Mark drove them down an ill-used side road surrounded by a thick forest. Even though the sun was high in the sky, the densely packed trees only let a little of the light through. He had to slow the van down to drive through the twisting roads. Vain felt like the forest was smothering her. This area was isolated and had so many places to hide. Through the open window, the sounds of birds happily chirping set her teeth on edge.
"This was the only thing available?" Vain gestured at the minivan Mark had secured. It was a newer model and included every accessory possible, which somehow made it even worse, like they tried to make it cool and failed.
"There's a bunch of us, we wouldn't fit in anything else," replied Mark.
"Two cars weren't an option? We look like assholes."
"Who cares?" said Mark.
"Trick will bust our balls for this. You think it's fine now, but just wait."
To keep her mind off the upcoming disaster, Vain assaulted Mark with a steady patter of inanities, which he handled with Roman-like aplomb. A definite plus in his favor. She wasn't nervous though. Not at all. Life-threatening standoffs with Trick were her bread and butter. Were the trees getting closer? She rolled up the window. Stupid birds.
"We're almost there," Mark checked his phone one final time. "About two minutes. Everyone, get ready."
"There are a lot of Wyatts," Emma said. "I can feel them."
"Probably a precaution," Hush said. He didn't sound convinced.
Rocks crunched underneath the van's tires as paved road gave way to crumbly gravel. The address Trick provided led to an old state park, albeit one that had apparently been shut down for years. They were so far off the main road, and there had been so many twists and turns that Vain became disoriented. Whatever Trick had in mind, he'd picked a spot with privacy. Even if they screamed for hours, no one would hear them. That, more than anything, made a bubble of fear work its way into her stomach.
The road opened into a large, circular parking area surrounded by ancient, towering pine trees. Above them, the sun burned brightly, casting deep shadows that covered the open space. Near the back, two Red SUVs were parked in front of two white ticket booths. Behind them, gates opened onto a winding path that went deep into the forest. Vain's stomach had a dead weight to it, a cold knot of tension. She took deep breaths.
In front of the ticket booths, four Wyatts stood at attention, armed with assault rifles. They wore mean-looking body armor and had mean expressions to match. Two open umbrellas sat on the ground in front of them, the tops pointing toward the minivan. Two TVs perched on giant stands with wires running to a portable generator.
Umbrellas and TVs. What new trick was that?
Mark pulled the van to a stop, perpendicular to the Wyatts, twenty-five feet away. He turned the key, killing the engine. No one said anything or moved or made any motion to get out. They sat there in hushed silence, soaking in thoughts of what would come next.
Vain leaned back towards Roman and whispered, "I'm pulling now, okay? Just in case."
Roman's lips pressed together in a straight line and he nodded.
She opened herself up and let power drip in, only a trickle. The sense of Roman in her head intensified, and some tension and fear made its way through the link. "I'll protect you." She wanted to pat him on the knee, or his shoulder, but she didn't. Instead, she crossed her arms. "Roman, trust me."
With that, some of the tension left his body. He lightly smiled at her. "I do, Vain. I really do."
To the group, she said, "Let's get this over with. Open the doors. Chop, chop."
"Something's wrong," Emma said. "There are only four of them, but there's more energy around. It's fuzzy. I can't get a read on where it's coming from."
"Okay." Vain wasn't surprised. "Stay focused. Remember what we talked about, what I need you to do if this goes badly."
Emma chewed her lips and nodded. Roman raised his eyebrow at her, but she ignored it. It would be up to Emma to get them out if it turned into a trap.
They crept out, keeping one eye on each other and one on the Wyatts. Before they left, they had agreed that Hush would do most of the talking, since Vain was likely to let her diplomacy devolve into a series of insults.
They kept their backs to the minivan and stopped within fifteen feet of the Wyatts. The profoundly uncool vehicle blocked off Vain's view of the entrance, so she attempted to position herself where she'd be able to see everything. The Wyatts wore sunglasses and earpieces. Couple that with the riot gear and they looked ready to airdrop into some war-torn third world country.
"Why don't any of your gloves have fingers?" Vain called out. "Is that like a fashion thing? Do you all shop at the same store? Is there some website that tells you what to wear?" She put on an affected voice, climbing to a falsetto that she sprinkled with a British accent. "Today's fashionable thug will want to tell the world they mean business with our selection of black, tactical hunting boots. Your guns aren't the only thing that can bring suppression. Surprise them all with your military green flak jacket, in a soft hypoallergenic cotton blend. Now only forty-nine ninety-nine."
