The Forbidden Trilogy(256)

Once he had the last piece in place, he'd gain the baby's powers and never have to alter thoughts again to gain control of someone.

One more piece and he'd be done. He ripped.

She pushed back. He could tell she knew it was the end, as he forced his own thoughts into her. 'This is your purpose. This is what you were created for.'

Her laughter filled his mind. "Tell my friends I say hi—when they come to kill you." Her mind pulsed and fired out one more rush of power.

She broke through his block and connected to another mind.





Chapter 120 - Lucy



The valley hums with life as Lucy skips through a field of star flowers. Butterflies dance around her, landing lightly on her shoulders as she soaks in the bright warmth of the sun.

A beautiful weeping willow stands before her, its long branches swaying in the breeze. She moves through them, expecting to see Mr. K's impish tree face, but the tree is just a tree.

"Lucy." Someone calls her name, the familiar voice carried on the wind.

She turns around and sees Sam. "Are you really here, Sam?"

"Yes and no. My thoughts are here, and you've projected an idea of me into your dream. But the thoughts are real." She seems more ghostly than the real Sam.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Lucy steps forward, closer to her best friend.

"I'm fine, but I don't have much time. There are things you need to know about Simmons." She walks the rest of the way toward Lucy and raises her hand.

"Besides the fact that she's a bitch? Okay, tell me."

Sam shakes her ghost head. "No, I need to show you." She touches Lucy's chest and teleports her to another time and place.

***

Lucy stood in a lab, present but not, a spectator to someone else's memories.

A much younger Steele—she recognized him from Sam's thoughts—sat at one of the tables, typing on a laptop. Complex equipment and glass vials and bottles lined the walls and tables of the sterile room.

The door to the lab opened and Beleth walked in, looking no different than he did now. "I got your message. Are you certain of this?"

Steele didn't look up from his screen. "Yes, the tests have been 100% safe on rodents. I'll be fine."

"But—"

"No buts, my friend." Steele stood and clasped Beleth's shoulders. "Today, we make history."

Beleth nodded and walked away to set up the camera equipment.

Steele shrugged into a white lab coat with a familiar symbol on the front right pocket. Lucy zoomed in mentally to see it more closely, and gasped when she read it: a black circle with white IPI letters in the middle.

They worked for IPI?

Before she could recover from that revelation, the door opened again and a young and vibrant Simmons walked in carrying a bottle of champagne.

They all knew each other?

Simmons smiled at them, her blue eyes brighter than now, her skin smooth and hair soft and full.

Steele smiled when he saw her, then walked over and took the bottles from her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for grabbing the drinks, Honey."

Honey? Kisses? Lucy didn't understand what she was watching, but she knew it was important.

Beleth watched Steele for a moment longer than appropriate, but Steele didn't notice. "You have quite a wife."

"Quite a wife, indeed," agreed Steele.

He sat in front of the camera, and Beleth hit the record button.

After citing his name and date, Steele explained the experiment. "This is an attempt to enhance the capabilities of the mind through genetic alteration. Based on early animal trials, we feel that it is ready for human testing." He tapped his foot and smiled, then pulled a vial of green liquid from his pocket. "Known as TDI3, this drug should alter the very fabric of my DNA and create enhanced abilities hitherto only known in rare cases of humans."

He uncapped the needle and plunged it into a vein in his arm, then dropped the vial and leaned forward in his chair, groaning in pain.

Simmons rushed forward and put her arm around him. "Honey, are you okay? What happened?"

Steele gasped and tried to speak. "I'm fine. I'm—" He roared in pain again, shaking in his chair.

Simmons tried to help him sit up, but Steele pushed her away and fell out of his chair.

Beleth had left his place behind the camera, and crouched by Steele without touching him. He looked at Simmons. "Get the antidote."

She nodded, grabbed a blue vile from the table next to her, and offered it to her husband.

"No!" he yelled, still on the floor, groaning. "This will work."

Simmons pushed the vial at him. "It's not worth it. I can't lose you."

"It will work." He turned away from the antidote. "It has to."

He yelled once again, a loud screeching howl, and everything faded away for Lucy.