The Awakened
Kate
Cool air rushed out from the space Aurora and Mamoru had stood seconds earlier. Kate couldn’t help but stare at the pants and boots slumped on the ground where he had been. Her mind wasted little time in thinking of nude men, David in particular. Twenty-five years old and she’d barely held hands with a man, and yet after being with him for almost a month, they’d never done more than kiss. She wanted him, more than she could stand sometimes, but she also wanted her first time to mean something.
Kate peered into the hangar. After what happened here, as well as almost losing him twice, she worried that right moment would never come. She daydreamed about tearing his clothes off and jumping him on the spot when she next saw him, no matter how many people were there to watch.
Althea gawked at her.
Shit. Damn empaths.
Kate’s face went as red as her hair.
“I wonder what’s going on at the starport,” said Aaron. “I suppose there’s no harm in investigating.”
“You want to go to the city?” Sadako gestured at the west before waving her arms up and down. “It will be destroyed. We should stay here.”
Althea grasped the woman’s hand. “Your brother is trying to stop it.”
Fear faded from Sadako’s face. “You are right. If he fails, I wish to join him on the other side.”
“So… what are we looking at?” asked Aaron.
“About ninety or so of The Awakened,” muttered Anna.
“Oh, is that all.” Aaron gazed at the clouds.
Kate’s heart almost stopped. “I thought you said there were only six of us?” She glanced at the hangar. “Five.”
Aaron gave her a ‘too soon’ grimace.
Anna sighed. “No, all the strays we took in got into the habit of calling themselves that. They’re not actually awakened. Some of the older psionics who’d been living on the street before we got here had formed like a gang or some such nonsense. They’re just psionic. Every one of them fell for Archon’s bullshit. He’d promised he’d find a way to make everyone more powerful.”
“That’s why he wanted me,” said Althea, staring down and dragging her toes over the sand. “He thought I could ‘waken them.”
“Well.” Anna bit her lip. “There is one.”
Aaron glared. “Talis.” He pulled Anna toward the car.
“Wait, Aaron… We”—she stared into the hangar—”can’t just leave James lying there like that.”
“Sure we can.” Aaron stopped. “But we won’t.”
“It would not be wise to put a headless corpse in the car,” said Sadako.
“You could wait here with him.” Ice coated Anna’s voice.
Althea ran to Anna and took her arm in both hands. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help him.”
“Oh, no, I reckon I’d call in a crime scene unit.” Aaron smirked.
“We don’t have the time or the tools to dig a grave,” said Kate. “I’ll cremate the body.”
“No!” yelled Anna.
Kate kept her anger inside. She had wanted to burn Archon for what he’d done to her. She had wanted to make it hurt, and take a while. Despite the gratification of a protracted immolation, an instant death would likely have been her only chance to defeat such a powerful telepath. An instant of eye contact and he would’ve made her his daughter again. Her stomach knotted at the thought.
“We don’t have time, Anna.” Aaron squeezed her. “We can leave him here and come back… if we survive.”
“No, it’s alright.” She sniffled and looked at Kate. “They cremate everyone now anyway. I want to watch.”
“You sure?” A small bit of guilt rose within her as she made eye contact with Anna. Whatever love she’s got for him’s bullshit. He raped her mind too. She has to see him burn. Maybe she won’t admit it, but she needs to.
“I…”
“Come on,” said Kate. “I’m burning more than bodies.”
She stomped into the hangar, over to the tweed-clad remains. Dr. James Mardling, of Oxford, lay on his back with his right leg twisted up, and no head. A fan of dark red expanded from the neck. The Nano blade had left such a smooth cut, the end of his neck resembled dark red glass. Anna turned away and gasped. “Oh, feck… James.”
Kate kicked Archon’s leg in an effort to make him lie straight, drawing a whimper from Anna. Wisps of flame coiled around her hands as she let anger seethe for a moment and fade. Knowing Archon had moved beyond feeling any pain, she resisted the urge to stomp on him more. She crouched and arranged his body to lay as if in a casket. She dug her nails in, a subtle attack that escaped Anna’s notice. It didn’t do much damage, but it made her feel a little better.