"Vain. Shut up," Hush said without turning his head.
The Wyatts didn't respond or even acknowledge her. They stood there with their angry faces and military-grade combat gear, looking both bored and terrifying. There was something unsettling about all those duplicate faces staring at her, each one capable of acts of horrific violence. She knew first-hand what those things could do if given free rein. That they never seemed to take any pleasure from it somehow made it worse.
The door from one of the ticket booths opened and Trick walked out. As usual, he was dressed immaculately, wearing dark jeans and a long-sleeve, green shirt buttoned halfway up. Not even the bandages covering his nose and the dark circles surrounding his eyes ruined the look. With his irritatingly attractive face, he looked like a magazine cut-out, albeit one with less depth.
"Hi gang," said Trick, eying their vehicle. "A minivan, huh? There weren't any PT Cruisers?"
Roman nodded. "It's economical and spacious."
"It makes you look like assholes."
"Shit," said Vain. "I told you."
"I like your hair, Vanity." Trick waved. "Black suits you."
"Don't call me that."
He grinned. "Sure. I'm glad you all made it. It's been a while since I've seen most of you." He looked at Emma. "We haven't met, so I'm assuming that makes you Emma. My name's Trick."
Emma shook her head. "Why do you all have such weird names?"
Trick shrugged. "It's a Hotel thing, part of the check-in procedure. Roman, I want you to know that there are no hard feelings about this." He pointed at his nose. "It was a well-executed escape and I'm a little proud of you."
"Can we get this over with?" said Roman.
"Sure. Before we get down to business, I want to explain a few things. You might wonder why we have umbrellas scattered around without the slightest trace of rain. Well, they're—"
"They're Devices." Vain had figured it out. "Dampeners that block energy. Our powers won't work past the umbrellas. Got it."
Trick appeared miffed and fiddled with his shirt sleeves. "Yes, that's exactly it. I know all of you well enough—especially Vain—to know that trusting you is a lousy idea. You have something planned, don't you?" He looked right at Vain.
She nodded and reached into her jacket pocket.
The Wyatts stiffened and raised their guns, but Trick made settling motions, and they lowered them.
"Easy," he said. "Everyone take it easy."
Vain pulled an egg out of her jacket and held it between her thumb and index finger. She showed it to Trick and the Wyatts, who appeared confused. "Yaaa!" she yelled and threw it at Trick. "This is for Roman!" It missed by several feet and it sailed past his head, hitting the ticket booth with a splat.
"Did you throw an egg at me?" asked Trick.
She nodded. "It's the form my protest is taking."
Trick chuckled. "I've missed you, Vanity. I know it never seemed like it, but you were always my favorite. It's great to see you again." His eyes grew soft, with a whisper of sympathy behind them. "Listen. I'm sorry about how the attack played out in Denver. For the record, those Wyatts had instructions to subdue you, not throw you off a building."
Emma interrupted their back and forth. "After this, you'll leave me alone, right?"
Trick nodded. "Emma, I also want to apologize for your treatment. The Wyatts broke standard protocol when they took you, and I understand it was jarring. In fairness to them, had Vain not interrupted, you wouldn't have remembered any of it anyway."
"Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
Trick shrugged. "It's whatever you want it to be. Either way, I'll honor my part of the bargain. Once I get the Padlock, I promise you that the Wyatts won't hurt you. Tell them, Wyatts."
"I don't even like violence. I like women's studies." A Wyatt said. He received withering looks from his colleagues and Trick sighed.
"Settle down, Alan Alda. Now, to make it extra certain that you'll hold up your end of the bargain, I've prepared a little surprise for you. A movie, if you will." Trick giggled; a high-pitched noise that echoed off the trees.
Vain licked her lips. It was starting. Whatever he was planning, it was starting.
The screen flickered to life and projected images of a dimly lit room. A person was tied to a chair with their back to the camera. With the bag over their head, Vain couldn't tell if they were male or female. A single Wyatt stood beside the chair, looking menacing. He held up a knife.
Trick looked at the group expectantly. "I'm sure you're wondering what this is about." He pulled a walkie-talkie from behind his back and turned it on. "I wanted to make sure there was no chance you'd back out of your end of the agreement. So, we found someone that one of you cares about very deeply. You could say we hit the... Mother-load." He smiled. "Now."
