Cipher, page 2
Maybe one day.
I should’ve messaged her before trying to bail, but I couldn’t stick around. It was too dangerous. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay. I have to go,” I said, willing her to understand.
Mona didn’t know everything—we’d never talked about what I could do—but she’d seen the lights flickering and I’d blown a lightbulb in her mobile home once. She’d been around me enough to take an educated guess as to what I was, even if Red Helixes and their abilities were more urban legend than fact to most everyone.
“You don’t have to leave. There’s a spot in my area of the park that opened up today. Move her there. No one will know you stayed and whoever you’re running from this time won’t ever guess that you stuck around. I’ll even go log you into Jimmy’s system under a fake ID when he’s open next week. Just don’t go.”
“I… Mona…” God. I didn’t want to hurt her, but staying wasn’t really an option. “I have to.”
“I thought you were my best friend. And you were supposed to help me learn about computers so I didn’t have to work this fucking job anymore.” She paused to let that sink in.
This sucked. I didn’t want to let her down, but the risk…
“I know you have issues, but no one is going to find you here. There are too many RVs. Too many trailers. It’s one of the biggest parks in all the Voids. Besides, if anyone does come, you have me. I have your back. We’ll take off together.”
I wanted to stay, but I couldn’t put her in that much danger. “If I stick around and you get caught up in my past, you could end up dead.”
Her bottom lip trembled. All the fierce anger was gone. “You can’t leave me.”
I stared at the ground. Mona had a long history of being left behind. She’d told me bits and pieces, and it wasn’t pretty, but it was why we’d connected in the first place. There weren’t too many girls our age alone in the Voids. It wasn’t easy for us to survive.
I didn’t want to add to her sadness. It was going to break both of us when I left.
“Don’t go.” Her pleading stabbed at my heart.
This—this—was why I never made friends. They made you do stupid things. It was careless to stay. Went against all logic. Beyond dumb. But the thought of leaving again, starting over, felt like too much weight on my soul. It was dragging me down. Especially when Mona wanted me to stick around. No one had ever cared enough to even notice that I was going.
Still, I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining the thought.
This was a terrible idea, but I was tired of running. A couple more weeks couldn’t hurt much, could it? No one would be able to find my RV in this park. It was huge. Needle in a haystack huge.
And those couple of weeks could help get Mona on her feet. She’d have a more stable income. A marketable skill. I could leave here guilt-free. Say good-bye and even stay in touch.
“Where’s the empty spot?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
God, I hoped I didn’t regret this later.
She jumped, wrapping her arms around my neck, nearly strangling me. “Thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret it. We’re going to have so much fun! We’ll be super close neighbors!” She screamed as she bounced.
I hugged her for a second before stepping back. “Okay. Close the door. Let’s get her moved.”
At least now I knew I should be looking for the Shadow Ravens and Lady Eva. Finding them wasn’t going to be easy, but it was more than I had twenty minutes ago. A starting point to begin my next search for information was better than nothing at all. And bad decision or not, staying would make it easier to replace my charred setup.
Whatever else happened, I had to get back online. I had a Lady to find.
Chapter Two
KNIGHT
The gym had emptied hours ago, but I was still working out. Sleep wasn’t going to happen anyway. Whatever my deal was, sticking around the Shadow Ravens compound wasn’t helping.
I punched the bag, giving it everything I had. Yesterday had been hard. We’d stormed a hospital to save a Red baby. She was safe in our nursery and would be reunited with her parents when the danger passed. But for every Red we saved, there were ten more that we didn’t. It was a depressing statistic, and I hated it.
Being a Shadow Raven full-time was what I wanted, but for now I was stuck living a double life. Working for the Black Helixes—running tech on missions—wasn’t my idea of fun. Each time I was called for an op, my soul got a little darker, but I had to stay in the system. At least until I found the one Red I wanted to save more than anything.
The problem was I couldn’t find her no matter how hard I searched.
“Marquez?” A voice cut through the sound of my gloved fists slamming against the weighted bag.
“Yeah.” I was breathing heavily, which said something about how hard I was pushing. I had a dual helix, Black and Green, tattooed on my forearm. Warrior and tech. My DNA had been modified to peak performance level. I was stronger and faster than any unmodified human could dream of being. Damned if I didn’t wish I were normal some days. Working out to the point of exhaustion would only take a third as much time.
A towel smacked me in the head and I caught it before it fell to the ground. Wiping my face, I turned to see Lady Eva. She was a pixie-ish redheaded woman who commanded a serious presence despite her size.
“I have some information I think you’ll be interested in.” She handed me a tablet.
I finished wiping myself down, and hung the towel over my shoulder. “Yes, ma’am,” I said as I took the tablet from her.
“The data for the latest blackout.”
I froze halfway through entering my access code. Those words had my full attention.
“Five transformers destroyed,” she said.
This was what I’d been waiting for. “You think it’s her?” I couldn’t help but hope she did as I finished putting in my code.
