Flawed (39 page)

“I’m with Ann,” Loreley said, pushing her chocolate-brown hair behind her ear. As soon as she moved her hand, the piece fell forward again.

Dr. Loki shook his head. “Now is not the time.”

Leaning back in her chair, anger carved in her face, Ann crossed her arms. “I’m going.”

“Me, too,” Loreley added.

“No, you’re not,” the doctor said, an exasperated note in his tone.

“Are you the dictator now, too?”

Fury chiseled deep lines between Dr. Loki’s eyebrows, his eyes narrowing into thin slits, his jaw working the tendons in his neck. “How dare you?” he sputtered, his words seething between thinned lips.

“How dare I?” Ann said, standing, her fists clenched at her side. “How dare you decide what we are going to do without ever putting anything up for a vote?”

“You know we can’t risk the possibility of you being captured. That’s not a secret. Think of all the lives you’re endangering for a few outsiders.” His eyes moved to Ellyssa’s group as if sorry for the way he said the words, although, judging by his look, he’d meant what he said.

“Which is exactly what we are supposed to do, isn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to change things? Isn’t that the whole purpose?”

“Yes, but not now.”

“Then, when?”

The doctor’s harsh stance deflated, like someone had let all the air out of his anger. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he said, “I don’t know.”

Loreley said, “Then how do you know now is not the time?”

Sitting back down, Ann nodded her agreement. “Look, we understand the risk, and we appreciate everything you have accomplished. Without the knowledge you brought from the outside world, from your work at The Center, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now. You, of all people, know what it’s like above ground. You lived it. Before you veto the whole idea, please give me a chance to explain how we can help without risking The Pit.”

Dr. Loki glanced at Dr. Ito, who just shrugged. “Hear her out,” he advised.

He took in a deep, slow breath and let it out. “Okay, the floor is yours.”

“They need help getting over the fence, right? So what if Loreley…” Ann stopped, looking at her caramel-skinned friend before continuing. Approving, Loreley lifted her chin. “…and I help them over the fence and give two extra sets of eyes. No one else has to come. We won’t go into the compound at all.”

“And what if you’re caught?”

Leveling her gaze at the doctor, Ann said, “We know the consequences.”

“I don’t like this. Not at all. You and Loreley are the best Dr. Ito has produced. It would be a hard blow if we lost either of you.”

Knowing she had won, Ann smiled. “If you are so sure of Dr. Ito’s success with us, then you have nothing to worry about. With all the chaos going on at the camp, we’ll return without anyone the wiser.”

Leaning back, Dr. Loki stared at the overhead light, his hands propped under his chin. Silence settled in the room as he thought. Ellyssa watched all the different scenarios playing out in his head, one after another, and almost all of them ended with the facility being raided, everyone being killed, and all the intelligence they’d gathered throughout the years ending up in the hands of the State. A mental shrug later, Dr. Loki came to a surprising conclusion.

“If I’m risking two of my best soldiers, I guess I might as well extend the invitation for you all to return here—we really could use your expertise, Ellyssa—but only if you are successful. If you are discovered—” he gave Loreley and Ann a hard look for emphasis—“none of you can come back here.”

Slowly, blinking in disbelief, Ellyssa said, “Thank you.” Her group had discussed somewhat where they would go with their rescued family, but nothing concrete had been decided, besides going west, where the population wasn’t as dense. The invitation Dr. Loki extended was a blessing.

The doctor sat up and gestured for them to all move closer. “I suggest two groups,” he said, his words infused with uncertainty as he struggled with the possibility of all the things that could go wrong. “One for the females and the other for the males. From past surveillances, there have always been more males than females.”

Huddled around the table, the small group made plans. Once again, Ellyssa would find herself as well as the people she loved on the move and risking their lives. Only this time, two more had gotten dragged into their mission, and if the doctor’s fears proved true, two hundred and fifty at risk.

The moonlight glinted over the snow, like a scattering of diamonds. A strong wind captured the icy dust and tossed it in the air. Floodlights swept back and forth, cutting a bright line through the inky black.

Aalexis stared out the window of her newly acquired office. Xaver stood at her side. His hand drew patterns on the small of her back, out of sight where no one could see.

“Soon,” she whispered, as if the sound of her voice would shatter the peaceful setting.

Xaver nodded.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes,” Xaver answered, his voice soft.

Quickly, he brushed his nose against Aalexis’ hair and inhaled, then withdrew. If any of the imperfections happened to be looking through the window, they would’ve seen the loving gesture. That would usually anger Aalexis, but she didn’t care right now. Everything was going to plan, and soon, Ellyssa would return home without a fight. Her sister’s wrongly placed love would betray her as Aalexis had planned it would.

“I wonder what her face will look like when she sees us—ghosts from her past.”

“I do not know,” Xaver answered, pulling her away from the window. When they were safely out of view, he placed his hand on her cheek and traced the curvature of her bone with his thumb. “I have never said these words before, but I am now. You are beautiful.”

As confusion played tug-of-war between what had been instilled in her and what she’d opened her heart to feel, Aalexis leaned into his hand. The warmth from Xaver’s touch was pleasing and too seductive to ignore.

“I want all of our creations to look just like you.”

Aalexis smiled. The emotion displayed so freely on her face felt so foreign, but Xaver’s words made her feel…happy. She closed her eyes. “They will be a combination of both of us.”

For a long moment, Xaver didn’t say anything. Then she felt his soft breath wash over her skin. She opened her eyes to find him close, leaning over her, the pupils of his eyes dilated to the point of almost covering his sky-blue irises, and his lips pressed in…indecision. Before she knew what was happening, her brother closed the gap and brushed his lips against hers. Pulling away, a smile played with his lips and lit his face.

