“Jamie!” I yelled as I spun around to see her sprawled out. Jamie convulsed on the floor. Her arms stayed fixed, extending out in front of her while her legs and torso shook violently. I dropped to my knees next to her and cupped her head into my hands, protecting her from slamming into the nearby counter.
“Dr. Bartnev, we require your assistance again,” Manuel called out calmly.
Dr. Bartnev strolled into the kitchen without even a hint of urgency and observed the scene. His hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a syringe.
“What is happening?” I yelled. “Why is she having a seizure?”
“She has epilepsy. It is fairly common.”
“No, she doesn’t, she never did. Why don’t you do something?” I yelled at him while Jamie continued to convulse.
“We wait. Longer than five minutes, we have a problem.” He looked at his watch.
“Are you kidding me? You are just going to let her… do this?” I pointed at my disheveled shaking girlfriend.
Dr. Bartnev didn’t respond. His muted look infuriated me. He twirled the syringe in his hand like it was a pen.
“What do you have in there? Diazepam, maybe Lorazepam? You can end this now!” My mind contained an entire pharmacy from my days at Somatotech training.
“We wait, Coyle. Many times she has done this. Never more than two minutes long, you see.” He stooped down next to me and rested his hand on my shoulder. A moment later Jamie stopped convulsing and rested back on the cool floor.
“Jamie? Can you hear me?” I swept her hair from her face. “C’mon sweetie, come back to me.”
She stirred, her eyelids slowly opening. Confusion beamed from her bloodshot eyes.
“What happened?” She sat up with a start. “Did I? Oh, Coyle, I didn’t want you to see me like—”
“Jamie, there’s no need to be embarrassed. When did this begin?”
She didn’t answer. Tears welled up in her eyes. My heart collapsed on itself. What have I caused?
“We just need to find out why all of a sudden this is happening to you.” I pulled her close to me and threw a suspicious eye at Manuel and Dr. Bartnev.
“Her first seizure occurred the night you died. And Coyle, we had nothing to do with it.” Manuel obviously could feel the heat from my accusing eyes. “She acted as if a stupor came over her and then crashed to the floor, just as you saw her do.”
“He’s right, Coyle. At times, my body doesn’t respond, and something deep inside takes over.” She started shaking in my arms.
“Everyone leave,” I said coolly.
“Why?” asked Manuel.
“Leave now! Get out!” I rested Jamie against the table, jumped up and pushed Manuel back. “You too Dr. Bartnev, leave.”
Sensing an impending beat down, both men sulked out of the room again.
I crouched down next to her again and glanced at the entryway. This time both men had retreated farther away.
“Jamie, do you trust me?”
“Coyle, I’ve never trusted anyone more than you.”
“I need you to lift up your shirt.” The words had left my mouth before I realized how insensitive it sounded.
“What? Coyle!” Shocked, she pushed me back. “A little forward don’t you think? And here?” She looked around with eyes wide.
“Sorry, it’s not like that. I’m obviously still a little brain dead.” I knocked on my head with my fist and made a face. She wasn’t amused and returned a face. I continued, “Remember how my dad acted strangely? He had a seizure too. Right after it, he was back to normal for a bit, and he told me Somatotech had implanted a device into his side. We need to check if they did the same to you. Maybe that’s why you are having seizures.”
“Where would they put it?” She held out her arms and flipped them over, inspecting for evidence of an implant.
“My dad’s one was near his armpit.”
Jamie tried to pull up her sleeve to inspect her armpits, but the tight fabric only bunched up. Her hands slowly drifted down to the end of her shirt.
“Coyle, I made a promise never to be naked in front of a man unless that man was my husband.”
“You won’t be naked, Jamie, and I wouldn’t ever ask you to go against your promise. You have a bra on, right?” I asked sheepishly. I’d never asked a girl that before.
“Of course,” she said while cocking her head and raising her eyebrows.
“Or you can just go into the restroom and check. Either way, we need to see if they are trying to control you.”
