Created (Talented Saga) (21 page)

I didn’t have the energy or the inclination to taunt my captors, but it distracted me from reality.
If I didn’t find a way to escape, find Crane, and get the hell out of here in the next hour, Alex and the Kelleys – the reason I’d been adamant about this mission – would be at TOXIC’s mercy.

Mac would spare Alex’s life.
Not because the little boy was his grandson; familial ties didn’t mean much to Mac. But Alex’s talent – remote viewing – was rare, and his blood valuable. Erik’s family wouldn’t be so lucky. Mac would kill them. Maybe for retaliation. Maybe to make an example of them. Maybe just because he could. I wouldn’t let that happen.

“You heard the Captain. I’m extremely powerful.
Aren’t you scared to be alone with me?” I continued, making crazy eyes at Nichols over my shoulder. She was definitely the weak link. Her lips pursed together, but she didn’t take the bait.

“So what is it Mac plans on doing with all the people here?
Public trials? Oh wait, I forgot, traitors don’t get trials. I guess he’ll just have them sentenced to death then. You do know that the last traitor he supposedly killed is still alive, right? Perfectly healthy, in fact.” The lie was hard to get out. Penny was not perfectly healthy. She put on a good face, but the power was affecting to her.

“Shut up,” Wilkes growled.

I was getting to him.

“Make me,” I shot back, turning my attention to him.

His hand shot out with superhuman speed. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and pain shot across my cheek as my head whipped to one side. Crap, that hurt. Blood filled my mouth, and I spit the coppery substance on the ground.

“That the best you got?” I managed to squeak out.
I was on shaky ground. Mac might not want me dead, but if I were unconscious, I would lose my chance to escape. I needed to calm down and stop being stupid.

I fully expected him to hit me again.
I would’ve hit me again. But we were out of the woods now and nearing a large building. Operatives were stationed around the perimeter. At first, I wasn’t sure exactly what made him hesitate. Then I noticed a tall, broad shouldered figure in a crisp, gray suit striding towards us.

Blood froze in my veins as my stomach hit the grass.
I was meeting my maker, literally. Mac had arrived early.

Chapter Thirteen

“Director,” Wilkes said.
“We didn’t expect you so soon.” Like a good operative, he straightened and saluted.

Had my muscles not entered temporary paralysis at the sight of Mac, I probably would have rolled my eyes at the ridiculous display.

Nichols too seemed caught off guard and slightly awed by Mac’s appearance. She dropped her barely-there grip on my arm and mimicked Wilkes' show of respect. “We have the Lyons girl, sir,” she said.

This time, I did roll my eyes.
Really? Stating the obvious seemed like a good idea? Did she think Mac had forgotten what I looked like?

“You don’t say?” Mac replied sarcastically.
When he spoke, his steel gray eyes sought out mine and the look that passed between us was almost conspiratorial.

I blinked to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
No, the face staring down at me was definitely Danbury McDonough. Only, while the cold gaze, sharp nose, and pursed lips were his, the essence radiating off of him was not. The person standing in front of me was warm and caring and extremely worried about me. This person cared about me. This person was also exerting an extreme amount of talent. Energy leaked from him as he fought to stay in control.

As if all these weren’t enough clues that something about this situation was off, his next statement confirmed it.
“I’ll take Talia from here.”

Talia?
Mac never called me Talia.

Mac reached for my arm, gently wrapping strong fingers around my bicep.

“She’s a mouthy twit,” Wilkes said, shoving me forward.

“Yes, Natalia’s mouth does get her in trouble,” Mac agreed, staring down at me with a very
unMac-like twinkle in his eye.

“Captain Alvarez ordered us to escort her an isolation room.”
It was Nichols who spoke this time.

I was impressed by her nerve.
Openly questioning Mac was a bad idea, and here I thought she was weak-willed. Then again, maybe she sensed there was something off about this Mac, too.

“Last time I checked, the door to my office read,
Director
, not the Captain’s.” Mac was authority personified. A shiver ran through me. Maybe all the knocking about of my head on the plane had thrown me off, because this felt like the Mac I knew. Maybe before had just been wishful thinking.

“Of course, sir,” Nichols stuttered.
“I wasn’t questioning your authority –”

Mac cut her off with a wave of his hand.
“Go. I have the situation under control.”

As I watched the two operatives retreat, I thought about swiping Mac’s mind.
Sure, he’d know I was there, and likely be expecting it, but just in case his defenses were down, I wanted to try. Knowing what he planned to do with me seemed like a good idea. Only before I had the opportunity, he spoke in my mind. And I finally understood what was really going on.

