Page 47 of Between Imminent Fates

“Is that any of your business, corporal? Open the gate.”

“Yes sir.”

The gates proceeded to drag open in front of him with a screeching metallic sound, and he gunned the Humvee forward into the deserted base. Parking in an empty parking lot, he pocketed the keys and strolled into the first open door he could find.

It was eerily quiet. Lights hummed and there was no trace of dust, but it was completely empty. Jax ducked into one of the offices in preparation for Key’s entrance.

Chapter Seventeen

Gideon

Isaiah’s teleport was sluggish.Gideon had experienced the sensation so many times over the course of the last four years, but this one was different. Rather than the millisecond of hangtime between points, it felt stretched and clumsy—completely at odds with the sovereign’s usual efficiency.

He gave the Raeth a sidelong glance before dismissing the thought. Everyone could have an off day, even menacing Sovereigns.

They stood in an unoccupied office. Key’s stoicism remained a mask, her cool amber gaze studying each of them in turn. After Captain Hunter had driven off to the base, she’d explained that drowning this facility hadn’t been possible until recently. With the destruction of the kennels, the human mercenaries that manned the base—each hand picked to be immune to supernatural suggestion—had been redeployed to other areas.

Knowing that Key held their future in her hands was unnerving. The little she’d shared of their mission the day before had made Gideon’s skepticism rear its anxious head.

Swallowing the urge to demand more answers, he asked, “Where do we go from here, Key?”

“The weaponry contained within these walls can’t be allowed to come into play. With Rukia’s ability, we flood the storage and drown the facility. Then, Gideon, you’ll sink it into the earth where nothing can be retrieved. As it’s in the flood space between neighboring mountain peaks, the collapse won’t seem completely improbable.”

Despite his hesitation regarding the foreseer, Gideon was keen to do what he could to eliminate theCitizens. After the attempt on his life—and the losses the immortal world had sustained since then—nothing would give him greater pleasure than being able to rid the world of their terror.

Key turned to Jax. “Isaiah has already teleported your Humvee back to your base in Washington. You mind staying to watch the fireworks?”

When Jax nodded, the group’s attention turned to the task at hand. It was eerily quiet, and the sense of impending doom seemed to seep from every corner.

Gideon glanced at his companions. “Let’s get to work.”

Soon enough, they found themselves deep in the bowels of the building. Below their feet, Gideon connected with the earth beneath the poured concrete foundation. Concentrating, he drew the essence of his element into his mind, discerning the superficial from the substantial.

“Isaiah, are we absolutely certain there isn’t anyone in here other than us?” Rukia asked.

“There’s no one else. Other than the guard at the gate, we’re alone.”

Gideon nodded. As Key had foretold the night before, when he disturbed the earth beneath the facility, a natural spring would well up under them. Having Rukia here to hold back the tides would be essential, and Isaiah’s ability to teleport would see them out of danger.

The Elemental placed his hands on the floor and concentrated. He could already sense the compromised footing on which it’d been built. A faint rumble below their feet indicated the changing earth below them. Rock and soil split at his command, and through the cracks, frigid water began to rise. He held the foundation of the building stable as it seeped into the facility.

Slowly, the room they stood in began to flood.

Rukia encouraged its rise. At her command, the water formed a ring around them, keeping them dry as it splashed up the walls and over their heads. For their plan to work, Gideon needed to create a sinkhole large enough to swallow the entire base.

Though Rukia’s abilities were unmatched, Gideon couldn’t help but sense the rising distress in Rona. She had never been buried the same way he had.

The only thing he saw from Isaiah was a deep, resounding pride in his mate. There was no fear in his adoring gaze, even as her element became spherical around them, hemming them in on every side. Rukia was enjoying herself.

“The entire cursed place is filled with water now, Gideon, and I’ve directed the excess downhill.” Her eyes opened. “Ready?”

Though every kennel would soon be leveled and Derek had been removed from the equation, sinking their weaponry would effectively bring theCitizensto their knees. If what Key said was true and they failed, it would only be a decade before the Elementals—and every other immortal life—were hunted down like animals.

Gideon would do everything in his power to keep that future from happening. Hundreds of feet below, he shifted rock and altered the landscape underground. A hole formed, the earth allowing him easy access. In minutes, a cavern opened, waiting for his command to sink the facility.

“Ready?”

Gideon funneled one last pulse into the earth just before he nodded at Isaiah. But it wasn’t the Sylth sovereign who reached for them. Key extended her hand, confirmingshewould be the one to anchor them together in a teleport.

---