Aurora Rising (19 page)

“Council woman Chealyn, all our strategists believe, and I concur, that these attacks are training runs and exercises to prepare for a major attack on a given location. They have also forced the redirecting of many lines of the utilities. The council building is on the track of some of those changes.”

“But, not all,” the portly man spoke up. “You are an alarmist. Which is understandable by what you do, but what you are suggesting is totally inconceivable. The biggest question is why would anyone attack the council?”

“That should be quite clear,” Hiymm said calmly. “Eliminate the council, get rid of the Guardians, and it would be easy to take over the world.”

***

The doors of the restaurant stood open, allowing the lively music out to greet people. A wooden boardwalk, built in reminiscence of eras past, wrapped around the building stretching onto the sand. Rough wooden tables, trees and shrubs filled with fragrant flowers completed the fun, casual feeling.

The only thing that saddened Rori was that Keyen wasn’t there to enjoy it with her. Instead, Rori drank in the cheerful happiness radiating off others and used it to boost herself.

“This is terrific,” Cassie exclaimed, catching Rori’s arm, pulling her forward. “Sansa and Ultin don’t know what they’re missing.”

“Ultin will be here soon. He just sent me a message that he talked Gennae into coming. She just had finished her shift and wanted to change first,” Bass said.

“Great!” Cassie grinned from ear to ear.

“So who’s he dating this week?” Rori asked, joining into the conversation.

“One of the med-techs. That’s how we found out about this place,” Cassie answered just as the smell of grilling meat reached them.

Rori’s stomach rumbled.

“Oh, that smells wonderful,” Cassie said as if reading her thoughts.

Bass fought to hold back a grin. “So you don’t want to take a walk on the beach first and wait for Ultin?”

Rori and Cassie exchanged looks for only an instant before turning their attention back to Bass.

“No,” they said in unison.

Though it was early in the afternoon, quite a few groups of people were scattered around the restaurant, mostly older kids who’d just gotten out of school and young families starting their weekend early. A few minutes later, Rori, Cassie and Bass were settled at a table by the open window in the corner, with their plates piled high with grilled meat, vegetables and rice.

“Oh.” Rori took a bite, savoring the combination of flavors.

“Yes,” Cassie agreed, while Bass was busy shoveling mouthfuls in like a starving man.

Several minutes passed in silence while they appeased their hunger.

“I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” Rori sighed contently.

“Training always gets me,” Bass said in way of agreement.

“Breathing makes you hungry. But, you’re right, we’ve been really pressing it lately,” Cassie said. “I wonder what’s happening.”

Like her twin, Rori didn’t need to ask what she was referring to. Her thoughts went to Keyen. She was tempted to try to reach him but knew the distance was too far. Across the practice arena had been their maximum distance so far, which was nothing compared to Cassie and Bass, who could link over dozens of kilometers.

Rori was about to comment when three girls, about fourteen or fifteen years old, approached the table while three boys hung back. Rori picked up their timidity and smiled. Cassie and Bass followed her gaze, turning their attention to the group.

One of the girls stepped forward at a nudge from one of her friends.

Rori exchanged looks with Cassie as the girl stammered out, “You’re a Guardian, aren’t you?” Her attention was locked on Bass.

“Yes,” he answered easily and Rori sent a wave of reassurance.

It was like opening a flood gate. The group descended on them, chattering excitedly as they introduced themselves and asked for pictures and autographs. Rori was taken aback by the treatment, but the excitement was contagious and it didn’t end when the group left.

Several other people brought their children up and asked if they could take their pictures with them. A few minutes later, Rori found herself holding an angelic red-haired girl on her hip. While all the kids watched with wide-eyed amazement as Bass floated a glass in the air and made it spin without spilling a drop of water.

Her happiness was shattered as a high powered water-glider raced up on the sand in a wave of malaise. She looked out the window as she thrust the girl into her father’s arms.

“Bass, Cassie!” she cried out even before the five men and one woman climbed out. Rori recognized the woman hypno, the tall man and the block from the transport dock and fire.

