Created (Talented Saga) (33 page)

“Frederick,” Erik called aloud.
His voiced echoed in the tunnel. “Update on the Director’s location.”

“Still in the hotel suite,” Frederick panted.
He was more winded than the rest of us, and it wasn’t because he was out of shape. The constant viewing wasn’t good for him. I thought UNITED owed him a long, all-expenses-paid vacation after this was over.

“See?”
Erik sent me.
“Nothing to worry about.”

I wasn’t persuaded.
Just because Mac wasn’t on the move, didn’t mean there wasn’t cause for alarm. My gut feeling was that we were in for a surprise, and not a fun one.

An eerie feeling of déjà vu set in as we came upon the area where Mr. Kelley and the other scouts had moved the rubble aside from the long ago cave in.
The path was clear for us, and we charged forward. I tried to recall how much farther until we reached Adam’s station. Maybe a mile, I guessed. At our current speed we’d be there in eight minutes. My concept of time was off, though. Our communicators weren’t working, and I was thankful Erik knew the way because the technological blackout meant we had no GPS if we got lost.

Stopping at Adam’s station wasn’t on our itinerary.
The plan was to keep moving so we were in position at the McPherson Square station at the stroke of midnight. That was the station closest to The Hamilton. Other teams would be coming through various other stations throughout the city. At the same time we showed ourselves, UNITED’s hovers would open fire on the city.

Once we’d cleared the underwater part of the metro system, the real test of Erik’s navigational skills began.
He didn’t hesitate at the intersections, confident each turn was the right one. Frederick started to fall behind. His panting had turned into all-out wheezing, and he sounded like he was having an asthma attack.

“Keep moving,” Henri insisted.
“I’ll hang back with him. He knows where we’re going. We won’t be far behind.”

Erik and I exchanged uneasy glances.
Leaving them wasn’t appealing to either of us. The other teams wouldn’t be using the same branches we were since their final destinations were different. The two guys would be vulnerable. I’d seen Frederick fight and knew, if healthy, he could hold his own. Henri, too, was a trained fighter. But they were both running on a half tank. Henri’s shoulder was still stiff, and his mobility wasn’t one hundred percent. Frederick was ready to collapse.

“Kent, Noelle, you two stay with them.
The rest of us will go on ahead,” Victoria barked, making the decision. “The Director is still in the hotel, yes?” she asked, focusing on Frederick.

He nodded.

“Good. Mr. Kelley, onward.”

“What do you think?”
Erik asked me.

“Do we have a choice?”

There wasn’t a choice. Erik may have been the leader, but Victoria was in charge. Besides, I wanted Mac. I didn’t want to risk someone else getting to him first.

With one last look at Frederick and Henri, I mouthed, “Sorry,” and followed Erik.

Ten minutes later, the remainder of our team was huddled behind the padlocked gate that separated the McPherson metro station from the world above. We were just in time to hear Councilman Tanaka issue a final warning to Mac from one of the hoverplanes.

“Director McDonough, this is your final opportunity to surrender.
You have one minute until UNITED will have no choice but to apprehend you using deadly force if necessary.”

I was crouched next to Erik, ready to blow the gate wide open as soon as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Sweat stung my eyes and soaked through my hair. In the silence my heartbeat was audible to my own ears, and I worried the operatives on the other side of the metal barrier heard it, too. Erik’s gloved hand covered mine where it rested on the cracked ground between us. He squeezed my fingers tightly. I stared into eyes that had gotten me through so much. I didn’t care that we were packed tight as sardines against that gate with five other people, including the high and mighty Victoria Walburton. I leaned forward and kissed him. This was no peck on the lips either. This was full-on tongue to tongue contact. His palms cupped my cheeks, pulling me closer. I buried my fingers in his dark hair and opened my mind completely to him. I wanted him to know what he meant to me, how much I loved him, that he, not seeking justice for my parents, was my reason for living.

We were still entangled in one another when the gate exploded.

Chapter Twenty

Erik and I were torn forcefully apart. I was hurdling backwards through the air, spinning head over feet. Instinct took over, and I morphed without giving the idea any thought. Suddenly I was the small black bird, and still spiraling towards the platform below. I got my bearings in time to avoid a beak-first landing, and managed to skid to a stop on my talons. Unused to fighting in animal-form, I started to morph back to human when I saw the stampede of large black shadows on the tunnel’s domed ceiling. There were too many to be our people.

I pushed off the tiles, flying high into the rafters to search for Erik and the rest of my team.
Four bodies were scattered on the platform I’d just vacated. I zeroed in on each one, relieved when none proved to be Erik. Where was he?

From this vantage point, I could see the operatives pouring over the lower platform’s edges.
In no time, the first wave would be up the escalator and descending on my teammates. I didn’t know what to do. By myself, in bird form, I was hardly a threat. And there were hundreds of them. I circled above the melee, trying to find Erik and still keep an eye on Victoria, Janelle, and the others. A tiny relieved squawk escaped me when I saw Janelle struggle to sit up. She was alive, for now. I dove towards her, squawking louder and louder to alert her to the danger headed her way.

