The Forbidden Trilogy (91 page)

Norm picked up the radio. "Don't fire. This is— Shit!
The missile took out our communications array." He smashed the silent
device against the floor.

Bullets sprayed from the IPI base, and Lucy turned to Drake.
"Use mind control on them to make them stop."

"I can't. I broke my last vial." His voice was
angry and sad.

No wonder he couldn't fight harder to save Sam. She
understood; her particular para-power didn't give her an advantage in that kind
of situation either.

Another missile launched at them, this one friendly fire
from the base.
Damn them!

The guys deflected it, but Gary cursed. "We can't keep
this up if we're getting shot at from both sides."

Robyn looked to Norm. "We need to land."

He nodded and lowered them closer to the base.

Another missile and another near miss startled them, this
one from Beleth. This time it nearly hit the base.

Kinda serves them right for firing on their own people.

Luke stood. "No time to land. We jump."

Lucy looked at her brother. "Are you sure?" She'd
made him use his power when they jumped off the log. He hadn't been ready, and
he'd gotten hurt. She didn't want to do that to him again.

"I'm sure." He walked up to the open door. "Everyone
jump. I'll slow us down."

Robyn backed up. "Are you crazy?"

Norm called out to her. "Wait for me, Babe. I'll jump
with you and catch you after everyone else is out."

Luke and Lucy looked out the door. Two missiles headed their
way.

"Jump!" yelled Luke. "Jump now!"

Lucy held onto Hunter, and they all jumped. As Norm flew off
with Robyn, the helicopter exploded into flames, sending a heat wave after
them.

Hunter gripped her hand as they fell, and she turned to see
his eyes open.
Guess the fall brought him back.
Air ripped at their
faces as they fell faster and faster. They neared the base, but Luke hadn't
slowed them down.

She hollered to him. "Anytime now, Bro!" At the
rate they were going, they'd become road meat soon.

The air solidified under her and she slowed suddenly at
first, then gradually, allowing her and the others to descend at a safer pace.
She looked for her brother through their air-bound team. He looked pale and
shaky, but he was doing it.

Lucy hit the ground first and Hunter landed next to her. She
rolled into the fall and suffered only a few scratches. Somewhere nearby, the
helicopter crashed and exploded.

Armed agents approach them, and Lucy faced them with hands
in surrender. "It's us. We're the good guys."

They recognized her and lowered their weapons.

She pointed to the sky where Beleth's helicopter still
chased them like a pit bull with a bone. "We need to take that one
out."

Before the agents could respond, Beleth fired on them.
Agents fell to the ground, dead. Tents burst into flames. Everyone ran to the
base.

Hunter looked to Lucy, and she smiled, even as they ran for
their lives. At least he was alive.

Lucy targeted an agent who looked in charge. "Hey,
what's your name?"

"Agent Mark."

"See that helicopter up there? It's going to kill us
all if we don't destroy it."

The agent looked into the sky. "We're out of anti-air.
I've called in reinforcements."

Lucy sighed. "We don't have time for that. The whole
base will burn in minutes." She turned to Gary and Darren. "Is it
close enough now?"

They held up their hands and focused, but nothing happened.
"We can't. Too high. Sorry, Luce."

Another missile hit nearby, releasing a torrent of fire and
force, and she flew back, punched by an invisible wall. Everything went quiet,
that eerie silence when the world had been muted but you could still see the
action. She fell to the ground.

Hunter reached for her. "Are you okay?"

Speaking hurt. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Luke looked toward her, saw that she was okay, then ran
forward, past Gary and Darren and to the edge of the cliff overlooking the
valley. He raised his hands out, the tendons in his neck knotting up as his
muscles strained, sweat breaking out on his face.

The helicopter started to waiver and hover, suspended in
place, the air shimmering around it. It shook, like a tree unwilling to uproot,
the metal groaning as it leaned forward.

Luke let out a roar.

And the propeller ripped off.

As the helicopter tumbled down past the cliff and out of
sight, everyone stood speechless, and silence reigned.

Her brother fell to his knees, and she ran to him and
grabbed him.

