Chapter 24

I didn't respond to David's comment. How do you respond after a conversation like that? 'Hey, I know we just had a tense philosophical disagreement over the morality of taking another's life, but you want to grab a coke?'

Inside we found Ms. Parker in the same cot, still unconscious, and detached from any fluids. Edwards scuttled around just outside the circle. He carried what looked like a small plate and a brush as he walked around Ms. Parker. Garrison stood with his arms crossed, his faded blue eyes fixed on Ms. Parker.

Jessica and Erica stayed near one of the tables bordering the room. Jessica leaned against it keeping her arms crossed and resting her chin in one hand while Erica sat on top of the table, her legs dangling over the edge as she leaned back onto both hands.

David went to a different table where he continued cleaning his weapon. I walked towards Jessica, keeping my eyes on Edwards.

"What'd I miss?" I whispered into Jessica's ear as I took my place beside her.

Jessica continued watching Edwards as he worked, her brow furrowed and biting her bottom lip. Her mind buzzed with information as she studied the doctor's actions.

"Hey Jessica, you with me?"

She jolted as she drew herself back from her deep thinking, "Huh, what? Oh yeah," she muttered.

I nodded, "I concur."

She looked at me confused, "What?"

"Exactly. What's the doctor doing?"

Jessica hesitated, "He's, uh," she paused, "he's painting runes on her." I attempted to peer closer and could now make out the strokes of Edwards's fine brush made strange marks on Ms. Parker's exposed skin. The runes covered her body including her legs, stomach, arms, and face.

I regarded Jessica as she made mental notes on the shape and spacing of the runes. "Have you seen a spell like this before?"

She glanced at me, and I sensed her consider what to tell me, which was odd in and of itself, "Not exactly," she began, "but I figured it wouldn't hurt to pick up some thaumaturgy tips here and there right?"

Jessica was keeping something from me. She'd been keeping something from me for a while now, but she wasn't sure when she could tell me. It couldn't be now. Especially since-

I concentrated and let go of the mind gaze. It was her secret, and she would tell me when she was ready. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I infringed upon her trust.

Which brought about the question, why was I gazing into her mind?

Up until the last few days, I was able to diminish my mind gazing to where I occasionally received an indication of where someone focused their attention. I registered surface emotions, sure, but that's far from glimpsing at underlying motives and secrets. Over the past few days, I put in increasingly more effort to ignore the thoughts and emotions of others. Now that I thought about it, I had also been using my abilities more often as well. These past few days must have affected me somehow, altering the power and control I had over my powers. I needed to figure out exactly what was happening and how to deal with it soon, or something bad might happen.

Actually, I think I could scratch off the 'might'.

My thoughts were interrupted by Edwards's chanting. I abruptly lifted my head and saw the doctor in his stance, his voice cutting across the silence. The runes on Ms. Parker began to glow bright violet. Its intensity increased with each passing second, but I didn't notice a change in the supervisor's condition.

Edwards gave a final cry as he gave a push of energy into the spell. An echoing boom resounded around the storage unit as light now emitted from Ms. Parker appeared to consume her body. After a few seconds the light began fading until the marks only glowed faintly.

Edwards kept his stance and continued mumbling words I couldn't quite hear. I, along with everyone else in the room, focused my eyes on Ms. Parker. We waited silently for a few seconds, the only sounds to be heard were the faint mutterings of Edwards. Then, Ms. Parker's eyes flew open and she let out a deafening scream as her body spasmed. Erica, Jessica, and David all covered their ears from the sudden shriek. I had been moving to do the same when I sensed the intense surge of pain from Ms. Parker. Her nerves felt like they were on fire and left to burn. Her body tried to shut down and pull her unconscious, but the spell kept her from doing so.

The sheer intensity of her anguish caused my vision to blur. My hands moved from my ears to my head as I redoubled my efforts to shut out all outside emotions and sensations. Even as I did, I became disoriented and lost my balance.

The pain receded and I opened my eyes to find myself sitting on my butt as Ms. Parker continued screaming and writhing. Her head and appendages strapped down to keep her from falling off the cot and out of the circle. After several long seconds her scream lessened to a pained moan.

I felt an arm on my shoulder and saw a concerned Jessica looking down at me. I gave a dismissive wave to try and reassure her, but she wasn't convinced. I began standing up but felt a surge of wooziness. Jessica helped steady me, and I nodded my thanks.

