EVO Shift: EVO Nation Series: Book Two (18 page)

“The link is one thing, but accessing Adam’s electrokinesis is another.”

“Why is it so hard to believe? You’re already linked into his mind; why can’t you link into his ability?”

I open my palm and will a spark to appear. “See? I can link on command. I should be able to produce electricity on command.”

Cooper huffs his annoyance. “Leave her be. Just because Lovick pulled some freaky shit as a kid, it doesn’t mean Teddie had anything to do with what just happened. Get in the truck, Teds.”

“I’m just saying to be aware, Teddie.”

I trust Leoni and if she is worried, I should be too. I try to rationalise her concerns as coincidental, but if there is one thing I have learnt throughout this living hell it’s that coincidence rarely happens where I am concerned. I nod to Leonie and climb in the truck after Cooper.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The landscape starts to look familiar, so I know we’re close. Crow and Coco wait for us outside of the mini bus. We pull up alongside them, and I can see the restless occupants of the bus. They must be desperate to stretch their legs or relieve themselves.

Crow gathers us for a quick meet. “The plan is to leave the bus and our guests hidden in that field. We’ll approach on foot. Once we make it to the headquarters they’ll be Grayson’s responsibility.”

We start to arm up, and I feel like a fraud with a gun. I have shot people, but the fact the bullets hit them is nothing short of a miracle.

Brick sees me eyeing the gun. “I’ll teach you how to shoot if you want, Little Cub? For now, though, just aim and pray.”

Crow barks orders at the bus occupants, and then locks them in. We set off down the lane at a jog. Brick and I bring up the rear.

The warehouse roof is visible now, and my hands shake on the gun. Please let Adam and Yana be there. I’m so nervous I feel sick.

There’s a light in the very far window. My heart kicks at my chest with extreme ferocity. I hold my gun poised, creeping behind Brick and Cooper. Crow motions to the sky, and of course, there is a damn drone. Give us a break.

“Slowly, guys,” whispers Crow in our comms.

A door opens and a shadow stretches out of the warehouse. Crow holds up his hand, and we stop against the hedgerow. The figure looks up to the sky and watches the drone, and then leans back in the door as if speaking to someone.

“There’s more than one person,” says Pug. He steps closer, his foot snapping a stray twig.

Every head turns to him and back to the figure. We’ve been seen. The figure steps out of the doorway, striding toward us with their hands up in the air in surrender. My eyes can’t adjust to the light shrouding them. I’m unable to make out their height, build, or gait. Then, they rub a hand over their scalp to the back of their neck. I know that gesture.

“Are you guys Shift?” he shouts. “I’m unarmed and there’s a drone, so there’s no chance of me using my ability.”

Adam.

I break into a run, barging Crow aside as I race to him.  He stops briefly, unsure of what’s happening. I rip the mask from my head, allowing my hair to fall in a mess around my cheeks. I launch the gun away and the clatter echoes throughout the empty warehouse.

He sprints forward, eyes only on me. I launch myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He catches me effortlessly, his hands so firm against my thighs and back that my skin smarts from his grip. I don’t care. I kiss him- hard, passionate, and brilliant.

“Let me see you,” he says, wiping my hair back from my face. He sighs as he strokes a thumb over my dressing, and then kisses me again. His face is black and blue, and Steri-strip dressings dot his cheeks, eye brow, and jaw.

A little figure limps out of the door. “Teddie,” Yana cries. She grabs the both of us, nearly pulling us to the ground.

I hold her tightly to my chest. “Oh God. What did they do to you both?” I ask.

Yana waves it away. “Couldn’t break us, could they Adam?”

He kisses the top of her little forehead. “She has been amazing, Teds.”

I hug Yana, tears falling into her hair. “I’ve always thought she was.”

The three of us are in our own little bubble. I don’t want to release them. I want to keep them right here with me forever.

“What happened to you?” Yana sobs. “Adam said about the fight house.”

Now is not the time for discussing that festering hell hole. “These guys rescued us. This is Shift” I say. “Guys this is Adam and Yana.”

“Yana?” asks Crow. He pulls off his mask, the shock at seeing her written all over his face.

“Ian,” she squeals, throwing her arms around Crow.

