The ARC 02: Talented Read online

  Hunter laughs and then explains, ‘The Government don’t actively watch everyone, but they can bring up a log of where you’ve been.’ He turns back to Gadge. ‘Can you suggest anything then?’

  Gadge paces up and down, drumming his fingers against his lips.

  ‘How long do you need them disabled for?’ he asks.

  ‘Tonight should be fine,’ Hunter replies. Gadge walks to the corner of the room and unearths a tablet, which is buried beneath a pile of loose wires and circuit boards.

  ‘I can hack the system and override your GPS, so it won’t locate you. I’ll divert it to register your position to your most visited location, which will probably be your home. It will just look like you haven’t left the house.’

  ‘And that would work?’

  ‘I don’t see why it wouldn’t.’ Gadge approaches me first and takes my hand, lifting it so he can look closely at my cuff. He twists it around my wrist before he places his hand across the face of it and closes his eyes.

  His top lip twitches and a slight frown creases his forehead. I glance over at Lara who looks about as confused as I feel. He doesn’t look like he’s doing anything other than trying to give himself a headache, let alone hacking into a computer system.

  We wait in silence for minutes before he gasps loudly, his eyes flicker back open and a smug grin forms on his lips.

  ‘All done,’ he says. ‘Next.’ He does the same for others’ cuffs and when he finishes with Hunter’s he says, ‘I’ve diverted them for 48 hours. That ought to give you enough time, but it’s not so long they’ll become suspicious about the inactivity.’

  Hunter gives him a grateful pat across the back. ‘Thanks, man. I owe you one.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll just add another one to your IOU list,’ Gadge mutters to himself as he walks us to the door.

  Once we’re back outside we continue walking briskly. We turn down several more streets and I lose any idea of where we are. The area is deadly quiet and as we walk the buildings become increasingly derelict and deserted. Most front doors are boarded over and many ground floor windows have been smashed in. It’s even worse than the area where the loft party had been the other night, more like a part of West Hope than East.

  ‘Do you really think Sebastian’s file will say where he is in Hope?’ I ask, trying to distract myself from the uneasy feeling I get as we walk through a dim area, where the street lighting has gone out.

  ‘Yeah,’ Hunter replies. ‘They keep track of everything. It’s just a matter of finding it that’s the problem.’

  ‘Have you guys been back to the reintegration centre since you arrived?’

  ‘No,’ Lara replies.

  ‘I have,’ Hunter says. Before I can ask him about it he picks up the pace and walks out in front of us. Lara glances at me nervously as we follow him. What isn’t he telling us?

  We walk for nearly an hour to reach the reintegration centre, as Hunter takes us there via the outskirts of the city. I pull Hunter’s jacket in closer, and wrap my arms around my body, as the building looms up ahead of us.

  It looks larger than I remember and, as I take in the size of it, I begin to worry. Even if we get in I have no idea how we’ll be able to find anything. Lara and Hunter are relaxed as we walk closer, but I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. Surely this is more dangerous than crossing the river.

  We all stop once we’re across the street from it and head a few feet down a side alley. It’s out of sight but still provides a reasonable vantage of the building. There are fewer lights down this end of town, and I’m grateful it’s slightly darker.

  Hunter turns to us both. ‘There’s an entrance down the side of the building and I think that will be our best way of getting in. You both stay here, I’m going to have a look around.’

  ‘Are you sure we should be splitting up?’ I ask.

  ‘Winters, are you worried about me?’ Hunter jokes.

  ‘No,’ I respond, quickly. He wiggles his eyebrows at me and disappears across the road.

  The seconds drag by as we wait for him. After ten minutes I begin to get really worried.

  ‘You’re making me nervous,’ Lara chides.

  ‘Oh, sorry. I can’t really help it you know.’ I take a deep breath in to try and still my nerves. I hadn’t realised my emotions would be affecting her.

  ‘Just like you can’t help how you feel all warm and fuzzy when Hunter’s around?’ she asks.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say, unable to look her in the eyes. Instead I focus on the other side of the road, waiting for a sign from Hunter. I’m happy when I’m around him but by no means all ‘warm and fuzzy.’

