“Why?” I inquired suspiciously. Not that I had any room to question another’s motives for betraying Toxic, but I was curious what had made Frederick defy the organization he’d once called home.
“I left the Agency because I witnessed some of their more nefarious deeds,” he answered carefully, measuring his words.
“But I thought you were a low level Talent and that you left rather than take some remedial job as a janitor or something,” I accused. Then I realized that was the story Donavon had told me. And seeing as almost everything Donavon had ever told me was a lie, it shouldn’t have been astonishing that his claims about Frederick were, too.
Frederick snorted, rolling his eyes. “Hardly. That’s what most Operatives believe, though. I’m an Elite Level Talent, actually.”
“Then why did you leave? Why did they let you leave?” I asked, confused. I’d been shocked when I’d learned Frederick had been granted permission to leave Toxic. That just wasn’t done. As an extremely low level Talent, I assumed the Agency hadn’t been too concerned about losing his gifts. But Elite Level Talents were increasingly rare and I seriously doubted that Toxic would be willing to let one go without a fight. Particularly in light of the fact they were willing to send in extraction teams to retrieve children thought to have superior powers.
“On a mission, I was exposed to some questionably legal actions, so I made a deal with the Director. I agreed to keep my mouth shut if he granted my request to leave the Agency,” he replied, rowing with a little more zeal.
“You were a Hunter?”
“Not exactly. I was an Extractor,” he admitted.
“Were you part of Graham’s team?” I wasn’t sure how many Extraction Teams the Agency had, but it seemed as if they were the bastard child no one wanted to admit existed, so I assumed there was only one.
“No, Graham wasn’t the team leader then,” he replied shortly.
I had so many more questions circulating in my mind that I wasn’t sure what to ask next. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance. A flare began blinking on the shore Frederick was paddling us towards. It blinked several times in fast succession, then went dark and I briefly wondered if I’d imagined the light. Then it came to life again and stayed lit for several seconds before going out. Alarmed, I looked at Frederick.
“It’s a signal. The guard is telling us that we’re safe to land,” he explained. Frederick picked up the flashlight rolling around at his feet and sent a reply, then directed our craft toward the flare.
A slim boy with bright yellow hair and cat-like eyes came in to view as we approached the dock. He was dressed in fatigues with Toxic’s logo sewn on to one arm. Frederick extended an oar in the boy’s direction and he grabbed it, reeling us in. The guard quickly looped the rope around a metal hook on the wooden dock before offering me his hand. I gripped the boy’s arm and let him pull me out of the boat. Alex stirred restlessly as I climbed on to solid ground, but didn’t wake.
“You’re late,” our ally declared, looking at Frederick.
“Got here as fast as we could,” Frederick replied apologetically.
“I have the car ready, but we need to hurry. My replacement will be here soon and I need you guys hidden before he does,” Yellow Hair said, gesturing for us to follow him.
We walked the short length of the dock and climbed a small, grassy hill to a gravel parking lot with an Agency SUV. Yellow Hair remotely popped the trunk and indicated for us to climb in. Frederick unhooked Alex from my back. The boy whined in protest. I took Alex from Frederick and climbed into the hatch.
There were a pile of blankets and pillows, so I used the pillows to make a bed for Alex and tucked him in. I curled up beside his small body, covering both of us with the blankets. Frederick clamored in next and crawled under the blankets with me. The guard spread several more layers of fabric over us before shutting the trunk.
Alex groped for my hand, encircling my thumb with his tiny fingers. “It’s okay, Alex,” I soothed. “I need you to be quiet and lay still for now, sweetie.”
“Kay, Tals,” he whispered in his little kid voice, snuggling closer to me.
Frederick took my free hand and squeezed. “Don’t worry, Talia. I’ve done this hundreds of times. We won’t get caught.”
