Talent Storm (24 page)

CHAPTER 11

For two days, we scouted our second target, the stationary gun outpost on Yellowstone Road. It was the road that led to Goldwater’s palace and was heavily guarded. Even though I didn’t talk about our split, I didn’t see how it was making us safer. It seemed risky to have animosity with your partner. I did my best to get along with her for those two days and the two after when we planned our strike. We didn’t fight, but we barely talked. I didn’t know how long I could keep it together though as my emotions stomped around in my brain. At least I’d have the mission to distract me.

We hiked for several miles until we arrived at an alley near our objective. I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants, eyeing the huge guns. Lilly gasped and pointed. I wheeled around. A guard entered our alley, then turned to walk away from us. After taking a few steps, he stopped to light up a cigarette at the outskirts of the compound. What a disgusting habit.

Before I knew it, Lilly snuck up to the man with her serrated knife drawn. I sprinted forward and smacked her arm away, just as the knife neared his throat. She scowled at me, taking a step backward. When the guard spun around, I punched him in the head before he could see us. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Lilly stared at me, mouth set in a thin line, her arms crossed.

“I don’t want to kill, unless we have to,” I said.

“What about when he wakes up? Our cover will be blown.”

I bit my lip knowing she was right. I let my emotions get in the way of my judgment. Despite my mistake, I wanted to win the argument. I felt like we were closer to adversaries than partners. “We’ll just finish the mission quickly before he wakes up.”

She frowned, uncrossing her arms. “It’s safer to kill him.”

“But it’s not necessary.”

“Stop acting like a baby,” she said.

I recoiled at her tone. Her anger was poison spreading through my veins. “I’m a baby, just because I don’t want to kill needlessly?”

“No, because you’re letting your emotions get in the way of the mission.”

I clenched my jaw, my breath accelerating. I was but didn’t care. “Yes, getting dumped is hard. You chose the military over me, just like my parents did.”

Her brow furrowed. “Your parents were heroes.”

“And now they’re dead.”

She huffed. “We have laws for a reason. It’s selfish to break them just because we want to.”

“My parents broke the rule. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t exist. Do you think all laws apply in all situations? That they should be blindly followed? Weren’t you the one who questioned the new amendment?”

She looked down and away. “Yes....” She whipped back to face me again. “We need to be responsible though. Coalition interests come before everything. They know what they’re doing.”

I scowled, shaking my head. “Are you sure? I don’t agree with striking preemptively. We should have defended if Liberty Kingdom attacked.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s smarter to strike first. The high general was elected by the Talented because he knows what he’s doing.”

“With this course, we promote violence.”

She exhaled, shaking her head. “Why are you here if you don’t think it’s just?”

I locked her eyes. “Why? I’m here for you. I’m here because I’ll
always
support you. I’m here because I love you. Nothing else matters to me.”

Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her chest. “Really—”

Suddenly men were shouting.

“What?” I whirled around, looking for threats. “Lilly, your illusions are down.”

“Oh no! I lost focus.”

“Can you hide us again?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. A telepath is disrupting my talent.”

I heard a whirring sound and looked up. My jaw dropped. One of the stationary guns was now pointed at Lilly. Any anger I felt vanished.

I leapt in front of her as a loud bang rang out. A massive bullet ejected from the gun in a bust of flame, then smashed into my glowing chest. With a grunt, I flew by Lilly before slamming into the brick wall behind us. The wall groaned and then collapsed. Bricks tumbled down, smacking into me and burying me in darkness.

Lilly screamed, her voice shrill. “Jaden!”

After I regained my wits, pain assailed my body. I opened my eyes, then blinked them reflexively as dust stung them. I felt drained, my talent weakened. Barely managing control in my battered state, I mentally rolled the bricks off to either side. Now uncovered, I looked down to survey the damage. A six-inch wide lead bullet lay flattened against my chest. I nudged it, and it thudded on the ground. Taking a deep breath, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I grimaced. Damn. I guess I had some broken ribs. With a groan, I slowly pushed myself up, feeling weary and broken. My head spun, threatening to spill me on the ground again, but I managed to steady myself.

