A minute later, Zap was back. A small bucket of water followed him through the wall, setting itself down at Kel’s feet. She released Jax. After clenching and releasing her hands a few times, she grabbed the bucket. Sending a quick glance at Zap, she turned her body to face Jax. This was it. She mustered all her courage. “I’m ready, Zap.”

Jax held out his hand to Zap like he was greeting a business partner, but his eyes stayed on Kel.

She prepared herself to throw the water in his face, but the instant Zap made contact with Jax’s hand, a thought hit her. If she threw it and Zap was in the line of fire, it would short-circuit him, too, maybe kill him. So instead of acting right when Jax’s eyes turned cold and his mouth set itself in a hard line, she hesitated.

That split-second delay was just the opportunity the creature in Jax’s body needed. His arm flew out, knocking the bucket out of her hand, sending it flying to the other side of the room. Water splashed onto the floor, but none of it reached where they stood. Not a drop had hit him. And now it lay empty.

Before she could react, he lunged for her, tackling her to the ground. She cried out and tried to crawl away, but he rolled her onto her back and pinned her down between his legs.

“Zap! Help!” she screamed. Her hands felt weak, useless against him. “Get more water!” The bucket flew up into the air, and Zap disappeared with it through the wall.

Struggling, Kel managed to slap Jax in the face. He grabbed her wrists and shoved her arms to the ground. Water, she thought. If she could get leverage, maybe she could roll him across the room into the puddle. She wondered if that would do the trick. She wasn’t sure whether it had to be in his face or how much liquid it required.

She fought, but she wasn’t strong enough to budge him—especially when he had the upper hand. His face darted close—only a few inches from her own. She flinched. Something flared behind his dark irises. Something utterly inhuman. She shivered.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“I must escape,” he said. There was a mechanical quality to his voice. It was subtle, but the undertone was entirely alien to her.

A wave of fury built up inside her. “But you are the ones who imprisoned us!” She spit it his face, hoping the spray would do the trick that the spilled bucket of water hadn’t. He blinked but otherwise ignored the saliva that spattered his face. Her heart sank when she realized her desperate attempt hadn’t worked.

His eyes flared. His hands left her wrists, but an instant later, they were around her throat. She gasped when they tightened, cutting off her air supply.

Images swam in her mind as she struggled to think of a plan. Zap still wasn’t back, and she had no idea how long it would take him to get water. How much time did she have before the lack of oxygen affected her brain? A minute? Two? Think!

But all she could think about was water. Pools of water swam in her mind. A broad ocean, its gentle waves lapping the shore. A waterfall, its roaring current crashing and flowing into rivers. The stream in the woods and the countless times she’d waded in it. Through all the images, she clawed at Jax’s strong hands with the stumps of her nails. She couldn’t pry them away. Her throat burned.

She fixated on the spilled puddle at the other end of the room. So close and yet so far. Her hope trickled away, as elusive as liquid in her bare hands. Water.

Her vision grew fuzzy. Something swam in the distance, beyond Jax. She blinked. The movement was still there. Tiny glittering orbs floated up from the ground. Suddenly, she realized what it was. Water. Droplets of the spilled liquid were rising into the air. That’s it! Her heart pounded.

Directing all her energy into one sharp thought, she beckoned the water upward. It pooled then trailed into the air. The drops turned to streams, and the streams intertwined into one swirling chain of water. She felt her consciousness slipping, and she struggled to keep control. The channel of water charged toward her then curved toward her shoulder. With all the force she could muster, she flung the liquid in Jax’s face.

He spluttered and blinked. For an instant, she wondered if it was an involuntary physical response or a reaction from the creature inside. But his grip around her neck slackened a little. Jax’s eyelids flickered mechanically. His hands released her and fell away. His pupils rolled back, and his weight fell on top of her. She gasped and coughed, the fresh air burning her throat. After a minute, she rolled his limp form off of her and fell back onto her back.

She closed her eyes, finally feeling the relief of pure air in her lungs. She was utterly exhausted. She wanted to roll over and go to sleep. But their task wasn’t finished. She couldn’t rest until they were home…really home.

She pulled herself upright, turned to Jax, and put her hand on his face. “Jax, wake up.” She brushed his damp hair off his forehead and noticed, for the first time, a bright red handprint on his cheek from where she’d slapped him.

 

 

~

 

 

Jax blinked. He felt disoriented. His cheek was sore. He was dripping wet. That last part made sense. “It worked?”

Kel took a ragged breath and nodded.

