“He told me the boys and I were three of the first metahumans and something about the original formula was unique. He couldn’t replicate the ‘gifts’ he gave us. When mom took us from The Institute, she destroyed or took all the data on our formula. They had to start from scratch after we were gone. And though they did create a working formula, it was never the same as the original. He wanted me and the boys because we were the only link to that original blueprint.
“He’s not going to stop hunting us. And he created an army of metas to help him do whatever he wants. We’re going to have to find him before he finds us. We have to stop this monster…” her voice trailed as a wave of exhaustion overtook her.
Meg’s battle wasn’t remotely over, but for now, she was going to have to let her body rest. She was trying to calm herself by thinking about her family. Her brothers were safe. Her mother was alive and getting help from Dr. Andrews, a very trusted friend. And her best friend Maze, much to the hospital’s chagrin, was sound asleep under her bed.
The room continued to talk softly as she drifted off. I just need to sleep a little, and then I’ll get back to planning what to do next.
Epilogue—A New Focus
Location: Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
His hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out two silver orbs. He began rolling them in his hand hoping the familiar scraping of metal on metal would soothe his fury.
Beside him his companion shifted in her seat. Her taste was impeccable, Dr. Williams noted. Her Prada shoes were almost as stunning as her legs. But even they weren’t enough to distract him from his thoughts.
How dare those puny, insignificant rodents come to him and threaten him! How dare they challenge him, disobey him!
Of course, it was deliciously ironic that those kids just moved his plan forward a few days. He had the fire extinguishing sprinkler system secretly disabled and his research moved to his new facility the week before. The Institute was to have a tragic and accidental fire due to some faulty wiring and aided by the additional explosive chemicals he brought in to the main building.
Good, he’ll just collect on his multi-million dollar insurance policy that much quicker, and those rodents will be held responsible for the destruction. Foolish imps!
Ah, but what a waste. All those gifts he gave them, and look at the thanks he got. Oh, and that miserable woman Margo! She started all of this, the ungrateful wretch.
Wasn’t it he who discovered her right out of college and gave her all the opportunities in the world to work on meaningful research? She was to be his new shining star working on the Infinite Project. Hadn’t he been watching her for two years before he handpicked her? Hadn’t he personally escorted her around his lovely facility and shown her the glory of which she would be a part? How could he have misjudged her so badly? She had been so ambitious. All that military training should have taught her to follow orders.
She had no family of which to speak. Her parents and sister had been killed in a car accident years ago. She was the perfect candidate for his work. She would have come with him when he developed the training facility. She could have had everything. Hadn’t he given her every opportunity?
Venom coursed through his veins and a flash of bile chased up his throat. He would get revenge. He would have those children, dead or alive. And he would kill that vile woman with his own hands.
More twirling of the familiar metal balls helped him take a slower, deeper breath. Well, he should be at peace and know that retribution would be his new motivation. And he always obtained his goal when given a focus. He should almost thank the Winter family for giving him a new reason to develop his army even faster. They were headed for battle.
Winter’s Storm Ahead
A thousand miles away, Maze, who was sleeping at the foot of Meg’s hospital bed, sat up and growled at the dark figure standing in the doorway of the room she and Alik shared. In the blink of an eye, he shifted into a fighting position. The silver hair bristled on the back of his neck and his sharp teeth glistened in the dim light.
About me
I grew up the only girl in the middle of two brothers. I adored both of them in their own ways, but never really fit into their worlds. Like my characters Alik and Evan, the boys were very different.
If I wanted to have a playmate, I had to gear up to go dirt-clod fighting, be the losing team of (broken) green army guys or brave the flimsy bicycle ramp my older brother was focused on.
Either that, or plan on helping to erect intricate Lego architecture while hearing the mathematical algorithms and possible big-bang theories of what happened to dinosaurs from my little brother.