Barcode: Cavern of Youth (41 page)

The second Gardezi leaves, Angie and Carmen back me into a wall with their fingers in my chest. They’re staring me down again and I don’t like it.

“Why didn’t you tell them about the coordinates?” Carmen inquires with pink cheeks.

“And what plan do you have rooting in your brain?” Angie adds while leaning closer to my face. Carmen pulls her back because she gets too close.

Turning to Angie, I remind her, “Monte was going to kill them once he got the information, right? I was giving them more time.”

She nods, and Carmen says, “But you didn’t answer her question. What plot do you have brewing?”

I bolt past the two women and rush into Hayley’s arms. Stretching out on the couch, I lean against my mom. “Only time will tell.”

Angie saunters over to us and punches me in the thigh. Carmen covers her mouth as I grab my leg and pant due to the throbbing pain.

I look to Hayley for protection, but she only giggles and rubs my head. “You should answer.”

The gladiator princess prepares to strike again, but I refuse to endure another punch. Quickly, I confess, “I was in the coma for too long and I’m sure time’s running out. I need to get closer to Monte because he really wants this information.”

Carmen eases towards the couch. “You’re going to use it as bait to draw her out?”

“Yeah. I have this addiction to the cave. I go whenever the pain is too much. It took me time to realize, but Eve’s just as addicted to its potential. She needs it to heal her arm.”

Angie sits next to Hayley and leans her head on my mom’s shoulders. The princess focuses her eyes on the television and confesses, “I told myself I wouldn’t work with the professors again, but if it helps you hunt down Eve, I’ll be there. Under one condition.”

“What?”

“When you fight her, let me help you.”

Twenty Nine

I’m too restless to sleep. We leave for Florida tomorrow and there’s a lot on my mind. With Carmen still asleep at the foot of my bed, I join Angie in the training room. She’s punching out a heavy bag filled with weighted sand.

Angie turns around and waves. Her hair flings in a disgustingly ravishing arc as she continues her onslaught. The brutal woman is the best workout partner I’ve ever had. I’d love to train with her, but my body still can’t handle the stress.

Observing her movements, I lean my back against the wall next to my door.

Beads of sweat fly from Angie’s hair. She looks over her shoulders so many times, I wonder how she can concentrate on practicing. I decide to stop distracting her, and try making my way back inside.

Angie chases me down. From five feet away, she plants a left straight on my shoulder. The pain radiates through my entire body. She doesn’t stop assaulting me and every attack feels ten times worse than it should.

In a flash, all color and sound disappear. Then, my image of the world fades away.

Minutes later, I wake up in Angie’s sweaty lap. She’s gazing at the moonlight. The sky is actually visible.

My body aches, but I manage to move my mouth. “If you’re upset about me sleeping with Aphrodite, you should be. She often assaults me in my sleep too.”

“I’m not worried. I know you have a thing for Asians.” She looks down and winks. Arrogantly, she sings, “And me.”

“Then tell me why the punching bag wasn’t good enough.”

“You were about to give up.”

“There’s nothing to
give up
.”

“You’re supposed to be paralyzed, but you’re walking. The old Kode I know would’ve joined me in training, regardless of how injured he was. But you’ve been around weak people for too long and you’ve started thinking like them.”

“Carmen?”

“And Dennis, Hayley, Talib, Spencer, Patrick...Malik.” She plays with her fingers inside of her red bag gloves. With one adorably large breath, she puffs air in her cheeks and doesn’t release it until she says, “You’re used to being surrounded by darkness and everyone in Tartarus. You don’t belong in this world.”

“What about you? You’re being weak right now.”

“That’s because I’m different around you.” She savagely pinches my cheek. “And don’t act like you haven’t been vulnerable around me either. One of us always picks up the other’s slack.”

Slapping her hand away, I resolve, “Alright. I’m not one for a soft pep talk. Let’s fight.”

“Are you back to normal?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I haven’t had a real cry with you and I need five minutes. I’ll get this one out in your arms and I’m good.”

There are no signs of tears on her face, but she’s not joking. Angie helps me up from the ground. Then, she strolls over to a shelf and throws me a pair of gloves. Now I can see the burning sensation building in her eyes.

