ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 20

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• Luna •

Luna's stomach dropped and she knew she needed to sit down or she would collapse.

She couldn't take her eyes away from the screen. Nothing was going on. Of course not. Millions of people were killed in D.C. And how many of the survivors were seriously injured? Hundreds? Thousands? She couldn't believe what she had just seen.

A voice crackled over the radio, announcing the successful drop of three more missiles. No one in the room celebrated. She was relieved they hadn't because she was certain she or Amir would have been sprayed with chemicals if they had objected to this act. These people weren't joking.

"We'll conduct a scan for any electric currents," said the man who had been counting down earlier. "I should have the data in two minutes."

General Hayes nodded. "Thank you, Tyler."

"Defectives and anything else created by BARDA can still hide behind any shields they have around them," Greer explained, but Luna knew that. That's why the rebellion's weapons were so extreme.

They completely fried everyone.

Amir wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side. His skin vibrated when she placed her hand over his chest. He, like her, was enraged. A rush of static popped across her skin as her fury swirled inside her mind. She was infuriated because she knew their time was limited, but this . . . ?

The gravity of what had just occurred stretched beyond the fatality. Whatever the date, today will be remembered as the day the United States Capital was demolished. Nothing would ever be the same there again. All of the power grids, communication systems, and complex infrastructure that was so far beyond her comprehension had disappeared.

"There's no coming back from this, is there?" she asked, her voice scratched.

General Hayes' jaw was clenched. "Rebuilding to what it was would take years, if not longer."

She closed her eyes, baffled by the impact. "You've . . . you've crossed a line."

The general shifted his weight and glanced back at her. "BARDA started it."

"There has been no movement," Tyler stated. "The city is destroyed. We can't locate any survivors."

Luna pressed her hand against Amir's chest when he stiffened beside her. There had to have been a massive proportion of innocent civilians killed.

And this was just the beginning. She realized it. The rebellion was going to attack more cities across the world, massacring more innocent people and turning the world into . . . oh, God, reality as she knew it would turn into a dystopia, just like she'd envisioned, but worse.

No one was safe.

The rebellion was just as evil.

Luna turned away from Amir and faced General Hayes. "You've got to stop this."

His dark eyes met hers, and she knew he was thinking, Who the hell did she think she was to protest? and perhaps they didn't think she had the right to. She was no one compared to other creations, just another freak created by BARDA, but she couldn't stand there and do nothing while they annihilated the planet one location at a time.

"This is a massacre. Some innocent souls died at your hands," she told him, her voice breaking. "None of them deserved that. They were trying to run."

"This was not an easy decision to make, believe me. I will lose many hours of sleep over it." He sighed. "But we didn't have a choice."

"Bullshit!" Luna yelled, her tone becoming louder. "There's always an alternative."

Amir took a step forward, folding his arms across his chest. "You've just committed genocide. Sure, there were defective anomalies and BARDA agents in the city, but what about the others? Were their lives meaningless?"

Nobody said anything because what could they say to that? It was persecution because those bombs were going to wipe out the majority of humanity.

Chase ran his hand along his jaw. "The thing is, guys, what else do they have? You know as well as I do that if the organization isn't stopped, and if the creations they developed who are working with them aren't dealt with, it will take hours before they have complete control of the entire planet."

"Probably not even that long," Titus chimed in as he emerged from the back and flopped in an empty chair. His expression was tense, and Luna questioned if he was worried that the majority of Defectives weren't hiding out close to a city where bombs would be released. "If the Defectives intend to take control, none of us has a chance."

"They are," she quipped, remembering the one Amir had mentioned. "Some of them, at least."

Titus's cool, wide eyes met hers. "Then there is truly no other choice."

'Sorry I had to leave so abruptly, Rogue,' Titus' voice traveled to her mind. 'There was something I needed to take care of.'

'How I've missed you being in my head,' Luna replied. 'But not now. What they've done was terrible.'

'That's true, but you hadn't dealt with what we'd been dealing with for six months. We took our shot as soon as we were able.'

