Q’s bunker was tightly
packed with equipment, a small cot in the corner and a rolling chair the only
pieces of furniture. Ashtyn stepped
inside cautiously, Rita behind her. Q
was already rushing across the room, towards a pedestal with a black satin
basin on top.
She watched as he gently
placed the crystal into the basin, handling it as if it was as fragile as an
egg.
“My mother wasn’t always
evil.” He rushed around the room, not looking at them as he spoke. “It was the magic that did it to her. It poisoned her, latched onto her negative
emotions, built them up, gave them power.”
He grabbed the chair and
plopped down in front of bank of monitors.
“Q, you told me that.”
Ashtyn took a step closer to him, motioning for Rita to stay close to the
door.
“That crystal,” he
motioned with a nod of his head, never looking away from the screen, “was
hers. She used it to trap people,
souls.” His fingers typed
furiously. “One soul in particular.
“
“Who?” Rita leaned
inside, but kept one foot on the dirt.
“You already met
her.” Q looked at her. “You saw her perform tonight.” He hit a few
more keys.
“You mean…” Ashtyn
glanced at the crystal.
A small light hidden in
the black satin flickered to life, and suddenly Aria was standing there, her
face still contorted in the same scream she had been wearing when the concert
had ended.
“My Aria.” He turned his
chair, looking at the holographic woman.
He was smiling, his eyes sparkling as he watched her slowly relax, her
face going blank. “She was… is the love
of my life. I saved her, rescued her
from my mother.”
Aria looked at him, her
face still unemotional.
“She doesn’t remember
much before she…”
“I remember.” Aria’s
voice was strained. “She’s back. I can feel her in me, I can feel her reaching
out for me. Reaching out, and locking
onto others, their emotions. She’s
feeling their pain, their love, their fear, and their frustration… She’s
collecting.” Her eyes shifted towards
Ashtyn. “She’s going after your friends.”
“How do you…” Ashtyn
found that even though her mind was racing a mile a minute, her mouth refused
to work.
“She got two of them,
and…” Aria glanced at Rita, “ she has your boss, too.”
“Aria, what are you
talking about?” Q was on his feet, walking towards the hologram, his hand
outstretched as if he was trying to touch her.
Q no longer looked like
the strong, sexy guy she had seen on the plane.
No, at that moment Q looked like a scared little boy. His eyes were wide and wild. Sweat was
beading on his forehead. The more Aria
talked, the more frightened he looked.
“My friends?” Ashtyn felt
the muscles in her shoulders tense. “What do you mean she has two of my
friends?”
“She pulled them into her
world.” Aria’s shoulders shook. Was she
about to cry? “They’re alive, but they’re trapped.” Her eyes went wide. “Two
more. She’s circling. She’s leading them in.”
Aria’s eyes seemed to go
unfocused, looking at nothing. She was
somewhere, but not in that bunker, not really.
“Where? Where are they?” Ashtyn wanted to reach out
and shake the woman, but she knew her hands wouldn’t be able to grip
anything.
Aria’s eyes snapped into
focus. “A garden, the… the hedge maze at
the hotel.” She turned, looking at Q.
“We need to go to them.”
“No.” Q shook his head violently. “I am not letting you anywhere near her. It’s not safe.”
“Then you stay here. We,”
she glanced at Rita, “need to go help them.”
Rita nodded, and without
another word they were both off and running.
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