XGeneration 7: Dead Hand (XGeneration Series)

by Brad Magnarella

  She was in luck tonight. Amid the light lines of the astral dimension, forms began to take shape.

  “I see Jesse pulling up in the black van,” she said, her voice sounding far away. “He and Titan are getting out. Titan’s making the phone call.” Janis strained, but the residue of Titan’s voice was low and garbled. More forms grew into her awareness. She rotated from the phone until she was facing the bank of gas pumps. “The two white vans are pulling in, the ones I saw earlier. Titan and Jesse are climbing into the back of one. He’s there, too, in the front passenger seat.”

  “Who?”

  “The fire starter.” Something seemed off about the energy surrounding the mutant, but Janis couldn’t home in on exactly what. The driver, on the other hand, felt like a hired thug. “The van is leaving the lot, heading north. The second van is following.” As Janis tried to focus on its occupants—who they were, how many—a force pinged her intuition. “The second van has another mutant. Maybe more, but I’m feeling the one pretty strongly.”

  “What are his powers?”

  “It’s a woman,” Janis said, climbing back into the cruiser. Scott gunned the engine and took off north. “I’m not picking up anything on her powers,” she continued. “I don’t think she used them.”

  “The vans, can you still see them?”

  Astral lines streaked past as Scott picked up speed. Janis’s awareness flickered between the present and her tenuous grasp on the past. The thready images of the vans thinned before filling out once more.

  “The lead one is pulling ahead. The second one seems to be falling behind. It’s turning off.”

  “Where?”

  “Up ahead. There should be a dirt road to the right.” She felt Scott easing from the accelerator, looking. “But I think we should stay on the lead van. The one with Jesse and Titan.”

  “Under different circumstances, I’d agree,” Scott said. “But they have a huge lead by now. If the other one turned off, we’ll have a better chance of tracking it. Once we take out the crew inside, you can mind scan them, get the location of wherever Titan and Jesse were headed. I see the road,” he said suddenly, rotating the steering wheel hard to the right.

  The peel of tires turned into the surf-like blast of sand hitting the car’s undercarriage. Janis grasped the safety belt where it braced her chest, and her eyes came open. The astral world withdrew.

  “And we’ve got a fresh set of tire tracks,” Scott said.

  Janis blinked from the dirt road, white in the cruiser’s brights, to the leafy tunnel opening ahead of them. Warning bells began clanging in her head, continuing even after she reinforced the shield around the car. As the car picked up speed, her grip on her belt turned clammy. She had the adrenaline-sick feeling of being watched by something predatory.

  “Scott, turn around.”

  “But the tracks go—”

  “Turn around,” she repeated, more sharply. “It’s a trap.”

  She caught a look on Scott’s face that asked, Yeah, but what can they possibly do to us? Janis didn’t know, either. But she had learned to trust her intuition. And right now her intuition was telling them to get the hell out of these woods. Scott nodded and began to slow.

  Janis exhaled, the feeling of threat receding.

  Scott looked from one shoulder of the road to the other. “Just need a little space to turn ar—”

  White lights exploded through Janis’s senses, blinding her. She felt the car slew from the dirt road and slam-bang through dense growth, the forces knocking her side to side. Glass cracked. Something gouged the passenger side in a shrill caterwaul. Realizing she’d lost hold of the telekinetic shield, Janis covered her head with her arms and shouted for Scott to get down. Between the lights and violent motion, she could no longer summon her powers.

  And something new was thumping into the car.

  Bullets.

  21

  Janis tried to conjure a shield, but the lightshow in her head prevented it. She couldn’t see, either. The car crunched to a stop. The impact of bullets against the outside became a growing hail storm. Janis felt for her safety belt’s release button and dug her thumb into it. Freed, she crouched to the floor board. Glass shattered, raining over her in a cold spray.

  “Scott,” she called, reaching for him.

