Extant

by Mary M Wallace

  “No,” Declan said in a firm voice. Rowan looked at him as though he’d expected this. “We’re not sending her in there alone.”

  Rowan nodded and held up a hand. “I know that, Dec,” he said. “Just hear me out.” Declan’s jaw clenched tightly, but he didn’t say anything else. Rowan went on. “I don’t like the idea any more than anyone else, but I’ve run the options and I’ve come up with a plan. This has the best chance of success. You guys have to trust me. This can work.”

  They all listened intently as Rowan laid out the plan he thought would have the best results. They asked questions, clarifying anything that they didn’t understand. They watched as he went over the floorplan of the building Ephraim’s people had chosen. It was a multi-level monstrosity with many entrances. It looked to be an old factory in the industrial district. It had been unused for years, and they didn’t know what machinery might still be there or what shape the building would be in. The satellite images they had were only aerial views of the building and adjacent structures. Rowan went over the floorplan multiple times, pinpointing the areas he felt it most likely that there would be lookouts and where he thought they might be holding Zoe. He wished he could be more exact, but the truth was that they were working with less information than he normally liked. He hadn’t lied to Conrad. He believed they could pull this off, but he also knew that things happened in the field that he couldn’t account for from in here. For the first time in a long time, Rowan wished he were going on the mission with them.

  When he was sure that he’d given them all the info possible, he passed the tablet over to Corbin who took it with a nod. “It’s about an hour drive from here. You’ll have full darkness when you get there,” Rowan said. “Good luck.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Bree took a deep breath, trying to fight the nausea that threatened. She was always nervous before a mission, but this was different. Zoe had been her closest friend for years and because of that friendship, she was now in danger. They had to get her out of there. The team had arrived at what they were calling their staging area. Miller and Grace, sent by Sam, had met them near the edge of the city and followed them here. Now the team consisted of fourteen and Bree felt slightly better about the outcome, but she was still nervous. Declan kept casting her glances, trying to make sure she was okay. She did her best to keep what she was feeling from her face.

  “Okay,” Corbin said, looking at Bree. “You ready for this?”

  She nodded. They were standing close to the vehicles, parked on a dark street that was lined with low brick buildings. Corbin gave her a small smile of reassurance and held out a hand. Bree removed her weapons belt and handed it to him. She reached down to her boots and removed three knives she’d hidden there, handing those to Corbin as well. When she reached for the straps to remove the body armor, Declan started.

  “No,” he said. “That stays on.” His voice was firm. He wasn’t going to be swayed on this. Everyone turned to look at him, but no one objected.

  Bree gave him a wordless nod. She felt better with it on, anyway. If Ephraim made her take it off, that was a different matter. She felt safer walking in with some sort of protection, even if it might only be temporary. She felt an odd sense of detachment at the thought of seeing Ephraim tonight. He’d been this fixture of her nightmares for so long that he’d begun to feel mythical. It was the same as when she’d first stumbled into Declan that night. She’d been unable to believe her eyes, in denial. Tonight, she had to keep reminding herself that this was happening and to get it together. She felt naked without any weapons at all and she hated the idea of walking in without her team, but she pulled herself up to her full height and hid her anxiety.

  “I’m ready,” she said, her voice stronger than she’d expected.

  Sawyer came to stand in front of Bree. “Just stick to the plan,” she said, her gaze direct, even in the darkness. “When you hear the signal, get to Zoe and stay low. Your job is to get the two of you out of the building. We’ll do the rest, okay?”

  Bree nodded. She knew the plan. She’d gone over it a dozen times in her head on the way here. She also knew that plans didn’t always work the way you wanted them to. Still, it was all they had so she would go with it.

  Declan put a hand on her arm and led her a short distance away from the group. She studied his eyes in the dim light from the streetlamps. They were cast in shadows and she was unable to make out the distinctive blue-green she so loved. She reached out a hand to touch his cheek.

