Dark Side Darker

by Lucas T. Harmond

  “Yeah,” said Josh. “Right up to the point he shot that poor guy or whatever he was in the face. We ditched him after he started shooting at your guys. Then we met Ian when we decided to hide-out at the place we use as an art studio.”

  “What do you know about him?”

  Josh paused, unsure what to tell him. “He’s the same as the dealers.”

  Macross frowned. “He’s part of their organisation?”

  “Hell no!” Said Rufus.

  “No!” said Josh. “He’s the same as them! Whatever they are, well, he’s one too.” He paused before adding. “He claims he’s a cop.”

  The two men exchanged looks again.

  “Is that the word he used? Or did he say Casendrull?”

  “He definitely said cop,” Rufus told him. “No, wait, the word he used was Agent.”

  The second man looked at Macross. “That doesn’t necessarily prove anything.”

  “No, but it represents an unknown factor and I don’t like that, not at this stage.”

  He looked at Josh. “How did you meet him?”

  “He was at a bar we go to but we didn’t speak there. Then I could just kinda’ feel him in the back of my head, but, but it was crazy back then, I was hearing shit all the time, so I just ignored it. Then I saw him at the mall in the centre of town...”

  Macross stopped him. “What did he say to you?”

  “He warned me not to get involved but back then I didn’t really know what he was talking about. Nothing had happened back then, just the voices...”

  “Are you still hearing them?” asked Macross.

  Josh nearly broke into hysterical laughter. “All the fucking time! But it’s so constant I just push it to the back of my head like white noise.”

  “Hmmm. They’re waking up the city,” murmured the second man.

  Josh nearly lost his cool. “What does that mean! What’s happening to me??”

  The man laughed. “You really don’t know?”

  “We haven’t got time for this,” said Macross. “Can you hear his voice in your mind?”

  “He can speak directly into my mind, but it’s not constant.”

  “Sir,” said the second. “I think he’s using them as puppets.”

  “I agree, but to what ends? The boy clearly has some kind of latent ability but...”

  He never had chance to finish as the lights dimmed and the door was swung open by Carthy.

  “Jesus,” said Josh, in a mixture of awe and fear.

  Carthy, now wearing a dark suit, ignored him and turned a malicious grin on the other two men. His glasses gleamed in the low light. “Well, gentlemen I’m flattered but if you want to fuck me first you gotta’ kiss me, and you can’t kiss me unless we first meet.” He laughed wildly.

  On seeing him, suit number two had instantly reached inside his jacket for his gun but had froze mid action, his nervous system hacked and shut down. Macross was standing half-risen from his chair.

  “That won’t work on me, I’ve been deep trained.”

  Carthy laughed, seemed totally at ease with the situation. If anything he was amused.

  “Really? Sit down!”

  Macross remained standing but seemed uncertain what to do. In fact he was sending psychic alarm signals to his men throughout the station.

  “Impressive,” laughed Carthy, and as if on queue the second man turned his gun onto his superior and shot him in the gut.

  “Jesus no!!!” he cried even as Macross fell. He stood rigid, the gun still smoking in his hand before turning his attention back to Carthy. There was murder in his eyes.

  “Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you? Give me the gun and then go sit in the corner!”

  The man helplessly handed over the weapon and then crumpled into the corner of the room.

  “When I get the chance I’m going to fucking kill you!” he growled from the floor.

  Carthy merely smiled.

  “What the fuck are you doing here!?” asked Josh hysterically. His mind was still spinning. One second he and Rufus were being interrogated and the next Carthy had suddenly appeared and caused the man who was questioning them to be shot. His power again sent waves of awe through him and he wondered, could he...

  “I came to get you,” Carthy interrupted his thoughts.

  Rufus was stunned. “Jesus! you shot him?”

  “Technically that asshole in the corner shot him.”

  “How did you find us?” asked Josh.

  “As I said before, I have my methods.”

  The man in the corner was talking to Macross, who was now curled up cradling his bleeding gut.