Something wasn’t right. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

He frowned, searching her eyes. Something went wrong? “What aren’t you telling me? What happened?”

She sighed. She stood. “Before I could act, you knocked the water out of my hand. Then you were on top of me.” She let out a shaky breath. “There for a bit, it was a little scary.” She touched her throat delicately. “I guess we’re even now.”

He felt a pang in his chest. “I tried to kill you?”

She nodded. Shook her head. Shrugged. “The Primary. You know.”

He scrambled to his feet. He remembered the viciousness with which that thing had attacked him. He couldn’t imagine the same force wielding its will over his own body. The idea that he’d hurt her in any way lodged itself deep into his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He looked down at his hands. These had tried to strangle her?

“I’m so sorry.”

She nodded. “I know. It’s not your fault.”

Jax threw a glance around the room. The bucket was gone, and Zap wasn’t there either. “What did you do? How did you—” He trailed off, following her glance to the puddles of water on the floor.

“When you had me in a choke-hold, it dawned on me that I could use my telekinesis to collect the spilled water and channel it at you.” A faint trace of a smile crossed her lips. “It worked.”

“Wow. Good thinking. So where is Zap?”

“He went to get more wa—”

The wave creature emerged with the bucket, buzzing and flickering like it was insane.

Jax put out his hands. “Whoa, hold on, Sparky. We don’t speak zap, remember?” The bucket zoomed over to him, and he grabbed it. The spray can flew into the air toward the blank wall. Frantic writing appeared, even sloppier than normal. Zap flickering fiercely.

 

WHEN THE PRIMARY WAS EXTINGUISHED, ALL OF US FELT THE LOSS OF ITS PRESENCE.

 

Jax frowned. “Meaning?”

 

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WILL DO.

 

Jax’s heart beat faster. “We still have to free Kel,” he said, shooting a look at her.

 

YOU MUST HURRY. THEY ARE COMING.

 

Jax clenched the bucket tighter. Zap floated toward Kel.

Jax took a deep breath. He planted his feet. “Okay, Zap. I’m ready.”

Kel held out her index finger. The wave shot into her hand. As soon as the Tertiary was activated, she darted toward Jax, a snarl curling her lip back. He might have shuddered at the expression on her face if he hadn’t been focused on his task. As requested, Zap zoomed to the other end of the room. Jax took a step forward, dumping the water on Kel just as her outstretched hands were about to close around him. She blinked a few times. Then she fell.

He swooped down to catch her before her head hit the ground. She was barely out of his hands when a loud droning buzz filled the room. He spun around. A horde of shuddering electric waves entered from every wall, surrounding them. They flickered and sparked angrily.

Zap stood apart from the rest, hovering in the gap between the two humans and the alien species. He flickered and buzzed in staccato bursts. He seemed to be communicating with the others. Jax wondered what explanation would neutralize the fact that their leader had been killed. Would they turn on Zap and take him out first? Or would they convince him to turn sides and ally with his own kind once again? If that happens, what will happen to us?

Up to this point, the only injuries he and Kel had received were minor. But that was before the order to kill. And with the Primary gone, what would stop them from taking it even further? He had no doubt the waves were capable of killing him. The human body could only withstand so much electricity.

Electricity…That’s it! Suddenly, Jax realized what he had to do. If he followed Kel’s example, he could save them. They’d have no way of getting back home if he killed the aliens, but at least they would have a little longer to live. But if he took out Zap along with the others, they wouldn’t even make it out of the room. His heart sank. For it to work, Zap would have to be alive. Jax’s only option was to aim for the other waves, hope he could get them all before they saw his plan, and pray that when it was all said and done Zap would keep his promise. He sucked in a breath, hoping that despite those crappy odds, it just might work.

Jax focused on the water on the floor. Mentally he willed it to rise. But after several seconds of nothing, he started to panic. He squinted and strained at it, but it remained motionless. His power was gone? Something must have happened when the Primary was deactivated. Without his power, there was no hope.

Jax’s knees went weak. He sank to the ground and scooped Kel up into his arms. Touching her face, he begged her to wake up. Her head rolled, and she groaned. “Kel!” he whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. Her gaze fell around the room, at the sea of waves surrounding them. The room buzzed with an overall hum and flickered with sporadic bursts of blue. She groaned, a pained expression tugging at her features. “We didn’t make it in time?”

He shook his head.

“No,” she breathed. She clung to him. He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

The room went silent. All buzzing and flickering ceased. Jax felt all metaphorical eyes in the room on them.

With Zap at the lead, the horde of waves converged on them. There was a jolt of electricity, and all went black.