Embers & Ice (Rouge) (10 page)

NINETEEN

Joshua
gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his bones ached. New York disappeared in
his rear vision mirror, but that did nothing to comfort him. Even if they were
on the other side of America, Joshua would not stop looking behind him. In
fact, before two hours ago, Joshua had been checking over his shoulder every
day since Hunter’s birth.

And
yet they had found him. Again. It was history repeating itself, only this time
he didn’t have a child to protect. He had a teenage boy and a teacher instead.

Neither
Jenny nor Eli had spoken a word since Joshua shoved them in his car and sped
through New York traffic towards the highway. Joshua didn’t much mind whether
the kid was alright, but Jenny…

“How
do you feel?” he asked her, his voice loud amidst the silence.

Jenny
squirmed in the leather passenger seat. “My adrenaline level is kicking pretty
high right now, but otherwise… I’m fine.”

Joshua
nodded. “Good.”

“And
you?”

“I…
I’ll be alright once we’re a very long distance away from the city, and there’s
no one on our tail.”

“Who
were those guys exactly?” asked Eli from the back seat. “You told us there were
people looking for you and Hunter, but you didn’t say they were murderers.”

“They’re
Agents who work for an institution that imprisons people like us with special
abilities. They run tests and research our genetics.”

“Like
what you do?”

Joshua
grit his teeth, trying to be patient. But the boy was already grating on his
nerves. “I don’t torture innocent people.”

“No,”
said Eli, “you just fake their deaths and put them to sleep in your freezer.”

The
air in the car dropped to below zero in seconds. Joshua could feel the ice
creeping through his fingers, but he had to remain calm. If he lost control, it
might draw attention to them again, or he might make more mistakes that could
not be fixed.

“Eli,
he saved our lives,” said Jenny softly.

Joshua
glanced at her in surprise.
She’s standing up for me.

Jenny
frowned at him. “What? You did.”

“I…
I couldn’t let them kill you.”

Her
brown eyes filled with warmth, and it was just enough to push the ice back
inside him. He almost couldn’t take his eyes off her, and looked back at the
road.

Eli
started snickering. “I
so
knew this would happen between you two.”

Clearing
his throat, Joshua ignored him. “So I’ve formulated some sort of a plan. In
order to keep the Agents off our tracks, we’re going to have to get a new car
as soon as we stop tonight.”

“Where
are we stopping? Chicago?” asked Eli excitedly. “Oo, do you know what we should
do? I heard about this place that-”

“This
isn’t a field trip Eli,” Joshua snapped. “We’re running for our lives here.
We’re staying in low-budget hotels, leaving early in the morning and driving
all day. We’re not doing anything touristy, and we’re not talking to
anyone
unless
they’re serving us food. Got it?”

Eli
huffed and sat back against the chair.
Ungrateful little shit, isn’t he?
The
Iceman rolled his eyes.
Doesn’t appreciate that you literally saved his
life. Maybe we should have kept him under.
Joshua shook the voice out of
his mind, afraid it would turn him into a monster again. He needed to be in
control.

“Where
are we driving to?” asked Jenny. “Do you have a destination in mind?”

Joshua
squirmed in his seat and shot her a sideways glance. He
did
have a
destination in mind, and it had come to him out of the blue the moment he
started the car.

The
Agents had found his secret laboratory, which could only mean they had already
found Hunter. It took a lot for Joshua to accept that, but once he came to
terms with it, his mind started formulating a plan. In order to get Hunter out
of ICE incorporated, he had to go
in.

But
he couldn’t do it alone.

“I
was thinking… Seattle.”

“Seattle?”
Jenny gaped. “Why Seattle?”

“I
have an old friend there who might be able to help us.”

“But
that’s miles away!” Eli exclaimed.

“Then
I’ll just leave you back at my apartment where you’ll be shot or taken by the
Agents for questioning, how does that sound?”

Again,
Eli shut up immediately.

Joshua
sighed. “Look. Those Agents were literally about to kill you because you were
in their way and you had nothing of value that they couldn’t get themselves.
They’re after me because I have abilities and because I have information about
my abilities that will be of great use to the people at ICE Institution. But if
we don’t get as far away from them as possible, leaving no traces behind, they
will
find us again. And this time I won’t be able to save you. Now I need to
know that the both of you are going to do
exactly
as I say-” He glanced
at Jenny and then in the rear vision mirror at Eli. “-And that you’re going to
cooperate and not complain, or else we’re all dead. Am I clear?”

They
nodded, and even though he felt guilty for being so harsh, he knew it was for
the best.

