Predominance (19 page)

After establishing a solid connection with the objects that I wanted to manipulate, I began to concentrate on that invisible force field that linked me to them. I could feel the energy draining into me from the atmosphere as my hands were pushed back towards my chest, and the force field became bigger, stronger. Again, the mental strain became physical, and my arms and legs began to quiver. I opened my eyes with the strong determination to succeed, and launched my hands forward in one violent thrust.

The metal door exploded out of its frame and landed at the far end of the meadow, but not before striking the guards in its path, wreaking havoc on their fragile bodies.

“GO!” Sarah shouted to rest of the group, who'd frozen in astonishment after witnessing the incredible spectacle. I collapsed to my knees, drained and exhausted, while Damian and the other two men went after the now-disarmed guards.

“Victor!” Yvette ran to my aid as an alarm buzzed stridently throughout the mansion. It wasn't until I heard her voice that I realized Sarah had also stayed behind. She was kneeling in front of me with a concerned look on her face.

“How are you? Can you get up and go on?” she asked fretfully.

Panting, I raised my eyes and scowled at them. “What the hell are you still doing here? Go! Get the car!”

“I'm not leaving without you,” Yvette countered with a strong grip on my arm.

“Victor?” Sarah seemed to be asking me what to do.

“Go,” I repeated, meeting Sarah's gaze. “Get the others. We don't have much time.”

“All right,” she conceded, turning her eyes to Yvette. “You got him?”

“Yeah,” she said, exchanging looks with Sarah, who then turned and darted out the doorless exit.

Yvette helped me back to my feet and walked me out into the cold night, where Damian and the other two guys had overpowered the three injured guards. But our problems were far from over. Surely the alarm, triggered by the loss of the emergency door, had alerted the rest of the squad. It was just a matter of time before they caught up with us now. I gathered in the rest of the group and was asking them to stick together when I looked up and saw a pair of headlights headed our way.

It was the Town Car. Sarah had done it—we were one step closer to leaving this horrible place! But my premature celebration of victory was thwarted when a sudden spark in my head alerted me of the danger also coming our way. A jeep filled with paramilitary forces was cornering around the building, and they knew exactly where we were now. Sarah stopped right in front of us at the same time the loaded jeep stopped at a safe confrontational distance, both autos facing each other. A brilliant searchlight from the jeep pinned us before we could move any farther.

“Freeze!” a warning was shouted through a bullhorn. “Don't move! We have been authorized to use deadly force against you. Surrender now!”

Damian raised his hands and stepped forward, as if surrendering to the squad, his face hard as stone. “On my signal, run to the car,” he said in a low voice as he walked past me. Not knowing what his plan was, all I could do was take Yvette's hand and wait. “I surrender!” he yelled to the jeep.

“Stay where you are,” the soldier on the bullhorn commanded.

Damian looked at me over his shoulder and gave a quick nod. I tightened my grip on Yvette's hand and told her to get ready.

What happened next occurred in a matter of seconds.

“Now!” Damian shouted, as he clenched his surrendering hands into powerful fists. With this action, all the lights on the jeep exploded in perfect synchrony—even the headlights—leaving the soldiers stunned and confused in the darkness. I didn't stop to ask what had happened; I just ran as fast as I could to the car, the rest of the group following. I opened the back passenger door and shoved Yvette into the car, then held the door open as the rest of the guys got in too.

That's when my hypersenses expanded suddenly, allowing me to hear the words of one of the soldiers a hundred feet from us. “I've got a clear shot on Bellator, sir.”

“Take it.”

My mind ignited the same slow motion trance I'd experienced back in the lab during my first escape, and I was able to track the bullet the moment it was fired. I wish now that I'd erected a shield against it, but I hesitated when I realized its trajectory couldn't possibly hit me. At first, I thought the shooter had just missed his target... but too late, I realized I was wrong.

The shot wasn't going to miss. It was going to hit dead center, just as the trained sniper had intended when he pulled the trigger. The sniper, however, had fired at the wrong man: my stunt double, the man who had the misfortune of sharing my general build and features. The bullet slammed through his head before he could reach for the door. Blood, gray matter, and bone fragments splattered over the roof of the car. My slow-motion trance, which had made the event all the more painful to watch, ended as soon as his lifeless body hit the ground.

I was aghast. Another life wasted!

