Into The Fire (The Ending Series) (34 page)

He sounded so despondent that I felt compelled to ease at
least this part of his unrest. I decided to tell him some stories.
My
stories. I started off by telling him about my journey from Seattle to Bodega
Bay, about the time I spent alone with only Wings and Jack, and finally about
the long trek to Colorado. I described my friends to him and shared what it was
like to be a modern-day nomad. I told him what my average day was like,
starting from waking up in a tent and sitting around a morning campfire, and
continuing on through riding and searching for a good place to set up camp.
Eventually, Mase stretched out on the carpet and his breathing slowed to a
deep, steady rhythm. He was asleep.

I craned my neck to glance out the window on the other side
of the bed. It was still fully dark; the sun wouldn’t be rising for hours. Making
as little noise as possible, I rose and gathered one of the pillows, the
comforter, and a blanket off the bed. Mase was a huge, heavy block of solid
muscle, but I somehow managed to ease the pillow under his head and cover him
with the comforter, tucking it just under his chin. He let out a faint sigh as
I pulled away. Wrapping the remaining blanket around myself, I huddled on the
floor, leaning against the wall and watching over him.
I wonder if anyone has
noticed he’s missing yet.

Asleep, he looked so innocent, like someone who needed to be
protected, which was ridiculous because he’d saved my skin several times
already. But there was just…something. Maybe it was my knowledge of what he
was, or maybe it was my sympathy for what he’d been through, but I felt an
almost maternal need to keep him safe.

With a deep sigh, I leaned my head back against the wall and
closed my eyes. I was exhausted, but sleep proved too slippery for me to hold
on to at the moment. Exasperated, I reached out with my mind, searching my
friends’ camp for Jason. I wasn’t surprised to find him awake.

“Hey,”
I said, putting as much tenderness as I could
into the single word.
“Can’t sleep?”

I had the impression that Jason was smiling.
“No, but
neither can you.”

“True…a lot’s happened. Want to hear something crazy
about my Ability?”

“Always.”

Biting my bottom lip, I considered the best way to explain
what I’d experienced for a few seconds in General Herodson’s office.
“I had
some lookouts tonight—some owls. When I first connected with them, I sort of
became
them for a few seconds. I don’t know if it was an accident or what, or if I can
even do it on purpose, but it looks like I can slip into some minds
completely…experience what they’re experiencing…know every thought they’re
having at that moment.”

“Can you do it with me? I have a few thoughts I’d like to
share with you…”

My cheeks heated, and I stifled a giggle.
“I don’t know.
It only happened that once with the owls. People might be totally different,
although…I wonder if that’s what happened before, when I contacted you the
first time.”
I was
really
tempted to test that theory.
“But,
before we get too distracted, I should probably share everything I discovered
tonight.”

“Nobody caught you? You’re still safe, right?”
he
asked, his tone transforming effortlessly from seductive to protective.

“I’m fine. I took pictures with a camera I, uh…found.
Want me to go through them with you?”

“Yes,
” he said intently.
“Tell me everything.”

I did.

Hours passed, and the sun was just making its first attempts
at climbing over the horizon when we said our farewells. Tempted as we were to
have some long-distance hanky-panky, Jason had information to relay and
breakout plans to finalize. I agreed to check in at noon to coordinate the final
plan between the insiders—Gabe, Mase, Camille, Gabe’s mysterious “like my
sister” friend, and potentially Dr. Wesley—and my friends outside the Colony.

But noon was hours away, Mase was still fast asleep, and I
had nothing to do. I figured there was no better time to try out the new facet
of my Ability. Closing my eyes, I rested the back of my head against the wall
and sought out a companion. I found her circling above my friends’ camp, a
falcon who identified herself as
Ray of Sun that Melts the Winter Snow.
Slipping
into her mind was almost effortless. Ray was more than happy to share her
morning hunt with me.

On her powerful wings, we soared.

