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As soon as Rook closedthe door behind him, Seraphina flicked at the tiny protrusion embedded on the side of her bracelet. A thin laser beam shot out. She muffled a sharp cry as the heat singed the skin on her wrist. After blowing at the burn mark, she tilted her hand and aimed the flame at the plasti-cuffs. The material frayed under the heat and split. Once she freed her left wrist, she aimed the laser at the right and bent to undo her ankles.
She stood and smiled. Lie to her. Drug her. Who did Roarke/Rook think she was? An amateur? She glanced around at the cameras and threw up her fingers in a new trending gesture, telling them what they could do with themselves.
She ran to the door and the latch refused to move. Another blast from her laser burned the handle off. She twisted the hot tip remaining and the door opened. Glancing both ways down the empty hall, she drew a deep breath and checked the ceiling. Small black discs glinted. Security cameras.
Definitely some sort of law enforcement facility. She gripped her wrist to steady her aim and turned the micro laser on her bracelet to each camera. They fizzled and popped, the red eye at the center of the black circles going dark.
After confirming there were no more, she hurried to the left and dipped inside a cleansing room. Showers, urinals and a bin filled with towels and folded clothing. Flipping through, she grabbed what she needed.
A quick check in the stalls lined along the wall to make sure they were empty and she went back to the large mirror. A single thought and she dropped the morph.Bye bye, Tempest.
She focused on her next change and her features shifted in an instant, responding to the urgency pumping through her blood.
Her skin tugged and stretched as the new physical image rippled over her from head to toe. Once she had the body she wanted, Seraphina ripped at the silver dress and tossed it to the floor. She shook out the clothing she’d grabbed and pulled on the shirt then the loose fitting pants. Tightening the drawstring didn’t do much but at least she was dressed.
She ducked out the cleansing room. Still no one around. She rushed down the wide hall, heart in her throat and terror at being caught giving her the impetus to get out. Every few steps, she listened for an alarm or signs of guards. Nothing. What kind of place was this?
The sign ahead read exit. She resisted the urge to do a fist pump and pushed the bar across the door. It was her first misstep. The jarring sound of an alarm assaulted her ears even as she cursed and darted through.
The darkness outside compared to the bright interior lights blinded her for a split second. At least she knew one thing—it was still night wherever she was. Which meant the drug had only affected her for a few hours. She took off running into the unknown.
Fear beat a determined tempo as she kept glancing back to see if Roarke—no, Rook—his name was Rook, was behind her. So far, so good.
Feet bare, she raced over the hard pact ground. Cold curled her toes inward. He could have at least brought her shoes along. Once more, she glanced over her shoulder as she gained distance and registered the unassuming squat building behind her.
Lights on top of the roof came on one after the other as someone inside silenced the alarm. The quiet registered louder than the jangling siren. Panicked, she put on a burst of speed. She made it half the distance from the place and drew to a sudden halt at the high security fence surrounding the facility. She could climb it but that might make her visible to those inside who wanted to catch her. Testing it earned a zap to her fingertips. “Ouch.”
She shook her hand and sucked on the stinging digits. Climbing wasnotan option unless she wanted to fry. Her brain flew through options. Observe, identify, resolve.
Observe the issue, identify the problem and resolve it. Actions she tried to follow when planning.
Granted, her fleeing Rook and his friends hadn’t taken much planning. For a brief instant, she thought of the fierce tenderness in his gaze when he’d kissed her strapped to that chair. At the time, she’d hoped he’d free her. Fool!
Tugging at her hair, she forced her breathing to slow and worked to calm her pounding pulse to tackle the problem before her.
She had to admit it was a smart set up. Diabolic in its simplicity. Regular linked fencing acted as a distraction aided by an electromagnetic field invisible to the eye but giving off a little hum. Bet it would send a signal to those inside with the exact location of an intruder.
Underneath it all a nifty bit of electricity fueled by a power source to deter the more determined. That was a lot of effort to keep people in. Or out.
“Fuck, fuck.” She tested the laser on her bracelet. The indicator gauge reflected a minor charge left. Gotta make it count. She squatted and hoped to all the gods she didn’t blow herself up.
She set her arm close to the bottom of the physical fencing. “Please don’t backlash and set me on fire.”
The tiny spurt of the laser was equally concerning but she held her breath and cut a path straight across, down and to the side. Sparks flared and a lightning sharp pain spiked up her arm.
Tears blurred her vision, but she kept going until finished. She sat back on her heels, waiting for the sensation to return in her left arm and eyed the small square section she’d cut. Tight, considering her new body but manageable. She dropped as close to the ground as possible and crawled through the opening.
Dirt and muck filled her mouth but she clenched her eyes and pushed forward. Quitting was a no go. If they caught her now, she wouldn’t get a second chance to escape. Especially if they discovered how she’d done it.
Slow and with caution, she made sure not to cut herself or leave any genetic material behind. She’d be damned if she’d let whoever snatched her trace her true identity. That couldn’t happen. Nothing could deter her from bringing Jarad down.
After her legs cleared, she leaped to her feet. She faced the ruined fence and tore the bracelet from her wrist. There wasn’t much power left but enough to do what she wanted. She latched the clasp on a shredded piece of the cut framing and hit the timer.
Lurching to her feet, she took off running. Her sense of direction steered her toward the wooded area ahead. She stayed close to the trees and pushed herself as she never had before. Getting away was the only goal.
Behind her, an explosion ripped through the night. She paused long enough to see the results. Lights on the building flickered before going dark. The seller had been right about the jewelry. Tiny but mighty explosive device indeed.
Facing forward again, she laughed and ran.
