Chasing Shadow (Shadow Puppeteer) (27 page)

The boat docked and exiting was a slow process, starting with the girl at the front getting dragged to her feet. To avoid being bullied, a number of girls stood, but my defiance was strong. I remained sitting until the guard yanked me up and pushed me on my way. A second later, Rose tripped into me and I caught her before she fell. She gave me a curt nod.

The island was larger inside the fence. I grew uncomfortable under the hot spotlights reflecting off the sand and bouncing back in my face. The building was extremely tall and there were no handholds. How did D climb it?

Once we were lined up, a man in a suit, a shade lighter than what Draken was wearing, walked down the line. Rose and I were separated from the others and a guard stood between us.

“This one is with the Reincarta, but she no longer has her chip,” the guard said, pointing to Rose. “And this one, Belen McKnight, is with the Diablos.”

The suited man stopped at the end of the line to stare at us. Rose kept her eyes straight ahead, but I looked at him. What could he do that was worse than death? I could take a beating for my insolence and it wouldn’t change me.

“After tonight, the Diablos will no longer have a leader,” he said.

That comment stole my breath. No one came out and said that D was the leader, but I had a feeling he was. Jose and Katrina treated D with such high regard, even with that tiny piece of his mind missing. I couldn’t stand knowing he might die here.

My heart fluttered in fear and a spotlight mimicked that pulse before blowing out. It didn’t create a great deal of darkness. The fog started to press through the gate on that side. The patrollers, no longer wore gas masks, stood a little straighter, pointing their guns at the gate. There was something very unnatural about it all.

The man in front of me grew stiff too, but the anger that radiated off him said he was human. “You all act like children in the dark instead of security.”

One guard stepped forward and pointed his gun at the miserable girls. “What do you want us to do with the Berserkers?”

The silence stretched and another light burst by the guard tower. Curses flowed from the scared patrollers, but the boss stood, unmoved and the girls were too beaten to care. That same calmness wasn’t inside me. I was pissed and I wanted everyone to know.

“Take the Diablo and Reincarta down to central control. We have use for them downstairs,” the man said. He walked past us and back to the gate.

“Get moving, ladies,” the lead female guard ordered.

The line moved, but one by one with shuffling feet. Right now, I wanted to keep the world out of my head, but I needed to know if Amber and Rex got off the boat.

Dropping my shields was becoming easier. The light that weaved around me burst leaving me exposed to the shadows that lingered. The darkness was such a strong veil that it felt like I was deep underwater. The shadows had a deep purple hue that gave the living shades as well. I read people by looking at their auras, something I studied in Ms. Sable’s private library.

A gold hue followed two patrollers who remained masked. Rex and Amber were following me into this pit of doom.

T
he glass doors silently drifted open when the first guard was within distance. There were no key swipes and no guard station at the front. I couldn’t see cameras or any other means to keep people from entering or leaving. We were lead down a long expanse of sterile hall with no windows or doors.

It was all very alien and empty. I couldn’t feel the essence of the system or the people who passed through the hall before us. The prisoners’ energy and the stench of sickness followed us, but it would be wiped clean after we passed through.

There were two elevators side by side with a skeletal shaped piece of metal behind the clear glass doors. That thing had one red piece of machinery in its head that resembled an eye. It made my flesh crawl.

“I’ll take these two down,” the lead female guard said.

The elevator doors opened as silently as the front doors had and the red eye hissed as it focused. I felt it was staring right at me. The guard waved her gun, indicating that I should step into the elevator first and there wasn’t room to dispute. Since they categorized me as a Diablo, I had a feeling I was being taken to where they held D.

That red eye roved in its metal socket to follow me. Rose shuffled her feet but a few steps and she was in the box with the robot too. It felt a little less scary with another member of the human race in the small space with me. I brought my shields back up, since the last thing I wanted was for my mind to be fogged by everyone around me.

Before the doors could slide shut, Amber and Rex also came on board. They missed their chance to escape. Either they were extremely loyal to me, or exceedingly afraid of Sonya. After tonight, nothing would matter. Our survival rate was slim. I thought the woman was going to dispute it, but she didn’t.

