Nighthawks (Children of Nostradamus Book 1) (26 page)

He shook his head. He couldn’t help but smile at her gusto. His sister was ready to take out some pent-up anger on anybody who crossed them. It wasn’t too long ago he had rescued her from a facility far too similar to this. When he had found her, she was full of rage, and now, from the gleam in her eye, he could tell she had become better at hiding her feelings than dealing with them.

He wasn’t going to get in her way today.

The charge built within his body, the imaginary battery he stored underneath his heart started to overflow with electricity. His powers were desperate to be unleashed and fought to escape his body. He had held off draining his powers. He knew he’d need every ounce of electricity he was capable of generating. He was sure it was his imagination, but he could almost feel his cells working in overdrive, attempting to meet his demands.

The heat radiated from Skits’s hands, the space around her arms dancing back and forth in a haze. She flexed her muscles and her powers surged through her body, intensifying until they distorted the air. She clenched her fists and the plasma ignited. The sleeves of her shirt vaporized, leaving burnt edges near her shoulders. The liquid fire dripped from the space around her hands, hitting the ground and burning through the metal grates.

She stepped back as her brother held up his fists. The neon pink hair on her head began to stand up. She took another step back as small arcs of electricity jumped between his fingers. He pushed his palms outward and the sparks turned into rampant chains of lightning, striking any exposed metal. The loud snaps in the air alerted the guards there was a problem.

A bolt of lightning crashed into the closest generator. The sound of tearing metal filled the massive room. The lightning continued to hammer away until it found its way inside the opening. The large machine sparked from his violation. Small explosions started to go off until the generator ruptured, forcing it to power down.

“We’ve got incoming,” Skits said. She began a circling motion with her hands. As she spun them around quickly, liquid fire hovered in the air, creating a large disc between her and the firing guards.

Dwayne grunted as his internal battery neared depletion. Two of the three generators were powering down. He had one last target. His body was on fire as he spread his hands wide, lightning casting out in wide arcs, landing on steel walkways filled with guards and slamming against the final generator.

The men skidded to a stop and backed away from bolts striking the walls near them. Skits ducked, letting him having a clear shot at the guards. His lightning slammed against the first few men, launching them over the railing. The remorse he felt for killing was replaced by a momentary victory against the Warden.

“Synthetics.” Skits pointed behind him.

Dwayne weakened the bolts shooting from his hands and focused on the walkway. A minor sting raced along his back, something he had learned to ignore in his hands. His shirt erupted as a chain of lightning left his shoulder blades and hit the first oncoming robot.

“New tricks, huh?” Skits said.

Her feet were moving, her boots thumping along the steel grates, launching her into a sprint. One of the synthetic humans fell to the ground under the weight of Dwayne’s lightning. She jumped up just as the bolt stopped. She pushed harder, the heat making her palms sweat. The blue light around her forearms turned white and the liquid fire began to shape into a blade from her fist.

She punched down, surprised at the resistance of the metal in the machine. She let the weight of her body push her forward. Inch by inch the metal gave way. She reached out, grabbed the mech’s neck, and focused on intensifying the power in her hands. Its head fell.

“I’m on fire,” she yelled.

Another synthetic clutched her neck, preparing to hurl her over the railing. She grit her teeth, forcing more heat into her hands. She grabbed onto its arms. The plasma pulsed from her body, melting the joints. As she pulled away, the shoulder of the synthetic opened and the small laser snapped upright. She jumped on the synthetic and grabbed the weapon case, the metal in her turning malleable and soft, solidifying on the shoulder of the machine.

The synthetic attempted to bat at her with its club-like arms. She laughed hysterically. She grabbed its head with both hands and pushed until there was nothing but a misshapen metal skull.

“We’re coming for you next, government peeps.”

She turned to Dwayne as he motioned for her to help him. He pointed over his shoulder at the several guards firing in his direction, pinning him inside the small alcove. She started to fire her powers to life until the lights suddenly went out. He could see his sister’s body lighting up the metal walkways. He could see the smile on her face as she shook her arms, letting her abilities turn off. The room went very dark.

“Time for payback,” she said, moving toward the gunfire.