  She suddenly laughs. ‘You should see your face.’

  I spare a moment to glare at her before returning to watch for Hunter. ‘You’re not very funny. We’re supposed to be keeping an eye out for Hunter.’

  ‘At the very least I was able to distract you from being nervous. It’s much nicer when you’re not.’

  Hunter appears next to the building and waves us over. I relax at the sight of him, which is obviously just because I’m glad he hasn’t been caught—nothing else.

  ‘It’s time to stop teasing me for your amusement now,’ I say, nodding my head in Hunter’s direction. Her face quickly becomes more serious.

  ‘Okay. Let’s go.’

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Hunter leads us down a long dark alley, which runs the perimeter of the reintegration centre. Up ahead, a spotlight shines down on a large, black shadow of a man. I suspect this is a guard as he paces the short distance between a doorway and the tall, corrugated iron fence bordering the alleyway. I can’t shake the feeling in my gut that this is a bad idea.

  As we approach the guard his head jerks up and he looks directly at me. I shiver as his dark eyes pass over mine. A long, thick scar runs down the length of his cheek and he looks at us with a deadpan stare, which I imagine would make most people uncomfortable.

  The man’s eyes glaze over as Hunter begins to manipulate him. This does nothing to ease my concerns. If anything, it makes him look slightly crazed. The guard turns to punch a code into the door. As he does, I catch Hunter’s eyes. They seem to sparkle with excitement, and I can feel a similar sense of anticipation building inside of me as well. The keypad lets off a short ‘beep’ as the code is accepted. The heavy door clanks as the locks are released.

  We enter the building through a corridor containing rich, mahogany walls that feature large portraits of people in the strangest clothes. I almost feel as though they are watching me as I pass. I attempt to dismiss the thought, instead focusing on the lone doorway we walk towards at the end of the hallway.

  Hunter approaches the door slowly and, taking the handle in his palm, he cautiously turns it, treating it so carefully you would’ve sworn it were made of fragile glass. As he pulls the door back it makes a sudden loud creaking noise. Hunter automatically stops pulling and we all hold our breath.

  Surely someone heard that.

  I close my eyes and listen carefully for movement. All I can hear is the steady, nearly inaudible breathing of Lara and Hunter. After minutes of standing in silence, Hunter continues to pull the door open with one swift movement.

  We peer out from behind the door to see a large open space before us. The ceilings are lofted and a second floor balcony runs the perimeter of the room. The idea of entering such an exposed area makes me nervous.

  ‘I read the guard’s mind, so I know there are filing rooms up on the third floor, which contain the hard copies of all the data we’re looking for,’ Hunter whispers. He looks at the shiny, silver lift prominently placed down the other end of the room.

  ‘I think we’d be safer taking the stairs though.’ Hunter points across to the other side of the room, where a brightly lit, green sign indicates the stairwell.

  Taking long, careful steps forward Hunter checks the coast is clear. He stops a few meters in to look around the room, his hand held out to us in
a clear ‘wait there’ fashion. After a moment he frantically waves us over, and with silent steps, we slip across the foyer and into the stairwell.

  I ease the door shut behind me and take a deep breath to try and calm my rapidly beating heart. We haven’t even seen another guard since the one at the entrance, but it doesn’t mean they’re not here.

  We climb the stairs to the third floor and make our way into a long hallway, lined with doors. There must be dozens of rooms leading from here, and the sight leaves me feeling rather helpless. We could be here all night if we don’t know which one we’re looking for.

  Hunter barely pauses as he proceeds to enter the hallway. He looks at the number on the door closest to us before moving on, so he must know the room we need. Lara shrugs at me, as if to say, she’s just as lost as I am.

  We leave the safety of the stairwell to trail after Hunter. Moments later, there’s the unmistakable sound of the elevator door opening and several sets of boots stepping onto the hardwood floor.

  I face the noise and see four men, in identical guard uniforms, stepping out from the open elevator.