The standing Wyatt pulled the bag off the other person's head. A shock of long red hair tumbled out and flowed down the back of the chair. Whoever she was, she gave a frightened and gravelly scream.
Trick threw back his head and laughed. "We have your mother, Emma. That's right. We tracked her down. Ha!"
Vain gasped. Of all the things she expected from Trick, that wasn't one of them. She had no contingency plan for this. How would Trick have found Emma's mother? It changed everything, and there wasn't time to figure it out. She looked over to gauge Emma's emotions. How would she react?
Emma blinked. Vain was impressed by how calmly she was taking it. From her behavior, you'd think none of this bothered her, but Vain knew better. Several moments passed, with no outward reaction. Emma cleared her throat and looked around at the group.
"That woman has long, red hair," she said.
"That's right, Emma." Trick laughed again.
"My mom is a brunette with short hair. I don't think that's my mom."
The two groups considered each other. Trick licked his lips. On the monitor, the Wyatt facing the camera did some neat knife maneuvers. Vain squinted at the screen, taking a closer look at the woman tied to the chair. Hmm. Awfully broad shoulders for a woman.
"But you're a redhead. " A note of worry entered Trick's voice. "So, your Mom should also be—"
"It skips a generation sometimes. My grandma was a redhead."
Trick whispered something to the Wyatt beside him.
The Wyatt shook his head. "I'm positive it doesn't skip."
Emma looked at the group and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. That's not my mom. I mean, I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I don't know who that person is."
"God damn it." Trick barked into the walkie talkie. "Call it off."
On screen, the person slipped out of the ropes. A Wyatt wearing a red wig and a woman's blouse turned to face the camera.
"I told you this wouldn't work, Trick," the Wyatt said. "No one was going to buy me as a woman. This was a dumb idea. You don't pay me enough for this." He threw the wig to the ground and walked off camera.
The remaining Wyatt did a few more awesome moves with the knife.
Trick made a slashing motion across his neck and the Wyatt beside him turned the TV off.
"Well," said Trick. "This is awkward. I guess they can't all be winners," he giggled into his sleeve. "Still, I think I get credit for trying. I thought it would be a funny gag. I should get some points for convincing a Wyatt to wear a wig. Right? Sorry, Emma. I don't know who your Mom is. I don't even know your last name."
Oh, right. Trick was also helplessly, deliriously, insane. How had Vain ever forgotten? How had any of them forgotten?
"Jesus Christ, Trick," said Hush. "We brought the Padlock. You didn't need to do whatever the hell that was. We've held up our end of the deal, and we're all here. Take away our powers like you said, and we'll hand it over."
"You know it, buddy." Trick winked and gave him a single gun finger. "Padlock first, then powers. Not the other way around. Hand it over."
Roman reached inside his pocket and pulled out the padlock she had given him. The real one hung on a chain around her neck, hidden under her shirt. There was no way she'd hand over the real thing; she just hoped Trick wouldn't be able to sniff out a phony.
Roman bent over and put the padlock on the ground. He pushed it toward Trick with his foot, but the ground was rocky, and it wouldn't roll like a soccer ball. It moved an inch. An awkward silence followed.
Trick sighed. "Roman. Come on, man. Get your shit together. You're embarrassing yourself. Everyone's watching."
Roman flushed and picked it up. He tossed it at Trick. "Here you go."
Trick snatched it from the air and inspected it. "How do I know this is the real thing?"
Vain said, "Give me a gun and I'll shoot you. If it's real, you'll be safe."
Trick glared at her, but she didn't drop her gaze, and she kept her eyes wide and innocent.
"You may have broken it," he said, twirling the lock. "Arthur will be very unhappy if that's the case."
"Your Wyatt broke it when he pulled me off the roof."
Trick rubbed his earlobe with his right hand, looking around. No one else caught the gesture, but Vain did. She squinted into the thick forest surrounding them and made out shapes moving through the tangle of brush and undergrowth.
That was it. She pulled energy from Roman, preparing to create a shield. He noticed, and they made eye contact. After a moment, he nodded. He took a few steps back and leaned against the side of the van, bracing himself in case she pulled so much he fell unconscious.
"I'll assume this is the real thing." Trick's voice sounded suspicious. "We'll know in a couple of days, anyway. For your safety, and ours, we're going to ask you to come with us for a bit. Just until we figure things out."
