Twisted Fate

by Simon Rose

  “About what?”

  “About why he thinks you look familiar. You see, there was a curious incident just before the waterfront operation was shut down. We were running a near-death experiment on Jonathan Dexter’s son and his innermost thoughts were portrayed on a screen in the lab. We saw scenes from his childhood and family memories, but then the screen seemed to show the future, such as his father’s grave then images of someone else’s life. I now think those memories were yours, but I don’t how, unless it’s somehow connected to your mother and the experiments we performed on her. Why do you think that your memories might have been on that screen, Max?”

  “I have no idea,” said Max, calmly. “I wasn’t even born back then.”

  “No, you weren’t, were you, but I was very intrigued by Kane’s reaction when you met him just now. He’s presumably never seen you before but at the waterfront, when your memories were on that screen, Kane said that there was somehow another presence in David Dexter’s mind. It remains a mystery but I’m determined to learn the truth. I’m sure you won’t tell me yourself, and it may even be buried in your subconscious anyway. That’s why I’ve assigned Dr. Gregory and Dr. Dawson to extract the information from you.”

  “What do you mean?” said Max, beginning to panic.

  Evans said nothing and simply smiled at him as they turned the corner. There seemed to be another laboratory or similar room at the end of the hallway and there were no exits that Max could see. Two men in white lab coats were standing by the entrance to the laboratory. Evans let go of Max as they reached the two men.

  Max struggled as Dawson and Gregory grabbed his arms.

  “What are you going to do?” Max yelled. “Let me go!”

  “We’re going to find out exactly what you’re all about, Max,” replied Evans. “There’s so much going on in that head of yours, and I’m convinced that you could be just like your mother. These gentlemen will find that out.”

  “You can’t do this!”

  Evan just smiled, then nodded at Dawson.

  “Take him inside.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Reawakening

  MAX GULPED AS Dawson and Gregory escorted him into the laboratory. The scene was very familiar. It looked almost identical to the lab at the waterfront where Deanna and David had been experimented on. There were consoles equipped with monitors and computer screens, along with counters on which stood an array of scientific machinery. On one of the counters was a pair of black headphones like the ones Evans had demonstrated earlier. In front of one of the consoles was a long narrow table, equipped with sturdy leather restraints. The attached shallow metal tray was filled with an assortment of surgical instruments, including hypodermic needles and scalpels. The only thing missing was the large glass screen that had shattered and injured Kane when the police were closing in on the waterfront facility.

  “This is similar to the machinery I use to access Dr. Kovac’s preserved thoughts but this one uses live subjects,” Evans explained. “Once we’d secured Kane we used the machine to study his brain and view the contents of his mind on the screen. We found all kinds of disjointed memories that didn’t make sense and often contradicted each other. Since we were still trying to piece together where Kane had been all those years suffering from amnesia, we didn’t think too much of it. We knew things were bound to be pretty mixed up but there were a few other fascinating things too.”

  “Like what?” said Max, dreading the answer.

  “A young woman appeared sometimes, very fittingly it appeared to be someone Kane was close to. We did some research and found out her name was April Taylor, Julia’s mother. As far as we knew she never met Kane. They were at the waterfront at different times and would never have known each other. Then it was interesting that you appeared in Kane’s thoughts.”

  “I told you I’ve never met him before.”

  “Yes, that’s what it seems like on the surface. I also considered that Kane might be unconsciously reaching out to other psychics and that you might have been connected to his thoughts somehow because of your mother. Then I remembered what we saw on the screen at the other lab.”

  “But I don’t know anything about all this,” Max protested.

  “I know you’re hiding something, Max,” said Evans. “If you aren’t prepared talk, we’ll just take what we want.”

  Max fought to free himself, although he knew that there was nowhere to run.

  “You’ll only make it worse,” said Dawson.

  “You can’t do this!” Max shouted.

