Ch 8
Illusions of Betrayal
HG Wells was a mustache twirling super villain so her escape from limbo prison wasn't that surprising, what shocked the warehouse team to their very core was who helped her escape.
Part 2: The Turn
They walk into the office of Walter Sykes, he rolled over to them not bothering to hide the school boy excitement on his face as he held his hands out for the bracelet.
Helena held the box in her hand and pulled it out of reach. "While I do appreciate a good mystery, I do not like being kept in the dark, Mr. Sykes."
Myka moved slightly closer to Helena when she saw Sykes eyes start to turn black. She pulled her sleeve further over her covering her palm, hoping it looked like she was just nervous. She'd done undercover work in dangerous situations before and she's dealt with the craziness of the warehouse, but when she looked into Walter Sykes eyes she saw pure unadulterated evil. She knew Helena had seen it too. They couldn't take any chances if this was going to work.
Helena held his gaze though it was difficult seeing the darkness in his soul but she didn't waver. Belief can be very powerful and they needed him to believe that were on his side.
He closed his eyes and took a breath. He knew when he sought them out that they would not do anything without knowing what they were getting into.
He opened his eyes and rested his hands on his lap. "The Regents have taken things from us, things they had no right to. They want you to give your life to the warehouse and what do you get in return? Death, if you're lucky, but if you do something they don't agree with, they trap you in bronze or a imprison your mind." He paused and looked at HG "Who even knows what they would've done with your body, had Agent Bering not rescued you." He paused "The power they have they do not deserve." He said without hiding the venom in his voice.
Helena nodded and held the box out to him. He ripped out of her hands greedily and opened it. He slid the bracelet on his wrist and they all watched as it looked like strings appeared on his limbs and brought him standing upright. He took a few steps and a smile spread across his lips.
He walked over to a table in his office where he had the two maps that they had brought him laid out. They followed him over and he nodded to Marcus. "The Regents have been trying to keep the locations of these maps hidden for centuries; they are so paranoid about them that they are constantly moving their hiding spots."
Marcus brought over a black case; he set it on the table and opened it. He gently took out a piece of faded paper and placed it next to their maps. "Once all three are together they will lead us the final piece." They all watched in as the each of the maps pieces pulled together and sealed themselves with a golden light. Then a path on the map lit up, leading them from their location across the ocean into Europe and stopped at the southeast coast of France. The map enlarged itself and took them into the city of Marseilles, across more water to an island called Ile d'lf, whose only inhabitant is a prison.
"The Chateau d'lf" Helena said as the map focused on the vast fortress prison.
"Edmund Dantes" Myka said as they watched the map zoom in close
"Of course the prison made famous by The Count of Monte Cristo" Helena said with a smile at Myka. She had to admit even with their mission clear this was getting ever so exciting. They were to break into the escape proof prison.
"Can you manage it?" Sykes asked them.
"Of course." Helena replied.
"What exactly are we to be looking for once we are inside the prison?" Myka asked following the lighted path through the many passageways of the prison.
"A key" Sykes replied.
"A key?" Myka asked.
"Yes, Agent Bering. This key is something that Regents hoped no one would find. Because the key leads us the second map, the map that shows the whereabouts of the Regents most sacred treasure."
Artie joined them inside the dark vault. "She just vanished, that is what you are telling me!"
Pete tried not to look as ashamed as he felt. "Yes" he felt like a kid being scolded at school when Artie got like this.
"He's telling the truth" Steve piped in. "I saw her run into the aisle, when we got there she was gone"
"And she took the Collodi bracelet" Claudia said as walked over to them with the portable scanner in her hand. "Which means…"
"They're working for Sykes" Pete said through his breath. Myka said to trust her but each day it was getting harder and harder too. His mother took the bracelet away from Sykes because it would make him evil and Myka and HG turn around and give it back to him. If he didn't know what the hell was going on how could he trust her?
"I think it's time we bring the battle to them" Claudia said and looked at them. "Walter Sykes is the CEO of A to Z technologies; his office is in St. Paul, Minnesota."
"Are you guys getting anything?" Pete asked as he and Claudia moved through the offices of A to Z Technologies. His gun was drawn and he held a heat signature reading in his other hand.