"You didn't say anything about that." Hush pointed an accusing finger. "You get the Padlock and de-power us. That was the deal."
"Oh, that. Listen, man, I don't even know if it's possible to de-power you. I made that up. I guess I could ask Arthur to make a Device, but what would he even use?"
"Vacuum cleaner?" said one of the Wyatts.
"Breast pump?"
"Toilet plunger?"
"These are all great ideas, guys," said Trick. "I love the enthusiasm. But no. Now that we have the Padlock, you're coming with us." Trick made a spinning gesture with his free hand, and more Wyatts appeared; over a dozen at least, stepping out of the forest from all sides. Some carried guns and some umbrellas. Vain threw up a shield between them and the group and Roman sagged against the van.
"You're betraying us?" Hush sounded shocked. Vain rolled her eyes.
"Ha. Yeah. Here's the plan, everyone," Trick said. "If you look around, you'll notice you're surrounded. You walked right into the center of this. You can save us all time and surrender now. Vain, I assume you've thrown up a shield." He put his hands out and walked forward until his fingers touched something. A small crackle sparked his hand, and he pulled back. "I thought so. Save your friends the trouble, Vain. Drop the shield and come nicely. These guns are loaded with rubber bullets, but they'll still hurt and break bones. You can't keep this up forever. Look, Roman's already exhausted."
Hush spat on the ground. "I don't think so, Trick. We're leaving. Everyone, into the van."
Trick seemed disappointed. "Have it your way." He gestured to the men surrounding them. "Light them up."
Vain braced as the guns screamed to life. Time slowed to a crawl. The rubber bullets thudded against her shield. The Wyatts circled on all sides, taking positions and firing into it. The bullets drained her energy faster than she could pull it from Roman. The noise was deafening, the sound of the rifles firing echoing off the surrounding forest. Blunt cried and dropped to his knees, screaming. Hush stepped in front of him.
Vain cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled at Emma. "Now, Emma, now! Do it now!"
Emma only chewed at her bottom lip, pale and wide-eyed. She looked much younger than her years, and Vain felt a small twinge of guilt for what she was about to make her do. Very small. Vain would pay the price later.
Emma dropped to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know how," she yelled.
Beside her, Mark pulled a gun and shot at the Wyatts, weakening Vain's shield even further. She heard the whine as his bullets bounced off the inside and whizzed past her head.
"Stop it, you idiot dinosaur, you're making it worse!"
Outside the shield, the Wyatts advanced, still firing. Vain crouched beside Emma and took her by the shoulders. "We don't have time. I can't hold my shield up much longer." She looked at Roman, who rested with his head folded in his arms. "You have to do this." Vain tried to make her voice calm over the din. "It's the only way."
"Give it up, Vain," yelled Trick. "We're going to get through."
The Wyatts stopped shooting and held their distance. One of the braver ones approached the edge of the shield, stepping in front of the energy-dampening umbrellas. Vain struck. Faster than thought, she dropped him with a blast to the head and he fell with a thud. A puddle of red expanded beneath him, soaking into the gravel.
Trick yelled, "Stay behind the umbrellas, you idiot photocopies!"
"Jesus Christ." Vain turned back to Emma. "Emma, please. They'll kill us."
Tears ran down Emma's face and she wiped them away. "I'm so scared. What if I can't control it?"
"Then say goodbye to your memory, because we're checking into the Hotel."
That seemed to get through. A smolder of fire burned in her eyes and she clenched her jaw.
"Get as close to Emma as you can," Vain yelled. "She's pulling everyone's energy."
This was Vain's Hail Mary plan, the one that had scared Emma so badly. Vain suspected Trick would figure out a way to nullify her powers, but Emma could pull from anyone. His umbrellas stopped energy from getting to him, but it didn't do anything about the energy leaving. She glanced back at Roman, who was crumpled on the ground in a heap. That was an affirmation. It was going to work. Because what happened to a person when you pulled too much energy from them?
They dropped unconscious.
Emma gathered herself and pulled. Vain felt it almost immediately. Everyone else crowded around her. Even on a regular day, standing beside Emma was a little exhausting; she always drew a small amount of energy from everybody. She couldn't help that. But, now that it was unleashed, thick waves of it passed over her, around her, and through her. It was staggering.
Emma stiffened, her arms at her sides, palms upwards, pulling. Trick realized something was going wrong. A Wyatt dropped to one knee, his gun falling to the ground. That was all the confirmation he needed.
