Here it is! She’d found Amber’s file, but XJ realized that she’d have to retrieve her from Zone 6. She put in a requisition to have the girl brought down. Ziggy’s here, too….
She put in another requisition to have him brought down. XJ bit her bottom lip again, and glared at the clock. She should be able to rescue them in an hour from the pick-up area, if she knew where it was. Her nerves rattled again. She was really scared but this had to be done.
XJ looked around, trying to figure out which one of the rooms was the pick-up area. Then she saw the sign. OMG, what will I do for an hour? I need to look like I’m working!
She started to look at her mother’s case files, and found Ector’s file. What did Mom do with those children? Did she really take them to Zone 6?
XJ was so engrossed in the research, that she didn’t hear someone come up behind her.
The voice made her stomach wrench.
“Joanne, so good of you to join us for our meeting.” It was Ms. Hughes, the social worker who tortured her.
XJ’s jaw and heart dropped.
“I saw your update about the Information GEPs which wasn’t much. You’ll need to do some more explaining.” The social worker looked really serious. XJ glanced at the clock behind her, and knew that she didn’t have time for an interrogation from this woman.
She heard Joanne’s voice come out of her mouth. “I’m busy. Can this wait?”
Ms. Hughes showed her a gold tooth grin. “Gurl, you know I love you.” XJ watched the chubby brown hand move to pat her on the back, and tried not to flinch. “But, I’ve got to do my job just like you do.”
XJ studied Hughes’s face. In the office light, the woman looked like an old, worn-out purse. Her deep-set, brown eyes had dark marks under them. And her short bob looked overly processed on the sides. The woman was balding.
Hughes pushed her face closer to XJ’s. “We’ve been friends for years. You know I like your work. You get results. I just wanna know how you did it. How did you break those information GEPs? Tell me about case 2015-7819. I wanna know your secret.”
XJ wanted to jump back from the woman like she’d seen a rattlesnake. She wanted to vomit. She glanced up at the clock again, and gave Hughes a big, fake smile. “Really … can it wait say, 25 minutes?”
The social worker laughed. “Get your butt in interview room two.”
What can I tell this woman? This isn’t good.
XJ sat in the interview room. At least she could see the reflection of the clock in the two-way mirror. She only needed to play along for 20 minutes, and when she saw them bring down her cousin and Ziggy, she would jet. Maybe she could make up some sort of lie or just say she had to go to the bathroom.
The social worker sickened her. She couldn’t believe that her mother was friends with this lady. Definitely creepy!
Her nerves were raw. She rang her hands underneath the table. If she could hold on for a few minutes, she would have a part of what she needed to save her mom and her family. XJ brought up her purse and put it in her lap.
You can do this. You can do this.
Ms. Hughes came in with her creepy, gold-tooth smile. Was this woman for real? She got her kicks from hurting people. XJ peered at the two way mirror again. She could also see the holding room. Maybe they would bring them early.
“Joanne,” the social worker began. “This has been so unlike you. I had to cover for you with the Patterson girl, and I’ve been trying to reach you for several days. Is there something I should know about?”
XJ closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Stay calm. She opened her mouth, and heard Joanne’s voice say dryly. “I’ve had a few family problems that I didn’t want to bother you with.” She gave the woman a half smile.
“Oh, well you do know the policy. CAGE social work must come first.” The woman sounded genuinely concerned. Was this the same witch who tortured her?
“You’ve been my top social worker for years,” Hughes continued. “Your record is exemplary. I can’t believe that I’m having to counsel you. I—I just thought something happened to you.”
The social worker reached over and rubbed her hand.
XJ jumped back like she was getting too close to a pit bull. She shrank in her seat; then glanced passed the social worker into the two-way mirror to see if CAGE had brought down Amber and Ziggy.
