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  “Would have been nice to have both doors,” said Marius as he sat in the driver’s seat. He looked at the empty space where the passenger door had been before Corva’s energy blast ripped it off the truck.

  “Would it be nice to spend the rest of your life single?” said Corva.

  She sat next to him as Colton climbed into the back.

  “On second thought,” said Marius. “Is sort of like convertible now, only different. Marius changed his mind. He likes it.”

  “I thought so,” said Corva. She winked at him.

  Marius backed the truck away from the dune and drove onto the dirt road, a fog of dust pluming up from the tires.

  “What about the other trucks?” asked Colton.

  “Dormer can handle them,” said Corva.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Trust me. He’s tougher than he looks.”

  Colton sat back in his seat and squinted against the air that blasted into the cabin from the missing door.

  Marius gave his automatic rifle to Corva, who popped out the long ammunition clip, checked the rounds, and slapped the clip back into the gun.

  “And if he can’t,” said Marius, “maybe we get to have a little more fun.”

  “You know where the black building is?” shouted Colton from the back seat.

  Corva nodded. “We found it last year. We knew about the medical facility long before—that’s the reason we set up camp so close.”

  “Right next to the hornet’s nest,” said Colton.

  “Best place to be if you need to act quickly. It makes sense that the two sites are linked. We were never able to figure out how they were moving around without being seen.”

  The truck rode smoothly down the dirt road. The oversized, off-road tires had been specifically designed to absorb the heaviest bumps, and Colton barely felt anything when one of the wheels dipped down into a large pothole and bounced out the other side.

  Marius skirted the base of a huge, rocky hill, and on the other side, in the distance, was the gleam of a black, glass-covered building.

  “That’s it!” said Colton.

  “Where’s the entrance?” asked Corva.

  Colton looked around the huge, open space surrounding the building. He tried to remember a specific landmark that Shelly drove past right before the Jeep rolled down into the tunnel.

  A few hundred yards to the right he saw the two large boulders that she had driven between right before she opened the ramp.

  “There!” he shouted, pointing at the giant stones. “On the other side.”

  Marius accelerated and drove toward the boulders. Just as he cleared the base of a mountain of jagged rocks, the black sedan careened around the other side and caught up with the truck.

  Dormer sat behind the wheel of the black car, pointing back over his shoulder. He held up three fingers, then lowered two of them until only his index finger remained.

  Marius nodded at Dormer and took his foot off the gas pedal.

  One of the black trucks sped around the side of the mountain, kicking up rocks and dirt in its wake. It barreled toward Colton and the others.

  “Don’t wait too long,” said Marius.

  Corva leaned out the side of the truck and grabbed the edge of the roof. She stood up and faced backward. Marius reached over and grabbed her leather belt to keep her from falling out. She rested the stock of the rifle in the crook of her shoulder and aimed down the long barrel.

  With a loud CRACK of gunfire, the hood on the pursuing truck exploded up into the air and flipped end over end until it smacked into the ground.

  Two armed security guards leaned out of their truck and raised their guns.

  “Corva…” said Marius, looking into the rearview mirror.

  She pulled the trigger. The driver-side front tire on the pursuing truck burst like a popped balloon and the truck veered to one side. It crashed into a small boulder—its tail end rose up into the air slammed back down to the ground. Steam spouted from the exposed engine. Two spiderwebbed circles cracked the windshield where the guards’ heads hit the glass.

  Marius pulled Corva back inside.

  “That was fun,” she said, a faint smile on her lips.

  “Lots more where that came from,” said Marius.

  He sped up and drove next to Dormer in the sedan, pointing to the two boulders they were rapidly approaching.

  “Find button,” he said.

  Colton looked up at the ceiling of the truck but only saw an overhead light. The doors on either side of the back of the cabin only had window controls and handles.

  “Here,” said Corva.

  She flipped up a small plastic covering in the center console between the two front seats and pushed a round, red button. On the other side of the two boulders, a plume of sand rose into the air, shot upward by the descending ramp.

  “Bingo,” said Marius.

  He turned the truck slightly to align the wheels with the ramp. The vehicle dropped quickly, plunging from daylight to darkness and bouncing harshly against the bottom of the tunnel as the wheels hit concrete.

  “Woo!” said Marius.

  Colton turned back as the black sedan descended the ramp. The car’s headlights flicked on automatically as soon as it was out of the bright sunlight. The silhouettes of Dormer and Haven were briefly outlined by the light pouring down into the tunnel behind them.

  “Where do we go?” said Marius. The constant whine from the large tread of the tires on concrete grew louder as he sped through the tunnel.

  “This leads to a big parking garage,” shouted Colton. “There’s an elevator that will take us up into the black building.” He turned back again and looked at the sedan. “Are you sure they’ll be okay?”

  “They’ll be fine,” said Corva.