  “It’s going to be okay,” she said, giving him a small smile. She was saying it to reassure him as much as herself, but he didn’t need to know that. She wanted him to believe that she was fully confident of success.

  He leaned his face close to hers and whispered her name. She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice and her smile grew.

  “Look at me,” he whispered. When she opened her eyes, he said, “Be careful. Don’t do anything crazy, okay?”

  “It’s going to be fine, Declan,” she said, deliberately making her voice light. “Stop worrying so much.”

  Declan took in a deep breath, the anger in his tone as well as his words surprising her. “Damnit Bree, this is serious. I need to know that you’re going to be careful. I need to know you’re coming back.” Bree softened at his words, feeling her heart catch.

  “I’m going to do everything in my power to come back to you,” she told him. “I love you.” She kissed him quickly. “Now, I have to go.” She let her hand trail out behind her, holding onto his until she’d taken a few steps and he could no longer reach her. Every step away from him was another step toward danger, and possibly her own death. She tried to tamp down that thought and instead focused on the thought that every step she took was a step closer to saving Zoe. She hadn’t lied to Declan. She knew that she would do whatever it took to come back to him.

  Declan watched as Paul and Bree walked toward the building. He hated the idea of her walking into danger with no weapon and he hated that he wasn’t by her side. Everything they’d done in this fight up to now had been done together. This was wrong. They should be walking in there together to face down Ephraim and end this. He watched her walk further away from him until she turned the corner and he could no longer see her. Forcing himself to unclench his jaw, he turned and walked back to the others. They needed to stick to Rowan’s plan. They had to get into position so they’d be ready when the time came. He’d spent weeks honing his ability to mimic his teammates’ and even Gwynn’s abilities. He still hadn’t been able to use more than one at a time, but he’d become adept at switching from one ability to another rapidly. He’d use that to his advantage tonight. Grace and Miller were the only two whose abilities he was unfamiliar with and there just wasn’t enough time for him to learn them right now. He was as ready as he could get for this mission.

  Bree walked alongside Paul down the center of the dark street toward the building. She had the overwhelming feeling of being watched but she could see no one. It was an unnerving sensation, but she forced herself to walk forward as though she hadn’t a care in the world. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her nerves. She kept her head high and pointed straight at her goal. Her eyes continued to move from side to side scanning the shadowy buildings, but she still didn’t see anyone.

  “Zoe will never forgive me if something happens to you,” Paul said in a low voice, breaking the silence.

  Bree didn’t look in his direction. “Good thing I’m not planning to die tonight,” she said with a cocky grin.

  Paul’s lips curved slightly, and he said, “Good. That makes two of us.”

  When they were standing a dozen or so yards from the entrance to the building, they stopped walking and Bree held her hands up to show that they were empty. Being a Praetorian, that didn’t necessarily mean that she was unarmed. In Bree’s case it meant exactly that, but they couldn’t know her ability. She thought that they were probably being cautious in their approach. The longer sh
e stood in the open with nothing happening, the tighter her nerves wound. She could sense Paul’s nerves as well and it made her feel slightly better about her own. She didn’t know what to expect when she went inside but she was ready to do something, to move forward.

  “We’re here,” Paul called out in a loud voice, startling her.

  She heard nothing, but suddenly there was something hard pressed to the back of her head and a male voice spoke from behind her. “Put your hands on top of your head and start walking. Slowly.”

  Bree’s heartbeat accelerated. She didn’t know where the man had come from or why she hadn’t heard him approach, but she didn’t doubt that he held a gun to her head. She did as he said. Paul was no longer walking beside her, and she felt even more vulnerable. She told herself that this was part of the plan, but it didn’t ease her nerves as she walked through the open doorway of the dark building.

  As she entered the building, her mind was busy matching the memory of Rowan’s floorplans with the reality of what she was seeing. She noted the places where guards might be stationed and tried to make out figures in the dark. She didn’t know if the building had electricity or not, but it didn’t matter since it seemed that Ephraim didn’t plan to use the lights. She followed the gruff directions of the man behind her, turning when he instructed her to do so. She kept a mental note of every turn they made so she’d be able to find her way back out later.

