Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) (5 page)

“Irina!” yelled Ilya from outside our door. “Knock it off! Faith needs you to browse photos of cathedrals.”

Embarrassment flooded my chest and I stood up abruptly, blushing.

Jonah smirked at me. “Is he going to listen at the door every night?”

“Not if I levitate him onto a nearby roof.” I rolled my eyes, pushed my humiliation away, and reached for the door.

Chapter 5

Unfortunately for Rose and Sage, they had chosen to squat in the single most popular gothic cathedral in London, Westminster Abbey. Faith found photos of the building from my vision in less than a minute online.

Two of the cathedral’s galleries had been opened up for renovations and conversion to museum space. The rafters of the galleries made for a perfect hiding space at night—if you were the sort of person who could get comfortable there.

“So who’s going to go?” Cole massaged his palms again, still ready for action.

“I’m the best shot, so I’ll take one gun. Who else can shoot? We’ve got two targets and two guns, so we should try to hit them at the same time.” Josh surveyed each of us carefully. His dark eyes told us he’d know if we lied.

“I can shoot,” said Melissa. We all gaped at her in amazement. “What? I can,” she added bluntly.

“I’ll come. I can pinpoint their location, even if they’re asleep.” Ilya tapped his temple as though we needed a reminder of his abilities.

“Irina should come too. She’s seen the inside of the cathedral.” Josh observed me for confirmation.

Heat flooded my face all over again. I pushed the feeling aside. “And if Rose and Sage wake up, I can try to hold them telekinetically. But how do we get into the cathedral? I’m sure it’ll be locked and armed by the time Rose and Sage are sleeping up in the rafters.” I mimed a hanging gesture in a feeble attempt to communicate what I’d seen.

“I’ll short the alarm. Nellie would have done a better job, but I can manage.” Faith glowered at the ground, remembering her fallen friend.

“I can probably pull the doors open, but Cole is stronger than I am, so he should come too.” Josh nodded at Cole with new respect.

“I’m not staying here by myself. I’m as strong as the rest of you now.” Jonah stood tall next to me.

“So we’re all going?” Faith pulled out her dreadlock hair tie and fixed it in place.

“We’ll leave at midnight.” Cole glanced at his watch.

Ilya disguised us once more before we exited the stairwell of the Berwick Hostel. London was quiet and dark by the middle of the night, excepting clubs like The Incinerator. We hailed a cab on the street.

“Westminster Abbey please.” I took the front seat. My friends filed into the two facing bench seats behind me.

“Abbey’ll be closed for the night, Miss,” said the driver.

“We’re just meeting some friends on the lawn. Hard to mistake Westminster Abbey for somewhere else, right?” I said in my perkiest voice.

“Too true, Miss. The Abbey it shall be.” The driver pulled out onto the street.

Twenty minutes later, I tipped him generously—or what I hoped was generous after the currency conversion—and we scanned the lawn in front of the Abbey.

Rose and Sage could be awake, peering out the window directly at us and they wouldn’t know who stood in front of them because of our disguises. We clustered around a tree in the adjacent yard and watched the Abbey for a few minutes.

“The harpy twins are definitely up in the rafters. I’m pretty sure they’re asleep. That, or they’re meditating.” Ilya stepped out from under the cover of leaves for a better line of sight.

“What about security? Can you hear anyone?” said Josh.

“One guard for sure,” said Ilya. “Wait, hang on … It is just one. He’s grouchy about being on his own since peak season isn’t quite finished.”

We stood in silence until a man in a white shirt and black pants sauntered up to the Abbey’s front door and stopped.

“Can you hit him with the dart from here?” I asked.

“Give me a uniform like his,” Josh said to Ilya.

Josh’s clothes blurred and resolved again into a uniform exactly like the guard’s across the street.

“Make sure you guys look like you’re hanging out or waiting for someone. Don’t stare at the guard. Once I catch his attention, he’ll be on alert,” said Josh.

