My senses reeled as we
teleported.
I could feel my body hurtling and spinning through space. I could see Toby and Lucas next to me, while Karl, still in my arms, stared aghast into the emptiness. There was nothing but blackness. With nothing to key off, I had no way to tell if we were moving up, down, left, or right. Only the air pressure on my face confirmed we were moving at all. The world around us slowly began to reappear from the void. I became aware of walls and floor beneath my feet. Colors seemed to spill down through the darkness like wet paint over an empty canvas. As it hardened and dried, filling in the lines and creating a cohesive image, I finally felt the spinning stop. I crumbled to my knees like someone who had been on the tilt-o-whirl too many times.
Karl looked up at me with bleary eyes. “I think I'm gonna spew." Setting the Goblin on the floor, I turned him away, just in case, and patted him gently on the back. Standing slowly, I looked around. The now familiar writhing ball of snakes again appeared in my guts as my gaze settled on the tubes hanging from the ceiling and the gray, motionless bodies within. Lucas had brought us back to the cloning warehouse. Toby was standing to my left with an almost vacant expression. My Beretta was hanging loosely in his hand as he wobbled slightly. “What a rush.” Toby looked at me with a crooked smile. “Stop the world.” He forced a chuckle. “I want to get off." I think that was his first experience teleporting. Placing my hand gently on his shoulder, I patted him on the back as I took my pistol and cradled it in my fingers. “Just breathe, T. It'll wear off in a minute." I glanced around the warehouse nervously. Moving past the Werewolf, my gaze settled on Lucas. With his eyes closed, he was breathing in slowly from his nose and exhaling through his mouth. It seemed even he was waiting for the effects to wear off. "All right,” I started, “I saved you. Now tell me what the hell is going on.” Direct and right to the point. Sounded forceful, right?
"I believe without me,” Lucas oozed, “you three would still be in Jared's compound." "We'll call it a team effort,” I offered. "I'll agree to that,” Lucas conceded.
Toby looked over the warehouse. “Why did you bring us here?" "I jumped blindly,” Lucas replied. “I did not have a destination in mind. It seems some force greater than myself drew us here."
"Don't give me that fate or higher power crap,” I barked. I used my forearm to slam Lucas into the machinery. Holding him there, I felt my eyes shift to black. “There's a reason you brought us here. Now,” I pushed my Beretta into the fleshy spot between his chin and throat, “we're going to play a game. I ask questions and you answer. If you refuse,” I forcefully reminded him of the weapon, “you die." Jared held very still. The odds were good that he wouldn't be able to act before I could pull the trigger. He was powerful, but still human after all. One bullet was all I needed.
I could feel my body hurtling and spinning through space. I could see Toby and Lucas next to me, while Karl, still in my arms, stared aghast into the emptiness. There was nothing but blackness. With nothing to key off, I had no way to tell if we were moving up, down, left, or right. Only the air pressure on my face confirmed we were moving at all. The world around us slowly began to reappear from the void. I became aware of walls and floor beneath my feet. Colors seemed to spill down through the darkness like wet paint over an empty canvas. As it hardened and dried, filling in the lines and creating a cohesive image, I finally felt the spinning stop. I crumbled to my knees like someone who had been on the tilt-o-whirl too many times.
Karl looked up at me with bleary eyes. “I think I'm gonna spew." Setting the Goblin on the floor, I turned him away, just in case, and patted him gently on the back. Standing slowly, I looked around. The now familiar writhing ball of snakes again appeared in my guts as my gaze settled on the tubes hanging from the ceiling and the gray, motionless bodies within. Lucas had brought us back to the cloning warehouse. Toby was standing to my left with an almost vacant expression. My Beretta was hanging loosely in his hand as he wobbled slightly. “What a rush.” Toby looked at me with a crooked smile. “Stop the world.” He forced a chuckle. “I want to get off." I think that was his first experience teleporting. Placing my hand gently on his shoulder, I patted him on the back as I took my pistol and cradled it in my fingers. “Just breathe, T. It'll wear off in a minute." I glanced around the warehouse nervously. Moving past the Werewolf, my gaze settled on Lucas. With his eyes closed, he was breathing in slowly from his nose and exhaling through his mouth. It seemed even he was waiting for the effects to wear off. "All right,” I started, “I saved you. Now tell me what the hell is going on.” Direct and right to the point. Sounded forceful, right?
"I believe without me,” Lucas oozed, “you three would still be in Jared's compound." "We'll call it a team effort,” I offered. "I'll agree to that,” Lucas conceded.
Toby looked over the warehouse. “Why did you bring us here?" "I jumped blindly,” Lucas replied. “I did not have a destination in mind. It seems some force greater than myself drew us here."
"Don't give me that fate or higher power crap,” I barked. I used my forearm to slam Lucas into the machinery. Holding him there, I felt my eyes shift to black. “There's a reason you brought us here. Now,” I pushed my Beretta into the fleshy spot between his chin and throat, “we're going to play a game. I ask questions and you answer. If you refuse,” I forcefully reminded him of the weapon, “you die." Jared held very still. The odds were good that he wouldn't be able to act before I could pull the trigger. He was powerful, but still human after all. One bullet was all I needed.