Created (Talented Saga) (15 page)

“How could you be so sure?”

“I’m a mind reader, remember?” I shot back, my tone snarky to mask the slight tremble in my words. “Besides, he was programmed to capture me. Not kill me.”

This caught Crane off guard.
“Programmed?” he repeated.

“That’s what his thoughts feel like.
Like he’s been programmed. Like his will isn’t his own anymore.” I shuddered; I couldn’t imagine anything worse than having your free will taken from you.

Crane didn’t say anything.
His thoughts seemed to turn inward.

We rode the rest of the way in silence.

Chapter Nine

Crane and I parted ways at the medical sublevel.

“Marin was able to procure some nicer clothes for you.
The UNITED council members are formal people. I’d like for you to dress appropriately.”

“Sure,” I agreed, my stomach sinking.

Meeting the mysterious UNITED council was already something I was dreading. Getting dressed up to do so, well that just made the task even more unpleasant.

In mine and Erik’s room, I found a black suit jacket, matching black pants, a white blouse, and black leather shoes neatly arranged in the dumbwaiter.
Marin, I assumed from the loopy feminine scrawl, had pinned a note to the blazer, written on thick eggshell stationary.

Hope these fit.
I guessed your size.

The clothes actually did fit, sort of.
A belt would’ve helped keep the pants in place at my waist, and the blazer hung like it had been intended for someone taller. All in all, the outfit didn’t look half bad on me, I decided as I admired myself in the bathroom mirror. A soft knock sounded on the outer door.

Penny, I thought, winding my curls into a knot at the base of my skull.
With her new, created talents, her essence was unmistakable. She emitted so much raw power; I’d never felt anything quite like it. Erik would be the same way, I realized.

“Tal?
You ready?” Penny called, poking her head through the door.

“Yep,” I replied, tugging my suit jacket into place as I walked out of the bathroom.

Penny stepped into the bedroom. She, too, wore business attire. Her suit was navy with a green and blue striped camisole underneath the blazer. She’d smoothed her shoulder length mane into a sleek ponytail, which accentuated her sharp cheekbones. Her appearance projected maturity and confidence, a sharp contrast to the fear she felt inside.

“How are you feeling?” Penny asked.

I shrugged. “Okay. A little nervous,” I admitted.

A total lie.
I was a lot worried, but she didn’t need to know that. Given the circumstances, Penny seemed calm. A quick swipe of her thoughts told me she had complete faith in UNITED and their good intentions. She also believed Crane wouldn’t let them contain us. She’d believed him when he said the evaluations were a formality. I, however, didn’t share her feelings. UNITED wouldn’t hesitate to contain us if they decided we were dangerous.

“Me too,” Penny said.
“But I’ve been through worse. We both have. This’ll be a breeze.”

“Definitely a breeze,” I agreed, mustering a smile for my best friend’s benefit.

I kissed Erik on the forehead. His skin felt cool beneath my lips. Then, I followed Penny into the hallway and to the elevator.

She pushed the call button and then stared at the closed doors, managing to look both impatient and anxious at the same time.
The elevator came and we boarded. Penny pressed the button for sublevel one. The elevator shot upwards, and she studied my face, her lime-colored eyes narrowing in on my bruises. She pursed her lips into two narrow lines.

“Was physical violence really necessary?” she asked.

Guilt made my cheeks burn. “He provoked me,” I said defensively.

“I don’t doubt it.
But, Tal, he means a lot to me. You both do. I’d really like if you guys could be friends. At least not enemies.”

I was about to say I’d play nice when he did, but Penny turned big pleading eyes on me and added, “Please, Talia.”

“I’ll try,” I promised her.

She smiled.
“Thanks.”

The conference room on sublevel one was already full when Penny and I entered.
Brand, bruises and all, sat beside Crane, who was in his place at the head of the oval table. For the occasion, both men had traded their fatigues in favor of charcoal gray suits. Brand paired his with a green button-down that matched his eyes. Even with two black eyes, he cleaned up well. Penny’s face lit up when she met his gaze. The feelings were mutual. Brand beamed at her, seeming momentarily dazed by the sight of Penny all dressed up.

