Chapter Twenty-Three

I said I would fight, but really I just wanted to survive. The world had become a harsh place in which to live, but I wanted to live. I wanted to breathe the air. I wanted to run through the forests. This was my world, and I wasn't ready to give up.

It was time we figured out our next move, but I couldn't will myself to do it without Theo. He should have been here, guiding me, telling me what to do, but instead he was at Artek. Was he being held against his will? Surely, if he were okay, he would have managed to escape and find us.

I hadn't seen him for what seemed like an eternity, except in my thoughts and dreams. If only there were a way for me to see him right now. To touch him. To know that everything was okay. What had Dr. James done to him? Had she altered him too? The idea made me want to vomit, or hit something with a bolt of electricity. But then I remembered: I no longer had the latter option. I had become like the normals, and it was frustrating and scary.

A wave of loneliness washed over me. It was time to go and get Theo.

Slowly, I slid my legs over the side of the small table on which I had been lying for the past few hours. At least, that's how long I assumed I'd been asleep. Everyone else lay motionless on nearby tables in the middle of the dark basement.

"What are you doing?" Audrina groggily whispered, causing my back to go rigid.

I had assumed they were all hard asleep and hadn't expected the sound of her voice.

"Go back to sleep. I'm just stretching," I responded, hoping she would do as I said and not ask additional questions.

"Okay," she mumbled, before going quiet again.

I tip-toed to the far end of the basement and stood silently against the wall, watching the others.

Was I really ready to face Dr. James alone? In my mind, I knew the answer: yes. I could do it. I was a warrior. A soldier. My mother's daughter.

If only I had done a better job at recon and knew more about Artek. That would be ideal, but, quite honestly, I didn't have the time. I needed to go now, before the others woke and tried to stop me.

I traced the thin silver medallion that gleamed from my chest. Its metal surface easily stood out against my white uniform. I had let my fingers slid over the outline of this necklace so many times over the past few years. The medallion was the one thing I had always had. At least, as far as I could remember.

Without hesitation, I pulled at it. I was going to Artek, and I was going to bring back Theo. I turned briefly to look back at the others. They lay motionless on the tables. I could hear Gave's soft breathing. I would be back before they woke. With that thought, I turned and jumped.

Instantly, I was standing in a large room. I had been here before; it was the room with the white tiger. This time, I knew I wasn't dreaming. I shook my head several times, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to go on a little hunt of my own.

I darted for the only door in the room, grasped the cold, metal handle, and pulled it open. A stark white hallway greeted me on the other side, and I made my way down the narrow space until I reached another door. Crap. I didn't know if this was the right door. Honestly, I had no clue what I was looking for, other than I knew that Theo was somewhere inside this facility.

The door made a soft clicking sound as the handle released, and it swung open to reveal Theo sitting hunched over behind a glass wall. It was as if he were being held in a cage.

"Theo!" I frantically whispered. "Theo! I found you!" I tried to contain my excitement, but pure emotion gave way to commonsense.

"Esa!" His gaze darted to me as he jumped up from where he was sitting.. "Esa, listen to me; you've got to go back. Tell Samuel I need him. He's the only one who can help me."

"Shut up," I responded angrily. "I'm not leaving without you." I looked him over. His medallion no longer hung around his neck.

His eyes widened. "You have to go now. It's only a matter of seconds before they come in here. Go, Esa. Tell Samuel he needs to come to Artek."

"No."

"Esa, go!" he yelled. "That's an order." I could hear the panic in his voice, but he had to know I was strong. I could handle anyone who walked through the door.

"No! I'm not leaving." I wasn't going to budge.

His expression softened. "Esa, go now. Trust me. Tell Samuel I know who has been hunting the team, but he has to come here. I need to talk with him and only him."

I shook my head. I didn't want to leave Artek without him, but Theo didn't want to see me. He had been hoping Samuel would find him. He didn't think I was capable of getting him out of this situation. I would prove him wrong. I tugged on my medallion again. Instantly, I was standing next to Theo. The glass wall between us was now off to one side.

Theo had a sly smile on his face. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm not leaving without you." I was tired of everyone questioning my abilities.

Theo hesitated for several seconds before saying, "Okay, let's go. I need to talk with the rest of the team."

