Code, p.11
Code, page 11
Gene shook his head, frowning. “You don’t mean that.”
“I mean it with every breath I take.” I pounded my chest once, hitting a button at the same time. “You two should just be together and go rot in hell. You deserve each other.”
A muscle twitched in Novak’s neck, his face turning red. “I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened and you weren’t disrespectful. I understand seeing your mother in that condition was a shock and caused you to react irrationally. As your brother was trying to tell you, there are two reasons why I took your mother away from you. First, she wasn’t mentally sound. While you rushed out after your squabble, she tried to commit suicide.”
“Liar,” I spat.
“She tried, but I intervened. Your mother had contemplated it before, but hadn’t followed through with action. That day she did.”
“Wait.” I shuffled backward to my bed. “How did you know I left or what she did? How could you have possibly known?” It hit me. “Oh. My. God. You watched us? There were cameras in our house? You monitored ... us.” Everything clicked in place. “She told me she didn’t have pictures of us. She never would talk about you. I thought it was too painful.” I narrowed my blazing gaze at him. “You’re a sick man.”
Gene slapped my face and I jerked to the left, my cheek stinging.
“Don’t you dare call our father that,” he snarled and stood beside Novak again.
I scoffed and wiped the metallic-tasting smudge of blood on my lip. “Like father, like son. You must be big and tough to strike an unarmed woman.”
Gene reached for me to strike again, but Novak grabbed his wrist.
“Enough. I didn’t come here to upset you, Ava. I came to explain why your mother is the way she is. It must have been a shock to see her like that.”
I raised my chin. No one was going to lessen my dignity, especially not the people in front of me. “Your favorite, Payton, already explained it to me.”
Gene stiffened and scowled.
Ah ... and there it was. His weakness. My older brother was jealous of Payton. Why wouldn’t he be? Novak adored Payton. I’d just added one more playing card to my deck.
I crossed my arms. “Why didn’t you have Gene take me to see Mom? She would have loved to see her children together. Oh, wait, is it because Gene doesn’t have the power to pacify her when she gets out of control? Or do you favor Payton more? Payton is like a son to you, right? I mean, he does spend a lot of time with you. Everyone in ISAN wondered about that.”
Novak scrutinized me with a glare. He knew the game I played. His smirk told me he would volley back.
“It is true Payton has a special gift, but he is no son of mine.” He patted Gene’s back. “My son, my only son, has proven himself to be worthy in many ways. No one is powerful as him ... or you. My two proudest joys and accomplishments.”
Gene’s grin and gleaming eyes made my stomach fill with acid.
“What about Justine?” I said. “Does she know I’m her half sister and Gene is her half brother? Does Gene know?”
“Of course I do.” Gene shifted awkwardly, his dress shoes tapping on the floor.
I hate that sound.
Gene glanced at Novak and continued, “Justine isn’t the only half sibling.”
I think I stopped breathing. “What did you say?”
“It’s none of your concern right now, no concern of either of you.” Novak frowned at Gene. “But when I feel you’re ready, Ava, I will show you.”
“Show me what?” I rounded fists at my sides.
Gene held up the coin-sized metal gadget and I went rigid.
“Don’t make me hurt you again, sis.” He clenched his jaw. “Stand your ground.”
“Don’t give me an ISAN bullshit order.” I pressed, anger propelling me forward as Gene stepped back.
“I’ll do it.” He held it in front of me. “You’ll feel a lot of pain.”
I took another step toward him and another as something hot bubbled inside me. “I felt a lot of pain the second I found out you were my brother. It’s like being told the devil shares your blood. Do you even know what that feels like? Do you have any feelings at all?”
Gene’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his body trembling in rage. “She’s not fixable. We should put her down.”
“Put me down?” I gripped the classy lapels of his suit and shoved him to the wall.
I only used half my strength, but even then, I was surprised at what I had just done. Helix? Impossible. The food and the drink should have suppressed it.