  Their hands found one another’s at the same moment and grasped tightly. “You all right?” he asked, his voice groggy. Janis instinctively reached for his face. His glasses had come off, and her fingers encountered a slick of blood across his brow. Intuition told her it was from a gash, not a bullet.

  “Think I knocked my head,” he said. “You?”

  “I’m not hurt,” she answered. “But we’re being fired at. We need to stay down. Can you see?”

  The thumping of bullets grew more insistent.

  “No, I’m just seeing lights,” he said. “What happened?”

  What had happened? Janis remembered the feeling of being watched, the explosion of light that continued to flash and boom behind her eyes, and apparently behind Scott’s as well. “The mutant I sensed earlier,” she said. “I think she’s dazzling our senses, keeping us from using our powers. But listen, we need to get out of here. Can you open your door?”

  “Here,” Scott said.

  Janis accepted what was being pushed into her hands: her helmet. He had retrieved it from the back seat.

  “Do you have yours?” she asked.

  “Do now,” he said, his voice sounding clearer.

  Janis pulled her helmet on quickly and inserted its cord into the battery at the back of her suit. A small computer screen appeared inside the visor and, in a rapid flashing of numbers and letter combinations, proceeded through a self check. The helmets had been engineered to blunt mental intrusions, among other things. As Janis had hoped, the white lights faded from her awareness, becoming apparition-like. Her visor took a light reading and switched to night-vision mode. Scott and the interior of the wrecked cruiser assumed grainy green form.

  Scott grunted against the door handle. “Door’s stuck.”

  Janis concentrated and pushed. With the lights still swimming through her head, her telekinetic powers were operating at twenty percent, maybe. But it was enough. With a crunch of metal, the door swung wide and banged against a tree trunk. Scott climbed out first, then turned and helped her over the center console until she was free. They crouched behind the hood. Bullets nailed the opposite side of the car and careened overhead.

  Three gunmen, Janis said in Scott’s head, sensing them now. The mutant is hanging back.

  She only felt the one mutant, the woman, which was good. If the fire starter had been there, Janis realized, she and Scott would be charbroiled by now. He must have been in the first van.

  How close are the gunmen? Scott asked.

  Janis fought to focus. Hard to tell the men from the trees. The helmet is blunting the dazzler’s influence, not blocking it.

  Before Janis could stop him, Scott poked his head above the hood. His visor swelled with red light and, in the next moment, fired a flashing pulse. A grunt sounded no more than twenty yards back. Following a brief suspension, the gunfire resumed with fresh fervor.

  Damn, Scott said, landing beside her again. There’s no punch behind my blasts. I managed to knock one of them sideways, but that was about it. How strong a blurring effect can you create?

  Right now? Not very. She followed his thought process, not liking where it was leading. Scott…

  We’ve got to get to the mutant, he argued, which means moving these goons from between us and her. Let me lead them deeper into the woods. I’ll stay low, behind the trees. I’ve got my battle suit for protection. Blur yourself as best you can and find the mutant. Take her out.

  Janis considered the alternatives. Not finding a better one, she concentrated into the space around her, making it hazy. Just remember, she said, squeezing his arm, if you get hurt, you’re gonna have me to answer to.

  Noted, Scott answered.r />
  His chest heaved with a here-goes breath, and he took off through the undergrowth, bullets winging behind him. Janis wasn’t sure whether he was the bravest boyfriend she’d ever had or the most reckless. Either way, his plan needed to work. She drew her own deep breath and focused on the mutant.

  Limbs whacking against his helmet, Scott ventured a peek over his shoulder. So far, so good. The lead men were veering from the crashed cruiser, their gunfire petering to short bursts as they tracked his heat signature through what looked like monocular night-vision units. But Scott noticed that a third gunman had hung back, remaining in the vicinity of the cruiser.

  Crap.

  Scott took refuge behind a thick tree. Controlling his breaths, he trained his gaze on the trailing gunman. Scott was endangering himself, he knew. But he couldn’t go further until he knew Janis was safe.

  You’ve got one coming, he called to her.

