The Forbidden Trilogy (18 page)

Gar's hand didn't shake at all as he pointed the gun at the
other guard. "Your partner will be fine, eventually, but you need to step
aside and let me on the plane."

Lollie, the stewardess, screamed and ran behind the hanger
to hide. The pilot, hidden on the other side of the plane, radioed for help,
and I searched for other minds.

"Gar, the other guards are coming and they're armed.
Hurry."

The guard being held at gunpoint lunged at Gar just as I
spoke, but he'd lost the element of surprise. Gar stepped aside, tripped him,
and then pistol-whipped his head. The man fell into a lump on the tarmac near
his partner.

Gar pushed me into the plane and closed the door behind us.
"Sam, we need to leave now. It might be a rocky ride."

My voice cracked when I tried to talk. "What's going to
happen?"

"I'm getting you to California. Seatbelt up!"

He moved to the pilot's seat and flicked switches and
buttons. The plane rolled onto the runway.

It took me a few seconds—which felt like minutes—to strap
myself into a seat. My stomach flip-flopped and my pulse raced.

I linked to the minds of those outside the plane and cringed
at the chaotic thoughts flying around. I traced each thought to its core until
their plans became clear. Fear paralyzed me. "Gar, the guards from the
office, they're coming after us."

"Drake, you there? I'm scared."

'I'm here. Stay calm. Damn, I wish I could do something.
I hate feeling so helpless.'

I wanted to stay lost in his voice forever, but the plane's
movement pulled me back to reality.

Sirens blared outside. Gar's radio crackled to life, but he
turned it off before anyone could talk.

Neither of us said anything. I didn't want to distract Gar
from the task of flying the plane. Once in flight, we'd be safe. Presumably, he
knew where and how to land in California so no one would be there waiting to
capture us. I could get help. We'd be safe.

The plane accelerated and so did my heart's beat.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

I resisted the urge to throw up, but I did grab the barf bag
just in case.

I needed to know what was happening, so I slipped into Gar's
mind.

'Oh shit, they have RPGs.... We're screwed... have to
hurry... can't let them get her....'

If Gar was scared, I was terrified. "What's an
RPG?"

"Rocket-propelled grenade. Looks like a little rocket,
like a long tube, and is shot from over the shoulder. You've seen them in
movies."

Right, yes, I had. Those movies where everything gets blown
to hell.

"Can they take down a plane?"

"Yes."

How can he sound so calm?
Maybe he had a plan, a way
out that I couldn't see.

A large boom broke through the silence of our thoughts and
our plane spun and jerked.

I cried out as the seatbelt dug into my stomach. "Gar,
what happened?"

"We've been hit, but I think I can still fly it. Hold
on."

We were going to fly a plane that had been hit? What? Didn't
planes need all their parts to fly properly?

He straightened the plane and tried to get it back on course.

My breathing hitched and suddenly oxygen was in short
supply, or maybe that was just me and my fear.

Another explosion tore through the air. Through the window I
saw the right wing tear off. Pretty sure we needed both wings to fly.

Gar tried to taxi the plane away from the people chasing us,
but it couldn't outrun a rocket. A final explosion ripped through the engine,
tearing open the fuselage and tipping my world on its side.

Darkness overtook me and I faded into a world where Drake
and I ran through flowers, only the flowers turned on us and spat poison at us.
Something hit me and my vision spun, dizzy....

"Sam! Sam!"

My eyes cracked open. Gar held my head as he tried to
unbuckle me from the seat.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Everything hurt, but I was alive. So, there was that.
"What happened?"

He pulled me from my chair and propped me up against another
seat that had turned on its side. "They hit us with an RPG and the plane
tipped. We can't fly it. I'm sorry."

Something crashed into the plane door. Gar stood in front of
me, gun ready.

He couldn't face off against them; he'd die. "Gar, you
have to go. Please. Get out while you can."

"It's too late, Sam. I'll try to keep them away as long
as I can. Can you walk? Crawl? Anything? Try to get away if you can."