A hail of bullets reached out for us after that first deadly shot, producing the kind of uproar I'd heard only in war movies. This time I threw up a barrier that turned the bullets to dust as they struck; I could feel the impacts as they shattered themselves against it. I jumped into the passenger seat and shouted out to Sarah to punch it. She shoved her foot on the accelerator and turned the car around, leaving the jeep behind us. Some of the bullets managed to reach us as my shield weakened with distance, blowing out the rear window as we got away. The granulated glass showered down over Yvette, Damian and the two others in the back seat, and even Sarah and I got peppered with a few fragments. She cringed but kept racing towards the gate, which we knew would be closed and guarded.

Her eyes widened when she saw the assault team standing in front of the gate, which also began to shoot at us with everything they had. Tapping the energy pervading the atmosphere, I wrapped us in a 360° shield.

“I can't ram the gate with this car!” Sarah said frantically. “Victor?!”

I raised my hand and tried to link my mind to the gate, but it was too far away. Plus, I was too weak from my latest round of paranormal activity. It was all I could do to maintain the shield keeping us alive. We were doomed. “I can't!” I bawled in frustration.

Sarah began to decelerate.

“Don't stop,” Damian ordered, leaning forward between the front seats, his open palm aimed at the approaching gate. “Go faster!” he shouted to Sarah, who floored it at his command. As Damian's hand began to vibrate between us, we watched the soldiers tossed into the air like toys, one by one. With no more bullets flying our way, I dropped the shield, groaning with relief as Sarah maneuvered the car straight toward the iron gate and braced for impact. But the gate began to vibrate at the same rhythm as Damian's hand and, just feet away from collision, burst wide open. We darted through, and Damian swiftly turned and aimed his hand back toward the gate. It swung violently shut on the pursuing jeep. The impact made the driver lose control of the jeep, which swerved and tipped over off the road.

“That'll buy us some time,” Damian said smugly as Sarah and I exchanged uneasy glances, understanding there was now another paranormal threat out in the world besides me.

Piano Key

THE TOWN CAR'S
engine objected strenuously as Sarah pushed the bullet-holed car to its limits. The tires squealed when she finally cornered onto the main road. The car flew along the empty highway. A distinctive glare coming from the distant horizon made me look up: the sun was rising, welcoming me to another day I'd survived to see. I turned to Sarah, who was taking turns watching me and the road. As soon as our eyes met, she flashed me a wide, victorious smile.

I smiled too. We didn't need words to understand each other's feelings at that point. After everything we'd gone through, we'd made it. We had actually made it!

Our celebration was cut short when the blonde woman in the back seat began to scream hysterically. I turned to find the brawny black guy barely conscious, with his hands covering his midsection. Blood flowed between his fingers. “Easy, buddy,” I said, reaching for his hands. He groaned. “I'm sorry, buddy, but I need to look.” I moved his hands away carefully and saw blood oozing out of a nasty gunshot wound on the left upper side of his torso. “He's been shot,” I said, turning to Sarah.

The blonde lady began to scream again, only this time she didn't stop. Sarah cursed and hit the wheel.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Damian turned to the screaming lady. “What's your name?”

“Laura,” she cried, hyperventilating.

“Laura?” Damian glared at her. “Shut the hell up!”

It was crude, but it worked. Laura stopped screaming and began to sob quietly, staring at Damian with accusing eyes. Damian turned back to me. After another quick look at the big man's wound, he shook his head with bleak eyes. I gave him a disapproving look and turned back to the injured man. “Hey, what's your name, buddy?”

“R-r-roger,” he said feebly, “M-my name's Roger.”

“Okay, Roger. You're going to be all right. We're going to help you, okay? I just need you to keep pressure on this for a little while longer, can you do that?”

He grunted as I put his hands back on the wound, nodding. “Yeah.”

My eyes slid to Yvette, who was in complete shock. “Hey,” I said softly, stroking her head. “Are you okay?” She nodded, reached for my hand, and pressed it against her cheek—she was trembling. It was only when I leaned towards the back that I realized how much wind was entering the car through the hole where the rear windshield had been. “We need to stop to regroup,” I called to Sarah over my shoulder.

“And where do you suggest we do that?” was her tart reply.

I kissed Yvette's hand and sat back on the passenger seat, but not before I locked eyes with Damian again. He seemed to be scrutinizing everyone in the car, especially me. I dug through the glove compartment, and luckily I found exactly what we needed: an address. I asked Sarah for the map that had taken us out of the woods and studied it. It didn't take me long to get my bearings and locate the place I'd decided to go.

“Keep driving south,” I told Sarah. “I think I've found a place we can go.”

“Whoa!” Damian broke in. “I'm not going anywhere until I get my wife.”