The older tradesman version of Josh crossed the street and greeted the guard with a handshake. Josh had the tranquilizer gun tucked into the back of his pants. We could see it, but the guard couldn’t. Josh said something as he shook the guard’s hand, distracting the man as he pulled the loaded tranquilizer gun from his back and fired.

The guard frowned with confusion and then his face melted into sleep as he dropped. Josh caught him and placed him gently in a seated position. He beckoned at us to come to him. “Faith, find the alarm first. Hurry! We can’t risk someone finding us with an unconscious guard.”

Faith lifted her hand to the door and hovered around the edge until she found something. Her hand followed an unseen line and then she slapped the wall and concentrated. A loud POP exploded inside the wall. “Should be good now.”

Cole reached out to the huge oak French doors. He pushed them open with ease. Josh lifted the guard by his arms and dragged him. When the doors were shut again and my eyes adjusted, I saw the towering ornate beauty of the dark cathedral. But like the park, there wasn’t time to linger.

“Head to the left.” Ilya led the way and we followed down a corridor to a stairwell which wound upward.

“Is this the right room?” said Josh as we emerged in an oversized attic. I squinted up into the rafters praying I would see two hanging humanoid bat shapes. It was too dark. I couldn’t see. I glanced over at the flower windows. They were the same as my vision.

“Yes, but I can’t see them. They’re not here,” I said desperately.

“I can’t see them either,” said Melissa. Her voice sounded tense.

“Ilya, are you sure this is the tower?” said Josh.

SCREEEEEEE pierced our ears as the whooshing sound of flapping wings exploded over our heads.

Josh fired a dart into the flurry of leathery cloaks beating above us.

“NOOOOoooooo!” screamed one sister as the other fell.

Melissa whipped her head up and made eye contact with the harpy still in the air. She raised her gun and fired, hitting the winged woman squarely in the chest. She went limp and fell to the ground a few feet from her twin.

We stood in shock for a moment, each catching our breath. Cole snapped out of it first and picked up a sleeping harpy, carefully folding up one wing after the other, tucking her leather appendages up against her back. With his left arm around the girl, Cole plucked a long copper pipe off a nearby pile. He wound the pipe around the winged woman forming a spiral around her body. Cole dropped her to the ground, asleep and trapped. Josh lifted and presented the other sister to Cole, who wrapped another pipe into a matching coil.

“Well, what now?” Jonah perused the restrained women.

“If Irina and Ilya are going to interrogate them, we need to wait for them to wake. And we need privacy.” Melissa nudged one of the harpies with the toe of her shoe.

“How about the roof of the hostel? We can leave them up there and tranquilize them again after the interrogation is over,” said Josh, peering upward as though we were already back in our rooms.

“How do we get them to the roof?” I asked.

“I can handle that.” Melissa swooped her arm and opened a portal.

“If you can do that, then why let us go through the production of breaking in here?” said Jonah as gestured at the space around us.

“I can’t open a portal to somewhere I’ve never been. It won’t work if I can’t visualize the space,” said Melissa.

“And you were up on the roof of the hostel?” said Cole.

“Actually, yes, I went up there when I couldn’t sleep last night. You never know when you need to make a speedy exit, so I make a point of familiarizing myself with my surroundings, always. You want to discuss this further or do you want to get the hell out of here?”

An alarm WAAAaaaiiiled from the floor below us.

“The guard must have woken up,” said Jonah.

“Not possible. More likely another guard just discovered him,” said Josh.

“All the more reason to get going,” said Cole.

He picked up one of the winged women and marched into Melissa’s portal. Josh followed Cole with our other prisoner. Faith, Jonah and Ilya all followed in turn until just Melissa and I remained.

“Do you think we can really impersonate Rose and Sage well enough to fool Ivan and Tatiana?” I said.

“I think it’s the best plan we’ve got if you absolutely need to separate your sister from the Krylovs.”

“Then, tell me you’re ready to risk your safety to free my sister.”

“You really don’t trust me, do you?”

“I trust most people to put the human race before their personal quality of life. But do you see the value in reuniting two sisters?”