  “Stop there,” the man said. Bree came to a stop and stood still, her hands still atop her head. She wondered if Paul was somewhere behind her or if he’d been made to stay outside. Her footsteps echoed loudly through the building, making it impossible to tell how many sets of feet were walking with her.

  They’d been walking for several minutes and she imagined they were near the center of the building now. She couldn’t make out any windows, in any case. She could hear the faint sounds of footsteps growing louder as the seconds ticked by. She wondered how many people were walking toward them, but she had no way of telling. Her eyes strained in the darkness, trying to see whoever was coming her way, but she could only make out vague outlines of equipment and abandoned hulks of metal that had once been used to make this place run and now sat silent and covered in dust. Gradually, her eyes began to adjust to the dark interior of the building and she could better make out the shadowy shapes around her. The footsteps had grown much louder by now and she thought it was probably several people walking toward their location.

  It was a warm night. Summer was in full swing and the night air was sticky. Still, Bree felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard her name spoken in Ephraim’s cold, proper voice.

  “Bree Warren,” he said.

  It was the same voice she remembered from her nightmare. Despite her desire to remain unaffected, she felt her stomach clench and she sucked in a breath. The voice had come from her left and she wanted to turn and face him. Whatever was coming, she wanted to see it.

  “How good of you to come,” Ephraim said, as though she’d had a real choice in the matter. “I thought my invitation was appropriately convincing, but one can never be too certain.”

  His voice was closer now and Bree stiffened her knees against the urge to run. She turned toward the sound, needing to face him. She wiped all expression from her face, determined not to allow him to see how much his presence affected her. Her armed escort seemed to have no issue with her turning around. He didn’t move with her, but kept the gun pointed at her head. It was now aimed at her temple, rather than the back of her head, but she ignored both the man and the gun. Her eyes immediately went to the man walking toward her in the neatly pressed suit.

  It was dove-gray tonight, rather than the dark charcoal of her nightmare. Otherwise, everything about him was just as she remembered. His hair was mostly gray, and his face was clean shaven. She couldn’t see his eyes in this low light, but she knew that they were dark brown, appearing almost black. He wore a small smile as he looked her up and down. Bree felt completely exposed under his gaze. She fought against the urge to squirm. Her arms were getting tired of being raised and she longed to lower them.

  Ephraim waved a hand in her direction. “Search her,” he said.

  Bree was shocked as several people seemed to materialize from the shadows around her. Where had they come from? Had they been there all along? She wasn’t sure. Two men and a woman came forward and patted her down quickly but thoroughly. She felt a twinge of loss when they removed the vest and carelessly tossed it aside. She’d expected it, but she disliked feeling so vulnerable. She knew they’d find no weapons on her. She’d given them all to Corbin before coming here. Satisfied that she was unarmed, the woman turned to nod at Ephraim.

  Bree watched as two people approached from the direction Ephraim had entered. They were carrying something—no, someone—between them. The person’s head was covered, but she could tell it was a woman. Bree’s heart stopped for a moment before speeding into overdrive. Zoe? Was she hurt? She strained to get a better look at the woman, but the darkness made it impossible to see whether she was breathing. When the trio had made it to where Ephraim stood, he reached out and placed a hand on the cloth covering the woman’s head, pulling it off. Bree wanted to cry with relief and fear when she saw Zoe’s blonde hair.

  She felt a sudden urge to kill the man standing before her. She focused on her anger and let it push out the fear. She heard movement from behind her and the sound of scuffling feet. Ephraim focused on something behind her, but Bree didn’t look away from Zoe.

  “That’s enough of that, Mr. Mason,” Ephraim said. “Stay calm and you can have her back shortly.”