26

DANI

MARCH
22, 1AE

The first rays of the sun warmed my outstretched wings as
I circled above the female two-legs. She was walking like she was stalking
prey, but I could see no prey. Though I found the sight boring, she-who-flies-with-me
wanted to watch her. She-who-flies-with-me intrigued me, the way she could meld
with me, flying with me, not just beside me. As I showed her what we could do
together, she exalted in the joys of flight like a youngling, hooting and
squealing with pleasure. She claimed to be a two-legs like the one below, but I
was sure she was a wind-rider like me.

I swooped lower, calling out to the female two-legs.

“Dani?”

Screeching, I pulled up from a dive, the movement more
clumsy than I’d intended.

“Dani?”

I shook my head and felt she-who-flies-with-me start to
pull away from me. How could she want to leave the crisp morning air…the feel
of it streaming between my feathers?

“Dani?”

She separated further and thanked me.

“Dani!”

I opened my eyes and took a startled, shuttering breath.
Mase’s concerned face was inches from mine, but he moved away as soon as he
realized I was awake. Not that I’d really been asleep, but he didn’t know that.

“Holy crap, Mase! There are such things as personal
boundaries, you know.”

He moved further away to sit on the edge of the bed and
stared at his feet, shame drawing down his eyebrows.

“Hey,” I said softly as I stood, stretched with a groan, and
sat beside him. “Sorry. You just startled me. It’s cool…no big deal. I’m not
mad.”

Sheepishly, he met my eyes. “You wouldn’t wake up. I thought
something was wrong. You…”

It was my turn to be embarrassed, and heat flushed my
cheeks. “I was, uh, flying with a falcon,” I told him. “I couldn’t sleep, so…”

“It’s first thing in the morning,” he prompted.

I nodded, not quite grasping his point.

“You said we could visit Dr. Wesley first thing in the
morning.”

“Oh, right. I was thinking about that last night. I don’t
think you should leave this house until it’s game time.” Mase looked confused,
so I clarified, “Until it’s time to leave the Colony tonight. I mean, won’t the
other Re-gens have noticed you were gone all night? What if they tell someone? But
if you stay here, you should be safe. The only people who’ve seen us together
have either had their short-term memories wiped or are people we can trust, so
there’s no reason for anyone else to search for you here.”

Mase didn’t look entirely convinced. “But…Dr. Wesley…”

“
I
can talk to her without looking too suspicious. I
promise I’ll tell you every single thing she says,” I told him, pleading with
both my eyes and my voice.

Reluctantly, he nodded.

“Great! Why don’t you wash up? I’ll head downstairs to make
us some breakfast.” I didn’t tell him that me making breakfast only went so far
as opening a box of granola bars and, if he was lucky, making some tea. “Take
your time in the shower. It might be the last one you get for a long, long
time.”

He nodded again.

By the time I made it downstairs, had the teapot on the
stove, and was rummaging through the pantry for anything even remotely
resembling breakfast, I could hear the shower running upstairs.

The doorbell rang.
It’s probably just Gabe
,
I
told myself, ignoring the flutter of nerves trying to convince me otherwise.
Luckily, the peephole confirmed that it
was
just Gabe at my front door.

“What’s up?” I asked as I let him in.

Instead of responding, he glanced up the stairs and said,
“About to hop in the shower?”
I could almost see his mental struggle to hide a leer.

“Uh…”

His eyes narrowed. “Is someone here?”

“Uh…”

He raised a single eyebrow, telling me my idiotic responses
weren’t cutting it.

“It’s Mase,” I told him. “He stayed over last night.”

His second eyebrow joined the first.

“Not like that!” I hissed quickly. I reached for his arm and
dragged him into the kitchen. “He and Camille had a little tiff after spying
last night—which was crazy productive, by the way. Did you know that nobody’s
been able to carry a child to term since the Virus?” I didn’t give him a chance
to answer. “Anyway, I passed on all of the pertinent info to Jason, and he’s
powwowing with the others right now. We came up with a pretty solid plan, but I
still have to contact him in a few hours to hash out the final details. Want me
to do that in your office so you can be in on the discussion?”