Pulling her attention from the group, she looked at the parents and the others in the restaurant. “Get out of here.” Raising her voice, she called to everyone. “Everyone get out of here, through the back. Go, now!”

“What is it?” Bass was on his feet next to her, watching the group make their way up the sand. She felt him and Cassie stiffen in preparation.

“They’re dangerous.” She didn’t know what else to say, but it was enough. Bass and Cassie were ready.

“Central.” Cassie activated her comm-link.

“Central here.”

Rori heard the answer.

“We have six unknown…” Her words stopped in mid-sentence. Rori glanced at Cassie who stood frozen, her mouth open, as if she was trying to get the words out but nothing came.

“Cassie!” Bass shouted at her.

Sluggishly, she turned to him.

Rori pushed out a shield in front of Cassie though since she couldn’t see anything, didn’t know if it would do any good. Fortunately, it seemed that along with Bass’s link, Cassie seemed to pull out of her stupor. “We are under attack.” Cassie forced out the words.

Fire burst out from a man in the middle, striding next to the woman. Rori shifted the shield pushing the fireball back toward them and it winked out. Underneath them, the ground shook. Behind them, screams erupted from the people who hadn’t left the restaurant yet, not understanding they really were in danger.

“Get out of here,” Bass ordered and this time they moved, though many stumbled and fell when the ground shifted again.

“Who are they?” “What do they want?” The panicked questions were uttered behind them. Immediately, Rori knew the answer to the last question. They wanted them. They wanted her. Fear tugged at her. She pushed it down.

Another fire bolt shot out. This time, Bass and Cassie blocked it by sending a planter in its path. The thick clay exploded, sending shards and dirt in all directions, making even the rogues duck, but the attack didn’t stop. Luckily, the last of the people made it through the doors that led into the kitchen and out the back.

Behind Rori, water burst from a pipe in the sink, and above all the sprinkler popped, dousing them with water. Rori flinched, barely seeing the fireball hurtling toward the front doors. She threw up a shield, but the explosion came so close that it ripped one of the doors from its hinges. Cassie tried to push it away with her mind, but her reactions were again sluggish and the edge caught her, knocking her back. Her head slammed into a pillar, and she sank to the ground.

“Cass!” Bass cried in agony and teetered, barely catching himself by grabbing a table to keep from going down.

Emotion roared through Rori almost bringing her to her knees, but she managed to intersect the next fireball which would have hit Bass, whose attention was focused on his sister. Rori blocked the explosion and sent it back at the group that scattered in an effort to avoid the burst. Both Rori and Bass used the time it gave them to reach Cassie. They pulled up her vitals on the IPI. They were strong, but she was unconscious.

“We’ve got to get her out of here.” Rori looked at Bass, his panic over his sister rose over hers for a friend, but he shook his head.

“I can’t leave you.”

Again the ground shifted underneath, feeling as if the building was being torn apart. Bass caught a piece of the ceiling that dropped toward them with his mind and flicked it to the side. “Try to give me a minute.” He scooped Cassie into his arms and, keeping in a crouch, worked across the floor to the hostess podium. The stand wasn’t very big but luckily when he opened the door underneath it, it was empty except for a shelf that had menus on it.

Rori forced her attention from Bass working his sister inside to the relative safety and focused on the group advancing on the building. There were only five on their feet now, as one lay unconscious on the ground, but it didn’t give her much comfort.

They had to hold them off until backup came. The problem was they were over-powered with Cassie out of commission, Bass’s talent, though strong, was weakened, and her talents were mostly defensive.

Rori sent her mind out to gauge feelings off them and recoiled as awful tingles races over her senses. These were all strong talents. As she read that, she also got the taste of something unsavory, unnatural. She was still fighting to recover from the feel of it when she was forced to block the next burst of flames that erupted near the front door. Almost simultaneously, the room shook around them.

