The idea of feeling every injury as it moves through your body makes my stomach turn, but I can’t deny how valuable that ability could be in a fight.
“Now, this is her half brother, Alex,” Bash says, clicking away on his keyboard until the screens shift to display new information. “His gift is going to be especially useful for this mission because he can make people compulsively tell the truth.”
As his photo pops up on the main screen, I find myself studying his face intently. He looks older than Nasha by at least a decade, with the same bronze skin and dark hair, thoughhis is cropped close and clean at the edges. His jawline is sharp and dusted with a hint of stubble that gives him a rugged edge.
His eyes are a deep shade of brown, almost black in the photograph, and he stares straight into the camera with an intensity that’s compelling. There’s something about the way he holds himself, even in a still image, that suggests controlled power.
His broad shoulders and strong build definitely make me want him on our team. If we’re going into hostile territory, having someone who looks like he could handle himself in a fight and force our enemies to spill their secrets sounds like exactly what we need.
“How does the truth compulsion work?” I ask.
Bash brings up Alex’s detailed assessment notes on the next screen over. I scan through the bullet points—he can compel people to tell the truth through eye contact and a trigger phrase, but only for short bursts and the subject knows they’re being forced to speak. The notes mention it’s less effective on other Avids and can be resisted by strong-willed individuals. Despite the limitations, it still sounds incredibly useful for what we’re planning.
“His gift isn’t as strong as his sister’s, and we can’t really go around interrogating everyone,” Bash admits, switching off the screens. “But I think after Rupert’s betrayal last night, Malachi will want Alex to at least question everyone he’s trusting to work on this mission. Better to know where people stand before we’re in the field, especially when you’re involved. You seem to have a talent for attracting trouble.”
He smiles at me with that mischievous glint I’ve come to recognize.
“What? My girl? Trouble? No way,” Aurora says with mock shock, dissolving into giggles along with Bash.
“I can’t help that everyone wants a piece of me.” I roll myeyes and stand, brushing off their teasing. It’s not like I go looking for chaos, but it seems to find me wherever I go.
“So are you taking us to this training room to meet them, or do you want to try putting us through one of your machines first?” Aurora asks, gesturing toward the intimidating array of equipment surrounding us.
“Why don’t you head to the Avidian training center? You remember where it is, right? Two stories up, go right. You can’t miss it. You can see if you approve of their skills.”
Aurora perks up at that suggestion, her eyes lighting with anticipation. “Yeah, I need to see if they’re up to my standards,” she jokes, already moving toward the door with that quick, energetic stride of hers.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she calls as she disappears into the hallway, leaving the two of us in the sterile quiet of the lab. Bash turns back to face me, and I can see something shifting in his expression. He’s been waiting for this moment to talk privately.
“I’m not going to ask you how you are, because I imagine everyone’s been asking you that since you got back,” Bash begins. “Instead, I want to know if you’re ready to let me peek under that hood of yours? All this talk about a secret mission and getting revenge on Marco… Has it changed your mind about my equipment?”
“Under my hood? Really?” I scrunch my nose at his phrasing. “Why do you have to make it sound so… clinical and dirty at the same time?”
I walk closer to one of the larger machines, running my fingers along its surface. I forget what he called it, but it’s a massive white and gray cylinder with a padded gurney positioned at its center, surrounded by screens and sensors that look like something from a sci-fi movie.
“I want to know more about my gift and whereit comes from,” I admit. “I want to be stronger. I want my abilities to evolve like Aurora’s have.”
Bash comes up behind me, his footsteps soft on the lab floor. “Your gift has evolved, Kat. The difference is that Aurora’s been fighting to unlock her potential her entire life, pushing against every limitation. You’ve been treating your abilities like a curse, only using them when absolutely forced to.” His voice is gentle but direct. “I’m certain it’ll evolve exponentially once you stop fighting what you are and fully embrace it.”
I have been trying to embrace my gift more lately, but it’s… complicated.
“What does this one do?” I ask, reaching out to touch the cool, smooth surface.
“That’s my neural frequency analyzer,” he says, moving to stand beside the machine with obvious pride. “It allows me to map your brain activity and examine the electromagnetic patterns your gift creates. Remember how I told you my ability helps me identify and synchronize with each person’s unique frequency?”
I nod, the memory still fresh in my mind. “Like when you helped make me stronger briefly when I crossed the Veil trying to reach Carmen.”
The thought brings back that awful experience—racing through the darkness between worlds, those desperate souls reaching for me. The way I left my body, I’ve never done that before, and it was kind of scary. I haven’t felt anything that intense since, and I know Malachi really didn’t like it. Or how I was out for so long after, spent.
“Exactly,” Bash says, his eyes lighting up. “After that session, I’ve been running calculations and analyzing the data patterns. I think I’ve figured out a way to make that enhancementpermanent.”
I turn to face him fully, my pulse quickening. “What do you mean?”
“Think of it like this,” he explains, gesturing with his hands as he talks. “Your abilities operate on specific frequencies, like radio waves. When I boosted your power before, I was essentially acting as an amplifier, temporarily increasing your signal strength. But what if, instead of amplifying from the outside, I could unlock the dormant frequency channels within your own neural pathways?”
Scientific explanations can make my head spin, but I’m following the general concept. “So you wouldn’t be giving me your power. You’d be helping me access more of my own?”
“Precisely!” His enthusiasm is infectious and also makes me weary. “Every Avid has untapped potential locked within their genetic code. Most people only access maybe ten to fifteen percent of their true capabilities. But if I can map your unique frequency signature and then use targeted electromagnetic pulses to activate those dormant neural pathways…”
