Emergence- Chapter Two
Fifteen
years later.
Nickolas Sinclair watched his brother, Christoff, shift his wing into a more comfortable position in the dimness of the van and wished he could do more than shift his. He took a couple of deep breaths and shoved the longing away. He needed the open air on his wings. The space was too cramped. He hated the van. Well, any vehicle really. I guess I shouldn’t complain. I get more free flight than any of the others.
He settled deeper into the van’s seat and took another breath in an effort to relax his back muscles. They were almost to their destination-- finally.
“Nick, why didn’t Ian send Gamma team out for this recovery? This is their territory.” Christoff asked.
Nickolas had wondered the same thing, especially since I still have a boatload of paperwork to contend with. He knows that. And the retrieval documents fell short of normal. Maybe that counted as an explanation for their assignment? “Jules, have they sent any more details?”
The small, dark haired communications technician didn’t bother to turn away from his bank of monitors and equipment. The grounded just shook his head.
Nickolas sighed and turned back to Christoff. “I have no idea, Chris. We’re the only fledged team members, that’s my best guess. You’re right that Jeff’s team should be the one handling this recovery. They’re already stationed out here. It’s a six hour drive for us.”
“Well, other than being stuck in this van for hours, it is nice to get away from the Facility for a bit. I haven’t gotten out for a few weeks.” Christoff raked a hand across his head, tousling his blond hair before he shifted again.
“Hmmm.” Nickolas returned. Yes and no Chris. You know how much I hate recoveries.
Christoff laughed. “Don’t even try to pretend you aren’t glad to be out for a bit. You need to loosen up and relax. Enjoy some free time. You’re way too serious.”
Nickolas scowled half-heartedly at his brother. Too serious? What else was there for him to do? Between the piles of paperwork and responsibilities to his little clan of Valkyries, the schedule of tests and training they were always under. What was he supposed to do to have fun? The closest he got was sparring in the ring. But that only occupied his mind for a brief period of time. The others all had each other for companionship, he never quite fit in.
“See, there you go again, Nick. Stop thinking so much.”
“Well, one of us has to, Chris.”
“Oh, ow.” Christoff gasped, dramatically clutching his heart. “That one was really uncalled for.” He laughed.
Nickolas’ lips twitched. He could always count on Christoff to be a clown. Somehow his little brother never failed to notice when he needed distracting.
“We have another couple of blocks before we arrive, Nickolas.” Flynn called from the driver’s seat.
Nickolas watched the levity leave his brother’s face. Christoff was fully aware of how hard a trip like this was for him.
Hating his weakness, Nickolas looked out the window onto the darkened pavement. They wound their way down a rustic, residential street. Unlike most cities, where the houses were so close they were touching, these houses had large yards, lots of space. Huge, big leaf maples lined the road, blocking out a majority of the light cast by the street lamps. Flynn pulled the van up behind a dark SUV.
Before the engine died, Nickolas had popped open the door and was climbing out. He stretched his wings to their full extension before folding them closed on a sigh of relief. He could finally breathe. The sound of Christoff’s wings followed suit.
Jeff and Rick climbed out of the SUV and came over to join them. “What are we looking at, Jeff?” Nickolas asked.
The Gamma team leader smiled a greeting. “She was very lethargic when she came home. She arrived about seven tonight. We haven’t seen any movement for at least four hours.”
“Good.” Nickolas caught Flynn’s attention when he came around the van. “Flynn, get the back ready for our guest. Jules, ready to get us inside?”
Smiling from ear to ear Jules pulled a little black case out of his pocket and tossed it in the air. “I’m always ready, Nick.”
Nickolas rolled his eyes at the wiry little man before turning to address the Gamma leader. “You want to join us Jeff? This should be your retrieval.”
The grounded snorted and shook his head. “No. It’s your job. We’ll wait out here.”
Glad that Jeff and Rick didn’t seem to be harboring any resentment, Nickolas turned to look at the old rambler across the street.
Blue paint, fading but not yet peeling, washed the walls. The yard had an over grown quality to it that invited you to explore the paths and see what they hid. The effect appeared purposeful not neglectful.
Darkness shrouded the house. No lights shown from the windows or the shadow filled porch. As Nickolas studied the house, the hair on the back of his neck rose. A feeling he couldn’t describe, lightly brushed across his mind, like a breeze ruffling his hair. Narrowing his eyes, he cocked his head.
“The van’s ready Nickolas.”
His absorption shattered, he pulled his gaze away from the house. Flynn’s graying red head popped out of the van.
Only a moment had passed, Jeff and Rick weren’t even back in their car yet, but to him it felt like everything had slowed down. He glanced at his team, then made an attempt to shake off the disconcerting feeling. “Let’s get this over with.”
He followed in the wake of the other three.
The closer he got to the house, the more he felt like he was walking through molasses. Something inside him felt like it stretched. Not like a rubber band, more like he pushed through a balloon. Then, to compound it, that strange feeling crawled across his mind once more. This time stronger. It wasn’t repellant; in fact, it was the opposite.
He stumbled on the pavement. The desire for it twisted through him, quickly chased by fear. He repressed both ruthlessly.
Christoff’s wings flipped nervously up ahead and drew Nickolas’ attention to the porch. Vines wrapped around the pillar on the left, fading blossoms still clinging to the turning foliage.
Stepping over the curb, Nickolas crossed the sidewalk and passed down the plant lined walkway. Get a grip. Stop jumping at shadows.
Shaking his wings out, Nickolas followed the others up the steps. The moment his foot touched the wood, he went blind. Power swept through him, burning channels in his mind, clearing a fog he hadn’t realized existed. He opened his mouth to scream, but the fire seized his lungs and was gone. Instantly. Almost like it had never been. Shaking, Nickolas found himself clutching the pillar of the railing with one hand. A quick glance up showed the others still had their backs to him and were just gathering by the door. None of them seemed affected.
What the hell was that! Pulling himself together by sheer willpower, he finished climbing the steps, glad for the darkness. He didn’t need the others noticing anything strange.
Christoff shot a quick glance at him when he joined them at the door, but then his brother went back to watching Jules pick the lock.
It didn’t take long. Jules could get through pretty much any lock out there, so a house was simple. The door released and Jules pushed it open. The two unfledged and his brother stepped back, away from the opening giving Nickolas the space to enter first.
That was a routine he wished wasn’t the case at the moment. Still uncertain about being fully in control, Nickolas swept past and entered the house.
eg
Disoriented, Jessica clawed her way up out of the tangled images of her nightmare. A potent combination of adrenaline and panic made her heart race. Shoving a hand through her hair, her fingers tangled in the curls as she tried to push the mass out of her face. Tears stained her cheeks and she wiped haphazardly at them. Her chest tightened with sorrow as the memories, of the last night she saw her parents alive, continued to circle through her head.
Angry, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push them away. She gained some distance, but that allowed her to realize the panic and adrenaline weren’t fading. They were growing. Attempting to control her rapid breath, Jessica opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, but the urge to move over-powered her. She threw back her covers and swung her legs out of bed. The pounding in her head briefly masked everything else.
Tim’s right, I’m getting sick. She laid her forehead on her knees confused. It was hard to think.
Goosebumps rose all over her body. It felt like a cloud of static electricity had passed through her. That was the only warning she had before a blinding pain punched through her head. Her breath seized as her body tried to react-- move, scream, anything. It was over instantly, but in the wake of it the fog that had clouded her mind swept away.
She slowly sat up on her bed, taking stock. Her mind raced. The surety that she was catching a cold suddenly faltered. What is going on with me?
A soft sound reached her ears, interrupting her contemplation. That’s the front door. What is May doing back already? A quick glance at her clock showed that it was just after midnight. That can’t be May? She wouldn’t come home at this hour. Already the clarity faded and the fog drifted back across her mind.
She reached out and switched on her bed side lamp. The light stabbed daggers into her head and she slapped her hand over her eyes.
What the hell? Panic blossomed in her chest, momentarily superseding the adrenaline. “No.” She moaned. “No, I can’t be.”
eg
Once over the threshold, Nickolas crossed the entryway and stepped into the living room. He kept his back to the others and pretended to study the titles on a bookshelf. He needed a moment to regain a calm façade to present to the rest of his team. The surge of energy that had mentally rocked him back on his heels on the porch had yet to completely dissipate. A slight tremor still shook his fingers.
