The Karma Study

Chapter 21 - Dr. Peter Neubauer

Brandon

We stop about two miles away from the Khal property and start to unload from our units. I can hear from the collective radio pieces that the other units have arrived on the opposite side of the property, roughly three miles from the property. We are stopping so far in hopes that we won't be noticed until we intend to be noticed. I switch stations to the one that is exclusively just for my brothers and I.

"This feels like Deja vu." I say with a whispered laugh under my tone. "Remember when we stalked our little sparrow and caught her absolutely demolishing Peter Michaeles?"

Dean snorts and responds, "Yeah and she built and brought her on fucking garrote?"

"Hopefully she'll have another sorry fucker in a similar situation when we find her. I miss my little devil." Teddy adds. "I'm scared that my little devil isn't in Zoe anymore."

The sadness and worry in his voice is obvious, he's never been one to hide his feelings. We had lost that part of Teddy for a while when we lost our princess. He had gone cold, colder than Max. You see, when someone is as unhinged as Teddy, you can always count on knowing that they are a live grenade just waiting to explode— however, when they are suddenly calm? No longer explosive and completely still? That's what sends chills across your skin, raising every hair on your body; like a prey's instincts knowing a predator is nearby but it's not visible. It's like silence in a horror movie. The moment in a song after the build, but the drop never comes. It's something that makes your heart race, and gives you a dreadful gut feeling.

A light came back to Teddy's eyes the moment Max said we needed to move, the moment he gave the command that it was time to go get our Sparrow.

I'm not sure if the others have come to terms with it yet, but I know that when we get her back, she won't be the Zoe we knew and loved. We're picking up the Sparrow who will be far more damaged than the one we originally picked up all those months ago. She's different, a machine. We got little glimpses here and there of what that might be like, but we have to come to terms with it knowing she's very different than what we knew her to be.

"Did you catch that, B?" Dean's voice pulled me from my focus on Zoe.

"I wasn't listening, what's up?" I ask.

Dean lets out a frustrated sigh, "I know it's hard to keep focus considering the situation, but I need you to pay attention. If not for yourself, then for her. We have to get her out of here safely, and we have to strip the souls of the ones that touched her. Do you understand?"

I take a stilling breath and shake away the images of what they could've done, and the image of what she may be when we get her. "Okay. I'm here, I promise, I'm here."

"Good." I hear him swallow, and he continues, "No matter what happens in there..." He stops, as if repeating his earlier statement is painful, so I cut in for him.

"No matter what happens in there, just make sure she gets out. I know." It's a terrifying thought. The chance that I might lose my brothers any moment. That's what is so special about our love for Zoe. She is everything. She has become the center of our universe, our center of gravity, and without her we'll be lost. Without her, we are nothing. Floating in a void of nothingness, and in a colorless cold space.

She is color, and noise, and warmth. Without her, there is no reason to breathe. Without her there is no reason at all.

"I love you all." I say, with a steady, sure tone that tells them I mean it. They don't say it back, but I know it's there.

I straighten my spine and double check my ammo and arms, ensuring that everything I need is in place.

My team and I start making the trek towards the south branch, and we all stay silent, as if we are walking on cotton and not dead wet leaves on the ground.

We start to approach the branch we are about to rush in and take over, when I hear a familiar whistled tune come through my earpiece, and I can't help but let a smile break across my face.

"Can you stop that? You've already got it stuck in my head on a loop." Dean grumbles.

"Aren't sparrows songbirds? Might draw her out." Max answers between whistles, and I can hear a smile in his voice. A smile I haven't heard in a good long time.

"You know," I start. "I'd add to this call-back banter if only I still had my fucking bat."

We go quiet for just a few moments, taking a final second to breathe before altering our world as we know it. Facing the man that not only tortured us, but the woman that has weaved herself into our very beings. The woman that planted roots that have intertwined with ours and has quickly grown like a weed along our fucked up family tree.

"On my signal." Max says to the radio channel that every single member of our team is locked into.

And like the final seconds before a bomb he's off, I can almost hear the earth still and the wind stop.The metaphorical timer in my head ticks ticks ticks.

"Charge."

It all happens in a blink, I lead my team into the underground tunnels and we don't try to quiet our steps as we barrel into the south branch. I have tunnel vision of my mission, charge in there, disarm the security and start killing everyone that doesn't have bright red hair with a white streak, and the most stunning emerald eyes.

We get through the metal door with no effort necessary, but to my surprise, there is no security in this branch at all. Except for one single person who is facing me with a calm face, and a sinister smile.

I stop in my tracks thinking back to the instruction from earlier.

Don't kill him.

I still my breathing and lock my jaw, lowering my gun and secretly making sure the others can hear me from the radio connection.

And with a steadying breath, I say, "Khal."