***

The
cool tile under her body helped relax her muscles as Vanessa sat cross-legged on the floor of the bar. She rested her hands on her knees and began her breathing exercises. She recited a prayer as she breathed in and out, asking God to watch over her friends as they tried to save their kind.

“I pray you were right, Eleanor.”

She thought of the Warden and said a prayer for her upcoming encounter with him. She didn’t ask God to protect her from the malicious man. She instead asked her creator to let her walk away from the encounter confident in her convictions. She had spent so much time in silent prayer as a child, convinced God had abandoned her. She had come to believe she was alone, a child of a more nefarious deity. A calm washed over her body, and she was certain she was being watched by the same angels she had envied her entire life.

“Warden,” she said in an exhale, “today we test whose conviction is stronger.”

The light from the windows vanished and she entered into what she referred to as her war room—the dark space inside her head where she worked with the others so often, helping them learn to control their powers. Here, she was the master of her domain and capable of expressing her abilities to their fullest potential.

Staring back at her was a reflection of the angel. While she was beside herself with joy at Dav5d’s acceptance of her real self, a sense of doubt clung to her. The angel was an identity she forged many years ago, a sort of armor she created to protect herself. Emphasizing her chest, a breast plate was shaped tightly to her body, and sheathed at her hip was a fiery sword. She stretched her feathered wings out wide and her robe fell away, caught on an imaginary gust of wind.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” She watched as her body began to glow brighter. “I shall fear no evil.”

She turned away from her reflection, and off in the distance, a mirage of the research facility awaited her. Dark clouds hovered overhead, a pestilence and gloom radiating outward from the structure. She knew it was her mind explaining the presence of the Warden. She took her first step toward the large cube and the distance shrunk to nothing. The image of the bar became a distant memory as she reached to her hip and drew the sword. “I shall not fear his evil.”

Chapter

Twenty-Two

May 20th, 2032 7:12AM

Dwayne
pressed himself against the wall, just out of sight from the guards. The red dots stayed fixed; the soldiers showed their training by not letting the laser sights bob to and fro. They held their fire, waiting until he dared to jump out into the open. He didn’t have to see their glowing eyes to know they had ocular implants. This moment, they were seeing shades of green, using what little light existed inside the facility to illuminate the battlefield.

He tried to remember the layout of the room. There was a catwalk leading to the guards, and another in the other direction headed toward the maintenance room. He contemplated making a run for it but knew they would land at least one shot. He thought of trying to jump over the catwalk to the floor below, but could only imagine he’d break his legs and die a victim.

“Skits,” he said into his headpiece, “I’m pinned down.”

“I’ve got you, bro,” she said, huffing into the microphone.

A flash of light lit up the room. Then darkness. More light. Then darkness. Bullets fired off into the distance. He watched as the red dots on the wall began to shake and sway from side to side. There was another clap of light and then more darkness.

“You’re a genius,” he said.

She ran past him, flashing more light and then falling down to the walkway, hugging the metal grates. Dwayne spun from his hiding spot and held out his hands. He launched a barrage of lightning in short bursts at the guards. He could see two of them stumble and fall and the rest began backing up. “We need to get out of here.”

The glass shattered twenty feet above the guards. A shadow jumped from the second story and landed on the catwalk. The steel groaned as part of the walkway ripped away, bending toward the ground floor. “Reinforcements have arrived.” He could hear the excitement in his sister’s voice again.

***

Jasmine
leaned against the window overlooking the generators below. Bullets flew toward a flashing light further down the maze of scaffolding. As the room became visible, she counted almost a dozen guards below, shielding their eyes from the blinding flare. She couldn’t resist smiling at Skits’s genius. “Night vision doesn’t work in the light.”

A bolt of lightning felled two of the guards. The rest were using the edge of the massive generator for protection. She stepped up onto the computer and punched the glass, sending shards raining down on her soon-to-be victims.

She jumped through as a bolt of lightning lit up the room. She hit the catwalk and the metal gave under her feet, breaking the supports and nearly sending the walkway to the level below. She gripped the railing, stopping herself from falling to the wiring underneath. Jasmine pulled herself forward, stepping onto the platform level with the guards.