Get a grip, boyo. You don’t need to attract Chris’ attention. His brother could be annoyingly over protective. It was an admirable quality, unless you were the one being subjected to it. All I need is for him to decide something’s wrong, and sic the rest of our Flight on me when we get home. I’ll never get a moments peace. He ran his fingers through his hair. He was pretty sure he had the shock hidden now, even though he still reeled inside.
Flynn had just found the light switch with his flashlight and had turned the foyer light on. The grounded showed no indication that he was aware of what had happened on the porch. Now, if I can just be so lucky with Chris.
As if his thoughts had called him, Christoff pulled his blond head out of the entryway closet. His brother’s boyish grin didn’t hide his intelligence, or his searching look, when he met Nickolas’ eyes.
Damn, he noticed. Or… he felt it too, maybe?
He thought about that for a second, but irritation washed it away when he saw worry enter Christoff’s green eyes.
We’re working Chris, back off. He hoped his body language would convey his thoughts to his Second. He didn’t need Christoff nursemaiding him.
Chris snorted a laugh, and threw a salute in the air, before he gave in and looked away.
A momentary reprieve, Nickolas sighed. He takes Ian’s dictates way too seriously. He watched his brother search through the rest of the hall closet for a moment. Just to make sure that Chris had actually dropped the subject. I suppose I can’t really blame him. I would do anything to protect him, also.
He gave himself a shake and turned back to the job. A fledgling often ended up in strange locations in their houses when they finally passed out. Once he’d found one had managed to stuff himself into his dryer.
Their target had a beautiful home. Open and inviting, filled with well cared for antique furniture. Definitely not the sort of home he would expect to find from a woman in her twenties. His unease grew the more he looked around.
The pristine state of the rooms also didn’t match what he expected from a fledgling entering stage two. “What’s missing?”
The other three members of his team went still as his question sank in.
“Where’s the mess?”
Christoff’s face grew serious and he snapped his wings tight from their relaxed state. Quick efficiency replaced his more standard, relaxed surfer dude façade. “Are we sure she’s here? Jules?” He strode through the archway on their left. “Kitchen, dining area. Both intact.”
Nickolas folded his arms and watched his team go to work. Jules reached up to his ear and spoke quietly into his mic. Flynn closed the front door then went to search the cabinets in the living room.
“Jeff swears that she didn’t go out the front.” Jules took his finger away from the button on his ear piece. “He said she could have gone out a back door, but why? It’s nothing but woods there.”
“She has to be somewhere.” Cocking his head, Nickolas listened. Everything felt different tonight. It was almost like that surge of power had triggered something. Detecting possible movement from the rear of the house, he motioned everyone to spread out.
eg
The distinctive rattle of her front door closing snapped Jessica out of her stunned disbelief. Someone’s in the house. Pushing the pain away, she jumped to her feet. Her thoughts swirled in chaos. She wasn’t normally prone to panic, but her reactions were not all her own tonight. If what she feared was correct… well, it was only going to get worse.
Damn it, where are you, May? I need you. Why’d you have to up and leave town and not tell me where you are?
She grabbed her sweats and thrust her legs into them, wishing her shoes weren’t out by the front door.
Run, Jessica.
The sound of her mother’s voice echoed through her head, slamming home the remembered images from her dream.
“Mommy, will I ever have wings like you?”
Her mother squeezed her hard before she answered. “You will, one day. But not for several years yet, and Robin will get his first.”
“Robin! He always gets to go first.”
Her mother’s voice laughed quietly the sound filling her. “He’s older than you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“True, but life’s not fair.” Her mother grew very serious. “You need to do your best to avoid the Facility, Jessica. Remember.”
Remember.
Panting, Jessica shook her head forcing the cobwebs to clear. The sound of feet stepping quietly on her hardwood floors galvanized her. Leave, I have to leave.
Run, run, run. Her mother’s voice beat a staccato that matched her racing heart. She slid her bedroom window to the side, and slipped out into the cold October night.
eg
Christoff swept down the hall to the last bedroom. He was sure that he’d heard someone in that room. All Valkyries had their strengths and weaknesses. Nickolas was a decent tracker… But he’s not as good as me. His Hunter abilities are just not as strong as mine. Christoff thought perplexed. But, there was something; something that couldn’t be defined, about Nickolas that had all of the Valkyries barring their throats to him. His strengths lay in a different arena.
He was Alpha.
Christoff grimaced. Nick may be Alpha, but this is one Captain who won’t be allowed to go down with the ship. I can’t trust him to watch out for his own wellbeing. If something’s wrong, he’ll confront it. With no regard to how important he is to the rest of us. Whatever that energy surge was affected him more than me. Christoff felt his worry resurface.
There was a dim light shining from under the door on the left. He paused to listen for a moment before he reached out and quietly turned the knob. It wouldn’t do to surprise the new fledgling. Those who were just starting the change were usually unaware of what was happening to them. Unfortunately, they were also volatile and prone to attack, which could make life really interesting. Good thing I like interesting.
Peering around the door, he saw no one. A breath hissed between his teeth and he shoved the door wide, looking the room over more thoroughly.
It was a decent sized bedroom, but the pale purple and white walls made him cringe. This room, unlike the rest of the house, looked more like what they expected to find. Possessions were strewn around the room, but it still was not as messy as it should be. With a second glance, he decided that it just looked lived in. It was not the sort of destruction associated with the onset of the second stage of the change. Surprised, Christoff flipped his wings to settle them more comfortably, then crossed the room to look inside the closet. Shoving the hangers over revealed nothing, and the shelves were too small for anyone to hide on.
I know I heard you. Chris ran his hand through his hair and looked at the rest of the room. The only other place to hide was the bed, but it really didn’t feel like she was here, in the room, anymore. Still, just to be on the safe side he walked over and flipped up the skirt to look under the bed. Sighing, he straightened up then felt the bed coverings. Heat under the down blanket.
She hadn’t been gone long.
The only way out, besides going past them, was the window. Walking over, he studied it. Yes. He thought looking at the slightly open window. I knew you were here. Now the million dollar question is, why did you leave? Or, better yet, how did you manage it?
eg
Shivering in the darkness, Jessica watched the recovery team flip the lights on as they searched the whole structure looking for her. The invasion of her territory made her mad and she barred her teeth, a growl rumbling in her throat. The instinctive response brought her up short. Fear flooded her system, cutting off the animalistic sound. Panic once more tried to set icy claws into her, but she pushed it away ruthlessly. Her response and the arrival of the recovery team confirmed her worst fear: She must have started the change.
Just what I needed. This sucks! At least the cold air is helping to clear my thoughts. I think.
She had done her best to deny this possibility her whole life. But huddled out in the woods barefoot, wearing only an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, she couldn’t pretend any longer.
She was changing.
It’s just not fair. She though mutinously, shaking her head she tried to clear her vision. Now was not the time to let her fears of what was to come control her. She returned her attention to the house.
A large, lean man with shoulder length blond hair had entered her bedroom. He moved with the grace of a predator, and her eyes widened when he turned, allowing her to see his wings fall gracefully down his back like a dark cloak.
Holy crap! They’ve sent a Hunter. Her mind froze in panic. Why is there a Hunter here?
She watched as the Valkyrie stopped and sniffed the air, before walking over to the window and examining it. After a moment he spread his wings, covering the glass to block the light from behind him so he could scrutinize the dark yard. Fascinated, she stared, transfixed at the way the light shone through the membrane of his wings.
She felt her mind slowing again. Fruitlessly, she fought the lethargy that was her body’s natural response to the changes taking place within it. It wasn’t long before the Hunter’s eyes found hers, even in the dark, their intensity boring into her and he smiled a slow feral smile. Backing away in fear, the last thing she saw was the Hunter turning. Feeling like a fox with the hounds about to be released, Jessica slipped farther into the bushes and fled into the night.
eg
They expected no resistance. Not this early in the change.
Nickolas swept down the hall in response to Christoff’s call and considered options. This should have been a simple retrieval. The timing for the recovery of a stage two fledgling was orchestrated very carefully. It centered on several stages of behavior.
An emerging Valkyrie needed a lot of sleep. But before they succumbed to that need and passed out, they were extremely volatile. The signs tended to be obvious to those around the new fledgling but not, thankfully, to the person experiencing it. Or we would have one heck of a time keeping people safe, Nickolas thought.
Jessica Reuther should have been sound asleep by now. She also should have destroyed everything in sight before instinct drove her to find a safe place. Damn it, there should have been no resistance!
