The Countdown (The Taking) (25 page)

“So where are these ships?” Griffin finally asked, squaring her shoulders as she rolled her head from side to side, cracking her neck. “Did the M’alue tell you, or are we going in blind?”

Blind. That was the answer to Griffin’s question about whether I knew where this alleged fleet of spaceships had been stashed.

All I knew for sure was that the ships were here somewhere. Somewhere in this huge-vast-
enormous
facility that seemed to extend all the way to the Earth’s core and back again. And it was our job to find them.

Not exactly child’s play.

On the other hand, Jett had managed to disarm the access keypad in under sixty seconds using just Griffin’s pen and a paper clip he’d found tucked in the back of a drawer,
forever earning a place in my dad’s heart. My dad called him a modern day MacGyver and then clapped him on the shoulder with pride.

I had to bite my tongue. With my new ability I could have disabled the alarm in my sleep, but I let Jett take the win.

Since we’d tried the “team” thing once, back when we’d broken into the Daylight Division in Tacoma—a strategy that had ended with Willow being taken hostage, I decided we should try a more elementary school approach, not exactly the playground buddy system, but something along those lines.

I assigned everyone a partner to keep tabs on. The idea was to watch each other’s back. Heck, if it was good enough for kindergarteners it was good enough for saving the world.

My dad got Jett as his “buddy” since the two spoke the same language: computerese, and Simon and Willow were paired up because their partnership went way back. The four of them were in charge of getting Jett to a computer where he could hack into the ISA’s security and figure out where the ships were being stored.

Griffin and Thom would go scouting for the ships on foot, floor by floor. It would be time-consuming and risky, but we needed to cover our bases in case the computer search didn’t pan out.

That left Tyler and me with Agent Truman, which went against the laws of the buddy system since it forced us into a
three-pronged partnership. I didn’t care, though. Ours was the most delicate job.

Tyler and I were going after Adam. And, for once, Agent Truman’s lack of moral scruples might come in handy.

“Once we leave here”—I looked around at all the
buddies
, hoping beyond hope I hadn’t underestimated my friends—“we won’t have any way to get in touch with each other. The goal here is to locate the fleet, but we should have a meeting place.” I was stumped. I’d been so focused on who to pair up that I hadn’t considered all the logistics of our operation.

“In the bio lab,” Tyler offered, taking charge when I faltered. “You guys know where it is. Big place on the main level with all the freaky plants.”

Thom flashed me a knowing grin. “Kyra loves the place.”

“Good,” I said, before I had to explain what Thom meant. “Meet in the bio lab when your task is completed.”

“What if we get caught?” Jett asked.

Simon looked around. “Then we proceed without you.”

I couldn’t think like that. “Everyone got it?” I asked.

Every one of them nodded, and I took a deep breath, telling myself this wasn’t the last time I’d see them.

Now all that was left was to save the world.

Getting out of there wasn’t the hard part.

Maybe they should’ve stationed a security guy with a harder head outside our door. Or maybe he should’ve tried harder
not
to look at Griffin’s cleavage when she pretended to twist her ankle.

Either way, he dropped like a rock when Willow whacked him on the skull from behind.

He only had himself to blame, but it made me think we should’ve paired up in Girls versus Boys, just to see which team landed on top.

After watching Willow and Griffin in action, my money would be on the girls.

From there, we parted ways.

Our group—me, Agent Truman, and Tyler—were taking the main level, not just because that’s where Adam was, but also because it was the most dangerous place.

As the only one who could manipulate matter and electricity with her mind, it made sense I take on the most risk. That was according to Agent Truman.

Under normal circumstances, I’d say he was just trying to get me out of the way. But considering he was partnered with me, I could only assume he was some sort of adrenaline junkie who got off on this sort of thing.

I wasn’t sure how it was going for the other teams, but with Tyler around, we got around surprisingly easily.

Tyler’s ability didn’t just work to sense me, it seemed. He apparently knew when and where others were located too. He heard voices and footsteps long before Agent Truman and I did, and he would drag us to a stop. And when he didn’t hear those things, he listened for heartbeats . . . for breathing.

He
knew
where people were.

He sensed everyone. Everything.