  Gregory produced a hypodermic needle, preparing to plunge it into Max’s arm. Max tore his arm from Dawson’s grip and lashed out at Gregory, sending the needle flying across the lab. Max was shocked when Evans slapped him hard across the face with the back of her hand.

  “Get him on the table,” she said, sternly.

  Max dug in his heels and continued to protest but was no match for Gregory and Dawson. They pulled him onto the table and prepared to attach the restraints.

  “Be thorough,” said Evans. “But remember, I need him alive. I’d like to know as much as possible and quickly. It may affect how we go after the girl. Keep me informed. If you need me, I’ll just be accessing a few items in Dr. Kovac’s memory files.”

  She was about to turn when screaming was heard out in the hallway, followed by the sound of running footsteps and several gunshots.

  “What was that?” said Evans. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll take a look,” Dawson replied.

  Gregory paused and didn’t finish attaching Max’s restraints, but he and Evans remained beside the table. Max sat up but they kept a firm hold on him as Dawson hurried over to the doorway to see what was happening outside. When he reached the door, it was flung open as Kane stepped into the lab. Dawson was stunned by the door’s impact and slumped to the floor beside the doorway.

  “Kane?” said Evans. “What are you doing? Where’s Dr. Huxley?”

  “Dead,” said Kane, matter-of-factly, as he approached the table. “But before he died, his thoughts were very revealing.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Evans. “Huxley’s dead?”

  “I killed him,” Kane replied, halting a few paces in front of her. “And he’s just the first.”

  He furrowed his brow in deep concentration, focusing on Gregory.

  “Dr. Evans?” said Gregory, in alarm. “What’s happening?”

  Kane grinned as Gregory began to feel the full force of the attack. He staggered backward, colliding with the metal tray and spilling the instruments across the laboratory floor. Max gasped as Gregory fell to his knees, pressing his palms against his temples. Blood trickled from his ears before he screamed and collapsed onto the floor beside one of the consoles.

  “Kane,” said Evans. “Stop it. What are you doing? Go back to your room.”

  “Why? So you can train me to be your weapon? To be your puppet? So you can control me?”

  “No,” said Evans, shaking her head. “It’s not like that.”

  “Oh, but it is. Huxley told me everything, or at least his thoughts did.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Evans insisted. “Kane, you must listen to me.”

  Max noticed that Dawson had recovered and was quietly reaching for one of the fallen scalpels. Kane didn’t appear to have noticed as Dawson quietly got to his feet. Dawson rushed at Kane but he whirled around, stopping the terrified doctor in his tracks.

  “A very foolish move, Dr. Dawson,” Kane sneered.

  He furrowed his brow once again, taking control of Dawson’s arm and forcing him to stab himself repeatedly in the throat with the scalpel. Dawson tried to resist but was no match for Kane and fell to the laboratory floor, his white lab coat covered in blood.

  Kane then returned his attention to Evans.

  “You’re just like Kovac,” he said. “He told me that I was like a son to him but he only wanted to manipulate me too.”

  �
�Kovac?” said Evans. “You’ve recovered the rest of your memories of him?”

  “Yes, and now I know what I have to do. I’m sorry, Dr. Evans.”

  “Kane, no!” Evans shouted. “Don’t do this!”

  Kane smiled. The lenses in Evans’ glasses shattered and her head began to shake uncontrollably. Max looked on in horror. Blood poured out of Evans’ mouth, nose, and even her eye sockets. The shaking rapidly became more intense and it seemed certain that Evans’ head was about to explode. Max looked away at the final moment, hearing the sickening sound as Kane killed Evans and what remained of the doctor’s blood-soaked body dropped to the floor beside the table.

  Kane was momentarily distracted. Max ran, but just outside the laboratory doorway his knees buckled and he fell. He tried to stand but his legs wouldn’t move. Max sat with his back to the wall of the corridor, trembling and terrified as Kane approached then stood over him.

  “And you. Max, isn’t it?” said Kane. “Why do I remember you? And why do you remind me of someone else? David? Yes, that’s the name I keep thinking of, but who’s that?”

