“The only person I ever blood fucked from Cheyenne was Ty, and he was gone from Cheyenne long before I was there. His damn span is almost up for fuck’s sake because he was so far ahead of my time.”
“Fuck,” he screeches while grabbing his phone.
It barely rings before it’s answered by a tired Clay.
“What is-”
“Clay, I don’t have time to explain. It’s Ty. It’s him. He’s the fucking ringleader, and he’s in our fucking lab right now.”
The siren buzzes immediately to litigate lockdown, and suddenly the heavy steel doors lock into place.
“Hale, he’s a non-aging, ungifted scientist,” I say in rebuttal. “It’s rare to be a non-ager and ungifted, but that’s about the extent of his special talents. He’s scared of his own fucking shadow.”
“I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner,” Clay says, and then I hear silence on the other end as troops run down the hall outside the door.
“Hale,” I exasperate.
“Araya, he and Wendy knew each other. He managed to become your roommate. I’m sure that wasn’t an accident, and I’m sure it wasn’t so he could woo you back. I’m sure he wanted to know your span too when you two were together, and since you refused to find out, he probably took it into his own hands. He got one hell of a surprise when he learned you were immortal, and from there you became his project. Fucking shit,” he blares while punching the wall.
“Hale, I dated him for over eight years before I met you. I think I would know if he was capable of something like this. He’s a creep, not an evil scientist genius.”
“Baby, his span is almost up. That’s why he pushed this project into overdrive, and the closer he gets to the end, the more ruthless he’ll be.”
“Why Symphony? He never even knew her. It doesn’t make any sense why it would be him,” I rebuke.
The ground rattles beneath us as an explosion quakes from below, and it brings me tumbling down to the ground. Hale joins my side as the earth-quaking floors continue their monstrous vibrations, and my ears ring as the sound stirring the vibrations catches up. Hale leaps to his feet as the apartment tries to crack beneath us, and the roaring of an engine sounds out before the wall to the outside is shot through by the same monstrous weapon that just rattled our worlds.
I catch a glimpse of Ty in a hummer flying through the hole as he gasses the beast of a vehicle to escape the clutches of the Seminole and United officers chasing behind him.
“Fuck,” I gasp.
“I told you,” Hale grumbles as he grabs his phone again, but it rings before he can dial anyone.
“Yeah,” he says to the phone.
“Are you and Araya okay?” Clay panics
“We’re fine. Just a little structural damage up here. I don’t guess I have to ask how he got away,” Hale grouses.
“He’s definitely in on this. If he’s the one in charge, we’re in trouble. He’s a ticking time bomb right now. His span could end within a few months. If he’s desperate to obtain immortality, we’ll need better security for Araya.”
“Believe me, I will see to it myself,” he growls before hanging up.
“This is crazy. Why Symphony?” I exasperate.
“Because she was so much like you. She adored you, and she did her best to emulate you every chance she got.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I grouse.
“He was obsessed with you, Araya. More importantly, he was obsessed with your gift. The moment you and I found each other, I could see something inside him snap. The ungifted envy the gifted as it is. We get out of the camps sooner. We get recruited as officers in the United. We’re feared, and we are immediately given more respect than the ungifted ever receive. It causes one hell of a chip on one’s shoulder. If he has fucked with Symphony’s head and gift, it’s possible it’s to provoke your stage three.”
I know. That’s why I can’t let them get me to stage three.
“Stop thinking that shit,” he admonishes.
How the fuck do they keep knowing what I’m thinking?
“Araya, what do you think will happen if you die? Do you think all this will end? Because it won’t. Nothing will change besides the fact you won’t be here when everyone needs you the most. I’ll follow you to the fucking grave if you do this, I swear I will.”