Where would I go? How would I get out? I didn't voice my
hopelessness, because really, what was the point? What more could he do?

The two guards from the office dropped through the hatch
they'd opened—definitely guards who doubled as air traffic control, judging by
the soldier-like way they carried themselves. The guards trained their guns on
Gar.

The younger guard on the right spoke first. "Give us
the girl, now!"

Gar didn't budge or speak.

I slipped into their minds, then whispered so only Gar could
hear. "The one on the left plans to dive and shoot while the one on the
right tackles you."

Gar shot the shoulder of the guard on the right and pushed
me behind a seat. I'd never been in a shoot-out, especially not one in a steel
tube with sharp, metal plane debris everywhere. This couldn't be healthy for
the baby.

The ringing in my ears made the gunshots sound like they
came from deep space, or one hundred leagues under the sea.

In that frenetic moment, I couldn't read anyone, couldn't
help and couldn't escape.

All I could do was watch as a bullet pierced through the
leather seat and into Gar's chest.

Tears choked my throat. I threw myself on him. "Gar.
No. Please. Don't die. Gar."

The guards tried to pull me off of him but I held on. His
eyes flickered open once more.... "Be safe, Sam. I'm sorry." ...and
death stole him forever.

Memories flooded my mind like a tidal wave of displaced
water trying to find purchase on the slippery shore of impermanence.

The first time he kissed his wife.

The first time he held his baby.

Friday night family nights with pizza and movies.

Normal scenes that didn't match up with the man I knew only
as a guard.

But he wasn't just a guard; he was a husband, a father, a
son. He was a man with a whole life slipping away.

Somewhere in the world, a wife lost her husband and a little
girl lost her daddy, all because of me.

A sharp prick cut through my neck, and hot fire coursed
through my veins, then all went black.

I fought against the consciousness that threatened to bring
me back to a reality I had no desire to live in, but my body refused to stay in
the darkness. Once again, I woke up in a hospital bed—a trend I needed to
change—but this time I was strapped down to it. I flexed my legs and arms, pulling
on the restraints,
but whatever drugs they'd given me
made me weak as a
kitten. No matter. Even my full strength wouldn't have enabled me to break
free.

My heart raced as panic gripped me. Gar's face had haunted
my dreams, and even awake I couldn't tear out the memory of his death. His
blood no longer coated my hands, but that did nothing to ease my conscience. I
now understood how Lady Macbeth felt, the compulsion to wash and wash and wash
away the guilt of a stained soul.

Of course, that kind of stain never washed clean.

A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. If I couldn't
stay lost in my own dreams, I had to stay focused.

The sterile room offered no unique markings or identifying
traits, just a sink, chair, bed, stool, and empty tray. Standard medical
supplies lined the walls. Nothing helpful.

I instinctively reached for Drake.

And I reached too hard.
'Sam!'
His voice filled my
head, crushing my mind with the volume.

"Ouch! Shhhh... don't shout. My head is already
pounding."

'I'm not shouting.'

I tried dialing down my link to him, imagining it like a
volume control; now that the speakers lay closer, I didn't need it so high.

'Are you okay?'
His voice stopped splitting my skull.

"Yes. No. I don't know. Drake... Gar is dead. It's
my fault!"

'No. It's their fault, Sam, never yours. Where are you?'

I projected my room to him, and he did the same. Our rooms
were identical, but that didn't mean much.

A nurse came in, and—

'That's her, my nurse!'
Drake said.
'We must be in
the same place.'

At least we had that. Would we try another escape?

"Oh, you're awake!" She looked startled.

"How long have I been unconscious?"
I asked
Drake.

'Since yesterday.'

Twenty-four hours of my life, stolen. What had they done
with Gar? What would they tell his family? He'd died trying to save me, and
still I ended up in the hands of the enemy, pumped full of drugs. What would
all these drugs do to the baby? I forced myself not to cover my stomach in
reflex.

