POSSESSION, Book 1 in the Possession Trilogy

Chapter 25

25.

Cameron Blaus’s e-comm contained directions to get to, well, wherever the rangers were. For some reason, I decided to trust him. Maybe because he’d given me what I needed without being compelled.

I couldn’t go gallivanting off to the Goodgrounds in my pajamas, so I checked the dresser in the corner. I found jeans and a T-shirt and changed before sneaking down the hall and into the sterile room with the silver desk. Crouching, I recited Baldie’s instructions to myself: Hallway one. Hallway four. Descender three. Teleporter seven—which requires a code. Never mind that I despised descenders and had no idea what the password for the teleporter could be.

Baldie hadn’t been that thorough. Or maybe he didn’t know.

I crept toward the main entrance. My soft shoes made no noise and I felt like I was back in the Goodgrounds, doing what I did best. Breaking rules.

Once in the lobby, the hallway behind me closed and a new one opened on the opposite wall.

“Is that hallway one?” I whispered.

“Yes.” The mechanical voice boomed in the stillness. Bright tech-lights reflected off the silver front door. I commanded the walls to power down, and the tech buzz decreased. I wished the lights weren’t so bright and they immediately dimmed.

I ignored the fact that I was controlling everything with my mind. Just a fleeting thought, and I got what I wanted. My empty stomach clenched, and I pushed the thoughts of control away.

Come on, Vi, I coached myself. Find the rangers.

Sprinting toward the open hallway, something banged behind me. I didn’t stop to look and willed the walls to close as I passed. They did, forcing me to run faster to avoid getting squished.

I ended up in another room with a silver desk. Techtricity burned hot and fast in my bloodstream. Several doorways led into unknown corridors with hidden problems.

“Hallway four?” I whispered. The middle door flashed yellow. Baldie said he’d set the walls on reliable, and I slipped through the door before powering everything down. My trust only extended so far.

This corridor stretched with no end in sight. I started out running, but slowed to a walk after only a few minutes. “Give me a break,” I said, my breathing ragged and my pulse throbbing behind my eyes. “Where do I go?” The walls didn’t answer because I’d nodded them off. Just when I needed the tech, it was gone. I considered turning them back on, but didn’t want to draw attention to myself by switching them on and off too much.

I couldn’t see the room I’d come from. A small wave of panic surged at the thought of being stuck in this endless white tunnel. I leaned against the wall, gulping lungfuls of air.

I slid down the wall and leaned against it, my head in my hands. There had to be a way out of here. Descenders…descenders…

Descenders go down, just like ascenders go up. Sure, Thinkers can control people, but They suck at coming up with creative names for tech.

I examined the smooth concrete. It had been painted gray to prevent cracking. Further down the hallway, a purple eight shimmered. I wanted the lights to be darker and the tech responded.

The eight grew brighter. Beyond that, a nine sparkled in blue lights. I spun around—a seven lay maybe twenty yards behind me. Striding quickly, I crossed back to the green three.

I stood in the middle of it and waited. Nothing happened. “Um, down?” I guessed. The floor vanished, as it always does in the case of a descender. I screamed, forgetting that I was on a secret mission and stealth counted.

Hot pain shot through my foot when I landed. Hobbling, I hid behind another desk. I rubbed my ankle and counted six open doorways in front of me. I needed to find teleporter seven. Staying low, I peered over the counter into the room behind me.

Ten teleporter terminals stood against the far wall. I couldn’t believe they were here. I wondered where they went—I hadn’t seen any terminals in the Badlands.

I moved across the room and stood in front of terminal seven. Now for the sticky part. The password. Laboratory. Ranger. Zenn. Ty. Schoenfeld. Thane. What would it take to get into the lab?

I’d only get one chance. Tech doesn’t accept mistakes. “What’s the password for laboratory four?”

No answer. They were personalized. Just great.

Several minutes passed, my heart thumping more wildly with each one. I made a decision, took a deep breath and stepped into the terminal.

“Violet,” I announced, closing my eyes. I expected to be spit out on my butt amidst a shrieking alarm.

Instead, my particles shook and separated in a blitz of light and heat.