Janelle had just managed to make it to her feet when the first operatives hit the top of the escalators.
Blood streamed down the side of her face from a gash over her left eye. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Next to her, Victoria was groaning and rolling side to side.

Operatives were now running down the second set of escalators that led to street level.
Janelle, Victoria, and the remaining Council guard were surrounded. And where the hell was Erik?

I was still flying in a circle near the domed ceiling, debating my options.
There were too many operatives to fight. I could fly myself to safety, but that meant leaving Janelle and Victoria. My other teammates weren’t as much of a concern: none of them had moved yet.

Do something! I shouted inside my bird brain.

That’s when the ceiling above me opened up, sending a powerful shockwave reverberating through the station. I was blown askew by the force of it. Miraculously the concrete and earth that had previously been overhead flew upwards instead of collapsing inward. It was like the bomb had detonated from inside the station.

A loud squawk caught my attention, and I sought its source.
My feathered wings beat faster when I saw him. Sleek black head, iridescent tail feathers, big turquoise eyeballs: Erik. He’d been the “bomb” that blew apart the ceiling, I realized. And he’d controlled the blast to prevent rubble from landing on Victoria and Janelle. Sure, it would have been nice if a couple large fragments had smashed the operatives, but whatever.

There wasn’t time for me to marvel at his impressive skills.
Bird Erik was diving headlong for the platform, wings pinned to his sides to cut through the air faster. I followed without understanding his plan, but trusting that he had one.

And he did.
He swooped low in front of Janelle. She appeared confused, and Erik prodded her with his beak and flapped his beautiful wings until she got the picture. This left me to get Victoria. By now I was positive the Council guards were dead.

The operatives were distracted with Erik and Janelle, who were performing a routine of aerial acrobatics.
I took the opportunity to land beside Victoria. She was in much worse shape than Janelle, but caught on to what she was supposed to do much quicker. She wrapped her arms around my neck and managed to pull herself onto my back. I’d never carried a passenger before. I was surprised to find her added weight didn’t slow me down much.

Victoria clung to my neck, her own talon-like nails digging in to my flesh, as I shot towards the chasm Erik had created in the ceiling.
Bullets followed us, and I used the same bob and weave technique I’d seen Erik employ. I had a feeling mine wasn’t as graceful; although, it was effective. We were through the opening and soaring into the night unharmed seconds later.

Our hoverplanes were still forming a perimeter around the capital city.
Buildings were erupting in orange-red flames to my left and right. Below, on the square outside of the metro station, Mac’s Created were showing their worth. Their movements were so fluid, like they were made of something other than flesh and bone. Our people were good fighters, great fighters even, but how did you defeat a person who was there one second and gone the next? Human and then not? Transforming into your mirror image, so you thought you were fighting yourself?

My first concern was getting Victoria to safety.
Her grip on me was starting to weaken, and her chest was thumping against my back in an irregular rhythm. The Councilwoman needed medical attention – now. I caught sight of Erik and Janelle making a beeline for one of our crafts. I decided to follow. There, medics would be able to tend to her injuries before it was too late.

The underbelly of the hoverplane was still open from when our troops had exited.
Erik soared through ahead of me. By the time my talons were skidding to a stop across the metal flooring, he was human and helping Janelle up a ladder to a second level. Like the enormous craft I’d flown across the country on, this one belonged to the Council and was large enough to carry the population of a small island nation.

Unceremoniously, I dumped Victoria on the floor of the craft.
When she cried out in pain, I felt guilty. The transformation from bird to human was quick. I’d become very proficient in my short time as a Morpher. I helped Victoria to her feet and draped one of her arms around my shoulders just before she passed out. She so better not contain me, I thought as I hauled her dead weight to the ladder. Two sets of hands reached down through the opening at the top and relieved me of my burden.

I didn’t recognize either person, but they were both wearing scrubs and those were good enough credentials for me.
After Victoria went up, Erik came down.

“Quick thinking down there,”
I told him.
“You saved our lives.”

“Yeah, well someone had to,”
he sent back with a grin. Then he sobered.
“Did you see what’s happening on the ground?”

“You mean how our people are getting their asses kicked?”
I asked.

“I don’t know what to do.
They’re too … too much for us. UNITED should just obliterate the entire city. Victoria was right, the created are too dangerous.”

“You don’t mean that,”
I said.
“They deserve a chance to be cured. Most probably don’t even understand why they’re fighting.”

“There isn’t a cure yet, Tals.
We don’t know that there ever will be.”

“There will be,”
I shot back angrily.
“There has to be.”

Erik blew out a breath and folded me into his arms.
He kissed the top of my matted curls.
“The Hamilton?”
he asked.

“The Hamilton,”
I agreed.

“You lead, I’ll follow.”