Jessica's gaze lingered for a few moments before turning back to the commotion occurring in the middle of the room.

The stress from the spell diminished and Ms. Parker stopped screaming, instead gasping for air as if in shock. After a minute or so, she attempted to lift her head but was met with resistance from the leather strap. Ms. Parker let out a haggard cough as she scanned the room. Her brown eyes focused on Edwards, and she mumbled between heavy breaths, "Who are you, and why did you bring me here?"

I had to give her credit. Despite her predicament she held herself together enough to make a decent scowl.

Edwards ignored her and continued muttering. Garrison walked over into her field of vision. "Evening Ms. Parker," he greeted her calmly. Ms. Parker's scowl turned to him and she opened her mouth to speak.

Garrison held up a hand and beat her to it, "I apologize for your current situation, but time is a factor, and the opposition is carrying their plans as we speak. I will, however, answer a few of your questions. Regarding who we are, we are the ones who extracted you from your office. We are not a part of any known branch of government enforcement, nor do we officially exist. As to why you are here, you were wounded and needed serious medical attention. We couldn't take you to a common hospital because the terrorist cell that targeted you has many spies. Also," he made a gesture of confession, "I have a request for you."

Ms. Parker continued her strained breathing, "You address me as if we are colleagues," she took another breath, "If that's the case, then why am I bound?" Her eyes narrowed with suspicion and disbelief.

Garrison let out a breath of his own, "It's a safety precaution for the procedure you are currently undergoing. We are preventing your body from succumbing to unconsciousness, but if anything were to cross the circle that surrounds you, it would all be compromised." He hesitated, "Full disclosure, I'm not exactly sure what would happen."

Ms. Parker didn't seem to buy it, "I don't see any equipment," Ms. Parker noted angrily, "which means you've likely introduced a drug concoction of some sort into my system. What did you use?" She then looked back at Edwards, "And what is he doing?" she finally noticed the faintly pulsing runes on her body, "What is this?" she gasped.

Garrison kept a level gaze, "We didn't introduce any drug into your system. In fact, we replaced the blood you lost in the struggle and patched you up. He," Garrison emphasized as he nodded towards Edwards, "is the reason you're still alive, and why we are able to have this conversation."

"What is he saying?" Ms. Parker asked, strained.

"I don't know," Garrison answered flatly. "Now, it's time to move on."

Ms. Parker focused her scowl back onto Garrison, "Ahh yes, concerning the Icarus project no doubt." She winced, "I'm guessing you want full access to its capabilities to help you combat this 'threat' you're afraid of?"

"With all due respect ma'am," Garrison began, "I don't want control of the Icarus project."

Ms. Parker raised an eyebrow.

"I want to destroy it."

Ms. Parker scoffed, "Excuse me?"

"I want you to order an air strike on the base."

The supervisor looked over Garrison as she reevaluated him, "You realize you're talking about destroying government property worth hundreds of millions of dollars?"

"Ms. Parker," Garrison said, impatience creeping into his voice, "the cell that attacked you earlier this evening is intending to use that 'government property' to strike at foreign countries hoping it will bring the United States into conflict with the most developed nations on the globe."

"Information may have been leaked about the Icarus project," Ms. Parker conceded, "But the U.S. government is still in complete control. The site is locked down, the door itself near impenetrable, and even if they had the weaponry necessary to breach the door, it would take a sizable force to overrun the base. A force that no intelligence agency has found evidence of existing."

"You underestimate the enemy's capabilities," Garrison insisted. "Otherwise they wouldn't have almost captured you."

"Almost," she muttered.

"Because we intervened," Garrison pointed out. "Tell me Ms. Parker, would it take any more than the security keys of the supervisors and their handprints to activate the drones?"

Ms. Parker opened her mouth to retort then shut it without speaking as she continued to think.

After a few moments of silence Garrison asked, "Ms. Parker?"

"Who is 'the enemy'?" Ms. Parker asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Who are they?" she repeated. "It's a simple question. What I witnessed tonight was nothing I'd ever seen before." Her eyes glazed as she remembered, "They didn't just shoot. They shrugged of bullets, broke my men's backs with single strikes, and throw the corpses thirty feet with no effort." She shivered, "And when they howled, it was inhuman." She blinked back into the present, "I can only assume this terrorist cell has access to some sort of enhancement serum. Something to increase their soldiers speed, strength, and durability." She looked inquisitively at Garrison, "Do you know which government developed it or what the formula might be?"

