She whipped Mr. Black's pistol out of its holster and knocked out the guard with a blow to the head.
Gary backed up and covered his mouth. "Holy crap. Did you kill him?"
"No. He's just unconscious. Neil, you're up."
Neil had the unique ability to mimic any sound at all, including any human voice. He got on the radio and, in the voice of Mr. Black, spoke to the guards. "Units One, Two and Three, there's been a schedule change. Please report to the main headquarters for further instructions."
Neil went down the list of snipers, guards and patrol units, until he'd sent everyone to the main headquarters, where another team would set fire to the building and trap them in. Once they'd eliminated that threat, Gary could use his metal power to tear apart the gates, and those who wanted could escape in the chaos.
"Neil and Gary, go get the others. Mary, keep Mr. Black happy." Lucy didn't want to think about what that would entail.
Lucy took control of the main computers and permanently looped the cameras so Greg could take a break. With their abilities fading in and out, they needed to do as many things without powers as possible.
Luke arrived a few minutes later with a team ready to collect supplies and initiate phase two.
A metal case on one wall housed weapons and other fancy equipment. Luke called to Gary. "You ready?"
Gary held up his hands and pushed them apart as if he was swimming. As he did, the metal on the doors pried themselves apart. Luke smiled and handed out guns and earpieces to the team leaders.
Lucy walked over to Luke. "Guns? Really? I'm not sure that's such a great idea."
Gary cocked his weapon and practiced levitating it with his powers. "We need them, especially if our powers give out or the guards fight us. Not all of us can beat them up. We have this one chance to escape, and we can't blow it."
Luke shrugged. "I don't disagree with the kid, Sis. We're not inviting these guys out for a tea party, we're inciting a rebellion. We need weapons."
"All right. Luke, you and your team start a fire in the main HQ where all the guards are. Man, you've got to love the military mindset of obeying orders without question. Gary, you back him up and attack any guards that try to escape."
When everyone had cleared out, Lucy pulled up a chair next to Mr. Black and his lap-warmer, Mary.
"I need him to tell me where the other facilities are."
"You are just no fun," Mary purred.
"Come on, Mary, we don't have much time."
"Fine." She rubbed her leg up and down his and massaged his arm. "Mr. Black, tell us where the other kids are, please."
"They're not here. But they're not far."
"Mmmhmmm... that's a good boy. What else can you tell us? An address perhaps?"
Mr. Black stared at her chest and opened his mouth to answer, then snapped it closed. His head jerked, and he pushed Mary off his lap and onto the floor.
Lucy's earpiece came to life. "Sis, you ready for the fire?"
Lucy saw Mr. Blacks' eyes clear and knew something had happened.
Mary's panicked crawl across the room confirmed it. "Lucy, my powers, they're gone." She huddled in a corner and shivered.
Lucy whispered into her mouthpiece. "Luke, stand down. Something's wrong."
Mr. Black stretched himself to full height and laughed. "Do you really think I'm that stupid, that I didn't know your plan? I knew you'd try something, which is why I had the Seeker implant part of his consciousness in my mind. Disgusting, I know, but necessary to make sure you couldn't use me for your scheme."
Was that even possible? Could the Seeker really do that? Sam had said he was powerful, but—
Lucy couldn't tell if he'd lied.
In that moment, she knew they'd all lost their powers. Things were about to fall apart quickly.
Outside, soldiers issued orders to those in their command. Lucy could hear the groups fanning out across campus. She remembered all the students with guns and imagined what would happen if they used them. "Gary, stand down. Abort plan. We screwed up. It's too late. You need to get everyone back to the dorms."
Through the window, Lucy saw a man dressed in a white robe lead a group of soldiers toward the control room. The man seemed more god or angel than human. His long white hair touched his waist and he had pale, nearly translucent skin. He wore dark glasses, though it was night, but had no trouble navigating the path.
Gary's voice crackled in Lucy's ear, rousing her from the reverie that had settled over her. "It doesn't matter. We have to attack now. If we die, we die, but we can't give up and let them win."
"Gary, please, don't start shooting. Our powers are gone. We will all die—and it does matter. If we live, we have tomorrow to fight. If we die, it's over for good."
Soldiers crashed into the control room brandishing guns. They parted like the Red Sea when the man in white moved through them.
He spoke with a voice of honey and wine—sweet and intoxicating—and Lucy knew he was the Seeker.