“Thank you, Katherine.” Anna choked up, taking a step back. Even in death, she still seemed afraid of the man. “I know you… hated him.”
“I’m surprised you don’t.” Kate stared at the body for a moment before she stood. “He almost took away who I was. He made me see him as my father. He made me kill soldiers who answered my call for backup. Soldiers who were just doing their job.”
Anna sniffled. “He hurt so many people.”
“I don’t know what he did to you, or what you think he was to you, but it’s probably bullshit.”
“Yes and no.” Anna crept up alongside her. “He did pull me out of the gutters of London. Probably saved my life. I guess he only did it because of what I am.” Her face hardened, but tears continued to flow. “If I wasn’t Awakened, he wouldn’t have cared about me at all.”
“He’d do anything to have us.” Kate looked down. “Kill anyone. Re-write anyone.”
Anna rubbed her hand back and forth over her arm in an effort to stall trembles. “I didn’t know. I was terrified of thinking about anything that might make him angry. When I started having doubts, I was sure he knew. I expected him to do something to me.” She shivered.
Kate offered a sympathetic hand. “He made me think I was his daughter.”
“Lauren’s gotta be laughing about this. She always could be a bit on the cold side.” Emotion had left Anna’s voice. “I wonder if she knew the Japanese girl would be the one to kill him. That must’ve bothered him more than dying.”
“Why? He’s got a problem with Japanese?” Kate raised an eyebrow.
“No, he’s got a problem with mundanes. She’s not psionic.”
Kate looked at her. “Are you sure, I thought she was trying to read my mind?”
“I am weak,” said Sadako from behind them.
Anna jumped, awash with sparks. Two hit Kate in the arm like bee stings.
“Ow, shit.” Kate clamped a hand over the spot.
Kate stared down at Archon; it occurred to her that she’d probably write her first official report as a Division 0 officer about this fight. She stooped and collected his NetMini. “Sorry. Guess as a cop I should turn this in for evidence.”
Sadako moved closer, standing to Kate’s left. “My father gave my mother serums and drugs while she carried me, trying to repeat what they had done with Mamoru. It did not work as well, but it did give me a little ability.”
“Guess we’re all someone’s science project.” Kate drove her boot into Archon’s side. Blood squirted out of the neck.
Anna flinched.
“I can see what people are thinking, and sometimes make them not see me.” Sadako stepped closer, head bowed. “Please forgive me for trying to kill you. The child has made me understand you were this man’s puppet.”
“Maybe someday I’ll think of you as having set me free,” said Anna. “I’m not sure I can do that yet, but I understand.”
Sadako bowed.
“I don’t know how you can have anything but fear and hate for this piece of shit.” Kate scowled. Her glare softened as she thought of her situation with El Tío. She sighed. “Well, maybe I can. Is there anything you wanna say before I do it?”
“I’ll never know how much of his feelings were real.” Anna stuffed her hands in the
pockets of her coat and looked down. “I’ll always be grateful to you for getting me off the street, but you’ve hurt so many these past few years. Even the best of intentions don’t excuse the worst of actions.” She bowed her head for a moment of silence. “Goodbye, James.”
Kate took a step forward so Anna couldn’t see the grin on her face as she surrounded her arms with flames and projected them over the body. She tapped into her anger, remembering the feeling of icing squishing between her toes, the little fang-like teeth in her leg, and the horrible, nauseating memory of having this man insert himself as the father she never had. The flame paled from blue to yellow-white. Over the course of minutes, the body blackened, bubbled, smoked, and collapsed to ash and bits of bone.
She slumped and tried to catch her breath when little remained of him but a stain on the ground and bone pebbles. At some point during the burn, Anna had retreated, likely from the heat or the smell. Anger faded to a vacuous hollow of doubt. She wondered if it would have been that bad after all. If she hadn’t known it was a lie, she would’ve had a loving father. Kate frowned. No, he would’ve loved my power, not me.