“I’m not sure. It could be another Red, but whoever it is won’t escape attention much longer. The Greens are close to finding her. She’s gaining power and losing control.”
I scanned the information. Satellite videos showed the area before the blackout. The flash was visible from space.
This was bad. Really fucking bad.
“According to the data, the power levels were fluctuating before the transformers blew,” she said.
“Fluctuations?” That sparked a memory.
“Yes. Reports of lights flickering—not the same as a rolling brown-out—rather dips and surges in power. I was hoping you could…”
I wasn’t listening anymore. It could be nothing, but maybe not.
Still, the reported fluctuations matched what I remembered from when Emma blew the transformers in our neighborhood all those years ago.
“Marquez?” Lady Eva looked up at me with the question.
“Sorry, ma’am.” I needed a moment of quiet. Some time to let the memory flow. “I think I’m starting to remember something, but it’s just out of grasp.” I paused. She wasn’t going to like this at all. “I request permission to use the holo room.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“With all due respect, ma’am, I think going over those memories is important. Those moments with Emma when she lost control of her abilities are pivotal to finding her.” I’d been asking to do this for years, but had always been denied. I’d even tried to sneak in, but without her approval, the holo room was inaccessible.
“That day was too traumatic. Your father nearly beat you to death.”
I clenched my fists. She didn’t have to remind me. I remembered that part just fine. “Yes, ma’am. Reliving the past in the holo room isn’t going to change it.”
“Right. But it will influence your emotional and mental well-being. And it’s been ten years. Anything you remember will have at least a twenty-five percent bias. At worst, closer to eighty percent.”
“It’s my brain. My emotions. My risk to take.” And I’d risk just about anything to find Emma. She’d stopped my father that day. She was the only reason I was alive.
“It will exert a huge psychological toll. More than living through old fights.” She paused and I didn’t say anything. “You’re not going to let this go.”
“No, ma’am.” I said the words because she needed to hear them.
“Then I’m on record saying that this is a horrible decision.”
“Of course, ma’am.” But I didn’t give a shit. I was doing it.
She nodded. “Let’s go then.”
I grabbed my shirt from the corner of the room, slipping it on before following her. Memories flooded my head of that summer ten years ago, and the day that had changed my life. I’d never know why my father started whaling on me that day, and I’d never forget the sight of Emma charging in to rescue me.
Maze-like metal hallways ran throughout the building. Everything at the compound was temporary, or semi-temporary. The site changed every couple of years, and the layout was designed to confuse intruders. Before anyone was allowed to wander around alone, they had to have the whole map memorized.
Eva paused before the door to the holo room and entered her security code, turning on the room’s computer system. “Go on. I’ll give you a few minutes before going in. If you have a lead, work it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I placed my hand on the holo room’s lock.
“Name and rank,” the computer prompted.
“Marquez, Hunter. Psi one eight three beta seven one three.”
“Welcome, Raven Marquez.”
I smirked. Only Lady Eva would give a shit about making the computer polite. Returning the greeting was a habit I couldn’t break. “Thanks.” The only lasting thing my mom had taught me. Mind your manners.
The room was a massive square with matte-black walls that made the holographic projections as accurate as possible. I pressed twice on the hidden panel beside the door. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d never see the panel, but I’d used this room, or one like it, after every major battle I’d been through. As if living through it once wasn’t enough, we had to get our brains scanned and watch the replay in high-def 3D to pick out every weakness in our strategy.
I put on the headpiece—pressing sticky electrodes against my skin and scalp.
Being a Black Helix had taught me how to steady my nerves, but even that was a little fucking hard right now. I’d never relived this day before. Only lived it.
I focused on the memory I wanted. “Computer, begin scan.”
The 3D holographic projection filled the room. It was a mishmash of my mom cooking in the kitchen and a dozen other images that reminded me of her. On the side, an image of her coffin flickered as it lowered into the ground.
My mind was scattered. It’d been too long. The farther away from the event, the harder it was to reproduce. It’d been ten years.
I just wanted to see the one thing. Not relive my whole childhood.
I sat on the floor and closed my eyes, focusing on Emma. The color of her light red hair. The sprinkle of freckles across her nose.
I thought about the first time I met her. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the scene start to play out. I almost opened them, but didn’t want to get distracted by what I saw. Instead, I let the memory play out as I sat there.
The sun was shining so bright that day. I’d thought she was a dumb kid. I wasn’t going to be seen hanging around with some little girl. Or anyone. I was too afraid that they’d ask questions about the daily beatings Dad dished out… No dice.
But eight-year-old Emma had showed up in my backyard at the end of April, with her deck of pink cards and a bright blue frozen gel pack, and my eleven-year-old self couldn’t ignore her. I hadn’t wanted to take the pack, even if it would stop my eye from swelling, but she hadn’t given me a choice.
“This will help,” she’d said as she sat beside me in the grass. Our yards were joined into one big space. The neighborhood didn’t allow fences.
Accepting help wasn’t something I did easily, even when I needed it. I’d stared at that gel pack like it was foul. “I’m fine.”