  He fixed Max with an intense stare with his piercing pale blue eyes. Max felt an all too familiar pain building in his head. He tried to resist but Kane was too strong and was beginning to burrow into Max’s mind. He felt as if hundreds of snakes were crawling around inside his head as Kane started to access his thoughts. A bewildering flood of images flashed across Max’s mind as Kane established a connection between them. Any second now Kane would discover Max’s identity and why he remembered him.

  “My god,” said Kane, pausing for a moment, as he stared, perplexed, at Max’s face. “Is this even possible?”

  Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire from the end of the hallway. Two bullets hit the nearby wall, missing Max by inches. Kane broke off his attack and whirled around to face Connor, Drake, and two security guards that were all aiming their guns at him. Kane’s left hand was bleeding where a bullet had grazed him.

  “Kane!” Connor shouted. “Give it up. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, really?” sneered Kane.

  He furrowed his brow, and the first security guard gasped and dropped his weapon before collapsing, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. Connor, Drake, and the remaining guard took a step back before retreating along the corridor. Kane forgot all about Max and raced down the hallway after them.

  Max quickly recovered mobility in his legs once Kane was far enough away. Holding onto the laboratory door handle to steady himself, Max struggled to his feet. There was no obvious exit from this area. Max knew it was risky but he had no choice but to head in the same direction as Kane. He had to hope that Kane would be busy confronting Connor, Drake, and any remaining guards, giving Max an opportunity to find a way out. Still unsteady on his feet, Max cautiously made his way down the corridor. The first security guard lay face down on the floor, a pool of blood around his head.

  When Max turned the corner, he saw the second security guard, slumped against the door leading to the room containing the two-way mirror. A little further along the hallway was Drake. He was lying on his back in the middle of the corridor, his eyes wide and his hand clasped to his chest. Based on what he’d heard of Kane’s powers, Max assumed that Kane had induced a fatal heart attack in Drake.

  Max almost threw up when he turned another corner and encountered Connor’s battered body. Connor’s face and clothing were covered in blood. He hadn’t suffered the same fate as Evans but it still appeared that Kane had taken extra pleasure in killing him. The entire complex was silent and Kane was nowhere to be seen. Yet Max knew that he’d be foolish to assume that Kane had left the building. Max crouched beside Connor’s body. He then gingerly reached over to Connor’s jacket pocket, slipped his fingers inside, and pulled out his own phone and wallet. He was just checking the phone’s battery level when Connor’s hand unexpectedly grabbed Max’s wrist. Max froze with fear as Connor stared at him, his wide eyes streaked with burst blood vessels. Fighting for breath, Connor tried in vain to sit up then released Max’s wrist and slumped back to the floor. Max scrambled backward along the hallway, dropping his phone onto the concrete. There was a final gasp from Connor before he lay still. Still shaken, Max kept his eyes on Connor’s body as he reached out, grabbed the phone, and pulled it toward him. Max stood up, his hands trembling, desperately hoping that there weren’t any similar surprises in store. He had to get out.

  MAX HAD NO idea where he was going as he sprinted down the hallway. He spotted a fire exit and ran toward it. The metal bar across the door was stiff but Max managed to force the door open. On the other side, there were concrete steps leading up. Max quickly climbed three flights of steps and arrived at a door that presumably led to the outside, but Max hesitated. The door was ajar and as he’d suspected it was night. Had Kane left this way and was he lying in wait, ready to strike? Max gently eased the door open and stepped outside.

