Page 50 of City of Love

“What about yourself?” Julian asked, his suntanned skin now turned ashen. “Apparently you plan on staying in this world. How will you survive the pain and deterioration?”

“The Prometheus Group has promised their best medical technology will be used to help heal me so I can live easily in this world. I’ve been assured that neither I nor our people will suffer any pain.”

Lexi popped her head out from behind Gideon. “That’s not true. There will be pain. They’ve lied to you. I just saw it in a vision.”

For a moment, Benjamin paused, his face paling and his eyes darting to and fro. Then he straightened, his expression confident again. “I don’t believe you. They have all sorts of handy medical gadgets, you know. Shiny things that blink and buzz and beep and save lives.” He paused, lifting his chin, his eyes going steel cold. “You know, things that could have saved Mary.”

Lexi felt as much as saw Gideon’s shoulders drop, the air leave his lungs. “This is about Mary?” he asked.

“Of course, it’s about Mary!” Benjamin began to move, one fist grinding into the palm of the other hand. “It’s always been about Mary. She might be alive today if not for you and your righteous rules.”

Gideon took a step toward him, but the goon squad lifted their guns higher and he halted. “Benjamin, I’m s—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry, Gideon.” He gestured toward Lexi. “Can you now at least begin to imagine what it felt like to have the Council, my friends, tell me no? Can you begin to understand the pain I’ve lived with since discovering how much more important traditions and philosophies are to our world than its actual people?”

Gideon glanced at her, then back to Benjamin, turning his palms forward in supplication. “Yes, I am beginning to understand you. I see that things aren’t always so black and white. But we do have to weigh our choices carefully. We have to figure out what seems best for—”

Benjamin stopped, whipping his head toward Gideon. “Weigh our choices carefully? Figure out what seems best?” His voice wavered. “Could you really be so damn stoic and fair-minded if your woman were… were…”

He dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands, shoulders shaking.

“Enough.” All heads turned to a man in a suit now exiting the car Benjamin had arrived in, sunglasses covering his eyes. “Enough of this, Mr. Smythe. You wanted to see your handiwork and now you have. Get back in the car. We’ve indulged your little revenge party long enough and we need to go.”

The man in the oh-please-get-over-yourself sunglasses pulled Benjamin up and out of the way as he gestured to the men with the guns. “It’s time.”

“No, wait.” Gideon pushed Lexi solidly behind himself, raising a hand to stop them.

The man in the suit shook his head. “Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as all that. We’re not going to kill anyone as long as you cooperate. In fact, you’ll have the pleasure of being the first of your world introduced to the Prometheus Group’s shiny new lab facilities.”

Lexi peaked around Gideon’s shoulder again. “Who are you?”

The man smirked with a shrug. “My partner in the car over there and I are vice presidents of the Prometheus Group, in charge of the Pennsylvania facility. We’re not really important as far as you’re concerned. You’ll soon have much more interaction with our scientists.” The man spun on his heel back toward his car, nodding at his gun squad. “Go ahead and round them up.” Then he paused a step, looking back over his shoulder. “We don’t need Mr. Hard Rock for anything, though. Do something with him. I don’t want to know what.”

As the man stepped again toward his car, something shifted in the atmosphere. Time began to move in the way Lexi had heard people describe when they’re in car accidents. Their vehicles rolling over and over, yet the drivers able to discern every moment as if it were an eternity—every bit of damage assessed as it occurred, every detail noticed, emblazoned on the mind with perfect clarity.

It was probably only a single second of time that passed before anyone spoke or moved, yet in that brief instant she noticed a multitude of things. Matthew, eyes cast to the side as if lost in thought, dropped his shoulders on an exhale. Strangely, he looked almost… relieved, but it must have been resignation.

Benjamin stood up, watching her group, frozen to his spot, a million emotions swirling in his eyes like a kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope of mostly pain.

And a calm had settled over Gideon as he ceased to question anything or anyone, no longer caring for understanding or explanation. He became all action, all purpose, his body taking complete control as he once again became a soldier, his every muscle coiled for the strike. Whatever he was going to do was already a fait accompli.

Lexi herself was numb; aware that she was in one piece and whole, yet fragmented so thoroughly that she felt her solidity was an illusion, a joke. She’d unintentionally played a part in this horror. Having finally found a man, and a world, she cared so greatly for, she’d nevertheless become an agent of their destruction, even if only as bait.

Then time rushed back up to itself, as if a starting gun had gone off in her mind, and everybody moved again, racing out of the gate.

“Cuff the big guys and the bitch. And give them a shot of tranqs. I’ll deal with frat boy here,” the man in the Phillies pitcher shirt said.

“Stay behind me and with me, Lex, we’re going to try,” Gideon spoke silently, and Lexi did as she was told, thankful he was taking control.

“When I move, get behind me and ready to run,” Gideon whispered to Matt.

The two baseball jerseys, and the two other hired rottweilers, guns raised and pointed, stepped into the unit toward them, and at that moment Lexi knew that a fleet of B1 bombers could pass overhead and it wouldn’t stop Gideon. She knew the thought of those men touching her again gave him all the power he needed. She could literally hear the white noise of fury in his head.

He looked at Julian and nodded, though his cousin had already started humming, the sound loud and low in his chest, and Lexi could feel the energy pouring from him. With the sound, the four thugs lowered their guns slightly, appearing confused and hesitant.

At the same moment, Gideon pushed the palms of his hands forward, chest lifted and chin raised, and she pressed against him, lending him as much of her strength and energy as she could give. With a scream of rage so loud it shook the metal walls, yet was nearly muted a moment later by the sonic explosion that followed, Gideon let loose his power.

The four thugs and the man in the suit flew backwards, guns going airborne, bodies slamming hard into the row of storage units behind them, metal doors dented, bodies landing in geometric shapes normally foreign to the human body. She noticed both of her two baseball-loving kidnappers crumpled on the ground and wondered if they were dead or merely knocked out. She didn’t care. Either way, they’d been benched.

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