by Sean Platt
“Maybe things will change. Maybe his level will come down.”
“That’s not how it works, Ben. I get it, you’re an optimist, and you’ve preferred to keep yourself out of all the Project stuff, including your own daughter’s work, but when it comes to Level Seven … that’s as hardcore as it gets. We couldn’t even let Irina see her brother if I thought it was a great idea, which I don’t.”
I shake my head, disgusted with the situation, and that nobody said anything to Irina before now. Why should this fall on me to handle? Why expect me to lie to her?
I head out of the office hating my job.
**
I return to the admin building to find Irina waiting in the lobby outside my office, sitting in a chair opposite James, who is busy talking to someone on the phone. Probably a parent requesting a meeting.
Irina stands the second she sees me. “What did you find out, Mr. Shepherd?”
“Come,” I say, nodding at James as I open my office door.
Irina steps through and takes a seat in front of my desk.
I close my door and trudge toward my desk, steeling myself for a lie that I don’t want to tell.
I sit, then look up at Irina.
Before I can utter a word, I feel her in my head.
I try to push her out, but she’s in so fast, I can’t prepare a psychic defense.
“Stop,” I say.
Irina says nothing.
I can feel her rooting through my memories. Even though I don’t want them to, I can feel my words with Kotke, along with my emotional reaction to them, playing out in my head.
When did she get so good at intrusion?
Then I hear her voice in my head.
“My brother always told me never to let anyone know my true limits. That it’s always better to let people underestimate you.”
Shit. Irina is at least a Level Four if she can get past my defenses. She’s glaring at me.
“You were going to tell me he died?”
“It’s for the best.”
“Best for whom?”
She stands up, about to head for the door.
“No,” I say, grabbing her arm.
Time freezes. She glances up at me, her eyes boring into mine. Forget Level Four, the girl is Level Six, minimum.
As I stare into her eyes, I realize I have no clue what she’s capable of, or how far she might go in a fit of anger.
I could defend myself. I’ve kept up with my training, so I could blast her with energy, overload her with data, shut down her brain, or even create a high-pitched digital scream from all the nearby electronic equipment that would incapacitate her.
But I don’t want to hurt her.
She’s just a kid.
I let go and say, “Please, hear me out.”
“What?” Her arms are crossed, her foot tapping.
“I’m not sure what you plan to do, but you can’t let them know that you know.”
“Why?”
“You saw my memories. And surely, you know what Kotke said. You’re not cleared.”
“I’ll let them know how powerful I am. They’ll have to let me in with him!”
“You still won’t get clearance. Not for Level Seven. Trust me. They won’t let you see him.”
“I’m not giving them a choice,” she says, pushing her way past me. “I’m going to see him.”
I reach out to grab her again, but she spins, quickly, and grabs my hand with hers.
And as we connect, a spark.
And then, all around me, the world is filled with a high-pitched digital shrieking.
I fall to the ground, covering my ears.
Irina runs out of the office.
And then I realize that she has the same gift as her brother.
She copied my powers.
**
I go to the window to watch as Irina flees my office, heading toward the front gate.
She’s leaving.
What the hell does she think she’s doing? Does she really think she can just walk into Aspen Falls and demand to see her brother? She’s going to get herself killed.
I consider running after her, but Irina doesn’t want to hear me. She won’t listen to logic. I have no choice but to make a call before she screws up her entire life.
I call the front gate. “We’ve got a Code Nine.”
After giving them details so they can capture Irina without harming her, I call Fairchild.
“We’ve got a problem.”
* * * *
CHAPTER 21
Ella Shepherd Age 17
I’m sitting in the breakroom just off the Jump Hangar eating lunch with my psychic Co-Pilot, Anders, a remote viewer who is among the best and youngest. We’re waiting for Eden to arrive with today’s Jump plans.
Anders is blind. My age, tall with long dark hair and giant shades that hide his eyes. He was born with flesh covering his sockets. I was pretty freaked out the first time I saw him. Before I got used to it. Still, I can see why he wears the shades. I’m sure he can sense the unease. And he’s the kind of kid that wants to disappear, not be the subject of stares, whispers, and speculation.
He goes to my school, though we don’t talk much outside of these pre-Jumps. We don’t have classes together. He spends lunch with one of his three other male friends, or sometimes his twin sister, Alice. She was born with the same condition and is also a Jumper.
Anders used to Jump with Alice until I was brought into the program and we were paired together. Though neither of them has said anything to me, I feel like maybe she’s upset that I was placed with her brother — not that I requested it.
In many ways, Anders feels like the brother I never had.
The connection between a Jumper and Pilot is special. We’ve made more than a hundred Jumps together. Each time he’s in my head, guiding me, talking to me, seeing and feeling the same things that I am.
We may not talk much at school, but our bond runs deeper than anything I’ve felt outside my connections with Eden.
