Samori
"They're not a threat Cam! We were wrong!" Light proclaimed loudly to the five officers, his voice echoing off the cavern walls with desperate conviction.
The lead officer Cam, the largest of the group with shoulders that strained against his tactical vest quickly drew his sidearm. The metallic click of the safety disengaging cut through the ambient noise of pickaxes and grinding machinery like a blade.
"Agent Light, you are compromised, this is not a good look for you," the large officer said, his voice dripping with disgust as he noted the proximity between Light and me. "Your partner Deandra is down, which gives us the green light to begin extermination."
So this was their plan. To confirm Bean and I had some type of potential, then eliminate us once we revealed ourselves. Around us, the citizens of Howl continued their backbreaking work as if the armed confrontation wasn't happening mere feet away. Their indifference was a survival mechanism I recognized in a place like this, curiosity could get you killed.
[I'm going to try, Samori] Bean said, and I could feel the waves of anxiety radiating from her through our mental connection. She's scared.
I knew what she meant. The mind attacks her signature move that could drop most people unconscious or at least leave them stunned and disoriented. In normal circumstances, it would be enough to level the playing field.
But as the words formed in her mind, the officers opened fire.
Light moved with surprising speed, his hand clamping down on my shoulder as he threw himself in front of my body. His elbow hit my gut and I started to see stars. The deafening crack of gunshots reverberated through the cavern, sending loose rocks tumbling from the ceiling. The acrid smell of gunpowder mixed with the ever-present dust and coal residue.
Nothing hit me. But—
[Saaaaam!] Bean's voice crashed into my mind, full of fear and pain that made my chest constrict.
I spun toward her just as she began to collapse. They shot her. Blood was already spreading across her worn shirt, dark against the faded fabric.
Suddenly, everyone in the cavern except Light and me dropped to their knees, clutching their chests and heads as Bean's psychic assault tore through their minds. The officers' confident postures crumbled as they writhed on the jagged stone floor. Even the workers who had been ignoring us moments before were now gasping and moaning in synchronized agony.
[Fuck... you all are going to feel this pain...] Bean's mental voice was weak but laced with venom as I caught her falling body.
"Light, break this fucking connection!" I yelled, releasing his hand. His gravitational pull had been clouding my judgment and decisions. If I hadn't been distracted by his power, maybe I could have reacted faster, could have stopped them from shooting her.
The magnetic attraction between us vanished instantly, but I could feel his eyes on me as I cradled Bean's small frame. He was bleeding from multiple wounds across his torso and arms, but somehow remained standing while everyone else writhed on the ground.
"You can't leave me, Bean. We're getting out of here," I said aloud, my voice cracking despite my efforts to sound strong.
Bean shook her head weakly, and I watched as her body seemed to relax in a way that terrified me. Around us, the others on the ground were moving more slowly, their groans becoming less intense as her psychic grip on them began to weaken.
You can't die, Bean. Please, I thought as loudly as I could, pushing the words toward her with every ounce of mental energy I possessed.
[You can't stop this, Samori. I'm bleeding too much,] Bean whispered back, her mental voice growing fainter.
The sound of boots crunching over loose rock announced the arrival of reinforcements. More officers were already visible in the tunnel entrance, their weapons drawn and their faces hidden behind those insectoid goggles.
Looking at the large officer who was still writhing on the ground, I focused on his robust health the vitality that radiated from his well-fed body, the strength in his muscles, the steady rhythm of his heart. I grabbed at the very concept of his wellness and placed my hands firmly on Bean's small, fragile form.
Taking health and giving death. The exchange of life force.
A high-pitched ringing filled my ears the familiar warning that using my potential at this level would exact a heavy toll on my own body. The sound grew louder as I pushed harder, drawing more life from the officer and channeling it into Bean.
The large officer's screams began almost immediately, a sound of pure agony that echoed off the cavern walls as his body began to betray him. His healthy complexion turned ashen, his strong muscles started to spasm, and his confident bearing crumbled into helpless suffering.
"Don't move!" the approaching officers yelled, their weapons trained on us.
[It's working, Samori, but I don't think... it'll be fast enough,] Bean said. Her mental voice was stronger, less close to death's door, but still fading as she spoke.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and panic seized my chest like a vice.
No!
Three more gunshots cracked through the air, similar to the ones I'd heard moments before. Pain exploded through my right shoulder, hot and sharp, and I felt Bean's body go completely still in my arms.
Without looking down at the growing pool of blood beneath us, I knew the truth that I couldn't bear to face. I was alone.
I thought about the conversation Bean and I had shared while entering the mines this morning, when she'd expressed doubt about our escape plans. "It'll never work," she had thought to me with her characteristic pessimism.
But if there was any chance, any possibility at all, I might as well try.
"Nzingha, help us now!" I proclaimed, my voice raw with desperation as more officers closed in, their weapons ready to fire again.
The name echoed through the cavern, carrying with it the weight of my last hope.