Now, now, Ms. Messenger.Marshall straightens.Let’s not exert ourselves on the enemy’s behalf. I wouldn’t let them boil your blood. This is your battle cry, whether they realize it or not. These are the sharpest weapons in your arsenal, my love. Welcome to your shining hour.
I give Marshall’s hand a squeeze just as a quickening of lightning shoots over the tops of each of these glass cages at once and the writhing movements of those in the glass caskets grow increasingly spastic by the moment. Then it happens—the tearing, the ripping of the slippery membrane, the shedding. Soon enough, the blue keeping solution drains from each of the pods into an underground receptacle. The bodies drop to the bottom, then slowly they rise. A sticky gelatinous membrane glosses their skin, falling away in thick sheets as they struggle to rise to their feet. Each man is fully formed, naked, and as they were before their transformation by Wesley himself.
A whistling noise hums over the speakers and the men look up and stiffen as if at attention. And in a moment the glass pods dislodge from the ceiling before sinking down into the floor of the lab. And slowly, one by one, they step off their platforms, choking and wheezing, some of them slipping, some of them intently fixated on Wes and Gage. One of them roars and is quickly joined by the others. The sound is deafening, exhilarating, chilling to the core.
Wes is the first to speed out of the room, stalking away as if filled with rage. But Gage remains, wide-eyed, as the men begin to turn their attention his way, a violent tension quickly taking over the room.
Gage steps away slowly. He nods my way as if acknowledging the victory before following his brother off the premises.
“It’s finally happened,” I say, stepping forward. “Welcome to your new life.” My voice booms across the room as a water sprinkler bursts forth from the ceiling and their flesh washes clean, anew, as if they were never the monsters Wesley demanded they be.
“This is it, Skyla.” Logan’s breathing is erratic. “This is the super army we needed.”
Marshall nods. “They will be loyal to you, my queen. Have no fear. All will be well. In two days, the rug will be pulled out from under those menaces that scurried out of here like a couple of rats.”
“Two days,” I echo. “I want a Faction meeting set for tomorrow night.”
Marshall stiffens. “No details.”
“No,” I say. “Just preparation.”
For so long our Faction meetings have taken place in the barn just outside of Nicholas Haver’s house. The Havers live inside the same gated community as the Olivers, the Harrisons, Wes and Laken, Demetri, Marshall, and let’s not forget Gage and Chloe.
Thankfully, Nicholas’ widow, Lucinda Haver, has generously allowed us to continue to have our Faction meetings here for as long as we like. The barn itself is cavernous. It’s been heavily refurbished and looks more along the lines of a pretty decent hall you’d rent out for any occasion.
Coincidentally, I’m as large as the barn itself, and since I’m already seated in my supreme position in the front of the celestial masses, Logan graciously brings me coffee—decaf, of course—and a couple of crullers from the refreshment table. The Gas Lab has provided all the refreshments—dozens and dozens of yummy fresh donuts.
I didn’t need to put in the request. Both Nev and Ezrina seem to understand my impulsive need for them. And each time I take a delicious bite, the baby offers up a kick of approval.
Speaking of which, my baby, Angel, is getting so big. Her due date is just a hop and a skip away, and I can’t wait to hold this little piece of Logan and me in my arms. The last time she was with us—the cruel,cruelpreview provided by my mother in the sky—Logan and I couldn’t get enough of her. I named her Angel in haste, and in truth, that’s what Logan and I have been using as a nickname. In no way are we actually going to gift her the name as a formal moniker. God, no. Especially in light of what we’re about to do as far as the government is concerned.
The Faction meeting goes off without a lot of pomp and circumstance. They have been dismal for the last nine months since we’ve resumed having them. We discussed the minutia of Faction life and pulled together more resources for the youth classes, which teach about the many facets of our powers that are still being taught regardless of the fact Gage not only slaughtered Nicholas Haver but a few of the instructors for those classes as well.
Someone asked about the Spectators—Emily, obviously concerned for her brother. Although, I’m not even sure what she’s doing here. Her allegiance to Celestra is wishy-washy at best. But I did hint there would be exciting news to come shortly. There will be.
Ezrina and Nev are currently cataloging the newly regenerated Spectators. And soon Logan and I will speak to our new army on how we’ll proceed with them. They’re good guys. Good family people who will be reunited with their loved ones in just a few short days.
Ellis and Brody have bought out every thrift store of their men’s clothing in an effort to offer them some sort of an interim wardrobe. And Marshall has helped set up a massive gym in the Wonderground to help them gain their strength back. It’s been one miracle after another, and it is certainly beginning to feel as if everything is coming up Celestra.
Logan concludes the meeting with a prayer, and soon enough bodies begin to mill around the room. A familiar caramel-haired girl with a bright smile and an adorable infant strapped to her body in a pastel baby sling heads this way.
“Laken?” I inch back as I struggle to stand. “What are you doing here?”
She wrinkles her nose as she pulls me into a quick embrace. “Coop invited me. He’s invited me all along, but this was the first time I said yes. I hope you trust me enough to be here.”
My heart pinches because I’m not entirely sure I do. I’m not entirely sure I trust anybody, and this is the exact reason Logan and I weren’t about to blab off our perfect plan.
“I don’t mind one bit that you’re here. Let me see that baby.”
She pulls back the fabric on the sling and I see him there, little Wes with his adorable face.
“My God, he looks exactly the way the boys did at that age. Oh, Laken, enjoy it. They really do grow so fast.”
“Not fast enough.” She sighs. “He hates sleep. Correction, he hates sleeping when I want to sleep.” She covers him up again, and I can’t help but frown.
“Laken, this isn’t going to win me any brownie points with you, but I think you should do a paternity test on Charlie.”
Her eyes widen with horror. “Skyla, we did that. Ezrina did it, for God’s sake. I’m going to forgive you for that because you’re a big ball of hormones right now. But please don’t mention it again. I was satisfied by Ezrina’s results, and I wish you would be, too.”