Angie gestures for me to put on the gloves. Once I’m done, she rests her trembling hands on her temples. The extremely tall phenom crashes to her knees. I wrap my arms around her.

She cries quietly enough to avoid waking up anyone, but she can’t gain control of her quivering body.

Five minutes seem to pass within seconds. I whisper, “Okay,” and she dries the tears, instantly returning to her warrior state.

The princess beats me around my gym for three hours. Whenever I’m hit too much I black out. The longer we spar the more I’m able to endure her punches. My longest time standing on my feet is two minutes.

As I’m poorly defending myself and being knocked around by Angie, Carmen peeks out of the door, rubbing her eyes. Half asleep, she stumbles between us. “What the hell are you doing?” The question isn’t directed at me.

“Training.” Angie hardly moves her lips to respond. She spins around Carmen and applies an uppercut to my chin. Carmen trips Angie and attempts to throw the princess over her shoulders, but can’t. Angie turns her barcodes outward and flies to the ceiling. She delicately lands on her feet.

Carmen watches Angie’s graceful flight with a hint of confusion. Then, she argues, “This isn’t training. You’re beating on him. If you want to fight someone, fight me.”

I release a wild yawn and concentrate more energy into my barcodes. If Carmen’s providing me with a break, I’ll take it. Angie senses the data flowing through my blood and gets upset. All her hard work is going to waste. I definitely plan on surprising her with the next punch.

Openly displaying her anger, Angie roars, “Move out of the way.”

“No! He’s injured and I’m not letting him fight.”

Simultaneously, Angie and I echo her words, “
let him/me
.” She can’t look at both of us at the same time, but tries.

“You’re hurt Kode!”

“Duh.” I hold up my hand to show the blood on my fingernails. Making a tight enough fist to strike Angie requires commitment. I have to squeeze my hands firmly. I’m causing more damage to myself than her.

“If you keep going you’ll really do damage. Those bandages need to come off for your cells to recover. They’re holding you back.”

“
You’re
holding him back.” Angie folds her arms and shifts her weight to her left leg. I turn away, blushing. That was kind of sexy.

I continue feeding data to my eyes. Treating her arms like wings, Angie spreads them widely before clasping her hands together. She releases a gust of wind from her fists. I soar into the glass window, cracking it slightly. “Stop cheating,” she commands.

“Angie!” Carmen jumps to her feet. She was caught by the wind too.

The gladiator princess explodes, “Grow up, snob.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Will do; when you stop acting like one.”

Wiping the blood from my head, I ask, “How did you meet Carmen without me seeing her?”

Angie rolls her eyes. “She was in Texas. Daddy and I had to make special trips.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

“I hated her. She pranced around and did whatever daddy or any guy would tell her. Whenever she needed attention, she’d fall or pretend to be hurt and everyone came running. Girls like that. Ugh.”

Carmen’s lips radiate and she bears her fangs. “What? Should I be like you? Always pushing people around and being a bully. You never tried to get to know me.”

“Because daddy was supposed to marry your prissy ass when we were eight. How disgusting is that?”

“Very, but it wasn’t my choice.”

“Please. You wanted it.”

“You don’t know me, so stop acting like you do. You don’t know what I want or what I’m capable of.”

“Nothing.” Angie’s barcodes disappear and her arrows return to her eyes. Bad sign. Her voice becomes more assertive and frightening. Each word has a hiss to it. She eases towards Carmen. “What? You think I don’t know you have to kiss someone to survive? Kode saved your pitiful life by giving you power. Don’t poke your chest out because you don’t have to steal his energy anymore.”

Carmen’s eyes widen before she narrows them. “You’re jealous because his data flows through me.”

“Idiot. Don’t think of this as some chick fight over a guy. Though he doesn’t look like it, he’s a grown man and can do whatever the hell he wants. My beef with you is how weak you make him. Kode’s my best friend and I’d slaughter our entire family before I’d let you soften him anymore.”

Carmen senses something between us. Her eyes dart towards me. This is the first time she’s directed her anger my way. I’m honored.

“And what would you do for her, Kode?”

