Axiom Theory: Book Four of the Shadow Series

by J. M. Pierce

  Standing from the couch, Dawson removed his glasses and rubbed his face vigorously. “You know what I can imagine? I can imagine me still being employed! I can imagine me still being respected! I can imagine that my life would be a whole hell of a lot better had you…”

  “Please!” shouted Ashley, cutting him off and inadvertently letting a glimpse of her power flash down her arms. She quickly rubbed her biceps as if dusting off a bit of powder and watched as Dawson immediately withdrew his verbal attack. “If we were the bad guys, why would we be here now? We could have killed you before you even knew we were here.” Though it was truthful, she winced inside at her last remark, hoping that it wasn’t perceived as a threat.

  Dawson retrieved his glass once more and tipped it back, only to find that it was empty. Plopping back down onto the couch, Dawson took two quick puffs of his smoke. “I don’t know,” he replied. Taking the final drag of his cigarette, he leaned across the coffee table and stuffed the butt into the overflowing ashtray. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  Settling herself, Ashley tried to recall the plan in her mind. “As you well know from the events in Kansas City, Test has assembled somewhat of an Army.”

  Dawson shook his head. “There wasn’t much that we could recover from the security footage. I counted two, maybe three others.”

  “It was actually ten,” replied Ashley. Though she knew Test had only brought three other Shadows with him, she also now knew that Dawson didn’t. Better to increase the risk artificially than to underplay the lie. “Not only that, he has enlisted the help of spirits; that’s how he was able to destroy our father that day.”

  Dawson brow furrowed. “What?” he asked.

  Try as she might, Ashley was unsuccessful in producing a tear. “It’s true. Though Isaac wasn’t our real father, we thought of him as such. Isaac was very powerful and Test felt threatened by his existence. That’s why Test was there that day.

  “The three of us went to Union Station for a pleasant afternoon, not knowing that we were walking into an ambush. Isaac knew of Test through all of the media attention given to him after his careless actions in Nebraska.” She watched as the scowl on Dawson’s face intensified. She knew that the hook had been set. “In his attack, he enlisted the help of many spirits; his power gave them the strength to come through into solid form and hold Casper and I back.” She hid her face in her hands, continuing the charade in earnest, and pressed her fingers into her eyes as she attempted to bring tears to them. After a moment, she looked up, eyes glassy, and continued. “We were forced to stand there; forced to watch as our father was destroyed.”

  With her story over, she sat patiently as she wiped the bottoms of her eyes free of tears that were barely there.

  “Where’s he at?” asked Dawson after a long and tense silence.

  “Test?” asked Ashley. “We don’t know.”

  “Not Davis; the boy—where’s PG15?”

  A proud grin appeared on Ashley’s lips. “My little Destin?” she replied. Though the words were meant to be artificial, she felt warm inside as she spoke them. “Would you like to meet him? He’s changed so much since you’ve seen him last.”

  “You’re little Destin?” asked Dawson. The bitterness lingered in his voice.

  Ashley nodded her head bashfully. “Yes,” she replied. “He’s the son I’ve always wanted.”

  Over Dawson’s shoulder, she could see Casper acting as though he were going to vomit. Returning her attention to Dawson, she began to stand from the couch. “Would you like to meet him?”

  Reaching for another smoke, Dawson replied with a whiskey grin. “Sure, why the hell not?” Before he could even get his cigarette lit, Ashley disappeared from the room in a flash of blinding white light. “Son of a bitch!” he shouted as the cigarette hung stuck to his bottom lip. He quickly turned to Casper who simply shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

  “What can I say? We’re Ghosts—right? Can’t ask a duck not to quack.”

  Dawson stood and walked to the kitchen where he promptly returned with a half-emptied fifth of whiskey. Taking a swig directly from the bottle, he winced as the liquid burned his throat. With a cough, he looked to Casper and pointed with the bottle in his hand.

  “Your sister, she seems alright,” he said. “You, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about.”