“Jaden!”

My eyes shot toward Lilly. Five guards sprinted toward her, weapons ready. I gasped as the other two guns sprang to life, wheeling to face her. All of a sudden, talent surged inside me, annihilating my fatigue and erasing my pain. Radiating a brilliant green, I leapt to my feet, breathing hard. I located my explosive device and flipped it at one of the guns. It collided and exploded, the gun shearing apart in a mass of flames and smoke.

In the control booth, a man mashed buttons as his eyes bulged at me. When he glowed green, he began to shout wildly. I jerked my finger, and his neck snapped. He fell backward, limp.

Although it sickened me, I no longer had the luxury of compassion. Pulling forth my great mace, I sprinted toward Lilly just as the five men reached her. She blocked a blade, then another. A third sword sliced toward her. She raised her knife in defense. The sword ricocheted off, and the flat side of it struck her head. She crumbled on the ground.

No! After I reached her, I swung Peacemaker in a wide arc at the lead man. He howled as his bones shattered, his chest crumpling. The momentum of the strike sent the man sprawling into the other four guards.

I readied my mace again as the guards regained their footing. Three charged me, grim expressions on their faces. The fourth sought Lilly as she strained to rise. The three men’s weapons lashed out in turn at me. My mace whipped up and blocked the attacks, but it was a struggle to defend against the barrage. I knew I had to end this fast and help Lilly. Could I defend myself and save her? I didn’t care. I did my best to protect my body from the three men’s attacks while focusing on the control booth. My talent activated the nearest gun and aimed it at the man about to strike Lilly.

I grunted as a sword slipped my defense, slicing into the unprotected flesh of my shoulder, just below my leather armor. Burning pain destabilized my control. Terrified, I deflected blades with a new vigor. Lilly’s attacker lifted his sword above her body, preparing for a killing blow. Intense panic scared my pain away, returning my control. My talent depressed the gun’s trigger button. A loud bang resonated. Just before the sword slashed through Lilly, the man’s chest exploded. His sword clattered on the ground, five feet from her body.

Now that she was out of danger, the others were doomed. With a flip of my wrist, the one on my left lifted into the air before smashing through the control booth window. The other two wide-eyed men turned to run. They had seen us. No amount of mercy could cause me to be stupid enough to let them escape. I sparked my talent, focusing on the control booth. The two remaining guns targeted the men, then fired. The large caliber bullets ripped both men in half simultaneously. Their limp, torn bodies collapsed in pieces.

I raised my glowing hand. The two remaining guns twisted before targeting each other. I nodded. With a deafening bang, both guns exploded. Lilly stood, weapons drawn, gaping at the devastation. We did it. It was time to leave.

I turned back toward the alley and gasped. The man I’d spared stood ten paces from me. Now that he’d seen me, he had to die too. Regretfully, I grasped for my talent, ready to crush him. Just as I was about to strike, he pointed at me. Talent swept over me, destroying my control. My eyes shot open as my heart lurched and slowed. My vision grew blurry, my head swimming. He was a bio. I panicked, attempting to defend the attack.

I failed. He was too powerful in my weakened state. Lilly was right. I should have let her kill him. After my heart slowed further, I knew I would die. I’d die alone, estranged from Lilly, never to see her again. The realization stunned me, increasing the urgency of my defense. I poured everything into my salvation, but it wasn’t enough. His talent was a charging rhino, and I was a child in its path. My legs crumpled, spilling me to the ground. When the world darkened, I imagined kissing Lilly one last time.

☼☼☼

Sometime later, the world began to materialize around me. I sensed my talent hugging my heart and matching its rhythm before fading away. Could it have? It must have. It had restarted my heart on its own.
Nifty.
My vision focused and everything became clear. The bio lay ten feet away, covered in blood. At hearing sobs, I turned to my right.

Lilly cried with her head lowered. “Jaden, Jaden. I’m so sorry. I should have chosen you.”

I groaned. “You still can.”

She jerked her head up, eyebrows raised. Upon seeing me, she broke out into a wide smile, her eyes puffy and red from crying. “I thought you were dead. Your heart stopped. I gave you compressions, but you weren’t responding.”