My eyes shifted to Crane.
For the first time since I’d met him, he actually looked like the political figure he was. With a red power tie adding a splash of color to his otherwise monochromatic ensemble, authority radiated off of him. He nodded approvingly after giving my own outfit a once-over.

Frederick was at the opposite end of the table from Brand and Crane.
He looked like a model in his perfectly tailored suit and immaculately styled hair. Ten of the twelve remaining chairs at the table were occupied by three women and seven men I didn’t recognize. All of them wore beautiful clothes made from expensive silks and wools; even the leather of their shoes smelled like they’d cost a small fortune. I thought how ridiculous all the pageantry was.

My skin began to prickle from the collective power radiating off of the UNITED council members.
I breathed it in, letting it wash over me, savoring the feel of so much raw talent in such a confined space. I’d encountered numerous strong talents while with TOXIC, but never so many at once. The effect was intoxicating for someone like me, someone with ability to
feel
other’s abilities. I wondered how Penny was handling it. As a Mimic, she must be going nuts trying to process all the different gifts. Then again, with twelve talent signatures inside of her already, maybe this was nothing new.

I glanced at Penny out of the corner of my eye.
She gave no outward sign that the power in the room was affecting her. Inside, butterflies were flapping their wings in her belly. But I thought the fluttering sensation had more to do with Brand than nerves. Brand might’ve been a total ass to me, but he clearly loved her. That was reason enough for me to keep my promise and try to be civil to him.

I erected my mental barriers, creating a wall to separate myself from the power swirling in the conference room as I slid in beside Frederick.
I feared prolonged exposure to the other’s energy would make me talent drunk, and the crazy inside of me might surface. It was bad enough that, to a discerning eye, my bruises and marks complimented Brand’s, and the UNITED council members all had discerning eyes. I felt all twenty of them follow my every move. I just hoped no one would ask about the injuries.

Penny eased herself into the chair on my other side, just as Crane cleared his throat to draw everyone’s attention his way.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Crane began, rising to his feet to address the table. “As I am sure you all know by now, a Coalition team attacked TOXIC’s maximum security prison, Tramblewood Correctional Facility, two nights ago. Despite the loss of four soldiers, the mission was a success. We rescued the men and women taken prisoner during our attack on Rittenhouse Research Facility two weeks ago. In addition, we rescued the Mimic Erikson Kelley.” Crane paused, glanced around the table, and met each of our eyes in turn.

The way he said Erik’s name with such familiarity sent a chill up my spine to settle at the base of my skull, giving me a cold headache like I’d eaten ice cream too fast.
This wasn’t the first time Crane had discussed Erik with the council members, I realized. They were all aware of his situation.

I looked around the table at their eager faces.
Ten sets of eyes were glazed with anticipation, like they couldn’t wait to get their hands on him. To study him, learn from him, dissect him. Not just Erik, I reminded myself, Penny and me, too. Several gazes flicked to our end of the table, turning those ravenous looks on more immediate prey. I swallowed hard. This evaluation was going to suck.

“Mr. Kelley was in need of medical attention, precipitating a stop at the Underground station in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Using a tracker implanted in Mr. Kelley, TOXIC forces followed us to the station and launched a retaliatory attack. The death toll is still undetermined.

“Up to this point the Coalition has been passive, playing defense in the hopes of providing a peaceful life for those wishing to live outside of TOXIC’s rule.
But that is no longer an option. I have verified that TOXIC is using the creation drug, in direct violation of UNITED mandate 1216.45, which prohibits use and experimentation of the same. You have asked for proof. Today I have asked you here to deliver that proof.”

Crane’s speech, much like all our outfits, seemed formal.

“All three children have agreed to the evaluation?” an auburn haired woman asked, a strong British accent flavoring her words.