"I'm okay, Sis." His voice wobbled. "I'm
okay." He leaned into her, closing his eyes, and passed out.

Lucy looked over the jungle as the rage of the fire consumed
it. Her spirit opened and she connected with the life in the jungle and valley.
She felt as the trees died, heard the screams of the animals, lived their
suffering with them.

Luke lay limp in her arms. Tears flowed down her face. She'd
failed them all. It was too late.

The wind brought a familiar voice to her.
"Lucy...." It was Mr. K. "It's never too late for change."

She choked back a sob as she realized the awful truth. Mr.
K's valley was burning with the rest of the jungle. That's what she was
feeling. Her shoulders shook from grief. "Mr. K, I'm so sorry. I was
supposed to save you and bring you home."

His trunk burned and his branches turned to ash.

She felt it all, and it tore out her heart.

"Don't be sorry, Lucy. Life never ends, it only
transmutes into something new."

She hiccupped. "I left you all alone."

"Someone wise once told me that we're never
alone." Mr. K echoed Lucy's words back to her.

"What can I do?"

"Breathe. Concentrate."

Lucy tried to quiet her erratic breathing and calm her
pounding heart.

"And don't apologize, Lucy. You gave me something I
thought I'd never have again. You gave me friendship." His last words hung
on the wind. "Thank you."

The fire burned through her soul, and Mr. K was gone.

The tears came. Then the rain joined her tears, and silenced
the anger of the fire. In those droplets she felt Mr. K, and though she
grieved, she knew he'd been right, that matter never died or disappeared.

It just changed form.

Simmons handed Lucy a cup of tea. "I'm sorry. I was wrong.
We'll get your friend back, I promise." She'd been making similar such
statements to each of us since we arrived.

Now we all sat in Simmons's office, each of us with a black
IPI mug in our hands. Luke looked about ready to pass out. Darren and Drake sat
as far away from each other as possible, both looking miserable. Robyn and Norm
held hands, as did Greg and Gary. Mary sat off by herself, and Lucy had been
surprised by how unassuming she'd been on this trip. Toby sat with Father
Patrick, who'd flown back to the island with Simmons. A few agents stood behind
the group.

Hunter sat next to Lucy, and she desperately wanted to hold
his hand, but not with this weird version of Simmons standing over her.

Lucy knew Simmons was lying.

Simmons wasn't sorry. She wanted to blow up all those kids
and Sam.

Lucy just couldn't figure out why. Hunter had told her the
bomb was for destroying the facility after everyone had been rescued.

"No," she'd told him. "Simmons wanted me to
arm it with all the kids still inside."

He'd shaken his head. "You must have misunderstood her.
Simmons wouldn't do that."

"Really?"

"She practically took me in. She wouldn't kill the
kids."

And yet she had given the command. Hunter was blind when it
came to Simmons, and Lucy wondered if the lead agent had taken him in for
selfish reasons none of them new about.

Simmons moved on, offering sweet words to everyone as she
gave them their tea. "It'll be okay... you did your best... we'll get Sam
and your baby back, Drake."

She got to Luke last. "I heard about what you did with
the helicopter. Let me tell you, that was the most impressive display of power
any of our agents have ever seen." All the agents were talking about Luke
like he was a hero.

He didn't look happy, though, just sad and tired. He nodded
and drank his tea.

Simmons walked to the head of the room, in front of her
board, just like before. "We need a new plan."

"We need to go on the offense, now." Lucy set down
her cup. "The man with the black tattoos, Beleth, warned me that Steele
would eliminate the children in a few days."

Simmons nodded.

Lucy hated agreeing with the damn woman, but they had to act
fast, before Sam was... no, Sam would be okay. Drake had told her that Steele
had plans for Sam. That made her shiver.

Norm raised his hand, then lowered it awkwardly. "What
haven't we tried?"

The room filled with a long silence. No one had an answer.

Hunter pulled something from his pack—something small, round
and silver.

No freaking way.

He held up Lucy's sphere. "We haven't tried this."

Lucy stood up and stared down at him, hands on her first.
"You dug it up?"