Garrison considered his answer.

"Who is wasting time now?" Ms. Parker asked annoyed, "If you expect my trust, I need to receive some."

Garrison kept quiet for a few more seconds before nodding. "Of course," he agreed. He then spoke calmly as if reciting a report, "The group that attacked you is led by a man named Bavarious Degrada, he is in charge of espionage operations here in the Midwest for the organization known as the Red Court. He and his men are a part of a subhuman species that have been known to exercise abilities far exceeding those of the average human."

"Did you say subhuman?" Ms. Parker asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Garrison confirmed dismissively. "They have been acquiring information and equipment to assist them in their own private war. Now they are making their first major move against the United States government."

"How are you certain they are not human?"

"Because I've dealt with them before," Garrison snapped, frustration now evident in his voice. He took a breath and explained more calmly, "These creatures are commonly called vampires and they-"

"Vampires!" Ms. Parker scoffed incredulously.

"Yes Ms. Parker," Garrison repeated, "but we need to stay on task. The men and women at the Icarus facility will be unprepared for what is heading their way." He then added under his breath, "or what has likely already arrived." Garrison continued, "We need to destroy the equipment and recover the schematics. There isn't time to move it, so you need to order the airstrike and clear the area before we have an international crisis on our hands."

The supervisor searched for deception in Garrison's eyes. A few tense moments later she let out a haggard breath, "Lord have mercy on me because I believe you." She then closed her eyes and shook her head, "Unfortunately that doesn't change the fact I can't order an airstrike on the base housing the Icarus project."

"And why is that?" Garrison queried in a critical tone.

Ms. Parker opened her eyes, "As I'm sure you know, there are others above me who need to green light such an attack, and they will need an explanation-"

"We have an explanation," Jessica muttered under her breath, finally breaking her silence.

"-and evidence-" Ms. Parker continued.

"What, a destroyed building isn't enough for you?" Erica added in a sarcastic whisper.

"before they would allow such a strike to happen," Ms. Parker insisted, "and even though I may believe your story, it will take more convincing to call for a bombing on US soil."

Garrison regarded her for a moment, "I'm sure you can be persuasive, but if you're unsure, there's one more thing you should know." He leaned in close to her ear without crossing the circle and whispered something.

When he drew his head back Ms. Parker's eyes went wide before narrowing as she looked intently at Garrison, weighing her options. "Alright," she agreed, "I will make the call. I just need a phone."

Garrison nodded, "Strapped to your right shoulder. You can remove your restraint by unlatching it with your hand," he gave a small smile, "but you already knew that."

The corner of Ms. Parker's strained face seemed to curl into a smile. Without looking she used her fingers to unlock a small latch on her restraint before slipping her hand out in a fluid motion. She then reached and pulled the cellphone from its Velcroed spot on her shoulder. Even as she did, I could notice her hand now trembling.

"Can we really trust her?" Jessica whispered skeptically. "She may just try to tip someone off about what we're doing."

Eric shrugged, "If she does, at least they might reinforce their base before Degrada arrives. Otherwise, I heard Garrison and Edwards talking. The spell blocks her vision past ten feet, so she wouldn't have any valuable information about her surroundings." She then added, "In other words, her call can only help us, or so Garrison thinks."

Ms. Parker had pressed several numbers in the flip phone with a slightly trembling thumb. She hesitated before beginning the call, "The hangers housing the drones are underground," she informed Garrison, "An airstrike won't damage anything unless the overhead hanger bay doors are opened." She pressed one more button and held the phone to her ear, "But I'm sure that won't be an issue," she muttered. After a few seconds she spoke, "Forrester base, this is Emily Parker. Clearance level seven. Access code Delta, Foxtrot, Two, Zero, Five. I'm requesting a-"

Something on the other side cut her off. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked up at Garrison when she answered, "I'm safe, but what of the Icarus Project?" She pursed her lips, "Patch me through."

Garrison made a motion to put it on speaker.