The guards were masked in darkness, but their eyes glowed a dark green. One held up his gun, pulling the trigger, and bullets caught her in the chest and neck. She didn’t flinch at the little biting glances. She moved forward, grabbing the first man within reach. She hurled him backward, knocking over his companions. Before he could gain his footing, she caught his hand and hurled him over the railing.

She didn’t try to assess the damage. She balled her fist and began swinging wildly in the dark, hoping her punches would connect with any of the humans. Her fists sunk into soft flesh. She grabbed onto whatever she could and threw him to the floor below. She paused as the emergency lights flooded the room, casting an eerie red glow on the survivors.

Three guards lowered their guns. Each of them straightened to the point where Jasmine could tell something was different. “You cannot kill us,” they said in unison.

“Fucking creepy,” Skits said as her hand flashed blue and plunged into the back of the two closest guards.

The last guard reached for his sidearm and pulled it up to fire. Jasmine stood there, waiting, uncaring if the shot connected with her body. He pulled the trigger and the gun flashed a bright red. The beam seared into Jasmine’s shoulder. She staggered backward, hissing at the sharp pain near her collarbone.

“What the hell?” She went to one knee on the ground, trying to push away the pain radiating through her shoulder.

Dwayne reached out, grappling for the gun. The guard pulled the trigger and the laser connected with Dwayne’s sternum. The heat of the beam seared his skin as the light dissipated before touching his body. He gasped in anticipation of the pain of a killing shot. His gasp turned to a loud groan as his back arched in pain.

Jasmine did a double take as Dwayne’s eyes lit up red. His muscles tensed and she swore she could see red lightning coursing through his body just beneath his skin. He flexed his hands, the sparks jumping around his skin not their typical white and yellow. She wondered if he was capable of siphoning more than just electricity.

Skits thrust her hand into the guard’s side, the fire burning through his body and turning his heart to mush. She pulled her hand back and shook off the flames. “The talking thing has gone from creepy to fucking annoying.”

One of the guards on the ground below called out, “Only my pawns.”

Jasmine looked to her comrades. “What does that mean?”

“Something worse?”

“We need to get to the Warden,” Jasmine said.

Conthan’s voice sounded over the earpieces. “We have trouble in the cell blocks.”

“Can you teleport?” Dwayne said, holding his ear.

“Not yet,” he said.

“Alyssa?”

“I’m good.” She gulped loud enough they could all hear. “I hate to admit it, but we need Class I support.”

Dwayne looked to Jasmine. “Do you know how to get there?”

She shrugged.

Their earpieces made a loud cracking sound and turned to static. They each flinched at the pop. Dwayne pointed to the far door. “We might as well keep moving. Sitting here isn’t helping anybody.”

“The Paladins will go to the holding cells first. They’ll make sure the prisoners are contained and then they’ll begin sweeping the rest of the facility.”

“Best get moving, then,” Skits said.

***

Conthan
grabbed the door to hold it shut. He leaned in with his body weight, wedging his foot by the base. “Who the fuck would open the doors?”

“Who do you think?”

“At least this wing is low security,” Alyssa said.

Conthan staggered backward as somebody hurled themselves against the door. It swung open and Conthan was staring at a woman with short-cropped hair. He waited for her to burst into flames or shoot lasers from her eyes.

Alyssa pushed him aside and punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground. “They’re Class III’s. Their powers are going to be almost all passive. We can rumble our way out of here.”

Conthan pointed to Sarah, her legs and arms bound behind her back. The girl was struggling against the makeshift rope around her rocky limbs. “What about her?”

“We’ll come back for her. I can’t do my thing in this small room.”

Alyssa bolted from the holding cell. Outside, a circular room’s walls were covered in doors similar to the one she had just exited. The red safety lights made it difficult to see, but she was sure all of the doors were opened. She backed up to Sarah’s cell, as more Children began to emerge from their cells.

“When you can teleport,” she said, “get us out of here.”

He was impressed with how fast she ducked a blow from a man. She proceeded to sidestep and grab a body. She rolled backward, taking him with her. She landed on top of him and pinched his shoulders, rendering him paralyzed. “A fight where I can’t hurt people.” She groaned as an elderly woman grabbed onto her vest. “Not fair.”

