A time To Die - Dont Be A Hero Book 2

Breakthrough

(A/N: I have switched to calling the car Orion, even though I have yet to change the name in all of my past writings. So for those of you who don't know, I have settled on that name for him and will be using it from here on out. I'll try to get it all corrected soon. Also, if you are interested in a paperback version of Don't Be a Hero, the fully edited, final version of it is now available for order on Amazon.)

Her breathing finally slowed as her heart rate returned to normal. Why did I fly? Why didn't I turn and face him? she asked herself, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. She knew that he was one of those her master spoke of. One of the ones coming to challenge him. They had arrived. That was why he had started to train the "five". The gifted young people who now resided in the Master's own lair.

After she caught her breath, her wings unfolded and she took to the skies again. She headed toward the lair, feeling the need to fill the Master in on what she had seen. Moments later she was standing in the doorway to his vast underground study. The light from the furnace flickered and danced, illuminating the room with its eerie glow. The Master stood near his bar, drink in hand, with his back turned toward her and the room's only other occupant. It was young Jack, the boy she had met while he was shackled to a bed in a room at the facility.

He turned to face her and she saw his face light up. She gave him a small nod and a tight smile before turning her attention to her master.

"My angelll...." he whispered without turning around. “You have... newsss for me."

It was a statement, not a question, and she bowed her head as she stepped further into the room.

"Yes, Master," she whispered. "I have seen him. The one you spoke of. The one like me."

"Yesss. I know. And what did you think?"

She looked up, puzzled. "Well, I didn't think, really. I just fled. I should have faced him, but..." Her voice dropped off as she realized that she had no explanation. It hadn't been fear that had caused her to flee. It had been a "knee-jerk", instinctual reaction.

"Nooo, nooo. You did the right thing. You will face him againnn. When the time is right."

"And what then?"

"You will kill himmm."

A cold sensation gripped her heart as she stared at the cloaked figure before her. Somehow his answer had not surprised her, but that didn't make it any easier for her to accept. How was she going to kill the only other being on the planet, that she knew of, who was just like her?

"My angel?"

"Yes, Master."

"This troublesss you?"

"N-no, Master. I will do as you ask."

"Of course you willll. Of course you willll."

Suddenly Jack stepped toward her, breaking her out of her sadness. She saw the glint of the light from the furnace in his dark eyes as they caught hers.

"You don't have to do anything he says!" Jack nearly bellowed at her, causing her to take a step backward. She looked in horror from the boy to the Master and back, shaking her head at him. She wanted to warn him. To jump forward and cover his mouth with her hand to silence him. She cringed as the Master turned toward the boy, anticipating certain punishment, or even death, for the boy.

Instead, the Master surprised her by holding a hand out toward Jack with a small chuckle. She caught just a glimpse of his horrifying features which appeared, in their own way, to be smiling.

"The boyyy and I have been discussinggg whether or not he, himself, need do as I say." 

"I'm not convinced!" Jack snapped, more at the Master than at her.

"You will beee. Once you know all I have to offer, young Jack."

.........

The plan was that Jackson and Macy were going into the city to use their credentials in hopes of getting information out of the local law enforcement. Jerome, Anthony, and Natalie were going to begin a physical search of the vast, marshy countryside, beginning with the direction in which the woman whom Jerome had described to them had flown. They would be taking to the air, while Jordan made his way through the vegetation, gathering clues from the plant-life. Much to Natasha's annoyance, she, Vivian, and Tya were going to stay put at the farmhouse. Anthony had decided not to have her search from the air with them because she had no means of communication as of yet.

She had, of course, thrown a mild tantrum, to which he had stood his ground and reminded her that she was now part of a team and that she needed to act in a way that was in the best interest of said team. He wanted her with Vivian and Tya because they had no way of knowing if the Black Hole was aware of the location of their temporary home. She would be of better use there, in case of any kind of intrusion.

So everyone set off for their tasks. Jackson and Macy set off down the road in Orion. Jackson eyed Macy several times, unnerved by her silence. She seemed so distant in comparison to her normally chatty, doting behavior. 

When she caught him staring at her, she just shrugged and turned her gaze out the window. Jackson was becoming exasperated. He hadn't done anything that he knew of to deserve the frostbite she was inflicting on him. 

"Macy..."

"Jackson, honey, just leave it be for now. Okay?" Her high, girly voice was soft and gentle, but the temperature seemed to have dropped even further.

He gazed at her, eyes hooded, before returning his attention to the road. Not that he needed to. Orion was doing the driving. He reached back and touched his micro-crystal, turning it on.

"Lillian."

"Yeah, big bro?"

"Did you get anything more on this guy?"

"Bits and pieces, but nothing solid, yet. My software has succeeded in pinning down an I.P. address for one of the leads I started out with, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I just told Anthony. I'm glad you came online. It's in your current neighborhood. I think we've got them, Jackson."

He sat forward, noticing Macy's concerned expression before she reached back and touched her own crystal to come online. Neither of them were used to it, yet, and it wasn't a habit for either of them. 

"Hi Macy!" Lillian greeted her and then she explained what was going on.

Apparently, the software she had sent off to sniff out the physical location of the network she'd managed to break into had done its job. She had a location. It wasn't far from where the others were searching.

"Be careful," Jackson said to the rest of the team, who were trying to pinpoint where Lillian was directing them. "Don't do anything until Macy and I get back."

"We won't." It was Anthony. "Are you two still going to speak to the police?"

"Yeah," Jackson replied. "I want to find out if there's anything they know about that might help us out. We have a location of a network. That doesn't necessarily mean it's also the location of our nemesis. Don't do anything to alert anyone of your presence."

"You got it. We'll hang back once we sight anything of interest."

Jackson glanced at Macy and she looked back at him, smiling. The sparkle seemed to have returned to her eyes. At least for the moment. She loved breakthroughs. It excited her more than any cop he had ever known. Nothing made her glow more than following a lead that took her somewhere.

He gave her a wink and she drew a deep breath.

"We're close, aren't we, darling?" she whispered.

He just nodded. 

...............

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