23

Bethany glanced at her ComTex as she charged down the hall to Lab Section Ten. She’d left four messages. Where was Noah? He’d been erratic for the last two days. She’d tried to convince him to stop injections and let the serum dissipate. She hadn’t taken additional shots and the tests showed she’d stabilized. But he wouldn’t listen. She feared he was falling into psychosis and prepared herself to confine him if necessary. She had garnered support from top-level executive members who felt he’d grown distracted.

She keyed her way into the lab. “Noah!” No response. She walked toward the console as she scanned the area. All confinement cell walls were opaque. He wouldn’t be here without leaving a transparent wall. She turned to leave and her foot kicked something. It slid out from the other side of the console. Bethany walked around.

The hair lifted at the nape of her neck. She reached down with trembling fingers and picked up the syringe, gripping it so tight her knuckles turned white. He’d been here, and he’d never have dropped this. Not if he was in his right mind.

A moan.

Bethany flinched at the sound. Her eyes darted around. Where was the sound coming from? She charged behind the console and slapped each of the buttons to turn the cells transparent. An involuntary scream rose from her chest as the charred remains came into view. “Noah, what have you done?” She anguished over the lost Lander. But where . . .

The second cell wall cleared. “Noah!” Bethany screamed. She pressed the button to open the door and ran to her husband. She shook him. Another moan. Her trembling hand felt for a pulse, and she started counting.

Her fingers turned to ice as she ran the light diode of her ComTex across his eyes. Both pupils were fixed and dilated. She squeezed her own eyes shut as her shoulders slumped. Their time together had come to an end. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Bethany knelt beside his body, her head resting in her hands. She rocked and cried until no more tears came.

Eventually she lifted her head, sniffed, and wiped her nose. She fingered in a number to her ComTex. “Situation Alpha. Lab Section Ten. I’ll also need intubation and ventilation ASAP.”

She slipped Noah’s ComTex from his wrist, punched in a code, and slid it on her own wrist after removing hers and shoving it in her lab pocket. She squared her shoulders and stood up straight. This changing of the guard was inevitable. She loved him, but Noah had lost his original focus of enhancing the DNA of Mountain dwellers. Now she was in charge. She hoped for a better solution.

Treva exited the locker area where the women in Mojica’s forces were changing into black combat uniforms. They were rough and seasoned. She wasn’t all that small, but they were six feet and taller, dwarfing her with their size. She felt they saw her as a kid.

She carried her lab coat, plain silk top, linen pants, and crepe-soled slippers in her hand. Her normal clothing seemed such a far cry from this uniform. She looked down at herself. All black! She’d never worn black clothing in her entire life, let along big clunky boots with rubber soles. She didn’t even know how to fasten them, so she clopped along with flaps waving until she found an empty place to sit on the benches lining the walls of the staging area.

Cleon strutted over to join her. “This is some operation.” He sat down beside her and dropped his regular clothes to the floor. “I’ve never worn boots that feel this good on my feet.” He stood up and bounced in them a couple times. “It’s as though they’re a part of me. I think I could run a couple miles in these.”

“That’s because the soles are specially formulated rubber created for endurance,” Mojica said as she walked toward them. “Not only do they conform to the shape of your feet, but as the latching is complete, they seal thermally to your limbs. The boot is a composite that both breathes and is virtually indestructible.” She stooped in front of Treva to show her how to close the latches, then moved on to check on others down the line.

Treva sheepishly mimicked Mojica’s movements to close the rest of the latches. Cleon knelt in front of her. As he locked the boots onto her legs, she experienced the strangest sensation. The weight had disappeared. She looked closer. The boots were still there.

Cleon looked up at her. “So how long have you been involved with Landers?”

Treva pulled back. Fear zipped down both arms, creating a strange sensation. How should she take the question? She’d never talked with an outlander before. Was he fishing for information or trying to prove some kind of duplicity?

Cleon finished latching her boots. “You didn’t answer.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

He shrugged. “I was making conversation. I heard you say you were giving them shots to bring them out of the sleep fog. I was curious how you knew the chemical stuff.” His warm smile went right to her heart and the chocolate brown of his eyes mesmerized her. She’d never met anyone with eyes that color. Most people in the Mountain had blue, green, or faded brown eyes.

Treva looked down at her hands, playing with her fingers. “I’ve been doing my own research for quite a while.”

Cleon chuckled and moved to sit beside her. “You don’t look old enough.”

“Excuse me?” Treva set her jaw. How could she tell someone she’d just met about her secrets?

“I meant learning chemicals and stuff takes a lot of years of schooling,” he stammered. “You don’t look much older than I am.”

“I’m twenty, and I started university studies when I was . . . twelve,” she said. Someday, Cleon . . . if I learn to trust you.

He raised an eyebrow. “You must be very smart.”

She watched him looking at Selah. “Is that your girlfriend or something?”

“Her?” He motioned toward Selah. “That’s my sister.”

Treva’s heart fluttered. She relaxed. “Your sister? Well, that’s good to know.” She regretted saying it as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It made her look interested.

