Gravitational manipulation. Localized. Can increase or redirect weight and pressure within a controlled radius. Crush, pin, immobilize.
That’s…inconvenient.
If Ethan wanted to, he could drop Reese to his knees without even touching him, pin him to the floor, break bones under invisible weight. But he’s not. He’s just holding onto me, gun up.Waiting.
Which means…
Samantha is still close, and her ability isn’t selective. It’s not targeted. I don’t know how far the range extends, but it’s everything within it. Every Ascended, including me and Reese and even the rest of Malcolm’s soldiers.
Interesting. And potentiallyuseful.
I file that knowledge away, keeping it safe for later because right now, I’ve got nothing. No power, no backup plan. Just a gun to my head and Reese looking like he’s about to start a war over my dead body.
“Because of you, you’re both in a very unfortunate position, Cason,” Malcolm says.
“Good to know I’m still setting the bar for bad decisions.”
“That’s enough,” Malcolm snaps. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Mr. Morgan here. Let’s hope he makes therightdecision.”
I roll my eyes. “God, I hate being used as leverage. It’s so overplayed.”
“Cason.”
I meet Reese’s gaze at the sound of my name on his lips. It’s low like a warning. Or a plea. Maybe both.
“Don’t,” I tell him, shaking my head as much as I can with a gun pressed to my skull. “Don’t do whatever you’re about to do.”
Malcolm chuckles softly behind me. “He understands the situation better than you do.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
He doesn’t answer me, so I let it go because that’s not what matters right now.
“Don’t believe him,” I tell Reese. “He’s not going to fucking kill me. He’s lying to you to get what he wants. He’s a manipulative fucking ass—”
Malcolm shuts me up by hitting me on the back of the head again.
“Fuck!”
If I walk out of here, I’m walking out with a fucking concussion.
“Alright! Okay! Fucking stop.”
I have to squint again to see Reese through more of those dancing lights. He looks even less convinced than before but just as furious. Unfortunately, I’ll be equally as mad if he does what I think he’s about to do. This wouldn’t be fucking happening if he had let me come alone like he said he would.
“Don’t,” I repeat, glaring at him. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
The room seems to go quiet, filled with tension that Malcolm lets us sit in so long I swear it’s about to make the room implode in on all of us.
Then, “Reese.”
Malcolm says it like a command, as though Reese never stopped being one of his soldiers. And I watch it happen—the exact moment Reese makes his decision.
“I’ll shut it down.”
My stomach drops, and I hang my head.
“Excellent,” Malcolm says as the pressure at the back of my head disappears.