"They're doing something." Trick backed up and looked around frantically. "Stand back."
"Emma, it's working," said Vain. "Pull harder, you have to pull harder. Take it from all of them."
Emma raised both her hands to the sky and yelled. The waves of energy became a waterfall, then a tsunami. Christ almighty, she was pulling fifty times the amount of energy Vain had ever gotten from Roman. How was she keeping it all? How powerful was she?
Around them, the Wyatts dropped one at a time. They staggered and resisted, but they all fell. Trick also dropped and fell silent.
Vain sagged in relief. It worked. She looked at Emma and a shiver of raw, unconstrained fear ran up her spine.
Emma floated four inches above the ground. Her hair stuck out as if she had rubbed a balloon against her head. Her arms were outstretched and blood dripped from her fingertips. Two fingernails dropped to the rocky earth with a horrible plink. She was screaming, her voice a raw tear of agony that cut right through Vain.
Across the clearing, a tree fell over with an enormous crack. Three birds fell from the sky, dead or unconscious, and the power kept coming, more every second. It was growing and growing. From where Vain was standing, it looked like it would never stop.
"Vain!" Emma's voice sounded amplified and electric. Blood from her bleeding gums ran down her chin. "I can't stop it! I can't turn it off! I'm going to explode!"
Vain ripped the Padlock from around her neck and pressed it into Emma's hand, cupping it together with her own. "Pour it all into the padlock! Like we did at the motel. Put it all in there!"
Emma turned her attention towards the Padlock, but nothing happened. The energy continued to batter Vain, flowing ceaselessly into Emma. As Vain considered a punch-based solution, the sickening, overwhelming waves of energy slowed, then stopped. For a pregnant second, there was complete silence.
Then, Emma screamed again, and power erupted into the padlock.
Vain felt all of it. So much energy. Such a fucking terrifying amount of energy that, for a moment, Vain worried it was too much. No one should have that much power. Emma could wipe entire cities off the map with the amount she was handling. What if she ever used it on something other than a Wyatt?
Emma grabbed the Padlock like a talisman and sank to her knees. The sensation of being smothered by energy faded, but Vain shuddered at the ungodly amount of power that flowed into Device. It had physical gravity, and Vain struggled not to lean into it.
"Everyone, get in the car." Vain's voice was thick and syrupy.
The group crouched by Emma's feet, huddling like terrified sheep. No one moved.
"Now!" She clapped her hands to bring them to attention. "Charm, help Roman into the van. He's done. Mark, grab one of the Wyatts. It doesn't matter which one. Let's go, everyone. Time to jet."
"Mark should do what to a Wyatt?" Mark asked. She held up a single finger, challenging him to say another word. He frowned, but moved to follow her orders.
Vain crouched beside Emma, who lay curled up in a ball on the ground, still clutching the Padlock to her chest. The waves of power had dropped to a trickle. She was crying a little. Emma's bloodshot eyes flicked back and forth. Her hands were a bloody mess from her missing fingernails, and a thick rope of blood poured from her mouth.
"I stopped it myself this time," she said to Vain. "You didn't need to hit me. Progress." She gave a tiny smile.
With shaking hands, Vain reached out and smoothed down Emma's hair and made soft, comforting noises. She wasn't sure how to do this part. "You did great, Emma. You saved us all. Let's get you in the car and we'll get back to the restaurant and figure this out. You need to give me the Padlock now." She looked over to Blunt, who was getting the van. "Blunt, help Emma."
Blunt looked like he would rather do anything else. He approached her warily, like you would approach a tiger that someone claimed was domesticated. He tried to appear unfazed. Vain unclasped Emma's hands and pried the Padlock out. It was back to its original, pristine condition, like it had looked when she stole it from Arthur. The lock was shut, and the gold base once again held a polished glow and was warm to the touch. As Vain suspected, all the padlock needed to function again was staggering amounts of energy.
God damn it, the whole plan worked. She couldn't believe it. The bad guys were out cold, her friends were uncaptured, the Padlock wasn't broken, and—most importantly—that proved that Vain's scheme to free them from the shadow of the Hotel would work.
It had been a tough fight and in stark contrast to the group that had exited the van; they were a ragged, shell-shocked bunch. And now, they carried one extra passenger in the form of an unconscious Wyatt. But still, Vain couldn't contain her elation.
This time, not even Arthur would stop her.