by Jeremy Flagg
“We need Dav5d,” Alyssa said.
“Look.” Jasmine pointed to the warehouses. Skits closed the book and pushed the mirror out of her lap. Jasmine waited for Skits to start giving directions. She held her breath, hoping they would be able to find the others.
A crack of lightning flashed in the sky.
“Found them,” Skits said. “That way, I guess,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks.” Jasmine pressed down the gas and started speeding down the access road toward the origin of the lightning. She hoped they got there in time to join in the fight.
***
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Griffin?”
He fought to keep the smile from his face. He forced each muscle to withhold its excitement. He held his breath, letting it pass slowly between his lips. Adjusting his cufflink, he fidgeted for a moment to help burn off the energy. She grew impatient. Her crossed arms got tighter and she proceeded to tap her finger on her arm.
“You seem impatient,” Lily said, her voice obnoxiously innocent. Both women were more than ready for this to take place. Dikeledi wanted nothing more than for him cause havoc, stirring emotions so strong she’d be intoxicated. Lily on the other hand, she kept chiming in, playing devil’s advocate, making sure Jacob wasn’t going to destroy her meal ticket.
“I have things I need to attend to,” she said, adding, “It happens when you’re the President of the United States.” She dropped her title as if it mattered to him. He was aware of how much she disregarded him, nothing more than a nuisance in her schedule. She violated his trust, the very principals that sustained the Society, and yet she required their aid to maintain a war she couldn’t win. He found it ironic to say the least.
“We need to meet.”
She stopped tapping her fingers. Their relationship had been one-sided for too long. She requested troops to support her war and keep her in power, they provided. It had been years since they had done anything more than sustain the symbiotic relationship that kept the Society in power. The mere mention of calling in a favor put her on her heels.
“Concerning?”
“Best to discuss it in a more secure manner.”
“The situation is a bit tense at the moment. I cannot leave the White House.”
“We expected as much.”
He noted the moment her shoulders relaxed and she let out a deep breath. He wondered exactly what she had hoped to accomplish by recruiting the Warden. Had it simply been to create an army of powered people? Whatever reasoning she had, she had felt it threatening enough to keep it secret from him. He didn’t like the idea of her gaining independence from the Society.
“We will arrive at the White House shortly.”
Her back straightened again. He enjoyed watching the physical reactions he elicited from the elderly woman. He wondered how she would react the moment he mentioned he planned to remove her from power and replace her as the most dangerous person in the world.
“I will make sure synthetics are available to greet you.”
A thinly veiled threat, he thought.
“I shall be bringing Lily and Dikeledi.”
“Whatever happened to Salvador?” she asked.
“He crossed me.”
She had practice, years of training her body to not react. The news of their visit startled her; the news of him killing a comrade, that didn’t faze her in the least. He took solace in knowing she was very aware of what he would do if pushed. The president remained comfortable and a bit too relaxed in her position, but she was not stupid.
“I see. Well, I look forward to talking to you in person,” he said. Before she could reply, Lily pressed a button on the table and all the images vanished. He wanted her worried. He wanted her terrified. Whatever she planned, he was more than willing to meet it head on.
“She suspects,” Dikeledi said. “She can’t know what, but she doesn’t trust any of us.”
“I’m not an empath and I could have told you that,” Lily said. “The woman is a snake. She’d have been dead for decades without the Society.”
Jacob waved his hand over the table and one large screen appeared. He scrolled through several Genesis Division security camera feeds until he found the one. He leaned in on the table, excited by their handiwork. The captured Child of Nostradamus had been a saving grace. The moment they left the Facility, teams of scientists began to pour into the room. They pressed diodes against his body and pumped him full of drugs. Within two hours they fused a hardline into the base of his brain. Jacob believed their technology integrating the human brain to the machine was worth its investment, but he hadn’t suspected it would be so perfect.
“Do you think it will work?” Lily asked, unfolding her legs and standing next to him.
“They used the same drugs necessary for the Barren.”
“He’s not human,” she replied.
He shot her a dirty look, annoyed at her statement of the obvious. “I know. Once he was drugged his psyche turned much more malleable. When I was done, there was no difference between him and our foot soldiers.”
“And if it doesn’t work?”
He smiled. The man was strapped down to the table. The surgical equipment had been removed and now the room was filled with computers and servers. The team of surgeons was down to one keeping vigilant watch on their investment. The others in the room were the smartest computer technicians housed at Genesis Division. He had faith they had jumped every hurdle necessary in the last few hours. Simulations had been promising and now there was nothing to do except flip the on switch.
“It will work.” He didn’t hide the smile on his face. “It must.”
***
“How dare you?” he yelled.
The pain radiating off the man hit her, strong enough it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Dwayne woke only a few minutes ago, and already, the memory of what happened in the subway consumed him. Vanessa heard every thought cross his mind, the betrayal, the disgrace, the humility, all of them and at the source, the moment she stole his body.
“I did what I had to,” she yelled back. Her voice was shrill, loud enough it sounded off the metal walls of the warehouse.