  ‘Hey!’ one of them yells.

  I turn back to Hunter and Lara. We have to run if we don’t want to be caught, but seconds pass and Hunter doesn’t move as he stares the men down.

  ‘Hunter!’ There’s a pleading edge to my voice, begging him to do something, anything, other than just stand there. The sound wakes him and when his eyes come back into focus, he grabs my hand, then Lara’s arm, pulling the two of us back towards the wall.

  ‘Stay as still as possible,’ he whispers, before closing his eyes. His whole face transforms with a look of total concentration. Lara also looks like she’s concentrating. She stares intently at the men who bear down upon us, and her eyes flicker with sparks of brilliant purple, as she uses her talent on them.

  I try to stay as still as possible, but I can feel my heart racing faster as I listen to the men’s feet, pounding against the floor as they run towards us. Lara and Hunter’s bodies are completely rigid as they use their minds to protect us. Are they really capable of dealing with all four guards?

  I squeeze Hunter’s hand tighter. Please be able to do this. I want to help so—I freeze. My whole body becomes a statue as two guards walk past, barely inches from where I stand. I stop breathing and the hairs on my arms stand on end as one of their arms brushes past mine. Slowly I move to push my back harder against the wall.

  The guards don’t look at us though. They stumble along looking confused and disorientated, almost zombie like as they amble away from us, having completely forgotten we’re here. That’s if they even know where ‘here’ is!

  Once they pass, I turn to look for the other two men. One of them is lying completely still on the floor, while the other one glares at us with pure loathing. His eyes are like ice and I shudder at the sight of him. He takes slow, determined strides towards us. Each step is heavy and laboured, almost as though he’s wading through a pool of water.

  His eyes begin to wander off every few steps, and he shakes his head violently before turning and looking back at us. He’s trying to shake off whatever spell Lara and Hunter are trying to put him under and he’s succeeding.

  ‘You’ll have to try harder than that,’ he says, through gritted teeth. ‘I can still see you.’

  Sweat drips from Hunter and Lara’s foreheads, but their efforts are not enough. The guard has slowed down, but he’s nowhere near to stopping. I turn away from the man to search for something that can help and spot a fire extinguisher hanging from the wall further down.

  Without giving myself time to consider what I’m doing, I shake my hand free from Hunter’s and make a dash for it.

  ‘Elle!’ Hunter yells, as I run away from him. I don’t look back. I don’t have time. I wrench the extinguisher from the wall and turn back to the guard, who is still resolutely staggering towards Lara and Hunter. He’s closer to them now. Much closer.

  Lara starts gasping, as though she’s running out of breath. She grabs her hands to her throat and her eyes look to the guard with a desperate plea, begging him to stop.

  The guard stands taller and walks forward with greater ease, a smug leer tugging at the corner of his lips.

  I run back towards them, fear for Lara giving me strength. Silent tears run down Lara’s cheeks as her body collapses down against the wall. Whatever he’s doing, he’s suffocating her!

  ‘No!’ I scream lifting the fire extinguisher over my head. The man looks up at me in shock, but before I can bring the fire extinguisher down, his body flops onto the floor where he lies completely still.

  I stare at the lifeless body. Is he dead? A wave of nausea rolls through me and I drop the fire extinguisher on the floor.

  Bile rises in my throat and I tear my eyes away, unable to look at the body that lies so still on the floor in front of me. What were we thinking coming in here?

  Lara coughs, which draws my attention away from the man. She’s slouched against the wall with her legs curled up and cradled in her arms. She looks even smaller than usual.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I ask, as I rush to crouch beside her.

  ‘Yeah,’ she replies, her voice sounding hoarse. ‘He was just so strong. I couldn’t stop him.’

  I look over my shoulder to his unmoving body. ‘What did you do to him,’ I ask Hunter.

  ‘He’s just knocked out,’ Hunter says. ‘I can still sense his mind,’ he reassures, but there’s a strange look in his eyes. Is he lying? I shake my head and look at him grimly. What was I thinking? This was a bad idea.

