before resting it on my lower lip. “That could be fun, right? Maybe I could give you a little bit of a head start.”
I tried to keep my composure, I really did. But instead my eyes rolled and I let out a cough/sigh. “Do you really want to be this cliché of a bad guy? Because you’re one trope short of a deck of cards.”
“On second thought, you’re far too ungrateful to waste even a modicum of mercy on you.” His thumb slid into my mouth, followed by several more of his fingers. I kicked and flailed, but nothing budged him as his digits gripped my tongue and began pulling upwards.
Oh god, was I really going to die this way?
“What’s that’s phrase that the older generation loves so much? If you don’t have anything nice, don’t say anything at all?”
Excruciating pain spiked through me, and my mouth burned like it had never burned before. I didn’t want to go out like this! And especially not on that terrible idiom.
“What’s a matter, Andi? Cat’s got your-”
Suddenly a beam of light punched through his chest and Maven’s body crumpled on top of me. I screamed, or at least tried to. The swelling of my tongue made it sound more like a terrible imitation of a whale call.
A hand pulled me up, and I was yanked middle to face with Janix.
“When we get away, you and I are going to have a very long discussion about your decision making paradigm.”
“You…” Words failed me, so I just clutched at him in the most desperate hug I had ever delivered. “Thank you.”
How touching. What had you been up to Andi?
“Is that what I think it is?” My hero in welding armor armor asked, taking a step backwards.
I can’t sense that you’re here, and yet here you are. What a conundrum.
“Its name is Genesis, actually.” I answered, my legs still shaking as I edged away.
“Really? That’s an odd choice in names, all things considered.”
I understand why you might think that, but you have only seen a sliver of my power.
“Forgive me for not checking out your full portfolio of your work while I was busy running for my life.” I took a step forward, tensing my shoulders. “But I’m always up for replaying one of our greatest hits. How about that?”
The swirling mass moved away from me, but still hovered over Maven’s form. “You may have found a way to forcibly assimilate me once, but I will not be so lax as to let that happen again. After all, you cannot eat what has been already consumed.”
Without another word, the miasmic being shifted on itself, whirling into a funnel and diving straight into the still-crumpled body of Maven.
That was decidedly not good.
I grabbed Janix’s hand and bolted towards the door. This time when I reached it, it didn’t shock me ten ways from Sunday, so I threw it open and pushed Janix through. I took one moment to look back at the grisly scene we had left and wish I hadn’t.
Maven was on his feet now, and he was radiating the same energy that he and I both manipulated. Those cracks in his skin were full on fissures now, and lances of sparking ebony struck out of them. His eyes were like burning coals, and when they locked onto me, I felt my blood run cold.
I slammed the door closed, placing my hand flat on the surface and willing with everything I had in me for the entrance to stay that way. Power poured from my fingertips, and sparks showered from all the security wiring around us.
“Whatever you’re doing, that has to be enough. Let’s go!”
“One more second! I’m just making sure-” An obsidian spike cut through the wall beside us, nicking my arm and filling the limb with an incendiary pain. “Ow! Fine, running now.”
I spun, holding the wound in my arm, and sped past Janix. He caught up quickly, as I knew he would, and we bolted towards the lift. “Is that the best choice of escape, all things considering?” I asked breathlessly as we tore down the corridor.
Janix didn’t have a chance to answer me, the door I had so carefully sealed blasting off its hinges and slamming into the both of us.
We skidded along the floor hard enough for a solid exfoliation, before coming to a stop in front of the elevator. Janix was up before I was, and quickly trying to punch in a code. But it wouldn’t be enough time.
I looked to the end of the hall, where Maven/Genisis was standing, more onyx lightning emitting from him. I needed to buy Janix time.
My time in the derelict space station came to my mind, and I fought my way to my knees. I was in a lot rougher condition now than I was then, and I had already used so much energy, but what choice did I have?
