Part 22 (1/2)

Patrick's hand shot out to grab mine. ”You take care of yourself. If it means everyone else getting recaptured, don't come back for me.”

I bit my lip, hoping there wasn't enough light from the screen for him to see the tears in my eyes. ”Okay,” I said, because that's what he wanted to hear. No matter what, I was coming back. ”Are the cameras offline?”

Patrick nodded. ”And all their listening devices as well.” He hesitated a heartbeat before saying, ”Wait. I need to ask . . . before they took me, I had just started dating a girl. She was something really special. I thought we might . . . tell me, does that guy who stole my life . . . do you know if he's dating anyone?”

I thought back to the information Stella had collected, unable to remember. Mari beat me to an answer. ”Nope, no girlfriend. Not a surprise when we know his end goal. But apparently it's got a lot of conservatives worried.”

”Good.” Patrick breathed a sigh. ”Smart girl. I hoped she would dump him.”

By the emotion peeling from him, I suspected if we ever got out of here Patrick was going to find that girl and explain everything. Since I'd tried to do the same thing with those I loved, I didn't blame him.

”Come on, Mari,” I said.

We s.h.i.+fted together, appearing a breath later in a dark room.

”Who's there?” a voice rang out.

I recognized Willis Tyrone's voice, the prisoners' self-appointed leader. Too late I thought about bringing a flashlight. ”Erin, Ava's descendant. It's time to get out of here. The cameras and sound have been taken care of, but we still have a few problems.”

Light flared from behind the bars as Dragon brought fire to life on his palm. I'd forgotten about him. I'd have to remind him not to burn up the place until we were certain to get out.

”Tell us,” Willis urged.

I outlined the situation. ”It's not how we planned to come in,” I added, ”but it's now or never. First we need to get you out of this room, and then we need to kill their generator. That's the only way we can coordinate with our people outside. Plus we have a blaster. If you can hold off the guards until I reach him, he may be able help us take them all out, at least those inside. After that, I can't guarantee we'll get out of the building, but it's a start. We won't try if you don't want to.”

”Like h.e.l.l!” This from Guenter Simon. ”We've been ready since the day you came here wearing her skin.”

”She's here.” It was only fair to warn them.

”Good.” Guenter again, his voice full of the anger and frustration he felt at not being able to protect Mandalyn and their unborn baby.

”If we take over the inside,” Willis said, ”that will give us an advantage since we'll have them surrounded. They'll be wedged in between us and our Renegades.”

That was one way to look at it. I wasn't as optimistic. If Mari had counted thirty soldiers, there were probably double that number out there. Even though three of the prisoners had the combat ability and the other two had also been trained, we were poorly armed and far outmanned. Still, we had determination on our side, and that had to count for something.

”So how do we open the bars?” I asked.

”The guard outside will have the keys. By the time you get back, we'll be ready.” They were already doing something at the back of the cell. Gathering the hidden weapons we'd left for them in the planter near the lab, I a.s.sumed.

”I'll start a little distraction,” came a female voice. Francis, the summoner. As she spoke, the skitter of tiny feet sounded over the floors. ”The guard hates my little friends. They make him nervous.”

I reached for Mari, signaling her to get ready to s.h.i.+ft. I was tempted to go alone and take care of the guard myself, but while I'd rather have Ritter as backup, two of us were better than one.

Where exactly was Ritter? The question picked at my mind. Probably doing something dangerous. Oliver had better not get him or my brother killed.

Pus.h.i.+ng back the thought, I sent my mind to the guard outside the door, and called up my machete to break down his s.h.i.+eld. It took longer than expected; despite absorbing as much as possible, all the s.h.i.+fting and mind games were taking their toll on my energy level. He was watching c.o.c.kroaches, mice, and ants gathering in the hall, moving back as they approached his position. Perfect.

Now, I told Mari, sending her a view of the exact location. She'd been in the hall and so could s.h.i.+ft there on her own, but I wanted her behind the guard.

He jerked as the soft pop! alerted him to our presence. He was not one of the men I'd seen before, but the sword strapped to his back signaled his expertise. I pointed a gun at him. ”The keys, please.” Without hesitation, he went for his own gun, but I crashed my foot into his stomach. As he bent over in pain, I pushed deeper into his mind. ”Where is the generator?”

He didn't want to tell me, but the sand stream of his thoughts betrayed him, bringing the information to the forefront. The generator was in a little room off the lobby. I jabbed my fist into his face and he fell unconscious.

”Ritter always says we should shoot them,” Mari reminded me, removing keys from his pocket, ”or he'll just get back up in a few minutes.”

As I fired three shots to stop his heart, two more Unbounded skidded around the corner, and I could feel other life forces coming toward us from elsewhere in the building, more than had been inside earlier. Delia and Edgel must have called for backup from the outside army.

”Go!” I told Mari. ”Free the prisoners.”