It was uncanny. And he was never wrong.

The hardest part of our operation was steering clear of the cameras. Agent Truman suggested shutting them down with my “electrical skills,” but I worried the outages would draw unwanted attention.

Eventually, they’d realize we’d gotten out anyway, no point raising the alarm too early.

So instead, we backtracked and searched for alternate routes—back stairwells and fire evacuation routes—to get us where we needed to be.

When we finally reached the main level, nearly an hour had passed. So much for meeting back up with everyone else at the bio lab. My palms were sweaty with the awareness that the clock was running out.

Only three more hours to go.

Unlike the day before, when everyone had been panicking about the new signal, today the main level was disturbingly quiet. To the point of nearly being deserted.

This should have been a good thing . . . it made getting around remarkably easy. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy it as a stroke of good luck, and my worry meter shot through the roof.

Where was everyone? After the chaos of yesterday, I had a hard time believing this was one massive coffee break.

My heart wedged in my throat.

Beside me, Tyler’s hand slipped around mine as if he, too, sensed the wrongness of everything being so . . . vacant.

“I’m gonna get a head count. See what we’re up against.”
Agent Truman’s voice was hushed.

“
Buddy system
,” I insisted almost silently, even though it sounded childish. “We stick together.”

“Oh. You were serious with that?” he asked, already easing away. “I won’t be long.”

“And Tyler could—” I began, just as Agent Truman disappeared into the shadows. What was the point of having a plan—a
system
—if he was going to throw it out the window the first chance he got? It was a stupid risk. Tyler could do a better job feeling out who was where.

Tyler reached out and tugged my hand. “I’ve been wanting to tell you something,” he whispered.

“What is it?” I asked distractedly. The uneasy feeling that something was wrong deepened as we moved from one lab to the next.

“It’s about what you told me . . . before.”

“Uh-huh . . .”

My chest went tight all at once as I stabbed Tyler with a wide-eyed warning.
Voices!
I tried to convey.

But Tyler was three steps ahead of me, and was already dragging me out of the way, pushing me through one of the doorways. I gripped his hand with both of mine, until it felt like my knuckles would pop . . . as we waited and listened.

There were two of them. Men wearing lab coats and talking casually, as if this really were a coffee break. They ambled past us, while the entire time my shoulders were knotted and tight.

When they were gone, Tyler and I stayed where we
were . . . still attuned to everything around us, in case they or someone . . . anyone came back.

When I inhaled, I realized I’d been holding my breath the entire time.

Tyler was holding his too, but for a different reason.

Adam.

We were in the lab where they stored all those enormous canisters, including Adam’s. Seeing them again gave me goose bumps. But seeing Adam . . .

Tyler eased forward, and I realized this was where he’d been leading us all along. That he felt what I did . . . drawn to the M’alue.

He . . . we . . . the three of us were the same.

Time became irrelevant as we neared him. Adam woke immediately, making me think he sensed us as strongly as we sensed him.

It’s okay
.
We’re here now
, I thought, fairly convinced he knew what I was trying to suggest to him.

Tyler lifted his hand, the one holding mine and pressed it to the glass. Adam responded in kind, putting his unusual hand there too.

It won’t be much longer
. . . The words flashed through my head, making me flinch.

It wasn’t my thought. Those weren’t my words, but I knew whose they were. Tyler’s. I was in Tyler’s head now too.

Adam’s response came next,
Three hands, one mind
.

I momentarily forgot everything else . . . the mission
or being caught. We were doing this. We were absolutely-totally-
100-percent
communicating without exchanging so much as a single sound.

I turned to Tyler and grinned.

I know
, he said back to me, clear as day, a huge smile lighting up his face.

“Look what I found.”

I dropped my hand from the canister, and from Tyler’s, and spun around. Whatever bond we’d been locked in was severed instantly.

It was Agent Truman, and his face was all smug as he held up a gun like it was a trophy.

“You didn’t just find that,” I accused. “Who’d you take it from?”

“Security guard,” he said, pointing the barrel down and inspecting it. “He won’t be needing it.”