  With a chuckle, Casper leaned forward, pulled the sleeves of his black shirt up to his wrists, and ignited the energy within, allowing a gentle blue glow to emanate from his hands. “No need to be sure of me,” he replied. “I’m harmless as a shrew.”

  “Try telling a worm that a shrew’s harmless,” said Dawson.

  “Are you calling yourself a worm?” asked Casper.

  Taking another swig from the bottle, Dawson pointed to Casper once more as he choked down the whiskey. With the bottle clanking on his front teeth as he pulled it away, he replied. “I’m gonna keep my eye on you.”

  As if on cue, he was immediately blinded by the return of Ashley. Trying to squint away the dark spot in his vision, he could see that there was a young boy standing next to her. With her arm wrapped around his shoulders, she appeared to be holding him up.

  “Who’s this?” he asked.

  Giving Destin a shake, Ashley replied. “This is Destin.” She grinned as the boy wiped his eyes and looked around the room. “I told you that you wouldn’t recognize him.”

  Dawson stared in awe as he spoke with an ever increasing slur. “I’ll be damned—that growth stuff really worked.”

  “Yeah,” replied Casper as he stood from the rocker. Speaking as though mocking Dawson’s drunken speech, he continued. “We have to get new clothes for him damn near every week.”

  Without noticing Casper at all, Dawson stepped forward to examine the boy.

  “Does he…,” began Dawson.

  “Have our gifts?” finished Ashley. She watched as Dawson’s eyes snapped to hers. “Yes,” she replied.

  Lifting the bottle to his lips once more, Dawson tipped it back and took several hard swallows. Growling at the burn it caused in his chest, he studied the boy intently.

  “You never answered my question,” he said, his speech suddenly losing its drunken slur. Lifting his gaze to Ashley, he continued. “What do you need from me?”

  Chapter 17

  Alyssa played quietly with Aiden just inside the trees behind their home. The walk with Lauren had not gone as planned and she regretted her outburst of excitement. She wanted nothing more than to comfort Lauren, to help her with her troubles. Unfortunately, it was obvious that Lauren didn’t share her own excitement about the fact that she was pregnant.

  Without the presence of a Shadow to provide the energy they needed to take on a solid form, play time consisted of little more than telling jokes. She had been able to remain engaged for the first couple of jokes that Aiden tried to make up, but had lost focus and, though she watched his lips move, she didn’t hear a word.

  “Alyssa,” said Aiden, raising his hands over his head.

  Snapping to, Alyssa blinked a couple of times and apologized. “I’m sorry, buddy. I got kind of lost there for a minute.

  From ten feet away, lying peacefully on his back, Cliff spoke. “Where’d you get lost to?”

  Nearly forgetting he was nearby, Alyssa turned and replied hesitantly. “Nowhere—just thinking about things.”

  Sitting up, Cliff watched as Alyssa grinned. “Well,” he said. “That can be a good thing or a bad thing; dependin’ on what you was thinkin’ about.” He raised an eyebrow and winked at her.

  She could never resist the old man’s charm and felt compelled to share her thoughts with him. “It’s kind of…everything.”

  “That’s kinda vague, ain’t it,” replied Cliff. He looked to Aiden. “Is it somethin’ we can talk about in front of the boy?”

  Alyssa turned to Aiden whose big brown eyes watched her eagerly. “Well, some of it is about him, so I suppose he can hear it.”

  With an ‘uh-
huh’ kind of grunt, Cliff replied. “I was wonderin’ when you were goin’ to fill me in on your plans.”

  Trying to exude happiness for Aiden’s sake, she smiled widely and brushed his cheek with her fingers. “He never got to say goodbye to his parents,” she said, turning back to Cliff who was already grinning as if he knew what she was going to say next. “I thought that maybe…”

  “You thought maybe Test could help him do that?” interrupted Cliff.

  The smile on her face disappeared as she stared at the old man, frightened of what she should say (or what he would say) next.

  After a moment of silence, Cliff asked, “Well?”

  Almost unconsciously, Alyssa nodded her head.

  “And how do you think he’s goin’ to take that request?” replied Cliff.