His thoughts were less coherent, primal, a growl unable to stop. She found it difficult to keep them at bay and not let his anger drown her. Several metal sculptures separated them. She stepped backward, wanting more distance between them. She shook as one of the towering metal dragons toppled to the floor. She caught a glimpse of his face, the huffing and puffing as his anger continued to rise.
“Dwayne,” she yelled, “I would have done the same for you!”
Another metal sculpture toppled, this one a massive horse with a human torso. The crashing metal filled the room with a screeching sound. He moved closer, closing the distance between them. Vanessa swatted at the air in a futile attempt to bat away his thoughts.
“I can’t keep you out.”
“Ironic, isn’t it, Vanessa?”
She understood his bitterness, even his rage. She had been torn, had violated his trust, but she knew if she was given the option, she’d do it again. “Dwayne, don’t do this,” she yelled.
Dwayne creeped behind the next statue, its wide bent metal standing nearly twice his height. He didn’t attempt to push it out of the way with his hands. A surge of lightning leapt from his chest, lighting up the warehouse, throwing the metal to the side. The statute slid along the floor, the smell of burnt rust wafting from it. Only one remained between them and then she’d be forced to meet him face to face.
She ducked low to the ground as the last statue flew overhead. The heat lines were visible from his chest. His eyes glowed a surreal gold, lost to his powers, a victim of his abilities. She thrust her thoughts against the wall of rage and tried to calm his anger. He resisted, pushing her aside as if she was a novice.
“Stop this, Dwayne.”
The warehouse melted away and the two of them stood in a blinding white room. She grated her teeth, ten
sing her muscles as she dragged him into her mind. For a moment, he stopped moving and then the room faded. She stared at him again in the warehouse. It was the first time anybody had been able to resist her like this. She wondered if the Warden would be capable of stopping him.
The moment she thought it, she stopped moving. The anger pouring from finally made sense. She focused on her own anger, the wish to be like the Warden tugging at her. She knew he was a deadly man and prided herself on being nothing like him. For a moment, his ways made sense, and that terrified her. She crossed a line with her friend, and with a single action, the shadows haunting her at night had been able to take hold of her mind.
Vanessa held her ground. Had she been capable of crying, rivers would have flowed down her cheeks, giving away her remorse. She dropped to her knees, resting her wings along the ground. Her chest heaved as she tried to drag air into the depths of her lungs.
“I’m sorry.”
Dwayne stopped his approach. She wasn’t sure if her submissive pose or the painful thoughts she broadcasted did it, but she caused him to hesitate. She heard him thinking about Dav5d. He stopped seeing her as a rapist and focused on her passion for the man who saw her as more than a gargoyle. He thought about what he would do if he was in her shoes and somebody threatened the man he loved.
He screamed. It started in his belly and worked its way through his throat until it threatened to give out on him. Lightning poured out of his shoulders and surging upward from his face. It punched through the roof of the warehouse and lit the sky. She watched as the man drained his internal battery, and as his body ached, the anger subsided.
“This does not make us right.”
She shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
Conthan appeared out of nowhere and tackled Dwayne, taking him to the ground. Conthan held him, his arms locked around the man. He had no ability to stop Dwayne from electrocuting him, just blind faith he wouldn’t hurt a teammate.
Gretchen materialized out of thin air. The moment she appeared, the whisper of her thoughts returned. Vanessa heard insecurities, her worry about revealing herself to them. She feared Vanessa and Dwayne, but most of all she feared her former friend. The young punk held her composure, but the worry racing through her mind betrayed her.
“I’m not really sure what’s normal for you. You okay?”
Gretchen helped lift Vanessa to her feet. “I’ll be fine, Child.”
The girl had tattoos down the right side of her face and numerous chains locked around her neck. Vanessa understood she had a high threshold for weird, but even this was pushing her limits. Vanessa couldn’t ignore the image of Conthan murdering a man in the forefront of Gretchen’s mind. The girl was concerned the friend she knew had been replaced with a ruthless killer.
“It seems we are all doomed to confront our darkest selves,” she said to Gretchen.
“I’m starting to see that. Would you all mind toning down the psychotic behavior? I’m losing my fucking mind.”
They froze as the door to the warehouse flew open. Gretchen’s body tensed and Vanessa gasped as the color in the room faded. There was something impressive with how fast Gretchen utilized her abilities. Jasmine walked through the doorway with Skits and Alyssa behind her. Vanessa let go of Gretchen; the moment their skin lost contact, the color came rushing in. All three women gasped as Vanessa moved toward them.
“So, we miss the party?” asked Skits.
Vanessa turned to see Conthan helping Dwayne to his feet. The older man looked over his shoulder, making eye contact, the disgruntled expression still present despite the lack of eyebrows. She turned back to the three women, glad to see they made it safely. She had no idea where the portals led as she possessed Conthan, instead relying on his memories to provide a destination.
“Where were you?” asked Vanessa. Her voice was shaky, but she coughed, clearing her throat, brushing away the heavy feeling still clinging to her chest.