Best to act ignorant for now, see what I can find out.
"What happened?" I asked the nurse.

If her nervousness was any indication, she wouldn't tell me
the truth, at least not out loud. "Oh, I think it's best if I get Dr.
Pana. He can explain everything.
"
At five feet, with dark blond
pigtails and freckles under her green eyes, she looked barely old enough to
drink legally. Even I looked tall and grown up compared to her. Did adults even
wear pigtails? Where did they get this kid?

'I hope I don't get in trouble... she shouldn't have
woken up... I hate this job... but the money... need the money... hope Mom and
Nick are okay... can't afford to get in trouble again... hate keeping these
kids here like animals... not right but what can I do... if only I'd never met
these creeps... and getting her pregnant... so awful... wonder what the baby
will be like... it's growing too fast... but the dad is totally hot... oh
God... I need to stop thinking around her... but no... the drugs should keep
her out of my head....'

Maybe she would be an ally.

'Can't stand being around these freaks... feel bad for
them but they creep me out... no one should be able to do what they can do...
not natural... not the way God made us... abominations... no... I'm doing the
right thing... taking care of my family....'

Or maybe not.

She left the room without looking back at me, and I left her
mind alone when she started thinking of church and her weekend plans.
Interesting that their attempts to control my powers had failed. But definitely
advantageous to me.

At least we finally had a few things going for us. They didn't
know I could still read minds, and Drake and I were together. Sort of. Now we
just needed a way of getting the hell out of here. If not for myself, then for
Drake and our baby—and so that Gar's sacrifice wasn't for nothing.

"We need a plan, Drake. We can't stay here."

'Agreed. If we can figure out a way to get these drugs
out of my system, we'll have a better chance of escaping.'

With renewed hope, my impatience grew. How long would they
leave me lying here in this uncomfortable position? My muscles ached and my
head still hurt. My arms had some range of motion, but not much.

The door opened again, and Dr. Pana entered. His energy
rushed into me and I fought the false calm it tried to induce. I would not be
seduced by this man's powers.

"Hello, Sam, nice to see you again. You're a strong
girl. We didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

His syrupy sweet voice, the kind of voice that plotted
unimaginable tortures while telling you how lovely the day was, enraged me.

"So I gathered." I tried to keep the sarcasm out
of my voice. Best to stay on neutral ground for now. "What happened?"

He chuckled as if we were old pals. Yeah right. "Oh, I
think you know what happened. Your guard made a grave, and ultimately fatal,
mistake in trying to escape with you. Did you put him up to that or did he go
renegade on his own?"

The moment of truth. How much should I reveal?

Drake answered my question before I could find my own
thoughts.
'You need to claim ignorance for as long as possible.'

"And make Gar out to be the bad guy? After
everything he did for me?"

'He's dead, Sam. Nothing you do now can hurt or help him.
You need to protect yourself. He'd want that for you.'

Sometimes pragmatism and self-preservation left a bad taste
in my mouth.

"I have no idea what happened, doctor. My guard went
psycho, said he couldn't let me go free, that I would ruin everything."

Did I sound believable? I pushed into his mind and faced a
wall, just like last time. When I pushed harder, a sensation of fingers wrapped
around my mind and plucked threads of memory from me. Is this what others felt
when I read them? I didn't think so.

"You can't read my mind, Sam, but I can read yours, and
I know you're not telling me the truth. Maybe some time as our guest will
loosen your tongue."

No... this isn't what others felt. This is what it felt like
to have my own powers used against me. Shock stunned me, and my brain tumbled
around trying to rearrange all I knew into something that made sense. When I
put the final piece in place, I gasped.

Dr. Pana smiled, and the overwhelming sincerity of it scared
me more than any blatant evil could. "I see you've finally completed the
puzzle. Yes, I destroyed your precious art. You caused quite a ruckus with this
organization, garnering attention we couldn't allow."

Grief and fear blasted through my body and shook me to my
core. "And Mr. K?"