Turning, I fixed Novak with a deadly stare. “You. You ruined my life. You’re the one who needs to be put down.”
Novak flicked lint off his jacket sleeve as if I hadn’t threatened him. Calm and collected. I didn’t know how he lived with what he had done. But when he set his eyes on me, he looked scared.
“Don’t bother trying to regain your natural Helix. I have figured out how to suppress it through sonic vibration. But don’t worry, the serum is also in your food, which you know by now. I had to be careful and cover all bases, especially with you. Don’t want to punish your mother for your insubordination.”
At those words, I steadied my erratic breaths. What I was about to do next wasn’t to punish my mother, it was to punish me for a very good reason.
“I don’t think Mom will mind as long as I hurt you.” I rushed toward Novak, purposely lessening my speed.
Before contact, I went stiff and dropped to my knees, hunched over and shaking violently as electricity coursed through me. The pain. Oh the pain, like thousands of knives stabbing me at once.
I screamed, but no sound escaped.
“For the record.” Gene appeared in front of me, holding out the coin gadget. “Just so we’re clear on this. When Father is done with you, you will be submissive. You will be fixed. You will be just like me.”
“Enough, Gene. Release her.” Novak stiffened, as if he were the one in pain.
Novak’s snappish, urgent voice made Gene flinch, and he put his head down like a child who had been scolded. “Yes, of course. I’m hurting my sister without your permission.”
Novak relaxed the tight lines on his face, but something cold and spoiled replaced it. Inside that deranged heart and mind, he held a soft spot for me.
They didn’t know what I was doing. They didn’t see my fingers flexing, the movement so small that they didn’t notice.
When Gene clicked the gadget, I thumped hard to the ground with an oomph, every inch of me weak and unable to move.
“That should teach her a lesson.”
Gene’s satisfaction repulsed me, and I used that anger to give me one last burst of strength to absorb the energy petering away. I managed to peer up at Novak, my neck wobbling. I’d hoped he would show me something. Instead, his lips were straight, his eyes as icy as ever.
Not the Novak who had looked at me tenderly just minutes ago, but the Novak I recalled from ISAN.
Chapter Seventeen — ISAN East Compound
Mitch
“Meet me at the medical station,” Mitch said frantically to Lydia through his chip as Russ followed him.
Mitch carried Justine in his arms and rushed down ISAN halls. He placed her on the Dr. Machine hub and slapped the button. The top sealed, then the red and blue laser lights crisscrossed her body to diagnose her wounds.
Mitch slumped on a chair, and Russ did the same beside him.
Lydia came rushing in, her chest heaving. When she saw Mitch, her eyes gleamed and she released a long, relieved sigh.
“You’re okay. Russ is okay. Who’s in there?” She marched over and gasped. “What happened? Where’s Tessa? Where’s Nina and Cora?” Her eyes widened in horror.
Mitch raked his hair back and began the story from when they had been attacked by the creatures while searching for the rebels, altering where necessary in case cameras had been installed at the medical room without his knowledge.
Lydia dropped to the seat beside Mitch, her hand over her mouth, her eyes glistening. She’d had a soft spot for Tessa from the start. Mitch hadn’t understood at first, but the more he got to know Tessa, the more he had.
Lydia had told Mitch that Tessa reminded Lydia of herself, from her tall frame to her shy demeanor. Tessa had never been outspoken, but she focused on her task, determined and confident.
“It was a quick death for Tessa.” Mitch pinched the bridge of his nose, pressing harder when he continued with the next lie. “Nina and Cora never made it back to the ship. I don’t know what happened to them. They either got kidnapped by the rebels or the creatures got to them.”
Though Lydia knew the truth, he had to be careful of what he said.
Lydia shuddered a breath and lowered her hands to her lap. “That’s horrible. What did these creatures look like?”
Mitch showed her the footage Russ had recorded.
