by J. M. Madden
Noah hurried down the hallway, his own little piece of quiet fading behind them. As he walked, he tried to block out the buzz of the other men in the building, but it was almost impossible. If they were within about three hundred yards, he could hear them, whether they wanted him to or not, every damned sound. If he concentrated, he could sometimes stretch his senses to almost five hundred yards. Standing on the balcony of his apartment he could hear the conversations of the pizza delivery drivers almost two full blocks away. One of the first things Dr. Cole, Elizabeth, had done for him once the furor had died down was explore his limits and capabilities. That was how they’d figured out how to block him off from the sound of other people. Lead. He could remember the first moment when he’d stepped into the vertical, lead-lined tube and experienced absolute silence for the first time in two years, since he’d been coerced into taking the Marathon drug.
Normally, he had earbuds hooked in his ears with music blaring to block out the buzz of voices. Not a great option for a bodyguard, but he made it work. His sight was perfect, maybe even a little enhanced, and he was very good at lipreading now. Over the past year or so he’d been actively training to learn how to focus and filter out individual voices, but the hospital dorm was a very different situation. Some of the men here were in pain, and occasionally they couldn’t help but articulate that, sometimes with words, sometimes with screams. He sympathized with them. They had been through literal hell, and he was glad to be there to help them through at least some of it. So many believed they were still being tested upon.
Sometimes he needed a break from the constant sounds of agony and care, though. Elizabeth had seen that and had had a room built just for him, completely soundproofed, with lead sheeting lining the floor, walls and ceiling. It was the most amazing relief to step inside and close the lead lined door. It was also a little alienating, though. He literally could not hear anything beyond his door. The building could be burning down around him and he wouldn’t know until he smelled the smoke or looked down at his security monitor.
Elizabeth had taken several vials of blood from him over the past couple of months, studying the effects of the Marathon drug on his chemistry. When she’d looked at him one day and asked him if he wanted normal hearing again, he’d been a little stumped.
“I think I might be able to reverse engineer the process,” she’d told him thoughtfully. “I worry that the enhancement might wear out your ears sooner than the normal human. And if you are compensating for the noise in your head by adding more noise, your music, I worry that you’re going to lose your hearing all the sooner.”
The enhanced hearing was a literal, constant bombardment on his brain, but it had saved his life many, many times. “There are men here with worse issues than mine,” he’d told her eventually. “Help them first.”
Her eyes had softened and she’d given him a smile. “Will do.”
The offer lingered with him though, especially on days when he could hardly string his own thoughts together for the noise in his head. He had thought that once Damon Wilkes was dead and everyone was safe that life would settle down, but it had been quite the opposite. Damon Wilkes had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of military men from many different countries in his greed to develop a super soldier. The Silverstone Collaborative had a long history as a trusted pharmaceutical company, but Damon had been a visionary. And a narcissist. A monster. Noah still wasn’t sure how the whole mess had begun other than that Dr. Shu had stumbled across something and been intrigued by the possibilities, then approached Damon with the possibilities. Damon, being the slippery eel that he was, had approached some of his government cronies for backing. They’d jumped in with both feet, so to speak, envisioning a reality where they could literally rule the world.
Noah wasn’t even sure how many men had actually been tested upon. The records from the first trials were spotty. Wulfe Terberger, Elizabeth’s husband, was one of the initial group who'd been tested with a more aggressive form of the drug, Spartan, and it was obvious when you talked to Wulfe that he was operating on a completely different level than the rest of them. Marathon, the second generation of the drug, was more refined, but it still had issues. It was hard to predict what effect it would have on the average body.
The men housed in the dorm were mixed. Some, they had learned over the past six months, had been tested on with Spartan, and some Marathon, but they were all struggling. When Damon had offered his security detail the chance to take the drug, they hadn’t known about all the issues the previous men had suffered. They had been assured that the drug was safe and would enhance their natural abilities. The financial bonus he had offered had been an enticement as well. Most of the guards that had taken the drug had adapted, but a few had not. Those men that had not adapted had disappeared.
Noah needed to go see Blake. As he’d gotten busier with the survivors, his job parameters had changed. He wasn’t guarding Blake as much, mostly because Wulfe was with them almost twenty-four hours a day. Noah’s presence was a little redundant. Wulfe could, almost literally, handle anything that came at them. That guy’s mental capability was awesome. He’d hired and fired so many people around here; being basically a walking, talking lie detector had its uses.
Noah was appreciative that he’d been given a space in the building. He liked working in the dorms, even if it was really hard on him emotionally. It was hard for him to accept that he’d volunteered to be given the drug. Most of the men in the dorms had initially been given the choice, then forced to continue. They were all elite fighters; Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and each country’s version of the same. They’d been told they were signing up for a super-specialized military training. There were men from twelve different countries in the building and they had all been granted refugee protection from their own countries. Once the dust had settled and the men were spoken to, some had chosen to go back to their home countries. Noah just didn’t get that. The countries had given the men over for testing, for God’s sake… and they were probably still being tested upon.