  Alyssa couldn’t find the strength to speak. She watched Aiden, knowing what the right thing to do was, but knowing that she didn’t have the ability to do it without help.

  Getting to his feet, Cliff took a step towards Alyssa and looked up.

  “What are you guys doing out here?” asked Test as he walked up behind Alyssa and Aiden. Though he couldn’t see them as he stood in the world of the living, he could feel their presence. He allowed his energy pulse to grow, offering enough so that each of the spirits could cross over should they wish to.

  Alyssa spun, nearly kicking Aiden as she jumped to her feet. Taking Test’s energy, she quickly crossed over and couldn’t control the flinch that came when she realized how close the two of them were standing. Terrified of the moment, her eyes were wide with surprise as she stumbled over her words.

  “Hey you…Test…what are you…,” she glanced down to Aiden who had yet to cross over. “We were, um, just playing.”

  Test recoiled at Alyssa’s reaction to his presence. “You okay?” he asked.

  Nearly breathless, she replied as she bounced on her toes nervously. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

  “Why don’t you ask him?” said Cliff, materializing as he stepped behind Aiden. “The boy can’t wait forever.”

  Test looked to the old man who was smiling ear to ear. His demeanor alongside of Alyssa’s caused him even more confusion. “Ask me what?” Trying not to get worked up for no good reason, he looked down to where he could feel the boy sitting. “Why doesn’t he come over?”

  Glad that Test asked another question before she had to answer the first; Alyssa looked down and coached Aiden. “Do you remember what I told you? Test can help you.” The boy sat silently as he stared at her. “Can you feel him? Can you feel the wind coming off of him?” she asked, not sure if he’d understand what she meant if she’d called the ‘wind’ what it truly was. Aiden nodded as she continued. “Good. Now, reach out and imagine yourself drinking it like a big milkshake, only pretend that you could drink with your whole body.” She watched as Aiden closed his eyes, squeezing them tight as he seemed to imagine with every ounce of his being.

  Finally, after several moments, the young spirit crossed over with his eyes still closed.

  “Good job!” praised Alyssa. “You did it!”

  “Did what?” answered Aiden as he rubbed his right eye with a fist. Before anyone could answer, he looked around him and realized that everything was clearer, more in focus, than it was a moment ago.

  “Welcome back to the world of the living, son,” said Cliff as he ruffled Aiden’s hair.

  The boy looked up and leaned back to see Cliff. “Am I alive again?” he asked.

  With a heartfelt chuckle, Cliff replied. “No, son.”

  Alyssa knelt down and spoke in a tender voice. “You know that milkshake you just drank?” she asked. “That was energy that Test gave you. It lets you come back to this world whenever you want to.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Test. “Just a bit ago, back at the house, he was solid. Why are you having to teach him now?”

  “I think he probably crosses over sometimes without even realizing it,” replied Alyssa as she looked up to Test. “Besides, with having four Shadows in the house, there’s enough energy in there that sometimes even I don’t have to try.” Turning back to Aiden, she parted his hair with her fingers. “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for him.”

  “He’s not been gone very long, has he?” asked Test, his heart feeling more tender than the seconds before.

  Shaking her head as she reached out her hand for Aiden to take, she replied as the boy took it. “No, he hasn’t.” Pulling the boy into her side, she looked back to Test. “That’s kind of what I need to talk to you about.”

  As he clutched Alyssa’s leg, Aiden spoke. “Is that how he’s going to help us?”

  Test eyed the boy curiously. “What are you talking about, buddy?” He watched as Aiden looked up to Alyssa. Test could see that her cheeks were flushed. “What’s going on?” he asked Alyssa.

  Alyssa looked to him nervously and replied. “Well,” she began with a quivering voice. “This is kind of big, but I need to ask you a favor.”

  More curious than anything else, Test replied as he brushed at a stray hair that had fallen in her face. “What is it? Just tell me.”

  “Aiden never got to say goodbye to his parents.” The words blurted out of her mouth in a rush of nerves. “I told him that maybe you could help him do that.”

  A sudden anxiety filled Test, even though he wasn’t completely sure what she meant. Folding his arms across his chest, Test glanced to Cliff who stood silent with a giant grin. He looked back to Alyssa.