“Your wife?” I asked, taken aback.

“Walker said my wife would pay the price if I didn't cooperate. That's the only reason I agreed to be his guinea pig for the last three days. I'm afraid when he finds out I'm one of the people who'd escaped…” he paused, “...that he'll send someone for her.”

“Wait,” Sarah jumped in, “Walker's been studying you for three days?”

Damian ignored Sarah's question and turned back to me. “I need to get to my wife.” His statement had the tone of a command—no, it was more like a warning, as if he were hinting that he'd stop at nothing and yield to no one in order to get what he wanted. Having watched what he was capable of, I knew I'd be a fool to piss this man off. Besides, how could I judge him for his adamant determination? Just an hour ago I was operating under the same sort of compulsion, so I knew exactly what he was going through. Yet I couldn't stop thinking about the safety of the rest of us.

Damian was borderline distraught and growing more impatient by the minute. It was like watching a time bomb getting ready to blow. I considered for a minute, throwing glances at every person in the car, especially my Yvee, and then tried to handle the situation. “Where is she?” I asked Damian.

“We rented a cabin twenty minutes south of Ketchikan. Walker made me call her after I woke up from the procedure.” His jaw went taut with regret. “I told her everything was okay. I told her to wait for me.”

“Does Walker know the location of this cabin?”

Damian's face drooped, anger overflowing in his eyes. “Yes,” he rasped.

“Are you aware of the details of your new condition, and the side effects of the procedure?”

“The good and evil bullshit?” Damian's voice was hard. “Yes. I am.”

A profound silence engulfed the car as I ran the numbers in my head. In the rearview mirror I saw Yvette, Laura, and Roger exchanging confused looks.

“Stop the car,” I said to Sarah after a long moment.

“What?” She frowned confused.

“Stop the car,” I repeated. “Now.” She gave me a puzzled look and began to pull over. “Check on Roger, will you?” The car stopped on the gravelly shoulder lane and I opened my door in a hurry. “Damian?” I called as I got out of the car.

Damian exited the car and followed me several feet away from the vehicle.

“Look,” I said as I turned around to face him, “If you truly know your condition, then you know your exasperation can only lead to disaster. You need to calm down, understand?”

“How can you ask me to do that when I know what those people can do to my wife? When you know that—”

“I know!” I burst out angrily. “But for her sake and yours, you need to learn to control your feelings!” I took a deep breath and lowered my voice. “Sarah told me the details of our...condition. Once we lose our volition, it's over. We'll become a threat to the people we love—and we'll be taken down like rabid dogs. By R.C. Labs, by the police, by the military, or anyone else who learns of our existence.”

“I won't let that happen. I've seen what I can do. I can take on a whole army if necessary—”

“Oh yeah? At what cost?”

“I can control it!”

“No, you can't.” I sighed ruefully. “Not alone. Believe me, I know.”

“What are you saying?”

I took a second to respond. “I was scheduled for termination—vivisection—when Sarah got me out of the lab. You and I shared the same procedure, yet for some reason Walker intended to keep you alive. That means you have something he wants...and I'm sure he wants it back. By now he knows you've escaped, and he knows where you're going next. But knowing the level of control you
have over your powers, I doubt he'd be stupid enough to come at you head-on. He'll wait for an opportunity to catch you off guard. And the only way to do that is by making you believe there's no danger.”

I paused. “Going back to your cabin is a death trap.” Damian looked thoughtful. “Unless,” I continued, “we can find a way to create a diversion that'll allow us to go in and out undetected. Of course, that doesn't lower the risk factor. We can still spring the trap and get caught in another confrontation.”

“We?”

“I'm coming with you, Damian. I'm going to help you get her back.”

He scoffed. “You don't even know us. Why would you do that? Why would you risk your life?”

My response was plain and simple. “Because it's the right thing to do. Just like getting these people to safety is the right thing to do.” I looked into his eyes and saw reason coming back to his troubled mind. “Let me get them out of harm's way, and I promise you I'll go with you.”

Damian considered for a moment. “Time’s of the essence,” he said finally. “We have to move fast.” He stuck out his hand. I reached out and bound my promise to help him with a strong shake.

***

Back in the car, Sarah informed me that Roger's wound had looked a lot worse than it actually was, and that he was going to be okay. All she needed was a medical kit to patch him up—which was great news, considering the circumstances. In the few minutes I'd spent talking to Damian, she had also managed to bring the others up to speed on what was happening. She did, however, manage to keep the fact that Damian and I were on the verge of turning into vicious, unstoppable monsters out of the conversation. Later she told me that was something I should tell Yvette myself, and I agreed. Sarah's abridged explanation had been enough to leave Yvette, Laura, and Roger in complete shock, so I figured I should let that settle before I jammed anything else in.

