Beleth tried to intercept Gary, but his spider legs wouldn't move. Luke had used his power to keep Beleth in place, while containing the gas. He facial muscles twitched and his jaw clenched from the pressure. He groaned in pain, but held on.
Using his para-power, Gary pulled metal pipes from the wall. Water sprayed everywhere as he threw the pipes at Beleth, knocking him down. Then he and Darren carried Hunter out at a run. Luke followed and was about to close the door when a black tail swept him from the side.
Lucy's pulse raced. "Luke, to your right!"
He twisted, and swung Hunter's sword, cutting off the tail. Black ooze dropped from it and the tip fell to the ground and squirmed, like the lizard tail Hunter had cut off. Then Luke released the gas, letting it fill the room, and ran out, leaving Beleth.
As the camera once again filled up with green, Lucy suppressed an urge to cheer for her brother. They still had so much to do before they would be safe. Like find Sam. She tried to connect with Sam mentally, but couldn't feel her at all. Had someone blocked her? What if Sam had been captured?
She clicked through all the cameras in search of her, and saw Drake running out of the room he'd entered with Sam. Someone else was with him, a kid. That must be Toby, the boy Sam had mentioned. An alarm went off in the distance, startling her. This whole mission had gone to hell. Drake didn't have an earpiece so she couldn't tell him about their plan to meet at the hangar. She'd have to find him herself. First, she used her laptop to open the hangar roof, then she grabbed her bag, the can with the tracker, and her laptop, and left the building at a run.
She left the bomb next to the still sleeping guard. Unarmed.
As she ran across an open area, a guard closed in behind her and yelled at her to stop.
Shit! She slowed down, but kept walking. Would he shoot? It seemed unlikely. The guard walked faster to catch up. "I said stop, miss." He reached for her hand to physically restrain her. "You have to—"
She grabbed his arm, pulled him into a hold, and knocked him unconscious by hitting a pressure point at his neck. Then she resumed her search for Drake.
The alarm blared through the night, loud and annoying. Red lights lit up the building in seizure-inducing blinks. She stopped at an intersection. Left or right? She couldn't remember, and panic filled her. She tried to calm her mind and focus, but footsteps coming from the left decided for her. It could be Drake. It could also be another guard, but she'd take the gamble.
She ran left and found Toby supporting Drake as they walked; he'd been hurt.
"Where's Sam?" She was out of breath but still ready to do what she had to.
"The bastard took her."
No! "We have to rescue her, then get the hell out of here." She walked past Drake but he reached for her arm. "No, it's too late. We can't beat them right now."
Fury burned in her at his cowardice. "So your great plan is to abandon her again. You're really good at that, aren't you?"
He didn't shy away from her words, but embraced them. "I deserved that, but listen to me. You'll know if I'm lying. I would die for her, if I thought it would help save her and Ana. I would kill for her, if I thought I could get them out right now. But if we go back in, he'll kill us, and Sam and my daughter will have no one left to save them. We have to regroup and figure out how to defeat Steele."
Nothing buzzed in Lucy's head. He'd spoken the truth, but the thought of leaving Sam here alone made her sick. Her shoulders slumped, and she imagined her face looked as depressed as Drake's did in that moment. "You're right. Let's go. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get them back."
They rushed through the halls which were blessedly free of guards—also free of any kids, though they probably couldn't get out of their rooms on their own. The thought of them in there—helpless, scared, alone, pawns in Simmons's games—seriously pissed her off.
They reached the hangar and Lucy opened the door for them. Robyn and her group were already entering the helicopter—not the kickass one, but the regular one—the Boeing CH-47 Chinook.
Armed guards surrounded them, firing bullets that got stuck in the air, blocked by her exhausted brother. Darren and Gary used their para-powers to attack the guards with parts from the hangar—pipes, tools, anything metal or movable. Guards dodged as these airborne objects accosted them. Some of them lost their guns, dragged away by Gary, but others didn't. Were they using something else? Carbon fiber maybe? They held their weapons close, dashing from side to side. Darren could levitate any material, but not easily if it kept moving, and not with the same force as Gary.
"Let's move!" Lucy ran to the helicopter, Drake and Toby at her heels.
She wished they could've gotten the attack chopper, but the guards blocked that option. Luke fell to his knees, and she knew his power wouldn't hold out for much longer. The team climbed in, and Lucy helped Luke up.
"Get in. You can't hold this much longer."
He shook his head. "If I stop, we won't make it. The shield will break and we'll get sprayed with bullets."