Not that it was unheard of in someone who’d been feral for a while, someone who had been alone during the first part of stage two and hadn’t been reported to the Facility in time. But the call had just come in today. By all rights she had just started to change, she shouldn’t even be capable of running right now.
But she had. That much was obvious.
Walking into her bedroom, Nickolas pulled his hair over his shoulders, securing it with a hair tie. “So what have you found?”
Christoff turned from the window to face him. “She must have felt us coming. Which is odd, she shouldn’t be able to sense us yet. She left through here.” Christoff indicated the window.
Sliding it open more, Nickolas leaned out, looking at the bushes along the base of the house. “How long?”
“I just watched her slip into the woods.”
“Good. She can’t get very far. Come on.” He turned, pulling his wings in tight, and swept out of the room with Christoff on his heels. “Jeff must have miscalculated how far along she was. She’s still in the active phase.”
Yelling for Flynn and Jules, Nickolas led Christoff out of the house, pausing on the porch to wait for the other two members of the team to join them.
“Well Flynn, she’s not here but Chris just saw her take off into the woods. Send Jeff and Rick home. There’s nothing more for them to do at the moment, other than get yelled at for calling us in early. Chris and I will go and fetch her.”
“Right-O Nick.” Flynn replied.
Descending the steps, Nickolas waved at them as he and his brother slipped around the side of the house. None of them noticed the van parked in the shadows at the end of the street.
eg
“Damn it, too slow. They got here ahead of us.” The female Hunter slammed the palm of her hand against the steering wheel. “Marcus and Robin are going to be ticked that we didn’t get to her in time.” Kelley turned to look at the other occupant of the car. “Now we’re going to have to face Robin and tell him the bad news.”
Leslie chewed her thumbnail and shook her head. “Where’s May? She should have warned us. We shouldn’t have gotten an emergency communication from Dustin for this retrieval. It’s too much of a risk for Ian to pass us information that way. The mule is much safer for them.”
Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know where she is, Les.” Kelley shifted her wings out from under her a little and turned back to wait for the recovery team to bring Jessica out. She hated the inaction.
“It’s Jessica.” Leslie shook her head bewildered. “Robin and Marcus only left her on her own because she had May to protect her. Why wouldn’t she come in like Robin did?”
“Who knows? She’s stubborn. Besides, you know she never would have stayed. She hates Aurora.” Kelley paused as a thought struck her. “Maybe we should try and snatch her. There’s only the four of them.” Kelley winced at the punch Leslie slammed into her shoulder.
“Don’t be stupid, Kel. There may only be four of them, but two of them are Nickolas and Christoff. We wouldn’t stand a chance. So get that thought right out of your head. Robin would skin me if I let you do something like that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not too keen on bringing this news home to him.” Kelley rubbed her arm, discouraged at their failure, when movement on the porch focused their attention. “Wait… what’s this?”
The two Hunters watched the recovery team leave the house empty handed. “They lost her? I don’t believe this. Maybe we have a shot after all. And the evening isn’t a total loss, there’s Nickolas.” Kelley snagged a little device lying between the seats and pointed it at the recovery team. She pressed a sequence of buttons, smiling she watched the screen as it flashed, “Good, transfer complete.”
“Good luck on your hunt, Nick.” Les laughed. “Hope she gives you a run for the money.”
eg
Nickolas walked beside his brother to the back yard, and stopped near the window. It didn’t take long to find her traces.
“Chris, here.” Nickolas called. He gently touched some broken branches on an azalea before he squatted down to look at the footprints in the flowerbed. “Where did you say you saw her?”
“Somewhere close to here.” Christoff said, parting the bushes at the edge of the yard. “This is where I saw her hiding.”
Joining Christoff, Nickolas could see the scuffmarks where she had crouched in the dirt to watch the house. “It looks like she ran deeper into the woods.”
A branch snapped and they looked at each other, slow grins settling on their faces before they turned and tracked off after the sound.
eg
Adrenaline surged through Jessica’s body, clearing the fuzziness that had taken over her mind again, clouding her thoughts. She jogged through the woods, looked back over her shoulder as she felt a quick burst of, something, aimed at her and shivered. She knew the two Valkyrie Hunters were trying to narrow down their search. She had spent too much time as a child in Aurora not to be aware of the special mental abilities Valkyries had.
Hunters! Gods, what did I do? Why did they send two Hunters after me? I can’t get away from them.
She blocked some branches with her forearm, picking her way barefoot across the cold muddy ground. She stumbled and stepped on a stick, wincing at the loud crack it made more than at the pain it caused to her numbing feet. “I’m so screwed.”
It was hard to ignore the pain the forest floor inflicted on her feet, but she picked up the pace anyway, flinching every now and then as she encountered more stones or sticks. She wracked her brain for the distant memories of the Hunters she’d known in her childhood. Working to remember what they were capable of. She’d tried to forget them, but now she welcomed every half-forgotten scrap. Her gait slowed as the fogginess in her mind swelled once more and eroded her reasoning ability. She shook her head to clear it. Second guessing what the two following her might do would get her nowhere. Fear swirled through her again like the rising of the tide. Her emotions and thoughts surged and receded, mixing together like sand and surf. With each lapping wave something changed inside her. One moment the sand would be smooth and her thoughts were her own, the waters calm and ordered. The next, a wave would swamp everything and fear and confusion would reign.
She barely noticed when she tripped in a hole; she was so focused on her internal struggle. She just scrambled back to her feet, brushed the dirt off her knees and hands, and kept going.
Vague memories from when she and Robin had been kids, and had played in these woods, filtered through her eroding mind, pushing her deeper into the forest. Recklessly forcing her way through the ferns and bushes, she ignored the cost to herself, hoping her memory was true and not gilded by childhood. She needed to find a secure hiding spot where the Hunters wouldn’t be able to find her. Jumping a log, she found herself skidding out of control down a hill. She grabbed at bushes and tree trunks to try to slow her descent, then rolled to land head first at the bottom with a thump. Her face plastered in the dead leaves and loam. Sitting up, she brushed the debris from her face, spitting out dirt. With a grimy hand she wiped the grit out of her eyes and took a look around her. Tears blurred her vision. A meadow opened up at the base of the hill. She had a choice. Spend more time pushing through the bushes, or leave the relative safety of cover and cross the meadow.
She rose stiffly, brushing the rest of the leaves off, and tried to calm her labored breathing as indecision swamped her. Her mind whirled, the task of wrangling her thoughts into some order, and forcing herself to focus, continued to get harder. She stared out across the clearing. Where can I go? I need to break my trail. The river? She shuddered and her thoughts immediately shied away from that possibility. She looked back up the wooded hillside and winced at the obvious trail she’d made. I’ve been lucky. The only reason I’ve gotten this far is because of the tree canopy.
Reluctance over leaving the safety of the forest paralyzed her and she turned back to the meadow, rocking from foot to foot.
Snap.
She whipped a look over her shoulder then plunged without further thought into the field.
The soft grass felt much better on her bruised and battered feet than the forest floor. “I’m all most there, I’m all most there.” She chanted in time with her labored breathing and pounding feet. A distant yell spurred her on. She risked a glance back. The two Hunters emerged from the edge of the woods and spread their dark wings taking flight. Turning, she bowed her head, and burst into the cover at the edge of the woods before they were more than a quarter of the way across.
eg
Nickolas landed at the far edge of the field, his brother on his heels. They’d have to resume their hunt on foot where their quarry had ripped through the bushes. Nickolas beat his way into the dense plant life, swearing when he fouled his wings for what seemed like the millionth time on the thorny twigs.
“Damn it, where is she getting the energy for this?” He muttered under his breath. Once he got to a more open space, he started casting around looking for tracks.
Snapping branches, Christoff broke free of the thicket and shook his wings. “That’s a good question, Nick. Why hasn’t she passed out yet?” Crouching down, Christoff ran his hand lightly over the dirt. “Even if Jeff did miscalculate the timing, and I’m inclined to think that he didn’t, she should have moved from the active phase into unconsciousness by now at least.”
Christoff paused for a moment and Nickolas froze when he felt the surge of uncivilized wildness course through his brother and color his voice. “Though, it is kind of nice to have a challenge. It’s not like we get to really utilize our abilities at the Facility. Games aside, being out here in the wild, so to speak, is very liberating. Here, I found something.”
Nickolas quit his search and joined Chris. He crouched down and looked at the smudge his brother indicated. There was a dark smear in the center of the impression. He reached out to pick up a pinch of the dirt, intending to sniff it, and froze. His eyes flared as something slammed into his awareness too fast for him to comprehend.