“Are you okay?
What the hell are you doing here, Tal? You should be somewhere safe. You got Erik back, why are you still taking risks?”
Donavon’s mental voice said.

I was so relieved and impressed that I found myself unable to answer him.

Long ago, when I’d first come to the McDonoughs, Donavon had told me that exceptionally powerful Morphers could take
any
other living form. Animals were the easiest and the most natural, for whatever reason. Human shifts were hard to pull off and harder to maintain. Donavon had been trying for years to achieve a human transformation. This was the first he’d managed. Perfect timing, I thought.

Donavon, disguised as Mac, started leading me forward.

“Were you shot?”
he asked, gently touching the frayed fabric on my shoulder.

“Yeah, but it’s nothing.
I’m fine. And I’m here because Erik’s father and brothers are here, and he nearly died to rescue them. I’m here because Erik’s isn’t the only life worth fighting for. I’m here to protect your son,”
I sent back, growing angrier with each word.
“Where are you taking me?”

We reached the doors to the rec center.
Two guards saluted Donavon and eyed me warily. Donavon’s grip on my arm tightened, and I knew he was fighting to maintain his Mac-like shape. The effort was draining him.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m glad you’re here.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to get Alex out of here since I saw him,”
he sent as we entered the foyer.

“How’s he doing?”
I asked.

“Good.
I’m just glad I got to see him one last time.”

“Don’t say that.
He needs you, Donavon.”
I wasn’t really sure what I felt for Donavon anymore: anger because he sided with his father; irritation because he was too much of a coward to stand up for what was right; pity because he felt he didn’t have a choice. One thing was certain, I was sad for him. Sadder still for Alex, who was certain to lose all his remaining family members once UNITED became involved. Even if Donavon lived through the attacks, he’d definitely be contained. Having been injected with an inferior form of the creation drug at such a young age meant he’d have needed repeated injections to keep his talents strong. There was no telling how badly his mind had been affected. And unlike me, he didn’t hold enough value for UNITED to decide his potential worth to their cause outweighed the threat he posed. Morphing was the most common talent.

“No, Tal, you’re the one he needs now.
He needs you to keep him safe. I’m … I’m no good for him.”

“Does that mean that you’re going to help me escape?”
I asked, hoping that was the case. I needed all the help I could get.

Donavon came to a stop in front of a door marked “Cliff Oswald, Manager,” and twisted the knob.
He pushed the door open and led me through. It was a small office with a desk and two chairs. He gestured for me to sit in one. Reluctantly, I agreed.

“It’s the least I can do,”
he said.

“You could come with me,”
I replied hopefully.
“You could come be with Alex.”
It had been on the tip of my tongue to say cottage, but I shoved the word back. I didn’t want to give away too much. Honestly, I wanted him to come with us, but also knew that was unrealistic.

“No, Tal, I can’t.
All personnel were implanted with trackers. That’s how they found you in Tennessee. They put a tracker in Erik. My father knew you’d come for him. Although, I got to say, he didn’t expect you to show up with Crane and Coalition soldiers.”
Donavon actually laughed.
“Not much surprises him anymore. You know how he is, rarely losing his cool in front of people. He popped blood vessels when he saw you and Crane together during the attack. Now this business with UNITED. He’s flipping his shit.”

“Was he there?”
I asked.

“Yeah.
He was watching on the surveillance cameras in the warden’s office. He was planning on letting you get far enough inside the prison that he’d be able to trap you. But once he realized you weren’t alone, he knew he’d screwed up. He underestimated you. He ordered guards to Erik’s cell. When you guys landed on the bridge, though, those guards left their posts to come after you. I was in Echo section when the attack started. Dad sent me after you defeated our forces on the bridge. He was so certain you wouldn’t hurt me.”
Donavon shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“He never considered the feelings went both ways.”

I smiled sadly, recalling how on the roof I’d known without a doubt that Donavon wouldn’t hurt me.

“Did you get in trouble for letting us go?”

Donavon swallowed hard, averting his eyes.
“No, I told him you manipulated me. No way to prove otherwise. Only you and I know the truth. I had to go before a tribunal and plead my case. Half voted to arrest me, but dad backed me up. Argued our connection was strong, and you’d have had no trouble controlling me. Instead they agreed to give me the mental block. Fortunately dad rescued me again there. He got Dr. Thistler to forge the paperwork.”