“No, I need you to check Coyle. Just turn around.” She pushed my shoulder.
I could hear her slip the shirt off. I wouldn’t dare turn around to sneak a peek; no way would I betray her trust in me.
“OK, you can turn around.”
Jamie sat there, the smooth skin of her back exposed, and her front covered by a tightly hugged shirt. I rested my hand on her tight shoulder. Her tension eased a bit and she turned ever so slightly toward me.
“Coyle, at night I have terrible nightmares about that day. When I wake, I feel such hate toward you. I have to shake myself out of it, to remember it wasn’t you, that it was some monster with your face and body.”
“That monster can never touch you again. No one will ever hurt you like him. I promise.”
“I want to trust you. I want to feel secure, but nothing feels solid right now.” She cast her eyes down. “It will take time Coyle. Is that OK?”
“Of course. Whatever and however long it takes.” I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulders.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yeah, if you are, let’s have a look.”
She lifted her left arm and turned more toward me. Nothing. She lifted her other arm. There it was. The very same scar as my dad’s, albeit more healed, extended from just below her armpit to her bra line. I palpated the object underneath; it had the same rectangular shape about an inch long oriented vertically.
“This is why you are having seizures. Freakin’ Somatotech put it in you while you were under.”
Jamie strained to see it while remaining covered.
“But your dad seemed to be in a stupor all the time, mine only comes on every once in a while. Why is that?” she said while pressing against the sharp edges.
“Must have different effects on different people. Maybe they didn’t have time to test it on you before we broke you out.”
“What do we do now?”
“Do you trust Dr. Bartnev?” I asked, knowing she had spent time with him while they took care of me.
“I do, at least I think I do,” she whispered. “Most of the men avoid me like the plague. He’s the only one who talks to me other than Manuel.”
“He is going to have to take a look at it. If it’s anything like the device they implanted in my neck, it might be tricky extracting it. Are you OK staying here while I get him or should we go somewhere else?”
“Just get him. Hurry, please. It’s kinda awkward sitting here in the kitchen with my shirt off.”
I rushed out the hallway and found Dr. Bartnev smoking a cigarette near the front door. He flicked it out the crack in the door as I approached.
I lowered my voice, “Jamie has an implant as well. I think it’s the reason for her seizures. Can you take a look?”
He nodded and accompanied me back to the kitchen. Manuel stood at the other end of the hallway chatting with Tigre. When he caught sight of us, he took a step toward us. I shot him a nasty glare, and he froze in his tracks as we rounded the corner into the kitchen.
“There’s more to you, miracle patient.”
“What?” I whispered back as we entered the kitchen.
“Normal men’s blood cells have no nuclei. Every cell in your blood has nuclei,” Dr. Bartnev whispered.
“What does that mean?”
“All your cells can generate by themselves. Blood cells can regenerate very quickly bringing volume back to adequate for life.”
; “Is that why you couldn’t give me blood?”
“Yes, partly. But also, your blood type is different. Not A, B, or O. A new blood type, Bart.”
“Bart?”
“Yes, I discovered it. I name it,” he said and glanced over to Jamie.
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, but my attention quickly shifted back to Jamie.
“Hold on.” I stepped in front of the doctor, obscuring his view of her. “Jamie, Dr. Bartnev is here. Can he come see you?”
“Yes, it’s OK.”
Dr. Bartnev came in and knelt down next to her.
“Where is it?” said Dr. Bartnev, looking her over.
Jamie lifted her right arm to reveal the small scar. Dr. Bartnev felt around it and then proceeded to push down on the device.
“Ow! Are you trying to make it hurt?”
“Where it painful?” asked Dr. Bartnev as he pressed again.
“Ow! Lay off! It wraps around my back, like lightning shooting through my skin.” She ran her other hand along the side of her chest.
“It must connect with the intercostal nerves. If I remove it, you will be forever numb here.” He moved her hand and traced his finger along her ribs to her back. Jamie shuddered and jerked away.