The sound of Christoff snapping his fingers in front of his face brought him back to earth. “Nick! Hey, what is it?”
Nickolas shook his head and frowned. I don’t know. “She’s lacerated her feet. We should be able to track the blood.” Rising, Nickolas dusted the bloody dirt off his fingers and caught a worried frown from Christoff.
“Nick, seriously, how is she doing this? Even if Jeff had miscalculated, there is no way he was off by this much. He’s too experienced.”
“I don’t know Chris. Let’s get her contained. Then we’ll worry about the how.” Setting off at a lope, Nickolas wished that he could follow his own advice.
eg
Gasping for breath, Jessica pushed her way through sticker bushes and other under growth, heedless of the clinging tendrils that grabbed her clothing and tore her skin. She was barely keeping a lid on her panic. It felt like the whole world was reaching out and trying to slow her down. She ripped her clothes free and kept running, fear skittering up and down her spine.
She hit a path and made better time on it, sighing in relief. Her bare feet pounded rhythmically against the dirt. Don’t look back. You know they haven’t given up.
A sudden, splitting pain ricocheted through her head. She slammed her hands to her temples and fell to the ground, biting off a scream.
Her breath pants of agony, she felt like everything she had ever eaten in her whole life wanted to revisit her. A moan escaped and she opened her eyes, I can’t see. What happened? Why can’t I see? She rolled to her hands and knees, then sat back on her heels and wiped at the blood running from her nose. As she calmed her breathing Jessica started to notice the softer grey shadows where the moonlight reached through the tree canopy and touched the ground. The moon is out. But I could see almost as well as if it were day before. I knew Valkyrie vision was better but wow. So what happened? It just turned off? I guess I shouldn’t have been thankful for the path. Well, I’m not going to just sit here waiting for them to find me.
It still took her a moment to adjust to the change. At first the dark was stifling, but then Jessica cocked her head, noticing the riot of sound all around her. The forest creatures made a lot of noise shuffling around in the fallen leaves. Not to mention how loud the leaves themselves were, rustling and rattling as they danced from their branches to the ground. Way behind her, though as far as she was concerned not far enough, she could hear the Hunters tracking her. First I can see in the dark, and now I can hear like a wolf. Well, this is peachy. I would really prefer being able to see right now. Actually, I would prefer to be home in my nice warm bed and not dealing with this right now.
She climbed unsteadily to her feet and turned, trying to pinpoint different sounds. A rushing came from her right and she spun toward it. Is that water? I must be closer than I thought. She couldn’t see it, but she could hear it.
Tentatively she stepped out, feeling each step with her toes. When nothing happened she moved with a bit more confidence, heading in the direction of the river. She thought she was stressed before, but using her hearing to navigate was hard work-- and slow. Her tension built, and every step she gained down the path she could hear her Hunters gaining on her. She picked up the pace, moving into a jog. The rumble grew to the point that it drowned out most of the other sounds of the forest. This is your last chance. What’ll it be, It or them?
She reached the bank of the river. The rushing filled her ears and the scent of the cold water made her pause. The moon glinted dully on the swirling current as it raced past. She couldn’t hear the sound of her pursuers over the roar, but she knew they were just moments behind her. Angry at this whole situation, she waffled for a moment. The thought of entering that freezing water was almost too much, but then she thought about what would happen when the Hunters caught up to her. Resolved, she searched for a slope down to the water’s edge but the high bank crumbled under her feet and sent her tumbling into the river. She hit the frigid water and went under, the current carrying her downstream.
eg
“Nickolas, come take a look at this. Something happened here.”
Nickolas looked down the trail at his brother and saw Christoff studying the woman’s tracks. He left his own search and joined him.
“See Nick, it looks like she stumbled and fell, but when she got up again her gait is different.”
Nickolas reached out and lightly touched the scuffmarks the fledgling had left when she fell. Blood from her feet was mixed in with the dirt and he hissed at the unusual response he had. The contact with her blood shoved a slide show of pictures into his head. It moved too fast for him to catch, but a couple of things stuck with him. Quickly rubbing the dirt off of his fingers he sat back, shaking his head. Gods, she is strong. He couldn’t help but admire her strength of will and her ability to keep going. He cleared his throat. “It looks like she got hit with a dazzle headache. She was running too well to have unchanged vision. There’s nothing for her to trip over in the path. She just stumbled and fell. My guess is she got dazzled, lost her sight and probably had her hearing come in.” He looked ahead down the path, then up at Christoff. “That would account for the gait change. Navigating by sound is slower and more difficult.”
Surprise plain on his face, Christoff moved down the path a little, examining a wider area. “Dazzle headaches? I didn’t even consider that. Those aren’t supposed to start for at least a week or so.”
Nickolas felt his expression freeze and he shrugged. “That’s the way it usually works, but not always. Personally I’m amazed she could compensate for the sudden change and keep going, especially with the pain. She’s one determined fledge. When the senses change like that, it can be excruciating remember. She’s going to make one magnificent Valkyrie.” He glanced up, “might even give you some competition, Chris.” He teased. Rising, Nickolas continued to rub every speck of dirt off of his fingers then stretched his wings. “I don’t like this, Chris. We need to get her in custody soon.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. We’re on a trail now, and with her sight dimmed we should be able to catch up to her.”
They moved off at a brisk pace and Nickolas laughed mirthlessly at his brother’s back. “Don’t count on it Chris. Has she done anything you would expect? I have a bad feeling about this whole situation.”
They ran in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the forest surrounding them, giving them valuable information. The hush of the creatures a telling track in her trail. A steady rumble had grown to deafening proportion and Nickolas quickened his pace more.
The trail came out at the edge of the river bank. The water swirled in a dark seething mass below him.
“Nick…” Christoff’s voice dropped, “It doesn’t look like she turned aside.”
His heart in his throat, Nickolas scanned the ground. The breadth was too wide for him to believe she could swim across. She had to have gone one way or the other.
It was only a matter of moments before they found the collapsed segment of bank.
“Nick.” Christoff whispered.
“I know, Chris.” Nickolas snapped. He crouched down as close as he dared to the crumbling edge. His mind warred with some other part of himself that he’d never been aware of before. It didn’t stand to reason that she could survive a fall into the river, in October, in the state that she was in, but Nickolas was sure that she wasn’t dead yet. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. “Christoff, take the opposite bank.”
“What’s the point, Nick?”
“Don’t question me, Second.”
The sound of Christoff’s wings beating the air reached Nickolas. He stared for a moment more into the water. Hoping that the dark, turbulent rush would offer up some answer to what was happening. Rising carefully, so he wouldn’t end up sliding down the bank as well, Nickolas spread his wings and launched out over the water.
He studied the river for the fledgling’s body, but the current was swift. It would have carried her away very quickly. The moon set and he had trouble seeing. Both the water and the bank had taken on a one dimensional, grey hue. Yet still he searched, too focused to give up.
The silhouette of his brother ghosted by, pulling his attention from the fruitless search. Christoff signaled a desire to land. Growling in frustration, Nickolas angled his wings and followed Chris to a rocky beach.
They touched down and Nickolas snapped his wings shut.
“Nick, it’s too dark. With the moon setting we’re going to have to wait until daylight to locate where her trail comes out.” Then more quietly, “If it comes out.”
“It’ll come out, Chris.”
“Nickolas, look at the facts, man. It’s October, she’s barefoot and hardly dressed. Getting submerged, in perfect health, in the summer would be hard to overcome. But now? While her body is changing?”
Nickolas spun, sending rocks tumbling out from under his feet, and paced away. “No, you look at the facts. She is changing. And she’s managed to elude us. Us! What does that tell you? Don’t write her off. She’s tough. She’ll get out of the water. Watch.”
His brother pursed his lips and nodded his head uncertainly.
Nickolas understood his Second’s hesitation. She’d done some pretty unbelievable things so far. He rubbed his eyes with a finger and thumb. “You’re right. It’s too dark to search more tonight. We’ll have to wait till first light.” Frustrated, Nickolas pulled his phone out of his pocket punching Flynn’s number.
“You’ve got her?”
Nickolas ground his teeth. He’d been butting heads with Flynn more and more, recently. The grounded was becoming difficult. The constant vying for supremacy was getting old. “No. She went into the river. It’s too dark now; we’ll have to wait until daybreak. Do you have a fix on my location?”
“Yes. There’s a forest service road northeast of your position. We’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
“Got it.” Nickolas hung up then slipped his cell back into his pocket before spreading his wings and launching out over the river.