“I’ll make you this deal—if I can help get your sister back, I will. But if she fights us, if she’s truly committed to Ivan, we have to let her go. It is possible she’s chosen him with her eyes wide open, fully informed. Unlikely, but possible.”

“I know, but she’s my sister.”

“And that’s why I’ll try to help.”

Chapter 6

“Traitor!” snarled Rose. The harpy twins were propped up against the wall, bound by pipes, sitting on Cole’s bed in his, Josh’s and Melissa’s double room at the Berwick Hostel.

If they were awake, it was much easier to tell the harpy twins apart since Rose’s eyes were a darker gray. Sage slumbered away propped next to her sister.

“I think you’d better look in the mirror before you call
us
traitors,” I said.

“I’m talking to her!” Rose violently whipped her head toward Melissa.

“You never did tell me what convinced you to side with Ivan. When I stayed on after I learned about
The Compendium
, I thought I was being loyal,” Melissa said. “But, you two ran off to Ilya’s beach. Understandable when the sewer had been your home. But then you ran to Ivan and Tatiana with arms wide open. Why?”

We all watched Rose’s angry face intently, crowded on what little floor space surrounded the bed. It felt claustrophobic to be penned in so close to a pair of angry and powerful variants who wanted to kill us.

“You lied to us!” Rose yelled at Ilya.

“What?” Surprise filled my brother’s face.

“You told us it would never get better, that Ivan was just going to keep us in the sewer, testing and dawdling and letting us waste away. I would have waited it out if I knew what the real plan was,” Rose said bitterly.

“I told you what I believed to be true. I didn’t know his whole agenda. Now that I do, I’m trying to stop him. And I’m his son!”

“How can you possibly think
The Compendium
is an acceptable plan?” Jonah said to Rose.

“How can you expect us to keep hiding when there’s a chance to live out in the open, celebrated and admired?” said Rose.

“Is that what he promised you? Celebrity status?” said Faith. She crossed her arms and glared at Rose.

“There’s every chance that if variants came out, people would accept us. Especially in this day and age,” I said.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve never seen the expression on someone’s face when they see who you really are for the first time. People gawk at me like I’m deformed. Then they want to know how my wings are attached. Where does that lead?” Rose’s pale face melted into a plaintive expression. Nobody moved and her features animated with rage again as she fought helplessly within her pipe prison.

“This is pointless. We’re not going to convince each other of anything,” said Josh.

“Then why not just kill us?” said Rose. Sage began to stir.

“We’re not killing anyone unless it’s self-defense. We’re not like you. We don’t want to watch the world burn,” said Cole.

“You’re going to have to kill Ivan to stop him. And good luck with that,” said Rose.

“What are we doing here?” said Sage as she came back to consciousness.

“Ilya, you go first. What have you got?” said Josh, ignoring Sage.

“Rose wants to get to a phone to call somewhere named The Belgravia Park Hotel. That’s where everyone who doesn’t need to sleep upside down is staying. Except Casey. He’s sleeping on the Evonatura office couch,” said Ilya.

“What’s our best way in?” Faith stared hard at Rose.

“Get him out of my head!” snapped Rose.

“You guys are going to be so sorry. You’ve finally crossed the line with the Krylovs,” said Sage groggily, her head lolling forward.

“And the rest of
The Compendium
.” Rose resumed trying to break free, only bouncing on the bed.

“How do we get inside Evonatura?” shouted Cole, leaning toward Rose with raw hatred on his face.

“Easy, man. We don’t want anyone complaining to the hostel,” said Jonah.

“They’ve been working security with Casey and Evonatura’s guy, Gregory. Aside from their CEO Mueller, only those men have keys and the alarm code. The harpy twins here are assigned to the roof, specifically to watch for us.” Ilya couldn’t repress a grin.

“Did a pretty shitty job of being lookouts, didn’t you?” Faith smiled, but her face had a mix of satisfaction and disgust.

“Hey, my illusions are bulletproof. We would have fooled anyone.” Ilya raised a hand in mock submission.