“Don’t be dumb.” She’d pressed the icy gel pack to my swollen eye, and it felt good. Painful, but good.
“Thanks.”
“Wanna play a game with me?”
“Uh.” No. I didn’t, but I hadn’t wanted her to take the pack away either.
“It’s just cards. I’m not allowed to use anything with an on-off switch unless my parents are around.”
Which was weird. Everyone had a hand console to play with. Even I did. It was old and busted, but it worked. Why would her parents restrict her like that?
With a father like mine, I wasn’t about to question her parents’ rules. So we’d played cards. She made me laugh, and let me forget about real life for an hour.
After that, she kept coming back. Bringing me food. Telling me about the constellations. She had a way of making me feel like less of a piece of shit. She took away the pain of dad’s daily beatings.
Thinking about that memory was bittersweet.
As my thoughts drifted through our relationship, chaotic images flashed across the room. My eyes were still closed to save myself from seeing them, but the bursts of light and color played against my lids. I had to focus.
I concentrated on the day I wanted before finally opening my eyes.
Hiding emotions was part of my training, but as I saw Dad standing over twelve-year-old me, that control was gone like it had never existed. Years of him telling me that I was worthless hit me. I’d believed it then. Sometimes I still believed it.
Fuck that.
“Computer. Pause program.”
The image froze in place. The colors were faded, and the projection of my past self was blurry. I focused on the walls. The tiny flower print Mom had put up a few months before she was killed. The projection adjusted. I stood up and walked around to see my father’s face. It sharpened—his jawline firmed. His eyes were exactly like mine, a bright sea glass green. Thank God my eyes were all that I had of him. My skin was the slightly tanned tone of my mother, my hair the same black.
I walked back across the room so that I could see the images from the best angle without interfering with playback. “Computer. Resume program.”
The scene unfolded in front of me. I knew it was a reconstruction, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. My father kicked me and I rubbed my side. The injury was long gone, but damned if I couldn’t feel those ribs screaming in sympathy.
I watched him crack my jaw, and my blood boiled. I wanted him to die again. And again. Age and time hadn’t worn down the burning hatred I’d felt toward him. It was always there, simmering under the surface. He hadn’t always been such a fucking bastard, but after Mom died, he’d turned into a waste of space. Addicted to all kinds of uppers and downers. Whatever he could get his hands on. He hit me and tore me down any chance he got. It didn’t matter how good I tried to be. Nothing helped. No one helped.
Except Emma.
I wanted to fast forward the memory, but skipping something now might take away from what happened next. So I watched, trying to stay disengaged while Dad ranted about how much of a loser I was. Spittle flew from his mouth and I snorted. It wasn’t funny, but coming from him? He was the loser. I was just a kid. A helpless, innocent kid. And anyone that picked on someone smaller than themself was a fucking bully.
I took a breath, and let go of some of the anger. If I was being honest, standing there in that room watching it play out, I was a little less bothered by his words. Especially now that I could see the irony in them.
I should’ve done this years ago.
A small figure ran into the room, her white dress fluttering around her legs as she moved. I couldn’t feel anything but joy at seeing the image of her coming to my rescue.
I remembered seeing her that day and being so afraid for her, yet so happy that she’d come. I knew she was strong, I just hadn’t known how strong.
“Computer. Pause program.”
I stepped closer. Emma wasn’t dim and dull like the rest of the playback. Her long, strawberry blonde waves shone in the light. Her hazel eyes were more green than brown, a sure sign she was pissed. I couldn’t believe how this little girl had changed my life. She’d entered it with a bang and left the same way.
“Computer. Resume program.”
I stepped aside to make way for her, not wanting to ruin the illusion.
“Stop!” She screeched in a high-pitched voice.
I was four years older and had at least thirty pounds on her, but she moved in between my father and me like she could shield me from the next kick. My little avenging angel. She’d been doing that since she moved into the house next door three months before. Not physically stopping my father, but taking care of me.
My father tried to push her away, and my past self’s gasp of fear made me shake my head. I wanted to tell him not to worry so much. Emma was small but she could handle herself.
She pressed her finger to my father’s chest. A single finger. “Stop!”
The lights flickered twice before exploding, and the power cut.
Exactly what I’d thought. “Pause program. Play back last ten seconds at fifty percent speed.”
Slowed down, the lights actually flickered three times. The second time was faster and less bright. Barely perceptible to the human eye.
“Computer. Replay last ten seconds at twenty-five percent speed.”
At slower speeds, the flickering lights became more pronounced. I glanced at the tablet, and sure enough—it was exactly as Lady Eva had said. A fluctuation had hit right before the transformers blew.
I thought about leaving before the scene played out, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to see it, to feel the satisfaction of watching my father hit the floor. “Computer. Resume playback at one hundred percent speed.”
Dad gasped, clutching his chest.
Back then, I didn’t know what was happening and didn’t really care. All I knew was that she’d somehow made him stop hitting me. It was like a miracle.
Now, it was clear she’d jolted his heart with electricity.
