Elimination (The Mind Breaker Book 1)

by Marina Epley

  “I can’t go with you, sorry,” Jessie says. “I have to find my parents.”

  I don’t protest. She picks up a couple of rifles from the floor. Should I let her go there alone? I look at Jessie. I remember a methodical way she was killing the guards. Jessie should be fine.

  We leave the security center and separate. Kitty, Frank and I head toward Browning’s office. I hear gunfire and shouts in the distance. The fire alarms are still going off. Suddenly, an explosion shakes the floor, almost knocking us down.

  “What the heck was that?” Kitty asks.

  “The fire must have reached the fuel tanks,” Frank says.

  “Let’s get moving,” I urge them along, calculating how much time we have. I’m worried a reinforcement group of Elimination soldiers may arrive soon.

  We run into several more squads of guards on the way to Browning’s office. We manage to hypnotize most and shoot the others. Kitty is bringing guards down without hesitation. Her still childish face shines with a bloodthirsty grin. I didn’t know Kitty had so much potential for violence and hate inside her. Where did it come from?

  I notice Frank closing his eyes when we come in contact. I realize he’s concentrating, trying hypnosis. He’s a breaker and soon will get used to it. Just as I had to.

  We round the corner and run into Holtzmann, Victor and Lena.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “We came to help,” Lena answers. “Browning isn’t in his office. He’s hiding in Carrel’s lab. I’ll lead you there.”

  I don’t bother to ask how she knows everything. Lena is a fine telepath.

  “I believe I can persuade Browning to renounce the order,” Holtzmann says in a trembling voice. He looks bad. His eye is twitching and he’s having a slight tremor. I hope he won’t have an epileptic fit.

  “I can help with hypnotizing guards,” Victor offers. He’s holding a rifle.

  “All right then,” I say. “Let’s do it.”

  Lena leads us toward Carrel’s lab. Suddenly, I realize that we may also find Carrel there. Adrenaline surges through my veins. Time for some revenge.

  “Carrel has already evacuated the building,” Lena says. She must be literally reading my thoughts. I feel disappointed, but overcome it quickly. I’ll find Carrel sooner or later. He is on my list to kill.

  We finally approach the doors of Carrel’s lab.

  “Browning is there,” Lena says. She squints, concentrating. “He has officers guarding him inside as well.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “Wait for us here.”

  We shoot the lock on the heavy doors and break into the lab. Browning hides behind Carrel’s desk. A row of officers stand in front, holding automatic weapons.

  “Don’t shoot,” Victor says.

  Most of the officers freeze, their eyes fixated on Victor. I realize he’s put them under deep hypnosis within seconds. Impressive.

  “I won’t be able to hold them long,” Victor warns.

  Kitty shoots first, bringing down an officer partly unaffected by Victor. Frank and I join her.

  Browning fires his gun. He’s not hypnotized. The warden must be even more resistant than the guards.

  “Cease fire, Browning,” Holtzmann yells, stepping forward. Browning stares at him. “You can’t kill everybody in this prison. You have to stop the order.”

  “I won’t allow those freaks to escape,” Browning growls. “They belong to me. And I can have anybody killed I wish.”

  He points his gun at Holtzmann and fires. The professor gives out a short cry and falls. I hesitate, watching in shock. I can’t believe it. Browning has just shot his best scientist! If he’s not insane, he must be close.

  The guards slowly awaken from Victor’s hypnosis. Their eyes become clear and they raise their weapons on us. We back away from the lab, Frank and I dragging a bleeding Holtzmann. The guards open up on us. Frank, Kitty and Victor return fire. I’m trying to reach Browning’s mind. Hatred empowers me. I don’t doubt myself and don’t think. Finally, I completely accept being a breaker. Holtzmann has always been right. This is my nature. I was born to hypnotize and read minds.

  I see everything through Browning’s eyes, as if we’re the same person. I feel his anger, bloodlust and desire to kill as many inmates as possible. The cruelty from the depths of his mind shocks me, but I maintain focus, eventually breaking his will. I force Browning to pick up the radio on his desk. He does it slowly. Order the guards to lay down their weapons and surrender, I project, and cancel your command to slaughter all inmates along with their relatives.

