Chapter 46 #2
“We’ve got a visual.” Wanda shifts the video she is watching onto the large particle pane.
They watch as a large man drags Electra by the arm from the bank of ground floor elevators toward the airlock that leads outside.
He releases her, picks up an air mask, and throws it at her.
It smacks her in the chest, but she catches it and quickly puts it on.
He tries to grab her again, but she flings an arm out, sucker-punching him in the neck.
He staggers back, hand flying to his throat, and starts sputtering.
“Good Zorg, that was awesome. Maybe I’ll be friends with her too,” Sable says.
“Just get in the airlock, Electra,” he instructs the video.
As if she’s heard him, she darts over, cutting in front of the next person waiting. She gives them a little apologetic wave before stepping inside. She turns and watches the doors close and lock. The large man recovers, rushing over to pound on the door with both fists.
“It won’t open, will it?” Sable asks. Thankfully, because Res6’s heart is caught in his throat.
“I’ve got a team member overriding the controls,” Wanda says.
He breathes a sigh of relief. Electra doesn’t know that, but she doesn’t look scared either. She raises her hand, holding up her middle finger to the man.
“I take it that is a rude gesture from her time?” Wanda asks.
Curious, he does a quick search. “DumBot says it means fuck you,” he says.
Both Sable and Wanda chuckle.
Behind Electra, the door slides open. She doesn’t hesitate as she runs out into the street, looking both ways before her attention lands on the single SAT hovering on the mag track in the center of the road.
It only takes a couple of seconds for three operatives wearing jumpsuits that say Private Extraction Services to fly out of the SAT and surround her.
They speak to her for a moment and she nods, looking at them and back at the SAT.
A smaller operative, possibly another woman, takes her by the arm and gently guides her around to the front seat, helping her in.
The rest of the operatives pile in, and within a moment the SAT carrying the most precious thing in his world is zipping across the city back to him.
Tears well in his eyes and fall unfettered. Sable and Wanda stare at him like they are unsure what to do. “I’m fine,” he waves them off. “Just . . . thank you. Thank you.”
He excuses himself so he can have a moment alone in his private locker room.
He drops onto a bench, leaning back against the wall, letting the horrible events of the last day wash over him.
He also carves out space in his mind for one of the most beautiful moments of his life that also happened during the same twenty-four hours. Zorg, he’s exhausted.
The prospect of losing her and being a part of the effort to get her back was the hardest thing he’s ever experienced.
And now that he’s moments on the other side of it, he feels like he’s been hit by a SAT.
He needs to gather himself and set his emotions aside.
After what Electra just lived through, she is going to need him more than ever, and he needs to be the man she deserves.
He closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to center himself. He remembers her exercise that she uses to ground herself. Just think of three real things.
That’s easy.
Electra.
Electra.
Electra.
His phone pings, and he jolts awake. Shit. He glances at the message.
It’s Sable. She’s on her way up.
He stuffs his phone in his pocket and runs out of the locker room. His fatigue evaporates the second he sees her walking toward him at the other end of the hall.
“Res6!” she cries.
He sprints for her and doesn’t stop until he’s scooped her in his arms. She returns the embrace. “Oh Zorg, Electra. You’re safe. You’re here. I was so worried.”
He can barely believe that she’s here with him now. He cradles her head, running his hand over her hair.
“Easy, she’s injured.” Someone tugs on his sleeve. When he releases her, he sees it’s the female operative from the video.
He moves away, quickly assessing her. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine. They took a few tissue samples, and I’m a little sore, but . . .” Tears streak down her cheeks, and he takes in the blooming purple bruise there. She holds up her wrists for him to inspect. Stitches zigzag over an almond-shaped cut.
Sable steps up to them, taking Electra’s wrist to inspect it. “Fucking bastards.”
Electra quickly takes in the other woman. “You’re Sable?” she guesses.
“The one and only.” She turns to him. “Can you have somebody take me to your medical unit so I can get some equipment to deal with her wounds?”
Just then, Tommy and Chryl rush down the hall, along with a woman dressed in a full leopard bodysuit, complete with fake ears, a tail, and tattooed cat whiskers.
Nothing more than he expects from Chryl, but it reminds him to figure out a permanent solution for her and to make sure the lease term limits got updated as he instructed.
“Oh my God, Electra! I was so worried!” Chryl makes to throw her arms around Electra, but Sable steps in between them.
“No!” she barks. Chryl takes a startled step back.
“Better. She’s injured.” She notes Tommy’s presence.
“You. Take me to the medical unit now.” She turns to Chryl and the cat woman.
“You both too. I need you to help . . . carry things.” When they look like they’re going to argue, she says.
“You can visit once she has been debriefed, and I’ve tended to her wounds. ”
They don’t balk at the command in Sable’s voice. Res6 makes a mental note to thank her later.
He leads Electra back to his office, where Wanda is discussing something with one of her team members. They quickly finish the conversation before leaving the three of them alone.
Electra sinks into a chair and yawns big, making everyone else yawn too. “I guess none of us slept,” she says from behind her palm.
