December 25th
3:02 P.M.
Something visceral twisted in his chest as small teardrops trailed silvery lines down the little ladybug’s cheeks.
Steel was overcome by a sudden need to break something.
Preferably, whatever had Rose Gardner crying, but since that was him and the rest of his team, he settled for crushing the tablet he was still watching in his hands.
The device was no match for his enhanced strength, and it easily cracked and bent. It still wasn't enough, so he picked up the broken pieces and hurled them across the room. They connected with the wall, shattering into a dozen smaller pieces. The wall also cracked, with a large hole where the tablet had hit it, and the sight of the crumbled pieces of drywall lying among the remains of the tablet went a small way toward easing the sudden tightness in his chest.
Normally, tears would mean nothing to him. The drugs Ridge Gardner had injected him with had messed with hisbiology in more ways than just making him ten times stronger than the average man his size.
They had quite literally changed his brain chemistry, and his ability to process emotions was forever tainted. It was like there was a gap there. He could recognize the emotions he used to feel in others, but he was unable to connect that to any empathy within himself. While he didn't wish pain on people, he was no longer able to feel anything when it came to other people’s suffering.
Without the ability for empathy, he was little more than a monster.
So why were the little ladybug’s tears affecting him?
Bringing her here was supposed to be a quick and easy way to lure out Dr. Gardner. They had all assumed that as soon as the young woman woke up, she’d be panicked and hysterical. They’d let her stew for a few hours, then send the crazy scientist a little Jack Skellington-worthy Christmas gift.
Easy.
Only their little prisoner hadn't woken up panicked and hysterical. Instead, she’d been completely unimpressed with their behavior. The crazy woman hadn't even hesitated to strip naked to make the heat they’d been pumping into the room a little more bearable.
Not once had she shown a single crack, maybe that was why her tears bothered him.
Or maybe it was the way she was crying. Steel didn't get the feeling that it had anything to do with him and his team abducting her. They weren't messy or loud tears. They just rolled silently down her cheeks as she sat there, staring at nothing.
Was she staring at nothing?
It seemed more like she was staring straight into whatever darkness lived inside her head.
Maybe that was why he was having a hard time with … all of this.
Darkness lived inside that woman’s mind, there was no doubt about it, and that made her a kindred spirit of sorts.
What did that say about him that he still intended to do exactly what he’d planned?
Breaking the little ladybug wasn't personal, but it was necessary. How else were they supposed to draw out Dr. Gardner?
Ever since Steel and his team managed to escape their prison, the man had gone deep underground. While as far as they could ascertain the doctor was no longer involved in the trial that active military could sign up to be part of, none of them doubted he was still out there, playing his sick games, toying with people’s lives, trying to be God by creating a new species.
Stopping the man was for the world’s benefit, but the torture they’d deliver before they finally stole his life would be their own personal revenge.
Unless Rose knew where her brother was hiding, breaking her and delivering proof to Ridge was their only chance to get to the doctor. If they tried to film a video for Ridge now, he had no doubt that Rose would try to communicate something to him that would alert her brother that it was a trap.
Broken.
That’s what he needed.
And yet as Steel stormed across the kitchen where he’d remained, glued to his tablet while the rest of his team did whatever they were up to right now, he had to fight against a need to go down to the basement.
What he’d say to the woman, he had no idea. Try to explain to her why he needed her to crack? That wouldn't serve any purpose, after all, he’d already told her he needed her broken to get to her brother. But maybe if she understood why he and histeam needed to destroy Ridge, then she wouldn't be sitting down there cold and alone, crying.
Somehow, he managed to rein in the compulsion to head to the basement. Instead, he took the stairs three at a time, both sets, up to the fourth floor where he and his team had their rooms. In his room, there was another tablet. Going down to the basement wasn't possible, but he needed to maintain some kind of connection to the little ladybug.
It made him feel like she wasn't alone, even though she had no idea he was watching over her.
