The impact was so intense; the SUV was pushed sideways fifteen yards before it stopped. The cab was filled with the sounds of thick rubber tires ripping and punctuated by the piercing screams of metal on metal.
Behind them they heard another crushing metal impact. Without looking Meg knew Burns’ car was attacked, too.
The stench of melting, hot rubber was acid, but that wasn’t what worried Meg the most. Everybody was uncurling from their instinctive defensive positions. No one except Meg was looking out the right side of the vehicle to see the semitrailer that had barreled into them exploding with metahumans dressed in SWAT gear.
“Oh shit! Get out! They’re coming for us! MOVE!” She screamed to her stunned family. Alik, Cole and Creed nearly leaped out of the left side of the vehicle. Meg unbuckled a crying Danny and held him to her chest as she flew out into the summer’s hot air and ran.
Where’s Evan? She spun scanning the bizarre scene looking for her brother when she turned back to the SUV and saw him crumpled, pinned and passed out. The semi had struck his side of the SUV, folding its huge metal grill into Evan’s door.
“God, no!” she begged. Instincts shook her by the throat. A stunned woman climbed out of what Meg could sense was an empty, full-sized van with a side-paneling that read, “Noah’s Ark Learning With Love Daycare.” Sizing up her options quickly, Meg made an impulsive decision. She needed to get Danny away from what was sure to be a battle.
Meg ran to the woman who looked as if she wanted to help and flung her gift of influence directly at her.
“This is my brother, Danny,” Meg’s terror and fury projected her influence ten times more powerfully than when she was just stretching her will under normal circumstances. “Take him to the vet’s office at 712 Quincy Drive. Tell them there’s been an emergency. Stay with Danny until I come to get him. Do you understand, Harriet?” Meg’s powers were so acute, she could read the woman’s thoughts perfectly, but there was no time.
Meg’s family was already fighting.
Danny screamed and clutched Meg’s hair and clothing, refusing to let go. “Be calm, Danny. I will come for you. I swear it.” She sent a burst of soothing emotions wrapped in pure white love. The little boy sobbed, but let go of his sister and clung to the motherly stranger.
“GO!” Meg screamed at the wide-eyed woman as three male soldiers came running toward her—crazed venom in their eyes.
The woman sprinted back toward her van, Danny flopping helplessly in her arms. Meg watched for less than a second before she turned and ran directly toward her attackers. Her dark hair flew loose and wild, matching her eyes.
In her peripherals she saw her family engaging other soldiers in hand-to-hand. Creed just lifted a huge guy and threw him across the hood of a car as if he were a sack of rice. Alik was hulking out, growing and punching with such force, the unlucky recipients were flying back and staying down.
Meg had a different style. She ran up to one of the soldiers and used her momentum to swing around his neck, kicking another soldier in the throat. She then curled herself around the stunned soldier’s head, positioning her hands just right and yanked, snapping his neck.
She leaped from his collapsing shoulders and grabbing the knife off the waistband of the third attacker.
She ducked and rolled, and landed in a crouched, attack position. Her facial expression was stoic, all business. She’d just killed one and maimed another but focused on her objective and refused to get lost in the emotions of the moment. The knife glinted against her wrist as she held it backward, ready to swipe it across her attacker’s throat, but first she wanted some answers.
“Who do you work for?” She barked over the sirens that could be heard in the distance.
“Arkdone has a message for you, Meg Winter.” The soldier moved with catlike fluidity, positioning himself defensively.
“Arkdone commands you—”
BOOM!
The gas tank in the SUV exploded, causing a huge burst of flames to fly into the afternoon sky.
“Evan,” she breathed, a new rush of adrenaline slipping ice-like up her spine.
“EVAN!” she screamed. Inwardly, she begged someone would be near enough to help him, but the others were too busy in their own battles.
Fire was already consuming the back seat of the SUV and Evan still wasn’t moving.
“You’re going to have to let me go to my brother,” she flung her will at the soldier whose eyes shown bright and green in the sunlight. The soldier blinked once and shook his head no, resuming his fighting stance, though his message was long since forgotten.
Meg looked around at her family. Theo was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. So was Burns. The others were fighting as more official-looking soldiers spilled from the back of the semitrailer.
Sloan was the only person aware of Evan’s peril. Meg saw her running to the driver’s side door of the SUV.