Shades of Gray - By Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge Page 0,38
tapped her comlink. “Jet, Ops.”
Frostbite’s voice: “Ops, Jet. Go.”
“I don’t suppose Firebug reported in, saying that she had Steele and they were on their way back, by any chance?”
“Nope.”
Kai must have charged in without waiting for backup. Of course. Jet gritted her teeth. Now she had not just one hero to rescue but two.
Terrific. She sighed, lifted her goggles, and rubbed her eyes. Well, she’d have to fall over from exhaustion later.
Replacing the optiframes to fit snugly on her face, Jet thought about options. From everything she knew about Doctor Hypnotic—thanks to all those classes back at the Academy—he was obscenely dangerous. Charging in would likely get her captured. Or killed. But she was too exhausted to risk a Shadowslide; that would put her at the mercy of the voices that came out in the dark.
She shuddered. No, sliding was right out.
What were her other options? Hornblower was otherwise engaged. Frostbite and Meteorite were grounded. Iridium was off being a criminal. Steele and Firebug were captured. That left Jet herself.
She snorted. No, it didn’t. This is the sound of my pride splattering on the pavement. “Ops,” she said, “link me over to the Merc line. Bruce Hunter’s code.”
“Connecting.” If Frostbite had a comment about Jet wanting to speak to a mercenary, let alone her former Runner, he kept it to himself. Derek had always been smart.
On the other end of the connection, the click of someone tapping in. “Taser. Go.”
“So it’s not a press conference,” Jet said, “but maybe you’re still interested in helping. How do you feel about rescuing helpless superdamsels in distress?”
“I love it.” He lowered his voice, the words pouring out syrupy thick. “Is Callie in trouble?”
Jet felt her forehead pound. Through clenched teeth, she said, “This isn’t about Iridium. Firebug and Steele have been captured by Doctor Hypnotic.”
Taser dropped the act. All business, he replied, “Give me your coordinates.”
She did. Just as she was about to tell him she’d wait, a piercing scream filled the sky—coming from somewhere within the abandoned building. Crap. “I have to go in.”
“Jet, wait. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Don’t go in alone.”
“Whoever’s screaming bloody murder may not have fifteen minutes.”
It was probably Firebug screaming. Kai had a low threshold for pain; Jet recalled that from her fifth year at the Academy. An image danced behind her eyes—one of Firebug cradling her shattered arm as she was whisked away to the hospital wing, shrieking the whole way there. No, Kai would break if Hypnotic was torturing her.
Jet said, “I’ll be careful. But come quickly.”
“Joan, damn it, you haven’t gone after Hypnotic before! Wait for me. I can—”
Another scream—one that cut off abruptly.
Jet switched her comlink to white noise, took a deep breath, then walked through the open front doors.
Analyze. She took in the details quickly: dark, but her optiframes took care of that. Smells of ash, of stale terror, of dust disturbed. The building’s lobby was from circa early twenty-first century—a doorman station, abandoned; linoleum flooring, cracked and grimy; faux wooden trim, long since eroded by termites and time. Silent as the grave. Up ahead stood two figures, their backs to her. Firebug and Steele.
Battlescan. No signs of movement, either from her comrades or from Hypnotic, wherever he was. Clearly, a trap.
Confront. “Firebug,” she called out. “Steele. I’m here to help you.”
No response from them—then a burst of light erupted before her eyes. Her optiframes irised, negating any damage.
She whirled. Saw nothing.
“I’m here for my colleagues,” she announced. “I’m not here to fight you.” Too true; she was too damn tired for that.
“Do tell.” The voice was from everywhere and nowhere; it surrounded her, enveloped her. “And what are you that you ignore my pretty Light?”
She turned again, keeping her frustration in check. Where was Hypnotic? In front of her? Behind? Impossible to tell. “I’m Jet. And I prefer Shadows to the pretty Light. What have you done to my colleagues?”
“They’re fine,” Hypnotic insisted, his voice echoing. “Content. You can be too. Just look at the Light.”
Another flare in front of her face. She batted it aside. At least it wasn’t a heat strobe, like Iridium’s. Enough talking. She turned to her mesmerized friends and reached out, summoning a creeper of Shadow. It stretched from her hand, crawled over to Firebug and flowed up until it wrapped around her waist, then looped over to Steele and did the same. She tugged. Neither of the women moved; it was like they were rooted to the spot. Statues.