Awareness: Book Two in the Influence Series, page 14
“You’re going up there?” I ask when I see Caiden eyeing it.
“It’s our best bet to set a trap. Kaylin, stay down here.” He faces the three Protectors who have come with us. “I’m going to rig some explosives on the roof. We’ll lure the Vipers over by attempting to shoot at them from a window. I can detonate them from below when the Vipers fly over.” Caiden pulls off his backpack and throws it on the worn carpet. He unzips it and shuffles through, pulling out a wired black box. The sight of it sends a shudder through me.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Killing is horrible, but in order to save the others from this siege, we have to use violence. This is the necessary type that Leeyah talked about.
“Hold the detonator,” Caiden says, smiling at me. I’ve never seen him so alive. “Don’t press the button until you have my say-so. The rest of you need to find a window that faces the Vipers. Open fire and draw them close, but don’t let them hit you. With any luck, they’ll fly over the building.” He nods to me. He doesn’t need to explain what to do from there.
Caiden shoots the lock off the maintenance door and opens it, revealing a rusty ladder. With the black box in hand, he climbs and pauses as the humming intensifies once again. I hold my breath, waiting for it to fade. This time, no gunfire bursts to life. Everyone must be hiding, trapped.
The humming quiets and Caiden climbs once again. I follow the others into apartment after apartment. Some have been lived in, others not. At last, the Protectors settle on one with a balcony that overlooks the other buildings and faces the rising sun, still tucked behind the buildings. It’ll offer the best view, according to one of the fighters, for both them and the incoming Vipers. This apartment also has an abundance of furniture.
Caiden meets back up with us. “I’ve planted the explosives near the ventilation system,” he says. “They’re hidden. The pilots won’t see them until it’s too late.”
“You’re fast,” Farren remarks, grasping my arm to help me from the floor. We all stand, facing out the window. One of the fighters slides open the balcony door, leaving no barrier between us and the outside.
“Here comes one.” Caiden’s eyes narrow as he waves us behind the couch.
Two of the Protectors take up positions beside the sliding door. A black shape hums its way towards us like a gigantic, deadly insect. Farren pulls me down and so close to him that our cheeks touch. Caiden fires a shot and the Protectors join in, trying to pelt the Viper with bullets. The humming closes in. Sweat slicks my palms as I eye the detonator. “One chance,” I say.
“Take cover!” Caiden orders.
He ducks behind the couch and the Protectors fall to the floor. A second later, a storm of bullets rips into the apartment, jolting the couch and pinging off the outer walls. The humming intensifies and then reaches its peak—
I press the red button on the remote.
A deafening roar sounds above us as the apartment quakes. Horrific screeches fill the air. Dust rains down on us as the ceiling cracks. Bangs follow as things strike the roof right above. The light fixture shudders as if in terror.
And the humming has stopped.
Silence falls. The stench of smoke wafts in through the sliding door. Caiden pumps his fist. “Threat neutralized!”
Numb, I drop the detonator that ended the life of the pilot above and stand. The Protectors pick themselves up off the floor as more dust rains from the ceiling. I wonder if it’s going to hold, but before I can say anything, more humming fills the air and a dark shadow blocks out the dull sunlight.
And the thing casting the shadow descends into my view.
I hold back a scream. It’s another one of the Vipers. We’ve only destroyed one of them and now the others want revenge. There was no missing that explosion. Glimpsing the dark windshield and a hint of my own reflection, I duck behind the couch and throw myself to the floor, grasping at Farren. He dives on top of me, forming a protective shield as the new Viper opens fire.
Barely able to breathe, I listen to the deafening cacophony of gunfire as the second FlexViper unloads on the tenth floor apartment. All I can do is lie there as Farren lies on top of me, heart racing against my back. The couch lurches with the force of the bullets, threatening to topple back on top of us. Foam explodes as a bullet penetrates the backing and sails over our heads. We’re not fully protected.
Caiden shouts an order, but the painful noise of the bullets rips his voice away. An eternity passes, and for the first time I wonder if I’m going to die. At least I’ll pass lying up against Farren. Amanda and the others will have a chance to escape, take down the Vernon Society, and make this world a better place.
The gunfire ends.
I take a breath, but Farren remains over me. He breathes against my ear, “Kaylin, are you okay?”
“Move!” Caiden shouts from next to us. “They need to stop because their guns are overheating. Now!”
But then a new round starts up. This one sounds different and doesn’t bombard the couch. It’s coming from the hallway outside the apartment.
One of the Protectors curses. “It’s the other one! I can see it out the bathroom window!”
He’s right. From the sounds of it, the third Viper has taken up position on the other side of the apartment building and is firing through the window and into the hallway. The pilots are working together to make sure we have no escape. They want nothing more than to see us in body bags.
Despair settles over the room. They have us trapped. Farren props himself onto his hands, allowing me to breathe. I gaze into his deep brown eyes. He lowers his face to mine for one final kiss. “I’m glad I got to know you, Kaylin.”
A sense of calm and peace washes over me. There’s nothing either of us can do. “You, too.”