“He put us in an art gallery.”
Alyssa stepped around Jasmine. “It was the gallery where he did his final art show. Dwayne and I were there when everything started.” She was about to say something more when Gretchen appeared out of nowhere. “It was her art gallery, to be precise.”
“How’d you find us?” asked Vanessa.
“We followed him for days. This was the only other place he came to regularly. It was either this or we wandered around lost.”
Jasmine nodded. “Then we saw a bolt of lightning and figured we were on the right track.”
“Hey lady,” Alyssa said, “did you know you had a secret room in your art gallery?”
“A what?”
Alyssa held up the book. “It seems Gallery Girl is part of Eleanor’s plan.”
Chapter 21
1993
The only things housed in the great empty space were a single table and four chairs. Mark walked through the space, frequently amazed by its sheer size. As he made it into the room, the door behind him shut and several pressure valves hissed, sealing them inside. Above them, contained in the ceiling were sprinklers and fire suppressant foam, all part of the adaptions for their newest assets.
Ivan sat on one side of the table and Ariel and Arturo sat on the other side. Mark was happy the two mentalists had started to get along. At first, it had been a tedious friendship. Ariel was excited to talk to somebody like her, but Arturo wanted little to do with her, claiming she was just another person trying to kill mentalists. It had taken them months to finally come to terms with one another. Mark assumed it was her constant pestering that broke Arturo down; the girl certainly had a way to make people agree with her.
Mark slowed his step as the lights darkened. The room was nearly pitch black except for the occasional blip from one of the security cameras. Ivan had been working with both of them for hours each day. From mapping their brain waves to testing their hormone levels after using their abilities, he was the world’s expert in mentalists. The media named him the face of mentalist research and with the President of the United States’ blessing he had even given television interviews. Mark was happy to let the man have the limelight, especially since his confidence in the science demystified their work for the public.
Small balls of flame appeared throughout the room. Just to his side, a small bit of fire hovered in the air, producing enough light to see the majority of the expansive room. He was impressed with how quickly Arturo developed his abilities. The young man was the opposite of Ariel; where he had to push his abilities, she found herself trying to restrain her telekinesis. No, he thought, Arturo’s abilities prove even mentalists start at different calibers.
There was something beautiful about the two or three dozen balls of flame hovering in the air. It started as a slight tugging of his shirt, as if somebody grabbed ahold of his clothing and pulled him forward. His shoes started to drag a little on the floor and he realized it was Ariel’s abilities pulling at him. His limbs were immobile as she lifted him off the ground and pulled him toward the table they gathered at. The sensation wasn’t like flying, it was more like being wrapped tightly in a blanket and dangled over the ground.
As his feet touched down, Ivan gave him a nod. “Glad to see you could join us.”
“Thanks,” he said, staring at Ariel. “It was becoming tiresome using my own two feet.”
“Told you he wouldn’t find it funny,” Ivan interjected.
Mark ignored the man’s attempt at humor. In the last couple of months Ivan lost some of his awkward tendencies and started acting normal. He even reached a place where Ariel didn’t want to hurl him across the room. Arturo wasn’t as fast to warm up to the Russian’s scientific pursuits, but thankfully he followed Ariel’s lead. Where Mark had once been Ariel’s only confidant, now she had people around her she might dare call friends. Mark assumed the envy he felt was the same every parent experienced as they were replaced by friends.
“I believe they might also be ready,” Ivan said. “Arturo has demonstrated near
mastery of his abilities. While his prolonged usage needs more conditioning, he has been more than capable of handling himself with environmental stressors.”
“You do realize that environmental stressors are a bit different than having a group of men firing weapons in an attempt to kill you.”
“Same diff,” Ariel said.
“No, it isn’t,” he said, no longer trying to hide his annoyance.
She leaned across the table, resting her hands on his. “If we don’t do this, we’re dead. So how about we go with the least horrible option.”
He had been at the center for so long, and it still came down to them risking their lives. He started to wonder if it would just be better to break free and hide them away. If he could get them out of the country, there was a good chance they could go into hiding. He might be able to save Ariel, but there was no way the government would stand to lose Arturo, and at the moment Penelope was little more than warm body.
“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Go get suited up,” Ivan said.
“Suited up?”
Ivan turned to Mark. “I made suits that will record Ariel and Arturo’s biometrics. Otherwise, everything they’re about to do would just be for the sake of the military.”
As the two trotted toward the entrance, the small balls of flame vanished from sight. After a moment in the pitch black, the lights came back on, the harsh fluorescent bulbs humming as they snapped into action.
Ivan stared at the man, studying him. He had his nose tipped down so that he was staring over his glasses. “I don’t need to be a telepath; what do you want to ask?”
“We’ve been working together for nearly two years, and I’ve never asked you why.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you here? Why this, them, why all of it?”
Ivan leaned back in his chair, pushing his glasses even further up his nose. He rested his hands on the desk, fingers neatly folded together. His affect didn’t change as he cleared his throat.