“Dude, what part of
I have superpowers
don’t you understand?
You
don’t need it.” I threw my hands in the air. “I hope you didn’t do anything . . .” I scowled. “Permanent.”

“If you’re asking, did I kill him? Then no, guy’s still breathing. But that’s about all he’s doin’ right now.” He checked the rounds quickly and then reassembled the gun. “If you’re asking me to give this baby up, forget it.
I
don’t have superpowers.”

I shook my head. “Fine, just don’t shoot anyone.”

“So what’d you decide? About that . . .” Agent Truman waved the gun toward Adam and my gut clenched. “That thing?”

“That thing is intelligent, and in pain. We need to get him out of there,” Tyler said.

“But
how
do you plan to do that?” Agent Truman asked.

I moved over to the control panel and smirked at him. “Try to keep up,” I said smugly as I let my hands hover over the instruments in front of me. They were all foreign to me—much more Jett’s or my dad’s territory than mine. But it didn’t matter; I could feel the electricity pulsing beneath my palms. “I’ve got superpowers.”

Above us, the lights surged as if all the power was draining from the room.
It’s me
, I thought.
I’m doing that.

“Wait,” Tyler said as he grabbed my arm. “We’re not alone.”

But it was too late.

Dr. Clarke stepped out from the shadows, right behind Adam’s canister. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from him,” she told us. In one hand she was clutching one of the rubber tubes that disappeared directly into the blue liquid Adam was suspended in. In the other she held a syringe. She plunged the needle into the tube. Just the slightest nudge from her thumb was all it would take. “Don’t make me kill him.” Her voice left little doubt whether she was serious or not.

“AND . . . WE’RE IN.” JETT PUNCHED IN THE FINAL sequence of commands and then cracked his knuckles.

Ben stood back and admired him. “Damn. I’m impressed. They are majorly wired here. I have to keep reminding myself you’re not really a kid though.”

I leaned against the doorjamb and smirked. He was right, it took some getting used to, the whole youth thing. Especially on someone like Jett, whose face was more kid-like than the rest of us. Sometimes, I even forgot he was older than me.

I wondered how Ben would feel when it was his daughter he was talking about, years from now.

I shook it off. Jett had just worked a minor miracle—hacking into the ISA’s mainframe. Kid really was a frickin’ genius.

“Can you tell where they’re keeping those spaceships yet?” I asked, looking over my shoulder, checking the hallway. So far no one had noticed us. Willow was down there, keeping an eye out.

“Best I can tell, is someplace they call the Basement,” he answered, pointing at one of the monitors where he’d accessed a floor plan of the facility. “One level down from where they’re keeping the EVE. They got enough space down there to store at least . . .” He was swiveling in his seat to face me, when the words died on his lips. “Aw, crap,” he finished.

I snapped my head around, to see what had stolen his attention.

Behind me, just past my shoulder, Dr. Atkins was there, holding a gun to Willow’s head. I tried to hide my surprise, but how in the hell had she gotten the jump on us . . . on Willow?

“Nicely done,” she told Jett approvingly. “I honestly didn’t think you had it in you.” Then she nodded toward Ben. “Maybe the big guy there—I’ve seen his work firsthand. But not yours.” She grinned. “Guess I underestimated you.”

A sudden iciness settled over me as Jett looked from her to Ben trying to sort it all out. “Guess so,” Jett answered coolly.

But it was Ben I questioned. “So I take it Dr. Clarke wasn’t the only one you knew from your old life at the ISA?”

Ben sighed. “Dr. Atkins was one of the scientists I told you about. One who was taken and sent back.”

“I told you before, call me Molly.”

Jett ignored her request. “You’re a Returned?”

She shrugged, pointing her gun at Willow to remind us she still had it.

As if we’d forgotten.

Willow rolled her eyes. “Come on, the gun, is it really necessary? We’re on the same side here, aren’t we?”

But Molly shook her head. “I don’t know what you want with those ships, but
we
need them.”

“The M’alue are coming,” Jett explained. “And if they do come they’ll start a war. Why not just destroy the fleet before that can happen?”