I blanched at her characterization of us as “children.”
We were hardly children. I’d killed for TOXIC, and now for the Coalition, that definitely classified me as an adult in my book.

“Why don’t you ask them yourself, Victoria?” Crane suggested mildly, and gestured to where Penny and I sat.

Victoria turned to stare at us with gold eyes that seemed to shimmer in the fluorescent lighting. She radiated a cool calm that wasn’t exactly unpleasant so much as odd when it touched me. I felt that she was kind but clinical, a scientist with a heart. I decided to reserve judgment for later.

Under the table, Penny reached for my hand.
I squeezed hers to let her know we were in this together. Apparently she was more nervous about the evaluation than she’d let on.

“If it helps stop Mac, then I’m in,” I said, meeting Victoria’s gaze with a confident one of my own.
At least, I hoped it was confident since nerves were swimming in my stomach like sharks.

“Natalia Lyons, I presume?” Victoria said, making it obvious she knew exactly who I was.
This fact did nothing to lessen my fears.

I nodded mutely.

“What about the boy?” a man with bushy black eyebrows and a pronounced overbite asked in German. “Why is he not here?”

My upbringing had involved a lot of travel because of my father’s job for the Italian Government.
Between that and being a mind reader, I was fluent in a number of languages, including German.

“The boy,” I said through clenched teeth, “is still unconscious.
While I’m sure he’ll agree, you’ll have to wait until he wakes up.”

The German councilman raised those caterpillars several millimeters to show his surprise at my understanding of his native tongue.
His thick lips twitched a little and I thought maybe he was impressed.

“I, for one, would like to hear what the young women have to say,” another man added in a soft voice.

I focused on him, smiling a little at the respect he’d shown by calling us “young women.” His almond eyes were kind, and I found I liked him instantly.

“There will be time for that in their individual evaluations, Michael,” Victoria said.

“Yes, of course, Councilwoman, but not all of us will be taking part in the evaluations. I would like to hear it now.”

Twenty eyes turned on us in unison.
Crane nodded, giving an unspoken cue that it was our turn to speak.

Next to me, Penny released my hand and stood slowly.
She gripped the table with white knuckles. Her arms trembled slightly, but her face remained expressionless.

“Hello, my name is Penelope Crane,” Penny began, her voice low and even.
The room went silent, everyone giving Penny their undivided attention.

Her story was nearly verbatim the one she’d told the soldiers before the attack on Tramblewood.
Every so often one of the council members would politely raise his or her hand and ask a question for clarification. A beautiful olive-skinned woman with startlingly light gray eyes and a faint Portuguese accent was nearly as vocal as Victoria. She recorded Penny’s answers on an electronic tablet on the table in front of her. Michael showed the most deference, and any time Penny tripped over a question, he gently prodded her in the right direction. I wondered how much of this he already knew.

When Penny finished, it was my turn.
My story was considerably less eventful than Penny’s. I carefully edited the encounter with Crane in the basement of his Nevada home. It wasn’t really important, and didn’t help my case for sanity. Sure, I’d just been acting in self-defense, but my actions could be termed dangerous. I doubted the Council would care that the incident had occurred prior to receiving the creation drug.

I was shocked and a little relieved to realize that many of the council members found my story as appalling as Penny’s.
Though, I thought it had more to do with the fact that Mac had infected his son than the accidental transference to me. Honestly, that was what had been hardest for me to digest, as well. How any parent could knowingly put his child in danger was beyond me.

“You were infected eighteen months ago?” Victoria asked me.

“Yes.”

“Yet you still have the ability to morph?
Fascinating.” While she phrased it like a question, I wasn’t sure whether she actually expected an answer.

“I do,” I confirmed, just in case she did want an answer.
I was doing my best to appear obedient and helpful.

“That is highly unusual,” the Portuguese councilwoman commented.

This time, I said nothing. I knew created talents faded with time, and was well aware that mine lasting this long was rare. For once, I hated being unique.