Chapter Eighteen
“It’s done.” Beth pushed back from her worktable. Beside her, one of her assistant lab techs, Michelle, clapped her hands together and exhaled.
On the other side, Steve covered his mouth with his hand. His guard stood nearby, his hand on his weapon.
She’d overruled the head of security to get Steve brought back into her lab. The man would pay for his crimes in the end, but his remorse was real. She convinced him that she’d stand up for him when it came time to beg for leniency if he agreed to help her.
Thank God, he had. If not for him, she wouldn’t have put this together as quickly.
“I need to get to the Capitol.” Bouncing up, she grabbed her jacket. She paused to study the mechanism, lifting it into the air. Please let me not be too late…
“I’ll come.” Michelle snagged the sweater she’d abandoned earlier and put it back on.
“It’s going to be dangerous.”
Michelle nodded. “I know. But I’d like to help.”
She stared at the girl she’d only spoken with a few times. A handful of years older than Beth, she’d probably gotten her PhD from an Ivy League school. She didn’t seem to be the kind of girl who would involve herself in life-threatening situations. Yet, here she was, volunteering.
Trying times brought out the warrior in all of them.
“Thank you.” There weren’t better words than that. Because as much as Beth was trying to be strong, things were always easier with help. “Let’s go.”
Beth hurried into her office and grabbed her coat and her phone. She’d heard that they’d taken out the tech with another EMP. While her phone worked, everyone there, everyone she cared about, would be without theirs.
She would need to send a message to Colonel Martins somehow, to let him know she was coming. Gathering her things, she nodded to Michelle. “We can make the last couple of adjustments on the helicopter on the way there.”
Beth couldn’t help looking at her Solvimine mechanism with pride. She’d used Parker Sinclair’s mechanism for distributing the drug as a gas. Then, she’d added her own aspect to the device, with her own component. It would use the same method to disperse her drug, but hers would counteract the part of the formula that opened neurological pathways.
With a little more time, she could have developed a way to distribute her Solvimine countermeasure independent of the gas distributer. For now, though, she’d need to inject it into the ventilation system, the same as Parker.
“Thank you, Steve,” she said as they hurried out. “I won’t forget.”
He shook his head, his mind full of regret. “I’m so sorry, Beth.”
Yes, he was, but people had died because of his actions. It was hard to forget that, to be forgiving, especially when she was on her way to stop more deaths.
On the way past the command center, she snagged one of the communications specialists. “Radio Martins. Tell him we’re leaving now.”
It took her longer to load her mechanism than she’d have liked. Every second was important right now, another moment she didn’t have to waste. When it was done, the pilot had them in the air quickly. On the trip, she made some minor adjustments, second-guessing every calculation. There was no room for error, not with this many lives in the balance.
Was she already too late? Had they already released Solvimine into the Capitol? It had taken her ten more minutes than she’d hoped. She’d been fast, but had she been fast enough? The further into the change, the harder to reverse the damage.
With nothing else to do on her flight, her worry turned to Luke. Was he all right? She might be hurting, but she loved him. Would they have a chance to work things out, to get past everything between them? She didn’t know.
They landed on the Capitol lawn about twenty minutes later, in record time. After they disembarked, Martins greeted her, yelling over the noise of the rotors. “What do you have for me?”
“I got it. I can neutralize the drug.”
He exhaled. His relief reminded her that Martins hadn’t asked for this role, either. He’d been dumped into it. The past year had aged him, exhibited in his crow’s feet and the lines at his mouth. “Thank God.”
“Except I need to do it from the mechanism they used to distribute Solvimine. I’ll administer my component the same way they did. Into the vents. That’ll fix everything.”
Martins blinked at her. Then he cursed. “Beth, for Christ’s sake. It’s not that easy. It’s in the bottom of the damn building.”
“I know. In the boiler rooms.” She’d memorized the map. “I’m going in.”
“Jesus…” Gazing up at the sky as if looking there for guidance, he put his hands on his hips. “Beth, you aren’t trained for that. We’ve gotten reports from inside. It’s not going well. Luke and Kenny are on their way to the boiler room, but they’ve met some resistance.”
She listened as he ran through what resistance meant. Pockets of changed soldiers lying in wait. Kenny had broken ribs, and Luke…
“He has a broken arm.”
“Who? Luke?”
“Yes.” Martins ran his hand over his face. “I know you were going to ask.”
Maybe her feelings for him were more apparent than she’d ever imagined.
Martins stretched his neck. “The hostages… They’re in the Senate chamber. They’re afraid. The rest of our guys are there, but people are hurt. I’m not sure we can hold the enemy off.”
“I get it.” A reminder of the hostage situation wasn’t helping her queasiness. “So, Kenny and Luke haven’t arrived at the mechanical room yet?”
