A few hours later, they were off the train and in a second cab. The journey to Carson City proved to be easy for them. There were no police or suspicious characters waiting for them once they stepped off the train in Carson City.
In the cab, the only words spoken were by Carson, and even that was just a mumble of an address to the driver, nothing more.
The silence between them wasn't awkward, it was a tired silence. Valie couldn't fill it because she didn't have the energy, Carson didn't fill it because he didn't know how to.
The cab driver pulled up to what looked like an abandoned building surrounded by thick weeds next to a vacant lot.
“Is this is?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Yeah,” Carson said in an irritated tone, handing him some cash and then pulling at Valie's arm to help her out of the cab.
The driver pulled away and the two turned towards the building.
“It's so...depressing looking,” Valie said concernedly.
It was almost evening time, but already getting dark. The sky turned gray with thick clouds that promised rain.
A "For Sale" sign was in one of the windows of the building. It was desolate and creepy looking, as if it had been completely abandoned for years. There was a gas station and a few shops a couple hundred feet away, but for the most part, it looked like they were alone.
They walked to the side of the building and there it was... a huge willow tree in the back. The vines were long and untrimmed, skimming the ground gently in the soft breeze. Valie let out a small cry of relief.
“It's here!” she cried, looking up at Carson and grabbing his arm.
“It's here,” he acknowledged. He didn't have a noticeable reaction, it both surprised and frustrated Valie. “I guess I should go look,” he said.
Valie sat down in the grass as Carson walked on. She watched him go to the tree, splitting the vines, and crawling inside the mossy enclosure. She could only see part of him. He was touching the trunk and bent down.
Valie looked at the sky and felt a rain drop hit her cheek. She smiled, Carson was going to be okay.
A few minutes went by. Valie pulled at the grass around her. It started rumbling thunder. The calm before the storm. She saw Carson coming back, she struggled to her feet.
Carson's fists were clenched at his side, he wasn't holding anything.
A lump rose in Valie's throat. "Carson?"
He approached her. "It's not there. Someone took it."
Valie brought her hands to her mouth, as if to try and stop herself from screaming in horror. His pendant was gone too. “No.”
Valie carefully put her hand on his back, and when he didn't resist her touch, she brought her other arm around him and hugged him. His body was rigid, her embrace around him felt unwelcome, but she didn't let go.
Then, the rain came. It very quickly started to pour. The two took shelter under the willow tree, despite the lightening. The long vines did a decent job of protecting them. Carson pulled one of the ponchos from the backpack out and laid it over their laps.
“We'll go back home,” Carson said grimly. “We'll go back to our friends.”
Valie was crying, but only a little, she tried to look for the positive in such a dark situation. It didn't take her long. Carson was the positive. She wasn't alone, and better than that, she was with someone whom she realized that she cared about and knew, despite his crassness at times, that he cared about her. How well they knew one another wasn't important anymore, it was all in a feeling and Valie felt safe.
She looked at his face, his strong jaw and light eyes behind the heavy glasses. “I'm glad that you are here with me, Carson.”
Her admission seemed to upset him at first; he clenched his jaw and frowned. Valie didn't understand. "You know,” he started, “everyone I've ever been close to in my life has left. My brother, Phaedra, my dad... I don't feel sorry for myself, I never wanted pity from anyone--I don't need it, but history has a way of repeating itself. I just never really thought anyone was worth it."
Valie wanted him to continue. She knew there was a softer side to him, but he was guarded. She didn't know if that was something that could ever go away.
"If this is really the end...I can only regret keeping people at a distance...it's no way to live, Valie. What was the point of it? I didn't want to get hurt? It just doesn't make sense to me now."
Accepting defeat for herself was one thing, but being there to see someone like Carson accept it was different. He was so strong, so brave--and he was giving up.
Valie rested her head on Carson's shoulder, he let her. Her eyes were ready to sleep again when the typical snap of a stick caught her attention.
