Adam did.
And I made a mad dash for my baby. It had all clicked. When I'd taken Drake's powers, we'd been touching, and I transferred them to Ana. If I could reach her, maybe connect with her in the same way, I could shut down her powers so that Steele could no longer use her. Would no longer need her.
I yelled to Drake. "Run!" I hoped he would escape as I tackled Steele, who dropped his gun as I touched my baby.
But just as we connected, something shot up from the ground and attacked me. The tiles from the floor popped up, rising like a ceramic tidal wave and separating me from Steele and my baby.
"No! Ana!" More tiles popped up, creating a prison around me.
Drake had run, but toward me rather than away. A tile shot at his chest, knocking him back, but he kept moving forward.
Steele pulled the baby away and nodded to Adam. "Good work, Grunt." To me he smiled. "It's not time for you to hold your baby yet."
And then that final puzzle piece came together, and I knew what he wanted us for. I turned to Drake. "Run! Get out of here! I'll be fine."
Drake stood, hurt and exhausted but refusing to leave. His thoughts jumbled together—memories of the three of them together, pain, regret, love. He wouldn't abandon them, even if it killed him. A stain of purple formed around his pocket and his thoughts revealed that the last of his drugs had shattered when the tile hit him. He had no more power. He couldn't help if he stayed; he'd only get himself killed.
Another tile flew at him, but something pulled him out of the way. A form shimmered in the empty space.
Toby! Dear, wonderful Toby. "Get him out of here. Now! Please!"
The invisible boy pulled at Drake and tried to get him to the door, but Toby was a small kid and didn't have the strength to physically coerce Drake to do anything, especially when Drake resisted.
Tiles flew at them and Toby helped Drake dodge them while I slipped into his mind. He had just enough power left to connect with me one last time. "You have to go. If you don't, he'll capture us both."
'I don't care. I can't leave you ever again. I promised.'
"I know, but I need you to, Drake. Don't you understand? He'll kill you. He doesn't need you, but Ana and I do. We need you to save us, but you can't do that here, right now. I've finally figured out his end game. He wants me to take Ana's power from her... and give them all to him. If you don't leave, you'll be dooming us all to death after he gets what he wants. Go! Go so you can save our daughter. If you love me at all, go!"
He and Toby left.
Chapter 115 - Lucy
"Arm the bomb," said Simmons. "You'll have fifteen minutes to get out, more than enough time."
Lucy sat in front of the weapon with its tangle of wires, frozen. How could she do this? "There are still children in the facility. Sam's been captured." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "We can't detonate this."
Simmons's voice rattled, harsh and uncaring on the other end. "Sam is gone, and in a few days, those children will be dead as well, killed or mutated. This is our only chance to stop Steele before it's too late."
Lucy remembered Beleth's words, about all of the kids being killed in about a month. Simmons was right, but Beleth had also told Lucy he'd let the children go, if she killed Simmons. Right now, that seemed a better option. She thought about that moment on the island when she weighed the cost of one life for many. Now that one life wanted her to destroy many, including her best friend and her best friend's daughter.... "No."
"Don't you dare disobey this order! If you do, you can forget about evacuating. Do you understand me, Agent?"
Lucy scowled. "Oh, I understand perfectly. But I'm not an agent, remember?" She turned off Simmons's access to her comm, walked back to the computer to get eyes on Robyn, and tried contacting her.
Green smoked still filled the room, and she heard coughing. Soon everyone would be asleep. She grabbed her backpack and was about to leave to help them when the smoke started pulling back, condensing. In the middle stood Luke, using his powers to pull the gas together.
Lucy smiled. "My badass brother. Nice job."
He formed it into a small cloud in front of him, and she could see her friends awake and alive, though still affected by the smoke. "Thank God you guys are okay. You need to get out of there. Someone grab Hunter. Head for the hangar." They'd get out of here with or without Simmons.
Darren and Gary moved to help Hunter while the rest of the team headed toward the door. As the smoke cleared, Lucy could see Beleth on his knees, wounded and tired, but still awake and too close to Hunter.