“Lab 23-Central,” the guard said.

The muscles in my neck tightened as I stared the robot down. That red eye never roved in its metal socket to look at anyone else. It remained focused on me. I didn’t like that.

The elevator started downward in a very smooth, but slow fashion. Rex’s cool exterior was slipping. He was thinking about something as his fingers ticked against his leg. Amber’s fingers stroked the long barrel of her rifle, also in thought.

The elevator box was too pristine and perfect to be manmade. There were no screws, no lines where the sheet metal was pieced together. The light above our heads came from frosted glass that reminded me of a sunroof.

After a few moments of staring at the roof, the light started to flicker, but it wasn’t just in our box. The lights on each floor we passed were going on and off. The seconds in the dark were growing longer and longer. I counted to fifteen before the lights came back on and the flickering stopped. The dark usually enlisted fear in me, but this time, there was only calm. I was more afraid of myself than the dark.

“The main database must have a malfunction,” the guard said.

“That is impossible,” a computerized voice replied from the walls. It was surreal hearing it.

For emphasis, the lights went out again and this time, I felt the shadows twist around us. They were as real as the rest of us and if they moved any closer to me, I’d feel their touch. I wondered if Katrina was among them.

When the lights came back on, there wasn’t an ounce of shadow lingering or even slithering away. Our guard looked fairly pale, but Rex and Amber were poised and ready. It felt good knowing the woman could be startled.

“How many floors are there?” I asked.

The guard didn’t answer. We had passed at least five floors going downward, though the elevator was slow. The glass doors gave us a glimpse of every floor. The further down we went, we started to pass laboratories. There were numerous cages of various sizes, lined up while machinery with metal arms and fingers diligently worked on stringing something together. It looked like they were sewing human skin.

“Hell,” Rose blanched and pressed herself in the back of the elevator. “Reincarta help us.”

The lights flickered again and this time the elevator stopped between two floors. Electricity left the circuits and everything went dark, except for that sharp red eye that continued to stare at me.

“Attention all personal, system is down. Reboot scheduled.” The elevator informed.

The patroller slid her gun strap over her shoulder and pushed her gun out of her way. “If it reboots, the magnets will release and we’ll plummet. Lose the masks and help me get these doors open.’

A mask dropped and it was followed by another. I wondered who relented first. Rex squeezed my shoulder before passing me and even Amber gave me a light pat. Was this wolf code?

We were in so much danger; there wasn’t time to think. I took a spot next to the glass and dug my fingers into the indent. Even with all of us yanking, it still didn’t budge.

“Protective gear required for entry to this level,” the elevator voice said.

Blue emergency lights flickered on. It wasn’t a great deal of light, but it was enough to steady my vision. I didn’t prefer it. Blue light made the shadows thicker.

Frustrated, the patroller slammed her hand against the glass. “C-System, move us now.”

“Voice command not calculating. Red chambers scheduled for release in five… four…three.”

“What is the computer about to release?” Amber asked.

“Two…one.”

“What’s that? What is it talking about,” Rose asked.

I was feeling the same rush of uncertainty, but I’d be damned if I admitted it.

The guard was cursing under her breath. “Computer, we’re stuck on the bio-level. Get someone down here A.S.A.P.”

I held my breath waiting for a response, but none came.

Rose pressed ahead of everyone. “What’s that coming towards us?”

I strained my vision, but I didn’t see what she was looking at.

“There’s nothing’s there,” I said.

“Yes there is. It’s sort of drifting this way like a cloud,” Rose said.

“Shut up and get away from the glass!” The guard cocked her gun at the two of us.

“Releasing doors in five seconds,” the computer said.

“Who is working on the system?” the guard yelled.

The computer didn’t stop counting to answer. I bit my lip when she got to one and waited for the glass doors to slide open, but they didn’t.

“Prisoners have been released,” the computer stated. “All prisoners have been released.”

“What is going on out there?” the guard yelled.