After
a moment of tense silence, Jenny spoke.

“Does
it make you worry that they didn’t ask us where Hunter was? Do you think they
might already have her?”

Joshua
couldn’t bring himself to answer that question, because in truth, he knew they
found her. So instead, he turned on the radio and tried to think of anything
but Hunter in the hands of Dr. Wolfe.

TWENTY

A
man in a white lab coat stood over Hunter when she woke up. He was quite pudgy
around the waist, and his coat was creased at the bottom, as if his closet were
too small. Gray hair flowed over his head and a moustache like Mr. Monopoly was
perched on his upper lip. His blue eyes were kind and welcoming and he gazed at
her with one eyebrow raised, as though she’d been caught with her hand in the
cookie jar and it amused him greatly.

“Miss
Harrison,” he muttered in a gentle voice and the moustache wiggled. “Good
evening.”

Hunter
started to sit up, but her head was pulsing a deep pain and it was too hard to
move. It must have been quite a punch Will gave her. She rubbed her jaw and
soon found a lump on the back of her head where she hit the ground.

She
was sitting in a simple surgery room with only her bed and a chair beside it.
Sensing the familiar cold, she soon became aware that the bracelet was glowing
blue again, the same spidery veins pulsing beneath her skin sending ice into
her blood. The fire had disappeared, frightened of the power entrapment,
leaving her shivering on the outside.

“What
happened… after I blacked out?” she asked.

He
gave her a reassuring smile. “Nothing, really. It was over. You were brought
here to my care, and I attended to your injuries.” He indicated to a stitched
cut on her forehead that she couldn’t remember getting. “I’m aware that this
place can be very discomforting.” He rocked back on the balls of his feet and
placed his hands behind him. “How are you finding it?”

Hunter
couldn’t figure out if this was some sort of test, and if she got the answer
wrong or said something smart, she’d be sent straight back into the Orb. “It’s…
fine.”

“Hmm.
Unlike our genius Dr. Wolfe, I am genuinely concerned for your well-being.”

That’s
a little hard to believe.

“Who
are you?”

“Rosenthal,”
he replied. “Dr. Albert Rosenthal.”

The
name was vaguely familiar. She eyed him suspiciously, deciding to be careful of
what words she used. Dr. Rosenthal was looking at her in such a way that made
it seem like he was waiting for her to say something. Maybe that she recognized
him or remembered him from somewhere. Hunter remained completely emotionless.

“That
was well played, what you did in the Orb,” he said slowly. “What most children
do in those situations is save their own necks. I’ve seen far worse injuries
than yours come out of that awful place.”

Hunter
didn’t understand the context of his words.
Is he pretending to be nice and
caring, or is it a front?

“Well,”
she said, “Will
could
heal himself. That made it a tad easier.”

“You
still protected him from the rain. And I believe you refused to burn him
yourself, am I correct?”

Hunter
bit her lip.

“You
can talk confidently here Hunter. I promise you that nothing said in this room
will be spoken to anyone else. You have my word on that.”

His
blue eyes were truthful, but could he be lying? Hunter had learned that all the
scientists at ICE were heartless. Could this man be different?

“Is
there something you need, Dr. Rosenthal? Or may I go back upstairs to bed? I’m
pretty tired.”

Dr.
Rosenthal stepped away from the bed and gestured to the door. “Be my guest.”

Cautiously,
Hunter swung her legs over and went to the door. Her head swam, but she was
eager to get away. The doctor was wigging her out.

“Miss
Harrison, I wonder if you might answer a question of mine first.”

She
turned with her hand on the door handle. “Okay.”

“Did
Joshua ever go back to the shack?”

Hunter
said nothing in reply, but her heart was racing as she clung to the door.
The
shack? How does he know about the shack?

Dr.
Rosenthal chuckled. “Oh dear, that boy did
not
know what he was doing.
But you’re here and you’re well, and your powers are marvelous. He must have
figured out how to take care of you.”

“What
are you talking about?” she hissed. “How do you know about the shack?”

Dr.
Rosenthal patted his hand on the bed. “I understand you’re tired Hunter, and I
know that what I have to say might be too much for you to comprehend, but it is
important that I tell you now. This may be the only time I have alone with you.
If you do sit down, you must promise me this: you cannot tell a single soul in
the institution what I am about to tell you. Is that clear?”

Hunter
gazed into his old face and glimmering eyes and suddenly knew she trusted him.
Her curiosity got the better of her common sense and she ignored the warning
radars. Something was pushing her to listen to him.