I had a strong suspicion “hundreds” was a gross exaggeration. But I also knew it wasn’t his first escape, so I tried to take solace in his assurance. Being on the water had been calming after the suffocating enclosure of the Underground. Under the heavy blankets, I once again felt claustrophobic, trapped. My heart rate quickened and I began to sweat. Frederick had failed to fill me in on the details of his plan. The not knowing made me anxious. I had no choice but to trust the yellow-haired guard, so I tried to relax and force my breathing to become even. I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled out of my mouth.
Frederick’s pine-scented aftershave dominated the small space. I focused on the smell because it reminded me of Henri. He wore the same kind. Thinking of Henri reminded me how much so many people had risked for me and for Alex. The thoughts revitalized my determination. I had to escape. I had to get Alex somewhere safe. I had to rescue Erik.
Hours seemed to pass before the guard opened the driver’s side door and started the engine. The vibrations of the machine coming to life jostled us, causing Alex to whimper. I kissed his hair and sent him calming thoughts. He quickly quieted down, relaxing into his pillow-bed. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as they rolled across the parking lot.
I held my breath when the vehicle stopped and our get-a-way driver spoke to another guard. They exchanged light banter about nothing meaningful before the latter let the car continue. Soon, the road became smooth and the tires glided soundlessly, carrying us to our next destination. The guard didn’t speak as we drove, instead favoring blasting music from the speakers.
“Hungry,” Alex whispered once we’d been driving for a while.
Frederick fumbled with the zipper on the backpack and then handed me a bag full of crunchy banana chips. I extracted a handful and placed them in Alex’s palm.
“Thank you,” he replied, beginning to munch on the fruit.
“You should eat something, too, Tal,” Frederick insisted.
“I’m okay right now,” I said. Although I couldn’t recall the last time I’d eaten, my stomach was in knots and my throat was too constricted to be capable of ingesting solid food.
The car rambled along for nearly an hour before pulling over. The guard didn’t turn off the engine when he opened his door and came around to pop the hatch. Frederick drew the covers off of the three of us. Sunlight assaulted my eyes, the brightness of the day nearly blinding me. The sky was now a clear blue, without a cloud in sight. I had to squint as the orange sun burned my retinas.
Frederick climbed out and exchanged several words with the guard before gesturing for me and Alex to follow. Frederick walked around to the open driver’s door and hopped in. I thanked the guard. He nodded curtly and held the back door ajar for me and Alex. I lifted Alex on to the black leather seat before sliding in. Frederick maneuvered the vehicle back on to the deserted road to continue or journey.
I spread out a more elaborate breakfast for Alex on the seat between us.
“Where are we going now?” I called to Frederick once Alex was once again eating.
“We’ll stop for tonight at an Underground compound in Kentucky. It should take us most of the day to get there since we’ll have to take back-roads, but we shouldn’t run into checkpoints or anything,” he replied, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
“How long before we make it to the border?” I asked anxiously.
Frederick looked back again, debating what to tell me. “Since we have to take some roundabout routes, a couple of days at least, maybe more.”
I sighed. A couple of days were too long. In a couple of days, Mac might unintentionally beat Erik to death trying to coerce mine and Alex’s whereabouts out of him.
“I know you’r
e anxious, Talia,” Frederick began.
“I’m worried about Erik,” I mumbled.
“I know, Tal. But what are you planning on doing once you’re there? How does going to Coalition territory help Erik?” he asked.
“It might not,” I said evasively, not ready to share my plan quite yet. Admitting what I wanted to do aloud would remind me just how farfetched the whole idea was. The last thing I needed was Frederick confirming I was nuts. “For all I know, Crane might hunt me down and kill me once I’ve crossed into his territory,” I added.
Frederick met my gaze in the rearview mirror again. Indecision flickered in his eyes. “He won’t. Crane doesn’t want you dead.”
I could tell Frederick wanted to say more, but held back. I didn’t ask Frederick how he knew Crane’s feelings where I was concerned. Part of me didn’t want to know. My system couldn’t handle any more shocking truths for a while.
