Wild-born (36 page)

“Adrian, behind you!” Derrick’s voice rang out through the corridor.

I spun around, instinctively ducking at the same time. A jet of bright orange flame shot over my head. About fifteen yards down the corridor stood a pale-skinned man with thin, light brown hair that extended past his shoulders. He was wearing the same white shirt and pants that were issued to all psionics in this place. In my panic over Dr. Kellogg and the auto-destruct system, I had forgotten to keep track of the pyroid.

William was drooling at the mouth, and his feet were unsteady as if he was drunk or hadn’t walked in a long time. He let out a low roar and, from his outstretched arms, shot another flame at me. I jumped into the air, levitating myself against the corridor ceiling as the fireball flew under me. Dropping to the floor, I returned a telekinetic blast which knocked him slightly backwards, but I could do little to hurt him at this distance.

Then I noticed his wrists. William was still wearing his control bands! I ducked back into the lounge as another flame shot by. William would be here in a moment. If only I could drain him, there would be no need to fight. But I didn’t know his identification number. His bracelets would be stenciled, but too small to read at a distance, and I wasn’t about to lift up his sleeve to check his tattoo.

“Derrick!” I yelled hysterically. “Lock the control bands! Lock all of them!”

“I can’t!” Derrick shouted back. “All I could get were the doors and elevator. I have no control over the bands, or the destruct, or anything! I’m locked out of half the systems! Adrian, the bands can still be controlled by the remote controls that the doctors carry.”

“I don’t know his number!”

“It’s 37. Be quick, he’s coming!”

There was no other way out of the lounge. The only other exit, which led to another corridor, had also caved in. I rushed back to where Dr. Kellogg lay trapped under the concrete slab. He was clearly dead. I looked in the only pocket I could see, which was the front left of his shirt.

It was empty.

I reached into the small crack between Dr. Kellogg’s body and the concrete slab, extending my arm as far as it would go. I knew what the remote controls looked like. They were small and white. Dr. Kellogg usually kept his in one of his pants pockets. I couldn’t reach that far. I didn’t even know which pocket it was in. Derrick said something over the intercom, and the computer voice was speaking again too, but I wasn’t listening to either of them. I closed my eyes, knowing that at any second, William would appear in the doorway and set me on fire.

Pull it toward me,
I thought desperately.
Just like picking a pocket from a restaurant roof.

But I couldn’t do it. Perhaps Dr. Kellogg didn’t have his remote control, or more likely it was smashed or jammed under the concrete.

I turned my head to the doorway. William was standing right there, looking at me. His long hair was whipping about his face as if he was caught in a storm. He stretched out his arms again, ready to burn me alive. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind on my face too. The wind...

“It needs oxygen to burn,” said a familiar raspy voice.

I opened my eyes. William was still standing in the doorway. I saw a glint of silver at his chest, but because it was facing me, it took a moment for me to realize that it was the tip of a long blade. William fell forward, revealing the wrinkled, leathery face and fidgeting, gangly form of Ralph P. Henderson. I almost smiled.

“Ten minutes to auto-destruct,” said the computer voice.

“Come on, lad,” said Ralph, lightly stepping over William’s body and into the lounge. “It’s time to get you out of here.”

“I can’t find Alia!” I said frantically, pulling my arm out from under the stone slab and standing up.

Ralph didn’t care. “We’ve got the dreamweaver and the light-foot. They’re already going up, lad. You have to come too. Now!”

Ralph grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the lounge. I stumbled after him.

“I can’t leave without Alia, Ralph,” I said, tugging my arm free but keeping pace with him as we headed down the corridor toward the elevator. “I just can’t!”

“You can and you will! I hate to lose a healer too, but it can’t be helped. We’re out of time!”

We came to the elevator room. Both the outer and inner security gates were open, revealing the elevator doors a bit farther in. There were bodies of soldiers strewn about the place. Some were bleeding, some burned, while others just looked unconscious, probably having been suffocated by Ralph or perhaps knocked out with gas from their own grenades. Three of the dead bodies wore white coats, and I recognized Dr. Otis among them. I didn’t particularly dislike Dr. Otis, but nor did I feel sad or anything seeing him lying there. Everything was happening too quickly and none of it felt very real.