Bass staggered in gaining his position by a pillar near an open window, locking onto an airscooter, he flung it at the group. He caught one man unaware, and immediately the shaking stopped.

Rori sensed as much as saw the small device float through the side window. She tried to intercept it just as everything hazed under the assault of the hypno-talent. Gathering her will, she pushed back, breaking the hold, but it was too late to do anything about the stunner.

In the split second it took to go off and the fumes to reach her, she knew that just as the Hypnos’s attack was meant to distract her, the whole front attack had been a diversion to keep them busy, so that in the confusion, a telekinetic could deliver the stun bomb.

“Command…” she tried to activate the link, but whatever she was going to say was lost as she dropped to the ground. The last thing she was aware of was Bass crumpling not far away.

Keyen felt his chest tighten and Tankin shifted beside him. The outburst from the council members echoed off the walls. Like the councilmen, Keyen hated to think of the possibility of someone wiping them out to take over the world, but it made sense. Moreover, if Hiymm and Tasc thought it, then he was willing to accept it. There was no one better at deciphering patterns than Tasc. And a man that would attack a festival, for seemingly no reason the way Drasc had, would have no problem killing off the whole council.

“Commander, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem.” The voice over the comm-link was directed to Hiymm, but it was open to Keyen, and from the reactions of Tankin, Orn and Mitt, the link was open to them also. “We received what sounded like an alert from members of Keyen’s team but it was cut off.”

“What do you mean cut off?” Hiymm’s asked Keyen’s thought.

There should have been no way to cut off contact with the IPI. The next words brought Keyen fear.

“We’ve lost all contact with Bass, Cassie and Aurora.”

“All contact?” Aggravation filled Hiymm’s voice.

“Yes, sir. We aren’t receiving anything from the IPIs.”

Hiymm glanced at the two team commanders. “Go.”

Keyen didn’t need any further prompting. Breaking into a run, he left the others to follow. “Bring up the last coordinates,” he said into his link as he turned into the private underground tunnel that connected with the guardian compound.

It seemed like it took forever to reach the lifts. The high speed ride dragged on as he tried to bring up a link to Rori, Cassie or Bass, all without success. He tried to reach out with his mind though he knew it was futile. It took Rori to open the link, and they’d never been able to reach each other from any distance. Still he fought for the link, only to find none.

Ultin was already in the bay with the hoversled ready when they reached it. They barely made in into their seats when he shot out the open bay doors.

“I thought you were with them,” Keyen asked as he did up his harness.

“I was picking up my date then was going to meet them. We should be there in two minutes,” Ultin answered back.

Keyen called up the command center. “Can you replay the message before it was lost?” He fought to keep himself from counting seconds.

Cassie’s voice reached him. “Central, we have six,” then there was nothing.

“Six?” Mitt asked from the seat beside him.

Keyen was afraid he knew. Though he was trained not to jump to conclusions before he had all the facts, he’d bet his position as Guardian team lead, it was attackers just like at the festival.

Before he could answer a voice came over the comm-link. “We’re picking up a reading.”

Keyen felt a surge of hope, but when he tried to connect, there was no answer. “Patch me through,” he requested.

“We are not receiving any response. Just a reading from Cassie’s IPI, unfortunately there is no image through the viewer but vital signs are strong.”

Ultin brought the sled in for a landing. It was Orn’s hand on his shoulder that kept Keyen from rushing out before they surveyed the area, not that there was much to see except lingering evidences of destruction. Edges of the door and a window smoldered. Several pots lay shattered and a scooter twisted and bent. Weapons ready, they made their way up the front path.

“Mitt?” Orn said his second’s name in a way of question.

“I’m picking up tendrils of strange, latent talents,” Mitt, a strong talent reader, answered. “The area is cl …” he broke off. “There’s talent reading.”

Keyen motioned for Tankin and Ultin to stay outside and followed Mitt, as he took the point, going into the restaurant. Around him the group checked that it was clear. There was no sign of Rori or the others. Keyen wanted to yell and demand to know where they were, but his only consolation was they weren’t laying on the floor injured or dead. He wasn’t sure how much comfort it was. He froze when Mitt swung back to the front of the restaurant.