“They weren’t there as of seven minutes ago. That was their last check-in via radio.” Martins studied the sprawling building in front of him. “It’s hard to keep communication open. They set off an EMP about a half an hour ago.”
“I need to get in there.” She motioned to Michelle. “Michelle is going to fill you in on what we’ve done since you left the compound. I’ll go in by myself.”
“No way.” Martins motioned to two armed guards. “Rodgers and Ahearn will accompany you.”
“Sir, I respectfully…”
“It’s dark in there, Beth. You aren’t going to want to be alone.”
Fine. Creeping through dark underground tunnels did seem frightening. “All right.” Nodding, she turned to the men Martins assigned to her. “I can read minds. I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”
“We’ll do our best to keep you safe, too, ma’am.” These men were courageous. Some of their country’s finest. She appreciated the sentiment, if not the ‘ma’am.’
Martins leveled his soldiers with the authoritative glare he was known for. “Do you know the clearest route?”
“No need.” Tapping her forehead, she offered him a wry grin. “Got it up here.” Some of the benefits of this gift were really amazing.
A few minutes later, she floated the mechanism behind her as they wove through the dungeon-like basement of the Capitol, the guards following her.
She didn’t wear the night vision goggles, instead relying on the guards’ vision to guide her as she listened for anyone around them. As they descended farther, she didn’t hear anything for a long time as they wound through the labyrinth of hallways beneath the Capitol. The thick concrete and stone walls that made up the stabilizing force of the building muted some of her power, but as they turned a corner, she heard a boy waiting for them.
She paused the guards behind her, well out of his hearing.
His fear gripped her like a vice. Parker hadn’t been able to send his people in pairs—too many corridors. So, this boy had been sent down here with nothing more than night vision goggles and a gun, like a lamb to slaughter.
He was no mover. He was like Seth…and only fifteen years old.
I shouldn’t be here. I should have run when we got here. Home. My mom hasn’t seen me. But he said he’d find me. He’d hurt mom and the girls. I need to stay. He’ll hurt my family.
She lifted her hand and spoke to the guards. He’s young. Afraid. I’ll handle him.
Reaching out to the boy, she tried to keep her thoughts calm, soothing. Put down the gun, she repeated until he obeyed her.
Then she told him that he didn’t see her. She walked right up until she could see herself in his goggles. Picking up his gun, she pointed it at him, already regretting how much it would scare him. She allowed him to have his faculties back. Through his mind, she could see herself threatening him
After a moment of confusion and disorientation, his heart kicked up and he panicked. “Shit. Who are you?”
“Hi, Dylan. I’m Beth.”
He backed up, his panic gave way to terror. “How do you know my name?”
“I can hear you. How you’re worrying about your mom.” Stepping closer, she kept the gun steady. She had no intention of using the weapon, but he didn’t need to know that. “How you don’t want to be here, but you’re afraid Parker is going to hurt your family.”
He swallowed awkwardly, his hands up. “What do you want?”
“I want you to live through this, Dylan. And I want you to be on the right side.” The gun seemed pointless. It might even be making things worse. She lowered it. “Go back that way.” She pointed over her shoulder. “If you get outside, lift your hands. Don’t do anything too fast. Ask for Colonel Martins and tell him that Beth sent you, that you’re unarmed, and that you’d like to surrender directly to him.”
“Why are you helping me?” he whispered, his voice shaking.
“Because I worry about my mom, too.” She squeezed his arm. “And because Parker Sinclair is a liar and fanatic. You deserve better. We all do.”
He swallowed again, doing his best to hold it together. The poor kid had no idea how he even got here, so she planted directions to get out into his memory. Jack had led them around, snaking through the basement, dropping other soldiers off along the way and completely disorienting the boy. All he’d been told was where to stand and wait. He had. He was afraid of Jack. They all were.
When the kid took off, practically running, she handed the pistol to Ahearn. “Here.”
He didn’t take it, unsure what to make of her. Admittedly, from his perspective, she did look pretty scary. “You don’t want it?” he asked.
“I don’t need it.”
Nodding, he accepted that was probably true before he retrieved the weapon, readying it.
“Let’s go.”
They were getting closer.
…
“We need to get in there,” Luke whispered through gritted teeth. Where they crouched around the corner to the utility room, the hum of the machines masked their voices. They probably didn’t have to worry about being overheard, but he didn’t want to chance it. Kenny had broken a mirror in one of the restrooms, and they had positioned it to see what they were facing. There were three guards stationed outside the entrance, probably all telekinetic. Through the open door, Luke could see at least three people hunched around a machine.
Solvimine.
There was no way to know if they’d released the drug yet or not. He hadn’t wanted to reach out to the rest of their group because the damn radio was so loud it would give away their location. That left it up to him and Kenny to do what needed to be done.
He hoped it was enough.
“What do you suggest? We’re outnumbered. We won’t do anyone any good if we get caught or killed now.” Kenny hunched closer, glancing behind them. He’d been moving slower, more jerky than usual. His ribs were hurting.