Luna pursed her lips after Titus brought his attention back to the group and continued. "These Defectives were created within a facility, and they have abilities beyond what other superhumans are capable of."

"We've seen what they can do," Amir blurted. His eyes sparkled like glistening pennies. "Luna and I have fought them before."

"Dr. Kim's plantation wasn't the bulk of them, I'm afraid," General Hayes noted. "Imagine every country and region around the world with thousands of them settled somewhere. It will take decades to eradicate them all."

"Maybe if you hadn't messed with Mother Nature by creating these unnatural beings—"

"Hey," Titus muttered. "Not every creature of the organization is a monster."

"Point taken." Amir returned his stare to the general. "Still, we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't allowed them to continue experimenting."

"You don't know that," General Hayes said, his shoulders squared. "If any of the staff had stepped out of line—"

"They'd kill your family and loved ones?" Amir finished for him. "That's nothing we haven't heard before. It's an excuse."

"If that's how you feel, Mr. Khan, then there's nothing I can do to change your mind."

Amir pressed his lips together. "All of this could've been avoided."

"Anyway," Luna said, inhaling deeply. "I agree with my husband. You kept allowing human experimentation. This shit is on your hands, General Hayes. On anyone associated with BARDA."

"Don't you think we know that, Luna?" Greer said, and when Amir gave him an agitated look, she thought he was about to start a riot. "Taking down this organization would be like attempting to cover a volcano. More agents would slip out of hiding and reveal themselves, then continue their mission. Whatever mission they've been assigned."

"I second that," Chase murmured.

Luna turned her neck so fast, Amir gasped. "If you say another word, God help me, I'll staple those lips shut. Understand?" She growled, staring into his eyes, enraged.

"I'd like to see you try . . . Lu."

Amir snatched her elbow quickly, preventing her from punching him. "Let it go. Chase isn't worth it."

Chase just stood there, a sinister smile on his face.

"Look," Amir said, staring at him for a long moment and then turned back to General Hayes. "No matter how you twist it, this mess is on your hands."

"And we're working on that," the general replied. "There is no other option unless someone else comes up with something we haven't explored."

"I have no idea." Luna rubbed her temples. "We could really use some supernatural creatures right now. King Kong or Godzilla."

"Screw that. We need the Cloverfield monster," Titus piped up. "That creature would annihilate everyone."

General Hayes furrowed his brow. "Well, sadly, those creatures aren't real, so . . ."

Luna started to laugh because she was seconds away from looking insane while laughing and never stopping, but Amir blinked as if something had slapped him upside the head.

"Wait," he said, running his hand through his disheveled hair. "We need something like Godzilla."

"I'm not following you," General Hayes said.

Amir sniffed. "I know there's something we can use."

"And what would that be?" Luna asked, staring in his direction.

The general bowed his head as Greer's gaze became sharp. His lips thinned, and she realized he was eavesdropping on Amir's thoughts. He didn't appear to be a supporter of whatever he was seeing.

Greer confirmed Luna's suspicions when he spoke in an awed tone. "That's insane, truly absurd, but it could work."

Amir shot him a deadly look. "Why don't you tell the class what's going through my head?"

"Oh, no." Greer shook his head jokingly. "I don't want to overshadow you."

"You already have, which makes me—"

"Just spit it out," General Hayes urged, looking at both of them. "Please inform the rest of us who aren't telepathic."

Tyler shifted in his seat and fixed his stare on Amir.

Amir's mouth twisted into a smile. "There is one thing the organization has no defense against."

"Well, obviously not missiles," Chase muttered.

Amir's nostrils flared. "It's something that can destroy anything that gets in its way."

Chase turned his gaze away from the monitor as if bored with the entire discussion. Luna wondered if kicking him in the back of the head would irritate anybody other than him, but she restrained herself.

"What do we have that they don't?" General Hayes questioned.

"The Engineered Souls," Amir explained.

Luna blinked slowly, fearing her brain had failed her. "The Engineered Souls?"

"Yeah. I'm sure BARDA has made enemies with the majority of the engineered ones. That much I realized while working for them months ago," Amir explained. "There are several of them still alive."