  When she didn’t answer, he hoped it was because she was putting all of her efforts into blurring herself. The dazzling effect Janis had spoken of—a maddening kaleidoscope of lights—continued to disrupt his own powers. The knock to his head during the crash wasn’t helping either. Blood trickled from the throbbing gash, matting the lashes of his right eye.

  He caught one of the advancing men hand-signaling to the others, telling them Scott was in the cluster of trees ahead. The men split into a bipod formation, their footsteps sounding nearer.

  Meanwhile, the trailing man arrived at the rear of the crashed cruiser. He circled it slowly, leading with an automatic rifle. Scott gathered what energy he could into his laser. The gunman reached the hood, where Scott had left Janis, paused, and then lowered his weapon.

  Scott’s shoulders unbunched. Janis had slipped off.

  He peeked back to find one of the advancing men pointing emphatically: there!

  Bark blew from Scott’s tree as the coughs of silenced gunfire resumed. Ducking down, he broke through a clutch of saw palmettos and pushed deeper into the woods. A bullet nicked off his helmet with a rude knock. Scott glanced at the screen on the inside of his visor to ensure his laser was still operational. He was sort of counting on it for when Janis took out the mutant. Thankfully, all systems looked healthy. Scott skirted a stand of thick trees and broke into a run.

  Time to make some distance.

  The thought had barely formed in his head when something landed like a horse kick in his low back. He fell forward, numbness shooting down both legs. Hissing, he rolled onto his side and pressed a hand to where he’d been nailed. A bullet must have slipped between the trees. Though the suit had stopped it, the impact had been enough to stun his spinal nerves.

  Scott looked back and found the men’s heat signatures glowing through seams in the stand of trees.

  “Think I dropped him,” Scott heard one of the men say.

  He backpedaled with his arms, legs dragging behind like a pair of flaccid noodles. The men made their way along the trees, intending to round them. And Scott was out in the open. He tried concentrating into his laser, but the dazzling effect continued to steal his power.

  He could only hope Janis was close to her target.

  Janis slipped from the trees and back onto the dirt road. A pair of rutted marks showed where Scott had lost control of the cruiser and gone barreling into the woods. Which meant the mutant who dazzled their senses had likely been close to this spot—and probably still was.

  Janis craned her neck to peer up the dirt road. Around a bend, she caught sight of a car reflector. Still blurred, she crept forward. From deep in the woods, to her left, came the muted chatter of gunfire. Her heart pounded for Scott, for the urgency of her mission.

  Hurrying around the bend, Janis found the white van. It was parked off one side of the road, tire-deep in saw palmettos, its square back to her. She stole up and peeked through the passenger side window. Her visor compensated for the dark tinting to reveal an empty cab.

  The back of the van, her intuition whispered. She’s in the back.

  Janis dispersed the blurring effect, transforming the energy into an egg-shaped shield. How strong a shield it would prove, she couldn’t say. Especially with the dazzling effect gaining strength.

  Mutant must sense me closing in.

  At the rear of the van, Janis seized the door handle. She went over the sequence in her mind: Open door, locate target, convert shield to mind blast, hit her with everything you’ve got.

  Janis cranked the lever and felt the latch release. Keeping her body behind the door, she cannoned it open.

  In the dark hull of the cargo bay, a large seated figure glowed into focus, recoiling from the sudden exposure. Beneath a row of short-cut bangs, swollen, childlike eyes stared back at Janis. In an instant, Janis understood why this woman and the fire starter were on the reserve team.

  But this was no time to go soft. As long as the mutant was in their heads, she and Scott were vulnerable. Janis took the energy from her shield and drew it back like a psionic arrow. A fresh burst of lights exploded behind her eyes—a final exertion by the mutant—causing Janis to release the arrow prematurely. She knew immediately it had missed its mark.

  Janis caught a final glimpse of the sad, swollen eyes before a vibrating force rammed into her side, launching her from the van.

  “There he is!” one of the men called, abandoning the hand signals.