A new round of gunfire bursts to life outside the sliding door. We jump and then freeze. Caiden, who kneels beside us, grips the war-torn couch and watches the developments outside. Why isn’t he taking cover?
Bullets screech as they strike metal. The couch remains still. There’s something different about this attack.
It’s not directed at us.
“There’s a new FlexViper!” Caiden shouts. “It’s attacking the others!”
Curiosity gets the better of me and I rise, Farren beside me, just in time to see sparks flying off our attacker’s machine. It lurches, trying to face the new threat, but it’s too late. Cracks spider web across the windshield and it shatters, allowing the new FlexViper full access to the pilot. A moment later our attacker lurches away from the building and spirals out of control. The gunfire stops as the new FlexViper turns to deal with the one on the other side of the building. The mysterious pilot who just saved our lives opens fire on the other Viper. I can’t see the attack, but it’s clear this new pilot is using the element of surprise. These Vernon Society pilots had no clue that someone was coming to back us up.
But who?
“Downstairs!” Caiden orders. “We have a distraction! Everyone! Move!”
Farren and I stand. Couch fuzz litters the floor and broken glass shines everywhere. The three Protectors—unhurt, thankfully—emerge from the apartment’s bathroom. We all burst through the door and into the acrid stench of smoke. The unseen FlexViper has torn up the hallway. Bullets lie all over the place, littering the carpet, but now the broken window has nothing on the other side of it but thinning mist and growing sunlight.
Caiden leads the way down the stairwell, which remains empty of threats. I drop the detonator. It’s no longer needed and I don’t want to hold onto it anymore. One more round of Viper gunfire sounds from outside and then stops. Moments later, there’s a crash. The building shakes again, then quiets. The hum of a Viper remains but doesn’t move.
“Who helped us?” I ask Farren.
He shakes his head. “Maybe Leeyah’s right that Laney still has a heart?”
“She must have ordered this attack,” I say. Didn’t she realize that Jax might be with this group? I wanted to throw up as the thought hits me. I hope that the pilot knew for sure they weren’t firing on Laney’s own son when they unloaded on the apartment, or that Laney didn’t think Jax would be with us.
He wouldn’t fare well after figuring that out.
We reach the bottom floor and Caiden peeks out onto the street. “One of the Vipers crashed two streets over, judging from the biggest plume of smoke,” he says. “There are pieces of the one we blew up right outside the door. Be careful not to touch them. They’re hot. I can see smoke from the third somewhere behind us. That’s the one that just went down.”
“What about the other one?” Farren asks, pulling me close to him.
The hum remains. “It’s landing,” Caiden reports. “The one who was helping us is the one who survived.”
Caiden steps out and aims his gun at the perimeter before proceeding. Once he’s determined that it’s safe, he waves the rest of us out. Farren holds me back and lets the three Protectors go first.
The world is confusion and smoke once we emerge onto the street. Ava and Amanda step out of the opposite building, faces questioning. Envee’s jaw drops as she surveys the damage. Jax is very pale and holds his hand over his mouth like he might vomit. There’s nothing I can say to him right now.
More Protectors in their black vests emerge from the ravaged buildings, stepping over broken glass. In the middle of it all stands the new FlexViper. Its blades slowly spin to a stop and the wind gusting over the street dies, allowing the Protectors to draw near. Most draw their guns and keep them aimed at the sleek black machine. It has a few bullet holes piercing one side. The other FlexVipers managed to get a few shots off on their attacker.
Leeyah waves the other Protectors back, keeping her gun aimed at the cockpit. She stays ten feet back as both doors lift, giving the FlexViper the appearance of having metal wings. Holding my breath, I watch as nothing happens at first.
Then a lone figure jumps down from the machine, hands raised.
Stratton.
Weapons cock. Farren lets go of me as he and Caiden step forward, raising their guns at Stratton. I wait for the dread and despair to settle over our group, but the atmosphere remains clear.
“Are you kidding me?” Amanda asks. She glares at me and shakes her head, warning me not to try anything stupid.
“What is the meaning of this?” Leeyah asks, keeping her own gun raised.
Stratton doesn’t move. He remains under the raised door of the FlexViper as if it will protect him.
“Wait!” Jax shouts, running to stand in front of him. “He just took out two of the Society’s FlexVipers for us. If he were here to hurt us, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of risking his life.”
Guns stay pointed at Stratton, and now Jax, but he exudes leadership and paces in front of Stratton, who remains silent. He shifts his dark gaze to Jax first and then to all the others, one by one, sizing up the situation.
“He still sent Harvesters after us after we agreed not to kill him!” Caiden shouts.
“Yes, but he did it to escape, not to hurt us. He knew that we could take care of those Harvesters without violence.” The air calms and I realize that Jax is using his Push to deliver a sense of ease to the crowd. Guns lower and shoulders droop.
“Can I speak?” Stratton asks Jax.
“Go ahead,” Jax says. “I believe everyone here is interested in what you have to say.”
Stratton takes a bold step forward, his hands still raised. “I’m done fighting for the Vernon Society!” he shouts, making his voice echo off the brick of the buildings. “Do I deserve to be forgiven for what I’ve done? No. But I know how to hurt people, and it’s time for the Society to feel that pain. With you, I can do that.”