Valie sat up straight with a sudden small burst of energy that disintegrated as quickly as it came and a shiver ran down her spine.
Carson stood and then pulled Valie to her feet.
They both looked around. The rain was letting up to a drizzle, but they couldn't see much--it was too dark out. There was nothing but field and the building, which added to the haunting feeling in the area.
Valie was holding her breath as if it was distracting her from hearing. Footsteps in the now squishy grass were coming towards them.
They had company.
Carson stepped out from under the tree, standing protectively in front of Valie.
"Who's there?!" he yelled.
No response, but someone was there, someone was approaching. Carson reached for the backpack, pulled out the flashlight, flipped it on and pointed. Just as he did, the circular beam of light fell on a face. A face Valie had seen before.
Aaron.
Were her eyes playing tricks on her? She blinked hard, even rubbed her eyes, but he was still there, unmoving in the spotlight.
"Don't be scared," he said quickly.
Valie was speechless. It literally felt as if her jaw had hit the ground.
Aaron, the new kid from her school, the kid from her study hall--how did he wind up in a field in Carson City, Nevada? More importantly, why?
"Aaron!" Valie accused, stepping out from behind Carson. "Aaron!" She repeated, unsure of what to say after she'd caught his attention.
Carson threw her a look. "You know him?" then averted his eyes back to their guest.
Valie pointed, "He's...he's the...he..." She put her finger down, and then to Aaron, "What are you doing here?"
He bowed his head for a moment, and then looked back up to them, squinting a little from the light.
"My name isn't Aaron, its Jackson. I'm Jackson Bromwell."
Chapter 15
Those who knew Jackson Bromwell would describe him as a nice kid. A little quiet, was alone far too much, but a nice kid. He was smart, he ran track, he got along with everyone, and he worked hard. He was always willing to lend a hand, whether it be tutoring a fellow student in a subject or helping his elderly neighbors keep up their horse ranch. Jackson had lived with his father, just on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. They occupied a moderately-sized home and had lived there since Jackson was a baby. Jackson's father, Hooper, was seen in a different light than his endearing son. Hooper, to most, came across as a narcissist, boasted and bragged, mostly about himself and his remarkable intelligence. He was an incredibly smart man who worked as a computer programmer.
Jackson knew he was different. From a very young age, his father told him he was special. He told Jackson that he was created in a lab, along with four other babies. Jackson was one of The Wozniak Five. His father told him this, but advised him he was not allowed to tell anyone. As Jackson grew up, his father had no qualms about reveling in the details of Jackson's creation, bragging about his genius idea. Jackson knew from the time he was young, but yet not wise enough to understand that he was a remarkable part of science, he was a part of a mystery that had once captivated the world. His existence was proof of how intelligent his father was.
Jackson kept the secret, just as his father asked. It wasn't until Jackson was a junior in high school and won
a track meet for the 300 meter sprint, that his father told him the only reason he had the ability to run as fast as he could was because he was created to have exceptional abilities. Not because he had worked for it. It was after this that Jackson no longer had any desire to participate in the sport. It didn't seem fair to him, so he quit and focused on his academics.
On a typical night in September, just at the start of Jackson's senior year, he was at home, doing homework when his father announced he would be taking a trip. He would be leaving the next day to meet his one-time colleagues, the other scientists a part of The Wozniak Team. He told Jackson, quite bluntly, that he would be going to get Jackson's pendant, the pendant was to ensure that Jackson would live, and if he didn't have it, Jackson would die.
It was the first time his father had mentioned any pendants to him. It scared Jackson to know that his life was suddenly at risk. Jackson tried to ask questions, but Hooper refused to offer details. Jackson asked about the others, hoping his father would finally tell him who the other Wozniak babies were. He wanted to know them, possibly have the chance to meet them, but Hooper was unyielding. He never told Jackson about them and had no intention to ever do so.
