Perfection

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.

“We have to go.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him to his feet. As soon as his legs locked under him, bright light swept the room. Ellyssa’s pupils contracted painfully.

“Ellyssa, my daughter,” her father said in German, “I have waited long for your return.”

Ellyssa should’ve felt surprise since she’d felt no other presence, but she didn’t. She turned and blinked several times in rapid succession. Three silhouettes wavered in the corner behind the door. She squinted, trying to focus. Details emerged from the blond hair to the porcelain-like faces.

Her father had aged. His skin was not as smooth as before; worry lines etched his forehead, and his hair looked more grey. He smiled, as he had throughout her childhood. The smile that never reached his eyes.

Next to Dr. Hirch, standing with their hands behind their backs like good little soldiers, were Aalexis and Xaver. Both as she remembered, beautiful and expressionless and deadly, just like her.

Ellyssa helped Rein back to the ground. He looked up at her, his eyes apologetic. The black and purple marring his face shadowed his cheeks, making his injuries look much worse under the light than she’d first thought. Fury enveloped her.

“I will get you out of here,” she mouthed. Ellyssa brushed her lips quickly against his before she straightened. Squaring her shoulders, she faced her creator.

Dr. Hirch’s eyes rounded at her display of affection.

“Der Vater,” Ellyssa stated, her voice as deadpan as her face.

The blue of his eyes sparked with anger. “I am glad you have returned.”

“Not by choice.”