  The tunnel disappeared around the truck as they drove out into an enormous underground parking structure. The foundations of a large building were mixed with bedrock on the far end and dark tunnel entrances lined the rough concrete walls on all sides. Powerful halogen lights in the ceiling high above shined down on the parking lot, illuminating most of it but casting other parts into deep shadow.

  Several more black trucks were parked by an elevator at the base of the building. There were a few other cars parked on the lot, the most impressive of which was a sleek black sports car that looked more like a spy vehicle than a practical automobile. Its windswept curves melded into the frame so that there were no sharp edges. The headlights were covered with black glass and the windows were tinted so dark that they practically blended in with the paint job, giving the impression that the entire car was shaped from a single piece of polished metal.

  “That’s the elevator?” shouted Marius.

  “That’s it.”

  He steered toward the foundation of the building and came to a squealing halt next to the other parked trucks. Colton hopped down out of the back seat and dusted off his jeans—a thick layer of fine powder coated his clothing. The truck was also more orange than black from all the dirt and stood out conspicuously from the other vehicles, all of which had been perfectly washed and waxed.

  Marius took a step back and shrugged.

  “Too late to be sneaky anyway,” he said.

  Corva tossed him the rifle as she walked to the elevator. Marius caught the gun easily and slipped the thick strap over one shoulder. He held it in both hands, ready to fire, while Corva inspected a small black panel in the wall.

  “How do we get in?” she asked.

  “There’s a key,” said Colton. His face turned red from embarrassment when he realized he had forgotten about the access cards.

  “You’re just telling us now?” said Corva.

  Marius looked around the parking structure with a scowl, seemingly expecting to be attacked at any moment.

  Colton watched as the black sedan drove in a large loop around the edge of the parking structure. Dormer slowed down at the entrance to each tunnel, then sped up to get to the next one. When he had
almost completed a full circle, he approached a tunnel close to the one they had first come from. The sedan’s headlights swept over a large red plus sign attached to the wall—he had found the way to the medical center.

  Colton felt a tugging from within as the car disappeared down the shadowy corridor. The red tail lights blinked out and he felt alone once more.

  “We’re going to have to force it open,” said Corva, taking a step back from the elevator.

  A burst of gunfire erupted from somewhere nearby and bullets hit the rocky wall next to Colton.

  36

  “Down!” shouted Marius.

  He grabbed Colton’s shirt collar and pushed him to the ground behind a truck as chunks of rocks fell around them. Bullets sank into the opposite side of the truck with a sharp metallic TINK-TINK-TINK.

  Corva crouched near the rear of the truck. She peeked out and more gunfire thunked into the tailgate near her head. She quickly reeled back around and looked over at Marius.

  “Six or seven,” she said.

  Marius growled. He patted the top of his rifle and spoke to it softly in Russian as if it were a favorite pet, then kissed the cold steel of the barrel.

  “Okay,” he said, looking at Corva. “How many bullets can you stop?”

  Corva shook her head. “A concentrated burst, maybe. After that they’ll go right through me.”

  Colton remembered Alistair telling him how the most powerful Conduits could absorb the kinetic energy of a hailstorm of bullets. The shells would essentially hit an invisible wall as the impacts were negated and the energy was transferred into the Con.

  He ducked as another round of bullets hit the wall behind him. Metallic PINGs echoed throughout the parking structure as the rounds ricocheted off parked cars.

  Marius nodded at Corva. “Do it fast, my little sparrow. I will handle the rest.”

  She inched to the rear of the truck and waited until she heard the security guards reloading. With a quick push, she was up and running, sprinting across the open ground of the parking structure toward a cluster of cars a hundred yards away.

  A couple of the guards had finished reloading and tracked her movement with gunfire. The bullets tore small chunks of asphalt out of the ground near her feet as she ran. One of the guards drew a bead on her head and took his time as he aimed. He pulled the trigger and the bullet hit a wall of air next to Corva’s head. It stopped an inch from her temple and fell harmlessly to the ground.

  Marius turned to Colton. “You stay down.”

  Colton nodded. He had been trying to summon an iota of his former ability by concentrating on the lights in the ceiling high above, willing his body to absorb some of their faint energy, but it was useless. He felt cold inside, and every time he thought he would be able to do something, the power shifted within him and lurched just out of reach.

  With all of the guards’ attention on Corva, Marius carefully and quietly moved to the front of the truck, and then off into the nearby shadows.

  Colton watched as if the whole event was playing in slow motion.

  One of the guards breathed out slowly and tightened his grip on his rifle. His shoulders dropped ever-so-slightly as he closed one eye to aim down the barrel of his gun. Corva’s feet pounded the ground like dull, heavy drumbeats.

  With a fluid click-BOOM, the guard pulled the trigger and a round erupted from the chamber. The bullet hit Corva in the shoulder and stuck halfway into her skin. She glanced down at it in surprise and ran faster—she was losing her ability to completely stop the bullets.

  The other guards stood up and opened fire.

  Colton saw several more rounds stop in mid-air a fraction of an inch away from Corva’s skin. She was nearly to the first car—and to safety—when one of the bullets clipped the back of her right leg and sent her spinning. A thin line of blood twirled through the air behind her.

