Chapter Eighteen

"When are we going to get Samuel? He's been there for too long now." My voice was a little shaky as I tried to get some information out of the group. I knew they were making a rescue plan, but they hadn't included me.

"We're leaving in just a few minutes," Audrina said.

"Really?" It didn't feel like they were about to leave. Once again, they had given me only limited information.

Yes." Theo looked down at his watch.

"Can I go this time? I want to help." The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. It was true that I wanted to go, but I knewthat I would most likely not be allowed.

"Are you ready, Esa? You know this mission may involve you using your powers on someone? You won't be able to hesitate or get lured in by Paul, suddenly believing he's a nice guy. You need to be strong. Just remember some of the defensive moves we worked on in the gym earlier," Audrina said.

Gave had come to the gym shortly after Audrina and I started working out, and he'd shown me, once again, how to create weapons with electricity. My first few attempts had been a disaster, but finally I'd got it down, and after only a few minutes of training, I was able to create a ball of electricity and hit the bullseye, leaving a charred mark in the wall. For some reason, Gave hadn't seem surprised by my accomplishment.

"That's my girl," he had said. "I knew there was a little bit of the old Esa in you."

"What does that mean?" I had asked. I had seen myself kill someone, but I was still eager to learn more about my old self. Anything that might help bring back my memory.

"It means, Captain Esa James always hit her target. You were, or, I guess, are, perfect at everything. Precision is your greatest capability."

I shook my head as I looked back over at Audrina. "I'm ready and, trust me, Paul will not be able to lure me in or make me forget why I'm there. Samuel is coming home... with us."

Luther continued to prepare for the mission by arming his suit with various small, odd-shaped weapons and what appeared to be explosive devices. Each addition caused his suit to bulge. Just as I was about to say something regarding his lumpy exterior, he threw two small knives past my head. They hit the large wooden pillar in the middle of the room with a soft thud.

"Esa, take those. You may need them. Just touch the tips to your palm and it will electrify the blade. You also need to have one of these," he said, pulling out a can and spraying its contents into the room.

The smell made my eyes water and my throat dry, causing me to cough. Instantly, I knew what he was holding. "Why do I need mace? Who uses that stuff?" I asked through coughs.

"Duh, we do, and because it's always a good thing to have. You never know when you will need to go old-school on these futuristic beasts."

"What Luther is trying to say is that we've had success with mace. It's very much something from the twenty-first century, but it's effective. The technology in 2105 and beyond will have a problem with it simply because it creates too much moisture. Plus, this isn't an ordinary can of mace; it's been Samuelized," Gave said, plucking the can out of Luther's hand and walking over to hand it to me.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means it's been specially enhanced with all sorts of cool stuff. That's why we keep Samuel around. He's the man who knows how to enhance weapons to our liking," Luther said.

The mood in the room grew serious as we looked at each other. I enjoyed being near all of these people. Luther had turned out to actually be funny.

"I think I'm ready. At least, I feel that way." I nodded.

Theo, Luther, Audrina and Gave were all wearing the same white outfits, but Gave meticulously tucked several small knives beneath his pant leg, and more in small pockets sewn into his shirt. His knives were not as bulky as all of the weapons Luther had managed to stuff into his suit. Gave looked more like a ninja.

"Ready," Gave finally said, hands on his hips. His stance caused a little laugh to escape my lips.

"Let's go," Audrina said. "Theo, please do the honors."

Theo grabbed ahold of his medallion and released it from the chain around his neck. In one swift move, he threw it forward and a beautiful rainbow of multi-colored light greeted us. I placed my hand on Theo's shoulder. Audrina place hers on mine. And Gave and Luther also grabbed on.

"See you all soon," Theo said as we walked collectively onto the Jump Line, each of us mentally preparing for what lay ahead. Would Paul be waiting again? Would he have soldiers ready to fight?

The line pulled my body slowly forward. A beautiful rainbow of lights danced around us, and then suddenly it was dark again. We were sitting in some sort of room. There was a cold metal wall at my back and someone's hand was on my knee.

"Shh," Audrina whispered. "We're here. Theo and Esa, you go down F-1. Luther, Gave and I will take F-2."

The other three crawled away down the dark corridor. No one intercepted them. I sat there, stunned at how fast everything was happening.

"What's F-1?" I finally mustered up the courage to ask Theo. I didn't want to sound stupid in front of him.

"It's a hallway. Paul has several small rooms where he keeps his visitors or, as I like to call them, prisoners." Theo's tone grew serious.

"Prisoners?" The idea that Theo was attaching that word to Samuel seemed a little odd.

"Yes, Esa. You need to understand, once Paul gets you, he will make you his prisoner. Don't hesitate when you are around him. He wants you to think that he is stronger than you, but he's not. You will see one day. You are strong, and you are definitely an asset he wants on his team."

Theo's words hung in the air. It would be interesting to see Paul again. Too bad for Paul, I could feel Samuel. I knew he was close by. The energy coming from his body was increasing. He was mad. Definitely very mad.

"Theo," I said, grabbing at his arm.

"I know. I can feel him too. He's getting angry. His body is heating up. I feel sorry for whoever is in the room with him. Samuel doesn't hesitate. When he gets worked up, he's not afraid to show just how strong his powers have grown over the past few years," Theo said.