“In-in-intruder-r-r-r.” The computer stuttered.

It was lucky that the emergency lights were still working because I couldn’t stand being trapped in the elevator in the dark. If I was going to die, I wanted to see my aggressor.

“It’s getting closer,” Rose said.

“I can’t see anything. Isn’t the glass double plated?” I asked.

“Just stay where you are,” the guard said.

I could see it now. Something was fluttering this way and it wasn’t something solid that could be shot.

“What’s on this level?” I breathed.

Red frost formed delicate lines across the glass. It doodled upward, lacing out like ice. It looked harmless enough.

“We need to get out of here now,” the guard said.

“She’s right; we need to get out of here. Who knows what World Congress was experimenting with,” Rose said.

The red frost grew thicker, blocking the blue light.

“We’re safe in here, right?” I asked.

In answer, the glass cracked, but it didn’t break all the way through.

“A gun isn’t going to scare those vapors,” Amber said.

My laugh was strained. “Anyone have a cigarette?”

“This isn’t the end,” Rex chastised.

“Just shut up. I’m trying to think,” the guard hissed.

I could smell the guard’s sweat. It was different from Rose, Amber and Rex’s scent. There was something more animalistic about them. I wondered what the patroller would think if she knew she was surrounded by nonhumans. Strangely, my body was too cold to sweat.

I couldn’t see the fine crack, but I heard it as the glass split further. A small chunk of glass clanked on the tile flooring.

“Is it inside?” Rose asked.

The guard shifted and lights on her suit came on. The sudden brightness burned my eyes, but I didn’t dare close them for a second. There was a very deep crack flowing up the glass with a shard the size of my pinky nail sitting on the floor.

The guard started scratching at her neck and pulling at her clothes. She was panicking.

“We need to stay calm,” Amber said.

With her free hand, the guard pulled out a small roll of tape meant to hold a criminal’s hands behind their back. It was used on me once and as thin and narrow as the pieces are, it holds pretty well.

The woman thrust the tape at Rose. “Cover the hole.”

Rose took the tape and started ripping long strands to push over the splits. For every crack she covered, it split outward into more lines. Eventually the glass would shatter. I stepped forward to help, but the guard spun and pointed her gun at me.

“I only need one person to follow this order,” she said.

Our combined body heat made the elevator feel small, yet I still wasn’t sweating. I studied the ceiling for a way out.

“Maybe if we ease the cover back, there’ll be a trap door to the roof and we can climb the wires up,” I said.

“No good. The elevator doesn’t have wires. It’s controlled by a magnet system that guides it,” the guard said.

Trying was better than nothing. “I need a boost—”

“It’s in here. For the love of World Congress, I can feel it. Can’t you feel it?” The guard’s itching became aggressive. Her nails left red welts.

The glass cracked further and Rose stepped back with the empty roll of tape in her hand. When the guard raised her chin to itch at her neck, a stream of ant like species was crawling down her jaw line and into the collar of her suit.

“Get your suit off right now,” I said.

She raised her gun at me and with the tip, indicated that Rose should get in the corner as well. “Stay back. No one is coming anywhere near me.”

Her nails dug into her skin as she itched. The welts were turning purple and she kept scratching harder until blood burst from her skin.

“Listen, you need to let us help you,” I said.

“Why isn’t it attacking us?” Rose mumbled just behind me.

If the guard wasn’t going to listen, I’d have to force her out of her suit.

“Amber, help me.”

“No way.”

“Now!”

The woman’s eyes rolled back as she went boneless and slid to the floor. I barely touch her when she started to spasm.

“Hurry!” I ordered, trying to keep her head from smacking the floor.

“It’s too late,” Amber said.

“No, we can help her.”

I was yanked away from the woman and found myself pressed against the elevator wall with a resounding thump.

“I said it’s too late,” Amber said.

She held me there until the woman took her last strangled breath. It was a tortured sound that echoed in my ears. Coldness rushed up my spine, sharper than a knife. The pain settled, but the coldness remained.