But unlike Eden, Anders can’t just run through my head peeking in at my memories. Nor I his. It’s more like we’re sharing a car, and only privy to what’s happening around us and the host body. He can see the memories as I go through them, which has given us many shared lifetimes.
We’ve experienced our hosts’ loves, losses, adventures, and scares, vicariously living lives of the rich and powerful as well as people barely surviving on the fringes. And though we’ve never dared to discuss it, we’ve experienced sex as both men and women, together.
My first time was last year. Anders was right there with me.
It’s weird to have gone through so much with one person but not even really know them in the real world.
In many ways, I suppose the real world pales compared to Jumping and living through others. I’d never tell my father because he already worries too much about everything, but I often prefer almost any life to my own.
Dad is working all the time, though it’s always been like that.
I have no real friends at school. I don’t connect with anyone. The scary thing is, I don’t want to connect. Or make friends. Everyone says you’re supposed to fall in love, but I don’t want a boyfriend, either.
I like living as other people.
I look at Anders. He’s barely touching his salad.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I don’t know.”
“You know something.”
I actually mean it. The guy is psychic.
“You’ll think I’m stupid.”
“I already do,” I joke.
Thankfully he laughs.
“Do you ever get scared when you’re Jumping?”
“Scared? Of what?”
“That you might not come back. Like with Eden.”
“It hasn’t happened since Eden. So, no. Why? You know something I don’t? Did you see something?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“I
’ve been having these nightmares about losing you.”
I lean forward. “Nightmares or visions?”
“They’re not visions. They’re different. I think.”
“Did you tell anyone?” I look around, but we’re still alone.
“No. But I probably should.”
“Don’t. They’ll ground me for months until they think it’s safe again.”
He nods. “Yeah, probably.”
I sip my water, staring at Anders, trying to determine if he’s holding something back. I feel like he is, but it’s hard to read someone without eyes.
Then we’re no longer alone.
Eden arrives, carrying a tablet with my grandfather beside her.
“Hello, honey,” he says coming over to hug me.
“Hi, Ella, Anders,” Eden says. “Mr. Fairchild is here to monitor this very special mission.”
This is the first time since the early days that Grandfather has been here for one of my Jumps. I’m not sure if I should be excited or anxious.
He turns to Anders. “Would you mind if I had a moment alone with Ella?”
Anders nods. “Okay.”
He stands, grabs his cane, then navigates out of the break room and into the Jump Hangar.
Grandfather sits in the chair next to mine, takes my hands, and meets my eyes.
Is something wrong?
Did something happen to my father?
“I need you to do something, but I’m not sure if you’re ready.”
“What is it?”
“I wouldn’t ask this if there were anyone else with a splinter of your talents.”
I sit up, smiling a bit as I nod, lapping up the acknowledgment.
“There’s no other way than just to come out and say this …” He draws a deep breath. “We need you to eliminate a target.”
I must have heard him wrong.
I wait for the punchline, but there’s no smile on his face, and the light has left his eyes.
“You need me to kill someone?”
“His name is Joe Norwood. He’s a dangerous Deviant who is about to do some terrible things.”
I look at Grandfather, then at Eden, who is staring back at me blankly. It’s weird. Her face is usually so expressive that you can forget that she’s not a real person. But then there are moments like now where she stares with a vacancy to betray the illusion.
“You want me to kill someone? I thought we were about helping people. Spying on the bad guys, protecting people in danger? You never said that you kill people.”
“We usually don’t. But this is an extreme situation. We have it on good authority that Mr. Norwood is going to do something very, very bad if we don’t intervene.”
“So why not call the police or send someone else?”
“You know we can’t call the police for something that hasn’t happened yet. Most people don’t even know we exist, so we must tend to things discreetly.”
“You’ve done this before?”
“If I told you that killing a bad guy could save your father, would you do it?”
I nod.
“What if killing the same bad guy could prevent the deaths of thousands?”
“Thousands?”
“Yes, Ella. Thousands.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It would depend on the situation.”
“The situation is this, Ella. Mr. Norwood is a dangerous Deviant. One of the biggest threats to have ever existed. And we have a narrow window to get him. He’s unconscious in a hospital bed. A run-in with the cops has left him in critical condition. We have to kill him before he wakes up. Once he does, he’ll walk right out of that hospital and kill everyone in his way.
“Why do you want him dead?”
“Have you heard about the The First Front?”
I shake my head.
“They’re a group of misguided anarchists who want to turn the world against us. They’re militantly anti-Deviant, even though they’re led by Deviants.”
Eden hands me her tablet. The screen shows news links with headlines. I see a few before I turn away.
Child Found Decapitated in Oak Park
Family Killed In Suspected Arson
Infant Ripped From Womb and Shot by Homeless Man Who Then Turned Gun on Self
Gunman Opens Up Fire in Lake City Preschool Then Kills Self
“Those are all Deviant murders. Each of them committed by a Jumper for The First Front, each at the behest of Joe Norwood.”
