Outbreak (23 page)

The onslaught continued. More and more nightmares unleashed in the Samurai’s mind. His hold weakened; his face turned ashen.

“No!” the Assassin yelled.

Seven’s mind darkened. The Assassin barreled into him and they both plowed into the wall before landing on the floor.

She shoved her arm across Seven’s throat. White-hot agony filled his vision.

Get off, you bitch,
Seven thought as he continued the attack on the Samurai.

The Samurai writhed in pain.

Let him go
.

“Release him or I’ll kill you myself.” The Assassin snarled at Seven. Fresh agony streaked across Seven’s thoughts.

His vision narrowed as darkness coiled around his mind.

“Release him now!”

Seven’s eyes closed. His pain subsided.

And the Assassin fell.

The Solomon Experiments 3.0

The Order

Dr Christyn Harrison’s Personal Journal –

October 5, 2016:

You came home. I knew you would. This has always been a safe place for you. You came for answers, about Josh, your father, answers I’m not certain I have.

I can’t believe my son is dead, that you had to be the one to find him. The betrayal you must feel, the anger.

I tried to protect you from this world, but I couldn’t. I know that isn’t enough—you need answers, a reason to trust in me after everything that’s happened. All I can say is that I did all of it for you. For Josh, Liam and you.

I’ve failed you all so many times. But I am here now. I am alive. And one day, soon, we will be together.

Until then, I need you to find Liam. He is innocent, too fragile for this life, despite his many gifts. Find him for me. Keep him away from LeMercier.

Your father wasn’t always this way, Dakota. He wasn’t cruel. That started after the experiments, after he saw what you and Josh could do.

When I first met him he was a brilliant scientist, dedicated to helping the United States government in any way that he could. I fell in love with his mind, his heart. He was tender and generous in a way I never knew existed.

He didn’t know that you and Josh were his. But when Liam was born, he suspected the truth.

Ben, your father, wanted to help me. Help us. He encouraged me to leave my husband. He expected us to live with him. When I declined, he was hurt. He started to change, focus only on his work, on building a new world order.

I gave Liam up for adoption to keep him safe. I wanted to give you and Josh up as well, place you somewhere safe, but I couldn’t bear to lose you, too. So we immersed ourselves in the experiments and I waited for Ben to come around.

He slipped further and further away from me the more he worked with his recruits. You, Josh, and the others.

It was slow at first. A few questionable decisions I couldn’t support. Ethical dilemmas he couldn’t explain. By the time I realized how far Ben had slipped, it was too late. You and the others were completely under his control.

You wielded your abilities as weapons without conscience. I had no choice but to get you away from him.

So I changed your memories, everything.

I was a fool to think it would work.

And now like your older brother, you and Liam are paying the price for my decisions.

Find Liam, Dakota. Help him get away from LeMercier. Don’t trust anything Ben says, anything he does. Get your brother and get somewhere safe.

I will find you.

I promise . . .

My head throbs as I force my eyes open. Stale air, filled with the scents of fresh dirt, bleach and antiseptic fill my lungs. I push myself up to my elbows and stretch my neck. My body strains in protest. “Ouch,” I say as I examine my scalp for the source of my pain.

“Careful,” David says. “You were hit pretty hard.”

“What?” I blink and focus again.

The room is small, a single door on the long end of the adjacent wall. No windows. No furniture.

“Where are we?” I ask. My mouth feels like I’ve inhaled bales of cotton.

“I’m not sure,” David says as he crouches down and sits next to me. “I woke up in this room a day ago.”

“A day? I’ve been out for a day?”

“More like a few days, near as I can tell.”

Nothing makes sense. David helps me up and I investigate the small space. The walls are made of cement, as is the floor. A small stainless steel tray leans near the only door, remnants of bread and water evident.

“They should be in with food and water soon,” David says as he follows my gaze to the tray.

“What?” My mind still won’t coalesce. “Oh. Thanks.”

“They come twice a day with food.”

“The guards?”

“Yeah. They bring one tray each time. They won’t look at either of us.”

I take in his words, and try to force the pieces together. “Have you tried reading their thoughts?”

“Once. But I was blocked. Something.”

“Hmmm,” I say like I’m trying to decode a riddle. “Where’s Liam?”

“I haven’t seen him. Only you and the guards that bring food.”

“Same guards, or different ones.” I don’t know why it’s important, but something inside tells me it is.

“Same, I think. It’s hard to tell. They wear masks.”

I nod. “We’re in LeMercier’s new compound.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know. I can just feel him here.” I suck in a breath and reach out for my father, my brother. “Everything about this reminds me of the last time we confronted that man.”

“We won that time.”

“Did we? I mean, sure, we survived and got away. But I’m not sure that’s the same as winning.”

“We will this time.”

Heavy footfalls echo closer and closer to our room. We stop talking and wait.

“Step back and look toward the ground,” a gruff voice orders.