  “How can I help him?” he asked.

  “Well,” Alyssa began with great hesitation. “I thought you could go with us to where his parents’ camp is and…,” she paused, glancing back and forth between Test’s eyes and then to the trees behind him. “I thought maybe…”

  “You want me to show myself to his parents so that he can come through?” asked Test in disbelief.

  Nearly to tears, Alyssa nodded her head while cowering as she clutched Aiden tightly. “Yes.”

  Taking a deep breath, Test tried to exercise some restraint. “Alyssa—you know that I can’t do that. It’s too dangerous.”

  “You wouldn’t have to show yourself!” she exclaimed, gripping his arm. “You could hide behind a tree somewhere or something.”

  Test looked down into Aiden’s big brown eyes and was suddenly at a loss as to how to say no. He looked to Cliff who was still grinning ear to ear. “What are you grinning about?” he quipped.

  Rubbing his stubbly chin, Cliff replied in a mock defensiveness. “Oh, nothing.” He held up a hand. “It’s your call to make, Test. It’s all yours.”

  Test grimaced as he shot his old friend a dirty look and then turned back to Alyssa. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he raised his shoulders and took a deep breath. “I’m not saying no,” he began. Alyssa’s eyes lit up, but before she could speak, he cut her off. “And I’m not saying yes either.” He watched her body deflate. Reaching out and taking her into his arms, he pulled her into him, with Aiden still clutching her legs, and hugged her tightly. “Let me think about how this would work, okay?” Burying his face in her hair, he kissed the side of her head and continued. “Give me a little bit.”

  Pulling back slightly, her eyes wet with tears, she nodded with a hint of a smile. “Okay,” she replied. “But I don’t know how long his parents are going to be there. So don’t wait too long, okay?”

  Never one for deadlines, Test pursed his lips and raised his brow. “How about by the end of the day I’ll have an answer for you? If,” he began, stressing the word. “If I say yes, it’d probably be better to do it at night anyway. I can wear like four layers of clothes or something to hide the light.” He looked down at Aiden and began to force a series of more powerful pulses through his body, igniting his arms with streaks of red light.

  With Test’s arm nearly in front of his face, Aiden’s eyes grew wide with amazement. As the flashes of red reflected within them, Test’s resolve was finally broken as Aiden replied with a hushed
“Wow.”

  Letting the pulses fade, Test turned and kissed Alyssa’s forehead. Seeing the wash of happiness overtook her, it seemed to flow through her and into him. “I’ll think of something,” he replied.

  Chapter 18

  Waking up with a tongue so dry it was as if the Sahara desert had parked in his mouth, Dawson struggled to separate dream from reality. He sat up in bed and let the initial wave of nausea pass before swinging his legs to the side. As he reached for his glasses on the nightstand, the urge for a cigarette overtook the pounding in his skull. Wearing nothing but a pair of old gym shorts, he stood from the bed and quickly retrieved the pack of smokes and the lighter that were perched on top of his dresser.

  With the flick of the lighter, the yellow light from the flame danced off of the yellowing walls as he inhaled sharply. He took in the poison and allowed the plume in his lungs to take priority over the severe turn his life had taken just hours before.

  He eased back down on the edge of the bed and exhaled; tendrils of smoke swirling slowly in the stagnant air. Though the clock told him that it was ten o’clock in the morning, the darkness of the room contradicted the hour. A low and rolling thunder shook the house and explained it away. Scratching his crotch, the cigarette dangled from his lips as his mind finally began to process the reality of what had happened the night before.

  The appearance of the Ghosts had shaken him to the core and, though he knew that their appearance could make his desire for retribution a reality, he wasn’t convinced that he could trust them. He rubbed his face and tried to recall the exact conversation, cursing himself briefly for becoming so intoxicated. Just the act of thinking hurt.

  He had been told that they knew the project had been moved to a different location after they had abducted PG15. “What did they call him?” he thought to himself. “Devin—Dustin?” He couldn’t remember; it didn’t matter.