“Should we go in at night? Or stick to the infiltration plan? How much will they expect the girls to interact at Evonatura? A bunch of chitchat is risky,” said Josh.

“Tatiana’s going to get her way soon. Claude is closing the Evonatura London office. Any day now? Really?” said Ilya, ignoring Josh and curiously leaning in toward Sage.

Rose wriggled helplessly inside her copper coil.

“Tatiana is an expert in getting her way. And she thinks we’re a threat,” I said.

“She’s right this time.” Anger washed over Jonah’s face for a moment.

“We don’t need the alarm code. I can just short it like any other and Cole can pop the door.” Faith shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets.

“No, that’s not going to work.” Ilya shook his head.

“These two don’t need to hear this.” Josh pulled out his tranquilizer gun and shot Rose in the chest.

“Asssss . . .” her head dropped before she could finish the word.

“He’s right. You don’t stand a chance,” said Sage.

Josh shot Sage next and held his arm up for silence until her head dropped again. “Okay, continue.”

“If the sisters’ thoughts are accurate, any interruption in the alarm’s circuit and Claude Mueller is personally notified. He’ll contact Casey and Gregory immediately. Gregory lives across the street. All Casey has to do is wake. They won’t call the cops. They won’t slow down. They’ll just start firing. And throwing punches, which for them is pretty deadly too.” “What if Gemma isn’t there when we break in?” I asked without trying to mask my fear.

“A break in is our back up plan. For now, we stick to plan A, disguises and infiltration.” Josh made a chopping gesture with one hand onto the other, decisive as always.

“How long should we hang on to these two?” Faith nodded in the sisters’ direction with disdain.

“Are you ready to replicate them?” Melissa asked Ilya.

“Yeah, I can definitely swing it now.” Ilya inspected each of them carefully nevertheless.

“Assuming we do this tomorrow morning, we could just leave them here when we check out,” said Cole.

“Irina, it’s your turn. See what they saw,” said Jonah, gently touching the small of my back.

I stepped forward and leaned onto the bed so I could reach Sage’s foot. She seemed like the safer target, closer to me. I put my hand on her calf. She jerked her leg, but I held her. Trying to pinpoint my vision, I pictured Rose and Sage walking past me on the sidewalk outside the Evonatura façade and I closed my eyes.

I was instantly pulled onto the sidewalk behind Rose and Sage. Ahead, Casey turned into the brown brick and cream stucco building. Rose and Sage quickly closed the distance and followed him up the stairs. Casey punched a code into a keypad on the wall just inside the main door. We got to him just as he’d finished. The door remained armed during the day.

Rose and Sage followed Casey up the stairs and into a sitting room where Ivan read a magazine. Two men in lab coats were also in the sitting room reading, but they had clipboards and frowns on their faces. Casey and Ivan exchanged a brisk greeting and passed through into a kitchen. Casey continued to a dark hallway, but the harpy twins remained in the kitchen. I paused with them.

Tatiana’s green hue had not faded as she stood over a small pot of something steaming inside the office’s kitchenette. My sister Gemma sat at a small round dining table picking at a plate of buttered toast. She wore a green tank top that lit up her eyes. She wasn’t smiling this time though.

“You need your strength, sweetie. The hot chocolate is almost ready. I know it sounds strange, but try dunking your toast in the cocoa. It has to be white toast and real butter. You’ll be surprised how comforting it tastes. My mother taught us that when we were children in Russia,” said Tatiana.

Gemma gazed up at Tatiana and managed a small smile. Tatiana posed as the caring aunt she never had been to me. Then again, she hadn’t been kind to a single person in my presence. This behavior was part of some game with my sister. Tatiana crossed the kitchenette with her steaming pot and poured hot chocolate into Gemma’s waiting mug, then smoothed the hair on my sister’s head with obvious fondness.

“What a nice little family we’re becoming,” said Rose as Tatiana and Gemma noticed the sisters’ entrance.

A tall redheaded woman in a beige pantsuit entered the kitchen from the hallway Casey had gone down.