We both s.h.i.+fted as the guards fired. I appeared behind them, shooting one but losing my gun as the second antic.i.p.ated me and kicked it out of my hand. I kicked back, my uniform skirt ripping up the side, and he curled momentarily in pain. But he was combat Unbounded, and if I didn't start channeling his ability, I'd be in trouble. First I had to get through his s.h.i.+eld. It should have been relatively easy with my increasing ability, but a mental heaviness weighed me down. Too much effort too fast. I was drained. Could it have anything to do with the miniature snake Delia had placed in my mind?

A tramp of feet filled the hall and more men appeared behind me, Edgel at their front. Reaching for Mari's mind, I dove for my .380, grabbed the fallen guard's rifle, and s.h.i.+fted again to the far end of the hall away from my opponent as the prisoners spilled from the room. ”They're coming!” I shouted, letting loose a volley of shots. ”Take cover!” More shots erupted around us as everyone sprinted for the next intersection in the hall. Willis, who'd stopped to scoop up the first fallen guard's a.s.sault rifle, almost didn't make it in time.

Dragon brought his fire to life. ”No!” Willis slapped at his arm. ”Later.”

”They need more weapons,” I told Mari. She nodded and disappeared. I followed her mentally, still connected to her mind. She appeared behind the last guard in the opposing group, her knife slipping into his ribs.

I scarcely had time to register my surprise at her bravery before she was back again, handing over another rifle to Guenter. ”You go find the generator,” she said to me. ”We'll hold them here.”

I'd have to channel her ability again to get past the Emporium soldiers and then go the rest of the way on foot since I couldn't s.h.i.+ft past the machine created s.h.i.+eld. If the soldiers had any idea how important the generator was to us, they'd make their stand in the lobby instead of here in the hallway. At least Delia hadn't guessed that yet, and I'd been using most of my failing strength to keep a tight lock on my mind and on Mari's to make sure she didn't discover our plan.

”Delia's still around somewhere, so put up your s.h.i.+eld after I go,” I reminded Mari.

”Okay. Just get to the generator.”

I s.h.i.+fted.

I APPEARED OUTSIDE THE DOOR to the lobby, quickly scanning the area to make sure I was alone. So far, so good. I edged to the door and appeared inside. One guard sat at the wide front desk, typing furiously on a keyboard. Another stood at attention by the outer door. Apparently all the Emporium soldiers Mari and the others were fighting in the hallway had indeed come from the outside. Were even more slipping though Renegade lines? How long would it be before the local mortal authorities were notified of the disturbance?

Even if notified, I suspected they would look the other way for as long as the Emporium plants inside the organization requested. If only we could go above the regular chain of command and find someone on our side who could help. We were fighting for humanity, and I couldn't help but feel a little resentful that there were so few mortals who were a part of the battle.

I checked the silencer on my .380, glad Ritter had required them for the hotel, even for the backup weapons. I preferred my nine mil Sig, but with the hollow points, this pistol would do the job well enough. I only had two bullets left after fighting the guards in the hall, and I'd have to use those on the man near the door. I needed him out quick before he could signal others outside. The man by the computer would have to check out the sharp end of my ballistic knife.

I hoped I didn't miss.

I'm here, I told Mari, pus.h.i.+ng far too easily inside her s.h.i.+eld. The weakness of her barrier told me she was distracted. Get ready for darkness.

I'll tell the others. Dragon is ready with his fire and can give us some light if needed. But I don't know how long we can hold out. Hurry!

I will. I felt bad that I was in relative safety while they drew the fire, but we had to turn off the generator.

I stepped into the doorway, my connection with Mari immediately severing. Two shots and the man by the door went down. The guy at the computer stood as I ejected the ballistic knife. The blade embedded in his chest with a thunk! He gasped as I hurtled toward him. Grabbing his rifle, I slammed the barrel into him, knocking him to the ground.

Now for the generator. I hurried toward the door I'd seen in the other guard's mind, pus.h.i.+ng my thoughts ahead of me. No one there. The door was locked, but a quick jab of the rifle b.u.t.t made the entire latch a.s.sembly break through the door frame.

Inside, the noise of the generator was deafening. The machine stood at the far side of the small room, taller than I was and more than double my height in width. No off b.u.t.ton was in sight, or cables connecting it to the building's electrical wiring, but there were a dozen dials and switches under a transparent cover that was locked. Upon closer examination, I decided searching for a key was useless since I'd need a degree in electrical engineering to figure out how to turn the stupid thing off. Too bad I couldn't absorb all the energy without Brody's help. But even with him, I'd only be able to take in the power as it was generated. Any faster and the machine might stall, and as long as there was fuel in the tank outside the building, someone could restart it. While I'd seen the location of the tank in the guard's mind, cutting the fuel lines, if I could find them, would be a comparatively minor repair. Better to disable the machine permanently.

Standing as far back as I could in the doorway, I showered the machine with bullets, using everything left in the extended magazine. The generator abruptly cut out. The dials were busted and the outside riddled with holes, but they didn't appear deep. I had to do more. I had to make sure it stayed off.

I threw down the weapons and pushed out my thoughts, the sudden effort making me dizzy. I needed energy-and fast. Brody where are you? Did I have enough strength to find him? I'd have to. I was at the front of the building and he shouldn't be out of my reach if the Renegades were near one of our usual observation posts.