Farren’s not having it. Immune from the calming effect of Jax, he steps forward, fists balled. “You say one thing, and then you do another. Listen, everyone, this is a man who has made innocent people sacrifice themselves to kill more people!”
“Please, let him finish speaking,” Jax tells Farren. “He’s earned it.”
I press forward and stand next to Farren. Grasping his arm, I try to project some peace into him, even though I know it’s useless. Amanda glowers and shakes her head at me, but I ignore her.
“Why did you send the Harvesters after us after we agreed to spare your life?” Farren demands.
Stratton answers without hesitation. “Why stick around with those who don’t trust me? With those who wanted to force me to live? I just wanted to go off and die. But instead, I thought. There’s no sense in dying and leaving the Society to make more people like me.”
Leeyah nods. Behind her, the body of Breece lies ragged and broken on the pavement. It snaps me back to reality.
If Stratton hadn’t attacked, more of us would have died.
“I stole this FlexViper out from under their noses. While I was there, I overheard the pilots talking about what they were going to do. That’s when I knew I had to prove myself to you once and for all. I just took down three of their best military pilots.” He lets his words hang as their echoes die.
Jax speaks again. “I believe he’s proven himself. Now that we know for certain that Leo’s no longer with the Society, we can forge ahead and continue with this attack. However, we will not abandon caution.”
Caiden shakes his head as color flushes his cheeks. Farren drops his shoulders.
“He’s proven himself,” I insist. “Let’s let him help us. He might be the key we need.”
“Kaylin, Kaylin,” Amanda sighs, shaking her head. “You’re too soft for your own good.”
“Shut up,” I say, grinning at her.
Ava clears her throat. “Stratton has a lot of potential. He can help us mold reality into something better if he puts his mind to it.”
“Maybe,” Farren says. “But I’m staying with Kaylin.”
Leeyah smiles at me and waves me towards the front of the group. With Breece gone, Nance takes over both parties. “It’s best if we stay together from now on,” Leeyah says, placing her hand on my back. “Good work, Kaylin.”
Stratton stands near the FlexViper, unsmiling, but I spot something in the darkness of his eyes. Revenge. Maybe there’s a hint of something behind it, something that he doesn’t realize still lives. A soul, maybe. It seems that the events of the past several minutes have brought it back from the dead. There’s a person in there that I never suspected existed.
“Everyone,” I say, “we’re almost to the Vernon Society headquarters. We have a chance with Leo on our side. Why don’t we end this once and for all?”
20
EXPOSED
THERE ISN’T MUCH time to waste, so we move Breece’s body into a nearby apartment and cover her with a fairly clean white blanket we find in a closet. Nance’s team brings in two other Protectors’ broken bodies and lays them beside her. Leeyah holds back tears as she tells us that if we’re able, we’ll return and do better for her and the other fallen fighters later.
Outside, Stratton waits, guarded by Caiden and Farren, who still don’t trust him. According to Leeyah, he must remain guarded at all times, even as he assists us in our mission.
Taking one last glance at Breece’s broken, blanket-covered form, I follow Leeyah and Amanda out of the apartment. Grief will have to come later.
Everyone else waits down in the street. Envee paces, ready to go again now that the gunfire has died down.
“Stratton,” Leeyah says, “as you have proven your desire to fight against the Vernon Society, tell us what we’re up against.”
“I’m assuming they’ve upped their security forces since your last attack on the headquarters,” Caiden says.
“That’s true,” Stratton confirms, still as a statue. “You may not believe me, but the Vernon Society is more powerful than any of you know. I’ve also heard talk about them making deals with other groups. I don’t know what that’s about, but it can’t be good. They’re not talking to us Influencers as much as before.”
“Now you’re talking,” Caiden says. “Do you have any more information for us?”
“Not only do they have about seventy-five armed guards around their headquarters, but Miya and Captain Relic have trained them. The Society also has ten Influencers of varying talents and power, headed by Neira. The Vernon Society sends out armed parties of hunters to find and bring in more all the time. I bet you’ve all heard of that kind of thing?” Stratton asks, as if we should have known this already. Now that he’s joined us, his sarcastic attitude is coming back.
“I used to hunt for Influencers,” Farren admits. “But I don’t anymore.”
“Is that how you met your girlfriend?”
Farren flushes.
“Enough,” I say. “We need to figure out what to do next.”
“It won’t be a walk in the park,” Stratton says. “The Society is even bigger than that. Hundreds of citizens work with them and live around the headquarters in Society-controlled complexes. The Society also has satellite locations around this sector, just like the Magnus Order used to have. Most of them have an Influencer controlling the people.”
“But cutting off the head will deal a critical blow,” Caiden reasons. “It worked for us before, and we’re going to make it work again.”
“This is different from the Magnus Order,” Stratton continues. “Laney is obsessed and will do anything to seize more power. She believes that she alone can save the world. I’ve spent enough time around her to realize that she has a fixation on molding the world to her liking. I wouldn’t be surprised if she believes she’s a god. Her Royal Highness and Holy Excellency will save us all.”
“That’s big, coming from you,” Farren says.