“I’m picking up a reading,” Mitt scanned the area, “but can’t see.” His eyes came to rest on the hostess podium, and he moved forward.

Keyen was shocked, as were the others, when Mitt pulled open the door and revealed Cassie crammed inside.

“Cass.” Mitt was already kneeling beside her, running a scan by the time Keyen crossed the three steps to her.

“We need a med-team,” Keyen said to command.

“Already on the way.” A voice came back.

“How is she?” Keyen came down beside her.

“She seems to be in some kind of coma.”

“No sign of the others,” Orn announced what Keyen already knew.

“Keyen,” Ultin called from outside.

“Go,” Mitt said when he hesitated. “I have her.”

Keyen was torn at leaving Cassie, but he had a responsibility to find out what happened there and more a need to know where Rori was. Ultin was waiting for him just outside the door, behind him stood a group of young teenagers, shifting around nervously. Tears trickled down one girl’s face and they all stood holding hands.

Keyen turned his attention to Ultin. “What do we have?”

“They said they’d been talking to Bass, Cassie and Rori, when all of a sudden it sounds like Rori told everyone to go through the back and get out. Before they could, things started to burst and shake. Everyone in the restaurant made it out except our team. One of the boys snuck through the shrubs to get a look. He saw this group approaching the building from the beach, then another man sent something in through a side window, and there was an explosion. After that, they just walked in and came out a minute later carry Bass and Rori. They both seemed to be unconscious. They got in a high speed watercruiser and left. The boy ran back to his friends. They were debating what to do when we showed up.”

Keyen nodded, watching the med-transfer land. A group came out from it, but his attention was out over the water. Somewhere out there Rori was taken. He tried again to reach for her, though he knew it was useless. Frustration crested through him. He was afraid he knew who. The question was why was she and Bass taken?

***

The fine mist spraying up from the powerful watercruiser stirred Rori awake. Still it took a full minute for her mind to clear and remember what happened. She tried to sit up, only to realize her arms were restrained behind her back. Her view was limited to the white, padded seat just a centimeter from her nose. Shifting a little, she caught sight of the clear blue sky but nothing else. When no acknowledgement of her came, she shifted onto her back.

At first, it gave her little more information, but craning her head to the side, she saw Bass on the seat across from her. His eyes were closed, but there was a steady rhythmic quality to his breathing that reassured her.

She twisted on the seat again. Pain arched through her shoulder. Either she’d hit it when she passed out or her captors dropped her on it. She became aware of the weak pulse of a headache above her left ear. Rori ignored it to look at her captors.

The first one she discovered, lay almost below her on the floor between her and Bass. He was unconscious or dead. He was so still she wasn’t sure. She tried to reach out with her mind and find out, but nothing came. It took quite an intent study before she finally picked up the faint movement of his chest.

“She’s awake.”

The comment drew her attention to the front of the craft and the people clustered there. The weak pounding in her head rose to a hum. She winced as pain and nausea hit her.

“Good. We’re just about at the dock.”

The words reached her as she fought to quell her stomach. As soon as the group looked away, the effects eased to a faint almost whistle more than a pounding. A second later, the craft bumped lightly against the dock. The action brought a stirring from Bass.

“Get them up.” A block of a man gave the order. Now that her head had cleared Rori recognized him from the transport dock the first day she arrived at Rae-Isis. “Get Pims to the med-lab,” he directed two men, as a woman walked toward Bass pulling something out of her pocket.

Rori tried to reach for her as she pressed the hypodermic against Bass’s neck and almost fell off the seat.

“Now, none of that.” The tall skinny man grabbed her shoulder. “We don’t want you to get hurt. Mr. Drasc has been waiting to meet you for a very long time. He has special plans for you and won’t want you all bruised up.” The man laughed at his own reference and the block snickered behind him, making Rori’s insides crawl.