She wanted to change the subject. She fiddled with her hands, suddenly conscious of his body next to her. His hip kept brushing hers, sending little shocks of electricity through her thigh. She wanted to move away, but then again she didn’t.

“Are you scared?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

Cleon puffed up his chest. “Nah, I’ve been in worse situations and I didn’t have a security force to back me up.”

He put his hand on hers. Their eyes met. They both quickly looked away and Treva pulled back her hand.

Selah approached Cleon and Treva. “Are we ready?”

Bodhi followed. The all-black, form-fitting uniform combined with his muscular physique made him formidable . . . and appealing, as Selah had noted twice so far. The first time was when he bent in front of her to help latch her boots. She’d watched how to do it but having him bent down in front of her was too much to resist.

Selah liked the feel of the uniform, the way it conformed to her body. It made her feel different, almost like a warrior.

Cleon stood. “Are we going to get weapons?”

“I don’t think they’ll supply them. They don’t know us,” Selah said. She looked at Bodhi, who shrugged.

Panic flashed across Treva’s face. “I’m not going to carry a weapon. I thought we were just going to release prisoners.”

“Do you think the security guards are just going to release them?” Selah asked.

Treva gulped. “Well, I didn’t think—”

“Just like a girl not to think,” Bodhi said, smiling wryly.

Cleon matched Bodhi’s look with a complementary snicker.

Selah and Treva stared daggers at them. Over the boys’ shoulders Selah watched Mojica moving up the hall. She talked with her team and handed off some black material to each of them, then strode over to Selah’s group.

“These hoods will mask your identity,” she said. She handed them out.

Selah turned the piece over in her hand. “How do we breathe or see?”

“It’s the latest technology. Intuitive fiber. It will create holes where your eyes, nose, and mouth are. Try it.”

Cleon held it out. “I don’t think this will fit over my head.”

“It will expand as it feels the structure of your skull. Start from the top like this.” Mojica used her hands to gather the length of the tube onto her thumbs.

Cleon got both thumbs in the end of the narrow tube and raised his hands over his head. As the fiber touched his head it expanded, molding itself to his skull as he pulled it down. The fabric separated and both eyes appeared in openings, as did his nose and mouth. The hood continued to mold to the rest of his head and neck, leaving no skin uncovered.

He stared at them, wide-eyed. “This is the strangest sensation I’ve ever felt. I know I have a hood on but I don’t feel it.”

“Now get ready for this.” Mojica keyed a new appliance resting on her wrist right above her ComTex.

“Whoa!” Cleon jumped back.

The group flinched. Selah reached to steady him.

He groped in front of him, trying to touch something no one else could see. “How are you doing this?” he asked.

“Doing what?” Selah pivoted between Cleon and Mojica.

Mojica nodded. “The navigation technology. Good, I’m glad it works with outlanders. I wasn’t sure it could recognize the subtle environmental differences in our DNA.”

“Is someone going to answer me?” Selah fisted her hands on her hips.

Mojica grinned and gestured at the hood hanging from Selah’s hand. “Put it on.”

Selah stared at it for a few seconds. Could she do it? Her heart rate was already spiking just thinking about it. She held her breath and scrambled to get it on.

Treva and Bodhi also fumbled with the material but eventually got the hoods on.

Selah clutched her face as the fabric molded to her structure. “I can’t breathe. I’m going to die in here.” She was smothering. She ripped it off her head, her hands shaking.

Cleon put his hand to her shoulder. “It’s all right.” He turned to the others. “She’s afraid of things covering her face.”

Selah let out a small gasp. Tears formed in her eyes.

“The bio-structure of this material masks all Mountain technology from getting identification, a retinal scan, or even a vocal lock on the wearer. She can’t go without a hood. Mountain facial recognition would imprint her and she’d be hunted forever,” Mojica said.

“She’s a Lander’s child. They’ll chase her anyhow,” Treva said.

“I agree, but we don’t need to make it any easier for them.” Mojica ran her tongue around the inside of her cheek. She looked at each of the group, then back to Selah. “Do you need me to give you something so you’re calm until you get used to the mask? Some of our strongest guys feel the same trepidation at the beginning. It doesn’t reflect on you. It’s just a phobia of confined space.”

The words baby and sissy kept running through Selah’s head. She bit down on her lip, wincing. “Do you think it will work?”

Mojica nodded. She turned and looked down the hall. “Tiller!”

One of the men straddling a bench looked up. “Ma’am!”

“Go juice!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Tiller trotted toward them and pulled a small vial from a pack on his hip. He handed it to Mojica and retreated back down the hall.

Mojica snapped the vial in half. “Hold out your hand.”

Selah’s hand trembled as she forced it out. Mojica tapped the back of her hand with the small cylinder, then threw the empty container into a receptacle next to the wall.

Selah looked confused. “Was that it?”

Mojica smiled. “That’s all. Try the hood now.”

She trembled as her fingers gathered up the material. She took a deep breath and worked the hood down over her head. She breathed in and out several times. Her shoulders began to relax.

Bodhi watched. “Are you going to make it?”

