Everybody Burns - Victoria Sue Page 0,1

steer enhanced into specialties based on what their ability is.”

Gael had nudged Eli. “Pyromania?” But Eli had barely smiled, and this morning there was no sign of him.

“Where’s Eli?”

Daniel fired Adam a grateful glance. Glad he didn’t have to ask himself. Their partnership might be only five weeks old, but it didn’t look good that he had lost him already.

Talon sighed. “I don’t know.” He looked at Sawyer, who shrugged.

“I haven’t seen him since we left work on Friday.”

“You mean he didn’t go home?” Daniel interrupted.

“No.” Sawyer shook his head. “He’d been there when I got home, but he’d already left. When I got up on Saturday morning, he’d texted me to say he was going to call on Bo and didn’t know when he’d be back, but he never said he wouldn’t be in today.” Which wasn’t unusual according to Vance. Or Eli visiting Bo anyway. Bo was an enhanced teenager who literally burned everything he touched. Eli had wondered if their ability was linked, and even though it had been a huge risk at the time, Eli had picked the unconscious boy up and held him so the paramedics could treat him. Bo was currently fostered successfully with his younger brother and sister, but the challenges of caring for him were huge, and Eli sometimes answered emergency summons.

“Did you try to call?” Daniel asked, but he heard Finn suddenly mention Eli’s name to whomever he was speaking to on his cell.

“Yes, ma’am,” Finn chuckled. “I would never have thought about baby powder.”

Daniel didn’t react. He’d stopped being surprised about anything he heard about the people in this room a few years ago after his brother transformed.

Enhanced—the official name for the group of individuals who had started developing enhanced abilities usually around adolescence. The only other things they knew were that each enhanced was unique, male, and sterile, and so far the incidence was limited to the United States, and probably linked to a couple of doctors called Cathy and Damien Miller, who experimented for years on human DNA. Their son, Christopher—currently settled in his new job as their own medical assistant—at fifty-three years old was the oldest enhanced they knew of and likely the original one. The only identifying mark was a jagged scar on their left cheek that formed at the same time as they got their abilities.

Except things were changing. Talon certainly, and for all they knew, other people, were developing the abilities of the rest of the team. Some weird DNA shit that scientists and his clever partner, Finn, were exploring and theorizing about.

The main hope the team had was that their presence was softening the attitude—human fear and bigotry—to the rest of the enhanced. Daniel had seen it work firsthand, but it was still an uphill battle.

“That was Molly Landring,” Finn said as he hung up. “Eli came to see Bo on Saturday because Bo was having issues with his suit. He wasn’t there yesterday.”

“The fit?” Gael frowned, and Finn nodded. Daniel hadn’t ever seen Bo—the kids were currently fostered by a brother and his wife of a cop Talon and the team had met when they were investigating the boarding school Alan Swann set up for enhanced children that was a cover for other things. Daniel knew about the case. He also knew Eli had helped Molly when Bo struggled with his ability.

“Molly actually told Eli she had started using baby powder to help Bo on with his suit,” Finn said. “He’s started going in their own pool without it, and it’s difficult for him to get on afterwards when he’s hot, and Molly’s burned herself a few times trying to help.” Finn sighed. “She hates to see him struggle.”

Daniel could imagine. His mom would be exactly the same. He’d heard the team refer to Bo’s Spidey suit, and he understood from Talon it was made from a similar blend of Polybenzimidazole used to make firefighters and even astronauts’ suits. Very cool. “Is he there, then?”

“No,” Finn said. “He left Saturday, but the good thing is Bo is learning to control things. Eli’s been showing him how to dial it back. They don’t know, obviously, but it would be fabulous if he could manage his ability.” Bo was blind, and after developing his ability, his father had kept him half-starved and locked up. Luckily the bastard was now getting similar treatment at Baker Correctional Institute. Daniel personally thought it a shame the state had to feed him.

“Let’s carry on,” Talon decreed. “We’ll keep