by Sarah Carter
“She says she’s only two,” Claire states.
With a nod, Mason agrees, “That’s what she says and judging by her size I would have to agree.”
“What can she all do?”
“I can’t tell you,” Mason says. “Time shift.”
“What happens when we go into the institute?”
“We both have our missions,” he replies.
Damien scoffs. “We? You think I’m going to let you loose there?”
Raising his wrist, Mason says, “I have this. I can’t do much.”
“You could turn on us.”
“Didn’t you want me on your side?” Mason exclaims.
“Well…yes,” Damien says, tilting his head.
Mason puts his hand to his chest. “Have I done anything yet?”
“You attacked her.”
“I didn’t know that was her for sure.”
With a roll of his eyes, Damien says, “I don’t believe you knew who she was in the first place. Ariel said her name.”
Rolling his eyes, Mason replies, “That’s right. I also took a really good guess that she was a succubus. Since those are so common.”
“You know another succubus?” Damien inquires, narrowing his eyes.
“It’s called sarcasm Damien,” Mason drawls out.
“It’s Master Damien to you.”
Giving him a look, Mason says, “Yes, Master Damien.”
“That was sarcastic.”
He leans in closer to the bars and whispers, “No.”
Damien steps closer to him and points his finger at Mason. “I’m not beyond punching you in the face.”
Claire moves the chair and shoves Damien out of the way. “You won’t punch him Damien.” She turns to Mason and smiles. “Now, we want him on our side. What can you tell us?”
“I know every inch of the institute, except the high security area. I was never quick enough,” Mason replies.
“Where is she?” Claire asks, her heart clenching.
“Right outside of the high security area. She’s like high security and then there’s maximum security.”
“We have to get her,” Claire whispers.
Mason kneels down, so he is eye to eye with her. “You will. She is waiting.”
“This Lexi girl,” Damien interjects.
“Yes,” Mason replies. “She is the key to everything.” Damien rolls his eyes. “This is why we don’t tell you anything.”
“Ignore him,” Claire states.
“Excuse me,” Damien replies sharply.
Claire looks at Mason. “What do you know about Koreena?”
“I’ve only met her a few times,” Mason replies. “I was always given directions from Captain Stick Up My Ass.”
“Who?” Claire laughs.
“Her head person,” Mason says. “I don’t know his name. Big guy. Bald head. Looks like your usual henchman. Real asshole. I like messing with him as much as possible, but he’s who taught me how to fight.”
She puts her hands up. “Dude, I cannot wait until we can spar and you can teach me how to get you.” Mason leans against the force field. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
“Nope,” Mason says. “Anyway, why would I teach you how to beat me?”
“Oh come on,” Claire groans. “I’m like the ultimate fighter. Can’t possibly have the new guy one up me.”
He gives her a killer smile. “Don’t worry. You and I end up spending a lot of time together.”
“Excuse me,” Damien seethes.
“Relax dude. I’m not after her like that. We become insanely close, but as like…friends. My heart belongs to that girl over there.” Mason points at Ariel. Her cheeks instantly redden. Mason laughs. “Anyway, trust me, we go toe to toe a lot. We learn a lot from each other.”
“How do you know all of this?” Damien asks, rolling his eyes.
“You don’t believe in any of it,” Mason replies. “So, there’s no point in telling you.”
Damien narrows his eyes. “I could believe.”
“You don’t believe. I know it. Claire knows it. Little Bit knows it. So, you’ll just have to wait and figure it out on your own,” Mason says.
“Little Bit?” Claire laughs.
Mason grins. “It’s what I call Lexi. I’m Uncle Mason. She’s Little Bit.”
“Awww, oh my god, that’s so cute,” Claire exclaims.
Giving her a weird look, Damien says, “Did you just go aww and say the word cute?”
“Shut up,” she snaps. “Little Bit. That’s so damn cute.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty close. All she talks about is you,” Mason says.
Claire smiles. “Really?”
“Yup. All sorts of things about what you do with her. You are one dedicated mom.”
“Will you guys please stop?” Damien snaps. “You have no idea how ridiculous you sound. Also, she just almost died. We have no idea what kind of mental state she is in. You don’t need to put ideas in her head about her having a kid. If this Lexi does exist. We are not her parents.”
A fury builds in Claire. She turns around and looks at Damien. “You have no idea what you are talking about. Lexi just saved my life.”
“Claire. Honey,” Damien murmurs, as he comes over. He kneels in front of her and takes her hand. “This doesn’t sound like you at all. You are always so rational. This sounds so weird.”
“Damien,” she replies, putting her hand on his cheek. “You don’t believe. One day you will. For right now. Don’t think I’m insane.”
“You just almost died. You have to take it easy. In all aspects.”
“Do you trust me?” Claire asks.
He looks into her eyes. “Of course.”
“Totally.”
“Yes.”
“Then trust me on this,” she replies. “You will get it someday.”
Sighing, Damien says, “Alright.”
Claire spins back around. “So, what are our missions?”
“I don’t think we should talk about it with all these people in the room,” Mason says. “She has agents infiltrated into your system.”