Selah’s breathing came long and hard. “Yes, I think so. I don’t feel the material anymore. Is it still there?” She rubbed her head, feeling the smooth fiber covering her face. The oddness subsided and she peered out. She could breathe through her nose and mouth. The tremble left her hands.

“I’m turning on your face screen. Don’t be afraid,” Mojica said as she keyed the appliance.

Selah jerked. “Yikes! This is unbelievable.”

“It’s face navigation technology.” She keyed in something else. “What you’re seeing now is the map layout of Level Three Confinement. You don’t have to remember directions, just follow the map. My team is the green active dots. Guards will be red dots and the Landers will be blue dots. Unknowns are black dots.”

“What about us?” Selah asked.

“Since you’re not part of my system, I’ve keyed you four as black dots.” She tapped the appliance. “Okay, everyone. This is a look at this group.”

Facial navigations flicked on. Mojica showed up as a green dot encircled by four black dots.

“I’m a Lander. Why don’t I show up as a blue dot?” Bodhi asked.

Mojica grinned. “These suits have special blockers. The wearers are invisible to the Mountain systems, and I code in our group so each individual gets the specific signal I want them to show. It’s people not wearing these suits the systems will pick up.”

“With these masks on, how are we going to be able to tell who is who?” Selah could tell Treva, Bodhi, and Cleon by their shapes and heights, and Mojica’s team towered over them. She just needed the security of knowing where they were.

Mojica shrugged. “Transponders, and you’ll remain in a group within sight of one another.” She pointed at Bodhi. “I need you to contact the individuals we’re extracting. Tell them to be ready to go and not to make any undue movements. We don’t want to alert the guards that anything is out of the ordinary.”

Bodhi walked to the other side of the wall, dropped his mask, and seated himself on the floor with his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. He closed his eyes. Glistening moisture formed on his brow as he leaned his head back against the wall.

“How long will this take?” Mojica asked. She gestured to the meditating Bodhi.

Selah chewed her lip. “Not sure. He’s only been here a week and the Landers he’s trying to contact have been drugged for years.”

“I’ve done the best I could to bring them out of it,” Treva said. “I haven’t been able to do any testing of synaptic—”

“That’s more than I need to know,” Mojica said, raising a hand. “Just tell me how long.”

“To touch all of them, maybe a half hour.” Selah shrugged. “Maybe less.”

“Synchronize the time for thirty minutes. It will be a go.” Mojica hustled off in the other direction, leaving the group standing there.

“What did we get into?” Treva asked, noticeable fear in her voice.

Cleon moved to her side and put his hand on her arm. She smiled weakly.

“I came to find my father. Unfortunately, freeing his countrymen will have to suffice,” Selah said with a note of sadness.

“Can you do it too?” Cleon asked, looking at Selah. “Contact the Landers using your mind?”

“My link is still weak. I only get random impressions.” Selah rubbed at her chest. “I still get rumblings, like the feeling you get when thunder sounds. It hurts, but I think it scares me more than anything. I don’t understand the emotions yet. They’re different from the way we express things. If I tried to help Bodhi, I might confuse the Landers and make it worse.”

At that moment a low moan punctuated the air.

Selah spun to face Bodhi.

His hands clutched at his head. He slumped back against the wall and slowly slid over sideways to the floor.

She pulled off her mask and dropped to her knees in front of him, reaching to touch his shoulder. The contact brought a surge of power shooting up her arm and across her chest. She jerked back. “What’s that?”

Bodhi shook his head violently from side to side. He clawed at the wall, trying to gain control. “Too many. Reaching out all at once. Scared.” He snatched Selah’s arm in a viselike grip. “I need you to help me with them, but we have to bond first.”

She tried to pull away from the energy streaming through her body. It frightened her, or maybe it made her feel she’d never be the same again. Either way, she steeled herself and focused on his eyes.

Concentrate. Bodhi’s thoughts flooded her head. Feel where I am and join with me.

Selah whimpered. I’m afraid. It feels like I’m going to explode. She wrestled the expanding waves. Sweat poured from her brow, stinging her eyes. She threw her head back and clenched her eyes tight.

Relax into the wave. Bodhi focused his eyes on Selah. Let it carry you to me.

Hair matted her wet face. Selah gasped. I’m trying. It’s so strong. I feel you reaching for me. She could sense Bodhi smoothing the noise, allowing her to feel their base emotions.

Finish the connection the way I taught you.

Selah took Bodhi’s left wrist with her right hand, then gripped her right wrist with her left hand. Bodhi held his right wrist with his left hand, and his right hand held her left wrist. As they created the power grid, a surge of white energy encompassed the two of them. We did it!

Selah felt the flood wash over her. Being linked mentally with Bodhi blossomed nerve endings in her mind that had been trying to connect for the past few days. A warmth radiated from the connection. I feel like I’m floating. Her body relaxed into the energy flow as the sensations turned from random stabs and poundings to an even hum of activity.

We’ve secured the bond. Bodhi’s features relaxed. He took a deep breath and reached to hold her hand. It will be easier to focus on personal communications between just the two of us, now that we’re linked. We have no time to waste. Can you feel that?