"But they were developed by the organization," General Hayes pointed out. "There had to be a weakness created for them."

"Probably, but in my experience, they're extremely lethal. The most recent batch is likely unstoppable. BARDA has been experimenting with people for a long time, and there's no telling how powerful that group of souls is."

A few officers in the room had turned in their seats and were paying close attention to Amir.

"The first time I assisted with a 'patient,' as they called them, the man's abilities became aggressive." When Amir took a breath and closed his eyes, Luna's chest ached. She knew he was sorry for his part in helping BARDA with their experiments and failing to understand what was truly going on. The guilt was eating him alive. "The man was lying still one minute and then his body became overheated in a split second. I was then led out of the room, but as I walked down the hall, I could hear the screams of everyone inside. I'll never forget that sound."

"The engineered ones were created to eliminate every superhuman on the planet," Greer explained. "The difference between them and the Trojans is that they cannot be controlled. They truly are a predator to all of humanity."

"So are the Hybrids," Titus spoke, his voice trembling with excitement. "We were created to balance things out, which didn't work."

A glimmer of hope flared in Luna's chest, but she didn't want to get too excited and then be disappointed. "The Hybrids will fight alongside them and against us."

"They might," Greer said, "but they don't have the numbers we do. If we can get all the Hybrids on our side, along with the engineered people, we could actually fight. We may win this war."

'Don't you think that sounds like a plan, Rogue?' Titus slithered into Luna's head again, causing her to turn around and face him. 'Amir appears to be on board.'

'Amir is doing this on impulse. That's all it is.'

'Is it, L?' Titus grinned when Greer caught his stare. 'It's the best defense we've got.'

She sneered and turned her attention back to the group.

"I don't think the Engineered Souls would help with this," General Hayes implied. "They would have done it by now."

"They have to," said Amir. "I mean, the world is a complete mess, and I'm pretty sure nobody wants it to stay that way forever, right?"

"He has a point," Chase said, and everyone in the room looked at him.

"No one asked you," Greer groaned.

"I don't care. If I'm in the room, I'm going to talk whether you want me to or not," Chase said.

"Whatever." Greer crossed his arms over his chest. "I think they would join us. I'm sure some of the engineered ones want to end this madness, and most of them have reached out to Titus."

"What else can I say? Everyone comes to me for friendship," Titus said, resting his hands behind his silver head.

"And favors," Amir added. "Can't forget favors."

"Wow. I feel like Morgan Freeman should be doing a voice-over, like, 'Their weakest link owes Titus a favor and they should pay up,' and then the battle begins for freedom," she said, flushing as several pairs of eyes turned on her with identical expressions of confusion. "What? It seems like everyone I come into contact with owes T-Virus, and I think this moment calls for a payout."

"She ain't lying," Greer said, snickering.

"Titus has more favors owed to him than gamblers who owe debt," Luna added.

A genuine smile crossed Amir's lips. Despite everything, her insides melted into goo whenever he smiled softly like that because it was so incredibly remarkable. "Your brain is amazing," he told her.

'There is that 'love-struck thing' in Zoe and Connor's room that you were curious about.' Luna's nerves froze as Greer's words ran through her mind. 'It's cute.'

When she cleared her throat, heat engulfed her cheeks. "Do you think we can find anybody who would help?"

"How many Engineered Souls and Hybrids are available?" Amir directed the question at the general.

Luna had been surprised by many things, including the fact that BARDA had existed for many generations and now seemed to be collaborating with the Defectives to control the other products they'd developed, for whatever obscenely cruel intentions.

General Hayes' lips thinned. "Unlike the Origins, which BARDA monitored, we're uncertain of the exact numbers. Many Engineered Souls have gone into hiding once the Trojans became active."

"Where could they be?" Luna shuddered.

"Underground in various locations," he explained. "Traveling from one country to another. Half of them were in Peru the last time we checked. They're really difficult to detect on our scanners."

Greer continued, "That's because they can cloak themselves. Last year, I saw one while visiting Mexico City. The woman was a solid shape in the middle of a crowded street before she suddenly vanished. Luckily, no one was paying attention."

