Feb 7th – 7 am

Dancing lace patterns on the counter reached the brewing coffee, flitting playfulness over the glass and pulling a smile to her lips.

The room's temperature changed, chilling her skin. Hairs stood to attention along her arms and on the back of her neck. She was not alone. While her eyes slid from her spiky arm back to the coffee machine, she allowed her abilities to run free.

"My days of spontaneous reaction haven't been tested for a while," she whispered. "If you don't sit at the table and continue to stand behind me, the outcome can be less than ideal for either of us."

A faint shuffling of feet came on the air before a chair scraped, and a human sigh huffed out, "How did you know I was behind you?"

"I was military, but this is one of my natural abilities which has been enhanced," she spoke quietly. "One of yours is that you can hear to extremely heightened levels. How does a dog whistle sound?"

"Excruciating," he muttered, "it was used as a training tool when I began with the programme."

"No, it wasn't," she muttered, "it was used as an obedience tool."

"Hmm, think you're right there," he grunted, "it still gets used," he sighed as she heard the sound of his hands scrubbing over his face.

"The coffee will be ready in a bit," she said, facing him, "Oh dear, looks like you had a rough night. There is nothing like your abilities being free. Want to talk about it?"

"Talk about it?" heavy sarcasm hung in his tone, "I don't think there is much to say. Not about how I heard everything happening on the last six blocks all night. I could feel and hear my flesh mending, or about seeing everything clearly as if it were daylight in the dark, or that my eyes felt like they were scorched in their sockets when the sun rose. Those curtains do not keep out the light."

"Yep, you had a rough night," grinning, she sat in the chair opposite the glowering man, "ready to tell me your name now?"

"David," he muttered, continuing to glare, "you are?"

"Breanna," she smiled sweetly, "but you knew that. What else happened last night? You have a fresh bruise on your head."

"Someone was below your house. Sounded like they were trying to enter the kitchen. I got this confronting them," he said, pointing to the bruise, "it's like my head got a lead lining."

"Did you see who it was?" she frowned, "any type of I.D.?"

"Just this," he held up a necklace similar to the one she had taken from him, "I dropped it in the water as you did to mine."

"Hmm," standing, she prepared mugs for the coffee and stared out the window. Her added abilities she had worked so hard to keep dormant suddenly sprung to life, expanding at will.

Something was off. Those lines felt scripted. Apart from the group, no one knew anything was below this house. None of the safety precautions had alerted her. Instinct warned the incident was to do with Darcia.

"That's it?" his words blended with the scraping of the chair against the floor, "that's all you have to say?"

Silence met his words as he watched her stare out the window. Did she know where and from whom this came? Did she see through the dictated lines that still burnt his tongue like acid? He hated lying and liars, yet here he was with no option but to be something he detested.

"Breanna," he moved around the table, "why does your sister send people to sneak through your basement?"

It was an instinctual calculated guess, rumours heard of, and information gathered in The Madhouse. Now he tested it to gauge a reaction. Nothing. She seemed very far away, mentally at least. Somewhere he couldn't reach her, as though she dealt with intense emotion. Not the reaction he anticipated. The remote expression in her eyes drew a coldness from his bones.

"Breanna, has this happened before?"

"Yes," she whispered, "but they have never breached the interior perimeter security. That must be the new technological equipment my sister was trying out, except it was on your necklace and probably that one as well."

"Why does Darcia keep sending people?" he asked again.

Breanna went very still. The look she turned on him had him swallowing hard.

"How do you know she keeps sending people?"

"I'm not stupid," he said, leaning against the counter, holding her gaze, "there are others that get sent to Mexico. Some have not returned, and those who do come back get sent for further training."

"Further training," Breanna scoffed, "I'm sure they do. Tell me, David, how many agents does Darcia have now?"

"Nearly a hundred at her immediate disposal, but I think she has about fifty fanatics over and above that. Why?"

"So many at her command," Breanna mused, dread settling deeper in her gut.

"What do you mean? Command? She is a medical adviser to the programme," David felt a cold realisation run through him as Breanna's steady gaze remained on him, "isn't she?"

"How much do you know about Darcia?" Breanna poured the coffee, handing him a cup.

"She advises who is fit for training, requires medical attention and assists in repairing any damage. She was the one who came to me regarding the joining of the programme. She is very …," David shifted uncomfortably, "persuasive."