There were two grim-faced women standing near the elevator who I had never seen before, but I instantly knew by their out-of-place normal clothes that they were Ralph’s Guardians. The rest of the team must have already escorted Mr. Koontz and Janice out of the facility. The elevator doors were closed, but the blinking lights above them showed that the car was coming down to us.

“Nine minutes to auto-destruct,” announced the flat computer voice.

Ralph grinned. “It’s going to be close, but we’ll make it.”

Derrick came on the speakers again. He said excitedly, “Ralph, I think I know where she is! The video log shows someone pulling her into the other elevator.”

The other elevator? Level 11! That was where the bomb was, and the power generators, and Nightmare’s cell down farther below.

I felt my world stop turning.

I looked up at Ralph. All I had to do was follow him into the elevator and I would be free. I had once told Alia that I would protect her. But how could that promise matter now? If there was even the slightest chance to save her, then maybe... But Dr. Kellogg was right: It was too late for her. I had to get out. If I died here, what would happen to Cat?

The elevator doors opened.

I shut my eyes tightly, and suddenly I saw Alia’s face as plainly as if she were standing right in front of me. Alia, who had taught me how to block Ralph. Alia, who had saved my life in the forest... who had come running after me all alone when I had gone into town. Every breath I took I owed to her, and even if I didn’t... No, I couldn’t leave her here, even if all I could do for her now was...

“I’m going after Alia,” I said quietly.

Ralph stared at me. “You’ll die, lad.”

“I know,” I replied, surprised at how calm I felt. Ralph wasn’t causing it. What he said was true, but it just didn’t matter.

Ralph frowned. “Cindy won’t be happy, you know.”

“She’ll understand,” I said. “Tell her that I kept my promise. Tell her sorry from me.”

Ralph slowly reached out to shake my hand, but I didn’t take it. Ralph chuckled, saying, “Smart lad you are, little destroyer.”

“Goodbye, Ralph.”

I turned and ran back down the corridor.

Mr. Koontz had once shown me where the other elevator room was. It didn’t take long to get there. The single security door to the elevator room was left wide open, and I sprinted inside. On the other side of the small room was the elevator to Level 11.

It was a bright red wire cage type, like those at construction sites, but the elevator car itself was not on this floor. I hit the only button next to the door, and the motor shuddered noisily to life. I watched the thick metal cable in the shaft start to move as the computer announced that I now had eight minutes left to live.

I waited impatiently for the cage to arrive. As soon as the door opened, I jumped in and hit the “down” button. I was still barefoot, but fortunately the cage floor was lined with thin rubber padding, so I didn’t get drained. The door slid back into place, clanging shut, and the elevator shuddered once more before beginning to descend. A moment later, I could see Level 11 through the cage wall.

It was a cavern. Nearly three stories high, the vast chamber had a roughly paved floor set with what looked like an enormous boiler and a bunch of other large machines, many of which were making loud whirring and hissing noises. There were a few rusted tractor-like vehicles and drilling machines here too: remnants of the research center’s construction decades ago.

As the elevator continued its slow descent, I finally began to feel the full weight of what I had come here to do.

“This,” I muttered savagely to myself, “is why you should never make promises.”

I didn’t really mean that, of course, but I found that a little raw anger could go a long way to steadying my nerves. The calm I had felt speaking to Ralph a moment ago had all but vanished, and I could no longer pretend that I wasn’t afraid. I decided that I wouldn’t mind dying down here so long as it wasn’t for nothing. The elevator cage was nearly at the bottom now. I wondered if I really could find Alia in the next...

“Seven minutes to auto-destruct,” said the computer.

The cage shuddered to a stop and the door slowly slid open. I stepped out.

Near the elevator were stairs leading even farther down into the darkness. Did they lead to Nightmare’s holding chamber? Was Alia on this floor, or below? I decided to ignore the stairs and search Level 11.

I suspected that Alia was still being drained, so I shouted, “Alia! Use your mouth! Say anything! Alia!”