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him softly. Then I turned and sprinted the short distance to the opening, dove headfirst into the emptiness below, and once again morphed in midair. I felt him as bird Erik drew even with me. Together, we dodged stray gunfire, circled skyways, and managed to take out several TOXIC sharpshooters en route to The Hamilton. The luxury hotel wasn’t hard to spot; it was one of the tallest buildings in the city. I kept my focus on the square rooftop so I wouldn’t have to see what was happening below.

Get rid of Mac and this will all end, I kept telling myself.

I had no idea whether that was true. In my mind, it was, though. In my mind, Mac’s death would set the world right again.

Five operatives were standing guard on the roof of The Hamilton.
One stood at each corner like a gargoyle warding off evil; too bad the real evil was already inside. The fifth was stationed at the door to the inside. They followed us with their guns, but no one took a shot. I guessed that they weren’t sure which side we were on. Erik answered that question when he suddenly darted forward, his right wing fully extended, and swatted one of the operatives over the side of the roof. The person toppled forward, morphing from dog, to tiger, to horse, and finally backed to human in time to splat on the sidewalk below.

Guess being multi-talented is only handy if you know how to use all those talents, I thought.

Gunfire burst forth from the remaining four operatives, none of whom were exceptional shots. I used evasive tactics to avoid the bullets, but Erik met the challenge. He dove at one operative, catching the woman between his enormous wings and tossing her into the air. I knew this was a kill-or-be-killed situation, but I was having a hard time getting my body on board that train of thought.

Now that the odds were slightly better for us, I considered morphing back to human.
One of the remaining operatives was trying to grab hold of Erik’s feathers as Erik sunk his talons into the guy’s adapti-suit. The operative who’d been blocking the roof entrance to the hotel charged forward, gun drawn, and fired at Erik’s head. I landed on the roof, morphing at precisely the right time so that my boots slid over the rooftop instead of talons. I deflected the bullets before they found the mark. Then, I tore weapons from hands and belts to alleviate one obstacle.

The two operatives not actively engaged in wing-to-hand combat, rounded on me.
I took a deep breath and readied myself for a physical fight. One of them evaporated into thin air, and the next thing I knew, the heel of his boot found a home in my lower back. I screamed in pain as I pitched forward. His friend rushed forward and delivered an uppercut to my jaw with enough force to rattle my teeth.

A sick cracking noised that sounded a lot like a wooden board being snapped in half distracted me long enough for the rear attacker to land a roundhouse kick between my shoulder blades.
All the breath whooshed out of my lungs. I was getting my ass kicked. I fully expected the front attacker to hit me again. Through blurred vision I saw Erik, now human, materialize in the minute space between us. With lightning-fast reflexes, Erik caught the operative’s fist in his open palm and twisted. I shut down my auditory senses so I wouldn’t have to hear another bone breaking.

I whirled around to go another round with the guy behind me.
He stared me directly in the eyes, opened his mouth to say something, and then fell flat on his face. I gaped. What just happened? Without getting any closer to him, I looked for blood. There didn’t appear to be any. I sniffed the air. No, no coppery scent.

“Come on, Tals.
Gotta move if we want to get to the Director before he escapes.”
Erik’s arm was around my waist, dragging me towards the rooftop entrance to the hotel.

“Did you see that?”
I asked.
“That guy, he just … fell.”

“You have a guardian angel,”
Erik sent back, pausing at the door to listen and feel for signs of life from the other side. He looked to me for confirmation that no minds were buzzing close by. I shook my head no.

“That’s not it.
He isn’t dead. I don’t think,”
I said.

Erik tried to twist the knob.
When it wouldn’t budge, I disengaged the lock with my mind.

“He’s not moving, which means he’s not attacking.
That’s all that matters.”

Erik held up a hand, signaling for me to wait while he made sure the stairwell was clear.
I ignored his silent order and followed directly behind him, easing the door closed and reengaging the lock.

The stairwell was pitch black.
I heard the hum of a generator somewhere deep within the building, and assumed it was being used to supply power to areas where it was necessary, like Mac’s suite. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I was able to make out the faint outline of the steps and handrail.

“Take my hand.”
Erik reached back and wiggled his fingers at me.

“I can see,”
I sent back.

“Yeah and you can also be seen.
I’m going to try making both of us invisible. As long as you’re touching me, it should work.”

“Should?”

“Cadence was able to do it. I’m not as experienced with light manipulation, but my talent for it is stronger than hers ever was, even with the amplification drug.”

I threaded my fingers through his and waited for something to happen.
When it did, I wished it hadn’t. I didn’t like not being able to see myself. It was like I’d ceased to exist.

“
It’s okay, Tals. You’re still here, just invisible. Hold on to me.”

I did as instructed and Erik started down the stairs.
Our footsteps were quiet, but still audible. It seemed pretty silly for Erik to waste the energy making us invisible if our shoes were just going to give us away. I kept my opinions to myself, since Erik wasn’t likely to appreciate them.