The knowledge that Crane had no intention of killing me brightened my mood slightly. If Crane didn’t want me shot on sight, I had a chance. If I could just talk to him, appeal to whatever compassion he might feel for his captured men, I had a chance.
Just after sunset, we arrived at the next stop on the Underground. To my surprise, this station was a small neighborhood. There were a handful of identical one-story houses with attached garages. Frederick selected a well-lit home with a small, red car in the driveway. He pulled next to the vehicle and the garage door shuddered to life. As soon as it was high enough for our car to clear, he entered, came to a halt, and turned off the engine.
I climbed out and stretched the kinks from my limbs before grabbing Alex and placing him on my hip. Frederick didn’t bother to knock on the door leading from the garage to the interior of the house. We entered through a laundry room that opened into a tidy kitchen.
“Whose house is this?” I asked as Frederick sat his keys and our bags on the round table in the corner.
“Mine, actually,” he said smiling. “I have homes at several of the compounds I frequent.”
Frederick showed me to a bedroom with two single beds covered in blue quilts. The room was so small that the beds and a small night table consumed the entire space.
“You two can stay in here. I can make us some dinner if you want to get settled in,” he offered.
“Thanks, Frederick,” I said softly. “Thanks for everything.” I started to get choked up.
“Talia, this is what I do. I’m happy to help, especially you.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me an affectionate squeeze before departing to make our meal.
I helped Alex get cleaned up and changed. Then I sat him at the kitchen table with paper and crayons while I freshened up. The water was warm and felt amazing after nearly a week of too-short, too-cold showers. I vowed never to take the small luxury for granted again.
Once I was dressed in clean, comfortable clothing, I joined Alex at the table. The smell of roasted chicken and steamed vegetables wafted through the small house. I was scared to look at Alex’s drawings for fear they would be more images of Erik in distress, but when I peeked over his shoulder, there were only obscure shapes decorating the pages.
“You guys hungry?” Frederick asked with mock cheerfulness as he set plates of steaming meat and asparagus on the table.
“Yup!” Alex called back, patting the table for the fork.
Frederick had cut Alex’s dinner into small pieces so the boy wouldn’t choke. I smiled gratefully as his thoughtfulness. I took my own dinner and began pushing my chicken around on the plate. Frederick chewed slowly, scrutinizing my eating habits.
“Henri says I’m a pretty good cook,” Frederick commented when he realized that I hadn’t actually put any food in my mouth.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not that hungry,” I muttered, slightly embarrassed.
“You need your strength, Tal,” Frederick said gently.
Deciding he had a point, I bit a chunk of chicken off my fork. The food smelled incredible, but tasted like cardboard in my mouth. It took all my willpower to swallow and then keep the meat from coming back up. I managed to consume half the dinner.
“Full,” Alex declared, pushing his empty plate away from him.
“Good job, sweetie,” I praised his accomplishment and ruffled his hair. “Are you tired? Do you want to lie down?”
“Story?” he asked hopefully. Leisel had included several children’s books in our things, so I agreed to read him one while he fell asleep.
I tucked him into one of the beds and perched on the edge, opening a book about a large red dog. It had taken three read-throughs before his eyelids began to droop and his small head lulled to one side. When I was satisfied that he was asleep, I turned off the lamp and went to find Frederick. He was in the kitchen, washing our dinner dishes.
“Dinner was great,” I said, leaning against the counter next to the sink.
“Uh-huh, I could tell by the way you barely ate it,” he teased.
I blushed and looked guiltily at my bare toes.
“You’re great with Alex,” Frederick said, changing the subject.
I laughed. “I have no idea what I’m doing, but he’s been through so much. I just want him to be as comfortable as possible. I know what it’s like to lose a parent.”
Frederick made a non-committal noise and returned to the dishes.
“So, you said you’re an Elite Talent. What’s your gift?” I inquired.
Frederick didn’t answer right away. His slim fingers forcefully scrubbed the remnants of chicken from a plate, the wheels in his head churning as he decided how much to divulge. “I’m a Viewer,” he finally said.