Not yet! She wet her lips.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ms. Hughes droned on about how social workers could get in trouble, and what kinds of CAGE services were available. Her hands thumped against the table and XJ jumped. She wanted to scream. All she could remember was this woman inside her mind torturing her.
XJ cleared her throat. “Y—yes I’m fine. I just needed a little time to get some things together.”
“Well, not to be cruel, but I need your report about the Information GEPs. What happened over there? Did that man attack you? We had to send in a clean-up crew.” The social worker paused awkwardly, and waited for a response.
XJ’s pulse thumped in her ears, as sweat rolled down her back. She glimpsed something in the two way mirror, and turned her whole body around to check it for sure.
It’s them! Both Amber and Ziggy were being escorted into the holding room.
She breathed deeply, calming herself. “I promise to give you a full report. It was an awful, um … situation. I just need time to get my thoughts together.” XJ stood up and smiled down at the woman.
“Joanne are you sure you’re okay? You’re looking a little flushed. Do you need some water?” Ms. Hughes showed more fake concern and reached out to touch XJ.
That’s when she realized her disguise was wearing off.
She had to go now.
“N—no thank you. I just need to go to the restroom.” XJ jumped up and the chair crashed.
She felt it. The social worker was snaking into her mind. She had to get out of here! She began to erect mental barriers. She could feel Hughes’ compulsion, but this time she knew what to look for and blocked it. XJ had learned that she could push back telepathically and that’s what she did.
Ms. Hughes collapsed back into the chair with wide eyes, and head rolling back. Her big jewelry, black pants suit pulled tight around her slumped form. She’d be passed out for at least a minute.
XJ scrambled out of the room, and raced towards the holding cell. She reached Amber and Ziggy and began to talk loudly, but professionally. “Alright, it’s time to go! Get your stuff and let’s move quickly!”
Amber and Ziggy cringed back when they saw her. “Wh—Where are you taking us?” Ziggy asked. “Are you going to kill us?” Her cousin had the same look of terror.
She had to calm them both down and her sweating was getting to be too much. She wiped her brow. I’ve got to get them out of here!
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” Smiling, she pushed them out the door. “XJ will be waiting for you guys.” They didn’t look pleased or happy, but at least they got moving.
Someone behind her screamed.
XJ looked back and saw Hughes stumble out of the interview room, wheezing heavily. “I—I know that mind! It’s not Joanne’s at all! It’s the Patterson girl.”
Oh no! Her pulse hammered as XJ ushered the two out into the hallway. Her disguise was bubbling, oozing off. She felt light-headed. I can’t pass out here!
Her whole body rattled and shook. “Not now!” She yelled outloud and keeled over.
“Oh God! What’s going on? Are you alright?” Amber’s voice was in her ear.
But she couldn’t talk. The transformation was taking her down. Hopefully, they could get somewhere safe.
“Let’s go in here….” Amber said and XJ felt herself being shoved into a restroom. She screamed again, as her body bowed to the transformation. This was the worse change of all! Her body ached and her head felt like it had caved-in. She could feel the convulsions taking over. Her grandfather had never warned her about the effects of changing frequently.
The convu
lsing finally stopped, and her vision cleared. She looked up into Ziggy’s face.
“XJ!” Ziggy yelled. He pulled her into a crushing hug.
“Ziggy let me go! The room is still spinning!”
“I knew this was weird!” Amber said. “Aren’t you the girl from the hallway?”
Ziggy kept hugging her. “I’m so glad it’s you! I missed you!” he said over and over in his rapid pace. “I missed you! I’m so glad it’s you!”
She rubbed his hair, but her attention was on Amber. Her cousin had a butter-cream skin color, long black hair; and a tall, thin frame like hers. She was plainly dressed, but beautiful. Something about the girl’s eyes looked familiar too. She’d found her first cousin.
“Yes, I’m that girl,” XJ said smiling, “and more important you’re my cousin.”
Amber looked shocked. “My—my family? They left me! Are you sure?”