  ‘What about the others?’ I ask.

  ‘He’s sleeping,’ Lara points to the other man on the floor.

  ‘And the other two think it’s happy hour and time to knock off,’ Hunter replies.

  ‘But they’re okay?’ I check.

  ‘Yeah, they’ll be fine.’

  ‘We should keep going,’ Hunter says. I don’t move. I can’t stop looking at the man on the floor. Even though I didn’t end up hitting him with the extinguisher, it feels like it’s my fault the guard is laying there so still. Lara takes a hold of my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ she says. I help her stand up and we begin to slowly make our way down the corridor. I feel sick the entire way.

  Eventually, Hunter slows to a stop. He looks around and then walks over to one of the doors. He punches a code into the keypad and pulls down on the handle. The door opens and he calmly steps into the room.

  As we enter, Lara switches on the light, and a sea of filing cabinets greet our eyes. I quietly shut the door behind us.

  ‘How did you know…’ My voice trails off as I realise how stupid that question sounds.

  I walk over to the cabinets and quickly find my way to ‘S’. I wrench back the drawer to find a series of folders crammed into it.

  ‘Scott, Scott, Scott.’ I mumble as I flick through the names. ‘Found it!’ I whisper excitedly, as I pull a folder from the drawer.

  Well, almost. It’s April’s file. I glance over at Hunter and Lara who are both looking through cabinets too. Maybe that’s why they were so eager to break in here?

  I open the manila folder labelled April Scott. The first page is a picture of April, the April I’d known, all wide eyes and mousey hair. My heart aches as I look at her. Being taken has changed her so much.

  I sadly flick past the first page to look at the rest of the file. There are only a few pages to it, but my eyes are drawn to the bold words written across the top of the second page—‘Talented Level 7.’ Surely this is wrong?

  I riffle through the other pages for some sort of explanation, but it doesn’t give me much to go on. She has been so secretive and acts so differently; maybe this is why?

  I continue reading the file. It lists her current location as unknown. Originally, she had been placed in the talented dormitories, but she had run away just months later. I shake my head, confused. This doesn’t make any sense.


  I quickly place the folder back into the cabinet. I don’t have time to try and figure April out. We need to get out of here as soon as possible and I’m wasting precious time.

  The folder behind April’s is Isabel Scott’s. I desperately want to check it for what has happened to her, she’d been like a mother to me growing up, but I don’t have time and Sebastian’s folder is directly behind it. Relief washes over me as I pull the file from the drawer. I can feel a goofy grin beaming from my face. It’s the first confirmation I’ve had that he’s definitely up here.

  Taking a deep breath, I open the folder to find Sebastian’s face smiling back at me from the front page. I touch the picture lightly with my fingers. He’s really here.

  ‘Elle, hurry up.’ Hunter presses me. I look over and both Hunter and Lara are standing near the door. Hunter’s arms are crossed and his feet are tapping impatiently.

  ‘Sorry,’ I whisper back. I skip past the first page and move straight on to the second. There in bold are the words I’d almost expected to see, ‘Talented, Level 9’. I want to read on, and find out more about what he can do, but Hunter clears his throat. I scan the page quickly for where he lives, and almost jump with excitement when I find the address. Block 4, room 2D, talented dormitories. I repeat it in my head several times, making certain I commit it to memory.

  I slip the file back in the cabinet and shove the drawer shut.

  ‘Finally!’ Lara exclaims, as I come to stand next to her.

  ‘He’s in the talented dormitories. It says he’s a level nine—’ My voice goes silent. The muffled beeping of a code being entered into the door reaches my ears, followed by the distinctive click of the locks being released. The door swings inwards to reveal a guard standing there.

  ‘What are you kids doing in here?’

  Hunter and Lara look to each other, terrified. Barely a second passes and their eyes are both closed, their brows firmly furrowing.

  ‘Hey! Where’d you go?’ The man looks around the room, fervently. He takes several cautious steps into the room, his arms out wide, his fingers grasping at the air. He lifts his face up into the air, his nose wriggling as he inhales.