“Oh great,” Damien groans. “Red alert.”
“Have the right people leave this room and I will tell you how to track them,” Mason states. “We don’t know who to trust.”
Damien sighs. He presses underneath his ear. “Get me Grandin.” He pauses and then says. “How strong is this force field? Okay. Will I be alright without any guards?”
“I’m here,” Claire snorts.
“You almost died,” Damien reminds her.
She rolls her eyes. “You will be fine.”
He waits, staring at her. “Everyone will leave this room but Claire and I. Turn the sound off but keep the video going. Alright.” He turns around. “Everyone out!”
Ariel steps forward. “But…”
“Ariel,” Mason says. “I will be alright for a few minutes. Relax. Just wait out there.” She frowns but everyone leaves the room and the door shuts.
Turning to Mason, he says, “Spill.”
“They have tiny, tiny, tiny microchips planted into their hips. If they press them they can communicate with the institute.”
“How are all these Neturu working for The Collector and we know nothing about them,” Claire asks. “It makes no sense.”
“Incentive packages,” Mason replies. “Once you’re in, you’re never allowed out. People have seen what happens when you disobey. The staff don’t even think the council can help. I never did either, but the older we got I realized I couldn’t let them go through anymore abuse. So, when I was 17, I snuck out of the institute for the first time. I had no idea what the real world was like. It blew my mind. I also knew that no one knew of the Neturu. I checked every paranormal story and definitely every sci-fi story and there was nothing. I realized you were in hiding. How do you find such a powerful, hiding race? Guess what, you don’t.”
“We’ve been doing it for hundreds of years,” Damien replies. “We
’ve done everything to make sure we aren’t discovered.”
“Well, yeah. I couldn’t find you. So, I went back to the institute. The Collector really couldn’t punish me, so they let me come and go. They would give me small missions. I did the ones that weren’t too bad. Most of the time it was stealing things. It didn’t really hurt anyone, so I did it, because it got me out in the world. I tried for years to find you. I got nothing, absolutely nothing. Then one day, I came back and heard they had escaped. My heart dropped. Earth is a pretty big place. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to find them. I knew The Collector knew I was searching for them, but I think she thought I was going to bring them back.”
Claire interjects, “But you weren’t going to.”
“No,” Mason replies. “It was only a few weeks after they escaped that this little voice came alive in my head. I thought I had lost my marbles but she led me through the institute. And there she was, Little Bit and my god, she blew my mind. She knew everything about me and Ariel and things I had done for Ariel. She knew about the locket and how to open it and what was inside. I was dumbfounded. How would this little girl, this baby, know so much about me? Then she showed me things I never…I never would have thought possible. Things that will blow your mind too. You think what you’ve encountered so far is special. Well, we are all very mundane compared to her.”
“You can’t tell me what she does,” Claire replies.
“No. It would cause a time shift,” Mason sighs. “I wish I could, but everything needs to fall into place just right or a time shift would happen and every plan would be out the window. Lexi has spent a great amount of time explaining this to me. Even his not believing needs to happen a certain way.”
Damien raises an eyebrow. “Seriously? I’m supposed to believe that.”
“No, you’re not supposed to believe it,” Mason replies. “You’re not supposed to believe any of it. That’s the whole point!”
“Whatever,” Damien sighs. “How do you find these chips?”
“They send off an ultra-low frequency. You have to look for it very carefully. Lexi gave me one name.”
“And that would be?”
Mason waves his hand to come closer. Damien and Claire lean in. “Don’t yell out or anything, but its Jesse Grandin.”
Standing straight up, Damien glares at him. “Of course that’s who you say it is. I do not believe you.”
Claire sits up. “Damien, what if he’s right? Who do we trust?”
He pauses and then takes out his phone. “Call your grandfather. Now.”
She takes the phone and dials a number. He instantly picks up. “Damien, we are almost there. Is she alive?”
“Pops, it’s me,” Claire sniffles. She hears the pain in his voice.
“Claire, oh god, baby girl,” he gasps. “You’re alive.”
“I am. We will explain more when you get here, but I need you to be a guard member right now,” Claire whispers.
“What?”
“Just go to a private place,” Claire says.
“Hold on,” her grandfather says. “Now, what’s going on?”
Looking at Damien, Claire sees him nod his head. “We think we have a great big problem.”
“What’s that?”
“We think Mr. Grandin may be a bad guy.”
“Jesse? Why on god’s green earth would you think that?”
She bites her lip. “It’s a really, really long story.”
“Let me talk to him,” Damien says. Claire hands the phone over. “Mr. Hendrickson, I need you to take over your position temporarily. Yes. We will debrief you when you get here, but it’s imperative that you not say a word to anyone. I mean anyone. If it’s not my father, myself or Claire do not utter a word. Do I make myself clear?”
Claire’s eyes widen and she exhales, “Holy cow.”
“We need this to be top secret until we know we are clear. Alright, see you soon.”
Damien puts the phone into his pocket and steps up right in front of Mason. “How do you know what you just told me?”