“That was nice of him, I suppose,”
I sent, not sure whether I meant it or not.

Donavon laughed bitterly.
“Not really. He thinks you might try to contact me, you know, mentally. If I got the block, he knows you wouldn’t be able to. What he fails to understand is that I wouldn’t tell him if you did.”

My heart went out to him.
Donavon never had a choice in his life. From childhood he’d been condemned to this fate. This horrible fate of being his father’s son. Donavon would be a good father in another life.

“Donavon, please come with me.
Crane’s men removed Erik’s tracker; they’ll be able to do the same for you. You don’t have to stay. I know you don’t agree with what your father is doing. You’re a good person. You’ll be a great father. Alex needs his father. Please. I’m sure UNITED will grant you clemency if you help lead them to Mac.”

Donavon shook his head sadly.
“Erik’s tracker was different. It was just a mechanical chip, like the one they put in your hip for your solo mission. Mine isn’t. It runs through my blood. In time it will wear off, but that takes weeks. Besides, I know what UNITED does to the created. I can’t live like that.”

The blood tracker must’ve been why Captain Alvarez told me that there wasn’t a choice for him.
He’d been injected with the same tracking serum. Mac was reaching new lows. I wondered if he’d used a mechanical tracker on Erik for fear of contaminating his Mimic blood.

“Besides, I’m no good for Alex.
That’s why I stayed away from him and Kandice in the first place. Dad did have me removed from the Hunters as punishment for giving you my blood. But there was more to it. The creation drug screws with people’s heads. I was starting to forget things, have huge memory lapses. I messed up on missions. I was a liability. Dr. Thistler gives me drugs that help, but it’s like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. I don’t have much longer.”

My heart broke because he was right.
For Donavon to have remained talented for over a decade, he’d have been given numerous injections. The side-effects might not be reversible in his case.

“Look, Tal.
We don’t have much time, dad will be here soon. I need you and Alex out of here before he is. Right now Dad doesn’t have a strong Viewer to steal blood from to make more. Alex is exactly what he’s looking for. Crane’s forces have nearly breached the perimeter we have set up around this place. Get Alex, join them, and get the hell onto one of the Coalition hovercrafts. Otherwise, the camp’s emergency evacuation planes are approximately three kilometers due south. You should be able to pilot one of the smaller ones on your own.”

“Where’s Ian?”
I asked. No way was I returning to the cottage without him and risk facing Brand’s wrath and Penny’s grief. Donavon blanched when I referred to Crane as “Ian.”

“Last I heard he was leading the charge to break through the perimeter we have set up around the rec center.”

“So he wasn’t captured?”
I clarified.

Donavon shook his head.
“Guy’s an escape artist.”

No, I thought, even better – a Perception Manipulator.
Once alone, he’d have been able to hide in plain sight by giving off the perception that he was a TOXIC operative or maybe even a tree.

“Is Alex with Erik’s family?
Captain Alvarez said they were being held separately from the rest of the prisoners.”

“Yeah.
I was able to keep them together so Alex wouldn’t be scared.”

“Where are they, Donavon?”

I met Donavon’s cornflower blue eyes, and they were Donavon’s eyes now. The years had fallen away, and with them the deepest of the wrinkles and worry lines. Mac’s silver-streaked pale gold hair had been replaced by Donavon’s darker blonde locks. The gray suit was gone, replaced by an adapti-suit that showed off Donavon’s trim frame.

Donavon offered me his hand and I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.
He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. I needed to get moving if I wanted out of here before the real Mac arrived, but I didn’t want the moment to end. Donavon had been my everything for so long, and I wasn’t ready to give him up yet.

“They’re three doors down to the right.
There is one guard stationed outside. I’ll distract him long enough for you to slip inside. Don’t waste time. Get in and get them out. Follow the hallway to the staircase at the end. Go all the way to the basement. There are exit doors from the stairwell that open to the back of the building. There should be five guards back there. I’ll radio that we need reinforcements to the front to draw them away. That will give you a clear exit. Don’t hesitate, Talia. If you do run into any guards, they won’t intentionally kill you, but they are likely to shoot first, ask questions second. I’ll give you my gun, use it. You don’t have friends here anymore, you hear me?”

“I have one friend here,”
I told him sadly, tears filling my eyes and wetting the front of his suit. But that wasn’t exactly true, I had at least one other. Captain Alvarez had tried to engineer my escape, too. How many others weren’t loyal to Mac anymore?