Nickolas Sinclair watched his brother, Christoff, shift his wing into a more comfortable position in the dimness of the van and wished he could do more than shift his. He took a couple of deep breaths and shoved the longing away. He needed the open air on his wings. The space was too cramped. He hated the van. Well, any vehicle really. I guess I shouldn’t complain. I get more free flight than any of the others.
He settled deeper into the van’s seat and took another breath in an effort to relax his back muscles. They were almost to their destination-- finally.
“Nick, why didn’t Ian send Gamma team out for this recovery? This is their territory.” Christoff asked.
Nickolas had wondered the same thing, especially since I still have a boatload of paperwork to contend with. He knows that. And the retrieval documents fell short of normal. Maybe that counted as an explanation for their assignment? “Jules, have they sent any more details?”
The small, dark haired communications technician didn’t bother to turn away from his bank of monitors and equipment. The grounded just shook his head.
Nickolas sighed and turned back to Christoff. “I have no idea, Chris. We’re the only fledged team members, that’s my best guess. You’re right that Jeff’s team should be the one handling this recovery. They’re already stationed out here. It’s a six hour drive for us.”
“Well, other than being stuck in this van for hours, it is nice to get away from the Facility for a bit. I haven’t gotten out for a few weeks.” Christoff raked a hand across his head, tousling his blond hair before he shifted again.
“Hmmm.” Nickolas returned. Yes and no Chris. You know how much I hate recoveries.
Christoff laughed. “Don’t even try to pretend you aren’t glad to be out for a bit. You need to loosen up and relax. Enjoy some free time. You’re way too serious.”
Nickolas scowled half-heartedly at his brother. Too serious? What else was there for him to do? Between the piles of paperwork and responsibilities to his little clan of Valkyries, the schedule of tests and training they were always under. What was he supposed to do to have fun? The closest he got was sparring in the ring. But that only occupied his mind for a brief period of time. The others all had each other for companionship, he never quite fit in.
“See, there you go again, Nick. Stop thinking so much.”
“Well, one of us has to, Chris.”
“Oh, ow.” Christoff gasped, dramatically clutching his heart. “That one was really uncalled for.” He laughed.
Nickolas’ lips twitched. He could always count on Christoff to be a clown. Somehow his little brother never failed to notice when he needed distracting.
“We have another couple of blocks before we arrive, Nickolas.” Flynn called from the driver’s seat.
Nickolas watched the levity leave his brother’s face. Christoff was fully aware of how hard a trip like this was for him.
Hating his weakness, Nickolas looked out the window onto the darkened pavement. They wound their way down a rustic, residential street. Unlike most cities, where the houses were so close they were touching, these houses had large yards, lots of space. Huge, big leaf maples lined the road, blocking out a majority of the light cast by the street lamps. Flynn pulled the van up behind a dark SUV.
Before the engine died, Nickolas had popped open the door and was climbing out. He stretched his wings to their full extension before folding them closed on a sigh of relief. He could finally breathe. The sound of Christoff’s wings followed suit.
Jeff and Rick climbed out of the SUV and came over to join them. “What are we looking at, Jeff?” Nickolas asked.
The Gamma team leader smiled a greeting. “She was very lethargic when she came home. She arrived about seven tonight. We haven’t seen any movement for at least four hours.”
“Good.” Nickolas caught Flynn’s attention when he came around the van. “Flynn, get the back ready for our guest. Jules, ready to get us inside?”
Smiling from ear to ear Jules pulled a little black case out of his pocket and tossed it in the air. “I’m always ready, Nick.”
Nickolas rolled his eyes at the wiry little man before turning to address the Gamma leader. “You want to join us Jeff? This should be your retrieval.”
The grounded snorted and shook his head. “No. It’s your job. We’ll wait out here.”
Glad that Jeff and Rick didn’t seem to be harboring any resentment, Nickolas turned to look at the old rambler across the street.
Blue paint, fading but not yet peeling, washed the walls. The yard had an over grown quality to it that invited you to explore the paths and see what they hid. The effect appeared purposeful not neglectful.
Darkness shrouded the house. No lights shown from the windows or the shadow filled porch. As Nickolas studied the house, the hair on the back of his neck rose. A feeling he couldn’t describe, lightly brushed across his mind, like a breeze ruffling his hair. Narrowing his eyes, he cocked his head.
“The van’s ready Nickolas.”
His absorption shattered, he pulled his gaze away from the house. Flynn’s graying red head popped out of the van.
Only a moment had passed, Jeff and Rick weren’t even back in their car yet, but to him it felt like everything had slowed down. He glanced at his team, then made an attempt to shake off the disconcerting feeling. “Let’s get this over with.”
He followed in the wake of the other three.
The closer he got to the house, the more he felt like he was walking through molasses. Something inside him felt like it stretched. Not like a rubber band, more like he pushed through a balloon. Then, to compound it, that strange feeling crawled across his mind once more. This time stronger. It wasn’t repellant; in fact, it was the opposite.
He stumbled on the pavement. The desire for it twisted through him, quickly chased by fear. He repressed both ruthlessly.
Christoff’s wings flipped nervously up ahead and drew Nickolas’ attention to the porch. Vines wrapped around the pillar on the left, fading blossoms still clinging to the turning foliage.
Stepping over the curb, Nickolas crossed the sidewalk and passed down the plant lined walkway. Get a grip. Stop jumping at shadows.
Shaking his wings out, Nickolas followed the others up the steps. The moment his foot touched the wood, he went blind. Power swept through him, burning channels in his mind, clearing a fog he hadn’t realized existed. He opened his mouth to scream, but the fire seized his lungs and was gone. Instantly. Almost like it had never been. Shaking, Nickolas found himself clutching the pillar of the railing with one hand. A quick glance up showed the others still had their backs to him and were just gathering by the door. None of them seemed affected.
What the hell was that! Pulling himself together by sheer willpower, he finished climbing the steps, glad for the darkness. He didn’t need the others noticing anything strange.
Christoff shot a quick glance at him when he joined them at the door, but then his brother went back to watching Jules pick the lock.
It didn’t take long. Jules could get through pretty much any lock out there, so a house was simple. The door released and Jules pushed it open. The two unfledged and his brother stepped back, away from the opening giving Nickolas the space to enter first.
That was a routine he wished wasn’t the case at the moment. Still uncertain about being fully in control, Nickolas swept past and entered the house.
eg
Disoriented, Jessica clawed her way up out of the tangled images of her nightmare. A potent combination of adrenaline and panic made her heart race. Shoving a hand through her hair, her fingers tangled in the curls as she tried to push the mass out of her face. Tears stained her cheeks and she wiped haphazardly at them. Her chest tightened with sorrow as the memories, of the last night she saw her parents alive, continued to circle through her head.
Angry, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push them away. She gained some distance, but that allowed her to realize the panic and adrenaline weren’t fading. They were growing. Attempting to control her rapid breath, Jessica opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, but the urge to move over-powered her. She threw back her covers and swung her legs out of bed. The pounding in her head briefly masked everything else.
Tim’s right, I’m getting sick. She laid her forehead on her knees confused. It was hard to think.
Goosebumps rose all over her body. It felt like a cloud of static electricity had passed through her. That was the only warning she had before a blinding pain punched through her head. Her breath seized as her body tried to react-- move, scream, anything. It was over instantly, but in the wake of it the fog that had clouded her mind swept away.
She slowly sat up on her bed, taking stock. Her mind raced. The surety that she was catching a cold suddenly faltered. What is going on with me?
A soft sound reached her ears, interrupting her contemplation. That’s the front door. What is May doing back already? A quick glance at her clock showed that it was just after midnight. That can’t be May? She wouldn’t come home at this hour. Already the clarity faded and the fog drifted back across her mind.
She reached out and switched on her bed side lamp. The light stabbed daggers into her head and she slapped her hand over her eyes.
What the hell? Panic blossomed in her chest, momentarily superseding the adrenaline. “No.” She moaned. “No, I can’t be.”
eg
Once over the threshold, Nickolas crossed the entryway and stepped into the living room. He kept his back to the others and pretended to study the titles on a bookshelf. He needed a moment to regain a calm façade to present to the rest of his team. The surge of energy that had mentally rocked him back on his heels on the porch had yet to completely dissipate. A slight tremor still shook his fingers.