“Wait, they’re Jumpers?”
“Yes, and they’re led by this man. Norwood used to work with us a long time ago. Until he lost his mind and we fired him. A couple of years ago some of our Jumpers in the field started running into his Jumpers, trying to thwart our missions.”
“How can he even know about our missions?”
“Norwood’s a powerful psychic. I imagine they tap into the same Great Whatever that we’re all tapping into. But instead of helping, he’s trying to hurt as many people as he can. He’s teamed up with a few other Deviants. While they claim to be political, most of their crimes are opportunistic, attempts to get money to fund and grow their operation. They’ve been actively recruiting any of our students that just couldn’t cut it. They play into the victimization, offering those students a chance to get even with ‘The Man.’”
“So, you want me to kill him? Why me?”
“Because he knows our other Jumpers. Even unconscious, he may be able to defend himself. But he’s never met you. And you and Anders are one of our most powerful pairs.”
“What did my father say?”
Grandfather sighs. “He’s out of town recruiting a new student. But we both know your father. He’s scared. He doesn’t trust you to do anything. And I can’t say I blame him. Watching your mother die scared him. Hell, it scared me. So, I’m almost positive that he’d say no. Maybe I could talk him into it if he were here, but we don’t have that luxury. I need you to make an adult decision, Ella.”
“I don’t think I can kill someone. I mean, how would I even do it?”
“That’s the easy part. You’d be in the body of one of the attending nurses. Inject an air bubble into his line then walk away. You’ll be in and out in less than a minute. Nobody would ever know how it happened. Your host would never be caught or charged with anything. Our psychics have already given it a ninety-nine point seven percent success rate … if you do it. Anyone else and it falls to thirty-seven percent.”
“Oh my God …”
“He knows our other Jumpers. You’d be nearly invisible.”
I look back down at the tablet, scrolling through even more headlines from this man’s many murders. “He ordered all of these deaths?”
“Yes. And he’ll order more. The First Front won’t be satisfied until they kill all of our kind, or at least all of our kind that don’t fall right in line behind them. But you can stop it, Ella.”
“I can’t kill anyone. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Ella.” Grandfather sighs as he stands. “We’ll try and find someone else. Maybe I can team Anders and one of the other Jumpers.”
He hugs me, then heads toward the door. As an almost aside, he says, “And hopefully, Anders won’t get hurt.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t think Anders could get hurt.”
“Anders would usually be fine in a Jump. But if he’s with another Jumper who wakes Joe, all bets are off. There’s no telling what Norwood could do to him. But don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
He’s halfway out the door.
I know he’s manipulating me, and I hate him a little for it. But, at the same time, I don’t want to disappoint him. Nor do I want anything to happen to Anders or any of the other Jumpers.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
Grandfather turns and smiles. “Thank you, Ella. I knew I could count on you.”
**
I step into the cylinder and relax into the cushioned interior. Anders is already in his cylinder, the g
lass door sliding down over him.
“Hey, Ella,” he speaks into my head.
Hey, Anders. You ready for today’s Jump?
“Yeah. Looks like a challenging one.”
We’ve got this.
I wonder if his brief went into as much detail as mine did, or if he realizes the threat that Joe Norwood poses.
Eden comes over to me, attaching electrodes to my chest and sliding a halo over my head — all of these things designed to monitor my vitals and brain waves, to ensure they don’t have a repeat of what happened to Eden so many years ago.
If something goes wrong, like a runaway heart rate or a psychic attack from the host — which is theoretical and hasn’t happened so far as I know — they’re supposed to be able to wake me up, return my soul to my body.
I hope that I’ll never need these precautions.
“Are you ready?” Eden asks.
“Yes,” I say.
She steps back, and the glass slides down, sealing me into the cylinder.
Every time the door closes, claustrophobia takes over and sends my heart racing. Fortunately, the sleeping gas kicks in quick, and then I’m out, relying on Eden and Anders to control where I’ll Jump.
Eden smiles at me through the glass.
My eyelids grow heavy.
* * * *
CHAPTER 22
Ella Shepherd Age 17
I’m in the body of a nurse named Stephanie Jenkins.
She’s worried about three things: getting through the day without a drink, getting through her shift without much sleep, and providing for her daughter, so she doesn’t have to work two jobs and go to school just to get by.
She’s eating lunch in her car resting her eyes when I take over.
Some people are easier to take over than others. The tired ones are usually easiest.
I sit up in the seat, accessing her memories and searching for info on Joe Norwood.
I find it almost immediately.
He’s resting after surgeons had to open his skull to ease the swelling in his brain after the cops roughed him up, or, as the records state after he “tripped and fell down the stairs” following his apprehension.