“I got into some records. He was highlighted red. That’s the color of the highest associates of The Collector. I didn’t even know who he was until I was told he headed the Neturu guard.”
“Who told you that?” Damien asks, crossing his arms.
Mason stares at him for a second. “Do you really want to know?” Damien nods. “Lexi told me while she was combing her Barbie’s hair.”
“How would she know?”
A smirk turns up on Mason’s face. “I have given up on figuring out how she knows anything.”
“This all could be a rouse. I could be doubting the one person who has held the guard together since her grandfather left, and trust me, those were very big shoes to fill. That is why Mr. Hardrick is the only person I will trust right now. I don’t believe you, but I also can’t risk it, because what if you are right?”
“He’s listening right now,” Mason whispers. “He’s going to run for it. It turns into a chase. Better start now.”
Damien stares at Mason and then flips around to the wall. Pressing a button, he exclaims, “Secure Mr. Grandin right now. Red alert. I don’t care if I’m relieved of duty. I will get back onto duty and have you executed for ignoring me. NOW DETAIN HIM.”
Laughing behind him, Mason says, “You’re in for a good chase.”
“Do you know where we find him?” Damien asks.
“Small bar in Seattle. Don’t remember the name off the top of my head.”
“How does he get to Seattle?”
Mason shrugs. “That I don’t know, but he’s probably already off this ship.”
“That’s impossible,” Damien replies, shaking his head. “We would have been alerted.”
With a nudge of his head, Mason suggests, “Go check.”
He spins to his right. “Claire, I need you to go to our room.”
Claire grins. “I want to stay and chat.”
“Claire. Now is not the time.”
“I’m safest here.”
“How do you figure that?” He replies, looking unamused.
“Xander. He’s right outside that door. He can defend me. Or touch me and I go on an angry rampage against who’s trying to attack.”
Damien looks at her and then walks to the door. He opens it. “Xander, Ariel, Aurora, come in here please.”
They walk in and Xander turns to him. “What’s up?”
“Right now. Right this second. I trust you. You seem like one of the few that I can trust. I need you to protect her. Keep her safe.”
Xander nods. Aurora cracks her knuckles. “We got it. We’ll eat people.”
“I agree,” her sister says.
Kneeling down in front of Claire, Damien says, “Be safe.” He kisses her on the forehead and leaves.
“Is this for real?” Claire asks, spinning around to Mason.
“You need to take it easy,” he says, leaning against the force field.
“Are you my doctor?” Claire laughs.
He smiles. “Orders from Little Bit. She said so.”
“I want to eat an entire cow and cake, and then sleep for a day.”
Mason gives her a small smile. “You will. You need to rest for a few days. You did almost die.”
“I knew something would come along that could take me down.”
Putting his hands on his chest, Mason says, “And that would be me.”
Claire rolls her eyes to the heavens. “Yes. No one likes bragging.”
“That’s not bragging,” he scoffs. “I could start to brag if you wanted me to.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Suck it up. You’ll be fine. Little Bit says so.”
She leans forward. “Has she been wrong?”
“Creepily enough, no. That girl is something no one has come across before.”
“I’m worried.”
“About?”
Pressing her lips together, Claire says, “The Collector will know about
me now. Mr. Grandin knows how to take me down. I’m no longer an element of surprise.”
Mason smirks. “Dear, you are always an element of surprise. People are going to look at you and be like pfff and then you will go on ninja on their asses.”
“True. I always thought there was something about him but it’s one of those feelings that has no basis, so you brush it off.”
“Your grandfather takes over for a while. Now, he gets really attached to Little Bit. She calls him Gampa.”
“Gampa?” Claire laughs.
“Yeah, she knows how to say grandpa but she calls him Gampa. It’s cute. He adores her. Much to the protest of Damien, he spoils her rotten.”
A little shocked, Claire says, “I figured Damien would be the one who spoils her.”
“She says it takes him a while to warm up to her.”
Claire frowns. “That sounds so unlike him. He loves kids.”
“I don’t know. She has never said why but she says, ‘Daddy takes time.’”
“But he finally accepts her,” Claire urges.
He nods and crosses his arms. “She said yeah. Calls him super Daddy.”
“This is totally irrational and not something I would normally believe but I hear her. I feel it in my gut. She also saved my life. When I wrapped my arms around her and felt her, I just knew.”
“She is hidden away for a while. You take good care of her though.”
“Why is she hidden?”
With a smirk, Mason says, “You’ve seen her. Explain purple hair on a two year old. She says no wigs. Shakes her head and says no wigs.”
“So, no taking her by humans.”
“Not for a very long time. You keep her from Neturu, too. She’s so special.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Mason nods. “I know.”
Claire moves closer to the force field and looks at him. “How do you know all of this?”
“We talk…all the time. I visit her when I can. We don’t talk about the important stuff then. The Collector has to be watching.”
“How do you know she’s not playing everyone?”
A loud laugh comes from him and he covers his mouth. “She has told me you kill The Collector, in my head. Otherwise, she has looked at the mirrored window and said, ‘You die.’ She must be talking to The Collector.”
“Or some, now depressed, security guard.”