AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Isabela sniffed haughtily to show her disregard, but also to hide the frustrated tears in her eyes.
“They wrote . . . bad things about me,” she said.
“I know. I read it.”
She glared at him.
“You should read my dossier when you have a chance,” Einar said. “If you thought yours was bad . . .”
“They called me a—what was it? An RTH.”
“Risk to humanity,” Einar said. “They call me that, too.”
Isabela’s eyebrows shot up. “But . . . you are a killer! Why should I be lumped in with you?”
Einar shrugged. “They think they can predict our futures,” he said.
Isabela considered this. “You should prove them wrong.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Stop acting like an angry child. Stop killing. Bring them to justice. There are good people at Earth Garde. They will help.”
Einar pursed his delicate lips. “You just want to save Nigel’s mother. I understand. He’s your friend. But trust me, she is not worth saving.”
“You read our files, yes? Then you know that the Garde at the Academy like Nigel. He was a hero during the invasion. You want to unite the Garde? Prove you are not a shitty little villain? Well, you need to stop killing people’s moms and dads.”
“You’re oversimplifying things,” Einar muttered, but he was listening. He was looking at Isabela the same way that Caleb had last night. Waiting for an answer.
“I have a plan,” Isabela declared. “For when we get there. A fate worse than death for these Foundation bastards.”
“What’s worse than death?”
Isabela touched her smooth cheek and, for a moment, let her appearance waver. Einar’s eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of her scars.
“For these people?” Isabela smiled. “Being seen for who they truly are.”
From his vantage point, Nigel could see a dozen or so Blackstone mercenaries moving about on the rooftops at the edge of town. They’d have an unobstructed line of sight down to the clearing where he and his mom stood. He was sure there were others, too, who weren’t visible to him. Maybe in the cabin, maybe up on the cable car.
“You sure you’ve got enough men?”
“One sniper would be enough for Einar,” Bea said. “His Legacies are only effective at close range. I’ll have every angle covered.”
“You thought of everything,” Nigel said dryly.
“Darling, when I plan an ambush, I plan an ambush.”
“Might not even show up.”
“He’ll show up,” Bea replied. “I made sure to leave ample bread crumbs for him to follow.”
Nigel squinted. It looked like one of the mercs was carrying a rocket launcher. He whistled.
“Is that a bazooka up there? Christ, Mum. Going to blow us all up?”
“My dear, it’s always best to be prepared for the unexpected.”
“Do you know what you’ve done?” Agent Walker shouted. “We’re talking international incident here!”
“You said our mission is to find Einar,” Ran replied coldly. “She will help us do that.”
“We’ve kidnapped the daughter of a sheikh from a nation that doesn’t participate in Earth Garde,” Walker responded. “Do you have any idea how illegal that is?”
Ran tapped her temple. “Is this legal?”
“You didn’t kidnap me,” Rabiya added. “I came willingly.”
Walker and Ran didn’t acknowledge her, too deep in their own argument. Kopano sighed and put his hand on Rabiya’s shoulder.
“They’re always fighting,” he said. “In the meantime, best to just enjoy the view.”
They stood on a mossy cliff overlooking a gorge filled with overgrown jungle. Fog rolled across the valley below and, through the misty gaps, Kopano saw the remains of an ancient village. Stone temples and houses, all built into the mountain walls. Next to him, a Loralite stone jutted out of the ground.
“Where have you brought us, exactly?” he asked Rabiya.
“Machu Picchu, in Peru,” she replied, hugging herself. “No one has discovered this Loralite growth yet, so it’s free from the usual checkpoints and security guards. I come here sometimes to think.”
Kopano glanced over at her. She was hard to get a read on, but he thought he saw loneliness in her eyes.
“You can just teleport all over the world and see such amazing things,” Kopano said with a grin. “What a Legacy! I’m jealous.”
“Yes, it’s great until someone is trying to kill you.”
“You can just teleport away!”
“It’s not always so easy.”
Kopano took a deep breath and extended his arms, letting the breeze blow across his chest. “At the Academy, they will teach you ways to defend yourself. You’ll love it.”
Rabiya glanced back at Walker and Ran. “Will they let me stay? If they send me back to my father after what I did . . .”
“Things will work out,” Kopano assured her, although he wasn’t so certain of that any more. He fingered the Inhibitor chip in his pocket, the one that he’d pulled out of his own head. What reason did he have to be positive when everything lately had sucked so hard?
He thought of Taylor, back at the Academy, probably worried sick about him. He’d made a promise to her, too, about keeping her safe and making life boring. Now he wasn’t around to keep it. He thought about kissing her, about how their relationship was just getting started. Now, it was Kopano who had loneliness in his eyes.
Agent Walker snapped her fingers at Rabiya and Kopano as they both stared wistfully across Machu Picchu’s crumbled architecture. Apparently, she and Ran had finished their latest argument.
“All right, since we’re in this mess and we can’t hide in Peru forever, we might as well know,” Walker resignedly addressed Rabiya. “Where is Einar?”
“Switzerland,” she replied. “Or, at least, he will be there.”
“Why Switzerland?”
“There’s a meeting happening there between one of the Foundation heads and one of their biggest customers. He won’t be able to resist.”
“And you know this how?”
“The woman from the Foundation approached my father about acquiring my services for the meeting. Apparently she wanted a quick getaway.” Rabiya had held Walker’s gaze throughout the mini interrogation, but now she looked away. “He denied her, but I heard the details. The meeting is soon.”
Walker ran a hand through her hair. “Jesus. So this is all just a hunch of yours?”
“No,” Rabiya replied sharply. “The Foundation woman in question is Bea Barnaby. She recruited Einar. He won’t be able to resist attacking her.”
“But he might not even know about this meeting,” Walker groaned.
Ran stepped in close to Rabiya. “Did you say Barnaby?”
“Yes,” Rabiya replied. “I think you know her son.”
Kopano’s stomach dropped. There really wasn’t much reason for optimism in this world. None at all.
“How close can you get us?” Ran asked.
Rabiya draped her hand against the Loralite growth.
“Close.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
TAYLOR COOK
ENGELBERG, SWITZERLAND
“WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE?”
Taylor, the XO, and six other Blackstone mercenaries walked purposefully through the deserted streets of the Swiss hamlet. It was a quaint little spot at the base of the mountains. In her past life, Taylor would’ve loved to visit a place like this. Now, she saw shadows moving in every abandoned window.
“Boss lady had them evacuated,” the XO replied. “Safer that way.”
“So you’re expecting trouble?”
He gave Taylor a look. “Cook, not a day goes by I’m not expecting trouble.”
Taylor had to admit it was a stupid question, but she was nervous. The XO and his men had geared up when they arrived. They all wore body armor now and heat-vision
goggles on their foreheads. All their weapons were tethered to their armor by titanium alloy cords, so their guns couldn’t be ripped away by telekinesis. Taylor also noticed that some of them had adopted Mogadorian energy blasters recovered from the warship raid. A telekinetic could knock a bullet off course, but not redirect an energy beam.