“We’ve nearly completed packing. It’ll be a tight squeeze at Chatham, but the lads are ready to shift gears and work on-site for a while,” said the redhead.

“Excellent. I would please me if today was the last operational day here,” said Tatiana.

“We’re not ready to move out just yet. We’ve a bit of admin still to sort. I’ve had trouble hiring a van. We should finish tomorrow. Monday at the latest,” said the redhead.

“Helen, I realize you don’t have to follow my recommendations, but I suggest you come in on Saturday to wrap up if you don’t finish tomorrow,” said Tatiana.

Gemma thoughtfully dunked a chunk of toast in her hot chocolate as Tatiana gave Helen a sweet smile that chilled me. Helen looked concerned too as she returned Tatiana’s smile. Helen smiled weakly in my direction as a greeting to Rose and Sage before she bowed back out of the room.

“Rose, Sage, don’t you two need to be on duty up top?” said Tatiana once the click-clack of Helen’s heels had faded. She didn’t wait for a reply from either sister.

“Don’t underestimate my niece and nephew or their friends. I’d like to leave London with all loose ends tied—properly. Wouldn’t you two like to earn that service bonus Ivan is offering? I’d hate to see it go to this Gregory fellow, keen as he is.”

Gemma lifted her head and stared right at me. Her inquisitive eyebrows signaled interest, but her mouth rested peacefully, void of the concern I would have expected while someone discussed my assassination in front of her. What had they done to her?

I released Sage’s leg. I was back in the crowded hostel room with my friends all staring desperately at my face.

“What did you see?” said Jonah.

“Ilya’s right, they’re on lookout duty at Evonatura. I saw what happened after they passed us on the street this morning. Ivan wants us taken out. Tatiana is pushing hard to get them moved to Chatham Park. Tomorrow might be their last day in Soho,” I said.

“What about your sister?” Faith asked.

“She’s safe. But, she’s totally out of the loop. I need to get some sleep myself.” I rubbed my eyes and then my temples before I left the room. I heard footsteps behind me and knew it was Jonah.

My head swam as I walked methodically back to our room. I still had to come up with a convincing reason to get Gemma to leave the Evonatura office with me. I would be disguised as one of the harpy sisters, but they didn’t seem to have the bond with her that Tatiana did. Even if I got Gemma away from Tatiana and Ivan, how could I be sure she would stay with me and my friends?

Should I bring a tranquilizer gun and hope Melissa could help me carry her off? Maybe I could just shove her through a portal if Melissa could come up with a safe escape. Had Gemma been sincerely comfortable with Ivan putting a hit out on me? Didn’t she understand Tatiana’s instructions? I had to believe that my naive little sister Gemma was blissfully ignorant.

“What are you thinking about?” Jonah closed the door to our room as I sat down on our bed.

“Don’t overreact, but I’m not one hundred percent sure my sister will side with us.”

“But, you said she doesn’t really understand. Once you explain it properly, I’m sure she’ll see it our way.”

“I don’t think she does understand, but I’m mostly giving her the benefit of the doubt. I can’t hear her thoughts.”

“Well, as soon as Ilya gets near her, we will know how she feels. You know her better than any Innoviro or Evonatura people do. I’m sure you can help her see the light.”

I frowned, deep in thought. Jonah leaned in and kissed me. I didn’t think it possible, but the urge to connect with him kept getting stronger. His touch sent waves of energy through me as he pinned me to the wall. I worried for a second that something was going wrong again, but it felt too good to stop.

“Can you feel that?” I asked breathlessly.

“What?” Jonah broke away from my neck.

“It’s you, it’s like you’re hypnotizing my body. It’s electric.”

“It’s both of us. I can feel a rush, like a surge of power when I touch you.” Jonah kissed my lips and pulled back to meet my gaze. His aqua eyes gleamed as he caught his breath. “We’re not normal. I think this is what it’s like to be with another variant, healthy for once. There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing. You just have to trust me. Trust us.”