something inside of me. I feel power here that I didn’t feel before. I don’t know if I can control it –”
Her act was worthy of some kind of award as she then spun away from him and shoved outward with her right palm, sending the mesh couch, the love seats, the coffee table, and the game of chess flying into the wall behind them. The chessboard shattered, as did most of the pieces. And the mesh couch was instantly engulfed in flames.
She had to be honest with herself. That had felt good.
She spun back around and leaned over his C aptain’s C hair, one hand on each arm of the seat, caging him in beneath her. He shrank back into the leather as she glared into his eyes.
“Breathe a word of this to anyone, Arthur One, and I will come for you. You have no clue as to the extent of my abilities. Fire is child’s play , ” s he told him. She leaned in even closer so that her lips were mere inches from his. “And if you think that Game Control will stop me before I get to you, just remember this, Arthur.” She smiled and she knew it looked as nasty as it felt. “If I have to, I will die trying to kill you .”
With that, she slowly rose and took a step back.
The color had completely drained from Arthur’s face and his eyes were the size of teacups .
S he’ll kill me… let her die outside the wall… good riddance … .
He was sending her outside the wall. That was good enough for her.
She turned away from him and strode out of the room. When she was in the hall beyond the mainframe lab, she expende d a bit more telekinetic energy slamming the door shut behind her and then moving at least a dozen large scrap computer parts down the hall to lodge them against the closed door.
For the tim e being, Arthur was locked in, a nd from the mess she’d made outside of his only exit, she figured it would take at least another l ight leader to get him back out again.
Once she was back in the transporter and closing the door behind her, she slumped against the far wall and stared down at the key in her hand.
Her hand was shaking around the metal key. “I can’t believe I did that,” she whispered. I can’t believe I did any of it at all. That wasn’t me. I set a man on fire. I told him lie after lie. I threatened him and stole from him and locked him in a room without food or water.
She exhaled a shaky breath and dropped her face into her hands. “What have I become?” she muttered into her palms.
You know what you’ve become, she told herself . Why else would you be able to hear his thoughts?
Tears built swiftly in her eyes , and she hurriedly brushed them away, using a touch more force than was necess ary. She felt angry suddenly, i mpatient.
“Pull yourself together Victoria,” she hissed. She never accepted regret or guilt from her team members in the middle of a Game. She w ouldn’t accept it from herself, either.
One does what one must . Max had told her that once. I t made sense to her more now more than ever before.
She pushed herself of f the wall and straightened her uniform. She smoothed her hair, touched her smoky quartz locket.
Then she strode to the transporter’s console and inserted the small key that Arthur had given her. At once, every button on the console flashed red and the transporter blurred into impossible motion.
Victoria forced he rself to take a few deep, calming breaths.
By the time the transporter slowed again and the walls solidified once more, she was feeling a little better and ready to face the next challen ge in Victor Black’s Game.
She turned toward the doors and waited. They slid open with a quiet hiss that was instantly drowned out by the mad rush of water blasting through the opening and into the transporter cube. Victoria gasped as the impact shoved her hard against the back wall. When she did, she inhaled not only air but a painful amount of water.
She coughed violently and tried to inhale again, only to get another mouth -full of water. The cube was
Her act was worthy of some kind of award as she then spun away from him and shoved outward with her right palm, sending the mesh couch, the love seats, the coffee table, and the game of chess flying into the wall behind them. The chessboard shattered, as did most of the pieces. And the mesh couch was instantly engulfed in flames.
She had to be honest with herself. That had felt good.
She spun back around and leaned over his C aptain’s C hair, one hand on each arm of the seat, caging him in beneath her. He shrank back into the leather as she glared into his eyes.
“Breathe a word of this to anyone, Arthur One, and I will come for you. You have no clue as to the extent of my abilities. Fire is child’s play , ” s he told him. She leaned in even closer so that her lips were mere inches from his. “And if you think that Game Control will stop me before I get to you, just remember this, Arthur.” She smiled and she knew it looked as nasty as it felt. “If I have to, I will die trying to kill you .”
With that, she slowly rose and took a step back.
The color had completely drained from Arthur’s face and his eyes were the size of teacups .
S he’ll kill me… let her die outside the wall… good riddance … .
He was sending her outside the wall. That was good enough for her.
She turned away from him and strode out of the room. When she was in the hall beyond the mainframe lab, she expende d a bit more telekinetic energy slamming the door shut behind her and then moving at least a dozen large scrap computer parts down the hall to lodge them against the closed door.
For the tim e being, Arthur was locked in, a nd from the mess she’d made outside of his only exit, she figured it would take at least another l ight leader to get him back out again.
Once she was back in the transporter and closing the door behind her, she slumped against the far wall and stared down at the key in her hand.
Her hand was shaking around the metal key. “I can’t believe I did that,” she whispered. I can’t believe I did any of it at all. That wasn’t me. I set a man on fire. I told him lie after lie. I threatened him and stole from him and locked him in a room without food or water.
She exhaled a shaky breath and dropped her face into her hands. “What have I become?” she muttered into her palms.
You know what you’ve become, she told herself . Why else would you be able to hear his thoughts?
Tears built swiftly in her eyes , and she hurriedly brushed them away, using a touch more force than was necess ary. She felt angry suddenly, i mpatient.
“Pull yourself together Victoria,” she hissed. She never accepted regret or guilt from her team members in the middle of a Game. She w ouldn’t accept it from herself, either.
One does what one must . Max had told her that once. I t made sense to her more now more than ever before.
She pushed herself of f the wall and straightened her uniform. She smoothed her hair, touched her smoky quartz locket.
Then she strode to the transporter’s console and inserted the small key that Arthur had given her. At once, every button on the console flashed red and the transporter blurred into impossible motion.
Victoria forced he rself to take a few deep, calming breaths.
By the time the transporter slowed again and the walls solidified once more, she was feeling a little better and ready to face the next challen ge in Victor Black’s Game.
She turned toward the doors and waited. They slid open with a quiet hiss that was instantly drowned out by the mad rush of water blasting through the opening and into the transporter cube. Victoria gasped as the impact shoved her hard against the back wall. When she did, she inhaled not only air but a painful amount of water.
She coughed violently and tried to inhale again, only to get another mouth -full of water. The cube was
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