Page 78 of Breathless Recruiter

Slipping my phone into my utility belt, I cracked my neck to one side. Fear, move over. I needed to fulfill my destiny. I’d make Dustin proud. I’d make Halo proud. Most of all, I’d make myself proud.

Into the city I fell, heading toward Synergy. At night, the building was almost pitch black. Street lamps peppered the walkways, but normally, the building itself stood like a void. Light escaped from the shattered windows and broken doors. It’d take them weeks to repair all the damage from Titan. I dropped in front of the revolving door.

“Careful,” I whispered. It wasn’t fear, not from Zaster. If I made a wrong move, I wouldn’t be able to save Dustin. My senses were on high alert. Pushing through the door, the interior lights had been dimmed. I waited for the madman to jump out from behind the reception desk.

Nothing.

“This place is creepy,” I muttered.

Drifting through the lobby, I slowly rose until I reached the second-floor balcony. I checked back and forth for any potential hiding spots. If Zaster had Dustin strapped to a table, it was somewhere in the labs on the other side of these doors. At least at this hour, I wouldn’t have to deal with Tia.

My fingers hovered over the door handle. With a steadying breath, I tried to remind myself that it was nothing more than a lobby. I fought with the memories of men in masks staring down at me, ready to do something devious to uncover my alien origins. The thought of storming through the lobby and into the… labs… I didn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t abandon my partner.

Throwing open the doors, I flinched, ready for a laser to the chest. When I finally opened my eyes, I found an abandoned reception area. The room was dark, other than a lamp behind Tia’s desk. I continued a cautious approach, pausing as something colorful caught my eye.

A single troll doll sat on the desk. I recognized the diamond in its belly button. This was one of Janet’s most treasured possessions. The last time I saw it, its hair had been pulled tight with a bowtie. Now it had a mohawk. Janet was going to declare war when she found it missing.

“A problem for another time,” I mumbled.

I reached the far side of the room. Behind double doors, I knew there’d be dozens of laboratories used by Synergy. “You can do this, Wyatt.” My thoughts turned from the bad men to the good one, to the only man who mattered right now. Dustin wouldn’t hesitate. He’d bust down doors and save me. “Be the hero.”

I grabbed the handles and tore the doors off their hinges. I burst into a hallway. Flying down the corridor, each side had glass rooms filled with devices I couldn’t identify.

All caution went out the window when I spotted Dustin on the other side of a glass partition. Strapped to a table, he wasn’t moving. There were tables filled with science tools and a giant robotic arm hanging in the distance. None of it made sense. I could have used the door, but I didn’t care about the collateral damage. I smashed the glass and ran to him.

“Dustin. Dustin, are you okay?” I gave his face a gentle slap, hoping to wake him. When his eyes didn’t open, I feared the worst. I put an ear down to his nose just in time to hear him snort. The snoring started. Good, he was only unconscious. Pulling at his restraints, they were tough even for me. I’d most likely have to pick up the entire table and carry him to safety.

“I’m going to get you?—”

The lights shut off, leaving the interior in pitch black. Any lingering doubts about this being a trap vanished. Did Zaster have the ability to bend shadows to his will? Could he feed off the darkness? Or?—

“I wasn’t sure you’d show.”

Nope, like all villains, he wanted a dramatic entrance.

A light in the next lab turned on. Zaster stepped into it, wearing his black trench coat and dark goggles resting on top of his head. My muscles tightened as I moved between him and Dustin. This explained why my hair stood on end every time I encountered the man. I should have guessed he was a supervillain in the making.

“Zaster,” I cursed.

“That’s D. Zaster to you.”

“Wait, are you just using your initials?”

He lifted the goggles, letting them sit on top of his head. “Derrick Zaster, what else would I call myself?”

The anger remained, but I couldn’t help but mock the man. I laughed. Hard. Hands resting on my knees, I buckled over, amused by the lack of creativity in his name. “That’s so bad.” Itwashilarious, but the fastest way to make a villain slip up was to wound their pride.

“Says the guy named Mr. Supreme.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I don’t follow.”

“Mr. Supreme? Wyatt. Supreme.”

“Still not following.”

“Your name,” he said.

“Mr. Supreme.”

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