Amy Rench - Fallen Rogue

No, they didn’t need guns. They were bio-enhanced. But not like her. She was stronger. Singular. Pure.

She grinned at her confidence. At the unparalleled power of her mind.

Two men shot a surge of energy at her. She could see the air displace as the cloudy wave swelled toward her like an oncoming flood.

She effortlessly met the surge with a clear one of her own. The space between Harper and her targets crackled like lightning as the crushing forces collided.

A handful of other men behind the two at the forefront added their power to the psionic fray. She met their energy as well with more than enough of her own. Her grin widened. Maybe she wasn’t suicidal. This was going to be easier than she thought. And fun.

More footsteps in the soggy grass of the courtyard behind her. She spared a quick glance over her shoulder to see another group of brutes briskly approaching her position in the center of the quad. For crying out loud, did Jeff seriously have an entire army at his disposal?

Narrowing her eyes, she turned sideways and moved one arm behind her, launching powerful waves toward the newcomers to hold them off while she continued with the other arm to battle the men she’d already engaged.

Harper’s blood was on fire, sizzling through every fiber as her psi power raged like a ravenous caged beast inside her mind. Her body became a giant dynamo, radiating improbable power inside and out, searing her muscles and singeing her skin.

Closing her eyes, she saw red sparks flare behind her eyelids. The blazing heat threatened to overtake her, engulf her body in an unearthly inferno. If she could open her eyes right now, she wouldn’t be surprised to see her clothes in flames.

So she did. And her superior psionic power was wearing her adversaries down.

Incredible. Harper couldn’t help the heady sensation of invulnerability. Rather, she greeted the feeling as though it was finally coming home. If the psi power was going to kill her, what a way to go.

Focusing on the men in front of her, she decided to crank it up a notch. When she swam in a race, she had always been able to tap into her strength for a little extra boost when she’d needed it. She decided to use a trace of those reserves now, but also save some for later. If she’d even need it.

Reaching inside her mind with a fiery talon, she sent a shock wave down to her hand and willed her psi power to tear through the onslaught of pounding force the men were bringing from the front.

And it did. Cutting through their resisting murky energy like a razor to silk. Barraging through their bodies in a ghostly surge and dropping them as if they were rag dolls. Dead. For Bobby.

With a pleased smile, she turned to fully face the enemies behind her. Using both hands now, she centered her mind’s focus on their substantial attack. There were more of them than she’d just killed, maybe ten or twelve, but it was hard to discern through the heated fury coloring her sight.

Bringing her hands back toward her chest, she quickly pressed her open palms toward them, again and again, pushing the men back with swells of energy.

With each forceful thrust, she drove them farther and farther away, until she broke through their defense completely and hurled them through the air. Their limp bodies fell cruelly to the damp grass. Unmoving.

More spattering footsteps on the pavement trickled through her concentration. She whirled around to face the entrance of the complex once more. Four men walked toward her, but without the hostile intent of the others. They held guns, but they weren’t aiming them at her.

A greeting party? Finally.

Harper stepped forward to meet them, stopping when they halted about twenty paces away from her. Maybe they were giving up and this was some sort of parley. Somehow the thought disappointed her. She had so been looking forward to tearing through each and every one of them to get to Jeff Donovan and destroy the horror that he’d created.

“Enough,” she snarled. “Where’s Donovan?” She waited, half hoping they’d make the slightest move. Wanting to unleash more fury upon them.

“Ms. Kane.” They parted like a curtain, revealing the source of the strangely familiar voice.

The man from the lab. The man who had murdered her brother. The man who had ordered Rome to hunt her down.

Jeff Donovan.

She knew he’d be here. And she also knew he wouldn’t keep their bargain. That was okay. She hadn’t intended to keep it, either. There was no way she’d ever give this vile piece of filth her brother’s formula.

“Nice to finally meet you face-to-face,” he continued as he strolled forward to stand just in front of his four guardians. She noticed a large wooden crate behind the spot he’d just vacated. Probably for her. Because if she was out of the natural light, her powers would be useless. “An impersonal phone call just isn’t the same. Nor were you really in any condition to chat the last time I saw you.”

She just smiled in response, keeping a lid on her burgeoning hatred for him at the moment. It was more than satisfying to finally confront the mastermind behind all of this. She nearly twitched in anticipation of ending this once and for all.

“You’ve made quite a mess out here,” he said genially. She watched him leisurely glance around at the crowd of bodies that littered the courtyard like confetti.

“You’ve made quite a mess yourself,” she shot back, her gaze locked on him. The rain increased its pounding from the sky. Much like her psionic energy pounded against the walls of her mind. Itching to be set free.

“No, your brother did.” His voice turned cold and condemning. “Dr. Kane created a revolutionary formula. But instead of exploring its full potential, he hoarded it like a spoiled child.”

Harper seethed at his words and wondered why she wasn’t cutting him down right that very instant. Maybe she just wanted to hear why he’d done it. Why someone would choose to destroy the lives of others. Though in the end, it wouldn’t really matter.

Jeff would die. And so would she.

“Ms. Kane, you are the proof.” He sauntered toward her. His unhurried steps ate up half the distance that separated them before he stopped.

“Proof of what?” she couldn’t help asking as she shook violently inside, just waiting for the right moment to open the gates of her emotions and allow her fierce power to rip his world apart.

“That the formula has a higher purpose,” Jeff answered. He didn’t appear to be afraid of her. He should be.

“And what’s that?” Harper decided to humor him.

“Vengeance,” Jeff stated simply.

He had that right. She did plan to use it for vengeance. What higher purpose was there?

“You want to avenge your brother’s death,” he continued, holding her captive with his words. “He was an unfortunate casualty.”

“Casualty?” She fumed at the term, taking a threatening step forward. “He was gunned down in cold blood. I was there. I saw it.”

“It didn’t have to end up that way,” Jeff countered in a sensible tone. This man was insane. He acted as if Bobby had asked to die. “Your brother assumed the worst and pulled his research. He didn’t take the time to find out the real intent of my program. Instead of joining my team, he shunned it. His research was important for more than just his beloved plants.”

The man was talking in circles. Trying to confuse her. Maybe trying to buy some time, because he knew he was running out of it. And yet, why was she allowing it? Why was she holding back?

“Get to the point,” she demanded, heat simmering just under her skin, tingling and ready.

“The point is, Ms. Kane, the serum you have inside your body can be used for more than just a trivial payback for a tragedy,” he said, taking another step forward.