Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

CH 8.3 Cornering Morgan

Gabe and Cale huddled around Grange, their faces illuminated by the soft blue light of the mini-tablet. Grange pointed to a virtual blueprint of Hermann's lab, highlighting several dots which glowed green and one dot that glowed red.

"One security camera isn't registering. Three guesses as to who took it out," Grange said.

"Alex and Rile," Cale said.

"We'll follow their trail of bread crumbs," Grange said. "I should be able to access that hand scanner without much problem." Grange nodded. "They're amateurs, leaving a trail of bread crumbs wherever they go. I should be able to access that hand scanner without much problem, from what I can see here."

"Bread crumbs?"

"Earth idiom. Never mind. Let's go."

***

Alex stood motionless, her chest heaving, as Morgan pulled the limp figure of Rile to one of the larger metal doorways. The air was electric, punctuated by tiny lights embedded in the metal doorjamb glowing red and casting shadows across their faces.

Alex felt a chill course through her veins as she finally mustered her courage and spoke. "Who are you really?" Her voice wavered slightly as she addressed the stuff of her nightmares, the nightmare that made her freeze, useless.

The nightmare that should be dead.

"Alex, follow me," Morgan's hand rested on the hand scanner, and a faint hum of electricity sounded. The tiny red lights shifted to blue as he pulled Rile through the doorway. There was a loud crackle of electricity as they passed through a force field, and the red lights flickered back to life. The lab was jammed with machinery, one containment cage like Hermann had imprisoned Cale in, and an unassuming wooden door in the back.

Alex's cheeks were pale as she pressed against the wall next to the doorjamb, her entire body trembling. "Who are you? I saw Morgan's head fly across the room."

Back to her, Morgan kneeled over the unconscious Rile, working on something that she couldn't see. His bald head glinted in the light, except for a huge pinkish-grey scar that curved its way around his temple, like a slithering earthworm. He looked over his shoulder at her. "That loser? The Great One gave me his implants. I plan to kill one that has a slipstream generator in his chest, so I can fly like you."

Alex's whole body felt like it was going into shock. Her mind raced with possibilities, and she tried to focus on the words coming out of Morgan's mouth. "You know about alternate timelines?" she asked, her voice hoarse. With great effort, she moved her fingers as if testing whether they still worked. "Why have you come here for me? If these other worlds exist, why don't you go bother your own Alex and dragon brothers?"

Breathe and open and close your fingers. Move your arms, just a little. Time to hero up and save Rile.

He shrugged. "Apparently you come first. Fine with me. Hope these lizard things are more of a challenge in my timeline." He stood and kicked Rile, sprawled on the floor, eyes closed, completely limp. Rile's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. "What do you think you're going to do? Wave your little fingers at me? I know your powers don't work on me, you piece of toilet paper."

Alex's stomach sank as memories of his counterpart's cruel words filled her head: 'Your powers don't work against me because you're nothing but the toilet tissue I wipe myself with. You know you're trash and your blocked powers are proof. Otherwise you would blast me. But you know what you are. Anyone who saw how useless you are against me would know it, know you really want me, love me, love how I use you.'

Breathe. Move. Rile and the brothers could die because I was too selfish and scared to tell them that my powers don't work on Morgan. Move! Your powers are blocked, not your body.