"Yes, it's a natural ability," Breanna sighed, pulling bacon, eggs and tomatoes from the fridge, "breakfast?"

"Please, it feels like I haven't eaten in a long time," he said, frowning.

Since when was that possible? He usually only ate about three times a week if his memory served him well, but that wasn't humanly possible. Was it?

Watching David Breanna sensed the turmoil he experienced.

Why hadn't she heard the intruder last night?

Why did she feel like he had let the intruder go instead of terminating them?

After all these years of successfully containing her enhancements, why could she no longer control them? Then there was the disturbingly lovely view of David helping with breakfast. She frowned as she watched him slice the tomatoes with practised ease.

"Are we having these fresh or fried?" his voice broke the silence.

"Neither," she muttered, "baked."

"Is something wrong?" his soul searching gaze snapped to her as though he expected her to have a breakdown, or worse.

"The definition to that question can only come with answered questions," she said.

David was reacting as though he expected her to attack. What were his abilities anyway? Unpredictability was one, but that could cause a roller coaster of emotions. Perhaps her sister had fed him that line about how volatile she was and needed containment. It was her favourite go-to when she wanted someone who could cause trouble, to toe the line.

"What kind of questions?" he asked.

Watching as she lined the egg poaching pan with the bacon and banana, broke the eggs, put the tomato on top, folded the bacon in and brushed them with olive oil. Opening the oven, she slid the meal-in-one inside to bake.

"Who was here last night?" she asked, pulling out cutlery, "you must have seen who it was since you have the necklace."

Placing the items at each placemat, she waited.

"How did you get below the house without setting off every alarm and sensor down there?"

She met a stillness in David's expression and body movement, which disturbed her.

"Thirdly," she picked up the necklace, turning it over to find a tiny needle protruding from the metal. A homing device still flickered, but there was something else, a small engraving of a woman on the bottom piece. Realisation and understanding of Darcia's manipulation hit her. David was being used. Forced to lie. Her abilities sang of his distaste over his actions. Did he realise this necklace was still active? Still transmitting. Looking up into tormented eyes, Breanna scolded herself. Idiot, he knew it still worked. Anger rose quickly before being swatted into place.

Moving to the sink, she picked up a glass, filled it with water and casually dropped everything into the water. Silence filled with the sound of fizzing water as it coloured first a deep blue and then changed to a sickly olive green.

"If it had been dropped in water, as you said, that would have happened. Start talking or get out."

Emotion ran through David. A moment ago, they were subdued now; they ran hot and fast. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he sank into his chosen seat, leaning his arms on the table. He seemed deflated and defeated.

"Fine. I encountered someone trying to get in through your sitting room window while keeping myself occupied with the puzzles you left out. I didn't know who it was. Definitely a male. We threw a few punches. I pulled the necklace from his neck. He told me about dropping it in water, but I didn't. I didn't understand what he was talking about. He … he thanked me and then disappeared out the window again. I don't know how you knew, but you're right. There is more to the story," he sighed, "Darcia has my sister, Tina. The price of her freedom is my submission to the programme, being adjusted and retrieving you."

"Why was the perimeter alarm not triggered?" Breanna asked.

"I found a bypass gadget on the window," David sighed, "I disabled it."

"How?" Breanna asked.

"A ten-pound hammer," David shrugged, pointing to the wicker basket of tools, "it's the most effective way of disabling devices."

"Why does Darcia want me retrieved?" Breanna asked.

"I don't have details, but I overheard she is planning something regarding an upcoming conference," he finally looked at her.

The look of raw desperation in his eyes stole her breath. Inhaling deeply, she let her abilities go to work; it felt like she could reach his soul. He was not lying.

"How does your sister fit into the plan?" she asked.

Looking away, his sigh resounding with regret, "Darcia is holding her until I adhere to all her wishes."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"For Darcia to hold that kind of leverage over you means one thing," Breanna placed her palms on the table, leaning toward him, "you don't want to comply."

"That is true," he nodded, "I wouldn't want to carry out any command of an insane commander."

"Good to know," Breanna continued to stare at him, "the question is, which one is she wanting you to carry out the most?"

