"Yeah, he knows the threat of exposing the truth is over. It was incredibly easy to get rid of the reporters he dragged here," Liz said.
"I guess you guys haven't heard," Alex said, his gaze locked on the tracker. "The girl I was with today, she told me that Kyle is getting shipped to a very nice, very quiet hospital in Albuquerque for a 'Boy, Interrupted' kind of deal. He's not going until tomorrow, but there's no way he's going to be left alone tonight, even for a minute."
So not only were they going to have to face DuPris again. They were going in pretty much unarmed. Their powers were useless against DuPris and the Stones. Adam tried to steel himself, but he couldn't help feeling small and pathetic, as helpless as he had been in the compound.
"Okay, plan B," Max said. "I get the crystals and teleport to give them to Isabel."
"Not by yourself," Liz told him. "You might-"
"Might what?" Max demanded.
"You might, um, stop to smell the roses." Maria started giggling and didn't stop until she pinched her own arm so hard, the skin turned white. "Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry," she said.
"I can't believe you guys think I would zone out," Max said harshly. "This is Isabel we're-"
"Max," Liz said firmly. "Wake up already. You can't always control it."
"I am so sick-"
"They're right," Adam interrupted. It didn't feel like his place to contradict Max, but he had to. "I'll go-"
"We'll all go," Liz said, her dark eyes on Adam. "This isn't something you have to do alone."
THIRTEEN
Trevor knelt next to Isabel and placed his hands on the cement floor beside her. He tapped the molecules with his mind, urging them apart just enough for the floor to turn spongy.
"Better?" he asked.
But he wasn't expecting an answer. Isabel was deep in the akino, nearing the moment of crisis.
Michael hovered above them, pacing quickly. "If you're lying to me about her being able to survive-"
Trevor jerked up his head. "If you don't think you can trust me, why did you even come to me for help?" he exploded. Then he saw the fear in his brother's eyes. It spiked through his aura. "She's going to be fine, Michael," he said, his anger instantly gone.
"When I connected with her, I could see her organs, and they were all about to disintegrate," Michael said, his voice rough with emotion. He knelt next to Trevor. "Is that normal?"
"It's normal," Trevor reassured him. He reached out and pushed a strand of sweaty hair off Isabel's face. He didn't think he'd have recognized her as the vibrant, gorgeous girl he'd danced with such a short time ago.
"And her breathing. It's so… it's like it's going to stop any second." Michael shoved himself to his feet and started walking again, this time in a tight circle. Every few moments he stopped and looked down at Isabel, his hands curled in fists in front of his mouth.
He was so worried, Trevor could feel it coming off Michael in waves.
"It's normal," Trevor assured him.
Michael stopped pacing and sat down on the other side of Isabel. He took her hand gently.
"Hey, my Izzy lizard," he said quietly. "Hang in there. It's almost over."
It was clear that seeing Isabel in pain was torture for Michael. Trevor would bet anything that Michael would rather be the one going through the akino if he could spare Isabel.
Michael had been willing to give him that same loyalty. He'd stood by Trevor one hundred percent. When his friends accused Trevor of coming to Earth to steal the Stone, Michael had backed him without hesitation, even though he'd known Trevor for only a few days. The fact that Trevor was Michael's brother was enough. Or it had been enough until Trevor had completely betrayed his trust. Trevor didn't know if he'd ever be able to make it up to his brother.
A low groan from Isabel pulled him away from his thoughts. "The amount of pain-that is unusual," Trevor admitted.
"What?" Michael demanded. "Why?" He tightened his grip on Isabel's hand.
Trevor reached over and loosened his fingers a little.
"Oh, very nice," Michael muttered. "She's in agony, and I decide to break a few bones in her hand."
"You didn't break them," Trevor corrected him. He took Isabel's other hand and held it gently, stroking her feverish skin with his thumb.
"So how she's feeling-it's not normal," Michael said. He swallowed hard, as if his throat was too dry to produce saliva. "What does that mean?"
Trevor moved his thumb to Isabel's wrist, checking her pulse. It was weak and erratic. She was very close now. "I think it's just that the human body responds in a different way to-"
"A different way?" Michael interrupted. "So are you telling me she could die? Why didn't you say that? I trusted you. I didn't even bring the communication crystals."
"You can trust me," Trevor insisted. "She's not going to die." But a tiny seed of doubt had sprouted inside him. Why the hell had he been so completely sure her akino would operate the same way his had? The human body was so different. Maybe it wouldn't be able to stand the strain.
Isabel twisted her head from side to side, making horrible mewling sounds. Trevor sprang to his feet.
"Where are you going?" Michael cried.
"I'm going to get one of the Stones from DuPris," he answered. "If she holds one, its power will ease the pain." He turned and sprinted to the center of the hangar. When he touched the solid wall of the ship, a doorway appeared, and Trevor rushed inside.
"Leader!" he called as he ran down the narrow corridor, feet crunching the metal mesh of the floor. "I need you."
DuPris didn't answer, but Trevor could hear him singing to himself. It sounded like he was in the control room.
Trevor took a right and pounded down the corridor, keeping his head down. The ship wasn't designed for beings his size, and he had to constantly remind himself to stay low. One more turn and the corridor widened into the control room. DuPris didn't turn around or even flinch as Trevor ran up behind him.
"Leader, I need to borrow one of the Stones," Trevor blurted out. "Isabel and Michael have arrived, and her human body is not responding well to the akino. She's going through all the usual stages, but there's so much pain."
DuPris continued fiddling with the switches in front of him as if Trevor had never spoken. "I told you you could have your little friends over, but they aren't allowed to play with my things," he answered.
"What?" Trevor cried. He grabbed DuPris by the shoulder and spun the leader toward him. "You don't understand-"
Trevor stopped abruptly, realizing what he had just done. He quickly removed his hand from the leader's arm. "Forgive me. I had no right," he said. "I request that I be given permission to use one of the Stones."
DuPris reached into the pocket of his pleated pants and pulled out the fully charged Stone. He turned it back and forth in his fingers.
What is he waiting for? Trevor thought. Why isn't he giving it to me? He knew better than to ask the questions aloud. He'd overstepped once. He would not do it again.
"You request," DuPris repeated. "You request. Haven't you realized yet that you are not in the position to request? I am the leader. I command. You obey."
"Of course," Trevor answered desperately. "But-"
And suddenly he was hurtling through the air. He slammed into the wall of the control room, cutting the back of his head on the corner. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and when he did, his heart started pounding with fear and fury. "You used the Stone on me," he whispered, staring at DuPris.
"At very low power," DuPris agreed cheerfully, leering at Trevor. "I thought you needed a little reminder of exactly how the chain of command works."
Max urged his molecules together faster. Faster, faster, faster. The instant his body had re-formed, he scanned the room, searching for DuPris. Max didn't see him, but he spotted Michael and Trevor in one corner, crouched on either side of Isabel. He sprinted toward them, hearing the others running behind him.