Both women focus on me. I clear my throat and utter, “When we were kids, some men tried to take over my dad’s gym. Gigi defended it, though I was supposed to be there. When I got back, the place was turned upside down and she was gone. I could hear her roaming the city, killing anyone in sight. She’d discovered Sekhmet and couldn’t control the power.”

Carmen glances over her shoulders as the blue in Angie’s eyes intensifies. Carmen doesn’t realize the danger she’s in.

“I hunted her down, but didn’t make it in time. Helios was there to stop her. When he gets serious, he’s a different person too.” I grit my teeth while replaying the image in my mind. I never forgot that look in his eyes. “He’d already beaten her, but it’s difficult to describe what he was doing.”

Angie holds her throat, covering her scar. “Fucking my neck with a knife.”

“He would withdraw it and put it back in the same wound, watching as the blood poured out.”

Carmen tenses up and her codes fall faint. I convert Shiva into my mechanical weapons and charge them with everything I have. “That was the first time I blacked out. It only lasted a few seconds, but most of the city had vanished and I was holding Helios by his hair. I should’ve killed him, but needed to stitch Gigi’s neck.”

“By the time he finished, Helios crawled away.”

“That was also my first time killing innocent people, though I don’t remember doing it. I’m not even sure how it happened. I was afraid to go to sleep that night; worried if I’d feel guilty about the massacre. But I slept peacefully. I was only upset that I didn’t finish Helios.”

Angie’s eyes are as bright as ever.

Carmen openly cries, “You’re the one that turned him into a murderer.
Your
weakness broke his heart!” The delicate girl spins around only to see the evil codes of Sekhmet dashing towards her. I unleash a monstrous energy from Shiva and blast both women in opposite directions. They should have been rendered unconscious on contact.

Shiva returns to gloves and I laugh uncontrollably. Carmen’s face was priceless. She’s worried about the things I’ve done in the past and not the carnage I’ll cause in the future.

Using that much energy left Shiva and me drained. I collapse on a blue mat.

When I wake up, it’s already morning. It looks as though that last punch I gave Angie was strong enough to keep her out. It can’t be good to fall asleep after hits like these, but we do it anyway.

Wiping drool from my mouth, I throw a boxing glove at her face. She grumbles, but hardly moves.

Carmen and Hayley already have dinner on the table. Hayley continues examining Carmen’s face. Her dark rings and red eyes openly display what type of night she had.

Jamie, Seth, and Richard have joined the party too. They’re all watching television. What have I missed in a month? Jamie and Seth seem really comfortable around each other and are sitting fairly close.

Loudly crashing through the door, I announce, “Full house! Feed me.”

Richard points me to the food on the table. I’m dragging Angie along because waking her up is a serious task, unless she catches the smell of breakfast. I leave her in the middle of the room and crash into my chair. I hold a mighty fork in my hand and dig into my food, devouring two plates of ostrich eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit.

Angie eventually crawls to the table and joins me.

I finish my meal and sit, half dazed, for a moment. The motivation to wake up comes from Richard. He rushes over and wraps me in a deathly agonizing hug. I thought I could endure minutes of pain, but he nearly causes me to pass out in a matter of seconds.

After Richard returns to his seat, Angie and I get cleaned up and prepare for the day ahead.

When I get out of the shower, she’s dressed in her armor and watching television with the others. I sit back in the dining area because all the seats are taken. Hayley joins me temporarily. We watch a sketch comedy. Once it’s over, my mom delicately kisses my forehead and leaves for work.

With my arms spread wide open, I project with a booming voice, “Who missed me?”

Everyone raises their hand slowly, except Seth. Jamie punches him roughly in the arm and he reluctantly joins in. Then, she stands up and walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I’m still in my chair, but I stand up because her tiny arms are choking me.

When she finally allows me to breathe again, Jamie holds my face and kisses me softer than Carmen. I’ll make sure to learn how to block my thoughts again, so Carmen never learns about that.

Seth narrows his eyes at me, but eventually shrugs his shoulders. Yet, Carmen shrieks and leaps from her chair.

Jamie points at Angie and clearly affirms, “She’s perfect.”

Grimacing, Carmen rushes over to push us away and kisses me. I squint with one eye open to see her expression with color. She gasps, “You think Jamie kisses better?”