Luke completely understood. His own broken arm throbbed. He tried not to think about it.
The hallway was a dead end. Neither of them wanted to be stuck with no exit. But that meant that Parker’s men didn’t have an escape route, either. That could work in their favor.
“I don’t know.” He checked the radio, making sure it was off, using the moment to think. There had to be something. “Bring down the roof? The ceiling above them?”
“We’re in the basement. I doubt unsettling the structure is a good idea.”
Luke sighed, repositioning his shoulder to alleviate pressure on his aching arm. Kenny was right. They’d do no one any good buried under concrete. “There are three of them. You take the two guys on the left, I’ll go through the one on the right. I’m going to try to get a shot off at the mechanism, then.” Even if they couldn’t incapacitate all of the guards, they could destroy the mechanism. It was the best they could do.
As he met Kenny’s eyes, understanding passed between them. This plan meant they probably weren’t getting out of here. He recognized the resignation in his friend as well. After a long moment, Kenny nodded.
This was it, their last stand. They were going to die here, in the dark, in this hallway. He’d expected it to feel more dramatic, full of meaning. The only thing filling him now was emptiness, the nagging suspicion that he’d left too much unsaid, and a general anticlimactic acceptance.
Not how he expected to go, but maybe this was the best he could ask for.
He pulled his gun from his pocket and turned off the safety, stretching his neck from side to side. “Let’s go…”
Stop.
As quickly as he’d prepared himself to dive into the mechanical room, he was paralyzed for a brief moment and then let go.
Beth. His relief was intense, a warm wave over him. Every word he’d wanted to say to her sprang to mind, every regret. Was she okay? Was she safe?
He turned, and his night vision goggles captured the gritty shape of her. As she skirted around him, he noticed the machine floating behind her. Two guards flanked her, wielding automatic weapons.
“Can you all go and secure the men in the other room? I need to get to the Solvimine mechanism.” Her voice shook, probably from the effort it took to hold the soldiers. He didn’t wait. Around the corner, three men stood frozen. He, Kenny, and the two guards walked right up to them and removed their weapons. He dug out his paracord and used it to tie two of them together. “Beth. Are they telekinetic?”
“Two of them.” Her words were tight, strained with effort.
He didn’t know which ones were which, so he ripped a strip from the bottom of his shirt and used it as blindfolds. Beside him, Kenny did the same.
When the guards were restrained, Beth released them. They responded with outrage, groaning and arguing. As fast as they complained, though, they were silent. Luke guessed Beth was responsible for that, too.
She ducked into the mechanical room, the machinery she brought with her settling on the ground beside her. “They’ve already released Solvimine.”
The words sent an icy chill down his spine. This was disastrous. All those senators…
“Don’t worry. They’re going to be fine.” She didn’t even look up as she said it. Removing portions from the Solvimine mechanism, she replaced them with new parts. Then, she connected the machine she brought with the one that was here.
Pieces moved, valves opened, and she did it all with her powers. He’d never seen her so focused, but he did recognize the determined set of her jaw. Finally, she rocked back on her heels, wiping her forehead. In front of her, the whole contraption wheezed and hissed.
She’d done it all in the dark, without night vision goggles. She must have used one of their eyes to see. Or all of their eyes. It was so impressive that he wasn’t even sure where to start. “What’s going on?”
“That”—she pointed to a canister now attached to the Solvimine dispenser—“is the antidote to the part of the drug that opens neurological pathways. Solvimine causes the brain’s neural plasticity to work in overdrive. This will have the opposite effect. It should put all of the senators into a stupor while they wait out the effects.”
“Jesus.” She was a genius.
“Yes. That’s what I’ve been telling you.” The old Beth would have said it teasingly, but now there was only resignation in her voice. It mocked him, reminded him that he’d been too afraid to focus on anything but his own vendetta. That he hadn’t been able to put his faith in her.
“Beth…” He had no idea where to start. He’d fucked up. After the last hour of fear, of thinking this might be the end of the line for him, he wondered if it had all been worth losing her this completely. It hadn’t. He was already sure.
“Parker and Jack are upstairs with the senators.” She cut into his regrets, closing him out. Standing, she wiped her hands on her jeans. “My counteractive will cause them to pass out. When they do, Parker will know something went wrong. Who knows what he’ll do then. We need to hurry.”
She didn’t want to hear whatever he was going to say. He’d lost his chance with her. It was nothing he didn’t expect, but it gripped his chest like a vice, squeezing him.
As the rest of them filed out, he snagged her arm. The night-vision enhanced vision of her didn’t do her justice, and it didn’t hide the pain on her face. He didn’t know if anything could.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he had.
“I know.”
Turning away, she left him staring at the tinny view of her, leaving the mechanical room, hurrying after Kenny and the guards.
Leaving him behind.