His words brought back memories of the last time I was at OnyxFive with Samuel. He had easily freed himself from the table and then taken care of the normal who had walked into the room to inspect us. It was as if the power rushing through my body wanted to match the amount flowing through Samuel's. We both wanted revenge.

Theo and I quit the small room in which we'd landed and made our way down the narrow hallway, pausing at each door to ensure we remained alone and undetected.

There was something different about the third door. Theo had rushed in and out of all the previous rooms, but his movements drastically slowed when he reached the third. He disappeared for a few seconds and then returned.

"Esa, he's there, but Paul has done something to him. He doesn't want to leave."

"Let me go in there," I said, already knowing I wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Alone."

"Fine. Go," Theo responded, not hiding his frustration.

As I let myself into the small chamber, I found out why. It was dark. Samuel was sitting in the far corner, his head bowed between his knees. He didn't move when I entered.

Finally, I heard a faint whisper. "Behind you."

The statement made me pause. What was happening? I listened for any sounds behind me. I wanted to question Samuel, but there was something in the way he'd said the words that told me there was no other choice: I had to turn toward the wall.

When I did so, I saw only a soft blue light. Everything else was dark. I tried to force my eyes to focus a little better, until finally I saw it. There was something etched into the wall's smooth surface. My eyes ached as I tried to read in the dim light. Eventually, I made out "0102-E."I blinked several times to make sure I was seeing it right.

"Sam, I—"

"Shh. Go. I need to stay. See you soon."

The others were right: Samuel was always a step ahead. He had made sure I would visit him in this place. There was something about 0102-E that he wanted me to see.

Spinning on my heels, I quit the small little cell and found Theo.

"What is it? Did you talk to him?"

"Not really, but Samuel is definitely trying to tell us something. Let's go. We need to return to the house. I need somewhere I can think."

"About what?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to the house. We need to be somewhere safe, and this is not the place. Something doesn't feel right."

"Fine. Hold on," Theo said.

I grabbed Theo's shoulder and suddenly we were back at the house in our primary year. Audrina, Luther and Gave were still gone.

"Don't worry. The other three are very powerful when they are together," Theo said.

We still stood side by side, and I could feel the heat from his body. It made my cheeks flush. There was something about Theo that made me want to move closer. There was a magnetic pull between us. The entire scene was perplexing. My world was one in which lines were perfectly set; there were no gray areas. When I was around Theo, however, I felt as if those lines were no longer straight. They were soft, with many twists and turns.

Theo's chest heaved as he stood inches from me. I tilted my head to meet his eyes. My breath had started to speed up and I felt like my knees could collapse from the weight of the rest of my body.

"0102-E was etched into the wall in Samuel's cell. What does that mean?" I asked Theo, hoping that talking might be the distraction I needed not to fall on my face.

"Don't know," Theo said, shaking his head.

I thought about the numbers and letter. It was the "E" that drew me. "Is there a room or hallway in OnyxFive that might match that combination?"

"No. Not that I'm aware of. All of the hallways start with the letter 'F'," Theo responded.

"Why?"

"I don't know. That's just how they're labeled." Theo shrugged. "I'm sure there is a technical reason; I just don't know what it is. Maybe the 'F' stands for 'Falcon' or 'Final.'"

"Wait. What if the 'E' is for me—Esa? Maybe 0102 is a code to something, or a year we need to visit?"

"It's definitely not a year in the past. At least not written that way. We could never go back to the first 100 years of existence. It's too far for us to safely jump without causing a ripple in time."

Visions of Samuel, Theo, Audrina, Luther and Gave swirled around in my thoughts. In the middle was a glimpse of Paul. I knew him. I felt him. He was getting ready to make his move. It was almost as if we were all pawns in a game of chess. Paul was lining up his next play so his king would win.

"What if I have it backward? What if Samuel is saying '2010 Esa'?"

"It's possible. What's in 2010?"

"That's where he found me. Theo, we need to go back," I pleaded, wanting to make the jump immediately to see what might be waiting for us in that year. Samuel was definitely trying to tell me something. He knew I would figure out his code.

"Fine." Theo looked up at the ceiling. "LUX, if the rest of the team get back before us, let them know we've gone to 2010 and will be back soon."

"Yes, Captain Marcus," the robotic voice responded. "The team will be notified."

"Thank you," I said looking toward the ceiling, knowing that even though I couldn't see LUX, she could certainly see me.

"You are welcome, Captain James. Safe travels. I will be watching."

There was something in 2010 that Samuel wanted us to see. Something that would help us figure out Paul's next move. The idea the year 2010 was a key year for me was somewhat unbelievable. Before I'd met Theo and the team, my life had been pretty boring. I thought about the last day of my previous life. The school hallway and all of the faces. That time seemed like such a distant memory.

I could feel the energy coming from Theo. I snapped my head up to look at him, only to find him staring at me with a sad expression.

"Tell me why I'm drawn to you. Do you feel like you are drawn to me, or am I imagining this?" I asked suddenly, without hesitation, tired of not knowing the answer. It didn't seem like the right time to be asking such questions, but I knew that if I didn't address it now, I probably never would. My stomach felt like one large knot as I waited for his answer.

Theo stepped closer. "No, you're not imagining anything, Esa. It's just who we are."