Reaching out, I willed a wall between the two of us. Something solid. Unbreakable. I could feel the moment the energy l
eft me, spreading out from my hands in a transparent wave.
“Come now, Andi. Delaying the inevitable, aren’t we?” His voice was an awful combination of both Genesis and Maven, both layers at different frequencies which made my ears ache.
“You bet your ass I am.”
“What are you going to do, Andi? Shield the entire elevator the entire ride down?”
“That’s a great idea, actually.”
“I got it! Andi! Get in!”
I walked backwards, every muscle in my body strung as tight a bow. I was aware that sweat was pouring down my face into my collar, but I couldn’t take the time to wipe myself down. I kept my eyes locked onto our pursuer, the walls moving past me in reverse until finally I was behind the lip of our escape route.
“Hitting the codes for the hangar bay. Ready to steal a ship?”
“No.” I snapped, pulling in the tangible wall to coat the lift.
“No? What do you mean no?”
“Genesis wants to use this lab for his little plans. I’d like to put a serious hitch in that. Put it to floor seven, green clearance. Oh, and tell the gang that I can’t hear them if they’re trying to tell me how reckless I was.”
“What kind of hitch?” Janix asked, processing to punch several numbers into the elevator pad. “And I figured you couldn’t, otherwise your ears would definitely be on fire right about now.”
“That bad, huh?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “You’d live, but I think I might have learned three new epithets today. Which is impressive, given my line of work and all.”
I opened my mouth to tell them exactly what to do with all those creative new curses, when the elevator jerked to a stop, throwing both of us to the floor. I groaned, rolling over onto my back just as the lights dimmed. “If we survive this, I’m going to be one giant bruise tomorrow.”
“Right there behind you, minus the copious amount of forehead blood.”
“He must have triggered an emergency stop somehow.”
“Gee, you figure?” Janix got to his feet and although I couldn’t see him in the pitch blackness, I could hear him fiddling with something metal against the wall.
“What are you doing?”
“Using my efficient training on Serkasis Laboratory emergency procedures to get us the hell out of here.” I heard him pull off something with a grunt, then let out a quick bark of victory. A few seconds later, he shoved something quite smooth and rectangular into my hand.
“What’s this?”
“A decelerator. You’re going to need it.”
“What for? We’re not going anywhere quickly right about now.”
“True, but if I was our cloudy friend and I cut the power to my enemy’s only escape, I would-” He didn’t finish his sentence before something slammed into the top of the lift, causing it to rocket downwards several feet before jolting to a stop again. “Do that.” He finished, grabbing my wrist and connecting my hand with something solid. After feeling a steady beat against my palm, I figured out it was his chest, and my fingers clenched at the fabric there for dear life. “Hold on!” He hissed.
I didn’t have time to ask why it was so important that I do so because we were already falling. A short scream burst from my mouth, but Janix quickly clamped one of his hands over it.
“Shhh, if we play this right, the elevator will buy us at least a couple minute’s head start.”
I nodded and he let go. We plummeted downward, the cold, clean air of the station biting at my cheeks with our increased momentum. Although I could barely see in the dim, emergency lighting of the elevator shaft, I could hear each thunderous punch Maven delivered to the top of the elevator. The techno-box could only handle another few before the metal gave and he would see exactly what we were doing.
Boy I wished that I had remembered how I had teleported through walls during my initial prison break. But it seemed like the more I learned to control my powers, the less I was spontaneously able to access abilities that I should not possess. A trade off, I guess.
My stomach rolled, and I felt the very familiar sensation of needing to throw up. I gagged, and I heard Janix curse softly beside me.
“Hold it in a little longer. Just another twenty seconds and we’re there.”
I didn’t say anything, because I was afraid it wasn’t words that would come out of my mouth. But Janix seemed to understand, because he took the metal square from my hand and moved it firmly between us.