"About what?" I asked, perplexed. There was something about his voice that didn't seem quite right and made the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Esa! Let's get out of here," he responded harshly. "Isn't that what you wanted me to say?"

My hand shook as I pulled at my medallion, and I decided not to open the Jump Line. Theo didn't seem himself. In a rush of realization, I knew what was happening. This person wasn't my Theo. It was an imposter. Someone who'd lured me in and tried to get me to bring back the rest of the team...most notably Samuel.

The idea ignited a new wave of anger inside me. I would make this person pay. My fists slowly tightened. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I leaned in, ready to put as much energy as possible behind the blow that I intended for the imposter's face. I felt the contact as my fist hit his right cheekbone. The impact caused me to take a step backward.

The thing that looked like Theo had a snarl on its face as it tried to process what I had done. Suddenly, it looked sad, "Esa, what are you doing?" it asked, raising its hands to physically inspect the damage I had done.

"Shut up. I know you're not Theo," I spat out as I walked around him.

"Esa, you need to calm down. This is not how you normally act," the fake Theo responded calmly, almost robotically.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm going to destroy you," I said as I lunged forward with of my fist ready to make contact.

Just as I grazed the imposter's skin, I heard the words, "Well done, Captain Esa James. You have passed the test."

What? What test? My gaze shot up toward the ceiling. "Thank you, Dr. James. I've come to take Theo home."

There was a brief pause and then the voice responded with, "Very well. Go back to the hallway and go down two more doors. Theo will be waiting for you."

"And who else will be there?" I asked through deep breaths.

"Only Theo. The real Theo. I am done with him, but I would like Samuel to come and visit me. Please let him know we need to discuss something."

"Fine." I turned toward the half-inch-thick sheet of glass. It slid downward and I strode to the door that led back to the hallway.

Once I entered the narrow space again, I began to count the doors. "One, two." Two! That's what she had said. This was the door that separated me from Theo.

I pushed it open and there he stood, near the back of the room with his hands on his hips.

"Well, it's about time," he said. "What took you so long?"

A wave of emotion overcame me. This was my Theo. He was standing so close to me. I rushed into the room and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm so happy to see you," I murmured.

He leaned down. "Me too, but we seriously need to get out of here."

"I know. I know," I responded, trying to get control of my emotions.

"Esa, pull your medallion."

"Why don't you open the Jump Line?"

"Uh, I don't have my medallion any longer," he responded, making odd hand gestures toward his white suit. He was right. His necklace no longer hung around his neck. I guessed it made sense that Dr. James would take it away from him, as a way to keep him here, but there was still a sickening feeling in my gut.

"Okay," I responded, hoping I wasn't doing something that would destroy our team.

Seconds later we were back in the basement. Audrina, Samuel and Gave were now sitting up on the tables.

"Well, it's about time," Gave said.

"Sorry, did I take too long?" I responded. "I was trying to jump back to a minute after I left."

"Well, you didn't quite make that jump. You've been gone for an hour," Samuel said dryly. "We can discuss your little adventure in a bit. Right now, I want to focus on the fact that Theo is with you. How did you find him?"

"It's good to be back," Theo said, looking around the room and then raising his eyebrows. "Are we in the basement?"

"Yes," I responded. "We needed some place to hide and cover any energy."

"Good choice," Theo said, crossing to Samuel. "Dr. James has requested you pay her a visit."

"What does she want?" Samuel narrowed his eyes as he inspected Theo. I could tell he was silently questioning how Theo was standing here with all of us.

"She wouldn't tell me, but she had hoped it would be you trying to do the rescue and not Esa."

"That doesn't make sense," Samuel said.

"She told me she knew who was attacking the team and that you would find the information particularly interesting. She kept saying that if there was anyone who would appreciate the science, it would be you."

Samuel took a deep breath. "That's definitely true. I would like to find out more. However, we can't risk the entire team going and getting trapped there. Let me go alone. If I'm not back in a couple of minutes, you can come and find me."

"I'm not sure I like that idea," Audrina said. "Why don't I come with you?"

Samuel shook his head. "I don't want to take any additional risks."

Instantly, he disappeared on the Jump Line.