Get a grip, boyo. You don’t need to attract Chris’ attention. His brother could be annoyingly over protective. It was an admirable quality, unless you were the one being subjected to it. All I need is for him to decide something’s wrong, and sic the rest of our Flight on me when we get home. I’ll never get a moments peace. He ran his fingers through his hair. He was pretty sure he had the shock hidden now, even though he still reeled inside.
Flynn had just found the light switch with his flashlight and had turned the foyer light on. The grounded showed no indication that he was aware of what had happened on the porch. Now, if I can just be so lucky with Chris.
As if his thoughts had called him, Christoff pulled his blond head out of the entryway closet. His brother’s boyish grin didn’t hide his intelligence, or his searching look, when he met Nickolas’ eyes.
Damn, he noticed. Or… he felt it too, maybe?
He thought about that for a second, but irritation washed it away when he saw worry enter Christoff’s green eyes.
We’re working Chris, back off. He hoped his body language would convey his thoughts to his Second. He didn’t need Christoff nursemaiding him.
Chris snorted a laugh, and threw a salute in the air, before he gave in and looked away.
A momentary reprieve, Nickolas sighed. He takes Ian’s dictates way too seriously. He watched his brother search through the rest of the hall closet for a moment. Just to make sure that Chris had actually dropped the subject. I suppose I can’t really blame him. I would do anything to protect him, also.
He gave himself a shake and turned back to the job. A fledgling often ended up in strange locations in their houses when they finally passed out. Once he’d found one had managed to stuff himself into his dryer.
Their target had a beautiful home. Open and inviting, filled with well cared for antique furniture. Definitely not the sort of home he would expect to find from a woman in her twenties. His unease grew the more he looked around.
The pristine state of the rooms also didn’t match what he expected from a fledgling entering stage two. “What’s missing?”
The other three members of his team went still as his question sank in.
“Where’s the mess?”
Christoff’s face grew serious and he snapped his wings tight from their relaxed state. Quick efficiency replaced his more standard, relaxed surfer dude façade. “Are we sure she’s here? Jules?” He strode through the archway on their left. “Kitchen, dining area. Both intact.”
Nickolas folded his arms and watched his team go to work. Jules reached up to his ear and spoke quietly into his mic. Flynn closed the front door then went to search the cabinets in the living room.
“Jeff swears that she didn’t go out the front.” Jules took his finger away from the button on his ear piece. “He said she could have gone out a back door, but why? It’s nothing but woods there.”
“She has to be somewhere.” Cocking his head, Nickolas listened. Everything felt different tonight. It was almost like that surge of power had triggered something. Detecting possible movement from the rear of the house, he motioned everyone to spread out.
eg
The distinctive rattle of her front door closing snapped Jessica out of her stunned disbelief. Someone’s in the house. Pushing the pain away, she jumped to her feet. Her thoughts swirled in chaos. She wasn’t normally prone to panic, but her reactions were not all her own tonight. If what she feared was correct… well, it was only going to get worse.
Damn it, where are you, May? I need you. Why’d you have to up and leave town and not tell me where you are?
She grabbed her sweats and thrust her legs into them, wishing her shoes weren’t out by the front door.
Run, Jessica.
The sound of her mother’s voice echoed through her head, slamming home the remembered images from her dream.
“Mommy, will I ever have wings like you?”
Her mother squeezed her hard before she answered. “You will, one day. But not for several years yet, and Robin will get his first.”
“Robin! He always gets to go first.”
Her mother’s voice laughed quietly the sound filling her. “He’s older than you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“True, but life’s not fair.” Her mother grew very serious. “You need to do your best to avoid the Facility, Jessica. Remember.”
Remember.
Panting, Jessica shook her head forcing the cobwebs to clear. The sound of feet stepping quietly on her hardwood floors galvanized her. Leave, I have to leave.
Run, run, run. Her mother’s voice beat a staccato that matched her racing heart. She slid her bedroom window to the side, and slipped out into the cold October night.
eg
Christoff swept down the hall to the last bedroom. He was sure that he’d heard someone in that room. All Valkyries had their strengths and weaknesses. Nickolas was a decent tracker… But he’s not as good as me. His Hunter abilities are just not as strong as mine. Christoff thought perplexed. But, there was something; something that couldn’t be defined, about Nickolas that had all of the Valkyries barring their throats to him. His strengths lay in a different arena.
He was Alpha.
Christoff grimaced. Nick may be Alpha, but this is one Captain who won’t be allowed to go down with the ship. I can’t trust him to watch out for his own wellbeing. If something’s wrong, he’ll confront it. With no regard to how important he is to the rest of us. Whatever that energy surge was affected him more than me. Christoff felt his worry resurface.
There was a dim light shining from under the door on the left. He paused to listen for a moment before he reached out and quietly turned the knob. It wouldn’t do to surprise the new fledgling. Those who were just starting the change were usually unaware of what was happening to them. Unfortunately, they were also volatile and prone to attack, which could make life really interesting. Good thing I like interesting.
Peering around the door, he saw no one. A breath hissed between his teeth and he shoved the door wide, looking the room over more thoroughly.
It was a decent sized bedroom, but the pale purple and white walls made him cringe. This room, unlike the rest of the house, looked more like what they expected to find. Possessions were strewn around the room, but it still was not as messy as it should be. With a second glance, he decided that it just looked lived in. It was not the sort of destruction associated with the onset of the second stage of the change. Surprised, Christoff flipped his wings to settle them more comfortably, then crossed the room to look inside the closet. Shoving the hangers over revealed nothing, and the shelves were too small for anyone to hide on.
I know I heard you. Chris ran his hand through his hair and looked at the rest of the room. The only other place to hide was the bed, but it really didn’t feel like she was here, in the room, anymore. Still, just to be on the safe side he walked over and flipped up the skirt to look under the bed. Sighing, he straightened up then felt the bed coverings. Heat under the down blanket.
She hadn’t been gone long.
The only way out, besides going past them, was the window. Walking over, he studied it. Yes. He thought looking at the slightly open window. I knew you were here. Now the million dollar question is, why did you leave? Or, better yet, how did you manage it?
eg
Shivering in the darkness, Jessica watched the recovery team flip the lights on as they searched the whole structure looking for her. The invasion of her territory made her mad and she barred her teeth, a growl rumbling in her throat. The instinctive response brought her up short. Fear flooded her system, cutting off the animalistic sound. Panic once more tried to set icy claws into her, but she pushed it away ruthlessly. Her response and the arrival of the recovery team confirmed her worst fear: She must have started the change.
Just what I needed. This sucks! At least the cold air is helping to clear my thoughts. I think.
She had done her best to deny this possibility her whole life. But huddled out in the woods barefoot, wearing only an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, she couldn’t pretend any longer.
She was changing.
It’s just not fair. She though mutinously, shaking her head she tried to clear her vision. Now was not the time to let her fears of what was to come control her. She returned her attention to the house.
A large, lean man with shoulder length blond hair had entered her bedroom. He moved with the grace of a predator, and her eyes widened when he turned, allowing her to see his wings fall gracefully down his back like a dark cloak.
Holy crap! They’ve sent a Hunter. Her mind froze in panic. Why is there a Hunter here?
She watched as the Valkyrie stopped and sniffed the air, before walking over to the window and examining it. After a moment he spread his wings, covering the glass to block the light from behind him so he could scrutinize the dark yard. Fascinated, she stared, transfixed at the way the light shone through the membrane of his wings.
She felt her mind slowing again. Fruitlessly, she fought the lethargy that was her body’s natural response to the changes taking place within it. It wasn’t long before the Hunter’s eyes found hers, even in the dark, their intensity boring into her and he smiled a slow feral smile. Backing away in fear, the last thing she saw was the Hunter turning. Feeling like a fox with the hounds about to be released, Jessica slipped farther into the bushes and fled into the night.
eg
They expected no resistance. Not this early in the change.
Nickolas swept down the hall in response to Christoff’s call and considered options. This should have been a simple retrieval. The timing for the recovery of a stage two fledgling was orchestrated very carefully. It centered on several stages of behavior.
An emerging Valkyrie needed a lot of sleep. But before they succumbed to that need and passed out, they were extremely volatile. The signs tended to be obvious to those around the new fledgling but not, thankfully, to the person experiencing it. Or we would have one heck of a time keeping people safe, Nickolas thought.
Jessica Reuther should have been sound asleep by now. She also should have destroyed everything in sight before instinct drove her to find a safe place. Damn it, there should have been no resistance!
Not that it was unheard of in someone who’d been feral for a while, someone who had been alone during the first part of stage two and hadn’t been reported to the Facility in time. But the call had just come in today. By all rights she had just started to change, she shouldn’t even be capable of running right now.