As his father was packing, Jackson was at his computer, trying to find any kind information on the others. They were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Jackson answered it. A man stood there, one he had never seen before.
“Jackson?” the man asked.
“Yeah?”
“My name is Ambrose Fontaine, may I speak with your father?”
Jackson nodded and offered the man to come inside. He did.
Jackson called for his father, and within moments, Hooper was there. Walking into the front of the house, Hooper stopped, his expression seemed frightened at first.
“Ambrose, my old friend,” he said. “What brings you?”
Ambrose looked at Jackson, deciding on whether or not he wanted to discuss anything in front of him. Hooper made the decision for him.
“Jackson, leave us to talk.”
Jackson left the room, but remained in earshot. He wanted to know who the man was and what he was doing there. They never had visitors at their house. Jackson stood in the kitchen, by the doorway to the living room, listening carefully.
“You're not going, Hooper,” Ambrose said.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said. Myself, Leon, and Rory will be retrieving the kids' pendants. I will bring Jackson's back and inject it myself. I do not trust you and I do not want you with us.”
“I already know where the pendants are...I don't need your approval. Jackson is mine, he is my creation, I will be getting his pendant.”
Ambrose took a step closer to Hooper, hovering over him in stature. “You will stay here. No arguments.”
“You forget! You forget, Ambrose, you do not scare me anymore.”
“We'll see about that.”
Then, he left. After the door closed, Hooper began kicking the door, like a child throwing a tantrum. Ambrose Fontaine had been able to control Hooper, to an extent, only because Hooper feared Ambrose, no matter what he claimed, but with that conversation, things changed.
It was shortly after that typical night in September, that Hooper put things into motion that would cause horrible things for The Wozniak Five. He picked up the phone and made a call that would set horrible things into motion.
Chapter 16
Valie was still in shock. "You're the Jackson?! You're the Jackson that ran away from Phaedra?!"
He nodded.
"You're one of us?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.
"How do you know him, Valie?" Carson pressed, this time with edge in his voice.
"I, I don't. He was at my school, he was a new student that introduced himself to me, but he said his name was Aaron."
"Please, let me explain, but first," he lifted up a hand, Carson kept the flashlight on him steadily.
He raised his hand and a glass object fell from his fist, dangling from a gold chain that was interlaced in his fingers.
"This is yours." He extended his hand to Carson. "Your pendant."
Valie inhaled sharply, “Oh my God, Carson.”
Carson slowly reached for the pendant and admired it in his hand, "Why'd you take it?"
In a steady, calm voice, Jackson began to explain.
He started out with his father, Hooper. Jackson grew up knowing who he was, but was forced to keep it a secret. His father loved telling him stories of his days being a scientist and recalled, in disdain, the years he spent having to hide what he created. He wanted the world to know his brilliance and what he'd accomplished.
When the time came to retrieve the pendants, Hooper told Jackson where they were hidden, how they had cleverly renamed each of the babies after the cities where the pendants were hidden. The day before his father was leaving for Wisconsin to meet with the other scientists, they were met with an unexpected guest.
Ambrose Fontaine. Carson's father.
Jackson said he secretly listened to their conversation, Ambrose instructed Hooper to stay put.
Jackson recalled sadly, "My father wanted nothing more to be known for what he could do, so he went to the other side, he went to the bad side. That's why your parents never made it to your pendants, the...others knew where they were heading and because of my father--out of anger he told them, so they knew exactly where to go. I tried to talk him out of it...but he didn't care."
Jackson looked up at Valie, with those same, warm, sad eyes that she liked so much the day they met.
"I came to your school because I had to meet you, I had to see who I would be fighting for and when I met you, I knew."
What exactly he 'knew' he didn't say.
"So I went, on my own, getting the pendants before anyone else could get to them, before they were destroyed. I knew I had four people in this world who I shared an important bond with, so that's why I did it. That's why I ran from Phaedra, I had no time to explain and I couldn't risk explaining it to anyone because I was worried they would kill my father for telling me where the pendants were. I always knew my father was afraid of Ambrose, which is much of the reason he kept me a secret all these years."
