Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 23 - Regrouping - I

  Rachel knelt beside Will. She tried to make him more comfortable, but her hands were shaking so much that he groaned in pain. Ryan was on the phone with the mayor. They were arguing over calling in another helicopter from Olympia to lift Will out. After Ryan started swearing loudly into the phone, Rachel grabbed it out of his hands.

  "Listen, you little sh—" Rowan was saying.

  "Rowan," she interrupted, and even to herself, her voice sounded haunted and broken.

  "Rachel? What's going on? Ryan said something happened to Will—"

  "Call a helicopter."

  "...Rachel, we can't just call another helicopter. One was bad enough. If we call in two, there's going to be a real investigation. We're going to have problems, really fast."

  "Call a helicopter."

  "Are you okay? I'm going to head over there."

  "Call a helicopter."

  Rachel hung up before he could speak another word. She dropped the phone to the ground and pressed her face up against Will's. He groaned. She recoiled, afraid she'd caused him more pain.

  "Is someone coming?" Ryan asked.

  "I don't know," she murmured.

  "What's going on?" Natalie asked, poking her head through the door. "Oh my god."

  "Kid, watch the door. Don't let anyone in without asking, got it?" Ryan snapped.

  "What happened to him?"

  "Omega hurt him. Now watch the fucking door."

  "Fine." Natalie disappeared again.

  "Are you happy now?" Rachel said quietly.

  "Am I what?" Ryan asked.

  She ignored him. "Now he's attacking anyone he wants. I think your rules are gone. Is this what you wanted?"

  "No," came the expected whisper.

  "Who the hell are you talking to?" Ryan asked.

  "Would you just show yourself so I don't have to explain?" Rachel asked wearily.

  Beverly faded into existence just beside the couch. She was looking out the window, deliberately anywhere but at them, but Rachel could see she was clearly upset. "How could you ask that? Of course I'm not happy."

  "Holy shit," Ryan murmured. Rachel ignored him.

  "How can I stop him?" she asked.

  "I don't know," Beverly answered simply. "I never could."

  "So I should just give up?" Rachel asked, fury rising in her voice. "I shouldn't even try?"

  "I don't know," she whispered, too low for Ryan to hear. "Jackson and I were... close. You're asking me to help you kill someone I still care about. It's insane. I don't know."

  "If I try, he'll come back and kill Will. But if I don't, he'll kill everyone else. Am I just supposed to stop trying?"

  "Fuck that," snapped Ryan. He sat down next to Rachel and looked her in the eye. "Of course you should try to stop him. What are you supposed to do, just roll over and die? He's not shy about killing. He knows if he killed Will, you'd come after him ten times harder than usual. So he blindsides you. He fucks Will up, but leaves him alive. Now you're distracted, 'cause Will's in pain and suffering. You're split in half."

  Ryan pulled her to her feet. She recoiled from his rough grasp, but something about Ryan's angry intensity—something she normally found ridiculous—was compelling her to attention.

  "Time to double down. He's on the run. He tried to fuck you over. Now you focus and you go fuck him back. I'll take care of Will. Fucking murder him, Rachel."

  Rachel's mind snapped back into place. She forgot about how tired she was. Not just because of Ryan's words, but because she'd remembered something more important about the night. She had somewhere to be. She couldn't rest yet.

  She leaned down and kissed Will on the forehead. "I have to go," she whispered, hoping he could hear. Rachel stood up, once again towering over the room.

  "What's next?" Ryan asked impatiently.

  "I need to go have a conversation with Robert Harrison."

  "Why do you want to talk to that asshole?"

  "Because I'm going to use him to get to Omega."

  Rachel started walking out the door. She had to trust Ryan would take care of Will for her, because she didn't have time to take care of him right now. As she walked, she reached for the connection between them and plucked it. She knew Will would feel it, even in his current state. Rachel just had to hope he'd understand that she couldn't be there for him. Not that night.

  "How the fuck does that work? And how are you even going to get him to cooperate?" Ryan shouted after her.

  Rachel ignored him. She emerged back into the night time chill.

  Natalie stirred next to the door. "Are we going out?" the girl asked, gently rubbing her wolf awake. Its eyes snapped open, and it yawned before getting to its feet.

  Rachel nodded. With Omega now roaming the streets freely, she wasn't going a single step without Natalie at her side. She stooped down and helped Natalie to her feet. The younger girl climbed back onto Gwen with less grace than before, but in only a few moments she was ready to set out. Rachel lead Natalie and her wolf out into the streets of Rallsburg once again, off to confront the man who had betrayed them all.