I felt its effects before I could ask what it was for, and our speed began to decrease. My stomach did that fun, rollercoaster dip thing that seemed very oddly incongruous with the current situation. But I decided to enjoy the tiny spark of levity, before the decelerator killed our momentum enough for Janix’s taste, and he activated something on his back.
Brilliant light shone from behind him, and abruptly we were swooping to the side and then through a fully illuminated hallway. We landed, parting from each other a little more slowly than was necessary. When I stood, I spotted the telltale green lines along the wall.
“Nice work.”
“I do what I can. Angel wants to know where you’re trying to get and to get there fast.”
I gave a little wave, knowing that my friends on the ship could see me through Janix’s implant. “Oh, just the containment unit.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all.”
“You realize that we’re already wanted for terrorism? Freeing what the government views as their only possibility of curing the plague is going to make everything ten times worse.”
I smirked as I started to jog away. “Are we going to debate about how little I care, or run from the certain death that’s tailing us?”
“Angel says you’re a mad woman.”
“It takes one to know one.” I chorused back. Admittedly not my most mature moment, but they were going to need to trust me on this. Deep within me, I had known from the moment I had walked into that transparent prison that I could not leave those survivors in there.
“They also want you to know that they disabled the security feed but it’ll only last so long before they reboot the entire system and force us out.”
“How long do we have?”
“Maybe five minutes, tops.”
The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the hall, sounding unfortunately similar to nails down a chalkboard, until a thundering crash shook the entire hall.
“I’m guessing we’ll be lucky to have half that.” I cried, breaking into a sprint. “Time to sprint for our lives again.”
“And it had been so long since our last mad dash. Left!”
I spun on my heel, diving down a hall and continuing on.
“Um, where are all the employees?” I called as we raced.
“Viys’k locked the doors. They’re either at lunch or about to watch the show of their lifetime.”
“I’ll try to be entertaining then.”
“I’m sure they’ll be appreciative. Right!”
Another hard turn.
I would admire your determination if it wasn’t so misplaced, Andi.
Crap. Our pursuer was close, but I didn’t want to waste a single modicum of speed to crane my head around and try to look for him.
There’s no direct escape from this floor. You’re trapped, Andi.
“Could you please stop saying my name with every sentence? It’s both creepy and unnatural sounding.”
“Quick! Right and then dive through the contamination door! Viys’k’s opening it for us now!”
I did as he said, pivoting on my heel once more then bodily throwing myself forward. Sure enough, we slid through the half-way open entrance before it slammed down with a thud.
“That should slow him down for at least a minute.”
“Thanks guys.” I said breathlessly as I stood then moved through the second, incredibly thick door. Once we were both clear, that slammed down too, and I was acutely aware of many slit-pupil gazes resting on me.
“Now, release the containment units.”
“They want to know if you’re sure.”
“Of course, I’m sure. Release them.”
“I thought there was something a bit strange about you.” A purring voice sounded form the nearest cell, and I saw none other than Anjali slink out from the pool at the far side of her quarters.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good. It was meant as one.”
“What is happening?” Another, more panicked voice asked from farther within the room.
“Simple, my friend,” Anjali continued. “We are being freed.”
“Freed?” A chorus of the word continued through the entire room, and I could hear hope, confusion and terror in the tone, depending on the speaker.
“Survivors!” I called, putting as much boom and confidence into my voice as I could muster. “I am opening these cages, that will not change. You can stay here, and try to contribute to the cure efforts, and I will understand your noble sacrifice.” I took a deep breath, acutely aware of the metaphorical bomb I was about to drop. “But you must know that some of your captors are already aware of the cure, and are withholding the knowledge until the time is right to give them the maximum power advantage over everyone else.
“You are prisoners here not to save the universe, or as its last hope, but rather in a shallow display of trying for what they already have. I know who created the virus that devastated your species, and I know who is helping to perpetuate it. Come with me, and together we can work for true freedom, and the cure that all of us want so badly.”
The Rescue (Alternate Dimensions Book 3) Page 9