  “Are you okay sir?”

  “I’m fine!” he grunted. “Don’t worry, they won’t get away. I’ve alerted our men.”

  Carthy looked at him, then threw his head back laughing. “Your men?” Macross looked up at him. It was clear the effort caused him pain. “You won’t get past them. They’ve been trained.” Carthy’s smile turned into a slight sneer. “Like your man in the corner eh?” He turned on Rufus and Josh. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

  “What about Karen and Ian?” asked Josh.

  “We don’t need them. Come on.”

  Josh was going to argue but he saw it would be futile to do so. “Okay,” he said at last.

  “We’re going with him!?” asked Rufus. “He’s a complete psycho!”

  “If you want to see your parents again, I’m your only chance,”

  remarked Carthy calmly.

  Rufus shook his head and grabbed Josh by the shoulder as he rose form his chair. “Come on man, how’s he even know about that? We can’t trust this guy, whatever he is!”

  “I don’t see we have any choice. How else can we face them? We can’t fight them, not alone.”

  “Damn right!” said Carthy. “Now cut the crap and let’s go.”

  Rufus was still mumbling his disapproval, but in his heart he knew Josh was right and he rose to leave. Carthy moved to the open door and peered both ways. It appeared to be safe. “Come on!” he said over his shoulder. Josh and Rufus followed him into the corridor, the latter complaining. “I don’t like leaving Karen here with these assholes.”

  “Would you rather she was in danger?” Carthy said with no great conviction. A man with a pistol swung round from the end of the corridor. “Drop your weapon or I’ll fire!”

  Carthy barked out a laugh. “Ha! No, you drop yours or I’ll blow your fucking head off!”

  Without delay the man fired. The lights above them dimmed and a few seconds later there was dull metallic sound as the bullet fell to the floor.

  “Holy shit!” the man said and ducked back ’round the corner he had appeared from. Rufus had stood frozen from the second he heard the shot and Josh was crouching on the floor not quite certain what had happened.

  Above them Carthy was laughing and gesturing with his gun.

  “You dumb fuck,” he yelled. “I don’t even need this! It’s just a little funnier... Now poke your face back out so I can blow it off.”

  He paused as he focused in on the man, in a few seconds thinking his way into his consciousness and then seizing control of his body. At the end of the corridor the man once more stepped into view.

  Carthy raised his arm and aimed.

  “No!!!!!” screamed Joshand rose up knockinghis arm into the air.

  “What’s he to you?” asked Carthy, his eyes devoid of all compassion.

  “There’s no need!” Josh said simply.

  Slowly a smile crept into the corners of Carthy’s mouth. He shrugged.

  “So be it. Hey guy, it’s your lucky day. Now put down the gun and kick it over here.”

  Shakily the man did so.

  “Okay Rufus, pick it up,” Carthy said coolly.

  “What!?” blurted Rufus. “Me? I don’t want it!”

  “Maybe not, but you will need it. There’s five more men downstairs and four approaching on this floor, I can sense it. They’ve all been trained, not well
but in those numbers it will give them just enough time.” He paused, his eyes darkened and using the voice he commanded. “Do as you’re told!”

  The words loaded with psychic triggers were a jolt to Rufus’ nervous system.

  “O-okay,” he stammered.

  “Now come on, we’ve got to move now.” And with that Carthy stormed ahead kicking open the glass panelled doors at the end of the corridor and leaving the terrified suit pressed up against the wall.

  MACROSS GROANED, SHARP pain and heat beginning to eat through the shock.

  His man was crouched over him. “Are you alright, sir?”

  “I’ll live. Don’t let them leave the building, if they get to the site they’ll ruin everything.” He paused, tracing event lines in his mind and grimaced, before instantly deciding on a course of action. “I want all the men in armour and ready to assault the site now. We have to assume this Carthy means to force the confrontation now and as much as I don’t like it we can’t let the targets escape, even if we go deep they could remain hidden for months, even years and the damage they’d do in that time is unthinkable! I want two units of armed police to accompany our squads, tell them whatever you need to, but do it now. Have them form a perimeter around the site but don’t have them enter the building. I want only our men to directly engage the targets, their training and numbers may give them a slight chance. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Then do it now.”