Lydia backed away in terror. “We have to inform Mr. Novak. Those monsters need to be exterminated.”
“Justine doesn’t have a team now.” Russ walked over to the hub and stared at Justine.
“No, she doesn’t,” Lydia said. “But it doesn’t matter.”
The stern undercurrent in her voice indicated she had more to tell them.
“What is it?” Mitch met her gaze and curled his fingers on his knees because he itched to touch her.
Later. Later they would have their time.
“Justine has been assigned to another territory, but it didn’t say where. Top secret.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper as she murmured, “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Novak wouldn’t kill his own flesh and blood, would he? Yes, he would. The sick bastard had done plenty of crazy shit. Mitch suddenly felt protective of Justine. Even though she’d acted like a spoiled brat since the day he had met her, he felt sorry for her. It couldn’t have been easy having to live up to his expectations, all the while rated second to Ava. Perhaps her outbursts were to get Novak’s attention.
Novak sometimes acted as though Justine didn’t exist. It was always about Ava. Mitch would have been jealous if his father had been always about Rhett. At least his father had treated them equally.
Mitch walked to the hub and glanced at the status on the screen when it beeped. “Lydia, please inform Novak about Justine’s condition. Perhaps that will buy her some time.”
He wondered why he’d said it. Once Novak had made up his mind, there was no room for negotiation.
The monitor displayed a couple of broken ribs and a fractured arm, plus a concussion. Better than he’d hoped for. No internal bleeding. For someone with such a strong, almost indestructible body to have such wounds, she must have hit the cement with great force.
The screen flashed with instructions. Press green to fix and red to do nothing. Mitch pressed green and watched the laser lights beam brightly as they worked magic on her.
“Actually, she’ll be transported as soon as she’s recovered,” Lydia said, stepping beside Mitch and peering down at Justine.
Mitch’s heart tugged. Occasionally, agents would get transferred, and at times he had wished Justine would be too, but she had grown on him.
“Lydia, have you heard from Janine yet?” Mitch whispered.
“No.” Lydia looked at her TAB.
Russ hiked up his eyebrows, suspicion warranted.
A chime ringing came from Lydia’s chip. “I have something to take care of. Talk to you both later.” She gave a curt nod and sauntered out.
Russ inclined his head toward the hub and leaned closer to Mitch. “You think Novak is planning to shut down this site?”
“I don’t know,” Mitch said, watching the laser lights zigzag up and down Justine’s body.
Justine’s eyes began to flutter and then opened in terror. When she set them on Russ and Mitch, though, she eased.
“Hey ... You’re fine.” Mitch offered a warm grin. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Tessa,” she muttered, her voice hoarse.
Mitch shook his head and tried not to allow his own emotions get the best of him. It had been one mind-blowing day.
Two tears streaked down her cheeks when Justine closed her eyes. That emotion coming from someone who he’d always thought was so coldhearted gave him hope they could get her on their side, if she could get rid of her daddy fetish.
Novak’s daughter might be his downfall.
“Justine,” Mitch said with a stern voice. “You’re a good leader. You have proven it to me. A good leader does what is best for the team. A good leader does what is right, even if someone else tells her to do the opposite. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes. But why are you saying it?”
“Because you’re being transferred.”
Her eyes rounded, flashing with hurt. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “You’ll have to talk to Mr. Novak.”
Justine craned her neck to see through the hub to the monitors, and more tears streamed down her face. Mitch wished he had more comforting words for her, but his chip chimed.
The message from Lydia read: We need to get ready for another mission. Something to do with ANS. And another assassination.
Great. One thing after another. But he paled when he read who they had to terminate.
Mitch sighed with exaggeration. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Of all the people.”
“Who?” Russ asked.
“Councilor Chang.”
Chapter Eighteen — Mayday
Zen
Zen tried calling Rhett but there was no response, and he couldn’t pull up any messages from his chip or from the glider. Worse, he had no idea where he was. He had followed the given coordinates, but this place was death.