I pulled back his hand, and he ripped it from my grip. “OK, that’s enough. When can you take it out?” I asked with a hushed voice. Jamie threw on her shirt and stood up.
“I will need to speak with Manuel,” he said, still crouched on the ground looking up at us.
“No, Dr. Bartnev. This needs to stay between us. Manuel does not need to know,” I whispered.
“His house, his rules, Coyle.” He stood up and took a step toward the exit.
“Then let’s take her to the mortuary. He doesn’t need to know.”
“No one leaves here Coyle.” His eyes drifted to the exit. “Not even me these days.”
Manuel walked into the kitchen displaying a slight smirk; his eyes focused on me.
4 Accidentally on Purpose
"Aedan, hey Aedan. Wake up man," I said while gently pressing on his shoulder. Manuel had granted me permission to visit Aedan after I agreed to the first mission: tracking down Roxanne and her dudes. Manuel made Jamie go back to her room; she said she was tired anyway but I knew she was lying to avoid confrontation. Without even mentioning it, we both understood the need to bide our time.
Aedan stirred, and his eyes gradually peeked open. A look of confusion swept over his face, which was quickly replaced with a broad smile.
"You made it. Heck yeah, you made it." He coughed.
"And you’re making it." I looked him over. A white bandage wrapped around his thigh where the bullet ripped through his flesh. An IV bag with yellow liquid dripping into tubing hung high above the bed. The long stark room surrounded his bed. Converse to a modern hospital room, there was no TV, no desk, no windows, nothing but the bed and the IV pole.
Aedan looked himself over and cautiously rubbed his leg. "We'll see, man. I'm not all superhuman like you."
"I'm not sure what I am. Apparently I can’t die now."
“Yeah, I figured as much since you’re standing here. You were way dead dude.” He paused, thinking. “Sweet, I have a vampire friend.”
“Basically dude, except instead of an insatiable hunger for blood I can’t get enough Banana Slurpee.”
“Mmmm, Slurpees…” Aedan attempted to sit up, struggling to get his arms under him.
"Hey, lay back, man. Don't want you opening your stitches," I said and rested my hand on his shoulder again. He relented and collapsed back down.
"Where’s Roxanne?" he asked.
"I haven't seen her. Why do you ask?" I winked at him and grinned.
"No reason, just wondering." He broke eye contact.
"Right.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Manuel is requesting I find her. I guess she took off after taking care of your sorry butt.”
“Hey, it was my leg!” He motioned down to the bandage on his leg.
“You know what I mean.” I looked toward Tigre. “How have they treated you?”
“Fine. But, it’s been freakin’ boring just laying here. You would think they could spare a TV for an injured soldier like me.”
“They don’t keep anything that receives or transmits a signal here, except for their fancy untraceable cell phones. This place is chock-full of rigid rules.”
“And rigid people.” He nodded toward Tigre.
I leaned forward, pretending to inspect the controls on the bed. “About that, we need to talk. Not now, but soon,” I whispered into Aedan’s ear.
Tigre glanced over but held his spot by the door.
“I gotta do a bunch of missions to repay my debt. You rest up, and we’ll be outta here as soon as you’re not a cripple.”
“I’d take being a cripple over a freak!” He cracked a wry smile.
“Oh yeah? How about this freak teaches the cripple a lesson.” I took him into a headlock and gave him a soft jab to the side. He coughed once, then again and again. He doubled over the side of the bed as I released him. “Dude, are you OK?” I patted him on the back as his coughing fit escalated then subsided.
“Can’t kick it, man.” He patted his chest. “It’s been driving me nuts. Every time I cough it feels like I rip the stitches in my leg.”
“Sorry dude, I didn’t mean to,”
“To hurt the cripple?” he said while lying back onto the bed a slight smirk crossed his lips.
“My freak came out I guess.” I adjusted his pillow and pulled up his covers.
“Super-freaky,” he said and pulled up the covers even further. Aedan’s face grew dark. “I need to see my family, man. You know my mom. She’s totally flipping out right now; I can guarantee it.”