Conthan wrapped his arms around the middle-aged woman clinging to Alyssa and tossed her backward onto the floor. She hit the wall and slumped down, not unconscious, but not in any shape to continue her assault. “Do we fight?”

“If it’s us or them,” she said, pressing her back against his, “you better choose us.”

Alyssa spun her head as a fist connected with her jaw. She rolled with the punch, reached out to block the upcoming hit, and only found empty air. She resumed her position behind Conthan and found there was nobody else standing in the room with them. “What the hell?”

She grunted as a foot pounded into her stomach. She grabbed at the air and found the invisible appendage. Spinning it, she watched a man appear out of thin air. She gave him a swift kick to the gut, ensuring he would stay on the ground.

Conthan tumbled to the ground as a larger than normal woman struck him. He grunted as he rolled to a stop. “Help.”

“Have you never fought?”

He coughed back in response.

She stepped on Conthan’s back and jumped, bringing both fists down on the woman’s head. The woman staggered, shaking off the blow. Alyssa stepped back out of reach of her elongated arms. She started to charge at the massive woman but a man grabbed onto her shoulder. She used the momentum to turn around, grab the man who seized her and launch them at the large woman.

“Conthan, if you don’t help, I’m going to kick you next.”

Conthan sucked in air, gasping loudly. He rolled over just in time to see the large woman hurl a body against the wall. She drew back her leg to kick Conthan. He scurried out of the way as quickly as he could, barely escaping the massive club-like limb. Her foot rose again, ready to slam down on his head.

There was no tingle. There was no controlling it. He reacted. The woman’s foot vanished into a circle of black. It emerged above her head. As she tried to crush him, her foot drove downward onto her own head. She toppled to the ground. He clenched his fist, a symbol of closing the voids, and he watched as the dark circles vanished.

“Good,” spat Alyssa. “Keep making yourself useful.”

“We have to get them out of here,” Conthan said, gesturing to the bodies littering the ground.

“Let me ask nicely if they’ll stop attacking us and march in a single file line.”

The remaining Children in the room froze. They turned toward Conthan and Alyssa. “We are many.”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Alyssa yelled back at the voices.

“You cannot…”

“Kick your ass?” she continued to yell.

“Alyssa…” Conthan pointed to a man standing perfectly still. “What do you think is happening?”

“Who the hell knows anymore? Telepath shit gets weird.”

The Children were all wearing white pants and white shirts. The room had a sense of sterilization to it. They stood motionless, as if they fell asleep standing. Alyssa grabbed Conthan and helped him to his feet.

“It’s Vanessa,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“Do you know of another telepath that can fuck with people’s heads?”

He ran back into Sarah’s cell. She was catatonic, unblinking as she stared off into space. He got down on his knees and shook her shoulder. “Sarah, are you in there?”

He leaned in closer to her face, trying to see her eyes in the dim red light. His hand rested on the only spot on her body with exposed skin. “Wake up, Sarah. It’s me, we’re here to rescue you.”

“Conthan…”

“Alyssa,” he yelled. “It’s her.”

“We’ve got bigger problems.”

Conthan turned to see a bright light coming from the other side of the large room. Alyssa slid into the cell and grabbed the door, throwing it shut with a loud bang. Conthan watched as fire flooded the area and the temperature began to rise. The clothing of the standing Children caught fire, but none made a motion to stop from being engulfed.

“It’s a pyro,” Alyssa said with a look of horror.

***

His
eyes were fixed on something she could not see. His large frame was partially hidden by an even larger desk. For a moment, she almost wondered if he was dead, his body unmoving as if he wasn’t inhaling. She could only imagine controlling so many people required more concentration than he let on.

The distance between them vanished and she was standing on the other side of the desk. He paid her no attention. This was not her first time waging war on another person’s psyche. Each instance before, the person had been hysterical, almost mad in their approach. He almost seemed serene. She had never met somebody so calm when she entered their mind.

In the office, standing near the only door, were two guards. She had no desire to infiltrate the minds of humans, but something about the two guards appeared missing. She reached out with her fingers, her thoughts gently grazing theirs. She pulled back her fingers, clutching them as if she had been shocked. Where she expected a collection of the human experience, she found the two guards were vacant, thoughtless husks.