Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Samuel's voice was still echoing in my ears about following the plan, but sometimes plans needed to change. Right?

The hallways inside NorthStar seemed too familiar for me to ignore the fact that I had been here before. How come I knew about this place, yet no one on my team remembered any of us ever coming here? What was I up to back then? Something wasn't right. There was definitely more to this story.

I pulled out my medallion and jumped into another part of the building. It was a large room with what appeared to be a glass floor. Hesitantly, I checked the surface with my right foot to make sure it wouldn't give way when I walked on top of it.

I looked down at the glass as I made a few, tentative steps. It took several seconds for me to finally realize what I was staring at. Underneath the glass were what looked like dozens of people covered in white blankets. Their eyes were shut. Maybe they were just sleeping, but there was a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. They weren't simply taking a nap, they were being held for when Troy would need them for his next mission. These were the normals Luther had taken before their time.

The sound of movement caused me to jump back behind a table. I watched as a dark-haired woman wearing a black jacket walked into the room. She swiped her hand against a plate on the wall and one of the glass floor panels began to move upward. The body beneath floated out.

"24-B," the woman said into the air, and the body glided on its own into an opening on the far wall.

The dark-haired woman then scanned the room. I wondered if she knew I was here, watching her. She paused for several seconds before turning and leaving through the same door by which she'd entered.

Suddenly, I felt the addition of a new energy source in the area. Someone from the team was getting closer; I could sense their presence. It was growing stronger and stronger. Every vein in my body felt like it had nothing but raw electricity coursing through it as I quietly slunk under a long metal desk, out of sight from my visitor.

A pair of feet with black military-style boots marched nonchalantly down the hallway, stopping near the desk.

"Gah!"

I gasped in pain as a pair of large hands clasped around my neck. I hadn't expected something so obvious.

"Hello, Esa. I knew you would be back. I've been watching you for a very long time and I've been anxiously awaiting this moment." Luther leaned down and pulled me out from underneath the desk by my neck.

The pain was unbearable. He was sending tiny bolts of electricity through my neck. I lashed out at him, but he seemed to know all my moves and was ready to counter my blows.

My right fist flew through empty space, failing to connect with any part of his body.

Luther dropped my limp body in front of his. I had to force back down the bile that was creeping up my throat. A woman's face stared up at me from underneath the glass. Her eyes were open.

Luther stalked around me with an evil sneer on his face. He was enjoying this moment. He was toying with me, and there was nothing I could do about it. "Do you like our reserves?" he asked, almost gloating.

"They're not supposed to be in this year. You're causing big problems for all of us," I said.

"We need them to survive. By tomorrow we'll all be gone and I won't have to deal with the team ever again."

"We've been your family," I choked out as I tried to get back onto my feet.

The body lying next to the woman now had its eyes open too. Both of them stared at me, as if I had woken them from a bad dream.