Darren had knocked out the real guard and hidden him outside the gates. I'd been ready to mind-control the guy at the gate, but he hadn't put up nearly the fight I'd feared. In fact, he seemed to know I'd be coming, or someone who looked like me, but then he was so lecherous I wanted to vomit. He was probably just glad to have fresh meat to chase.
Didn't matter; we'd made it, and now it was time for the next phase. Since Lucy was the only one I could effectively connect with in a two-way conversation, I used my ear piece to contact Norm. "We're in. Start bringing everyone through."
The two of us waited behind a secluded building, and within a few minutes Norm flew over the fence carrying Gary. One by one he went back and retrieved another team member, until we were all together again. Norm flew Toby in last, and Drake frowned and crossed his arms. What were we going to do with the boy, leave him alone at the hotel? Besides, we'd all been training to do missions by his age, and Toby had spent his life on the streets, so he knew how to watch out for himself. It was interesting, though, seeing Drake so protective.
Robyn had shifted back into a guard to do a quick scan of the area, and came back to report. "There are a few guards patrolling the main facility."
I nodded. "We'll use mind control to make them look the other way."
Drake pulled out a purple vial and drank it. "I'm on it."
I sighed. He shouldn't waste what little of that he had on something I could have done, but he seemed anxious to prove himself helpful. I couldn't blame him; I wanted to do everything I could to find Ana.
I took the lead as we walked down a path to the main building. We passed a few guards on the way, but Drake took care of them. A quick scan of their minds proved they had been compelled to forget ever seeing us. I wondered vaguely if people ever dreamed of the memories they lost due to mind control.
Once we reached the main building, I linked to Lucy. "We're in. Robyn will be leading the team to help you."
Robyn tapped her ear, to make sure her comm piece worked. "Lucy?" Her voice quavered a bit. She was the most nervous of the group, but that could work in her favor, make her more careful. Hopefully, it wouldn't freeze her at a critical time.
"Lucy will tell you where to go. She can see you."
Robyn nodded. "What about you?"
"I'm going after Ana and Steele."
Drake stepped forward. "I'm going with you."
Then Darren, naturally. "So am I."
Toby turned himself visible and was already standing by Drake. "And me."
I rolled my eyes. Boys.
"Look, I appreciate the support, but Drake and I will handle this. The rest of you, get Luke, Lucy and the other IPI agent to safety. Save our friends."
Robyn responded to something only she could hear—had to be Lucy giving directions—and she waved and turned left, with Norm by her side. The others followed her, though Darren kept looking back over his shoulder like a lost puppy waiting for me to call him back.
I hated to admit it, but I was glad Drake was with me. If anyone could come close to caring about Ana as much as I did, it would be her father, and he was powerful, especially with access to his para-powers.
As we walked, I reached out with the powers the Seeker had downloaded into me. Bright dots of light floated in my mind as I connected to the hundreds of paranormals in the buildings. Narrowing my focus, I sought the one signature I knew better than anyone's: that of my daughter.
And where Ana was, so too would Steele be.
Her energy pulled me forward with a string of light that had attached itself to me. The light led me up a flight of stairs and to a door.
I stopped. "He's in there."
I looked at Drake, his handsome face hardened, and finally understood the part of him that had always eluded me, the part that would do anything—anything—to protect someone he loved. In that moment, and to some degree in many moments leading up to that, we shared the same determination. Nothing would stand in our way as we rescued our daughter.
"We attack him together. We don't let him hurt our baby."
Drake nodded, but his brow wrinkled. "I've tried mind control on him before, and it didn't work. What if that happens again?"
I held up my pistol. "Then I use this."
I pushed the door open, and we walked through it and into a giant steel room full of containers. My mind was in shock, and it took a few seconds before I could comprehend the scene around me. It felt surreal, like waking up in a twisted Twilight Zone episode or a bad sci-fi movie. Viscous blue liquid filled each container. Inside them, men and women, even children, floated in the fluid, suspended in limbo. Some of them had mutated. Hundreds of these containers lined the room, spanning multiple levels.
At the back, Steele stood in front of a giant computer, staring at a complex display of data on the screen.
The light tethered to me reached into a tiny crib that looked more like a test tube. Is this where I was born? Or made? The thought made me shiver.
Steele turned, unsurprised by our presence, and walked toward us. "Hello, Daughter."
I lifted my hand, unlatched the safety, aimed straight for his chest, and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 113 - Lucy