Page 52 of Emergence
He came over and sat on the bed next to me. “She’s not thinking clearly. In fact, I don’t think she’s thought clearly since her mom was killed. This has been building all that time. I’m afraid we weren’t paying close enough attention to the signs.”
“And now, Kaden comes along, the perfect bomb for her experiment.”
Alias nodded.
“Then we have to escape. We have to stop it from happening.”
“I know where we are,” he said. “This is where the government kept Supes they deemed a threat in the seventies. There is no way out of here, Lysander. Not unless we’re let out. The facility has been all but abandoned for the past decade, but I’m guessing the few guards kept here are now under her control. With my presence, she can control multiple people for an untold amount of time.”
“Can’t you, as an empath, block her somehow?” I asked desperately.
He laughed. “No, it doesn’t work that way. She has the overt powers, and I have the passive. I can’t undo what she does, only increase her ability.”
“That’s why she kidnapped you?” I said, clarity coming to my mind. “She needs you to influence the guards and to get to Kaden.”
“Apparently,” he agreed. “And, son, my thirst means she’s using my powers now. And the fact that I could drink a gallon or two means she’s using them a lot. That isn’t good for me, you, or your boyfriend.”
“Wait, how do you know so much about me and Kaden? Not even Grace knew we were together.”
He smiled and patted my arm. “Did I mention I work for the government? Kaden is practically the only subject discussed in my or any other governmental office worldwide. Yeah, I know all about how you two have progressed.”
“That sucks,” I admitted. “I don’t like my business being out there for everyone to see.”
“Welcome to the world of a Supe! Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of it, but that goes with the territory, son. Especially when you’re the most powerful Supe in the world.”
We spent the following few hours brainstorming ways to get out, but we didn’t seem to have any options. Somehow, we were stuck and at the mercy of a psycho maniac apparently willing to destroy the world to get her way.
Chapter thirty-six
Kaden
Themessagecameinthe wee hours of the morning the following day. Libby and Pete had gone to the Nosupe housing after we had argued until there was nothing else to say. We were stuck. The villain had screwed us.
Kaden is to be at the Hoover Facility by sunrise.
That’s it. That’s all the letter said.
“Where’s the Hoover Facility?” I asked.
Dr. Aynesworth, Elana, and Dr. Fagan all looked chagrinned. “It’s where the government used to interrogate Supes they suspected as spies.”
“Why isn’t she afraid of me?” I asked, finally asking what I’d wanted to know all along.
“Because she has Lysander. Your polarity,” Dr. Fagan said.
Then Elana added, “Your boyfriend.”
“So what, she’s going to threaten to hurt him, kill him? Why can’t he zap her powers? He knows how to do that now.”
“Not there. The place is irradiated. Teams of specialists throughout the seventies and eighties created the facility deep in the mountains to ensure Supes couldn’t use their powers.”
“Then how is she using hers? I don’t understand any of this.”
“It’s complicated. We aren’t privy to all the information about the Hoover Facility. Even today, the place is classified. But we do know the agents somehow maintained their powers. You can’t go in there, Kaden.”
“We arenotgoing to leave him in her hands,” I said emphatically.
“I’m not sure we have a choice. I can alert the government officials, letting them know the facility has been compromised, but I doubt they have contingencies. Hoover was created when the world was freaking out. Not only did we have the threat of nuclear war, but we had all these superpowers coming out of nowhere.”