Frowning in silence, he paused for a moment before answering. "I would have to say deliver you for further training," he said slowly. "Apparently, when you were enhanced, the two of you were accidentally linked. Word is it needs to be undone by removing a certain gene from your..." he spread his hands as though looking for a word, "... chain."

"Another line. We have always been linked," Breanna said, pushing off of the table and folding her arms. "The more disturbing news is that she is splicing DNA. I hadn't realised she had gotten that far," an icy chill ran in her bones, "when you came through my window, was that to "deliver" me to my sister?"

"Not really," he half smiled, "that was genuinely a survival requirement."

"Why my window?"

"It was the nearest I could find," he said, "besides, I didn't want someone screaming their lungs out and telling those thugs where I was."

"How did you know I wouldn't scream my lungs out?"

"The little I read in your dossier and seen of you during surveillance, you seemed controlled and level headed, therefore my best option."

"What did you take from them?" she asked.

"Evidence that they are working for and with Darcia," he said, "they seem to be supplying her with personnel."

"I'm not following," Breanna shook her head. "Darcia finds her own volunteers as far as I know or is supplied with them by the various Militaries that fund her. I know she lost defence contractors; and got other contracts, only if she stopped using civilians."

"Over the last two years, there has been no record of government personnel being assigned or volunteered for the programme. Not from any military. But there are a lot of files that indicate they go missing. Apparently, I'm MIA in the Far East. I'm guessing when Darcia is finished with me, she will plant me back into my previous position with a convincing back story to cover my absence."

"Hold on," moving to the stove, Breanna quickly took the breakfast out, slid two breakfast scrambles onto each plate and returned to the table, placing each dish on a placemat. "What do you mean government personnel, and how can they be missing? Don't their teams or departments look for them?"

"Government personnel," he chewed quickly, "as in black ops, military personnel, covert ops, and basically anyone who has had any level of training." Taking another mouthful before continuing, "missing," he swallowed, "they go on a mission and disappear."

"The military hasn't sent anyone to be enhanced; those required are stolen; they're targeted," Breanna said, sipping a glass of milk, "How long has this been happening?"

"My last mission was to locate a team member who mysteriously disappeared. He was to rendezvous with the rest of the team once his task for the op was completed, but he never appeared. We couldn't find a trace of him anywhere. Not even his gear. It was as if he had vanished."

"How did you get the mission to find him?" Breanna asked.

"I'm his team lead," he said. "When looking into his files, there were similarities between his disappearance and personnel on the MIA list. After I started digging, Tina went missing," he shook his head, "a few days later, Darcia approached me with the ultimatum."

Breanna watched him. The explanation was clear and quick, as though he needed to get it all out before the world fell apart.

"What information did you give the intruder last night?" Breanna murmured.

He glanced up quickly, surprised by her question. Clearing his throat, he nodded.

"Only that I had made contact," he met her assessing gaze, "I did not tell them it was your house I was hiding in or anything else. Besides, I got the sense, he didn't want to go back."

"You didn't have to say whose house this was," Breanna sighed, pushing aside her empty plate, "the killing of your device when you arrived and his this morning told Darcia what she needed to know. I cannot think why Darcia wants to remove a gene section in me? That is dangerous. She could kill us both," Breanna frowned, thinking through the new information, "besides, she wants something more than the gene thing."

"Maybe this will tell us," David said, pulling a flash drive out from his shirt pocket.

"The item you took before witnessing an attempted murder," she shook her head, "whose murder, by the way? How come they left you alive?"

"I didn't recognise the target. A tattoo with a motto at the bottom was covered by the sleeve; I couldn't make it out. One thing that seemed familiar was the military look. I got shot, waiting to see if anyone was coming to help. It was uncertain, but the person may have been injured, definitely not dead."

"Did someone?" she waved her hand in the air at his frown, "help him?"

"Shadows were rounding a structure. I made myself the diversion. If it were one of mine, the fact that someone would help us make a clean exit would be appreciated."

"Did they get him?" Breanna asked quietly.

"Yes," he nodded, "they were able to pull him into the shadows just before the bullet ripped through my shoulder."

"That leaves one last question," Breanna said, leaning back in the chair, "you've given enough to avoid suspicion. Tell me, what do you want from me and why?"

She watched him finish his food, pushing his plate aside and looked steadily at her, "What I want? No. What I need is help to get Tina out of Darcia's hands. The why? You are the only person I know who can take on Darcia and have any chance of stopping her."