Back on the road, I let the severity of my thoughts disconnect me from reality. Once or twice, I think, Sarah tried to talk to me, but I was too far away to hear her. I had no idea how I was going to ask Yvette to wait for me again, or tell Sarah I'd decided to go on another suicide mission—without her this time. Knowing how stubborn she was, I knew I'd have to talk her out of coming with me. By now Sarah had begun to think of herself as my official sidekick and I… well, I had begun to care about her. A lot. She was not only my friend, but the woman who'd saved my life more than once. I didn't have a shred of doubt about my feelings for Yvette; I loved her more than life itself. But I really hoped I'd never have to explain to her, or to anybody else for that matter, my feelings towards Sarah... because that was something I couldn't explain myself.

Sarah followed my directions into a small gravel path off the highway. At the end of the road stood a log cabin. The place was rustic in nature, yet it held a beauty I'd only seen in paintings. A peaceful pond, just a short stroll away from the entrance, reflected a dull image of the old cabin; tall, majestic firs kept it well hidden from prying eyes. The name Johnson was stenciled on the rusty mailbox outside the porch.

I asked Sarah to stop the car and stay put while I knocked on the door. I tried to be subtle, but the squeaky floorboards on the porch gave away my presence before I got the chance to knock. My knuckles were left hanging in the air when the solid wooden door flew open and a rifle barrel stopped an inch away from my face.

“Whoa! Whoa! It's me!” I waved my hands frantically in front of the cocked weapon.

“Mr. Victor?” Denali lowered his rifle as soon as he recognized me. 

“Yeah. It's me.” I exhaled heavily and tried to recover from the shock. “Geez! You scared the shit out of me!”

“You scared me. I wasn't exactly expecting company after what happened last night.” He paused and uncocked his rifle. “How did you manage to find me, anyway?”

I pulled a wallet from my pocket and handed it to him. “You actually did leave your wallet in the Town Car. I found it in the glove compartment.” He took it and thanked me with a confused look on his face. “Look, Denali, I'm sorry I've dragged you into this. But you're the only other person I know within three thousand miles that I feel I can trust.”

“Are those your friends?” he asked, throwing a quick look toward the car, where Sarah stood impatiently by the open door.

“Yes,” I said quickly. “And one of us is wounded. Can you help us?”

He looked at me for a long second and smiled. “Sure, Mr. Victor,” he agreed, inviting me in. “I have plenty of food and water. You and your friends help yourselves.”

“Thank you, Denali.” I heaved a deep sigh of relief and patted him on the shoulder. Then I turned to beckon the others to the house. I did the introductions as they came inside. Yvette quickly noticed that Sarah wasn't introduced, but rather greeted by Denali as a known acquaintance. “Do you have something for them to wear?” I asked Denali, pointing out that everyone—except for Sarah and me, of course—was wearing hospital gowns.

“Sure,” he said, watching Yvette walk into the house barefoot. “This, um, this was my grandmother's cabin,” he added. “I'm s-sure there are still some dresses in the closet that you can wear. Some shoes too. You're welcome to take a look,” he said, pointing at a built-in closet in the living room. Yvette thanked him and walked to the closet, where she began to dig through a couple of boxes labeled “Granny's Stuff.”

Damian helped Laura bring Roger to the couch, and Sarah began to treat his wound with a first-aid kit Denali fetched for her. Meanwhile, I brought Denali up to speed with everything that had happened during our daring escape from the lab. The poor man didn't take it so well. His face paled, and for a moment I thought he was going to throw up.

As soon as Sarah finished with Roger, she came over to me, took my face in both hands, and tilted my head to the side. “I need to clean the cut on your head,” she said, and began to unwrap the piece of cloth that covered my wound. “Don't move,” she commanded as she wiped the dry blood from my forehead with a piece of gauze soaked in alcohol. The sting made me flinch. “Oh, come on! Don't be such a baby.”

I scowled at the grin on her face. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Damian staring at us. He'd found some clothes in Denali's closet and was now leaning against the door frame with his arms folded, watching Sarah replace my dressing. “Done!” Sarah finally said, placing the last piece of tape over the wrap.

“Now all you have to do is kiss it to make it better,” Damian said sarcastically.