When Gabe nodded, I asked, “Did you find out anything else I
need to pass along before then?”

Gabe frowned and shook his head.

“Did you find out
anything?
” I asked skeptically.

The look he gave me told me it was a stupid question. “Yes,
but nothing essential for the moment. Right now we just need to focus on
tonight. What did you and Jason come up with?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, raising my pointer finger
to my lips as I recalled the specifics of the rough plan Jason and I had come
up with in the wee hours of the morning. “Let’s see…Jason thought it would be
wisest if we disguised ourselves as a patrol team, like Mase, Camille, and me did
last night. That way we’ll look as inconspicuous as possible. He also thought
that golf course just outside the fence at the southern border will be the best
extraction point. There’s a window of about three minutes every half hour when
there’s a lapse in the guard rotation there, so we’ll have to time our escape
around that.” I glanced up at the ceiling, thinking. “Hmmm…did you know the
fence bordering this place is electric?”

Again, Gabe shook his head. “It didn’t used to be.”

“Well, it is now, and it’s charged with enough juice to fry
even a Re-gen’s brain. Anyway, Camille can cut a big enough hole through it
with her Ability that we won’t have to worry about it.”

Gabe was still frowning, but the expression appeared contemplative
rather than disapproving. “Are they planning any kind of distraction? Anything
would be a big help.”

“That’s one of the things he’s discussing with the others
right now. But they’re all super-tactical military-trained people, except for
Zo and Jake, so I’m sure they’ll come up with something good.” I meant what I
said; if anyone could come up with a distraction devastating enough to Colony
forces to enable our successful getaway, it was Jason and Chris. I trusted them
with my life…which was why I was
entrusting
them with my life.

“I hope so,” Gabe commented. “What are your plans for the rest
of today? Please tell me you’re lying low.”

I bit my lower lip. “Well…I was actually planning to pay a
little visit to Dr. Wesley. I’ve got a few things to ask her before we leave. Unless…did
you talk to her? Is she coming with us?”

“She’s not, but I don’t know if you should—”

“It’s nonnegotiable. I’m going to talk to her,” I told him.
“I inadvertently caused a mess that I need to clean up, and she’s the only one
who might be able to help.”

Gabe didn’t look happy, but he didn’t forbid me or anything
ridiculous like that. “Fine, but you’re coming to the lab with me and not
leaving until I do. We can’t risk screwing the pooch…not now.”

“Honestly, I don’t think you should
ever
risk that.”

With a sly grin, he smoothed his hair back into a ponytail
and secured it with a hairband. “Just try not to screw things up. Sound good?”

“Much better,” I said approvingly. All of a sudden,
something I should have noticed far earlier smacked me in the hypothetical
face. “Gabe…I can
feel
you! Oh my God! Something’s wrong with the neutralizer;
it’s not working on you anymore! He’ll be able to control you! You’ll become
his slave! He’ll—”

He reached out a hand and squeezed my shoulder. “Calm down,
Dani. I
let
it wear off. I didn’t think we could afford you not being
able to communicate with me this evening.”

“Oh…that’s good, I guess.”

He smirked. “You were worried about me.”

I turned away from him so he wouldn’t see my smile and
started down the hallway. “Shut up.” I stopped halfway to the kitchen. “Shoot,
I forgot to give Mase a towel,” I told Gabe as I rushed past him toward the
stairs. “Be right back.”

As I snagged a mauve towel from the linen closet, I heard a
dull thump from the guest bathroom. I tapped on the door. The shower was still
running. “Mase? I brought you a towel. Sorry…I forgot that there aren’t any in
there.”

There was no answer.

I knocked on the door with more gusto. “Mase? You okay in
there?”

There was still no answer.
What the hell?

I tested the door handle. It was unlocked. Slowly, I eased
the door open and called out again. “Mase? Everything okay?” I poked my head
into the bathroom and glanced around from the sage- and cream-striped shower
curtain to the toilet to the open window to the sink. He was nowhere in sight,
which meant he was in the shower.
Why isn’t he answering? Did he knock
himself out or something?