Page 83 of Hollow State

Scout stepped out of the alcove, rifle up.

Another guard crumpled to the dull tile floor.

The remaining two shouted, but they sounded more like the teacher from Charlie Brown cartoons. Or maybe that was Darwin's voice in Wynn's ear. She couldn't be sure.

A woman’s voice seemed to echo behind Darwin's. Zadie?

Wynn squared her shoulders, blinked, and aimed. She gasped. There was nothing to take aim at.

All the guards were on the ground. Most were dead…possibly unconscious or bleeding out. Two were groaning, clutching wounds.

"Wynn, talk to me," Darwin's voice cut through the chaos in her mind. Or maybe there wasn’t a damn thing going on in her brain. All she heard now were the overhead lights buzzing. They were so fucking loud.

"What?" She lowered her rifle to one side, raised her other hand, and rubbed her temple.

"We need you to take a double dose of KTH-1, now," Darwin said. "Do you hear me?"

"Yeah. I heard you." She flattened her back against the wall and slid to the ground. Nausea rose like a tidal wave from her gut to the back of her throat. "I'm not feeling so good."

"I'm not surprised," Darwin said softly. "Do you need help administering the dose?"

"I might." Wynn wiped her brow and stared at her combat boots. A tingling sensation tightened her skin. It was as if she'd been sunburned. She fumbled with the kit on her hip.

"Let me get that." Zadie knelt at her side. "I've got you." She rolled up Wynn's sleeve, opened the med kit, and pulled out the syringe and needle.

Wynn wasn't used to being on this side of things. She was usually the one taking care of the team in the field. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The world around her seemed to do the same.

"We've got a problem," Gideon's voice echoed in her ear. "Five SUVs just pulled through the main gate."

Wynn dropped her head back against the wall as Zadie pushed the needle into Wynn's flesh. Fluid filled her veins. Closing her eyes, she let the drug do its job.

"We need to get Wynn out of there," Darwin said.

"I'll be fine in a few minutes." She shifted her gaze down the hall, assessing her surroundings. "I'm already starting to feel better."

"You won't be able to fight," Darwin said. "We have a new plan. Everyone, move to the south entrance of the building and wait. We'll see you there."

Wynn pushed herself to a standing position and nearly toppled over. Zadie caught her before that happened. She wanted to argue. Maybe by the time they made it to the meeting point, she'd be steady on her feet and have a clear head.

If she didn't, she'd be a liability to the team.

Darwin took off his headset and tried not to think about how disoriented Wynn had become during the shootout. At least, she'd been given KTH-1, and her vitals were stable. Not to mention some of her numbers had bounced back near the normal range.

Most weren’t there yet. But they were close. It was a start. However, something wasn't right with Wynn. Her body hadn't metabolized VKR-1 the same way everyone else’s had. And she certainly hadn't been the same kind of anomaly Brea had been. No, Wynn ran in the opposite direction.

"We need to call Quinn," Darwin said.

"I can do that." Gus stepped into his line of sight. "I take it he has something to do with this new plan of yours?"

"I'd like to know what that plan is," Gideon said.

Darwin stared at the monitors. Everyone's numbers were running exactly where he expected them to be, except Wynn, and that just made Darwin crazy.

He was so fucking tired of being at Finch’s mercy. It was time to stop him once and for all.

"I'm going in there."

"Are you insane?" Gideon said. "We have confirmation that Finch was in one of those vehicles."