Wanda chuffs. “I should be dead, considering the amount of coffee I drank.”
“Thank you so much for everything—” Electra starts. Then she grins and blinks, attempting to act like a manupartner.
“Don’t worry, I know what you are,” Wanda says, shaking her head. “No need to thank me. I’m just doing my job.”
Wanda takes twenty minutes to debrief her on their side of the operation, then records Electra’s testimony of her side of the events of the last twenty-four hours. “And what about Lextr’s presence? It appears Res6’s former employee was held in the same room with you.”
“He was. They’re trying to use him to create reincarnates. I promised him I would make sure you knew he wasn’t working for them voluntarily. They abducted him too. Since you know their location, can’t you raid the building and get him out?”
“If he were in imminent danger, we would, but you said they need his expertise. I’m working under the assumption that they don’t plan to kill him.
Maybe we can get a message to him so he can help us from the inside.
I need to learn their goal. But that isn’t anything for you to concern yourself with. Thank you for your testimony.”
Electra’s brows wrinkle like she isn’t pleased with Wanda’s plan.
Wanda rises from her chair. “Trust that I have the situation in hand,” she says, effectively shutting down the conversation.
“I’ve released control of your system. I’ll be in contact with you in a few days to arrange a legitimate identification number.
Electra, if you think of anything else useful, Res6 has my number. ”
Electra shoots out of her chair. “I almost forgot.” She holds out her hand toward Wanda, wiggling her fingers.
Wanda’s brow wrinkles like she’s confused, but then she takes Electra’s hands, inspecting the gunk beneath her fingernails. “Skin cells! Oh, and there’s more.” She stuffs her hand into her pocket, pulling out a multicolored wad of hair. “I collected this off the floor. You can use that, right?”
“We can absolutely use it. Excellent work.” Wanda pulls out a small container from her satchel. She stares at the hair like she doesn’t want to touch it, though.
“It’s gross, I know,” Electra says, picking it up and setting it inside.
Wanda closes the lid. “This was smart of you to collect. I’m surprised you thought of it after what you went through.”
“I’m a writer. What can I say?” Electra shoots him a contagious grin. Being in on the joke makes warmth flow through him.
“I have no idea what that means, but good work. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but this has been an excellent break in our case.” Wanda slips the container back into her satchel and throws it over her shoulder.
Interacting with Electra, when she could be herself, seemed to make Wanda finally believe that reincarnates were real. That bodes well for the individuals still stuck at Camp Reincarnate. Electra will be pleased with that development.
“I’ll have one of my team members wait so Sable can collect the samples under your nails. I want it analyzed ASAP. I’ll be in touch if I require anything else,” Wanda says, rubbing her temples. Right before she closes the door, she pokes her head back in. “Oh, and Electra, welcome to the future.”
When she closes the door, Electra leans back in her chair, breaking out into a fit of crazed giggles. He can’t do anything except sit and watch, mesmerized. “Are you okay?”
“Not remotely,” she says. “Can you believe it? Right before they took me, I told you that everything was going to be perfect. It’s so sad, but also too funny. I feel deep empathy for the woman I was yesterday.”
He frowns. “That’s called irony. It doesn’t feel funny at all to me.”
“I know, but it is. When I was standing there with those men cutting little footballs in my skin to steal my flesh because I shouldn’t even exist, I realized that I never told you I loved you back.
I just don’t know why all of this has happened and how I ended up dead, then undead.
Not like a zombie, though. Sorry. I’m not making any sense.
All I know is I’m so grateful to be here with you.
” She shakes her head as tears well in her eyes. “I’m just so grateful.”
He slips out of his chair and kneels before her. “Oh, Electra, don’t cry. You don’t need to love me back. I love you enough for both of us.” He wipes her tears away, being careful about her bruise.
She smacks his shoulder before taking his face in her hands. She leans down so they’re eye to eye. “You are seriously the most thickheaded man I’ve ever met.”
“What did I do now?” he asks.
“I don’t need you to love me enough for both of us.”
“Quickly explain why before I die,” he says, feeling rather desperate to hear what he thinks she’s about to tell him. Though maybe it’s the fatigue warping his mind, or maybe he fell asleep in the locker room and he’s dreaming.
“I know this isn’t the most romantic setting ever, and I look like a complete disaster. I’m dirty, I stink, and there’s blood all over me.”
“I don’t care. Tell me,” he begs.
She grins, and his heart melts a little. “I love you too. I love you so much.”
An unbearable warmth blooms in his chest as their lips meet. It’s the pain of loving someone. The pain of knowing they could be taken from you at any moment, but choosing to love them anyway for every moment you still have them.
She pulls away, not done with her confession. “I think the part of me that always questions everything and waits for the bad things to happen—I think those people might have killed it. Because I knew you were going to find a way to get me back. I wasn’t scared.”
He listens eagerly. “You weren’t?”
She shrugs. “Well, maybe a little. But I decided to have faith.”
Two knocks sound at the door before Sable slips inside. “Hate to interrupt the party, but I’m ready to heal you. Then, your awaiting fans need ten minutes of your time. Then we all desperately need some sleep.”