"What about the part about retrieving me?" Breanna's eyebrows rose questioningly.

"That is one part of the mission I never intended to act on," he shook his head, "I've been at the end of Darcia. No one should go through what she does to the men and women in that place. I let her believe I had accepted the mission in totality. By using Tina as leverage, she believes she has the upper hand. I needed her to let me out of that damn place."

Silence fell between them for a moment.

"Frankly, I think she is insane" David shook his head, "to take someone back to that..." he shuddered, unable to finish his sentence, "I couldn't willingly do that. You must have fought for your freedom. I refuse to take you back."

"On that point, I agree," Breanna said, "but what makes you think I'm going to willingly walk back into that world? A world I barely got away from with my life, my integrity and my sanity."

"You're the kind of person who takes people in," he spoke quietly, laying the flash drive in front of her, meeting and holding her gaze, "stitches them up, feeds them, and lets them hide. If I asked it, you'd relocate me somewhere I would be off the grid and safe to lead a normal life."

"So?" Breanna shrugged, "many people do that, no questions asked. It doesn't mean I'm going to go back to Darcia's house of insanity and play with her again."

"Not even to put an end to her insanity? To stop Darcia from taking ill-prepared, innocent people and making them into something incomprehensible. Something they don't know how to deal with or understand the outcome of her procedures? You have a reputation among the people living in that insanity. One of strength, resilience and freedom. You may be the first to snap the leash, but you are certainly not the last."

"So what? Still doesn't mean I'm going to hop on the nearest transport and risk going back into Darcia's arms. The same person you have told me wants to take a DNA strand. A process that can kill anyone."

David sighed, "Okay, you're right. You have no reason to trust me or help me, but I'm asking. Please. Please help Tina to get out. She is the kindest, sweetest person I have ever known and hasn't a clue of what or why she is where she is. Breanna, the Darcia you used to know is no longer. This Darcia thinks herself invincible, god-like, and unbeatable."

"Darcia has always thought of herself that way," standing, Breanna took the plates to the sink and rinsed them. "The difference is what she is has become noticeable to the world," opening the dishwasher, she found it miraculously empty, "empty the machine last night?"

"Yes," he glanced away embarrassed, "I couldn't sleep, and I'm a little obsessive when it comes to those kinds of things."

"Thanks," she smiled, "what are your plans for today?"

"I have to meet up with a military contact of mine and hand this over," he indicated the flash drive.

"You have a lot of contacts. Does your military contact know what you are doing?" he nodded in answer to her question, "is this military contact a good contact?"

"Yes," David said. "He is a liaison for people who are brilliant and at the top of their field. If they are in the "mad scientists of the world" variety, like Darcia, he monitors activities. If they go off course, someone is brought in to deal with whatever the problem is."

"Makes sense, I guess," Breanna said, "make me a copy of that flash drive, please," Breanna nodded toward the device on the table, "I'm sure it will make a fascinating story."

"Where do you want me to send it?"

"Not send it," she pulled her laptop from a nearby bag, opening it, "make a copy of it," she said, "we'll chat after you get back."

"We can, or I can just tape the meeting, so you don't doubt every word I say," David grinned at her.

"I like the way you think," Breanna said, "but it's going to take a lot to get me to trust you."

"Noted," chuckling, he turned to the laptop, fulfilling her request before leaving for his meeting.

Breanna watched him go, closed all the applications, restarted the laptop before signing in to start her day of bill-paying work.

Feb 7th - 14h00

Breanna scrolled through the information David left her. It was inflammatory. Enough to incarcerate her sister for life or have her terminated.

Who was David's contact? Darcia wouldn't join the military if she had to play by the rules. Doubt rose quickly, making her question her earlier actions. Could she believe anything David had said?

Closing her laptop lid, she stood, stretching to alleviate the ache in her lower back from sitting and working for hours. Granted, she couldn't want a better view; however her butt was numb, her leg muscles cramped, and she needed a glass of wine more than she needed another cup of coffee or drink of water.

"What did he leave behind?" Valencia panted the question as she jogged off the beach, "couldn't wait to have a shower and then come across."

"Well, hello to you too," Breanna grinned, handing over an ice-cold glass of water.