She made a fist, shaking with rage.
Calm down. She exhaled and relaxed. I can’t be angry all the time. That’ll only let that thing win. After a final scowl at the ash pile, she hurried out to join the others.
Kate twisted around in the passenger seat, engaged in a telepathic conversation with Althea. She attempted to clarify why her emotions had gone where they had gone in such an inappropriate way.
Is your thinking-shape hurt?
What? Kate blinked. No, I feel okay.
You felt like a raider right before he wifes a slave. Althea scowled.
Warmth crept over Kate’s cheeks. I miss David… He’s almost died twice. I love him. I want to… uhh…
Althea blinked, covering her mouth. But you’re a woman… Only the broken slaves want that.
Kate burst out laughing, earning strange looks from the others. Men aren’t the only ones who enjoy… uhh… wifeing. It’s very different when there’s love involved.
The girl’s eyebrows drew together with suspicion.
You’re little yet, but it won’t be long before you understand.
Althea looked at her lap for a moment, picking at her dress. You did feel different. More like love than greed. Den makes me feel funny, but I don’t want that.
Not yet you don’t. Kate winked. Some day you will.
Althea blushed, shaking her head. No. Eww.
With the girl’s desire to ask awkward questions gone, Kate reached out and squeezed her hand for a moment of gratitude before adjusting herself to face forward. The imprint that made her feel like a daughter had worked. It gave her the strength to fight off the demon. She no longer needed to fear losing control.
Sadako had taken James’s Halcyon-Ormyr as Anna couldn’t bear to drive it. She sat behind Aaron, staring at her hands folded in her lap. Kate gazed out the window, checked her equipment for the fourth time, and sighed.
“What?” asked Aaron.
“I was just wondering how awkward it would be if they made us partners,” said Kate.
“Bullshit.” Aaron chuckled and glanced at his nameplate. “I’m apparently a lieutenant. Assuming they don’t put me in a box when all this is done, I’ll be transferred to I-Ops. What’s really bothering you?”
“They promoted you after what happened?” Kate blushed. “Uhh, that didn’t sound like I meant it.”
“No offense taken. I expect they want to study me. They’ll probably promote you to I-Ops, too, since you’re Awakened… once you’ve had some experience on duty.”
“I doubt it. I still have to go through ISCOT, and all I can do is blow shit up.” Kate picked at her uniform. “That’s what I’m worried about. I don’t know what good I’m going to be in a hostage situation. All I can do is kill. I’m just a weapon.”
“If your power is just a weapon, you’re no different than an ordinary cop with a gun. They still deal with hostage situations.” Aaron smiled. “You define your power. Don’t let it define you. Besides, killing might come in handy. There’s a dangerous bitch down there that I don’t think the world would miss.”
“Aaron,” said Anna. “We have no idea what he did to her. She might be a mouse now.”
“You’re fibbing.” Aaron leaned the car to the right. “There’s a cute little tremble in your voice whenever you’re scared.”
“Sod off.” Anna blushed.
Kate looked back and forth between them. “Anna, if you know something, now’s the time to speak.”
“I just had the strangest paranoid delusion.” She looked up. “James got darker after she arrived. What if she was really pulling the strings and not the other way ‘round? She never liked me. Always stared at me like I was standing in her way. As soon as she showed up, James seemed to start pushing me away.”
“Narcissists do that,” said Aaron. “He doubted your loyalty, so he wanted to crush you to build you back up. There’s no way Talis would’ve even acted subservient. It’s not in her DNA.”
“She wanted your man.” Kate checked the energy meter on her E-90 for the fifth time. “She wanted the king’s crown.”
Anna gasped. “You think she made me afraid of him?”
“Nope,” said Aaron. “That was me.”
“W-what?” Anna looked horrified. “What did you do?”
“Showed you the truth.” Aaron reached over the back of his seat.
Anna grasped his hand. “That’s not funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” He took hold of the stick again and nudged the car to a gradual dive.
