dead. His apartment burned down last night. We are heading to our last location now. What is your status?>
I bit my tongue hard. Every death hurt like a physical blow, in a way that I couldn’t explain. The men seemed sad, but not quite as affected by the news.
“Trickster is dead, too,” I replied. “We have Tempest. He’s a little tired, but uninjured. We’re heading back to HQ.”
<
Entendido
, Trance. I will contact you when we have located Frost. Onyx out.>
I slipped the Vox back into my belt with shaking fingers. Half of us dead in two days; it didn’t seem possible.
Gage’s hand curled around mine and squeezed tight. “Your heartbeat just spiked,” he said softly. “You okay?”
“No, not really.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder, mourning the deaths of my old schoolmates. Each one tore at my heart, and I wanted it to stop. If it hurt so badly to lose five people I hadn’t seen since I was ten, how would it feel to lose one I hadback in my life? To lose Renee or Marco or Ethan or William? To lose Gage?
We had to find Specter and quickly. I couldn’t lose them, not when I felt needed for the first time in my adult life. Needed and part of something. Able to make a positive difference.
Even if it was only temporary.
Nine
Meltdown
F ull physicals from Dr. Seward seemed to be the standard greeting for new Rangers. He was waiting for us on the roof of the Base when we landed, and his team whisked Angela’s body and Ethan off to the Medical Center. During the flight, my state of nausea doubled. It had stayed in check while we were airborne, but as soon as my feet touched solid ground, my stomach twisted. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and concentrated on that pain as I followed Gage off the roof. I wanted to lie down and curl into a ball until the queasiness went away.
“I’m sure Dr. Seward will want a full report as soon as he’s done poking and prodding Ethan,” he said once we were in the elevator.
“No doubt,” I said between clenched teeth. I leaned against the wall, concerned by the sudden lavender haze that tinged the corners of my vision. Just like when I overloaded fighting Specter. Not good.
“Teresa, are you okay?” He was staring at me.
I pasted on a fake smile. “Just a little overwhelmed. Long day, and a lot of bad news.”
“I hear that.”
Yeah, I bet he did.
The elevator stopped on ground level, and we stepped out into the lobby.
“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” he asked.
The offer was endearing, but no. If I just lay down for a while, I was certain I’d feel better. It was a powers hiccup, nothing serious. Mostly I wanted to get back to my room without vomiting. That weakness was reserved for me and no one else.
“Actually, I’m kind of hungry,” I said, and hated that I was lying to him. “Tell you what, why don’t you run ahead and make sure the kitchen is cooking something? I’m going to stop by the ladies’ room. There has to be one down here.”
He smiled. “Are you ever not hungry?”
Right now, very much not hungry. If he scanned carefully for my heart rate, he’d know I was lying. I grinned back. “Call it a job hazard. Now go, I’ll catch up.”
“I’ll save you a seat.”
I waited until he passed through the outer doors, leaving me alone, and I then collapsed to my knees, arms tight around my middle. Chills and shivers sent goose flesh crawling across my neck and back. A strong shudder tore along my spine and sent cramps into my midsection. The lavender haze turned the green rug a strange shade of brown. I closed my eyes.
“Help me,” I whispered.
If I couldn’t get a handle on this, Dr. Seward would strap meback into a hospital bed, and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be an experiment, tested and examined until they found their elusive answers to my problem. Crippling cramps and purple vision were pretty damned big problems, and meant days—if not weeks—of testing. I didn’t have that
I bit my tongue hard. Every death hurt like a physical blow, in a way that I couldn’t explain. The men seemed sad, but not quite as affected by the news.
“Trickster is dead, too,” I replied. “We have Tempest. He’s a little tired, but uninjured. We’re heading back to HQ.”
<
Entendido
, Trance. I will contact you when we have located Frost. Onyx out.>
I slipped the Vox back into my belt with shaking fingers. Half of us dead in two days; it didn’t seem possible.
Gage’s hand curled around mine and squeezed tight. “Your heartbeat just spiked,” he said softly. “You okay?”
“No, not really.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder, mourning the deaths of my old schoolmates. Each one tore at my heart, and I wanted it to stop. If it hurt so badly to lose five people I hadn’t seen since I was ten, how would it feel to lose one I hadback in my life? To lose Renee or Marco or Ethan or William? To lose Gage?
We had to find Specter and quickly. I couldn’t lose them, not when I felt needed for the first time in my adult life. Needed and part of something. Able to make a positive difference.
Even if it was only temporary.
Nine
Meltdown
F ull physicals from Dr. Seward seemed to be the standard greeting for new Rangers. He was waiting for us on the roof of the Base when we landed, and his team whisked Angela’s body and Ethan off to the Medical Center. During the flight, my state of nausea doubled. It had stayed in check while we were airborne, but as soon as my feet touched solid ground, my stomach twisted. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and concentrated on that pain as I followed Gage off the roof. I wanted to lie down and curl into a ball until the queasiness went away.
“I’m sure Dr. Seward will want a full report as soon as he’s done poking and prodding Ethan,” he said once we were in the elevator.
“No doubt,” I said between clenched teeth. I leaned against the wall, concerned by the sudden lavender haze that tinged the corners of my vision. Just like when I overloaded fighting Specter. Not good.
“Teresa, are you okay?” He was staring at me.
I pasted on a fake smile. “Just a little overwhelmed. Long day, and a lot of bad news.”
“I hear that.”
Yeah, I bet he did.
The elevator stopped on ground level, and we stepped out into the lobby.
“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” he asked.
The offer was endearing, but no. If I just lay down for a while, I was certain I’d feel better. It was a powers hiccup, nothing serious. Mostly I wanted to get back to my room without vomiting. That weakness was reserved for me and no one else.
“Actually, I’m kind of hungry,” I said, and hated that I was lying to him. “Tell you what, why don’t you run ahead and make sure the kitchen is cooking something? I’m going to stop by the ladies’ room. There has to be one down here.”
He smiled. “Are you ever not hungry?”
Right now, very much not hungry. If he scanned carefully for my heart rate, he’d know I was lying. I grinned back. “Call it a job hazard. Now go, I’ll catch up.”
“I’ll save you a seat.”
I waited until he passed through the outer doors, leaving me alone, and I then collapsed to my knees, arms tight around my middle. Chills and shivers sent goose flesh crawling across my neck and back. A strong shudder tore along my spine and sent cramps into my midsection. The lavender haze turned the green rug a strange shade of brown. I closed my eyes.
“Help me,” I whispered.
If I couldn’t get a handle on this, Dr. Seward would strap meback into a hospital bed, and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be an experiment, tested and examined until they found their elusive answers to my problem. Crippling cramps and purple vision were pretty damned big problems, and meant days—if not weeks—of testing. I didn’t have that
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