J. Spelbring: Perfection

As she slowly stretched her leg, the muscles in her arms spasmed, and before she could correct her grasp, her back slid. Suddenly, air was rushing past her, and her knees banged against the edge. A tinging echoed through the ductwork. Suppressing a startled cry, her fingers latched onto the side and gained purchase before she plummeted downward.

Ellyssa dangled in the long chute, arms tense against the pull of gravity, breath locked in her chest. She listened for any activity. Nothing, so far. No shouts of surprise, no blaring alarms.

With a low grunt, Ellyssa hefted herself up and over into the cross-section. Using her shaky arms, she slithered forward, snakelike, through the L3 duct, until she reached light filtering through a grate in little jagged rectangles. She twisted onto her side.

Ellyssa closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. Like fingers searching for a hold, her gift stretched, looking for Rein. Emptiness extended beyond, behind, and to the sides. Further and further she searched, until his energy, his signature, pulsed, like a flash of light in a dark corner of a room.

Ellyssa exhaled. Her heart reacted with relief, and the link sizzled and weakened.

She redoubled her efforts and latched onto him. Except for a spark of life, there were no images, no thoughts, no feelings. His eyes were closed, and she swam in black ink with him. Something was wrong.

An unpleasant physical sensation suddenly hit her, like a wave battering against rocks. Pain. The feeling was strong and intense, unlike anything she’d felt before. It enveloped her, twisting within her veins.

Horrified, Ellyssa yanked herself away, and Rein’s tormented scream traveled back with her, piercing the empty hall, reverberating in her ears, in her bones. Then it was gone. An eerie quiet settled.

He was somewhere on the north side, where vacant rooms were used for storage…and for torturing the one man who meant more to her than life itself. His scream still echoed in her head.

All fear of being caught vanished as she bludgeoned the grate, striking again and again with her fist until it gave way. The grille dropped to the floor with a clang that shattered the silence.

If they had not known of her presence before, they did now.

Ellyssa twisted her body and struggled out until her legs spilled onto the cold linoleum floor. She popped up, ready for someone to spring out at her. No one did, but every hair on her body tingled.

Two doors, both leading to classrooms, stood directly in front of her. To the right, the hall dead-ended at a closet marked Utilities . To the left was the main hall, connecting the south, where she stood now, to the north. Closest to her was the one and only elevator that led to her father’s office and her old apartment floor, their only source of escape… if they were given the opportunity.

Ellyssa checked her watch. Eight minutes had passed. It seemed as if an eternity had crept by since she’d crawled through the opening of the grating in the floor above.

That gave her seventeen minutes until Woody’s job was completed, then fifteen to leave the building.

Not enough time.

Panic popping, her heart pounded uncontrollably, thudding against her ribcage. Logical thought scampered away. Indecision plagued her.

She couldn’t work like this.

Control .

She breathed in and slowly blew out the air. In and out. In and out.

Rein. She had to find him.

She shut her eyes, quieting her whirling mind, her rapid pulse.

Calm .

With her back pressed against the wall, Ellyssa crept to the corner, bare feet padding noiselessly. She peered down the uninviting main hall. Long fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, just like in the cavern, and reflected off the white tile floors and walls. Every few meters, doors opened into rooms.

She slunk around the corner and into the hall, her steps sure and silent. She opened her mind for Rein. For any signature at all. Rein flickered in the distance, softly pulsing, alone. That didn’t make sense. If no one was on the floor, who had caused him to scream?

Ellyssa checked her watch again. Fifteen minutes until Woody armed the bombs. Two minutes gone, disappeared, never to be reclaimed, as if time had finally sped up to make up for its lag within the confines of the ventilation system.

Quickening her pace, she slipped through the shadows of the hall. The corridor seemed to lengthen before her as she hurried, every intersection posing new threats. Still listening, still watching, keeping her mind open, Ellyssa continued without hesitation.

Time moved forward; she lengthened her stride, her bare feet slapping against the tile. The sound echoed along the walls, but she no longer cared.

At the next-to-last intersection, Rein’s signature flashed like a beacon. His presence filled her with longing for his smile, his touch, his kiss.

She stopped in the middle of the intersecting passageways, vulnerable to enemies. Surprisingly, the halls remained empty; only shadows moved in the corners.

Unease twisted her gut. This was too easy.

Three doors occupied the small hall, two to the right and one to the left, all leading to rooms she’d never frequented.

She stepped. His signal grew stronger. She stepped again, reaching for him with the wisps of her mind.

The last door on the right.

Pain flared, resonating within his being, his every fiber, and filled her as well. Fear terrorized his mind. Darkness swirled.

“Rein!” she yelled.

His name?

The sound rang in Rein’s ears, but the pain overshadowed it. By the time the fire subsided, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard his name at all.

“Rein!”

Ellyssa?

Panic twisted his stomach. She couldn’t come in here.

His eyes snapped open to blackness, thick and mucky like an oil slick. He drew in a breath to warn her, to tell her to run, but when his lips parted, all he could manage was a desperate whimper. He swallowed and tried again. His voice refused to cooperate.

Ellyssa .

He hoped she could read him.

Don’t come in here .

It was the best he could do.

Trap!

Rein’s voice echoed in Ellyssa’s mind. His thoughts were disoriented, his fear and pain immense.

She glanced over her shoulder. No pounding footsteps. No minds to read.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open. Light spilled across the floor in an arc.

The room stood empty, except for a few old wooden chairs and a rickety metal desk that was missing a leg. On the far wall, a chalk board hung under an old round clock, its hands frozen long ago.

Rein?

For a moment, Ellyssa thought she’d made a mistake. That the confusion in his thoughts had misled her. She hesitated, about to turn around and check the adjoining room, but a shadowy movement in the far corner caught her eye.

“Rein,” she breathed. She took a tentative step inside.

Rein’s head bobbed at the sound of her voice, like he was trying to raise it. Instead, it lolled to the side and came to rest on his shoulder.

The sight of him brought relief…and fear…and anger. What had they done to him?

Forgetting caution, Ellyssa ran to him and dropped to her knees. She placed her hands on the sides of his face. “Rein, it is okay. I am going to get you out of here.”

His lips parted and one corner rose as if he was trying to smile. His face was bruised and dried blood caked the sides of his head and matted his hair. His jade eyes shone with relief, with happiness…with love. The shine flashed, then was gone. The green hid behind darkened clouds of pain.

Face twisting, Rein’s teeth gritted together. “Trap.” His voice barely rose above a whisper.