The meteors had completely demolished this city and there had been no attempt to rebuild it. Other cities that had been ruined had some standing buildings—unstable, but still standing. Not here. A giant’s fist had crushed it to the dirt.
Even though Zen’s gut told him to leave, if Rhett and his team were down there he had to try. They were expecting him.
“What is this place?” Frank’s worried voice did nothing to comfort him.
“We’ll find out.” Zen banked left and guided their transport low enough to survey what was below, not intending to park just yet.
Nothing. Only the skeletons of the crumbled city.
“Are you sure you got the right coordinates?” Frank leaned closer to the dashboard, searching through the thickening fog.
Zen rubbed at his arms, goose bumps forming. He shivered and wasn’t sure if it was from the change of weather. Mist formed on the window. Light at first, then heavier.
“Of all the things, does it have to rain?” Zen cursed under his breath.
“It could be a lot worse.” Frank clenched his jaw, sounding irate. “Should Rhett be looking out for us? They’re nowhere to be found.”
“They might already be inside.” Zen’s tone spiked. “I told them to wait for backup.”
“Yeah, well, you know how that group is.”
“Sounds a lot like my daughter. I’m going to go back to the original coordinates. We must be missing something.”
As Zen spun the glider around, his mind drifted to the past.
Zen was working at the North ISAN laboratory when a hologram of his wife popped over his desk. His wife, Karen, was sitting on their bed, propped up by pillows. Her red hair was tied back and her blue eyes were dark with anger.
“When are you coming home?” Karen frowned.
Zen meant to sound patient, but his voice came out clipped. “I’m not done. I need a couple more hours.”
“Couple more hours?” She rubbed her eyes. “It’ll be midnight. Cleo has been asking for you.”
All the employees had gone home and Zen had decided to stay, but minutes had turned to hours. His obsession had gone for weeks. This job would kill him or ruin his marriage.
Karen only knew the surface of his job description. She didn’t know he had been working long hours for Cleo. Zen worried how she might react if she found out their daughter had special powers.
Zen also wanted to get a special serum perfected before Victor Hunt, Ava’s father, perfected his. Victor had been working on Helix serum called HelixB76, which gave superpowers to any male or female with a special DNA marker. Zen was experimenting with CHB19—Counter Helix Batch 19—to counteract Helix serum.
Zen took a gulp of his cold, bitter coffee and said the words he would regret. “Don’t use our daughter to get me home.”
Karen flinched at his spiteful tone, then her shock turned into a scowl. “Don’t bother coming home.”
The line went dead.
Zen released a tired sigh and rubbed his sleepy eyes. Karen being mad at him didn’t faze him. He should call her back to apologize, but he let it go. Nothing was more important than perfecting CHB19.
Cleo had first shown her powers at age four, and Zen had made her promise never to do it again. He’d even told her he would spank her if she did. His poor little girl had been so scared, she’d avoided him the rest of the day. But he had to do what was in her best interest. She was his only child. She was his life.
Desperate, Zen pulled out HelixB76 and CHB19 from his desk top drawer—needleless shots given through volatile compressed gas that passed through the permeable layers of the skin. He inserted HelixB76 on his arm and left CHB19 next to his TAB. And waited.
Dr. Hunt hadn’t perfected the Helix serum. It had been too aggressive, but Zen didn’t care. For his child, he would risk his life.
A rush of warmth spread through his chest, but was replaced by a cold, tingling sensation. His muscles tightened and somehow his insides were stitching themselves anew. He felt like he could jump off a cliff and fly.
The softest sound of the lab machine’s hum resonated louder in his ear. The scent of stale, cold coffee stung his nostrils and he could taste its bitterness as though he had drunk it.
The red, blue, and green from his lab screen were vibrant. When he examined his hands, he saw a faint outline of veins, muscles, and bones. Zen sucked in a breath and pushed back in his chair. He laughed at this phenomenal feeling.