  “Get out of my head,” Browning groans, raising the gun.

  I know he’s not going to shoot us. The idea of me being inside his mind and controlling his will disgusts Browning. I sense it fills him with utter horror. This maddening sensation consumes him and pushes his weakened mind to an extreme solution. I know this because I’m going through the same range of emotions, connected to Browning. Put the gun down, I project. Browning resists. My nose bleeds and my head is throbbing. I can’t let Browning kill himself, although I’d really like to see him dead. But first, he needs to cancel his command. Put the gun down, I repeat in my mind.

  “Get out!” Browning shouts and presses the barrel against his temple. I sense the cold hard steel jamming against my head.

  “No!” I yell. He shoots anyway. The room blackens. I collapse onto the floor, holding my head. The pain is so real that I can hardly breathe.

  The next moments become a blur. I hear gunfire and screams. I see indistinguishable shadows moving about. I can’t understand where I am or what’s going on. I can’t move or speak. All I can do is to sit in a crouched position on the floor, squeezing my head with both hands. I feel blood flowing from my temple. It wasn’t your head, I say to myself. Gosh, it’s the second time I’ve gone through this.

  Somebody touches my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance. I look up and see Kitty.

  “Are you all right?” she asks worriedly.

  I nod, getting up and checking my surroundings. All the Elimination officers have been killed. Browning’s body is sprawled in a puddle of blood. He’s dead, too. Nobody can cancel his command now. I don’t know what to think of this. I’m frustrated by the fact I let Browning shoot himself. I wanted to make him rescind his order, but at the last second I wasn’t trying to stop him as hard as I could. I wished Browning to be dead.

  I realize that I can be influenced by a personal vendetta just like Jessie.

  Holtzmann is sitting on the floor, holding his wounded leg.

  “This situation is entirely unacceptable,” he mumbles.

  I’m surprised that the professor hasn’t thrown a fit yet. He’s trembling and has uneven breathing, but appears stable enough.

  Frank searches the bodies for ammo. His expression is remorseful, but he shows no sign of hesitation for the gruesome task. I have to admit he’s holding up very well considering he’s a former Elimination officer. He must have known some of these guards, but didn’t think twice about shooting when it came down to it.

  “Victor, can you assist Holtzmann to his lab?” I ask.

  “I can try,” Victor answers. I notice his arm is bleeding, but Victor doesn’t seem to care. He must be on something, I decide.

  I help him pull Holtzmann to his feet. The professor is woozy and close to losing consciousness. Victor wraps an arm around his waist to help with balance. I’ve no idea how they’re gonna make it.

  Frank says, “Wheeler’s in charge now. He won’t stop till every breaker is dead.”

  “He’s next on our list then,” I answer, glancing at Lena.

  “I can locate Wheeler,” she says in anticipation.

  Chapter 27

  Lena closes her eyes tightly, wincing from the effort. I concentrate, hoping to tap into any images coming from her mind. The room fades for a moment and I get the sensation of falling. Then everything returns to normal. I’m too exhausted.

  I’m curious how Lena ca
n utilize her telepathic abilities so well. Holtzmann said she’s a weaker telepath than me. Yet she somehow has no trouble locating people while I’m still struggling. She’s just had more practice, I guess. Maybe someday I’ll be as good, perhaps even better.

  Lena takes her time, searching for Wheeler in her mind. I don’t try to hurry her, waiting patiently. I’m feeling somewhat guilty for letting Holtzmann get shot. I should have never allowed him to follow us.

  I think of Rebecca. I made a promise to her to keep her cousin safe. She will be really upset to see him injured. Hopefully, Victor will manage to keep him alive. I don’t worry so much about his wound because it didn’t look life threatening. But we now have hundreds of inmates on the loose and some of them are hardened criminals. They won’t be interested in sparing Professor Holtzmann.