The woman beside Bass shot them a disgusted look. “You two are so juvenile.”

“What? You’re just upset Drasc didn’t think you were suitable to be his Empress.” The tall man smirked.

“She’s not going to be his empress. Just one of his incubators,” she argued.

Rori froze and the next comment from the tall man made her sick.

“We’ll see. She’s awful fine and he’s really intrigued with her.”

“She’s a freak. Just barely got her talent,” the woman snapped back waspishly.

“Intel said they figured she’d been suppressing it.”

The woman started to say something, but the block cut her off. “Get going. He’s expecting us. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

Rori noticed Bass was now alert, and by his expression, he had heard what they’d said. There was no use struggling when they were pulled up from the seat and onto what ended up being an enormous dock. At least ten smaller watersliders, like the one they were brought in on were tied there and a large, stately cruiser. Rori studied them a second before focusing on the path that led up the hillside. At the top of the knoll, just visible over the thick foliage and backed by the sun, she could see the outline of a massive estate. One end of the house loomed out over the cliffs that rose from below, extending out over the water like a scavenger bird watching for prey. Rori recognized the structure from the picture she’d seen in the briefing on Drasc Creed.

A shiver went up through her. She wasn’t surprised to be there. They knew he was behind what was going on. She just didn’t know how Keyen was ever going to find and rescue them.

Any hopes of delaying their captors on the long hike up the hill so they could plan an escape were squelched when they were led into a passage way burrowed into the hillside. The tunnel was long with polished metal sides and two rows of lights running in parallel bands at the apex of the ceiling, which was twice as tall as Rori.

The woman took the lead with the block and the tall man flanking her and Bass. The only sound was the click of the woman’s heels echoing off the walls.

Bass bumped her shoulder and Rori glanced at him. His eyes ran over her and she got the meaning, he was wondering if she was all right. She nodded and returned the gesture and received an affirmative nod from him.

They walked, what Rori figured was at least three-hundred meters into the hill before they came to a lift and were ushered in. The hum in Rori’s head grew, and she couldn’t hold back the wince of pain. Nausea rose within her.

It was with relief for Rori when the doors opened, and they could step out. The humming eased, though it stayed higher than it had been before. Still, it didn’t keep her from studying the area.

An enormous courtyard stretched out at least the size of their practice field. A colonnade ran around all sides with huge columns extending up two floors. The courtyard looked like it was split into two areas. Half was a garden that beckoned for relaxation. The other was not much different from the training room back at Guardian headquarters.

Rori was so busy studying the surroundings, she almost missed the approach of a small rodent-like man. His eyes flicked over her. Rori tried to read him and got nothing, but the whine in her head surged to a roar.

“Mr. Creed said to put them in the room until he finishes the debriefing then he’ll see them.” The man turned and led the way along one of the sides. “Wasn’t there supposed to be another woman?” Rori heard him ask the woman in front.

“We couldn’t find her. She must have gone out with the people in the restaurant as they were escaped out the back. It doesn’t matter. This is the one he really wants.”

Even without being able to use her talent, Rori had no problem picking up anger off the woman and what she actually thought was jealousy.

“Testy, Faen.” The man smirked.

The pounding in Rori’s head flared, making her stumble. She would have fallen if it wasn’t for Bass’s quick reaction. Using his body, he wedged her against the column they were passing until she regained her balance.

“She’s hurt?” the man snapped in what sounded like fear.

The whistle in her mind reached a crescendo, and she weaved on her feet again.

“She was not to be hurt.” The rodent shuffled anxiously.

“It must be effects left from the stunner.” The tall man reached to steady her.

Perspiration broke out on her brow as Rori fought down another wave of nausea. It subsided as soon as the man released her. She leaned toward Bass, finding whatever plagued her seemed to lessen close to him.

Thankfully, not much farther down the row a door was opened and they were ushered in. Once over the threshold, the door slid closed behind them. There was no need to check if it was locked.