"And the US military was more focused on keeping an eye on active Tethered Souls and the revolutionary things we could do." Amir tsked. "Genius idea."

Titus shifted his gaze to him and laughed under his breath. "Someone hates America. I totally get it."

"I despise the fact that many people had to be kidnapped, held hostage, monitored, and born into an evil organization that had been around for centuries." Amir sighed. "If every government, including Pakistan and this one, had stopped it, none of this would be happening."

"As we've said before, rejecting BARDA was not an option," General Hayes said solemnly. "The organization was formed and grew once humanity began to awaken their natural gift. So now we're trying to control it for the next generation."

Luna gulped as she turned to face the general. "How many Engineered Souls are there in the United States?"

"A few hundred people worked for us," Chase explained.

"Wait." Amir's eyes shifted. "You're talking like it was in the past."

Oh, no.

General Hayes looked like he wanted to strip out of his vest. "When you exposed yourselves, many of them left BARDA."

Chase folded his hands over his lap and laughed, "Many? They all left. Nobody should be shocked. They are not the most sympathetic of all people."

When Greer spoke, Luna's tiny small glimmer of hope began to fade. "But they are still around, roaming the planet."

"And?" Chase moved back. "You're going to seek the help of them and other anomalies from BARDA?"

A cryptic smile trekked across Greer's face. "Not me, but I know someone who has a huge favor to repay to someone else."

All eyes were on Titus as he combed his long strands with his fingers. Luna once compared him to Legolas in Lord of the Rings with white, silvery hair.

What kind of shampoo does he use? she thought.

'Meet me in my shower later and I could show you,' Titus said, and her nose wrinkled.

Chase exhaled a breath. "It would be useless even if you could convince others to join BARDA in this war. There are too many operatives spread out—"

A voice from the center of the room interrupted, "Actually, if I may say something . . ." It was a woman in her mid-thirties with cherry-red hair pulled back into a tidy bun. Her hands were folded behind her back as she stood.

General Hayes gestured for her to proceed.

"With a manageable number in other nations, the majority of BARDA agents are in the United States. We believe this is because there are several anomalies already in this country. We have been surveilling activity for the past eight hours, and Defectives have been heading north, toward the Canadian border. If our suspicions are accurate, they'll be collaborating in Ottawa and growing into a substantial group," she explained while casting a glance at General Hayes and Greer. "Many of them would be eliminated if we launched an attack against them first. However, some have assimilated themselves into the cities we've already lost. People can't tell that they're the enemy."

"That is what we are preparing," said General Hayes.

"But you're thinking about launching missiles into Canada," Luna seethed, her hands clenched. "Not to mention, other locations all over the world."

Greer remarked, "More like if an even more sizable mass of Defectives does appear, it will be hundreds of missiles. Enough so that the majority of America and Canada would be eviscerated."

Luna closed her eyes and mumbled, "That's insane. Things are about to become more chaotic than they already were. What are you going to do to the cities already impacted?"

"Bombs will be dropped over the next two days." Compassion bled into the general's tone. "Mrs. Khan, those cities have perished. They can't ever be recovered. The bulk of Defectives and BARDA have taken control and killed anyone who refused to comply. There is barely any contact coming out of those areas from any Tethered Soul we trust. Whatever remaining survivors there are, we pray for them."

"Okay, so those cities are no longer habitable; what if we can somehow stop the Defectives from attacking everyone and control the Trojans?" Amir suggested, glancing at Luna. "What if we can do the same thing without punishing people on both sides and destroying cities?"

Chase shook his head in disbelief and sat down, choking out a laugh.

"Think about it," Titus said. "In just those cities alone, not including D.C., you will have millions of Americans entirely displaced, and the more you do this, the more refugees you will generate. The United States would collapse, just like England has."

'Believe me when I say I am pissed, Rogue. Utterly pissed.' Luna shifted her eyes toward Titus as he bit his lip. 'Most of Europe has gone under.'

'I'm sorry,' she told him.

'We need to win this war, no matter what it takes,' Titus finished.