  The light above the doorway was broken. Max was standing in a dark narrow alley and appeared to be alone. To his left there was faded lettering on the brick wall at the far end of the alley but that way appeared to be a dead end. To his right the alley led to the road, although in the darkness the exit appeared to be at least partially blocked by a gate. Max quickly made his way to the end of the alley that led to the road. As he drew closer he saw that there was a rusty metal gate. It looked as if it hadn’t been used in years, and Max easily slipped through the gap between the gate and the wall of the building. When he reached the road, Max discovered that the building was situated in an industrial area. There was no traffic or pedestrians and all the surrounding buildings were shrouded in darkness. There were a few streetlights in the distance and what looked to be a main road, but Max had no clue where he was. He pulled out his phone. The battery was almost exhausted but he noted that it was just after 9.30 on Friday evening. It had been late morning when he’d visited Deanna’s old house and then been captured by Connor and Drake outside the park. Max figured that he’d been held prisoner for at least ten hours.

  He was about to check a map on his phone to see exactly where he was when he heard a noise in the alley behind him. Fearing that Kane had found him, Max ran blindly in the direction of the streetlights. His lungs were almost bursting as he ran past the darkened industrial offices, warehouses, and empty parking lots. He didn’t even dare to look over his shoulder and barely glanced in either direction for any oncoming traffic when he raced across the intersections. He crossed some rail tracks, briefly stopping to catch his breath as he hid between two stationary railcars. Peering out into the night, Max confirmed that the industrial area remained deserted, but knew that he couldn’t take the chance that Kane hadn’t followed him. Emerging from his hiding place, Max resumed running and didn’t stop until he reached the main road.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Marina

  CARS AND TRUCKS sped by as Max sat on the patchy grass beside the sidewalk. He was still panting, his breathing slowly returning to normal. Max was gambling that even if Kane did find him he’d be reluctant to commit murder with so many people around. Max attracted some curious looks from drivers and their passengers as they drove past, but no one slowed down or stopped to check whether he was okay. Max was convinced that no one was going to stop and give him a ride, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to take the risk of getting into a stranger’s vehicle anyway.

  He spotted a bus stop further down the block, although he accepted that there might not be any transit service through the industrial area so late on a Friday evening. He then saw a bus in the distance. When it turned into the street heading in his direction, Max hurriedly took out his wallet to see if he had enough money for the fare. He had a handful of change comprising various coins and was relieved that he could pay for the bus ticket. He ran over to the bus stop and stood at the edge of the sidewalk, waving both his arms in the air to make sure that the driver would see him in the darkness. As the bus slowed on its approach Max saw
that the illuminated sign displayed on the front read “City Centre.” Max didn’t care where the bus was going, as long as it was as far away from Kane as possible. The driver came to a halt at the bus stop and opened the front door. Max climbed the steps and the driver looked at him curiously. Max speculated that he was probably wondering what someone of Max’s age was doing in this part of town so late at night.

  “You going downtown?” asked the driver, as Max paid the fare.

  “Yeah,” Max replied, thinking quickly. “My class finished later than usual and my dad’s picking me up near his office downtown.”

  The driver simply shrugged as he pressed the button to close the door. Max went down the aisle and took a seat in the back of the empty bus.

  Gazing out the window as the bus pulled away, Max didn’t see anything that he recognized. There was a bruise on his right cheek where Evans had hit him. Max winced when he touched his face, as the bruise was still quite tender. He’d got on the bus on the outskirts of the industrial area but soon reached a main road, featuring shops, restaurants, and offices, but it really could have been anywhere in the city. He checked his phone again. The battery level was now critically low so he knew that he’d have to try and conserve its power as much as possible. He began to feel drowsy, putting it down to the lingering effects of the tranquilizer that Drake had administered earlier that day in the car.

  Max was in a place that was filled with thick white mist. He squinted but could barely see ahead of him. He looked to each side and then behind him but his vision couldn’t penetrate the gloom in any direction. He then saw a blurred shape ahead of him but couldn’t make out what it was. The shape slowly became clearer and Max could tell that it was two people as they approached him through the mist. He was astonished as his parents came into view. They were both smiling as they stopped just a few feet in front of him.

  “Don’t lose hope, Max,” said his mother. “You must go back to the beginning, to where it all began. You can still put things right.”