“I’m sure my level of comfort is tearing you apart.”
“Nevertheless, you will give me the information I seek.”
The door behind Rein opened and soft steps approached the doctor. From the corner of Rein’s eye, a small girl, no more than thirteen, stepped into view. She walked like a robot, back straight, steps sure. Long platinum hair was pulled into a braid that hung between her shoulder blades, and her porcelain face held a void, flat emptiness that even surpassed Ellyssa’s when Rein had first found her.
As she passed, she regarded him with lifeless azure eyes. A chill crept down his spine.
“Der Vater,” she stated, without inflection.
“Aalexis, I am sorry for interupting your training, but I have use for you here.”
The young girl didn’t respond. She stood there as if bored.
“The reason I have summoned you is for an experiment. One that I think will test your unique capabilities.” Dr. Hirch held his arm toward Rein. “I would like to introduce you to Rein. Rein, this is Aalexis.” He placed his arm around her and gave her thin shoulders a squeeze. “He knows your sister.”
She glanced at Rein. “Is that so?”
“Yes. It seems Ellyssa has been staying in his hidden camp. Do not worry, though; he has treated your sister well.”
“I see.”
“We have a problem, though.”
“What is that, der Vater?”
“As you know, it is imperative Ellyssa be returned to us. Rein knows where she is, but he is refusing to cooperate. I was hoping you might persuade him.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Why not use your recent discovery? He would make an ideal test subject.”
Aalexis leveled her gaze on Rein, and right then he read what lay beneath her calm demeanor. The propensity to kill. With a calculated movement, like a predator stalking its prey, she took a step toward Rein.
Rein prepared himself. He shut his eyes, tucked his head to the side, and clenched his jaw, waiting for the beating. Nothing happened.
He peeked out from under his lids. Dr. Hirch and the young girl watched him. Humor gleamed within the doctor’s eyes; Aalexis had not moved, nor changed expression.
Confused, Rein’s eyebrow arched. “What?”
Dr. Hirch chuckled. “Aalexis is not going to touch you,” he said, as if Rein should have already realized this. “Unlike the detective, we are not barbaric.”
Aalexis’ smooth forehead crinkled.
A sharp pain shot through Rein’s stomach, as if he’d been stabbed with a hot poker, and his insides had been stirred. Fire seeped in and coursed upward into his chest. The intensity of the pain was like nothing he had ever experienced, like a boiler exploding within his skin. Scream after scream ripped from his mouth and echoed in the room, reverberating in his ears, but nothing drowned out the acute burning that consumed his every nerve.
“Enough, Aalexis.”
The pain instantly stopped, disappearing like it had never happened. The aftereffects still remained, though. Gasping, Rein slumped forward in the chair, the ropes holding his limp body in place. Sweat poured from his forehead and dripped into his eyes.
“I hope this little demonstration has changed your mind about helping us.”
Wearily, Rein lifted his head as high as he could. Through the pain-induced blur, he could barely make out the forms of the doctor and the girl. He tried to form words, but his mouth refused to work. He barely managed to shake his head before it fell forward.
“You leave me little choice. Aalexis, if you would.”
Pain flowed again. At first it was slow, a faint burn, like someone had touched his insides with a match, one organ after another. But as the intensity grew, it clouded his mind, until it dominated the core of his being. In retrospect, he wished he’d accepted the medication the doctor had offered earlier.
In the moment, Rein’s screams filled the air.
39
Ellyssa heard muffled voices as the crate was lifted from the train and loaded into a vehicle. She stayed perfectly still, her breaths shallow.
Whoever had moved her crate slid her into place onto another vehicle. The wood of her enclosure grated along metal. Silence followed, except for the hum of motors or the occasional mumblings from some passerby.
Ellyssa wondered to whom she and Woody were entrusting their lives. Was it a friend? A foe? Fingering the release, her brain screamed for her to lift the lid and peek, if for no other reason than to be prepared. The risk of exposure was too great. Pressing her lips together, Ellyssa forced her hand to let go of the lock. She had other means to seek information.
She blanked her mind, opened her gated barrier, and drifted into the closest person. A male, his thoughts teemed with anxiety, incoherent and hard to read. She slipped into another male, next to him. Jumbled images flickered through him, including a deep concern for their packages. He was looking at a female, who seemed calm. The female had blond hair and blue eyes, easily recognizable as a citizen.
Ellyssa concentrated on the female. She felt rushed to get their special cargo loaded. She directed the two males, both also citizens, to load the other crate. Ellyssa recognized the rectangular box as the one containing Woody. Relieved, she pulled away from the stranger’s mind.
After a few minutes, the vehicle tipped down slightly as Woody’s container slid into place next to hers. She floated into Woody’s head, just to be sure. No anxiety or fear plagued her friend. He was calm and relaxed. Darkness pooled around him.
The anonymous persons opened the truck’s doors and, once again, the truck dipped as three distinct people clambered inside the cab. The engine turned over, and the sensation of movement followed.
Ellyssa hadn’t the slightest idea where they were headed. The Renegades’ nameless cohorts’ minds said nothing of a location. She tried using the sounds of her surroundings to gather her bearings, but all she heard were engines of other cars as they stopped and accelerated along the street.
She wanted to call out to Woody, but the soldier side of her obeyed Tim’s instructions to stay silent. She hoped the contacts would stop soon and release her. Every instinct she had rallied to be freed.
The vehicle dipped and swayed to the left and right as the driver maneuvered around curves and corners. Then, there was a long straightaway that seemed to last forever. The truck gently rocked back and forth, and the soft hum of tread on the blacktop was hypnotic. Sleep pulled on Ellyssa’s lids and she caved. The next thing she knew, the truck skidded to a stop and its doors opened.
Wide-awake now, Ellyssa waited. People shouted and doors creaked. Her box was slid toward the back of the truck, and then lifted out. One of her carriers grunted as he adjusted to her weight, and then she bounced with each step they took. From what she could determine from the ruckus, Woody followed close behind.
“Tilt it to the right,” said a female.
Ellyssa was shifted to the side, moved forward, and righted again. A moment later, she was jostled as the contacts placed her on a hard surface. A thump sounded close by, she assumed from Woody’s box.
No one spoke, but there was plenty of noise as people—she counted fifteen—shuffled around. She also heard clicking, like ammunition being loaded.
Anxious, she touched the latch, the metal cool under her fingertips. No one had moved to let either of them out. With freedom no more than a flick away, the temptation grew. What if her sudden move surprised them? What if a jumpy citizen had a twitchy finger? What if the Gestapo stood waiting? She decided to be patient.
Footsteps approached. Metal scraped along metal and the lid swung open. White light flooded in. She flinched at the sudden brilliance and closed her eyes. False light flashed behind her lids as her pupils adjusted. She blinked a couple of times before opening her eyes on a face that mirrored her shock.