"Nothing" Steve replied from the upper floors of the building. "Wait" he called out. "I got movement on the lower levels. It looks like a parking garage"
"Okay, we got it" Pete replied and took off running.
"Pete, wait" Steve shouted into the comm.
Pete held his finger to his lip as they approached the parking garage from the stairwell. They heard footsteps and talking. They both flattened themselves against the wall and Pete moves slightly to peer out from the corner.
He saw Sykes walking towards a black SUV waiting in the middle of the garage; his lackey was close behind him. Then his eyes widened in shock as he saw his mother with her hands bound behind her with Myka holding a Tesla to her back.
"Mom!" he shouted and ran from their hiding spot with his gun held out in front of him.
"Pete" Claudia shouted as she tried to grab him.
Marcus pulled out his gun and pointed it at them. Pete had his Tesla but these guys didn't deserve to be taken in alive. Claudia raised her Tesla at Myka, she knew her hands were shaking and she didn't know if she could bring herself shoot her.
Jane had turned around and was facing her, Myka looked to Jane with the gun still pointed at her and Jane gave a slight nod to her head both of them knowing what she had to do to keep everyone alive.
"Pete, run!" Jane shouted.
Myka pulled the trigger and the force knocked Jane against the SUV. "Get her in the car" Skyes shouted and the two guards that were following her shoved Jane's unconscious body roughly in the car.
Then Myka turned her gun towards Pete.
Claudia knew they needed to stop them, so she took a deep breath and steadied her hands. She looked around and her mind snapped to one thought. Where was HG? Then she felt a metal barrel pressed against her back and her arm reached across her and took her gun from her hands.
Pete glared at the woman that he thought was his friend, his partner and watched as she shot his mother without a second's hesitation. He leveled his gun at Myka.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Pete" her British accent broke into his thoughts. He turned to see her holding Claudia by the waist with a gun pointed at her head, not a Tesla a real gun. Pete felt the anger rising in his veins because he knew HG could kill her, she tried to kill the whole world, one person would be nothing to her.
"Pete, trust me you want to drop your weapon" Myka said keeping her eyes locked onto his.
Pete heard those words leave her lips, he remembered her post it. Trust me.
He looked into Myka's light brown eyes as they bore into his, the vibe he was getting from wasn't evil and the look in her eyes wasn't one of darkness. It was just Myka looking at him, looking through him into his heart. He dropped his gun and held up his arms.
"Good choice, Lattimer" Helena said and pushed Claudia into him.
Myka watched Pete catch Claudia in his arms she took a breath and pulled the trigger on her Tesla, the blue electric current surround them like a coil and they both fell with a thud on the hard concrete of the parking garage.
She saw Marcus' hand move to the hostler on his shoulder. "They can't follow us, leave them" Myka said worried she had spokn to quickly. "Dead bodies will draw too much attention"
"She's right, leave them, Marcus, I want to find the last piece and I don't want to waste any more time get back in the car and drive." Sykes said sliding in the passenger seat.
Myka has to work at hiding her relief; she feels Helena's hand grasp hers as they drive off. She needed her strength now to keep from looking back at Pete and Claudia.
Claudia raised her hand to her head and took deep breaths, she needed to clear her head there was something she needed to remember. She heard a moan next to her. "Pete!" she suddenly screamed and shot upright. "Pete" she said again trying to clear his mind. "Pete, wake up we need to get back to the warehouse"
"What?" Pete asked his head was pounding. She said to trust her and then she shot him. More importantly Sykes had his mother, what were they doing with her? Why her?
"Pete! We have to get back to Warehouse" Claudia said grabbing his arm to make him start moving, they didn't have much time.
"We have to save my mother!" Pete said to her.
"We will" Claudia replied. "That's why we have to get back to warehouse, like now" she said still gripping his shirt as she made him run with her outside the parking garage and down the street to their car. She already called Steve and told him start it so they could leave quickly.
"I wasn't getting any bad vibes from Myka" Pete said trying to keep her pace while his mind was still reeling about everything's that's happened.
"I know" Claudia said. "And you won't" she looked back at him with a smile. She felt her pocket to make sure it whatever it was, was still there. HG told her not to open until they were in the warehouse.
Tbc…