Ian? Yana’s mentioned an Ian before; my brain fires, trying to recall the memory. At Facility One she mentioned a Pyrokin who escaped Roscoe before he could get his claws into him, her friend who she thought had taken Roscoe up on his offer of EVO training. The man she blindly followed, only to find out she was wrong.

“I had no idea,” he gasps, holding her to him in pure relief.

The other’s stand around in bemusement- guns stills poised- masks still on. Leoni steps out from behind Cooper, taking off her own mask. I step aside, so Adam can see her. He instinctively takes a step toward her.

“You’re so handsome,” she says, choking on her tears.

Adam’s chest heaves and his hands shake, but he rushes her, scooping her up in a bear hug.

“I thought you’d hate me,” she sobs.

“You’re my Mum,” he replies. The tell-tale crack of tears in his voice cuts through me. I’m glad he’s let her in. What am I thinking? Of course he would. Adam’s an open book and that’s one of the many reasons why I love him.

Leoni holds his cheeks in her hands, taking in every inch of his manly face. “I’m so sorry, Sweetheart…for everything.”

He doesn’t reply. I can feel his energy coursing through me- euphoria, hurt, relief. He’s got a lot to work through. I place a hand on his back, so he knows I’m here for him.

Footsteps grind on the gravel from behind us. All guns spin in the direction of the noise. Jude approaches. He’s unshaven and his hair is lank and hanging about his face. He pats Cooper on the back, but continues over to me. The closer he gets the clearer the dark circles around his eyes and the stress lines etched into his forehead.

“I’m sorry, Princess” he says, his voice breaking. I hold him in the tightest embrace I’ve ever experienced from Jude. Silent sobs rack his body and he buries his face into my hair. “I lied to you,” he whispers. “I knew the centre had been evacuated. That’s why I thought it was safe for you to check it out. Then, we lost contact...You’re all I’ve got, my little Telekin. You have no idea how much that scares the shit out of me.”

The others start removing their masks, introducing themselves with their nicknames only.

“Where is everyone?” Kesh asks.

Realising our emotional reunion is being watched, Jude straightens himself out. “Grayson moved base as soon as you guys went AWOL. I’ve been camped out here since. I guessed that if you came back you’d come here.”

“So, where is this Grayson now? We need to talk?” asks Crow.

Jude shrugs. “I’m not part of Syndicate any longer. I broke the man’s nose.”

“Well, we need to contact him. There’s a mini bus full of EVO up the lane all looking for sanctuary,” I say. “Wait... why did you break his nose?”

“Because he persuaded me to lie to you, and promised you’d be fine. Then, the son of a bitch wouldn’t give me the fight house locations.”

“I want to talk with Grayson right now,” Crow snaps.

Jude looks him up and down. “Ian, right? You look just like your father. How is the miserable, old git?”

“Dead.”

“Who isn’t these days, right?” says Jude. Crow just glowers. “Okay, so you’ve got no sense of humour like your father too.  I’ll get the word to Grayson.”

***

I sit on the table in the side room, swinging my legs and half listening through the closed door to Crow explaining how Shift can help Syndicate. Grayson talks loudly- animatedly. Shift are offering to do the dirty work if Syndicate, aka Grayson, offers up his intel. 

Ingrid pings some latex gloves on her hands. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Shift are murderers. Grayson told me that they killed over twenty Non-EVO just to rescue you. You’ve heard about the E.N.C attacks, I presume? How do we know Shift are any different?” She lies me down, injecting anaesthetic into the skin around the wound. “I’ll make it as tidy as possible and over time the redness will fade, but you’ll always have a scar.”

I don’t reply. I’m still trying to listen to the muffled conversations outside.

“Cooper did well to cauterise his fingers, and it’s his left hand, so it shouldn’t affect him much.”

I nod and go back to eavesdropping on the discussion outside. She’s forcing conversation on me, and I have to bite my lip to stop myself telling her to shut up and let me listen. I don’t feel pain as she stitches, just a tugging sensation. I stare at the yellow stained ceiling tiles. The shabby office chairs and the table stacked with about twenty ashtrays says that this was probably a smoking room moons ago. Now, it’s a make shift surgery.

“I have a sterile, clean surgery on base, but that Crow guy insisted that Shift be kept separate from Syndicate. You’re not allowed to step foot on base. It’s probably for the best. Those masks are enough to terrify the life out of anyone. No, I don’t like this at all.”