“Let them come. I’m ready for them,” she snapped. And then her expression shifted. “I was one of the scientists who found the injured M’alue, you know? I brought him back to the lab and ordered the tests on him.” She blinked slowly, taking a long breath. “He probably would’ve been fine if we’d just let him heal, but I was the one who gave the initial order not to release him.” When she let out her breath, she gritted her teeth and a muscle bulged along her jaw. “When they took me . . .” She turned to Ben. “You have no idea what it’s like to lose everything.”

But she’d picked the wrong person to appeal to.

His face turned red as he slammed his fist on the console. “I lost my
daughter
!”

Shaking her head again, she notched her chin upward. “But it wasn’t you. They didn’t take you. When they took me, they took everything—my chance at a normal life. My future. They destroyed me.”

Jett tried to talk some sense into her. “But you’re here now. Your life isn’t over. We might not be the same, but we still have options,” he explained. “You have the chance to do the right thing. To be better than this.”

“I don’t want to be better. I want them to pay for taking my life away.” Her lips twisted into an ugly sneer.

“So, what, you plan to start a war with them?” Ben asked. “How can you expect to win? How can you think that’s okay, to risk other people’s lives like that?”

“I’ll get my revenge,” she stated flatly.

The problem was, she was wrong. There was no way she would win this thing.

We’d have to tread carefully.

I lowered my voice, hoping to make her see reason. “You’ll get us all killed.”

But she was past listening. Her eyes glittered. “If that’s what it takes.”

She used the nose of the gun to nudge Willow toward us, then indicated we all take a step back from the computers.

We did as she directed. Finally, Ben spoke up. “Why not just let us go? Give us a chance to get away from here?”

She took a breath once we were away from the equipment, her stance sagging. “You, maybe,” she told Ben. “But we need your daughter. Her, and the boy.”

That was what this was all about. Kyra and Tyler.

Suddenly I wasn’t just worried she was going to shoot us or start an intergalactic war. I was terrified of what she had planned for Kyra. “Why not one of us?” I asked. “Can’t I take her place?”

“You think we didn’t try that? I was one of the first to volunteer. We all emit a certain amount of the kind of power we needed. Problem is, our human side. Our cell membranes absorb too much of that energy, and then our immune system sees it as a threat and breaks it down. The more attempts we made, the weaker I became. It’s why I have this.” She pointed to her bum leg. “I broke it a couple of years ago, and it never did heal properly, not even by human standards.

“Our only option was getting our hands on a Replaced.” She laughed wryly. “Don’t you see? Without those two kids, this whole house of cards crumbles.” She never said their names—Kyra’s or Tyler’s—as if naming them would personalize what she was doing. “Funny, I don’t think the M’alue realized they were handing us the solution to our problem when they created them.” Her smile was tinged with lunacy. “We searched high and low, sending out teams, operatives. We even had people inside the Daylight Division. We set up our own task forces—teams of Returned who worked for us. They infiltrated camps just so we could keep tabs on new abductees. We promised them the world if they could deliver us a Replaced.”

“It was you . . . ,” I hissed, unable to stop myself from charging her. “You sent Natty after Kyra.”

She tensed, raising the gun again, and Jett caught me. He held me back. His fingers gripped my wrist, reminding me it wouldn’t do any good to get shot now. To get Willow shot.

We still had to save Kyra . . . and, yes, Tyler too.

“Yeah,” Molly chuckled. “And we almost had her. We got word that Eddie Ray’s team had her and she’d be ready for
transport within the day. They’d figured out how to sedate her and everything was set.” She shook her head. “At first when they didn’t answer us, we thought they’d changed their minds . . . maybe found another buyer for her.”

Buyer.
The pulse in my throat picked up when she talked about Kyra that way. Like she was some sort of property, to be traded on the open market.

“Then you guys showed up. Just . . .
showed up
. Out of the blue.” She nodded at Ben. “And it no longer mattered that we didn’t have the girl. You handed us the boy on a silver platter. The second he entered the building we knew:
he
was the key.” Her long sigh oozed satisfaction. I wanted to punch her in the face. “The girl showing up a day later was just a bonus. You know, we’ve never seen someone emit so much energy, Ben? You should be proud. She’s like a walking power plant.”

“You’re going to hell,” he spat at her.

She smirked. “I’m already there.”