He hoped they all survived…
As soon as he entered the long, deserted hallway leading to Haven’s room, Noah could feel his tension ratchet up. While the rest of the building was well-lit and pristine, this hallway was shrouded with fog and grungy. Noah knew for a fact that he had a strong mind, but Haven was on a completely different level. The man could shape and form the environment around him to mirror what he was seeing and feeling in his mind, and other than one incident at Christmas Haven had only created danger and destruction. Haven’s body had lived through the hell he had experienced, but his mind was struggling.
“He swears that she’s close,” Raine whispered. “But I have no idea who he’s talking about.”
There was a heavily armed guard dressed in fatigues at the end of the hallway who swiveled toward Raine and Noah, weapon up. Before he could second-guess himself Noah grabbed Raine and spun into a doorway, pressing her hard against the frame. She gasped, and looked up at him, her blue eyes calm. “I think it’s a specter, Noah. It’s one of Haven’s guardians. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t actually there. Haven is the only one in this wing.”
Noah gritted his teeth and drew back from her, feeling out of sorts and a little embarrassed. He must be really tired. He knew that Haven’s visions would manifest for them, but he’d still fallen for them. “Sorry,” he said gruffly as he pulled back. “Habit.”
Raine grinned up at him. “It’s okay. It’s been a while since I was a man sandwich.”
Red flushed her very pale cheeks and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t mean it like that,” she gasped.
Noah grinned, loving that she was able to be embarrassed. “No worries. Let’s go help him out.”
The apparition was still there but Noah ignored it, leading her by the hand to the door of Haven’s apartment. Raine knocked lightly. “Haven?”
There was no response, so she edged into the room, pushing the d
oor wide. Inside, it was darker than normal. Haven had been one of the guys that wanted some kind of light on at all times, even when he slept. The fact that it was completely dark worried Noah. He flicked the switch beside the door and the lights blazed overhead. Noah had a second to see Haven curled against the wall in his normal position before the room went dark again. Noah blinked. Had Haven done that? The things he manifested had no substance. How the hell had the lights gone out?
“Haven, I brought Noah, like I said I would. Can you talk to us?”
“She’s so cold,” Haven murmured, not looking up. He continued to stare into nothing, but there appeared to be the shine of tears in his eyes. “They don’t know what to do with her.”
Noah knelt down beside him. “Who are we talking about, Haven?”
Haven glanced at him, his eyes desolate. “I can’t…”
Raine reached out and rested a hand on Haven’s arm. His dark eyes focused in on her. “They’re afraid of her but they don’t know what to do with her. She’s strong, Raine. So strong.”
“Who, Haven?”
He looked up at Noah. “Belladonna.”
“Who is Belladonna, Haven?”
Haven’s face contorted and he blinked hard, shaking his head. It was obvious he didn’t want to say.
“We have to save her.”
Noah knelt down. “Where is she, Haven?”
He shook his head, his eyes clouding over. “I don’t know,” he cried. “She feels close.”
Haven began to ramble, then, his words disjointed and not making sense. Noah heard a few words here and there, and it seemed like Haven was equally fearful of the woman and determined that they had to rescue her. But he couldn’t articulate exactly why. He glanced at Raine over Haven’s head.
“He’s been like this all evening. Something happened earlier but I’m not sure exactly what.”
Raine was stroking Haven’s arm and it seemed to be calming him.
A nebulous form coalesced in the far corner of the room. Noah stared at it, trying to figure out what the hell it was. There was no gun extending from the form, and it seemed smaller than most of the apparitions Haven created. After being tortured for who knows how many months, most of the apparitions Haven built were soldier sized, and they usually had weapons out to protect him. The apparitions had caused more than one violent incident when some of the hospital guards responded. It was only recently that Haven had begun to get some control over what he created. Just two months ago he had created an entire Christmas reunion scene, with the deceased loved ones of over a dozen people had coalesced for a moment to talk to their loved ones, including Noah’s own grandmother and Raine’s mother. The power it had taken Haven to do that had set him back physically several weeks.
The form in the corner was smaller, though, and appeared to be female, though Noah couldn’t see her face.
“Is that Belladonna?” he asked Haven.
With a nod, Haven shuddered. Raine stroked his arm and tried to pull a blanket over him, but he shrugged her away. Haven straightened, looking straight at Noah. “She’s dangerous. You have to find her. We have to find her.”
Noah blinked at the vehemence in Haven’s words and the clarity of the look he gave him. For so long Haven had been lost in his own world, traumatized by what had been done to him in the torture camps. From what they’d gathered he’d been almost killed many times and when his mental capabilities became too much to handle, they’d parked him on the edge of the camp and pretty much forgotten him, letting him waste away. Even now, so many months after his rescue, he was still underweight. It had taken him a long time to not be so leery of everything they did for him and brought him. Raine had evoked the biggest change in him.
Even now the soft-hearted nurse stroked his arm like a child, murmuring to him softly. Normally, Haven responded to her quiet ministrations, but there was something inciting his paranoia today. Noah shifted, catching Raine’s gaze. He tapped down around his thigh, where her scrub pocket was. It was where she normally kept her sedation injections.
Raine blinked at him and shook her head.