It was so unreal to Valie, but at the same time, it made sense. It finally felt for the first time that they were a little ahead of this dangerous game. She stepped forward and hugged Jackson, she could feel his body trembling.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He put one arm around her gently, almost like he was afraid to touch her. Valie pulled away and gave him her most thankful smile.
"Where's yours?" Carson asked, breaking their moment, in an almost suspicious way.
"I injected it yesterday," he answered. "The moment I did, I felt better, I'd never felt so good in my life.”
“It's nice you went for your own pendant first,” Carson accused.
“Carson!” Valie snapped, with a look of disgust on her face. Jackson had basically risked his life for four people he didn't know and that was Carson's response?
Jackson seemed unfazed by it, he looked at Valie intensely, “I know your pendant is gone, Valie, but I'm hoping there's a chance we can work something else out. There might be someone who can help us, someone who really doesn't have a stake in all of this...it's worth a try."
"Who?" she asked.
"Ever heard the name Decker Beckett?"
Valie knew right away who he was talking about, or rather, who the name belonged to. It was the name of the man wrote the book on The Wozniak Five, the book that was out of print, the only one that was rumored to be reputable.
"He lives in Wisconsin, he wrote a book on us, but only a small number of books went into publication because he was sued."
"A lot of people wrote books on us," Carson sneered.
"Yes, but Decker Beckett was around seven or eight years old when we were created. He was there for it. I don't really know why, my father never told me, but he helped De
cker write the book about five years ago. If we can't ask one of the scientists who created us, he's the next best thing, my dad told him everything."
“Who is he to us?” Valie asked, wanting to know more about the mysterious link.
“I don't know,” Jackson said, “but he knows.”
Carson went to the side of the building to inject his pendant. He didn't want anyone watching and they understood. Valie would've wanted privacy too. Jackson had a small pack of syringes in his own backpack and a metal box. While Carson was gone, Jackson opened the box and revealed another pendant--he said it belonged to Trent. Valie put her hand to her mouth and almost wanted to jump up and down in excitement. Trent was going to be okay. He had to be so worried though, if he saw it was gone. She told Jackson that she would need to get to Trent, fast.
Valie asked Jackson if he knew what happened to their parents, he didn't. She was still trying to process everything. Jackson's father was the traitor, he was the reason that their parents went missing. She couldn't believe that a human being could do that, he betrayed his fellow scientists and put so many lives in danger.
Carson came back. Valie expected him to be smiling, but he had the same distant affect in his expression, as always.
“Let's go,” he said, and the three of them continued on.
It had been awkward for Valie on the train ride back to Wisconsin. There were only two seats in a row and Carson didn't put up any type of argument. He told Jackson and Valie that he would sit in the seat behind them. Valie got the impression that he was angry at her because of Jackson, but how was she to know that she'd essentially known who Jackson was the whole time? She had been just as surprised as Carson was.
Valie was fighting to keep her eyes open as the train surged forward. Her and Jackson made small talk about school, their lives, and how they would change. Valie found him so easy to talk to. He was laid back and kind, reassuring Valie often that everything was going to be okay. She wasn't alone in this fight, that they all had each other. Knowing that Trent and Carson were both going to be okay was comfort for Valie in itself. Jackson let them both know that while he was able to get Trent's pendant, he had not had time to get to Maddy's pendant yet. Maddy's pendant was the last, he explained. When he began on his trek around the country, Maddy's pendant was the riskiest since it was in Wisconsin, where most of the “action” was happening, which made sense, Valie guessed. She wasn't about to question what he said, he had just made a huge sacrifice for them and potentially saved Carson's life, Trent's life, and Maddy's life.
The Pendants and the Mystery of the Wozniak Five Part I Page 15