Page 44 of Captured Immune

“What?” he says. “No smart-ass comment? No rude remarks about my gray hair or my big-ass nose? Are you goin’ soft now?”

“Just pat me down so I can get going.”

“Sheesh. Someone’s got their balls caught in a zipper.”

As Carlos frisks me, I scan the security room. Multiple screens of all sizes show footage of people walking down hallways and gathered in the community room. The more screens I see, the more I think my already impossible rescue mission seems more impossible. They’ve got their eyes on everything, and there are people everywhere.

The other security guard stares me down from his rolling chair with a look on his face like he wants to strangle me. He’s the guy with the eyebrow scar, who I wouldn’t have even considered pulling pranks on as a kid. It’s not normal for Zordis to have scars. With our ability to heal quickly and the healing products my parents invented, a Zordi has towanta scar to have one, or the injury had to have been pretty severe.

“Clear,” Carlos says and steps back.

Without a word, I head toward the elevators.

I press thedownbutton as my heart sprints like I’m running from a bear. I thought once I got in here, I’d know what to do. Not only was I wrong, but I’m starting to think this is a suicide mission.

The base has been having an issue with double agents lately. People might assume I’m one of them, which, technically, I am. No, I’m not working for the Royals, but I’m working for myself. If an agent sees me trying to walk outta here with Arella, they won’t know that, and they won’t hesitate to kill me. I doubt Victor would stop them either. I definitely should have thought this through more.

Ding!

One of the four elevators arrives and invites me in. I wait for two women to step out before jumping inside and pressing the 2 button. I don’t know if I have permission to see Arella, but I’m going to. I need to make sure she’s okay and assess the situation before I formulate the rest of my get-her-the-fuck-out plan.

When the elevator doors reopen, my breath hitches. It’s her. She’s still in that giant white T-shirt and those tattered orange shorts. We lock eyes, and it takes everything in me to not throw her over my shoulder and run. I’ll throw fireballs at anyone who tries to stop me if that’s what it takes. The only reason I don’t do exactly that is because Katie and Victor’s hulk-size security guard are standing right next to her.

“Oh, hey!” Katie says in a cheery tone. “That was quick.”

“What was?”

The three of them join me in the elevator as Katie says, “I left you a voicemail, like, thirty seconds ago. Victor wants to see you immediately.”

I had shut off my phone on the way here. I didn’t want it to make any noise while I was in the middle of sneaking Arella out. “What’s he want?”

“We’re about to find out.” With her hand not holding the iPad, Katie presses the 1 button.

“You mean you don’t know?”

“He didn’t tell me. I was just told to bring the Immune down to the battle box again.”

I narrow my eyes at Katie because, surely, I didn’t hear her right. “Again? As in... she’s already been there?”

I scan Arella for any signs of cuts or bruises. She looks normal enough—if I ignore her puffy red eyes and that bleak expression.

“Not to worry,” Katie says. “Unlike what the battle box is normally used for, that’s not what happened this morning.”

My memories of being in the battle box consist of fists and lightning balls hurling at my face. The battle box is where agents train in hand-to-hand combat and test their powers on each other. Arella belongs nowhere near that thing.

“Then whatdidhappen this morning?” I try not to sound as enraged as I feel but fail.

“Victor asked three of our most powerful field agents to come in to test their powers on her. They tried a few methods to see if it would work.”

“What kinds of methods?” I’m still failing at keeping my voice in the chill zone.

“The kinds that didn’t work. Maybe that’s why Victor wants you here. You’ve spent the most time with her. Maybe he thinks you can provide some insight on how we can crack her secret.”

I’ve already cracked Arella’s secret.Well, sort of.I know that I can break through her immunity walls by making her orgasm, but that’s it. If anyone asks for more answers beyond that, I don’t have them. I don’t know how or why it’s then and only then that I can sense her, and I don’t care to know. The only thing I care about is keeping her safe.

Ding!

Arella doesn’t look at me as the four of us step off the elevator. She still doesn’t spare me a glance as we make our way down the wide halls. I’m aware that I deserve her cold shoulder, but it still stings. I wish there was a way for me to silently tell her that I’m working on getting her out.Just hang in there, baby.

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