“Haven,” she said softly, “you’re pretty amped up. I’m going to get you a Coke and put a bit more sedative in it, okay?”
That seemed to get through to him, because he nodded. “I don’t know why….”
“It’s okay, buddy. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Noah watched her leave, the maroon scrubs baggy over her shape. A couple months ago, right before the Christmas room endeavor, being the innovative nurse that she was, she’d gotten into a shower with one of the other residents of the floor. The man was afraid of water and had been drowned many times when he’d been in the research camps, just to see if the drug they’d been using on him with reverse the effects of the hypoxia. It had, of course, because the drug was incredible, but the torture had left physical and mental scars on the man. Raine had gotten into the shower to prove to the man that they weren’t going to drown him or hurt him in any way. Apparently, it had worked.
Noah had caught Raine in the elevator trying to sneak back to her apartment upstairs. She’d been soaking wet and glorious, her t-shirt damn near transparent over her full breasts. The last image he’d had of her was the sight of her emoji-covered ass showing through the pale scrubs as she jogged down the hallway away from him and into her apartment.
Haven shifted, pulling his attention back.
“You have to find her. She’s…scared. And angry. So angry…but she can’t help it.”
Noah’s brows lifted. Those were strong, direct words. “Why is she angry, Haven?”
“She’s reaching out to me.”
Noah frowned. “Why is she reaching out for you?”
“Because she wants …. something,” he whispered, his eyes clouding. “I’m not sure. But she’s working with men…” his eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Noah. “That has to be why. They’re going to get me back and make me…” he shook his head, his arms tightening around his knees. “No, no, no…”
Noah glanced at the door, wondering when Raine would return. Fog was beginning to build in the corners of the room. Haven was manifesting what he needed in order to hide, and his reasoning was slipping.
Raine entered the room carrying a clear plastic cup of dark soda on ice. A straw stuck through the lid. She handed it to Haven. “Here you go, buddy. It’s not going to knock you out, just take the edge off.”
He nodded and drew on the straw, drinking down the soda. Almost immediately some of the tenseness eased out of his shoulders, triggering a similar response in Noah. Coming to Haven’s room was always a challenge because he never knew what he would be presented with.
Chapter 2
By the time they left the room Haven was much calmer and had consented to lay on his bed to take a nap. Raine pulled the door shut behind them, watching Haven as long as she could. Then she walked down the hallway with Noah.
“Have there been any female military treated with the serum?” she asked.
“I hadn’t thought so, but it’s entirely possible, knowing Wilkes.” Noah told her. “I think we should talk to Wulfe and Dr. Elizabeth about this. Can Paul cover for you?”
They turned the corner and walked to the nurse’s station. Paul was tapping away at the computer, entering info about another resident into the computer.
“Can you handle the floor alone for a few minutes, Paul? We need to go talk to the doctor.”
“Sure,” he murmured, pausing to look up. “Has he settled down?”
Raine made a face. “For now. He was doing okay but something happened today and I don’t know what’s going on, but we need to talk to Wulfe, too, if he’s around.”
Paul nodded. “Take your time. There’s nothing going on here.”
She glanced up at Noah with a slight smile. “We’re cutting into your downtime. Do you need your earbuds?”
Noah seemed to debate in his head before finally giving it a shake. “Nah. We won’t be down there lon
g.”
As soon as they stepped onto the elevator, Raine could tell Noah had started to second guess himself. When he’d worked for Damon Wilkes as part of his security contingent, Noah had been given a regimen of the Marathon drug. Marathon was the second generation of the Spartan program serum and it wasn’t as aggressive as Spartan, supposedly, but there was no prediction as to what it would affect. Noah had gotten enhanced hearing. Like, really enhanced hearing. Noah could piece out every conversation from every resident on the floor, as well as parts of the adjoining floors. When Dr. Cole had tested him, they'd all been astounded at his range. It was a little weird knowing that he could hear every conversation she had with Paul.
That enhanced hearing, however, came with many drawbacks. It was hard for Noah to block out those sounds. He wore several different pairs of noise-canceling headphones, his earbuds, or sometimes just regular headphones with music pounding. More than once Raine had passed through a hallway and heard the muffled sounds of Noah's music. The level that he had to listen to it at was going to cause permanent damage if he wasn't careful. And if he used his ability too much it could actually cause nosebleeds, he had said.
So, as they went down the elevator, she could tell that Noah was struggling with the building’s general floor noise. Dr. Elizabeth’s office was on the second floor, in the heart of the most desperately abused and tortured residents. The men on this floor still had life threatening medical issues. Raine had worked here when she first been hired on until they had moved her to the fourth floor and her current assignment. Raine liked where she was and felt like she made a difference with the residents.
She wished there was a way to help Noah out. The guy was fascinating to her. Big and broad with dark burnished skin, he presented an imposing facade to most people, though she had caught glimpses of his gentle side. As a former Marine she was sure he had an image to present, but she appreciated that he didn’t seem to feel the need to postulate in front of her. She had no doubt he could annihilate his foe in any kind of fight, but he was self-conscious about his ability.
