Then the fragment came from every corner, swarming around us as Archer hit the lock on the building, dropping the chain.
Elise backed away from John and he grabbed her, drawing her in next to the protection of his body. I heard him ask her in a whisper, "Who is the one who can stop he who controls the dead?"
She pointed at a guy that wore a vest with a shield that had grapes on it. Or had at one time, it was torn, faded and ragged. He had a quality to him I recognized. I studied him, the connective memory just out of grasp.
Then, it slammed into me in cohesive recognition.
He looked like he was from Clara's sphere, her world. Then he spoke and I was certain.
"You have nothing to gain from testing your abilities here, Traveler," he smirked.
The Zondorae brothers came to stand next to him as Parker exited the shelter of the other building, dragging Gramps like a side of beef beside him.
Gramps was breathing through his mouth, his nose flattened like a ruined pancake on his face. That he was standing at all was a testament to his constitution.
He looked at me out of the slit of one eye, seeing my expression. "Looks worse than it is, son."
Tears burned in the back of my eyes. My anger had nowhere to go. But the dead wanted it. I could feel their greedy fingers caressing my emotions.
The sphere dude with the vest held up his finger, swinging it back and forth. "No, no, Traveler. You will not call the damned to assist you in this." He looked at Joe and Gary, "or I presume something else. Am I correct in this presumption?" he asked the brothers and Joe responded, "Yes, you are quite right, Jabez."
Jabez, the Null of epic death, grinned at Parker and I; his eyes touching on Gramps, then settling on Tiff. "All of you death seekers will be as the masses," he swept his arm to encompass the fragment, held back only by the brothers' will as he trained his eyes on Jade and Sophie, obviously ill.
"We've administered the inoculation in this group, Caleb."
My shoulders fell.
"With interesting results. Not all have to be in puberty to respond. Of course, that would make sense since the genetic splicing used for the young people of our world was extracted from the people of this world. Whoever has that blood of the Band and sphere running through their veins manifests... many interesting traits."
"Ya know, for being so smart, they're slow learners," Tiff said, snapping a bubble like firecrackers. The brothers looked at her.
"You have a cocky mouth. Considering what will happen to you next."
"Try it, shit-for-brains," Tiff said in her droll way and Bry groaned in the background.
I knew Tiff would finally have a consequence for her actions. None of us guys could help her.
Gary narrowed his eyes on her. "Men, get her and string her up with the other females."
John began to move toward Tiff and I shook my head.
I had an idea and Terran frowned. I gave him a subtle look to let him know I had something up my sleeve and he nodded.
Bry railed at them, fighting Alex. "Don't you fuckin' touch her!" he bellowed, spit flying from his mouth. The males came forward, Tiff crouched in readiness. The first one that got close got a foot right in the balls for his trouble.
Can anyone say Do Over?
I would've given my left nut to see that again.
Gramps gave a grunt of satisfaction as the guy went down like the sack of shit he was. Then the other three moved in. Tiff was wily, twisting her wrist viciously as one grabbed her, snapping the flat of her palm into his nose with her free hand.
"Argh!" he cried, staggering back as blood sprayed like a fire hydrant, coating the two that had grabbed the back of her hoodie in a strangle hold.
Tiff let herself drop, the sudden dead weight of her caused the two of the fragment to momentarily loosen their hold and she snapped her leg up and out, into the gut of the nearest one and the breath whooshed out of his belly as he stumbled back.
Huh, she was totally workin' it.
"Kick their ass, Tiff!" Jonesy screamed as he moved toward her for back up.
"No Jones!" I screamed and looked in horror as Howie came from behind her and the Zondorae brother closest to him said in a low and controlled voice, "Subdue her."
"With pleasure," Howie said and Tiff's eyes grew big in her face as she began to lose her breath, the fourth fragment strangling her with her hood. Even I felt something shift when he commanded, "Sleep," sliding a finger down her cheek as he did.
Her eyes grew hazy and her mouth slackened, the gum falling out to the ground before she did, only to be caught in his waiting arms as she fell.
Howie Frazier shrugged. "That was too easy boys, next time, give me a challenge," he said, looking once at Jade. Brett gave me an uneasy stare back.
Joe strode over to where I stood, two fragment holding each one of my arms. Rearing back, he sank a sucker-punch into my gut. I was ready and clenched my abs but it still stole most of my breath.
He hadn't held back a thing, giving me all that he had.
The prick.
"Ah man! That was a cheap shot ya doofus!" Jonesy said.
He gave Jonesy a look and smiled. "I've been wanting to do that for a year," Joe Zondorae said.
"A year?" John said as I stood, bent and gasping, Gramps fuming but unable to help beside me.
Joe looked at John. "I said, my good Null, that time moves faster here than in our world." Then he looked at me as I stood, holding onto my stomach. "That's right, it's been a year since you dumped us here to live off the fat of the land. But we didn't waste time, we've been extremely ambitious. Right, Gary?"
Gary Zondorae nodded. "Oh yes. We have all the paranormals we need. And none with a bit of integrity to get in the way of our wants."
Howie interrupted, "Where do ya want her?"
"Tie her against the stand," he answered and that's when I noticed five posts sunk into the wood of the platform.
One for each girl.
The girls ran to our guys, screaming as they did and the brothers just smiled.
I was seething, looking at Joe and Gary. "I'll kill you," I said in a low voice that shook with resolution, promise.
And I knew I would. Somehow, they would die, had to die.
Gary smirked at my threat, dismissing it. "No you won't. You're going to be too busy watching your little female get sold to the highest bidder. The dead aren't at your command anymore."