Hunter lowered his eyes, too ashamed to make eye contact
with her. "It's years ahead of our time. I knew it could be useful in the
right hands."

Ah, of course!
"But not
my
hands, apparently."

Simmons took her notebook and slapped it against the desk.
"Stop! Agent Riley, is that...?"

He nodded. "NA-1."

Simmons took the sphere from Hunter, admiring it as though
it were the greatest treasure ever. "This is what we need. Luke, you can
use this."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want
to."

"It will enhance your powers," said Hunter.
"I held it briefly, while I fought Beleth. My strength must have risen
ten-fold."

Luke chuckled, probably at the fact that Hunter finally
admitted to having para-powers, at least to Luke.

Simmons held the sphere in front of Luke. "You can use
this to defeat Steele."

Luke sipped his tea. "If we infiltrate the facility
again, go after Steele directly, sure I'll use it."

"No." Simmons stared at the sphere, then looked up
at us again. "We have no time for that. We need to target the facility
itself."

Luke bristled. "Excuse me?"

"You tore apart the helicopter. Tear apart the
buildings. Crush Steele under his own devices."

"And everyone else in there." Luke stared at her.
"I won't do that."

Father Patrick interrupted. "We cannot condemn all
those children. And what about Sam and Ana?"

Simmons snapped and paced the floor, tossing the sphere back
and forth between her hands. "If we don't act now, Steele will become the
most powerful paranormal ever. Then we will never stop him."

"I still won't do it," said Luke.

Simmons sighed. "You have no choice." She motioned
to her agents. "Take them away. They have all disobeyed orders,
endangering this operation."

The room became charged with tension and Hunter stood.
"You can't."

Gary held out his hand over a metal desk. "Don't come
closer, or I'll—" his face fell and he shook his hand as if it was
defective.

Oh, God. Oh, shit. Oh no!
I turned to Luke. "Lie
to me."

"I love Simmons."

Nothing. No buzz, and that was most assuredly a lie. Luke
tried to push his hand through his chair, and instead smacked it against the
metal.

Lucy looked down at her tea and dropped the mug onto the
floor, where it shattered.

The agents moved in, restraining everyone. Lucy fought, as
did the others, but the tea hadn't just stripped them of their para-powers, it
had weakened them physically. She was about as effective as a kitten fighting a
pit bull.

The room spun and Lucy's head felt wobbly. She looked at
Hunter, whose face registered betrayal and anger.

Simmons ordered her men. "Get that drug out of Luke's
system. And give him something to make him more... complacent."

That bitch.

Simmons didn't want their help; she was arresting them. And
because of Hunter... well, because of the sphere, she would force Luke to kill
hundreds of children. That would destroy him.

Robyn cried and Drake raged. Father Patrick slumped in his
chair. Agents pulled him up and dragged him out of the room. Simmons didn't
want their help.

Luke continued his protests. "I won't do it."

"Oh, I think you will." Simmons walked up to Lucy,
who was being held by two agents. She lifted Lucy's chin up harshly and then
squeezed her neck. She winked at Luke. "I know you will."

Drake sat in a pen under the harsh light of the sun,
surrounded by his friends. Well, they weren't really his friends, and Luke and
Sam were missing from the group. Lucy looked as miserable as he felt.

Long metal poles had been dug into the ground and erected
with wires to keep them together. A guard stood outside with a gun poised and
ready. Robyn wept softly as Norm held her. Greg and Gary held hands and stared
out at nothing. Mary slumped in a corner by herself. Hunter and Lucy huddled
together and whispered back and forth animatedly.

The only people who had stayed near Drake were Father
Patrick and Toby. How could these animals lock up a kid and an old priest?

Father Patrick placed his hand on Drake's. "Don't give
up, Son. The light shines brightest after the darkest hour."

"I just need to get Ana and Sam back." He'd
already told everyone about what happened to Sam, and how Steele had altered
his mind. They hadn't judged, not really, but Drake felt responsible. If he'd been
strong enough, Steele wouldn't have been able to control him in that way.
"I came back to help, and all I did was make things worse."