  Paul. Bree had almost forgotten about him with the arrival of Ephraim. Now, she understood that he was probably struggling to get to Zoe. She hoped he didn’t do something to get himself hurt. After a few moments, the sounds behind her stilled and Bree looked back to Zoe.

  Bree called her name, but Zoe didn’t move at all. Bree couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought maybe she was unconscious.

  Ephraim smiled. “She can’t hear you, my dear,” he said. Then he looked thoughtful and turned back to Zoe, his head cocked to one side. “At least, I’m almost certain she can’t hear you. I’ve never asked. Interesting.” As though remembering where they were and what he was supposed to be doing, he looked back to Bree and waved a hand, dismissively. “It’s no matter,” he said.

  Bree tore her focus from Zoe and looked back to Ephraim. “What did you do to her?” she demanded.

  Ephraim waved his hand again as though her question was unimportant. “She’s merely sleeping,” he said. He reached a hand out and touched Zoe’s cheek with the tip of one finger. Her head snapped up immediately, startling Bree. Zoe was suddenly alert, eyes wide with terror as she looked around her. Her hands were tied behind her back, but her legs were free, and she immediately moved to stand, struggling to pull away from the two men who held her upper arms.

  Ephraim looked back to Bree as though demonstrating why he hadn’t wanted to wake her.

  “Zoe!” Bree called again. Zoe’s head turned in her direction, her eyes widening when she saw Bree standing there with a gun pointed at her head. She stopped struggling and stood still.

  “Bree?” she said, incredulous. “What’s going on? What is this?” She looked around and took note of all the armed strangers surrounding them before her eyes lit on something behind Bree. “Paul?” she looked relieved and confused to see him there.

  Bree tried to smile at her best friend. “It’s going to be okay, Zo,” she said. “Just stay calm and everything will be fine. I’ll explain it all to you later.”

  Zoe looked at Bree in disbelief. “How the hell is this okay?” she asked her.

  Bree nearly laughed at the response that was so typical of Zoe. Instead, she just said, “Trust me. I’m going to get you out of this.” Zoe studied Bree for a moment before nodding.

  “This is all very touching,” Ephraim said. “But also, incredibly tedious. Let’s go.” T
he last part was said to the man holding the gun at Bree’s temple. He motioned her forward and Bree took that to mean that she was supposed to start walking. Ephraim turned to walk back in the direction he’d come from without waiting to see if she followed.

  Bree tried to signal Zoe with her eyes before the two men holding her turned her in Ephraim’s direction. Bree took a small step forward just before she heard the crash of a window breaking in the distance. She purposely dragged the toe of one foot across the floor and tripped, falling flat to the ground. She covered her eyes as chaos broke out around her. Even behind her closed eyelids, she could see the flash of light grenades. She heard gunfire and shouting, the sounds of footsteps running in all directions.

  She kicked out toward the spot she’d last seen her armed escort and was gratified to feel her foot hit something solid. She hoped he’d been temporarily blinded by the flash grenades, but she couldn’t be sure. Either way, she needed to get his gun. Jumping to her feet, she quickly slammed the heel of her hand into the underside of his jaw, ignoring the snapping sound his teeth made when they smashed together. She rammed her knee into his belly and then slammed the same knee into his face, knocking him unconscious. When he fell to the floor in a heap, she scrambled to grab his gun. She turned to look for Zoe who was struggling against the two men holding her. Bree killed them both with two perfectly aimed shots. Zoe fell to the floor as the two men went down. Bree looked around for Ephraim but didn’t see him anywhere.

  Someone ran toward her and she ducked to the side, barely avoiding a knife that had been meant for her face. The woman spun around and came toward Bree again. She was fast, but she’d obviously not known about the gun Bree held. She fired once, and the woman crumpled to the floor, unmoving. The sound of gunshots came from further away. Bree wondered where her team was and how many people Ephraim had brought here tonight. She couldn’t worry about that right now. Her job was to get Zoe out of the building.