A Viewer? This just kept getting more intriguing. Viewers were extremely rare, and Elite Level Viewers were virtually non-existent. Yet, I was now in a house with two. Whatever Frederick knew about Toxic must be extremely detrimental if they let him go. I had to know what it was.
“What happened on your mission, Frederick?” I asked softly.
He cleared his throat loudly. “Kind of what happened to you, actually.”
I raised my eyebrows questioningly, prompting him to continue.
“We were sent to extract a child who wasn’t really under the jurisdiction of the Agency. Things went bad, and the child’s family and several Operatives were killed. Toxic wanted to cover it all up, and I was the only person who wouldn’t agree to that. So, I traded my silence for my freedom. I made it clear if I ever found out they were tracking or monitoring me, then I would go public with what I knew,” he explained.
“But they could have just locked you up, killed you even, to keep you quiet. Why would they just let you go?” I asked more to myself than him.
“That would’ve required a trial, a sentencing at the very least. Toxic couldn’t risk that. If I made claims about what I’d seen on the record, there would have been an investigation. And I didn’t have the balls to run away with the kid so they could spin the story and make me out to be a kidnapper, like you and Erik,” he said pointedly.
“I don’t think that makes you a coward; it makes you smart,” I replied.
Frederick gave me a hard appraising look. “I have regretted my decision every day since,” he said.
“That’s why you joined the Underground,” I replied. It wasn’t a question. After what I’d witnessed, I was ready to sign on the dotted line, too.
“Yeah. I swore I’d do whatever it took to prevent a repeat of that mission.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I reached for a folded blue towel and began drying the dishes he’d placed in a plastic rack next to the sink. We finished cleaning in silence before going into our respective bedrooms. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep. I felt useless. I wanted to take action. All this sitting around was doing nothing to help Erik. The torture I imagined him enduring likely didn’t come close to what Mac was actually subjecting him to. I felt guilty sleeping in this warm, comfortable bed while Erik was crumpled on the concrete floor of some cell. It pa
ined me to think my stomach was full of Frederick’s home cooked food while Erik was likely subsisting off the bare minimum to keep his heart pumping. I was safe and healthy and Erik was bleeding and broken.
When I became so frustrated that I couldn’t lie still any longer, I quietly left the room, careful not to wake Alex. I paced between the small kitchen and the blue couch and chair that made up Frederick’s living room. There had to be more that I could be doing right now. There had to be a way to get to Crane faster. I wouldn’t last a couple more days; I was already driving myself closer to the edge of sanity.
As I paced, my temper flared until it was a full blown inferno. My steps became faster and heavier as I began to stomp. I bit down on my lower lip and felt my incisors pierce my flesh, tasting blood. My breath started coming out in ragged gasps until I was growling. When I caught sight of my reflection in the window, my eyes had elongated. And when I opened them wider, the whites were gone; only large purple orbs filled my sockets. I looked down at my hands; my nails were now pointy and claw-like.
I tried to recall the last time I’d taken my medicine. It had been at least two days since I’d last injected myself. I had the syringes in my bag. All I had to do was get one and I could stop the change. The room started to spin until I was no longer sure which way was up. I sunk to the floor and put my head between my knees, willing myself to calm down. I was too worked up, I couldn’t get control. Part of me knew I was going to morph. The still rational part of my brain fought the transformation, but I was quickly losing touch with reality.
My arms and legs trembled, then began to jerk violently, painfully. I screamed as my bones popped and cracked, reforming themselves. My pajamas tore. I fell to the carpet, writhing in agony.
“Talia!” Frederick yelled, running from his bedroom.
With impossibly fast reflexes, I spun to locate his voice. I bared my sharpened teeth in his direction and he backed against the wall. His eyes were terrified as I advanced on him. In my mind, I was trying to speak, but the only sound coming out of my mouth was a high pitched keening.
“Tal?” Frederick asked, visibly trying to calm himself.