But she had. That much was obvious.
Walking into her bedroom, Nickolas pulled his hair over his shoulders, securing it with a hair tie. “So what have you found?”
Christoff turned from the window to face him. “She must have felt us coming. Which is odd, she shouldn’t be able to sense us yet. She left through here.” Christoff indicated the window.
Sliding it open more, Nickolas leaned out, looking at the bushes along the base of the house. “How long?”
“I just watched her slip into the woods.”
“Good. She can’t get very far. Come on.” He turned, pulling his wings in tight, and swept out of the room with Christoff on his heels. “Jeff must have miscalculated how far along she was. She’s still in the active phase.”
Yelling for Flynn and Jules, Nickolas led Christoff out of the house, pausing on the porch to wait for the other two members of the team to join them.
“Well Flynn, she’s not here but Chris just saw her take off into the woods. Send Jeff and Rick home. There’s nothing more for them to do at the moment, other than get yelled at for calling us in early. Chris and I will go and fetch her.”
“Right-O Nick.” Flynn replied.
Descending the steps, Nickolas waved at them as he and his brother slipped around the side of the house. None of them noticed the van parked in the shadows at the end of the street.
eg
“Damn it, too slow. They got here ahead of us.” The female Hunter slammed the palm of her hand against the steering wheel. “Marcus and Robin are going to be ticked that we didn’t get to her in time.” Kelley turned to look at the other occupant of the car. “Now we’re going to have to face Robin and tell him the bad news.”
Leslie chewed her thumbnail and shook her head. “Where’s May? She should have warned us. We shouldn’t have gotten an emergency communication from Dustin for this retrieval. It’s too much of a risk for Ian to pass us information that way. The mule is much safer for them.”
Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know where she is, Les.” Kelley shifted her wings out from under her a little and turned back to wait for the recovery team to bring Jessica out. She hated the inaction.
“It’s Jessica.” Leslie shook her head bewildered. “Robin and Marcus only left her on her own because she had May to protect her. Why wouldn’t she come in like Robin did?”
“Who knows? She’s stubborn. Besides, you know she never would have stayed. She hates Aurora.” Kelley paused as a thought struck her. “Maybe we should try and snatch her. There’s only the four of them.” Kelley winced at the punch Leslie slammed into her shoulder.
“Don’t be stupid, Kel. There may only be four of them, but two of them are Nickolas and Christoff. We wouldn’t stand a chance. So get that thought right out of your head. Robin would skin me if I let you do something like that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not too keen on bringing this news home to him.” Kelley rubbed her arm, discouraged at their failure, when movement on the porch focused their attention. “Wait… what’s this?”
The two Hunters watched the recovery team leave the house empty handed. “They lost her? I don’t believe this. Maybe we have a shot after all. And the evening isn’t a total loss, there’s Nickolas.” Kelley snagged a little device lying between the seats and pointed it at the recovery team. She pressed a sequence of buttons, smiling she watched the screen as it flashed, “Good, transfer complete.”
“Good luck on your hunt, Nick.” Les laughed. “Hope she gives you a run for the money.”
eg
Nickolas walked beside his brother to the back yard, and stopped near the window. It didn’t take long to find her traces.
“Chris, here.” Nickolas called. He gently touched some broken branches on an azalea before he squatted down to look at the footprints in the flowerbed. “Where did you say you saw her?”
“Somewhere close to here.” Christoff said, parting the bushes at the edge of the yard. “This is where I saw her hiding.”
Joining Christoff, Nickolas could see the scuffmarks where she had crouched in the dirt to watch the house. “It looks like she ran deeper into the woods.”
A branch snapped and they looked at each other, slow grins settling on their faces before they turned and tracked off after the sound.
eg
Adrenaline surged through Jessica’s body, clearing the fuzziness that had taken over her mind again, clouding her thoughts. She jogged through the woods, looked back over her shoulder as she felt a quick burst of, something, aimed at her and shivered. She knew the two Valkyrie Hunters were trying to narrow down their search. She had spent too much time as a child in Aurora not to be aware of the special mental abilities Valkyries had.
Hunters! Gods, what did I do? Why did they send two Hunters after me? I can’t get away from them.
She blocked some branches with her forearm, picking her way barefoot across the cold muddy ground. She stumbled and stepped on a stick, wincing at the loud crack it made more than at the pain it caused to her numbing feet. “I’m so screwed.”
It was hard to ignore the pain the forest floor inflicted on her feet, but she picked up the pace anyway, flinching every now and then as she encountered more stones or sticks. She wracked her brain for the distant memories of the Hunters she’d known in her childhood. Working to remember what they were capable of. She’d tried to forget them, but now she welcomed every half-forgotten scrap. Her gait slowed as the fogginess in her mind swelled once more and eroded her reasoning ability. She shook her head to clear it. Second guessing what the two following her might do would get her nowhere. Fear swirled through her again like the rising of the tide. Her emotions and thoughts surged and receded, mixing together like sand and surf. With each lapping wave something changed inside her. One moment the sand would be smooth and her thoughts were her own, the waters calm and ordered. The next, a wave would swamp everything and fear and confusion would reign.
She barely noticed when she tripped in a hole; she was so focused on her internal struggle. She just scrambled back to her feet, brushed the dirt off her knees and hands, and kept going.
Vague memories from when she and Robin had been kids, and had played in these woods, filtered through her eroding mind, pushing her deeper into the forest. Recklessly forcing her way through the ferns and bushes, she ignored the cost to herself, hoping her memory was true and not gilded by childhood. She needed to find a secure hiding spot where the Hunters wouldn’t be able to find her. Jumping a log, she found herself skidding out of control down a hill. She grabbed at bushes and tree trunks to try to slow her descent, then rolled to land head first at the bottom with a thump. Her face plastered in the dead leaves and loam. Sitting up, she brushed the debris from her face, spitting out dirt. With a grimy hand she wiped the grit out of her eyes and took a look around her. Tears blurred her vision. A meadow opened up at the base of the hill. She had a choice. Spend more time pushing through the bushes, or leave the relative safety of cover and cross the meadow.
She rose stiffly, brushing the rest of the leaves off, and tried to calm her labored breathing as indecision swamped her. Her mind whirled, the task of wrangling her thoughts into some order, and forcing herself to focus, continued to get harder. She stared out across the clearing. Where can I go? I need to break my trail. The river? She shuddered and her thoughts immediately shied away from that possibility. She looked back up the wooded hillside and winced at the obvious trail she’d made. I’ve been lucky. The only reason I’ve gotten this far is because of the tree canopy.
Reluctance over leaving the safety of the forest paralyzed her and she turned back to the meadow, rocking from foot to foot.
Snap.
She whipped a look over her shoulder then plunged without further thought into the field.
The soft grass felt much better on her bruised and battered feet than the forest floor. “I’m all most there, I’m all most there.” She chanted in time with her labored breathing and pounding feet. A distant yell spurred her on. She risked a glance back. The two Hunters emerged from the edge of the woods and spread their dark wings taking flight. Turning, she bowed her head, and burst into the cover at the edge of the woods before they were more than a quarter of the way across.
eg
Nickolas landed at the far edge of the field, his brother on his heels. They’d have to resume their hunt on foot where their quarry had ripped through the bushes. Nickolas beat his way into the dense plant life, swearing when he fouled his wings for what seemed like the millionth time on the thorny twigs.
“Damn it, where is she getting the energy for this?” He muttered under his breath. Once he got to a more open space, he started casting around looking for tracks.
Snapping branches, Christoff broke free of the thicket and shook his wings. “That’s a good question, Nick. Why hasn’t she passed out yet?” Crouching down, Christoff ran his hand lightly over the dirt. “Even if Jeff did miscalculate the timing, and I’m inclined to think that he didn’t, she should have moved from the active phase into unconsciousness by now at least.”
Christoff paused for a moment and Nickolas froze when he felt the surge of uncivilized wildness course through his brother and color his voice. “Though, it is kind of nice to have a challenge. It’s not like we get to really utilize our abilities at the Facility. Games aside, being out here in the wild, so to speak, is very liberating. Here, I found something.”
Nickolas quit his search and joined Chris. He crouched down and looked at the smudge his brother indicated. There was a dark smear in the center of the impression. He reached out to pick up a pinch of the dirt, intending to sniff it, and froze. His eyes flared as something slammed into his awareness too fast for him to comprehend.