Valencia never came directly from a jog. Breanna could sense something was on her mind, and she was using the interest in the information as an excuse to talk.

"The cats are not coming for supper tonight," Valencia said. "They have taken up with Gisele and Hugo, the couple at the end of the street. Apparently, a new litter of kittens have arrived, and everyone is in attendance."

"That is adorable," Breanna said, genuinely happy, "now would you like to tell me what brought you here?"

"Text from Clio," she said, "she had to activate the secondary signal jammer last night. Apparently, when Fiona came back, she picked up an external frequency trying to meet up with more than one internal frequency."

"That can't be right," Breanna frowned, "they did a sweep of the place and the tunnels last week, and it's due again this afternoon. We have newbies don't we?"

Valencia nodded before helping herself to another glass of water.

"Then someone has to be a plant," Breanna said, "who are the newest arrivals?"

"There are three of them. Clio is sending their names. Fiona is checking them right now," Valencia said, sinking into a nearby chair, "now tell me what the information said."

"It's worse than we thought," Breanna said, leaning on the back of the chair. "Not only are the worst of the gangs included in this little escapade of Darcia's, but she is also employing human traffickers as well."

"What?" Valencia snapped her resting head into an upright position, "you have got to be kidding?"

"Nope," Breanna motioned toward her laptop, "I checked on the info from the flash drive. Reilly and Jesse knew she was taking any civilian she came across when I got out. This is showing she is literally behaving as though anyone is eligible."

"She must be mad," Valencia rose and started pacing in one fluid movement, "is she going after certain people or just certain types of people?"

"From what I can make out, Darcia is after trained and untrained alike." Breanna sighed, reaching for a bottle of wine and two glasses, "Here, have some, you've gone pale, and the last thing I need to do is explain why you're out cold on my patio."

Gratefully Valencia took the glass and surprised Breanna by draining it and holding out for more.

"Hit me again," Valencia said, not meeting Breanna's curious gaze.

"Okay," Breanna poured more into her friend's glass, grabbed another bottle, her glass and returned to her chair. "Want to talk about..." she waved a casual hand in the direction of her friend's glass, "… whatever that was."

"You know I'm not military," Valencia said, sinking wearily into a chair, "you know most of my story. What you don't know is how I really ended up at the end of Darcia's craziness."

"Your brother Tyler had something to do with it," Breanna said.

Sinking her head into her hands, Valencia sighed, "Show me the pictures of these people collecting for Darcia."

Breanna lifted the lid of her laptop, found the folder and opened the display of pictures for Valencia to see. Slowly scanning the screen, Valencia pointed to a particular image.

"That's the one," she said quietly, "Is he in town?"

"Yes," Breanna said quietly, "he lives near the hotel; apparently, he has a place above one of the shops."

"That sounds about right," Valencia nodded, "not noticeable but definitely close enough to obtain any target he needs. He is absolutely ruthless in getting the merchandise. He will kill anyone who gets in the way of his target."

"What you don't know," Breanna said quietly, "he is one of Darcia's most devoted experiments. Apart from myself, there is not many who have been able to best him in any way."

"You know this man?" Valencia's voice raised in pitch.

"Knew him … once. Jackson Beech," Breanna nodded, "even back then, he was ruthless in his objectives."

"This is not good. Not good that Beech is in town or anywhere near us," Valencia raised her glass of wine and took a healthy sip, "not good at all."

Breanna's email pinged just then. Both women looked at the screen before looking at each other.

"Who has this email address?" Valencia whispered.

"No one but the three of us," Breanna stared at the screen. "It could be David. He was on my laptop putting the info onto my encrypted side."

Opening the email, she found a large attachment. Looking at Valencia with a here-goes expression, she double-clicked and waited for it to open.

David's voice came over, talking to another deep male voice.

"It's the conversation he had with his military contact," Breanna said. "Probably thinks I won't believe what he has to say if I don't hear it for myself."

"True," Valencia said, "but how do we know it's not staged?"

"Is it?" Breanna asked, looking at her friend.

Valencia shook her head, "I don't pick up anything underhanded."

"I know that voice," Breanna said, closing her eyes, "from somewhere, but where?"

"Your military days?" Valencia asked. "Start from the beginning. I want to hear everything."

Breanna stopped, rewound and restarted the clip. Leaning back in their chairs, they listened in silence.