“Please be quiet,” I snap. “Ingrid, I like you, but you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Those Non-EVO they killed to rescue me and all the other prisoners in that slaughter house were Taggers. Do you know what those people were doing to the EVO in the fight houses?” Ingrid hesitates for a moment, catching words before she says them. “Can we just fix my eye and agree to disagree.”

She leans back against a table, the bird design on her cardigan reflecting the light. “I’m scared. I hate trying to guess people’s motives. I hate having to look over my shoulder. I hate the things I have seen; the things that one human being can do to another. I don’t sleep more than a few hours at a time because I can’t un-see them.” I take her gloved hand as tears spill over her cheeks. “I hate feeling weak.”

“You’re not weak, you are kind. That is your gift, Ingrid.”

I hear a creak from the wall behind us. The old warehouse is draughty and infested. I hate to think what is living in the walls. There’s the creak again.  Ingrid looks up this time. We both eye what I first thought was a cupboard door. The door knob twists slowly and Ingrid steps away.  I spring to my feet, shove Ingrid down behind the table, and push myself up against the wall behind the door.

I could shout out, draw the attention of everyone just feet away in the other room, but then I’d lose the element of surprise with whoever is stood the other side of that door. I need to know who it is.

I push my finger to my lips, and Ingrid nods from her hiding spot. The door slowly opens, and a foot steps out; a foot in an ugly, beige court shoe. I launch myself from the wall, grab the mystery person from behind, and place my blade against their neck.

Lizzie gasps, staggering into me until I have her in a choke hold, the knife still pressed into her jugular. “Why are you creeping about, Roscoe?”

A hand closes over my mouth and breath warms my ear. “Shush, Teds. It’s me.” Wheeler’s shaggy, black hair falls across my cheek. “Keep quiet, okay?”

I release Lizzie and spin into Wheeler’s arms, hugging him tightly. He picks me off my feet, squeezing the air out of me.

“How?”

He puts his hand back across my mouth and shakes his head. Ingrid pops up from behind the table and Lizzie gestures for her to come with us.  Wheeler pushes me through the door, closing it behind us without making a sound.

We half walk half run through room after room until we’re in the main, open plan floor of the warehouse. The door at the very back is ajar, torchlight flitting in through the crack.

Wheeler continues to glance at my eye. “Are you okay, baby girl?”

“I am now I’ve seen your beautiful face. What about the others?” He pushes the door open and Emiko, October, and Seth waits outside with nervous anticipation.

I throw myself at Emi, and she jumps up and down, bouncing me along with her. Seth and October join in- the four of us dancing around like lunatics.

“How did you get out of the detention centre?” I gasp, going in for another hug.

“Lizzie got us out,” states Wheeler, his face deadly serious.

“I was at the centre when Towley’s evacuation order came through. He’s been on edge. Something must have spooked him. I took advantage to release your friends, but I couldn’t get to Adam and Yana in the isolation cells. I was being monitored.”

“We barely made it out alive,” says Emiko. “TORO are terrifying, but they helped us.”

“I ordered them,” says Lizzie.

I understand the logistics of TORO and they would have only listened to a person who they believe to have authority. They would have obeyed Lizzie’s commands without second guessing her.

“Okay, but why are you sneaking around?” Ingrid asks.

Lizzie hands her a piece of paper, she reads it, and then drops it as if it’s burning hot to the touch. I snatch it up, unsure of what I’m looking at. There’s a list of names written in untidy scrawl. It’s only when I get to the bottom that I notice Leoni’s name.

“It’s a list of the Shift members dated fourteen years ago. This is how the government knew who was in the organisation.” Lizzie turns it over and points to a name written in capitals and underlined several times- Rafe Lloyd. Then she points to the scrawl at the bottom- ‘Signed by Grayson James’.

My mouth goes dry and I feel physically sick. “Does Adam know?”

“Adam’s here?” Wheeler asks, gawping. All of them become more alert, more animated. “Is he okay?”

I can’t help but smile to be the bringer of good news. “Yes. Adam and Yana.”

Wheeler turns his head to the skies and thanks the heavens, and Emiko squeals her excitement.