The console flickered with a flurry of activity as they moved into range of West City’s network. Within fifteen seconds, the holographic head of Captain Buckley appeared. He opened his mouth as if to bark at Aaron, but turned to face Kate.
“Solomon. There you are. I hope you have a good explanation for your sudden disappearance so soon after your… incident.”
“Sir,” said Kate. “An inside informant contacted Lieutenant Pryce in regards to a critical situation occurring out in the Badlands. I happened to be with him at the time and since I’m… uhh, Awakened”—she shivered at the word—”I insisted on going with him.”
“Ashford said your mental state might be at risk.”
“Yes, sir.” Kate didn’t flinch. “I wanted to kill Archon for what he did to me. I couldn’t pass up the chance.”
“What happened out there?” Buckley raised an eyebrow.
“Well, sir. A demon possessed Mamoru, that Awakened technokinetic you sent me to intercept. It forced him to set the CSS Angel on a collision course with West City because it wants to expand the Badlands out to the coast. We intercepted Archon meeting with him. There was a fight, sir, and the demon tried to turn us against each other, but we had an angel on our side.”
“Demons? Angels?” Buckley blinked. “You’re starting to sound as dodgy as that Astral Sensate over on Captain Eze’s squad.”
“Well, the girl’s only part angel,” said Anna.
“Solomon?” asked Captain Buckley “What the—”
Althea leaned left into the view of the camera and waved at him. “Hi.”
“Pryce? Dammit man, that’s a child, what are you doing bringing a child into a tactical situation?” Buckley froze, his pointing finger added to the hologram. “Are that girl’s eyes glowing?”
Althea nodded. “Bio loom-nis-ant.”
“No offense, sir, but if Burckhardt knew what this kid can do, he’d sell his bollocks to have her in command of her own tactical squad.”
“That’s not funny, Pryce,” said Buckley.
“No, sir. It isn’t.” Aaron’s grin went flat. “I didn’t mean it as a joke.”
“If I may cut in…” The holographic head of Mikhail Kovalev appeared next to the captain.
Captain Buckley paled. “Of course, sir.”
“Sir,” said Kate, saluting.
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Aaron saluted without saying anything.
Althea saluted also, seeming confused when the Captain and the Director both chuckled.
Director Kovalev’s expression returned to grim. “There is a situation at―”
“Edmonson Memorial Starport?” asked Aaron.
Mikhail stared at him.
“We’re already en route, sir.” Aaron grinned. “Archon had a pet precog.”
“Had?” asked Captain Buckley.
“Archon is dead,” said Kate.
Anna shrank into herself.
“You killed him?” Buckley looked down and grumbled. “That’ll be a pile of bureaucratic horseshit we’ll need a front-end loader to slog through.”
“No, sir. I wanted to, but he was dead before I could get to him. A ninja killed him.”
After a three-second blank stare, Buckley cracked up laughing so hard tears streamed out of his eyes. “Oh, of course. Demons and angels were incomplete. Needed some ninjas. Next thing you know, there’ll be werewolves involved.”
“There’s a samurai too.” Aaron winked.
“What’s a werewolf?” asked Althea.
Anna mumbled a brief explanation to her.
“Oh, the werewolf isn’t here.” Althea shook her head. “He helped me get away from a slave catcher. He was nice after I made his hurts go away and took the angry metal out of him.”
Captain Buckley made a noise somewhere between whimper and giggle. “Werewolves? Have you all cracked?”
“That’d be a canid mutant, sir,” said Aaron. “Doubt they’ve got a particular aversion to silver.”
Buckley twitched.
“I understand how crazy this sounds.” Kate sat tall in the seat. “I didn’t believe it either.”
“What’s the situation on the ground, sirs?” asked Aaron.
“A number of psionic terrorists have taken over the starport and have control of the security team.” Mikhail glanced at something off to his right and behind him. “At this point, we are unaware of their intentions or demands. They have released all potential hostages other than the security personnel, as well as a group of about a hundred, most of whom are of children.
Angel Descended (The Awakened Book 6) Page 57
