CovertDesires (10 page)

When the transport was lowered to the ground with a hollow
thud a few minutes later everybody was up to speed. “Are we still shielded?”

Mitchel looked back down at his device. “Yes.”

“Okay. Well, it looks as if you’re out of time. Hide that
someplace inventive. They’ll find it eventually. But every second they don’t is
a second the rest of the team can come up with a way to break the shield.”

“I’ll do you one better. I’ve set an algorithm to search for
weak spots. It’ll vibrate when it finds one.”

“Good thinking. Put it someplace you’ll feel it.”

“Understood.”

She didn’t have time to see where he put the device. All of
her attention became focused on the doors. They were being cut open from the
outside.

“Stand back, everyone. We have no idea how strong the laser
they’re using is.” The soldiers in the back stepped closer to the front at her
warning. It wasn’t until they did that she realized she was in charge.

She looked over at Harlow to see if she wanted to take over.
But before she could ask, Harlow shook her head. “You’re doing fantastic.”

“Then get out of my head.”

Harlow smiled. “Yes sir.”

She was stunned to silence for a moment. Harlow had just
called her sir. She really was in charge. “Okay.” She made her way to the back
of the transport. She was careful to stay a safe distance from the doors but if
she was the one officially in charge she wanted to be the first one they saw.

The burning metal smelled like space. And the aroma
triggered a flash of a memory of her captaining a ship. Visions were popping
into her mind more and more often now. But she shook her head to erase this
one. As much as she’d like to be a captain someday, now wasn’t that day. Seeing
a vision, even as brief as that one had been, was disconcerting. She needed to
focus.

There was a large cracking noise and the door fell off the
transport. She tried to see how many people were on the other side but the room
was filled with smoke. She would’ve been coughing if it weren’t for the mask
she’d put on.

“Welcome home, my children.” It was Dr. Antihway’s voice but
it had the crackle and hiss of an intercom. He wasn’t in the room with them.

“That’s a hell of a welcome. One would almost think it was
an attack and kidnapping.” She said the words as loudly and clearly as the mask
would allow.

“I would never hurt you.”

“Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

“I understand your skepticism. But give it time. You will
come to trust me.”

She looked back at Mitchel just long enough to see him shake
his head. Nothing yet. “I think a face-to-face greeting would go a long way in
building that trust.”

“I’m optimistic, Rowe. Not stupid.” So he did know her name.
And he knew her well enough not to trust her. “But all good things with time.
We will be a family again.”

There wasn’t enough time in the entire lifespan of the
universe for that. She wouldn’t share that with him though. His objective might
be impossible but hers was so close she could practically taste the victory.

As soon as the smoke and dust cleared they were ordered off
the transport and had electronic bracelets strapped to their wrists. They were
monitoring devices that controlled their movements. Her team was given free access
to several corridors but if they were to try to explore the restricted areas
the bracelets would give an electronic pulse to shock them back into
compliance.

It took Mitchel all of five minutes to hack his. Another
hour and he had ten of her people off-line. It was a large enough group that
they could provide some cover for each other but it was small enough that they
could explore without being missed.

“One would think an evil scientist would have better
security.” She stared down at the blank monitor as she guided the group down a
restricted hallway. They’d left most of her team still on-line and in approved
areas so none of the guards would know something was up until it was too late.
That was her hope at least.

“He’s only as good as his intel,” Mitchel said softly.

“I don’t follow.”

“Nobody knew I was going to be here today until the very
last minute. Not even me. So even if you guys do have a leak, there’s no way
they could’ve told him.”

She looked back over her shoulder at him. “So he didn’t plan
for someone with technokinesis. You’re our secret weapon.”

“That sounds sexy.” Mitchel winked but she just shook her
head.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“I’m honest.”

She decided ignoring him would be the best course of action.
Opening her mind to the universal energy, she focused on Dr. Antihway. She only
needed to see paths where their fates crossed. There couldn’t be too many of
those.

Several visions collided in her head and made her knees
buckle with pain. Thankfully Harlow was right next to her and grabbed her hand
to keep her up. “That’s a dangerous game you’re playing.”

Rowe couldn’t lecture her about being in her head this time.
It was almost impossible for Harlow to shield herself from others’ thoughts
when she had skin-to-skin contact with them. “I’m refining it. But
unfortunately it’s kind of a learn-as-you-go process.”

Harlow glanced over her shoulder at the passageway they’d
just walked down. “Learn faster.”

“It doesn’t work that way.” She kept a hold of Harlow’s hand
as she opened her mind again.

“Fuck me.” Harlow held Rowe up as she flipped through
visions. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“No idea.” She focused on one specific vision. That was the
one she needed. “Need to find Antihway in a room with a large skylight.”

