Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(83)

I don’t say anything. I’m too shocked. That was his name. The boy with all the blood.

“Oh, of course, you don’t,” she snickers. “Why should you? He was nothing. Just a commoner. A Third that was never good enough. Just. Like. You.”

“He wasn’t a nothing. Not to me. I thought I loved him,” I say quietly, as the memories of all the times we’d snuck out together collide in my mind. Gavin stops and stares at me, his eyes a storm of emotions.

All those twisted memories make sense now. The dark recesses. The rough touches and gentle kisses. The plan. One night plays in front of my eyes. We’d decided we’d couple. I’d chosen him.

Then Mother had him killed.

Veronica laughs. “You loved him? Well, look where that got him. Two shots to the chest and a permanent resting place at the bottom of the sea.” She glances over at Gavin—who pales—with a grin. “Better hope she doesn’t love you, Surface Dweller. Or you’ll never make it out. Oh wait. That isn’t going to happen anyway.”

Anger bubbles up in me, then just as suddenly it’s gone. I grin at the girl, whose smile fades when I say, “I’m not nothing. I’m more than you’ll ever be.”

I lift the plasma pistol up and aim at her.

Nothing happens.

Veronica bursts out laughing. “Out of ammo? See? You are a failure.”

“First rule,” I say, swinging the Reising up to my shoulder. “Always come prepared.” I pull the trigger slightly so only a single bullet leaves the chamber.

It’s a perfect shot, and the sound echoes throughout the tiny room. But I’m not prepared for what happens next.

The bullet tears through her chest and hits the Enforcer behind her, but Veronica remains standing.

“Ow,” she says. “That hurts!” Then she sprints forward, coming straight at me.

I shoot again. This time a three-round burst. They rip through her and blood sprays everywhere, but it still doesn’t stop her. She tackles me to the ground and my head slaps the concrete. Stars dance in my eyes and compete with the wave of pain.

But I don’t have time to wallow in it. She’s trying to tear me apart. It takes everything I have to wrangle my legs between us. I set my feet on her chest and kick as hard as I can.

She flies backward into her group of Enforcers. I don’t understand why they aren’t attacking me. Why didn’t they kill us the minute we stepped in here?

I shove myself to my feet and glance around for Gavin. He’s over at the control panel, but he’s facing down two Enforcers. While he looks like he’s fighting with everything he has, they’re not even breaking a sweat.

What is going on here?

Hearing a shout, I twist my body just in time for Veronica to pass by. When she turns back around, she’s covered in blood, but the wounds on her body are closing. I don’t understand what I’m seeing.

She grins. “I asked for better healing. I was already perfect at everything else.”

Wonderful.

I glance over to where Gavin is still fighting with the girls. They’re just slapping away his advances like he’s an annoying fly.

Even Veronica is just standing there in front of me. Grinning.

“You’re wondering why you aren’t dead yet, aren’t you?”

I nod.

“We have orders to try and take you alive. Both of you.” She smiles wider. “But what Mother doesn’t know won’t hurt us and I’m done playing games.”

She pulls out her gun and aims it at me at the same time I slap in a canister and pull out the plasma pistol, taking aim at Veronica. “Last chance, Veronica. Stand down and let us by, or I shoot you and your girls.”

She laughs. “Haven’t you learned anything? Bullets have no long-term effects on me.”

“They don’t have to.” I sigh. “These aren’t bullets.”

I aim and fire. The surprise on her face quickly morphs into fear, then pain. But before the flames can engulf her face, the rest of the Enforcers are pulling out their own guns. Gavin yanks the plasma pistol out of his pocket and shoots the nearest one. My eyebrows lift when he manages to get not only the first girl, but also the one nearest to her with the single blast. They drop to the ground, fire encasing them, and even though they’re still trying to get to him, it isn’t long before they’re a pile of ash on the ground.

Two more Enforcers aim and fire at me, and I spin just in time to avoid getting a bullet to the head. I fire again, this time not taking a chance. Apparently it’s me and Gavin or them. So I continue to shoot until there’s no one in the room except Gavin and me, several piles of ash, and one or two who died when I shot Veronica with the Reising.

Emotionally exhausted, I stare at what’s left of the group, but Gavin has more worries on his mind than how we’ve destroyed girls who had no choice.

“Evie, are you hurt?”

I shake my head.

“There’s blood all over you.”

“It’s not mine. It’s Veronica’s.”

I stumble over to the control panel and try to figure out how it works. We’re interrupted when Mother’s voice comes through the speakers in the ceiling.

“For the last time, Evelyn, I won’t allow you to leave. It’s only a matter of time before your own Conditioning takes over. You can’t fight it forever.” Her voice wavers and there’s a ferocity to it now. Obviously us prevailing over her Enforcers wasn’t part of her all-knowing plan.