  “What about you, sir? Will you be okay?”

  Macross let out a low laugh. “I almost forgot. yes, you’d better call the paramedics for me.” He paused. “My only regret is that we’ve been forced into this confrontation prematurely. Without the Casendrulls we stand very little chance.”

  “THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!” Carthy barked.

  There was a clatter from below, as two of the men dropped their pistols. The other three stood firm in the defensive positions they’d taken.

  “They’ve been better trained than I thought,” remarked Carthy quietly and then burst into motion, leaping down the stairs. “Follow me,” he yelled.

  Rufus and Josh did so helplessly.

  “We’re gonna’ die, we’re gonna die!” yelped Rufus.

  Guns began blazing, the silence ripped apart.

  Carthy stood at the centre of the reception area firing at one of the armed men, who’d pulled back to hide against a support post. Plaster flecked and exploded onto him as Carthy’s bullets slammed into his cover.

  One of the other men that was still armed lay bleeding on the floor, beside him lay another two men cut down by Carthy on sight. The last man, wounded in the shoulder had ducked through some doors on the opposite side of the reception.

  On the floor, the bleeding man was carefully aiming at the back of Carthy’s skull.

  Without thinking Rufus aimed and sent a bullet whirling between his eyes, throwing his head back to smack against the floor, leaking blood.

  Josh was numbed by horror for what seemed like minutes, felt the psychic backlash of the man’s death, a scream erupting through time like ripples on a pond and then a bullet hit the wall beside his head, and as flakes of plaster scratched his cheek he was brought back to the frantic reality of gunshots and screams.

  Rufus stood stunned.

  “Jesus Rufus, what have you done!!!” cried Josh. “What have you done!?!”

  “It wasn’t me!” Rufus said weakly. “My body did it on its own.”

  Carthy, still pinning down the last two men with wild fire, looked back over his shoulder.

  “Out the doors now!”

  Rufus stood numb, staring at the man he had murdered. Josh grabbed him by the shoulder. “Come on.”

  Josh crashed up against the door. It was locked electronically by a huge metal bar.

  “Fuck!” he growled. “Carthy, the door’s locked!!”

  “Wait,” yelled Carthy. Behind them there was a crash as the door at the top of the stairs was thrown open. “They’re coming,” he said to himself, then looked at Rufus. ‘Cover me,’ he thought.

  Rufus looked back blankly. Carthy tripped him into action and then turned the rest of his focus onto the bar sealing the door.

  Rufus looked at his arm as if it wasn’t his, as it was raised at the two men.

  “No!!!” he yelped and then began firing in spastic jolts from his muscles.

  The man behind the post shrank away from his bullets and was frantically loading a fresh clip into his pistol as he did so.

  The second man caught an eyeball full of glass dust as he peered through the glass panel of the door he was hiding behind. He screamed and fell from view holding his eye.

  “Oh Jesus!!!!” Rufus was shrieking. His arm again swung in the direction of the last man and sent two bullets, smack, smack, into the now chewed up post before the hammer hit against an empty

  chamber.

  “Carthy, I’m out of bullets!!!!” he yelled.

  The last man standing let out a charged laugh and chambered the first round of his fresh magazine. “You fucking cunts! you fucking cunts!!!” He was yelling, all too aware of the bodies of his now dead comrades and the screaming of the wounded. “You bastards!!!!!!” He screamed and swung into view raising his gun towards Rufus, who stood trembling, from a mixture of adrenaline and terror.

  The metal bar snapped open with a decisive thunk and then Carthy turned his murderous intent on the last suit. With his mind shrinking to a single point he manipulated the room’s energy into a stream and directed it at him, knocking him from his feet and sending him screaming through the air to collide with the wall, shattering his ribs and piercing his heart.