The sound of Christoff snapping his fingers in front of his face brought him back to earth. “Nick! Hey, what is it?”
Nickolas shook his head and frowned. I don’t know. “She’s lacerated her feet. We should be able to track the blood.” Rising, Nickolas dusted the bloody dirt off his fingers and caught a worried frown from Christoff.
“Nick, seriously, how is she doing this? Even if Jeff had miscalculated, there is no way he was off by this much. He’s too experienced.”
“I don’t know Chris. Let’s get her contained. Then we’ll worry about the how.” Setting off at a lope, Nickolas wished that he could follow his own advice.
eg
Gasping for breath, Jessica pushed her way through sticker bushes and other under growth, heedless of the clinging tendrils that grabbed her clothing and tore her skin. She was barely keeping a lid on her panic. It felt like the whole world was reaching out and trying to slow her down. She ripped her clothes free and kept running, fear skittering up and down her spine.
She hit a path and made better time on it, sighing in relief. Her bare feet pounded rhythmically against the dirt. Don’t look back. You know they haven’t given up.
A sudden, splitting pain ricocheted through her head. She slammed her hands to her temples and fell to the ground, biting off a scream.
Her breath pants of agony, she felt like everything she had ever eaten in her whole life wanted to revisit her. A moan escaped and she opened her eyes, I can’t see. What happened? Why can’t I see? She rolled to her hands and knees, then sat back on her heels and wiped at the blood running from her nose. As she calmed her breathing Jessica started to notice the softer grey shadows where the moonlight reached through the tree canopy and touched the ground. The moon is out. But I could see almost as well as if it were day before. I knew Valkyrie vision was better but wow. So what happened? It just turned off? I guess I shouldn’t have been thankful for the path. Well, I’m not going to just sit here waiting for them to find me.
It still took her a moment to adjust to the change. At first the dark was stifling, but then Jessica cocked her head, noticing the riot of sound all around her. The forest creatures made a lot of noise shuffling around in the fallen leaves. Not to mention how loud the leaves themselves were, rustling and rattling as they danced from their branches to the ground. Way behind her, though as far as she was concerned not far enough, she could hear the Hunters tracking her. First I can see in the dark, and now I can hear like a wolf. Well, this is peachy. I would really prefer being able to see right now. Actually, I would prefer to be home in my nice warm bed and not dealing with this right now.
She climbed unsteadily to her feet and turned, trying to pinpoint different sounds. A rushing came from her right and she spun toward it. Is that water? I must be closer than I thought. She couldn’t see it, but she could hear it.
Tentatively she stepped out, feeling each step with her toes. When nothing happened she moved with a bit more confidence, heading in the direction of the river. She thought she was stressed before, but using her hearing to navigate was hard work-- and slow. Her tension built, and every step she gained down the path she could hear her Hunters gaining on her. She picked up the pace, moving into a jog. The rumble grew to the point that it drowned out most of the other sounds of the forest. This is your last chance. What’ll it be, It or them?
She reached the bank of the river. The rushing filled her ears and the scent of the cold water made her pause. The moon glinted dully on the swirling current as it raced past. She couldn’t hear the sound of her pursuers over the roar, but she knew they were just moments behind her. Angry at this whole situation, she waffled for a moment. The thought of entering that freezing water was almost too much, but then she thought about what would happen when the Hunters caught up to her. Resolved, she searched for a slope down to the water’s edge but the high bank crumbled under her feet and sent her tumbling into the river. She hit the frigid water and went under, the current carrying her downstream.
eg
“Nickolas, come take a look at this. Something happened here.”
Nickolas looked down the trail at his brother and saw Christoff studying the woman’s tracks. He left his own search and joined him.
“See Nick, it looks like she stumbled and fell, but when she got up again her gait is different.”
Nickolas reached out and lightly touched the scuffmarks the fledgling had left when she fell. Blood from her feet was mixed in with the dirt and he hissed at the unusual response he had. The contact with her blood shoved a slide show of pictures into his head. It moved too fast for him to catch, but a couple of things stuck with him. Quickly rubbing the dirt off of his fingers he sat back, shaking his head. Gods, she is strong. He couldn’t help but admire her strength of will and her ability to keep going. He cleared his throat. “It looks like she got hit with a dazzle headache. She was running too well to have unchanged vision. There’s nothing for her to trip over in the path. She just stumbled and fell. My guess is she got dazzled, lost her sight and probably had her hearing come in.” He looked ahead down the path, then up at Christoff. “That would account for the gait change. Navigating by sound is slower and more difficult.”
Surprise plain on his face, Christoff moved down the path a little, examining a wider area. “Dazzle headaches? I didn’t even consider that. Those aren’t supposed to start for at least a week or so.”
Nickolas felt his expression freeze and he shrugged. “That’s the way it usually works, but not always. Personally I’m amazed she could compensate for the sudden change and keep going, especially with the pain. She’s one determined fledge. When the senses change like that, it can be excruciating remember. She’s going to make one magnificent Valkyrie.” He glanced up, “might even give you some competition, Chris.” He teased. Rising, Nickolas continued to rub every speck of dirt off of his fingers then stretched his wings. “I don’t like this, Chris. We need to get her in custody soon.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. We’re on a trail now, and with her sight dimmed we should be able to catch up to her.”
They moved off at a brisk pace and Nickolas laughed mirthlessly at his brother’s back. “Don’t count on it Chris. Has she done anything you would expect? I have a bad feeling about this whole situation.”
They ran in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the forest surrounding them, giving them valuable information. The hush of the creatures a telling track in her trail. A steady rumble had grown to deafening proportion and Nickolas quickened his pace more.
The trail came out at the edge of the river bank. The water swirled in a dark seething mass below him.
“Nick…” Christoff’s voice dropped, “It doesn’t look like she turned aside.”
His heart in his throat, Nickolas scanned the ground. The breadth was too wide for him to believe she could swim across. She had to have gone one way or the other.
It was only a matter of moments before they found the collapsed segment of bank.
“Nick.” Christoff whispered.
“I know, Chris.” Nickolas snapped. He crouched down as close as he dared to the crumbling edge. His mind warred with some other part of himself that he’d never been aware of before. It didn’t stand to reason that she could survive a fall into the river, in October, in the state that she was in, but Nickolas was sure that she wasn’t dead yet. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. “Christoff, take the opposite bank.”
“What’s the point, Nick?”
“Don’t question me, Second.”
The sound of Christoff’s wings beating the air reached Nickolas. He stared for a moment more into the water. Hoping that the dark, turbulent rush would offer up some answer to what was happening. Rising carefully, so he wouldn’t end up sliding down the bank as well, Nickolas spread his wings and launched out over the water.
He studied the river for the fledgling’s body, but the current was swift. It would have carried her away very quickly. The moon set and he had trouble seeing. Both the water and the bank had taken on a one dimensional, grey hue. Yet still he searched, too focused to give up.
The silhouette of his brother ghosted by, pulling his attention from the fruitless search. Christoff signaled a desire to land. Growling in frustration, Nickolas angled his wings and followed Chris to a rocky beach.
They touched down and Nickolas snapped his wings shut.
“Nick, it’s too dark. With the moon setting we’re going to have to wait until daylight to locate where her trail comes out.” Then more quietly, “If it comes out.”
“It’ll come out, Chris.”
“Nickolas, look at the facts, man. It’s October, she’s barefoot and hardly dressed. Getting submerged, in perfect health, in the summer would be hard to overcome. But now? While her body is changing?”
Nickolas spun, sending rocks tumbling out from under his feet, and paced away. “No, you look at the facts. She is changing. And she’s managed to elude us. Us! What does that tell you? Don’t write her off. She’s tough. She’ll get out of the water. Watch.”
His brother pursed his lips and nodded his head uncertainly.
Nickolas understood his Second’s hesitation. She’d done some pretty unbelievable things so far. He rubbed his eyes with a finger and thumb. “You’re right. It’s too dark to search more tonight. We’ll have to wait till first light.” Frustrated, Nickolas pulled his phone out of his pocket punching Flynn’s number.
“You’ve got her?”
Nickolas ground his teeth. He’d been butting heads with Flynn more and more, recently. The grounded was becoming difficult. The constant vying for supremacy was getting old. “No. She went into the river. It’s too dark now; we’ll have to wait until daybreak. Do you have a fix on my location?”
“Yes. There’s a forest service road northeast of your position. We’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
“Got it.” Nickolas hung up then slipped his cell back into his pocket before spreading his wings and launching out over the river.