  I can’t stop wondering how to separate the real criminals from the falsely accused. We simply have no time for this now and will have to allow all inmates to leave with us. That’s a bummer. I don’t want to set any killers, robbers or rapists free.

  I decide to worry about all that later. First and foremost, we need to get out of here alive.

  Kitty is kneeling beside me, reloading her rifle. She looks very determined.

  “You think the other guards might surrender if we kill Wheeler?” she whispers.

  I put a finger to my lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet and not to disturb Lena. Kitty sighs. I know she can’t wait to go hunting for Wheeler.

  Voices are coming from the hallway. I get up and walk toward the door, keeping my rifle at the ready. Kitty stands up slowly and I signal for her and Frank to remain near Lena. Lena can’t protect herself, being in a telepathic trance.

  I wait for a few moments, listening. There’s a burst of gunfire nearby and I take a quick glimpse into the corridor. Nothing. The sounds of shooting have ceased.

  “I saw Wheeler,” Lena says, opening her eyes. “I know where he is but I don’t know how long he’ll be there. I can show you if you’re ready.”

  She stands up and walks toward the exit, swaying slightly. Lena hasn’t completely recovered from her visions yet. I know very well how confused and disoriented it can make you. After a few steps her stride becomes steadier.

  Lena leads us through the facility passages. She never hesitates or thinks twice which turn to take. Frank follows a step behind, covering her. I don’t doubt he’ll shoot any guards who appear along the way to threaten Lena. But I can’t help feeling a little uncertain going to hunt down Wheeler with Frank. They used to be friends and it may be difficult for Frank to face Wheeler under these circumstances. How can I be sure he won’t hesitate at a critical moment or even switch sides?

  Lena stops and whispers, “Guards are just ahead. We can’t go further.”

  We have to change our route to avoid guards and other inmates several times. Running into either one would be dangerous. We have to descend a few floors down, walking through smoke and fumes from the fire. It’s not dense, but still makes our eyes tear. I really hope the guards have managed to contain most of the fire and it won’t consume the entire prison. If it becomes uncontrollable, we all run the risk of burning alive.

  As we enter the cellblock area, Lena solemnly announces, “This is where Elimination was keeping our relatives.”

  I look around in horror. Kitty freezes and presses her palm against her mouth. Frank expels a grunting sound, something between sighing and chocking. Only Lena remains unfazed. She must have seen everything in her mind already.

  There are piles of bodies lying on the floor, frozen in unnatural positions, their inmate jumpsuits soaked in blood. I can almost smell the thick sickening scent of death. My stomach lurches and I’m afraid of throwing up. Elimination officers must have used automatic weapons to shoot down fleeing inmates. These prisoners didn’t stand a chance, unarmed and unable to defend themselves. They weren’t even breakers, just unlucky people who happened to have breakers in their family trees.

  I take a long ragged breath, trying to overcome my nausea. I’ve never seen so many dead in the same place and time. It’s overwhelming. I turn away and pause a few seconds, unable to proceed. We have little time, but I can’t make myself take a step further.

  I knew many would die today, but I couldn’t envision such a disastrous outcome. All these people have died for nothing. My mind can’t accept the pointless brutality I’m witnessing here. It’s something unthinkable, something I wish I’ve never seen. I know these images will stick deep in my mind to haunt me later. I’ll never forget what I’ve seen today.

  “Good God,” Kitty breathes out. She looks around, stepping closer to me.

  Frank remains silent, but by the look on his face I can tell he’s done with Elimination forever. We won’t have to worry about Frank switching sides anymore.

  I glance at Lena. The little girl is holding up just fine.

  “We should get going,” she suggests, taking my hand and pulling me forward.

  We proceed in silence, carefully picking our way along the massed bodies. I realize they can’t feel pain any longer, but I’m scared to step on somebody’s arm or leg as if it could still hurt them. Their pale faces wear expressions of indifference, somewhat similar to the vacant stare of the hypnotized. Only these people haven’t been hypnotized, but killed. Nothing will ever wake them up again.