  She hit the ground hard and kept on rolling, coming to a stop next to a green car between her and the guards. They continued shooting until one side of the car was almost completely black from bullet holes. Shattered glass tinkled lightly to the ground as they ejected magazines and reloaded.

  “Comrades!” shouted Marius from the shadows behind the guards.

  They turned quickly, searching the darkness for the new threat. Marius stepped into the light, his rifle raised.

  He winked and said, “Hello,” then opened fire.

  He swept the barrel of his gun over the guards and half of them collapsed to the ground.

  “Armor piercing!” shouted Marius over the noise. “Who knew?!”

  With the guards distracted, Colton crouched low to the ground and ran over to Corva. She sat against the side of the green car, tightly gripping a bleeding wound on her right thigh. Her dark pants were soaked with blood.

  “How is it?” asked Colton.

  “Missed the artery,” said Corva. She gasped quickly as she tried to turn and look at Marius. “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s fine,” said Colton.

  The room was briefly illuminated by a brilliant orange burst and one of the guards screamed. Marius laughed loudly.

  “Sounds like it,” said Corva.

  “Can’t you fix it?” asked Colton.

  Corva shook her head. Her white hair was messy and some of it was streaked with blood. “Dormer’s the healer. Besides, there’s nothing to draw from.”

  “Use me,” said Colton.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Don’t be stupid. You can’t wait down here while Marius and I go in alone.”

  She grit her teeth and groaned as she sat up straighter. Colton took her hand and pressed it between both of his.

  “Do it.”

  She hesitated a moment longer, then closed her eyes.

  Like thin strands of long rope being pulled from his skin, Colton felt what little warmth he had flow through the tips of his fingers. The bullet hole in Corva’s thigh sealed over with fresh skin, leaving behind a raw, ragged—but closed—patch of flesh.

  “You did it,” he said.

  She let go of his hand and her body relaxed completely. She stuck her finger through the hole in her pants and gently touched the wound.

  “Not as good as Dormer, but it will get me there.” She looked into Colton’s eyes. “Thank you.”

  Marius coughed loudly and appeared around the side of the car. “What are you two doing?” he said. “Secret meetings while Marius is taking care of all the problems?”

  Corva smiled. “How did you do?”

  Marius bent down and helped her to her feet.

  “Look around,” he said. “Marius made speed bumps.”

  The ground was littered with the bodies of the security guards. Marius smiled with pride.

  “Let’s get moving,” said Corva.

  Marius wrapped his arm around her for support and helped her limp to the wall next to the elevator.

  “Check the guards,” she said. “There will be a badge or an access card.”

  Colton knelt next to the nearest security guard and unclipped a black plastic card from one of his vest pockets. He waved it in front of the panel next to the elevator and the doors slid open silently.

  “Which floor is the machine on?” asked Corva. She hopped into the elevator and studied the metal panel lined with buttons next to the door.

  “I don’t know,” said Colton as he stood next to her. “First floor is offices, the gym is on five, training on nine—”

  “Right,” interrupted Corva. She reached out and pressed the button for the second floor. “We’ll start at the bottom and work our way up.”

  “This is usually my plan,” said Marius. “Especially with peanut butter and ice cream.”

  “Stop, man,” said Colton. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day.”

  “We find you something,” said Marius. “After we find Marius something.”

  “You two knock it off,” said Corva. “Focus.”

  As the elevator doors slid shut, Colto
n closed his eyes and tried once again to capture anything he could from the world around him—but he failed. He would be useless if the others needed to rely on him for help.

  “Corva,” he said. “I don’t know if I can—”

  “You’ll be fine,” she interrupted. She fixed him with a calm, confident stare. “Trust me.”

  Colton nodded and took a deep breath.

  The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened. A long hallway extended away from the elevator, each side lined with open doors. In every doorway stood a security guard, fully dressed in thick Kevlar body armor. Each guard carried a heavy rifle and had it trained on the elevator.

  “Oh, goody,” said Marius. “More toys.” He reached out for Corva. “Take Marius’ hand, my love. And cover your eyes.”

  She grabbed his hand tightly.

  Colton closed his eyes as the world around him turned to orange flame. He crouched in the back of the elevator as the light grew so bright through his closed eyelids that it was like staring directly into the sun.

  The elevator shook on its cable and the entire building seemed to quake. The sound of gunfire quickly faded into the background as a steady roar of churning energy filled the air.

  Colton covered his face with his arms and waited.

  37

  Haven rode in silence as Dormer sped down the dark tunnel.

  The black sedan’s headlights cast two bright circles of white light on the concrete walls. Every few hundred feet, they passed a hand-painted sign with a number—some kind of distance marker that started at ten and steadily counted down.

  When they passed a sign with the number one on it, Dormer slowed the car and stopped. He turned in his seat to face Haven.

  “Tell me the truth. How much control do you have over your abilities?”