Shimmer *The Seattle Superheroes*

Chapter Thirty Seven: An Incomplete Victory

Chapter Thirty Seven: An Incomplete Victory

Seattle; July 27, 2010; 11:15 a.m.

Shimmer wasn't sure what was happening. There had been a man, and June, and then she was on the ground. But now, nothing.

Then, without warning, a wave swept through her mind. As it cleared, she became aware of her surroundings again. She was still in the desert, in the shadow of the hospital, but the man was gone. June was gone.

She was on her knees, for some reason.

"Keep her there," she heard Cane's voice say.

Her eyebrows drew together. She tried to turn to see what he was talking about, but she couldn't move her head.

"I know what I'm doing, Cane," Nash said back. "Despite what you may think, I'm actually pretty good at this whole illusion thing."

Shimmer knew Cane was rolling his eyes without seeing him do so.

"Just make sure she doesn't wake up. Once we get those subjects back, we'll be good to go."

Nash scoffed. "And you say I'm the inexperienced one. Who was it who let her take the samples in the first place?"

"What was I supposed to do? Tell her to leave them? She'd have gotten suspicious. Anyways, she wouldn't have found them if you hadn't told her to go to level four."

What are they talking about? Shimmer wondered, frantic. Nash sent me to level four. I found samples there... Are they talking about me? Why can't I move?

"Whatever," Nash replied. "We'll get them back and I'll wipe any trace of them from her mind."

Shimmer felt a presence behind her. Someone started playing with a strand of her hair. When Cane spoke again, it was from directly over her.

"What's she seeing this time?"

Nash walked around into her vision and looked directly at her. She couldn't move a muscle in her body, but he had positioned himself to look directly into his eyes as he said, "The usual. A few elementals, some locusts thrown in for kicks. Kieran."

Shimmer couldn't breathe. What's happening? What are they talking about? Nash isn't... is he?

"Really?" Cane asked, his voice amused. "You don't think she'll notice the differences between the real-life Kieran and the imaginary one?"

"She didn't," Nash smirked. "Right now, she thinks she and June are fighting some old guy in a suit."

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Cane asked, guffawing. "Why would there be someone in a suit, here?"

No. No, no, no, no, no.

Nash shrugged. "She's pretty smart. Got to mix things up or she gets suspicious."

"Sounds like a lot of work. Why can't we just kill her now?" Cane asked, and Shimmer felt a hand encircle her throat, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She could deny it no longer. The fight, the man, it had all been an illusion. One of Nash's illusions. Shimmer felt her heart crack.

"You know the Founder wants her alive," Nash told Cane, rolling his eyes. "She's powerful. With her, we'll win in a matter of days."

"She'll never betray Garland and the team, you know that."

"She will," Nash said, his voice sure. He looked away from her, eyes growing tired. "We all do, eventually."

Something broke.