Mav ground his knuckles into the sidewalk. After his explosive roar, he’d spent at least ten minutes pacing back and forth. He’d failed, again. Not been quick enough, good enough, to help someone in need. Again.
That on loop in his head, he practically worked himself into a frenzy. Then training finally took over. He’d taken a deep breath, then at least a dozen more to calm his rushing blood. He’d plopped on the ground and punched the sidewalk, knuckles unfeeling.
Then a message from Koda appeared.
Heart racing, Mav opened the message: coordinates. Mav plugged the numbers in and a point in the sewers beneath the Sekko Research building popped up.
Finally. He knew where to go next. And if all pretense was gone, then it was time for Mav to let loose.
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“Descend your blessings upon us, o Titans of all Elements,” the woman partitioned, barely breathing. “May any of you or your chosen bless us with a miracle to save us.”
A splitting headache Maren could deal with, but adding the woman’s prayers to her grievances made scheming an escape next to impossible.
“May the Rulers of the ether discover our plight and aid us. Or may a Flame-bearer light our way to safety, as they once did so long ago. Or may –”
A distant blast sounded from deep within the tunnels, making the ground rumble. The prisoners jumped and the woman ceased praying. A sonorous, echoing voice shouted from far off, yet even in her state of mind, the yelled word was simple to discern.
Maren.
“No way,” Maren breathed, beginning to smirk. “What... dramatic timing.”
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Koda sat in a plush chair at the head of a long table. The room was clearly used for meetings, as it had a massive monitor behind him and more than a dozen chairs along the table. Floor-to-ceiling windows would provide a view of the city had they not been darkened, letting only the emergency lights illuminate the room.
Koda was used to the dark. It had hardly ever limited his vision, thanks to his Gift. But with how much of it he’d used recently, he couldn’t even afford to see his surroundings. So he sat, meditating, then finally sent the coordinates to Mav.
That should’ve given everyone enough time to do what they needed.
And soon Mav would create chaos downstairs, leaving Koda free to take the documents he sought.
The door opened, revealing the dark-skinned woman who had been arguing with the CEO before Koda entered. Koda had looked into her a few minutes ago: Natasha Davis, CFO of Sekko Research. She appeared competent at her job, but nothing truly noteworthy had stood out. Her face, however, looked guilty, like a child who’d broken his father’s favorite walking cane and knew he had to come forward, yet still feared the consequences.
“Not dealing with the issues downstairs?” Koda asked.
“Don’t mock me,” the CFO said. “You’ve probably already guessed that David wants me nowhere near the situation.”
“So what’s with the look and visit?”
The CFO seemed to chew on something invisible, then scrunched her face. She let out a breath, relaxing her features.
“Fine, fine,” she said. “I’ll tell you. But I should probably wait for a lawyer.”
Koda folded his arms. “Don’t you already have Selene Hicks on speed dial?”
The CFO flushed. “She represents the company. What I have to tell you goes against their interests.”
A rumble, low and deep, hummed. It didn’t cause the paintings on the wall to shake, nor did it force the CFO to lose her balance, but it was evident enough for her to look at the floor.
Thanks, Mav.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she whispered.
“Can’t make any promises about how you’ll fair from whatever you tell me,” Koda said. “But say it quick or come with me, because I have to move.”
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The blast hadn’t been the largest Mav had ever created, but it did the job. Flames danced along Mav’s shoulders, lighting both the sewer behind and the tunnel before him. Rent and melting metal caved inward, pressed against walls that glowed a deep orange from his strike.
Mav inhaled, filling his lungs. “Mareeeeeeeen!”
Her name echoed, yet no one responded. Right. If she was unconscious, that would’ve been a little difficult for her to do.
Hopefully knocking her out had been the worst thing they’d done.
He charged forward, his cooled muscles from the strike stiffening him. He only grunted and pumped his legs faster, heedless of his destination. If someone attacked him, that meant he was going in the right direction.
Thankfully it only took thirty seconds before three men with flame throwers ran to block him. They blasted three jets of flame, which Mav let hit him for a moment. His freezing muscles loosened, the frost threatening to cover his skin evaporating before it fully formed.
Warmed up, Mav conjoined his flames with theirs, making the violent fire practically cool to the touch. It took only seconds for Mav to kick one of the men in the sternum, grab the other two by the back of their heads, and slam their foreheads into each other.
“Where’ve you taken those people?” Mav yelled as they fell to the floor.
The only answer came from the man he’d kicked, clutching his sternum and failing to gasp for air.
Right. Ask questions first, then incapacitate them.
He pressed on. Soon he hit an intersection where voices came from the right. Two more men neared him, dim lights flickering behind them.
“Where’ve you taken those people?” Mav yelled.
Then he jumped through their flames, kicking one’s temple into the wall and bashing the other’s face into the floor.
They didn’t respond.
New idea. Ask questions first, allow them to answer, then incapacitate them.
Bangs and roars echoed from down the hallway. A dim light barely lit an enforced, metal door at the end of the corridor. The sounds came from the other side.
Looked like it was time to force another opening.
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