Kaihime dropped the shield. She offered a hand to Alli, but the Spirit Cop stood on her own.
“Don’t come any closer,” the young woman yelled. “I already killed your friends. I’ll kill you too if you don’t leave.”
She was clearly Ziya Basara, the woman they sought. But until Kaihime could get an idea of the girl’s powers, she knew she would have to wait.
“Ms. Basara—”
“I promise we’re not with them, Ziya.” As she cut off Kaihime’s words, Alli also took a step forward, putting herself between Ziya and Kaihime. “We came to warn you. To help keep you free.”
“What is this?” Fear was evident on the girl’s face. “What did I do? How am I going to explain this to Baba? He won’t understand. He already doesn’t understand these powers. If he sees this—”
“Your father will be safe,” Kaihime said as she stepped back around Alli. “But you must come with us. If you remain, they will come back for you. Then you could be in real danger.”
“I—please, just make this stop.”
Ziya started to cry. She buried her face in her hands.
Kaihime studied the young woman. Though she wore a fairly traditional hijab over her head and chest, outside the vest, she wore simple American clothes: sneakers, jeans and an oversized sweatshirt emblazoned with S-E-R-C in massive letters. Below the letters in much smaller type, it said Southeast River City High School. It was as Kaihime feared. The girl was much younger than they.
“I’m sorry,” Kaihime said. “It cannot stop. They will keep coming until they have you, or we can stand up to GENESIS together. I know this is not a decision to be made with ease. I know your life has changed suddenly and horribly, but you need to come with us.”
“I don’t even know you. How do I know you’re any better than those men with guns?”
“Because we’re like you. Alli and I have faced GENESIS before. Look at me. They turned me into this. They saved my life in the process, but I am still a woman that can never have a normal life. They tried to take Alli’s girlfriend for their experiments as well. We are together, not because of choice, but because of necessity. Alli’s friends are missing again. They could be anywhere. GENESIS could already have them. And I hate to say this to one so young, but if we’re going to beat them, we need you.”
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