They heard screams and yells outside. XJ pushed Ziggy back, leapt up, and peered out the restroom door.
She started to talk fast. “We have got to get out of here before they catch us! I don’t have a plan ‘b’ so we have to make another way.”
Amber stood up and her finger transformed into a funny key, while her body went silently mechanical. XJ watched her stick her finger in the computerized bathroom door lock and the door clicked. The door and wall changed red and a series of letter and number codes steamed across the wall.
Somehow, her cousin had created a force field with her finger.
“That ought to hold them for a minute!” Amber pulled her finger out and stood back. “My cousin…,” she said in a matter of fact voice. “Well, let’s figure out a way to get out of here.”
Chapter 46
“I—I’m not a part of no GEP Revolution. I—I’m just XJ’s friend. Plu—ease don’t hur—rt me. OU—UCH!”
—Ziggy in Zone 6
As Brandon rounded the corner, he heard screams. He rushed to find out what was happening. From what he could tell, the entire social work office was standing around one woman. He inched closer to hear.
The woman screamed. “She’s killed her! She’s killed Joanne! Get away from me! Let me call the CAGE officers!”
He heard shocked, muffled voices. Someone must have asked the woman what she was talking about and he heard, “XJ Patterson has killed Joanne Chesimard and—and has taken on Joanne’s form! I don’t know how she did it! She must be some form of chameleon! But she’s obviously killed Joanne!”
Shocked gasps went through the crowd. Then he heard a male voice say, “Where are they?”
The woman answered, “The stupid revolutionaries ran into the bathroom. How could a child so young commit murder? Her mother probably put her up to it! We have to do something.” Screaming, the woman leapt up and started to pound the door.
Brandon let the shock fill him … then he realized that he had to take action. He ducked into an office and attached his mind to the first workstation. He used the pass code from the receptionist. He knew it was booby trapped but he could anticipate it now. He quickly expanded his mind and dropped into CAGE’s system. He had to slow down the CAGE officers to give XJ a chance to escape.
Suddenly he stopped, pulse pounding. With a jolt he realized that it had been XJ at the mall and not Joanne Chesimard.
She saw me with Heather! No wonder she smacked me! His heart hurt, but he had to focus and save her now…. Found it!
He completely re-routed the directions to mobilize. His senses told him that the virus was closing in. He backtracked out and went into another network to throw the tracking virus off.
Brandon began to try to search for information on his mom again, to allow the virus to catch-up with him. He realized, as dangerous as this was, that he was actually having fun. He played around inside CAGE’s firewall, until he felt someone’s hands grab his body physically—automatically disconnecting him.
Pain seared through his mind at the abrupt break in the connection. He doubled over.
He tried to see, but it took a minute for his vision to clear. Finally, he glimpsed a pair of pink shoes. It was Heather.
Brandon glared at her. “Wh—What are you doing? Are you some sort of idiot? What part of tracking virus don’t you understand?” Heather looked around like she was a little nervous, but she talked low. She was acting weird.
Brandon raked his hands through his hair, and tried to reattach his mind to the terminal. “Heather, this is what I do. I’m a revolutionary. This is the man that you claim to love. Accept it.”
Heather blew her breath out, and sat down next to Brandon. “I … I don’t know if I love you Brandon … I don’t know what to think.”
He glanced over, as the commotion with the social work department became more heated. The workers were trying to get into the bathroom. It looked like XJ had the door barricaded.
I so don’t have time to be listening to Heather’s crap. He had to help the woman he loved. “What are you talking about?” Brandon tried to reconnect again.
Heather stopped him. “No, Brandon. I know you want to save your girlfriend. You need to use this code.” She logged the other profile off and logged back in with a special code. “This one will give you lot’s more access. Don’t worry it’s not connected to either one of us.”
Now, he didn’t know what to think. Who was this girl? It was like she was different. It freaked him out. He looked into Heather’s eyes, but it was as if someone else peered out at him. Freaky, absolutely, freaky.