David and I comply and the door opens. A heavily clad figure in black replaces our tray with a new one with two loaves of bread and two cups of water. I note every detail: tall as me, slight build, non-descript in every way. I reach toward his thoughts and feel nothing but a cold shield. The guard walks out and locks the door before another heartbeat passes.

“Not very talkative, is he?” I say as I carefully grab the water and some bread.

“He never is.”

David and I sit on the floor and eat. The water relieves my mouth and throat. I rip a piece of bread and hope food will do the same for my pounding headache.

“You okay?” David asks, pointing to my head.

“Probably just dehydrated.” I take another long sip of water, nearly finishing it. “I’m sorry I got you into all of this,” I say. I stare at the floor, unable to stand the scrutiny of David’s gaze right now. “We should have run away.”

David puts his cup and bread down and moves closer. “This isn’t your fault.”

Typical David, always trying to reassure me.

“I’m pretty certain this all started with me. And it was my idea to go after Liam. And—”

David cuts off my words with a kiss. He pulls away as a smile covers his lips. “Not everything that happens is your fault, you know.” He gives me another quick kiss. “We’ll find a way out of this mess. Together.”

I absorb David’s confidence, praying it will fuel my own. A long pause fills the space between our words. “I need you to promise me something,” I finally say.

“Anything.”

“When we get out of here, we’re finding Liam and taking him with us.”

David’s expression grows grim. “Da—”

I lay a finger to his lips. “Just listen. I need to know you’ll do this, that you’ll do anything you can to get Liam out of here and keep him safe.”

“We’ll do it together.”

I nod, my mouth drawn into a thin line. “Promise,” I insist.

“I promise. We’ll leave with Liam.”

“No matter what happens, you’ll make sure he gets out.” I shift my gaze to the floor, thinking of Mom’s journal, the promise I made.

“What are you not saying, Dakota?” David’s voice drops to a whisper.

“Just say it,” I plead.

Silence spreads between us.

David grabs my hand and squeezes. “I’ll make sure he gets out,” he says. “I promise.”

I release the breath I’ve held too long. “Thank you.”

“You know, none of that will matter if we can’t figure a way out.”

“I have an idea about that,” I say as I grab another mouthful of bread.

Hours blend. It’s impossible to tell if it’s day or night. David and I discuss all the ways we can escape the compound or whatever this is: Trick the guards. Ambush them when they bring a meal. Use our telepathy to goad Liam into freeing us. No matter what plan we come up with, they all involve more luck than skill, something neither of us is comfortable with. We finally settle on a plan. As with the others, it will be a miracle if it works.

A desperate pause extends between us as I wrestle with my thoughts. I know what needs to be done, I’m just not sure if I can do it now.

“What are you thinking about?” David asks when he can no longer stand our silence.

“Mom.” I say, my voice flat. “I know she’s still alive.”

“Because she came to you before?”

“That,” I nod. “And she wrote in the journal in October.”

“Last month?”

“Yeah.” More silence creeps into the spaces of my thoughts. “If I don’t make it out, take Liam and find her. Please.”

“Stop talking like you aren’t getting out of here. You’ve beaten that man before. You’ll do it again.”

“Liam wasn’t with him last time.”

David grinds his jaw. Frustration ripples through his skin and he stands. “Are you ready? The guard should be here soon.”

I stand and we wait.

Heavy footfalls signal the guard’s arrival. We stand on either side of the door.

“Step to the back of the room,” the guard says as he opens the door. David launches himself into the guard, binding him in a headlock before he can react.

I ram into the guard’s thoughts. Nothing. He’s completely vacant, as though someone has modified his entire cerebral cortex.

He stiffens against David’s hold, gasps and drops dead in David’s arms just as I withdraw from the guard’s mind.

“What happened?” David asks.

“LeMercier,” I say. “He killed the guard. The minute you touched him, the vessels in his brain started to explode like a thousand little aneurysms.”

“LeMercier? Then he knows what we’re planning,” David says, more to himself than me.

“We’d better get out of here,” I say as we move cautiously out of the small cell. “Be ready for anything.”

The room connects to a hallway leading to a stairwell. The architecture resembles a business park or warehouse. We climb up a flight of stairs, my thoughts trained on our task ahead. I won’t acknowledge the memories of the last time I confronted LeMercier.

At the top of the stairs is another hallway. To the left are two large double doors. Our exit. The right leads to a large room. Glass covers the top half of the wall, revealing several machines, monitors, and screens.

Chills erupt and chase up my spine, extending to my arm. A lab. Just like the one LeMercier used with me.

David pulls me toward the double doors. My feet won’t move, glued where I stand.

My gaze fixates on the sterile-looking lab. Monitors flash as wires connect from the machines to a guy sitting in the middle of the room.

My brother.

An IV pumps clear liquid into his arm in slow drips.

“Liam,” I breathe.