“Don’t worry dude, soon enough we’ll rock the Kasbah.”
He smiled, knowing exactly what I meant. “Rock the Kasbah” comes from Aedan’s favorite band The Clash. It became our phrase in high school, used any time the existing rules didn’t align with our world view. This was particularly apt for our current situation.
“Yeah man, Rock the Kasbah.”
Tigre looked back at us; brow furrowed. “That’s enough, time to go.”
“OK, I’m coming,” I yelled out to Tigre, then quickly whispered, “Who comes in here, you know, to take care of you?”
“The good doctor and Tigre and that’s it.”
“Enough!” Tigre yelled and motioned toward the door.
“Aight, See ya, dude. I’ll try and beat you up again real soon.”
“Bring it on.” Aedan held out his fist, which I gave a good pound with my own.
Tigre held the door open for me and after I went through, he promptly locked it from the outside. I watched as he clipped the keys to his belt and pulled his shirt down over them.
“When can I see him again?” I asked Tigre, as we walked along the outdoor path leading back to the main hacienda.
“When Manuel says you can. Not a moment earlier, Fénix.” Tigre wouldn’t look at me. His heart rate picked up, and he marched a little faster.
I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get into Tigre’s mind, so I matched his pace exactly. Even our heel strikes hit at precisely the same time. He picked up the pace. I moved in unison. My mind picked up on even slight modifications in movement and sent blazing fast adjustments to my muscles. Annoyed, Tigre started running. As did I.
“Deja eso!” he yelled at me, as I strode next to him. I smiled at him with my eyes fixed on his as we sprinted the last twenty feet to the door. We arrived at precisely the same time. A scrupulous performance on my part. Tigre didn’t seem to share my opinion. He whipped out his pistol and rammed me into the wall next to the door, with his arm across my chest. He aimed the gun under my chin and pressed the barrel into my neck.
“I’ll end you right here and now, Fénix.” A wild look crossed his face. I knew that look; I’d seen it before in my clone and Dr. Tessel. Killer. Tigre had just enough of crazy
in him to be a killer.
“You know you can’t, Tigre.” I grinned at him. “Maybe I am the devil.” I returned the wild look to him. I widened my eyes, flared my nostrils and bared my teeth. I nearly lost it. I had to swallow down the laughter building inside.
He stepped back, releasing me from the wall and the impending gunshot wound to the face. He crossed himself hastily and avoided my gaze, obviously shaken.
“Shall we go in?” I motioned like Vanna White at the door. He stormed through, slamming the door against the wall. I followed behind with a new swagger. Mission accomplished: get in Tigre’s head.
Manuel waited for us in the kitchen. He caught sight of Tigre’s face and shot me a look. I shrugged my shoulders.
“Enjoy your visit?” He quickly glanced between us and then continued, “As you can see, we saved his life as well. Another debt to repay, I assume you will take on that debt as well?”
“Whatever, Manuel,” I said while rolling my eyes, “let’s just get to it.”
“Very well.” Letting it pass, Manuel sprawled out a large map of the Denver metro area on the kitchen island. Small round red and blue stickers were scattered all over the map. He extracted a telescoping pointer from his pocket and slapped it down on the map. “These are the locations where your comrades have been seen. After each sighting, we have staked out each location for their return. They never return and after searching each location, no evidence of them being there remains. Nothing dropped off, no cell-phone usage, nothing. The locations vary from convenience stores to movie theaters, to hospitals, to even an adult bookstore. Nobody at these establishments seems to have interacted with the perps, so they have no additional information.”
I stared at the map, trying to grasp the pattern. The points spanned the perimeters of Boulder, Denver, Longmont, Littleton and even Castle Rock. What is Roxanne up to? I knew I should have vetted her and her friends before involving them but time was of the essence, and I had needed all the help I could muster against Somatotech.
He continued, “They come separately and in different vehicles each time. One of the witnesses said the covered girl stood in one spot for about a minute, checked her watch, and then left. She did nothing else.”
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