My voice echoed around the colossal room as I walked briskly between the giant whirring machines, calling her name again and again. Had I been thinking clearer, I would have levitated myself up above the machines to quicken my search, but my mounting panic was starting to impair my judgment. There was no sign of Alia or Dr. Denman.

I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Ali, if you can’t speak, at least scream something! Please just scream something!”

There was no answer. I kicked one of the machines and roared at the ceiling, cursing in frustration. There was so little time left, and I was going to die here alone.

Just as I was about to double back and head for Level 12, I heard Alia cry out, “A-yi!”

I sensed something move to my left.

“One false move, psionic, and I’ll slit her filthy throat.”

I slowly turned toward them. Standing between two bulky machines, Dr. Denman was gripping Alia’s shoulder with his left hand, and had a surgical knife pressed against her neck with his right.

“Six minutes to auto-destruct,” the monotone continued irritatingly.

Suddenly the whole room started to shake like an earthquake. I lost my balance and nearly fell over. The vibration continued for a few seconds and then stopped. Steadying myself, I looked at Dr. Denman and Alia again. There was a thin red line across Alia’s neck where the doctor’s knife had slipped. Alia whimpered, struggling feebly against his grasp. The cut wasn’t deep and there wasn’t much blood on her neck, but she still had her control rods extended so she couldn’t heal herself.

“Want to know what that is?” Dr. Denman laughed manically. “That, psionic, is Nightmare. He’s still asleep. I take it P-31 did a runner, which means it’s only a matter of time before Nightmare has another nightmare, and we get to share it too.”

“We’ll be dead long before that, Doctor,” I replied evenly. It was almost worth it to know that he would share our fate.

“Oh, you mean the bomb?” said Dr. Denman, laughing again. “I can disable that from here. As for Nightmare, it’s just a short walk down the stairs to his chamber, and then I can use my remote to wake him up.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Why don’t I?” he repeated mockingly. “Because it’d scare off your freak buddies and leave me in peace, that’s why.”

“Why did you bring Alia down here?”

“This little brat is more valuable than the lot of you put together,” he sneered as he tightened his grip on Alia’s shoulder. “Dead or alive, she stays.”

“Five minutes to auto-destruct,” said the computer.

Dr. Denman smirked. “You want me to disable the auto-destruct? Then here’s how. Point that dangerous little finger at yourself, and die!”

“You released William!” I exclaimed.

“Not as dumb as you look, are you, psionic?”

“You don’t care who dies, as long as you survive.”

“Come on, I don’t have all day. Kill yourself now, and I’ll take good care of P-46.”

“You coward!” I screamed furiously.

“Don’t you dare take another step!” Dr. Denman yelled back, pressing the knife harder against Alia’s neck. Blood started to trickle slowly out of the cut he made. Some of it dripped down onto Alia’s shirt, and some ran down the side of the knife and onto Dr. Denman’s right hand. Alia was clenching her teeth, refusing to scream.

The room started to vibrate again, though only a little.

I decided to chance it and kicked off lightly, hovering two feet over the trembling floor as I swiftly stretched my right arm forward with my palm open. I knew I didn’t have time for a focused finger shot. All I needed to do was blast Dr. Denman away from Alia. I’d hit or at least graze Alia too, but I figured that as long as I didn’t kill her, she could probably heal herself once I removed her control bands and wiped the blood off her skin.

The moment I fired, I saw Alia violently jerk herself away from Dr. Denman’s grasp. The surgical knife made another thin line on her neck, but didn’t draw much blood as Alia broke free. My blast hit Dr. Denman squarely in the chest, knocking him backwards and throwing the knife from his hands. I was pushed backwards too, but in the last two weeks, I had learned how not to fall out of the air doing this.

The tremor stopped. I landed and telekinetically pulled the knife into my right hand. The metal handle had been wrapped in surgical tape. Before I could lunge at Dr. Denman with it, however, Alia grabbed hold of me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.

I heard the computer declare that we were down to our last four minutes.

Dr. Denman had already picked himself up. He was breathing heavily, clutching his chest.

“You think this changes anything?” he leered. “I’m the only one who can shut the bomb off.”

“So shut it off!” I shouted.