"You're just a regular guy here, Hart." His stare stayed on me, smiling.
"Candy ass," Gramps said and Gary frowned at him.
Joe added, "This is better than we could have hoped for. Sophia Morris has been a problem ever since it came to our attention that she witnessed Parker's little raising of the French Prime minister. And Jade LeClerc... well, she's another matter entirely. If we could get rid of her, and we almost did," his eyes met mine, "then we could have destabilized you completely."
"Wait a second," I said, regaining my breath as Howie began tying Tiff against a two meter tall wood post, her unconscious head lolling from side to side as he wrapped her against it. I swung my gaze from the disturbing image of Tiff being contained, hearing the soft crying of Mia, Sophie and Randi behind me.
"How in the blue hell did you do anything... from here?" I asked, trying to make sense of the madness.
They smiled, but it was Joe that responded, "We always had a plan B if there was anything that was happening to us. It always included you, Caleb Hart."
"Why?" I bellowed. Why was I so effing important?
"Without you, we will continue, our agency will move forward with our collective vision."
I looked at them, then I swung my face to Parker. "I didn't sign on for this. I wouldn't have ever endangered Jade," I looked at the others, "my friends."
"It's all part of it, Caleb," Parker said, his eyes telling me something. But I wasn't psychic.
"What?"
Joe smiled. "A race of people that we control. Through their paranormal abilities. People like Howie will make that possible." Howie heard his name and tipped an imaginary hat.
"Wait a second?" I looked at Howie then the Zondorae brothers.
"Howie's yours? What... your experiment?"
"I told you he was Kyle's son," Gary said with reproach that was directed at Joe. He tapped his head, "Smart."
Joe frowned, not answering. "Yes. We've made the Manipulatives. They follow our directives only."
"Well, doesn't that put all your eggs in one basket, fellas?" Gramps said, out of a mouth that was missing a tooth.
And suddenly I knew what the answer was. Kill the brothers, save the world. We couldn't have their Manipulative puppets loosed on our world. They'd force the paranormals to do their bidding. And with those two, it wouldn't be anything good.
It would be for gain.
Graysheets to the core.
I looked at Jabez, the hybrid Null, a guy that, thanks to the Zondoraes, now had a special ability to shut down two five-point AFTDs. I looked at where Brett was getting his ass handed to him as they tore a non-lucid Jade from his arms. She was ranting, "Caleb, make them stop... I know I'm here because of you!" she accused, lashing her head from side to side, not making sense, not even trying.
I had never wanted to protect her more than I did in that moment. But instead I watched as they took the girl I loved, really a woman now, to the auction block to be sold to a bunch of guys so she could be systematically raped and bred in this horrible world of degradation. My palms began to sweat and my heart slammed into my ribcage with the effort it took not to go to her and beat them until they stopped breathing. My hands were slick and tight with it.
The want. Death Intent surely formed in my very being. Born in that moment.
I didn't realize I had moved forward until Elise touched my forearm and gave a gentle shake of her head, the arms that bound me had dropped. What threat was I now? With a hundred fragment, no dead to use, more fragment on the way for their disgusting flesh market.
The odds were as bad as I'd ever seen them.
"Hart," Brett croaked from the ground.
It broke my attention from them dragging Jade off as she screamed for help. Not mine, but anyone.
It broke my heart, shattering it as I stood there, rage and hopelessness twining with perfect synchronicity.
I looked at Brett, bleeding and broken on the ground. "Yeah," I responded.
"Don't let 'em."
I stared down at him. "Do you know what they're gonna do?"
"I'll bid on her myself," Howie broke in.
"Shut up!" Brett screamed at him and Howie leaped off the stage made for the express purpose of flesh trade. He stalked over to where Brett lay and kicked him in the ribs.
"Hey!" I yelled.
Howie gave me a cursory glance then pinned his attention on Brett, where he lay gasping like a fish. Broken ribs will do that to a guy. "Do you think those were my parents? My real family?" He laughed. "Hell no, this is my home. I always knew I'd come back. But I'm a soldier for both worlds and I will have Jade. In fact," his eyes met mine, "I might make it a public affair. Yeah, that would be mighty fine. A team effort, eh?"
I broke free then, startling the two that had been beside me, they reached for me too late. I ran at Howie full speed, my heels kicking my own ass as I launched myself toward him. He opened his mouth to give one of his special commands, but it was lost as he ate my knuckles. I reared back and got four stabbing punches in before the fragment pulled me off him.
He lay there, out cold and as I was dragged away I found Sophie's eyes and gave her a look I hoped she interpreted. My plan had started. Now, to see if she got what I was trying to say. If she was lucid enough for execution.
She did, running to me, so frightened she slipped twice. The fragment completely dismissed her. Their gravest mistake so far.
Sophie grabbed my arm and ducked as the fragment tried to sweep her off of me. "Get me to the Null on my signal," I said with quiet urgency. Too quiet for those around us to hear. Her eyes widened and she nodded as they grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to the platform.
The first of the foreign fragment came, their low murmurings of excitement all for the display of new females on the platform.
Four of the fragment held me as I watched helplessly like the other guys, as our girls were hogtied to the posts. Their hands bound above their bodies, feet at shoulder width apart, tied to brass loops in the flooring.
Tiff began to waken and was greeted by over fifty filthy faces. All of them looking at her. She began to buck but it didn't matter, she was tightly secured. She looked at me and said, "Caleb..."
"I know," I said in a low voice.