Aalexis’ mouth tingled, pleasantly, and a warmth she’d never experienced before clenched in her stomach. Disbelieving, confused, shocked, Aalexis shoved him away. Hurt replaced the happiness Xaver had just held on his face.

Her hand covering her mouth, Aalexis backed away. “You kissed me,” she stated. A mix between anger and desire twisted in her muscles. She fought between the desire to fling herself into his arms and flinging herself with a knife-strike to his throat. “Why?”

“I had to know,” he simply answered.

The familiar feed of anger decided the war going inside her. Aalexis’ hand dropped from her mouth at the same time Xaver dropped to the floor, his face scrunched in torture. Less than a second later, he pushed himself to his feet, his shield in place. She’d never used her gift against her brother, and a finger of guilt tapped in her chest. She brushed it away as easily as she’d brushed annoying flies away.

Expecting him to come at her, Aalexis braced herself, but Xaver didn’t make a move. He just stared at her, his hands nonthreatening at his side, and instead of anger cutting across his chiseled features, he looked…sad.

“Did you not like it?” Xaver asked.

Aalexis didn’t know what to say. The truth was she did like it. Liked it a lot. Even now, the faint trace of tingles pricked her lips. But the act seemed wrong. A lingering lesson her father had taught? She clinched her fists in defiance. “It is not allowed.”

“By whom?”

“
Der Vater
taught us that physical outlets of intimacy weaken the mind. Is it not enough that we touch without taking it further?”

“He also said bonds weaken. I do not feel weak. Every time I feel your warmth, your touch, strength fills my whole being. Do you feel weak?”

“Of course not.”

Xaver stepped toward her and didn’t stop until they were close once again. The anger Aalexis had felt sizzled out as the warmth from his body that she was all too aware of caressed her. Tentatively, as Xaver studied her, his hand moved back to her cheek, and Aalexis let him touch her.

“Although
der Vater
was a genius in his own right, created us as a step toward the ultimate goal, he had his faults. Many things he was wrong about. He was inferior.”

Drowning in the intensity of his eyes and in the confusion of his words, Aalexis stood still. Despite his intellectual visions her father had contributed toward a perfect world, he really had been inferior. He’d been mistaken about so much.

“The bond we share is not wrong. Ellyssa has proven that, though her insight is misguided. The touching we alone share strengthens us.” Xavier bent his head closer. “We can do what we want, Aalexis. We are gods.”

Dr. Loki led the group to the site right under the spot where the former American people had built bombs, Pantex. The area they passed through was a lot darker than the rest of the facility, and colder. If the temperature served as a gauge of what awaited them in the night, Ellyssa was glad that she, like the rest of them, had dressed in their snowsuits. She adjusted the straps of her backpack, then shifted the rifle snugly against her back. From behind, hollow steps echoed from Ann and Loreley, who had visited the artillery room to gather a few more supplies.

“The builders were originally going to put the elevator here. It’s a good thing they didn’t. It definitely would’ve been found when the State tore down the building,” the doctor said, as he moved through and down a narrow passage way. “The builders built this hall so that, if they were invaded, only one soldier could come through at a time. Easier to pick off until ammunition was depleted. You have to remember, at one time, this was the only way to enter and exit. When they descended into the Pit, they barricaded the door. No one opened it for years.”

The doctor stepped through an entrance and off to the side. Ellyssa, Rein, Trista, Woody and Dyllon spilled from the tight passageway behind him into a cramped room. Right in the center, taking up the majority of space, was what was essentially an elevator without walls resting on a hydraulic system of cogs and gears. The top part covered the opening in the ceiling. A motor connected to a generator sat against the wall on the right, and right above it was a panel with a green button, a yellow button and a red button.

Woody examined the simple mechanism. “Are you sure it still works?” he said doubtfully. His snowsuit was unzipped to his waist.

“It hasn’t been opened for a while, but we keep it maintained. The real problem is the snow and ice that is covering it.”

Tapping his finger against his lips, Woody looked up toward the opening. “What I would do is break the ice by moving it up and down, like jiggling it.”

“Sounds good,” Dr. Loki agreed.

As Woody and the doctor checked over the mechanics, Loreley and Ann came in, carrying two large duffle bags that clinked and jingled. Ann dropped her load onto the ground and unzipped it.

“Come and look,” Ann said, yanking out a crossbow.

“Oh,” Trista said, kneeling next to Ann.

“Do you know how to shoot one of these?” When Trista shook her head, Ann said, “It’s relatively easy.”

“More importantly, it’s quiet. May I?” Dyllon held his hand out, and Ann slipped the weapon into his grip. “I haven’t used one of these for years,” he said, weighing it in his hands. He brought the bow up and looked through the power scope. “How far? Seventy meters?”

“At least,” Ann answered.

“We’re bringing four crossbows. One for me, one for Ann, and one for each group,” Loreley said. Binoculars swung from her neck as she reached into her bag and withdrew a smoke bomb. “And a couple of these.”

Interest piqued Rein’s expression as he took the cylinder-shaped container from Loreley. “These are great.”

“Never hurts to have a little chaos,” Ellyssa said. “They won’t be expecting us with all of this.”

“Nope.” Ann pulled out a magazine with bolts preloaded in the slots. She took the bow away from Dyllon to show Trista. “All you do is slide this here, lock the string behind this point, aim, and pull the trigger,” she said, as she demonstrated the procedure. “After the initial loading, it will load itself. Just like a rifle.”

Just as Ann finished unloading the weapons, the generator cranked to life. Woody flipped on the motor. It chugged with age.

“Looks like we’re in business,” Woody said, with a satisfied smile.

Woody pushed the green button. The hydraulics moaned and a crack sounded. He released and pushed the yellow, repeating the process until Mother Nature’s elements loosened. Freezing air fell into the room along with a dusting of snow.