She
sat down. Dr. Rosenthal gave her a grateful smile, the bristles around his lip
stretching out as he grinned.

“Thank
you, my dear. I appreciate that. Now, to explain myself. In a nutshell, I met
Joshua what must be… close to sixteen years ago. You were with him. You were
this tiny two-year-old filled with bright color. They separated you from Joshua
and put you in the nursery. Back then there weren’t too many kids like you. The
only other child we had was dear William.”

“Will?”

“Yes.
For such young souls, you were quite good friends. He was pleased to have some
company, even if you were only a toddler. The scientists didn’t know how to
take care of you, so I took it upon myself. I tried to keep you away from Dr.
Wolfe as much as possible. Sometimes I would sneak you back to Joshua so he
could see you.”

“Why?”
Hunter interrupted. Her voice was thick, as though she’d been holding back
tears. “I mean, why would you risk that?”

“Because
it broke my heart to see him so wrecked. He was only just learning to use his
own powers, Miss Harrison, and while he confided in me, he told me how
controlling the power inside him was. How it whispered to him at night. How
cold he felt. He was in a bad place here, and the times when I brought you to
him were the only times I saw him happy. Not only that, but Joshua was
terrified you would end up a slave to your own powers… when they breached the
surface. You didn’t know you had abilities at that age. He couldn’t bear the
thought of your power controlling you. He wanted to raise you away from the
truth.”

Hunter
wrapped her hands around her waist, staring down at her bony knees, guilt
closing in on her heart. A war raged inside her; did she hate him or did she
thank him? He was only trying to protect her.
Sometimes people do crazy
things for love, right?

“Now…
I’ve worked for this institution for many years. In fact, I was one of the
first geneticists employed here. I was young – well,
younger
– and
naïve. To the outside observer, this place is a scientist’s paradise.
‘Genetically enhanced humans’ is something everyone wants to be involved with.
Most of the workers here are only in it for the fame, but as you already know,
your identities are secret… for now. Once I started, I found myself trapped. I
can’t stress to you how much I risked when I helped you and Joshua escape.”

“
You
helped us escape? But… why?”

“My
dear,” he sighed, “I may work for the devil, but I can assure you I’m as pure
as they come. I’ve seen a lot in my time, and the pain I saw in that broken man
sixteen years ago was something shocking. I didn’t care how valuable the both
of you were; I had to get you out.”

“What
about the others? What about Will? Haven’t you seen what kind of pain he goes
through?”

Dr.
Rosenthal grimaced. “I know William has suffered. And one day, I hope to help
him out as well. Times will change very soon, Hunter. But back then, young
William had nothing. His family abandoned him. He was classed as a freak. This
wasn’t the best home for him, but Will had no responsibility. He didn’t know
love. Joshua, however, had you. He struggled with his powers, and he worried
that soon you would as well. He wanted to get you away from Dr. Wolfe, and I
knew I had to help.”

“How
did you do it?”

“I
will tell you soon. But our time is up for today.” He rose to his feet and put
a hand on her shoulder.

“But
can’t you-”

“They
will be coming for you if you’re not upstairs soon. I just need you to know
that you can trust me Hunter. I won’t force you to, and I hope you think a lot
about what I’ve said. And remember one more thing-” He urged her to the door.
“-Try not to defy Dr. Wolfe. He doesn’t like rebels, and he won’t be afraid to
make you suffer.”

“Dr.
Rosenthal, I…” Hunter trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say. As she
gazed into those warm blue eyes, the sense of familiarity became a sense of
comfort. It was a strong vibe and it grew stronger every moment she spent with
him. “Thank you for helping me, and for helping Joshua.”

Dr.
Rosenthal nodded, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “We’ll talk soon, my dear.”

The
door opened and Hunter headed out of the surgery rooms. As she moved into the
labs and veered left down the long corridor with the glass windows displaying a
nearly empty lab on her left, two Men in White were coming from the opposite
end, half dragging a very disheveled scientist in their arms. His eyes darted
to Hunter and quickly looked away. He was covered in sweat and his eyes were
bloodshot.

Feeling
the hairs on her arms and neck stand up, Hunter pushed on towards the elevator.
She passed another corridor beside it and caught a glimpse of what was going on
in one of the other rooms just as the door was sliding closed.

Fearne
stood over a desk with two scientists behind her. There was no metal brace on
her head. She stared at something, a look in her eyes so murderous and
pain-filled that Hunter felt her insides start to squirm.

As
the door shut off her view, Hunter caught the first of a series of male screams
before she heard nothing more.