Ms. Parker complied and as she opened her mouth to speak, the sound of gun fire and an alarm blasted from the small speaker. "-overrun!" A female voice yelled through the chaos, "I repeat, We are being overrun!"

"What is happening out there soldier?" Ms. Parker asked sharply.

"What's happening is we're being slaughtered ma'am," the voice responded, their voice threatening to crack from anger or fear.

Ms. Parker gave Garrison a knowing look before asking, "Can you identify your attackers?"

"Yeah ma'am. I identify them as sick bloodthirsty little fuckers!" came the excited sarcastic reply. We then heard them yell, "Get more barricades in front of those doors! I see tables and chairs over there, and lord help me if someone doesn't get over and use them!"

Someone shouted a confirmation and we heard sounds of banging and scraping between the blaring alarm.

"Soldier, do you have access to the drones?" Ms. Parker asked. "If so, you can manually disable them by-"

"Sorry ma'am, but they've already taken the hangars," the voice replied grimly. "We're holed up in the hangar control room, and even from our position here I can see them inspecting the drones."

"We're sending reinforcements to your position," Ms. Parker informed her.

"Well unless they're the ones banging down the door, I don't think they'll be here in time," she said grimly.

Garrison walked over to Ms. Parker's side, still outside the circle, "Soldier!" he barked, "What's your name?"

"Sergeant Briggs sir!" came a firm answer.

"Sergeant listen up! Do you have access to the controls for the overhead hangar doors?"

"Yes sir!"

"They're after the drones. We're ordering an airstrike to destroy the base and keep them from getting their hands on them."

There was a brief pause, "Alright," Briggs sighed, sounding resigned, "You want me to open them for the airstrike?"

"No!" Garrison responded sharply, "The airstrike is too far out. They'd be able to launch the drones before the airstrike arrives."

There was some more shouting from other voices. "Shit!" Briggs swore. "They've got a welding torch sir! We've got eight to ten minutes before they come in!"

I couldn't help but sense the irony of the sergeant looking to Garrison for orders. David holstered his pistol and packed up his equipment, signaling us to do the same.

"Sergeant stay with me!" Garrison ordered, "I need you to disable that control panel!"

The four of us scurried around putting together and checking our equipment. I grabbed my goggles and gloves before making a pass around the room and more or less did a quick scan for what looked useful. I picked up two combat knives, three glow sticks, and a small roll of duct tape.

"Hate to break it to you sit, but our tech guy had his spine ripped out-"

"I'm asking you sergeant dammit, not someone else! Now are you wearing gloves that cover your hands?"

"Yes sir!"

"Do you have a knife?"

"Always sir!"

"Good. Now open the access panel underneath the hangar bay controls."

"Affirmative." The sound of sliding metal just faintly heard over the surrounding commotion. "It's open sir."

"What do you see sergeant?"

"Wires sir."

"Good. Now grab a handful and cut two inches off them."

Faint satisfaction laced their voice, "Copy that sir."

I already reached the passenger side of the van. David in the driver's seat. Erica moved in a controlled flurry as she continued grabbing miscellaneous electronic equipment from open containers.

"Good work sergeant. Now take the pieces with you and find another place to hide and barricade yourself in. Help is being dispatched as we speak. Ms. Parker I need some GPS coordinates."

David started the van and the door of the storage unit rolled open while Erica finished closing her backpack and ran to join Jessica in the back of the van.

When the doors slammed closed, screeching tires drowned out everything else as David slammed the vehicle in reverse. The force threw me into my seatbelt as the van propelled into the night. The van spun as David pulled it into a tight turn. He shoved it back into drive, and we sped out of the lot, barely making it through the still opening gates.

We hit the road hard and fast, the brights of the van the only thing illuminating the otherwise empty road before us. I looked over and watch the speedometer continue past one hundred and twenty miles per hour. A part of me was surprised at the rate of travel, while another was surprised the van could actually reach such a speed so quickly. I thought about mentioning it to David but stopped when I saw his brooding expression, eyes narrowed and jaw set.

I sensed his anger and determination over a loss of his past. He was going to make it this time. He was going to make a difference this time.

I blinked as I watched the road, our surroundings made of dark fields that stretched out into the night only split up by the strip of road that continued over the flat landscape. David's emotions evoked memories of my own past, and I couldn't help but think.

This time I could make a difference.

This time.