Chapter Forty-One

Alex sat at the mainconsole in the computer command center, his fingers flying over the keyboard, his eyes pinned on the screen as information steadily scrolled past. "According to the Travelers' schedule for the day, Candace isn't due back into the community for another few hours." He looked up at Toni and Jacken, both hovering over his chair. "She's not even officially late."

Toni glanced over at Llawell, who was on his knees at Roth's feet groaning. "Well, something's obviously wrong."

"Has Candace checked in at all?" Roth asked in a clipped tone, his expression about as cheery as the Grim Reaper's.

Alex shifted his focus to the screen of another of the ten computers he commanded. "No. But that's not unusual, is it?"

"Why don't you do a quick scan of the local hospitals, just to humor us," Toni said. "You should be able to search the ones you've already hacked into relatively fast."

"All right." Clackity-clack went his fingers while everyone waited for him.

Jacken held himself with that strange battle-ready stillness that every warrior seemed to excel at, while Roth paced, and Llawell moaned with hair-pulling ceaselessness. Dev and Thomal were upstairs for the moment, escorting Shon and Luvera to upstairs bedrooms, where they would remain under house arrest until their cases were decided. At least they weren't being detained in basement jail cells. Alex didn't think he could've borne imagining Luvera there.

A soft bleep sounded, and a silent oh, no passed through Alex's brain. That meant Candace's name had popped up at a hospital.

"Crap." Toni knew it, too. "What is it?"

Alex skimmed the information, and went cold to the marrow of his bones. "Toni," he said in a hushed tone. "Candace's name just came up at your old hospital. Scripps Memorial." He spun his chair toward Llawell. "I'm so sorry." His throat worked around his next words. "She's in the morgue, Llawell."

"My God." Toni's lips parted. "What does the report—?"

Llawell threw back his head and let out a deafening howl.

"Ahhh!" Alex pressed his hands over his ears as the raw, piercing anguish of the sound ripped through the command center, ricocheting off every corner in the room.

"Watch out!" Jacken shouted.

The overhead light fixtures began to burst apart, the exploding bulbs boom-booming like a volley of mortars.

"Get down!" Jacken grabbed Toni around the waist and Alex by the shirt, dragging them both to the floor.

Alex belly-flopped to his stomach with a hard splat. Blade-like pieces of glass showered down from the ceiling, and Jacken shoved Toni deeper under the long desk. Alex scrambled to get farther under, too.

Pow! Pow! Pow! One after the other, his computer screens exploded, glass blowing outward across the room. Through squinched lids, Alex watched the shards hit the opposite wall. Jesus Christ, no…

With a long, gasping moan, Llawell finally stopped his tormented cry. Toppling over onto his side, he buried his face in his hands and began to weep.

Jacken lifted to a crouch above Toni, his eyes wild on his wife. "Are you okay?" His hand cupped her belly, still slender and flat, but nevertheless in charge of baking Baby Brun.

Toni nodded mutely.

Alex crawled forward and cautiously popped his head above the edge of the desk to check out the damage. His heart sank into the earth. It was the apocalypse. Only one of his precious computers hadn't been destroyed.

Roth rose from his own crouch, his face red. "Explain this," he demanded of Alex. "What did that report say about Candace?"

Alex glanced at Jacken. "Why don't we take care of Llawell first?"

Jacken helped Toni up, then moved over to Llawell and did the same. "Come on, man. Let's get you to a couch to lie down."

Bracing his hands on the edge of the desk, Alex shoved himself to a standing position. "The autopsy report was only preliminary," he told them just as Jacken re-entered. "But it said the body showed signs of torture."

"Torture," Roth hissed. He bolted a look over to Jacken. "This means the Topside Om R?u got hold of her."

"We can't be sure of that," Jacken argued.

Roth's eyes snapped. "Who else would want a Traveler?"

"How would the Om R?u even know about our Travelers," Jacken countered, "or be able to identify one?"

Alex looked between Roth and Jacken. "And why torture her?"

Roth's spine locked stiff. "As a Traveler, she knows how to get in and out of our community." Roth exhaled air through his nostrils. "Those creatures are trying to find our entrances!"

"If that's the case," Toni intervened, "then we need to discuss security options for—"

"There's no time for discussion," Roth plowed over her. "If Candace was tortured, we have to assume the Om R?u were able to extract information from her. We must go into full shutdown right away."

"No." Jacken chopped a hand through the air. "Full shutdown is too drastic for the amount of information we have."

Toni frowned. "What's full shutdown?"

Jacken reached for his cell phone. "Let my men and I confirm this before—"

"Confirm how?" Roth's jaw could've rivaled Jacken's for hardness. "It's daylight topside." Roth moved toward a metal lock-box on the far wall. "Every moment we wait is a further risk to our lives. Our enemy could be breaking into one of our elevators even as we stand here deliberating."

Jacken followed him over. "Dammit, Roth! Stop!"

Roth spun the combination lock and jerked open the metal door, exposing a button not unlike those used for the community's 911 system.

"Don't." Jacken planted his hands on his hips, looking like he wanted to stop Roth physically—maybe, in the process, ripping an arm off—but the Varcolac were still a little funny about going against their leaders. "You'll cut us off from everything."

"Would somebody please tell me what a full shutdown is?" Toni demanded sharply.

Alex's heart tripped. He was beginning to get nervous about that, too.

"We must consider ourselves breached," Roth ground out. "Shutting down the community is our only recourse." He slammed his hand against the button.

"Uh, oh," Alex breathed as the world instantly went black.