General Hayes' jaw flexed. "Do you think our government hasn't thought of this? We are bracing for a disaster that would be even worse than losing every city as we speak. In case the crystals malfunction somehow, we're preparing for a total loss. We've thought this through for ages."

She felt like she was going to throw up as the general rattled on and on about the precautions his team was taking, including moving computers and other priceless technology equipment into underground shelters stocked with nonperishable items.

If she thought the Defectives were bad now, she had no idea what their side could be up against. They were on the cusp of a global catastrophe.

Greer stated, "We can get the Engineered Ones. We'll have to find them."

Her chest sank. Could we get them to fight?

When General Hayes spoke the magic words, she almost couldn't believe it because she didn't think it would be simple for him to agree. "We will postpone neutralizing Ottawa if you can persuade other anomalies to join alongside us. I'll get in touch with the Canadian government and tell them there has been a change of plans."

"Thank you." Luna nearly leaped. She almost hugged the man, but she was glad she didn't because that would have been awkward.

'Very awkward,' Titus murmured. 'I wouldn't be able to shake that image from my head.' He smirked at Luna's irritation.

"But we don't have much time. We've got about four days, maybe five, and then we have to move forward with our plans," the general clarified. "I need to notify every nation's acting leader so that they can prepare their survivors when we launch our missiles."

"This is ludicrous." Chase rose to his feet and threw his hands in the air. "You mean to tell me that the fate of humanity lies on—"

"You forget why you're out of your cell, Mr. Marquette," the general retorted. He drew himself up to his full height, exuding authority. "I, like the other commanders of the United States, am willing to test different methods. Do not question my authority."

General Hayes continued to belittle Chase, and while Luna expected to be happy to see it, she instead developed a terrible case of secondhand humiliation and wished she hadn't been there.

Amir, on the other hand, seemed positively overjoyed while Luna moved to stand next to him and Chase performed the mortifying walk of shame.

In less than five seconds, Greer began discussing multiple tactics everyone could use to attack BARDA and the Defectives. She never expected to hear her husband partaking in such an enthusiastic debate.

Chase was led away to plot his retaliation in a basement, and General Hayes began making calls. At that moment, her stomach chose to announce that it was in dire need of nourishment.

After seeing and hearing everything she did, she was shocked that she could even eat anything at all. She pressed her palm against her belly and grinned apologetically as the guys looked at her. "What?"

Amir's lips curled upward. "Wanna eat?"

"That would be great."

"There's food in a room on your floor," Greer said. "I thought you guys knew that."

"We were pressed for time." Instead of thinking about the reason she and Amir didn't eat, Luna stumbled and began imagining dancing, naked cavemen.

Titus raised an eyebrow. "The hell?"

Cheeks scorching, she turned to Amir. Before any of them had a peep show into her mind, she had to leave. "We should go see our families and eat something."

"Yeah." His lips slightly touched her forehead. "But I'm going to find Faisal first and visit the faith center to pray for a bit. I shouldn't be too long."

Luna grinned. "Sure. I'll meet you there and we can pray together."

She didn't look at Greer or Titus once she spun around and began walking toward the acrylic doors. Luna rushed out of the control room, leaving everyone behind. Not only did she want to eat, but she also wanted to see Sarah and her family. She'd missed them and hadn't seen anybody since they'd arrived.

When she climbed the empty stairwell and entered the main level's wide corridor, she considered paying another visit to Connor and Zoe to get more information. But she came to a halt when she rounded a corner.

Vikram was speaking to a man in white scrubs up ahead, a few doors down from where a medical sign was displayed. He was an older gentleman with white hair and a full white beard, holding a tablet.

Vikram turned around and began walking in her direction after the man noticed her and nodded.

"Oh my God, Vik!" Luna wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "It's so great to see you." His eyes sparkled like polished red gemstones as he pushed back. She could tell he'd been crying. "Vikram, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Luna," he murmured. "We tried to get you guys out sooner, but there was no way."

"It's fine," she said, inhaling slowly. "Just tell me why you're upset."

He sniffed and ran a hand over his chin. "It's Liberty. Something's happened to her."

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