Mitchel snorted. “Sure. Of course. Because that’s not a
difficult request or anything.”

She cleared the visions out of her head before she addressed
him. “It may be difficult but it’s not impossible. We’ll do it. I know we will.
I saw it happen.”

Harlow shook her head. “She’s not lying about that one. That
was a fucking trippy experience.”

“Tell me about it.” Rowe turned around in a circle and then
picked the direction that felt right. “This way.” She led them up a flight of
stairs and down a couple of corridors to an office with a computer station.
There were two people in the room but they weren’t a match for her group of
enhanced soldiers and Subs. They were subdued, bound and gagged in a matter of
minutes. “Mitchel. It’s time for you to do your secret weapon thing.”

“See. I knew you wanted me.” He moved through the small
group of people to stand next to her.

“Yeah, I want you to hack this and bring down the shield
from inside the system.”

He stared at her for a second and then looked down at the
computer. “That’s actually a good idea.”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I have them all the time.”
Granted, she wasn’t always vocal about them. But she was learning. And she
liked the way being assertive felt.

Mitchel sat at the computer and started to type at the
keyboard. Only it seemed a lot more like a caress than the hunt-and-peck
technique she usually employed. Every once in a while he would pause for a
second and cock his head before he started typing again. But it didn’t seem as
if he was using the time to think. If she had to guess, it looked as if he were
actually talking to the machine. She couldn’t tell for sure. She only had his
expressions to judge by. That he had expressions at all, though, was telling.

“Damn.” He leaned closer to the machine as he typed. “It
looks as though I found the spy.”

“Who?” Her heart stopped. She needed to know but she didn’t
want to. It hurt to actually imagine any of her friends responsible for the
betrayal.

“Dr. Antihway, of course. But more specifically, the Type Three
he has working for him.”

As the realization sank in, she felt an overwhelming sense
of relief fill her. None of their people had betrayed them. “He has someone
with Technokinesis?”

“So Little Miss Prophet doesn’t know everything, huh?”

“Sorry.” She made sure to put enough sarcasm into the word
to know she wasn’t sorry at all. “My top priority is keeping us alive. I didn’t
have time to run through Antihway’s employee records.” Just trying to remember
the steps she had to take when they got to Antihway gave her a headache.

“No need to get your panties in a twist. I was just giving
you a hard time.” Mitchel turned and the genuine warmth of his smile made most
of her angst disappear. “He most definitely has a Three working with him. And,
according to these time stamps, they’ve been in your system for a while.”

“How did he get past the firewalls?” They had the best
available. With the work they did, they needed them.

“Didn’t have to. He made your machines think his were behind
the firewall from the get-go.” He nodded to one of the captives who was currently
glaring at all of them. “I’m guessing it’s him. But we’ll find out for sure
once we have a chance to interrogate him.”

“Thanks, Mitch.”

“Aw, yeah. I’ve got a nickname now. I’m growing on you.” He
turned back to the computer after he threw a wink in her general direction.

“Yeah. Just like mold,” she said dryly. “Now get those damn
shields down.”

She left a couple of guards behind to protect Mitchel and to
watch the hostages but she took the rest of the group with her. She was going
to need them.

They walked down two more corridors before they had to stop.
There was a small group of Dr. Antihway’s men just around the next corner.
There were only three of them guarding the passage. Her people wouldn’t have
any problems taking them. But they had to do it quietly. No weapon fire.
Everything depended on the element of surprise.

She gestured for two of her men to walk out and draw the
guards’ attention. Dr. Antihway had given orders that only necessary force was
to be used so her men should be safe from any real harm. But the guards would
definitely pursue them. When her people led them back into her corridor her men
overwhelmed then and then gagged them before tying their hands and feet. After
the men were secured she assigned four of her people to stay behind with them
to make sure they didn’t escape or warn Antihway. When she was certain they had
everything under control she set off again.

There were only three of them left as she made the final
turn toward her goal. This hallway led into a room. A room she was betting had
a skylight. She signaled for Harlow to watch one side of the door and the last
remaining guy to hotwire the palm reader. She needed to be the one to walk
through that door.

As the door slid open she found that the room was exactly as
she remembered it being in her vision. Dr. Antihway was standing behind a large
desk and had two armed men with him. One was on each side. His people had taken
her weapon when they’d put the bracelet on her but she didn’t need it. Not this
time.

“You just don’t stop, do you?”

Rowe smiled as she took a step into the room. Her men stayed
outside in the hallway as lookouts. She couldn’t have any of Antihway’s men
sneaking up on them. “I’m persistent. It’s in my genetics.”

He shook his head. “Yes it is. The government was willing to
pay for persistence.”

“Then I guess I have them to thank for it.”