  “Throw down your fucking weapons!” Came the heated cry from above.

  Carthy ignored it. “Come on! Everyone out.”

  They burst across the rain-slick car park. The now empty gun fell from Rufus’ trembling fingers.

  As they ran the headlights of one of the black cars came on and its engine rumbled into life. Josh’s first thought was that there was someone in it but on seeing the driver’s seat empty quickly realised it was under Carthy’s control.

  As Carthy flung open the door there was a cry from behind, followed quickly by another volley of gunfire.

  “Come on,” he yelled above the wind and rain.

  Rufus and Josh spilled into the car, both panicked almost beyond control.

  Rufus’ mind was reeling. He could see nothing but the face of the man he had murdered, every detail as his life had been extinguished, taken by his hand. The shock was beginning to fade and he was frantic, close to vomiting, but he just barely managed to hold it back, the hot liquid scorching his throat. Nothing could have prepared him for what he felt now... nothing.

  Carthy put his foot through the floor, sending the car’s wheels screaming on the slick asphalt.

  Looking back from the window Josh could see the suits left standing in the car park in heated argument as of what to do.

  “Are they following us?” asked Carthy, then paused and said to himself, “No, I can see that they’re not.”

  Josh let out a deep sigh of relief, allowing himself to relax slightly, although he dreaded what was to come. In his heart and mind he knew Karen and Rufus’ parents were already dead. He shivered as some remaining trace of Blue shot through his veins and he experienced a vision of his friend’s parents being marched zombie like through vague streets by an assailant he couldn’t quite see.

  “Jesus...” The ball of pain in his chest flexed and a tear rolled down his cheek. I’m sorry Rufus, he thought. Rufus looked at him, consciously unaware of the knowledge he had just received.

  Josh saw Carthy’s sharp eyes observing him in the mirror. He looked at him like an animal sizing up it’s prey. ‘keep it to yourself,’ he sent silently.

  Josh wiped the tear from his eye and looked back once more to confirm they weren’t being followed.

  “How’d you find us Carthy?”

  “Lines,” Carthy
said abruptly.

  “What??”

  “Lines,” he repeated tiredly. “You just follow them and see where they lead, where they intersect. See the locations they pass through.”

  “What the fuck is he talking about?” Rufus mumbled while looking back through the rear window. In truth he was barely listening, inside he felt numb. He’d crossed that invisible line now, he realised, He’d taken life and he knew he’d carry that always. There was bile in his stomach and tears in his eyes. He felt like screaming.

  Josh however half-understood. His experiences over the past few days and his trip on Blue had expanded the perimeters of his awareness. He nodded solemnly. “Okay, but why come for us?”

  “I would have thought that was obvious? I need your help.”

  “What!?” said Rufus. “You need our help?? Jesus you can stop fucking bullets!”

  Carthy laughed. “Believe it or not, it’s true.”

  “Yeah right,” barked Rufus. “Bullshit, bullshit man! you don’t need us!”

  “Well, you’re partly right, I don’t need you.” Carthy’s eyes gleamed in the mirror.

  Rufus swallowed hard, but Carthy merely fell silent again.

  “So it’s me you need?” asked Josh fearfully.

  “Since the start of this, all I’ve been doing is tracing lines and at some point in every one, every fucking one, there you were, you and your band of merry idiots. In most ones, your interference was causing me nothing but problems, alerting my enemies before I wanted to face them, causing them to escape, getting the police involved and in a few even getting me dead. I figured if you had to be involved, if circumstance really demanded it, then you’d get involved under my terms, so I chose the lines which worked best for me and played you on them.” He laughed bitterly and shook his head. “So here we are at the end of one line where our path and their path intersect. The conflict could still go many ways but I see this way at least that we stand more chance of winning.”

  Josh sat back silently, absorbing the information. “You’re not a cop are you?”