  As the man aimed, Scott brought his heat signature into focus and released a laser blast. It landed flush against the man’s chest, sending him staggering back several steps. But by the man’s grunting curse, Scott could tell he had only stunned him. The other two men moved up, guns raised.

  Have to keep them off balance till I’m back to full power.

  He released two more blasts, each one weaker than the last. The final man it caught bowed over slightly, as though he’d been kneed in the stomach, before straightening again. Scott cycled back to the first man he’d struck. But now his blast had about as much umph as a thrown pillow.

  Scott tried to stand, but his legs were too willowy.

  Something tells me they’re not going to accept my surrender, he thought. Looks like I’ll have to rely on the bullet-resistant design of the suit. He eyed the recovering men, wincing in anticipation of the massive bullet bruising he was about to take. He fired off a few more infirm shots.

  And that’s when the ground began to tremble.

  Huh?

  The men paused, peering around. The ground between Scott and them reared up into giant mounds. Through Scott’s visor, the upchurned earth glowed with the warmth of decomposing leaves and tree litter. The mounds grew thick legs and arms to go with their squat heads. Scott had seen these creatures before. Only this time, their aggression wasn’t directed at him.

  One of the men screamed as a huge fist crashed down on his head. The remaining men began firing at the advancing earth giants, eight of them now. Though dirt exploded off them, they didn’t slow. More fists rained down. With a final yelp, the firing ceased. The creatures began stomping the downed men, until a woman’s voice commanded them to stop.

  Scott followed their rounding heads toward what appeared through Scott’s visor as a rotund figure of light. Scott pushed himself up to a knee, then gained his feet. His legs held this time.

  “Am I glad to see you,” Scott said.

  Minion entered the mass of creatures, which had separated into a small circle for their master. “Go now,” she ordered. “Return to the earth.” The creatures did as she said, plodding back to the places where they had reared up. With a collective sigh, they collapsed to the ground, inert dirt once more.

  “Are you okay?” Minion asked as Scott hobbled up. For someone who commanded that kind of brute force, his new teammate spoke so gently it was almost ridiculous.

  “Nothing I can’t walk off,” he answered, testing his tingling legs.

  “Kilmer had second thoughts about sending you out here without Special backup.” She tapped the side of her helmet. “Good thing th
ese are equipped with locating beacons.”

  The kaleidoscopic lights continued to play behind Scott’s eyes as he removed weapons from the battered men and checked their pulses. “Did you see Janis?” he asked over his shoulder.

  Before Minion could answer, a vibrating sound, like a freight train passing overhead, caused both of them to turn. An explosion followed. Through the trees, flames billowed up like a giant flower. It had originated from the dirt road. From the direction Janis had been headed.

  Scott broke into a run.

  22

  Janis’s spinning trip through the air was violent and short. Limbs knocked her from all sides until she slammed back first into a tree trunk and landed in a growth of saplings. The vibrating force that had sent her airborne rumbled off through the trees like a ghost train.

  Been hit before, but never like that, she thought groggily.

  When she lifted her head, the view past her sprawled-out legs jittered like a cheap television set. As her vision steadied, the van came into view, its rear door still open. She couldn’t see inside it, couldn’t make out the woman. Movement made her head turn. Someone was striding toward the van.

  Janis recognized him. She also recognized his intent.

  “Stop!” she shouted, struggling to sit up. “We need her alive!”

  Aiming his slender arms toward the van, Shockwave released another blast. The force upended the van and tore open the fuselage. Janis threw a forearm up as a rush of white-orange heat slammed into her.

  Her visor was consumed by a bright blob before the helmet deactivated the night-vision feature and adjusted to the new source of light. Janis lowered her arm and took in the burning van. It had landed on its front headlights and was teetering there now, like something out of a cartoon. In the next moment, it crunched onto its side in a whoosh of flames.

  The dazzling effect that had inhibited Janis’s abilities shrank to a point in her mind before disappearing. Telepathically, she reached for the sad-eyed woman in the van, already knowing she was dead.