He slammed his hands down on the desk loudly enough that it
made her flinch. “No. You have me to thank, you ungrateful bitch. Without me,
you wouldn’t exist.”

“Without the government, you wouldn’t have had a reason to
create me.” Under normal circumstances she’d never pick a fight with a
sociopath. But she needed time. Just a minute or two would do it. And
challenging him was the only way she’d seen where she’d gotten that. Still, her
heart raced and her stomach cramped as the guards placed their hands on their
weapons. She took a step to the side but that small distance wouldn’t be enough
to save her if they fired.

Thankfully Antihway lifted a hand and his men relaxed. “You were
supposed to have survival instincts as well. What happened to those?”

“They’re still there.” Oh boy, were they ever. And she was
fighting against them every step of the way.

“I disagree. I could have you killed. Right now.”

She shook her head. “You could. But you won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Oh I think you know why I’m so sure.” She took another step
away from the small group of people. She needed to be in the corner of the
room. “You’re the one who created prophets after all. And what good is a prophet
without visions?”

“My prophets can’t recall their visions.”

She smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong. They couldn’t recall
them. Past tense.”

His brow creased and his mouth puckered with apparent
disbelief. “That’s not possible.”

“But it is. I’m living proof.”

“How?”

It was almost time. Just a few more seconds and they’d be
past the point of no return. There would only be one path left to them. And
that would be the one of her salvation. “You made us an adaptable species. I’ve
adapted. And I’m guessing more will adapt given time and proper instruction.”

“You’re bluffing.”

But suddenly it didn’t matter what he thought anymore. Their
fate was locked. She could feel the inevitability settle around her like a
comforting blanket. “Maybe. I certainly have spent time around the best.” She
shrugged as she held up one hand and took another step. “I guess we just have
to wait and see.” She put one finger down. “Four.”

“What are you doing?”

She put another finger down as she took another step.
“Three.”

“Stop.”

“Two.” She was almost there.

“Guards, restrain her.”

“One. Time’s up.” She jumped for the corner and crouched
down on the floor with her arms covering her head just as the skylight
exploded. Even in the corner as she was, glass still rained down on her. But they
were small pieces. And she didn’t have any of the raiding team land on top of
her as they rappelled from the hovering helicopter.

“Freeze. Hands up. All the way. You so much as twitch and we
open fire.” That was Jack’s voice. She looked up only to see a man in riot gear
holding a weapon on her. He definitely wasn’t Jack. She slowly put her hands up
just in case the soldier didn’t recognize her. “Where’s Rowe?”

“I’m here.” But she didn’t take her eyes off the man holding
a weapon on her. “In the corner.”

“What the hell, Rowe?” He shoved his way through the crowd.
“Why aren’t you with the rest of the group? Our heat imaging showed they were
on the ground floor of the building.”

She held her hand out to him so he could help her up.
“Somebody had to get the guy with technokinesis to a workstation so he could
lower the shields so you could find us. Then secure the guards so you wouldn’t
be caught unaware in the middle of the crossfire. And distract the good doctor
here so he wouldn’t look up until it was too late.”

“You? You did all that?”

“What can I say? It was a life-defining moment.”

He shook his head. “Guess you found what you were looking
for, after all.”

She pulled him to him and gave him a kiss. “I did.”

“And you know what I just realized?”

“What?”

“Even when I come to your rescue, you end up saving me.”

“We make a good team that way.” The men were starting to
clear out of the room. They had Dr. Antihway and his guards in cuffs and were
taking the bad men out with them. “We should probably get out of here. They’re
going to want to debrief us.” She grabbed his arm as she rested her head on his
shoulder. “But at least this time I don’t need to be in the hospital.”

Two hours later Rowe was finally free. The Prime Minister
was happy, which made Seeth ecstatic and that made her feel at peace—as if
everything was finally as it should be. Now she wanted to find Jack and share
the currently popular jubilant state of being with him.

She didn’t have to look very long before she found him in
one of the conference rooms. “The captain says I’m going to get an award.” She
threw herself into his arms and gave him a long kiss.

“You deserve it.”

“Yes I do.” She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “And we
weren’t betrayed. Antihway had our systems hacked.” She’d never been happier
than when they’d had Mitchel’s hunch confirmed.

“That’s what I hear.”

“So? Are you ready to admit it?”

“What? That I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you?” He
kissed her, his arms wrapping around her back. “I think I always have been.
From the moment you marched into our office and refused to leave.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I love you too.” It was nice to be
able to say the words without worrying about his reaction. So nice that she
found she had to kiss him again. “But that’s not what I meant.”

He pulled back and looked at her quizzically. “What
did
you mean then?”

“It all worked out, didn’t it?” She pulled her shirt off
just to underscore her point.