He dropped in quickly. This time he shut down the entire security system grid so XJ could find another way out. At least he hoped that’s what she’d do.
As soon as he’d dismantled the system, a mechanical voice announced, “Security grid offline. Will be activated in seven minutes.”
Well he’d done all he could do. XJ was smart, sexy and savvy. She’d figure out a way to escape. He slowly backed out of the system and re-entered his physical body.
Heather slapped his face. “How dare you use me like this?”
Brandon stared at her. Didn’t she just give me the code? The girl looks like she’s coming apart. Her eyes were wide and dilated.
“I can’t believe you saved her! After everything I’ve done for you!” Heather leaped on top of Brandon and tried to scratch his eyeballs out.
She is definitely insane. “Heather get off me!” he yelled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You can’t have us both Brandon! You just can’t!” Heather sounded out of breath. He grabbed her hands and held her there. He wouldn’t let her hurt him, but he knew something wasn’t quite right.
This was the Heather he remembered.
Chapter 47
“My three granddaughters are special. Each one has abilities that no one has seen. Together they are a force to fear.”
—Dr. Gary Leonard Kates
“What are you?” XJ breathed. She’d seen lots of GEP abilities but nothing like this.
Amber smiled and she saw a family resemblance. Although she and her cousin had completely different skin tones, they had the same nose, chin, and eyes. Genetics didn’t play.
“The official term is a technopathic changeling. I can interface with any electronic entity, by using a part of my body as a mechanical connector.” She sounded like a geek.
“Deep….” XJ looked down at her outfit. “I look like a clown. I need to change.”
Amber picked up her purse, rummaged through it and retrieved the small computer. “A-ha! This is what I need!”
Meanwhile, XJ went into a stall to change her clothes. When she came out she gasped. Amber was sitting on the floor with her head mechanically melded with the wall. She had the minicomputer attached to her hand like she was a cog in a big machine!
Ziggy grinned. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
XJ caught her breath. “Is this normal? I mean it’s freaky to say the least!”
“Don’t worry. I’m still all here.” Amber replied. “It was just easier for me to con
nect with everything this way … I’m sort of a mix between human and robot.”
She shook off her fear. After all, she had some weird abilities, too. “Can you find a way for us to get out of here?”
Suddenly, the lights went out.
“Did you do that?” XJ asked looking worried.
“No, it looks like someone has dropped a virus in the system.” Amber sounded mechanical.
“OMG! Amber disconnect before the virus catches you!”
“It’s okay.” Amber said in her mechanical voice. “This is just what we need to get out. I’ve found an exit. Downloading now.”
XJ relaxed a bit. Then, they heard a CAGE mechanized voice. “System will be back online in five minutes.”
Someone started banging on the door again. “You little murderer!” It was Hughes. “You won’t get away with this!”
XJ’s heart pounded. That social worker is really mad. It’s funny, she thinks I murdered Joanne Chesimard. But Joanne is really my mother being held prisoner in Zone 6.
As she watched Amber disconnect from the wall and the minicomputer, her entire movement seamless and liquid, XJ thought about how weird her family really was.
Ziggy started to hop around. “Ziggy, calm down.” He was making her more nervous.
“I—I’m so sorry sorry XJ. I’m … I’m just all wound up,” Ziggy said at his lightening speed pace.
Amber walked over to the vent on the wall. “We can use the shaft to get out. It’ll lead us to the front doors and a little room. We’ll just have to walk out the front door though.”
XJ sensed Amber’s uncertainty, and she was feeling a little uneasy herself.
All at once, she heard her mother’s voice in her head. Take the chance child. Sometimes revolutionaries go with the hand they’ve been dealt.
She called out inside her mind. Mom, is that you? But nothing came back.
A mechanical CAGE voice intoned. “System will be online in four minutes.”
They had to get out of there.
Breaking Free Page 18