“I didn’t want you to feel like a failure, so here I am.” I grimaced as I struggled to breathe, the pain in my ribs working against me.

She threw herself on top of me before kissing me all over. Ignoring the pain in my chest, I smiled.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was just trying to do what was right.”

“I know. I’m sorry too for the way I handled it, but I can’t live without you,” I said honestly.

She squeezed my hand. “We’re a team, and I’ll always be on your side from now on. I love you too. To the Wilds with that rule.”

My smile grew as I felt warmth spread though my body, like sunshine on a rainy day. She loved me. We were a team again. “I nearly died to hear you say that... it was worth it.”

She giggled, her tense shoulders relaxing. She kissed me softly, her lips caressing mine before pulling back. “The way you saved me today was amazing. It showed me how much you love me.”

I propped myself up on my shoulders. “I’m glad you finally recognized that.”

She eyed me, smirking.

I glanced at the dead man I’d previously spared. “But you saved me too.” I didn’t like it, but I’d have to be more selective about my compassion from now on. “Let’s go, partner, before reinforcements come.”

She smiled, helped me up, and pulled me away from the destroyed guns. My eyes caught a backpack lying next to one of the dead guards, and I hesitated.

“One second,” I said, pulling my hand away.

I jogged to the backpack before slinging it over my shoulder. Hopefully it would contain something useful. Together, we ran back down the alley to our campsite.

☼☼☼

Later that night, we sat outside the tent in our headquarters. Lilly had since sewn up the sword wound I took. There was nothing to heal my cracked ribs with though but time.

Shaking my head side to side, I frowned. “I never wanted to murder anything. Now that I’ve justified it a few times, I’m worried it’ll become normal.”

“No,” she said, gently touching my thigh. “You’re one of the most compassionate people I know.”

“One of?” I asked scrunching my face.

“I mean the most.”

I smiled, then cast my eyes skyward. “That was really close today, for both of us. I knew sabotage would be dangerous, but I had no idea how dangerous. I’m worried we’ll die.”

“I’m worried too. Let’s work together and finish this last mission. I know we can do it.”

“I don’t know. I can’t lose you,” I said softly.

“You won’t.” She kissed me on the cheek, her warm lips lingering.

Sliding closer, I put my arm around her shoulders before meeting her eyes. For a moment, I admired her big brown eyes. I wanted to be with her forever. “We should leave.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head, her blond hair swaying.

I pulled away to face her and laid my hands on her thighs. “Let’s leave Liberty. Let’s start a life somewhere else, away from the war.”

“Where would we go?”

“Anywhere, there’s plenty of free land. With your talent, no one would ever find us.”

She nodded, then pressed her fist into her lips.

My heart thumped as I waited for an answer. I knew she was dutiful but hoped for the best. She looked deep into my eyes, hers quivering back and forth. My hope surged until she glanced away.

“I want nothing more to be safe with you, but we made a promise. We have a duty to complete our mission. We’re going to save Coalition lives. My parents are still in Rapid City, Jaden. I shouldn’t run, but if you ask me again, I will.”

Lowering my head, I shook it. “No. You’re right. I’ll stay for you and the people we care about in the Coalition. Let’s be quick about it.”

Her dark eyes met mine before she nodded. “I’m all for the safety of Rapid City.”

“Not entirely safe,” I said while staring off.

She waved her pale hand in front of her chest. “Oh, I’m sorry. Ben. Damn them. That’s why we need to fight to make the Coalition safer.”

“It’s all right,” I said while rubbing her shoulder. “You’re right. Let’s finish this but not tonight.” Reaching behind her back, I pulled her close for a gentle kiss and then a deeper more passionate one.

She pulled back, fluttered her eyelashes, and brushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear. Suddenly she pushed me on my back before pinning my arms. I gasped in surprise and delight. She lowered herself before brushing her lips against mine. I smiled as she began to nibble my neck. I was so relaxed that I never expected her to tickle me. I jumped, giggling as her hands moved madly about me.

I tried to swat her hands away. “Enough... my ribs.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

When I caught my breath, I winked at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m tough.”