  These people have all died as a direct result of the decisions I’ve made, I think gloomily. I began the prison uprising without the ability to protect them. I didn’t fully realize the consequences that decision could lead to. I know it will hit me later. Right now, I don’t have the luxury of time for worrying about our losses. I have to find Wheeler. We have to destroy the prison and stop Elimination’s genocide of the entire breaker population.

  “My mom is still alive, I can feel her,” Lena whispers. She doesn’t dare to speak loudly among the dead.

  Passing by, I notice somebody standing inside an opened cell. I raise the barrel of my rifle. It’s Jessie. She’s holding a handgun and stares blankly at something I can’t make out. A few dead guards lie on the floor at her feet.

  “They’ve killed my parents,” Jessie says in a hollow voice. “I was too late.”

  She’s not crying and her face is emotionless.

  I can’t find the right words. Whatever I could say won’t help Jessie. I have no clue how it may feel to lose parents you love so much. I’ve never had real family myself.

  “I’m sorry, Jess. We’re going for Wheeler now,” I say. “We need to kill him.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Jessie answers, taking a last glance at her parents.

  We follow Lena.

  A thundering explosion shakes the floor. The same instant the lights go off and everything is consumed by complete darkness for a few moments. Then the emergency lights flick on, illuminating the passage with an eerie red glow. We proceed.

  Voices and footsteps are coming toward us. I stop and gesture for my group to take cover. We all conceal ourselves in the same cell, preparing to fight. A group of inmates emerge from the dark, carrying rifles. No telling what intentions they may have.

  “Hey! Who’s there?” an inmate yells, firing his rifle. Others join him. They don’t really care who we are.

  Jessie and Frank return fire, while Kitty and I are concentrating on projecting our thoughts toward the inmates. Stop shooting, I project, drop your weapons. They’re breakers, but being level four I should be able to get into their minds. My head hurts, but less than before. Maybe it’s because I understand now that hypnosis can’t cause me real pain.

  The gunfire subsides. Jessie and Frank leap out of the cell. Kitty rushes to follow, but I hold her back. “I need your help with hypnosis,” I say. It’s not entirely true, I just can’t stomach the thought of Kitty risking her life unnecessarily. She sighs, but remains nearby, continuing to assist with hypnosis. I hear a few rapid gunshots and chance a glimpse into the passage. The inmates are dead. Frank and Jessie are searching their
bodies for ammo.

  “Why did they attack us?” Kitty asks. “Did they not realize that we’re breakers?”

  “They were killers, Kitty,” I answer. “They didn’t care whom they killed.”

  “They chose the wrong victims this time,” Kitty says. “We’re killers too.” She approaches and spits onto a lifeless body spread eagled across the floor.

  She’s right. We’re all killers here, except Lena. Somehow I feel guilty for using her abilities to locate Wheeler. I tell myself that this is the war and everybody needs to contribute, even the children.

  I hear gunfire nearby.

  “That’s him,” Lena warns. “Wheeler.”

  We proceed, following her lead down the corridor and coming to a large open area with additional cellblocks along one side. I see a squad of Elimination officers with Wheeler among them. A few inmates are lined up, facing a wall. None of them are wearing blocking collars. They’re not breakers, I realize with horror, just more breaker relatives. The officers train their rifles on them.

  “Stop!” I yell, firing my rifle into the nearest officer. He collapses on the floor. The others spread out, taking cover inside the open cells and returning fire. The inmates look around in confusion, then flee in panic. A couple of them fall, hit by crossfire.

  While Frank lays down cover fire, Jessie grabs Lena and drags her inside an open cell. Frank follows them in short order, continuing to hammer off rounds as he goes. Kitty and I wind up inside another cell on the opposite side of the corridor. She’s shooting and I’m trying to hypnotize the guards. They’re really difficult to break, being very resistant. My head throbs again and the room spins. The clattering of gunfire distracts me, not letting me focus well enough. I know the well trained guards outnumber our group, and without hypnosis we won’t stand much of a chance. Stop shooting, I project, stop shooting and surrender.

  Although the officers don’t follow my command to the letter, the hypnosis is still having some effect on them. They become confused and their shooting slows.