“Actually,” Renee said with a haunted look, “I do.”
Dr. Grantham looked confused for a moment, but then a look of horror crossed his face.
“His memories are in my mind now, aren’t they?”
Renee nodded. “It took me a while to figure out what I was seeing. At first, I thought you weren’t able to differentiate between his memories and yours.”
“How did you overpower him?”
“I didn’t,” Renee admitted. “He overpowered me when I got into his head the first time, but then I managed to get in again and I trapped him in my own mind by waking up.”
To her surprise, the doctor broke out into a wide grin and let out a wheezing chuckle. “So someone finally beat him at his own game? Good, let’s do what I should have let the state do years ago.”
With Dr. Gasparo’s help, Renee disconnected the body of Serge Franks from the machines and moved him into the main lab. Moving Deborah Gasparo’s body was a bit more difficult, but they were able to get her set up and on her way to recovery. Once Franks’ body was once again hooked into the computer bank, Renee turned to Blake, who was sitting up and looking much better than he had earlier.
“I know Franks severed our connection when he went into my mind, yet I heard you, I know I did, and your phoenix appeared. How did you do that?”
Blake stared at her, still unable to wrap his mind around the idea that Renee was occupying the body of the doctor, let alone the idea that the doctor had been a previously thought dead serial killer the whole time. Slowly, he reached out and put his hand on the shoulder of Renee’s unconscious body.
Like this.
Dr. Grantham’s eyes went wide and Blake heard Renee’s voice in his head.
How is that even possible?
“I don’t know,” he said, letting his hand drop away. He was relieved to know that it was indeed Renee that he was speaking to, but spanning the two-foot gap between the beds was tiring. Renee noticed this and immediately unlocked the wheels on the bed holding her body and rolled it until it butted up against Blake’s bed.
“Here,” she said, taking her own hand, which was incredibly unnerving, and placed it in Blake’s. “This shouldn’t be difficult to maintain.” She turned to Dr. Gasparo. “Blake and I have some sort of a connection that Franks didn’t know about. We don’t know how it happened, but it’s been pretty useful. When the doctor and I are under, I’ll use the connection to communicate to you through him.”
“But what will happen to you when the doctor is back in his own body?” he asked, still trying to fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together.
“As long as we’re under, we can occupy the same mind. Blake and I did it for months,” she explained. “Once you’ve… taken care of Franks, I’ll go back into my own head.”
Dr. Gasparo nodded, indicating that he understood what Renee could not bring herself to say. There was no safe way to return Serge Franks to his own body. He would have to be euthanized. Only after Franks was dead, could Renee return to her own mind.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she positioned herself comfortably on the empty hospital bed that she had seen Franks use several times before. Dr. Grantham was much taller than she was, so it was strange to feel her feet hang over the edge. As she assisted Dr. Gasparo in connecting her into the machine, Blake sent her a message.
Be careful.
I will, she said, smiling to herself. We’re really doing it, Blake. We’re going home.
Thanks to you.
Thanks to US, she corrected.
Dr. Gasparo started the sedative drip. Renee closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, impatient to get this over with as quickly as possible.
All of the sudden, she felt her stomach drop as if she was riding an elevator that came to an uncertain stop. Renee opened her eyes and realized she was back under.
I’m here, she informed Blake, but Dr. Grantham’s not here yet.
You might have to go get him.
No way am I going into that mind. I’ve already seen enough, she said with a shudder.
A few moments later, the door appeared and opened slowly. Dr. Grantham stuck his head through, cautiously at first, as if he was expecting Serge Franks to still be occupying his mind. When he saw Renee, he smiled and stepped through.
“Miss Renee Ward, I presume?” he said with a warm smile.
Although she had seen Franks masquerading as the doctor several times before, she easily recognized that this was truly Dr. Thomas Grantham. The hard, calculating expression that had disturbed her so much was gone, replaced by one of kindness, yet overshadowed by deep regret.
The doctor’s here, she informed Blake before returning Dr. Grantham’s smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, that is, the real you at last,” she said with a nervous chuckle.
The doctor looked as if he was about to say something when he suddenly collapsed with a stricken expression. To Renee’s horror, she realized what was happening. Dr. Grantham was receiving all of the memories of everything Serge Franks had done while occupying his mind.
“My god,” he said at last, as his breath came in deep, ragged gasps. “I’m… I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Renee assured him, putting her arm around the doctor’s shoulder. “You had no way of knowing what he was capable of.”
It’s done.
Because of what ‘it’ was, Blake tried to keep the excitement out of his voice, but failed. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to finally be free. He wanted to see his grandparents and finally have some closure regarding his mother’s death. And most of all, he wanted to finally meet Renee, the real Renee in person.
Give me a moment, she called back. Dr. Grantham just got hit with all of the memories Franks made in his head.
“Dr. Grantham?” she said quietly. “It’s done. Franks is dead.”
The doctor stood, took a deep breath to regain his composure, and nodded. “Thank you, Renee,” he said and pulled her into a gentle hug. “We’re going to get you home now. You and Blake. I promise.”
As he broke away from her, the door to Renee’s mind appeared.
“Well, this is it,” she said, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet.
“I’ll see you in just a moment,” Dr. Grantham said with a smile.
Renee took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and grabbed the door handle. Only after she was back in her own mind did she open her eyes.
And saw that she wasn’t alone.
Chapter 29
“How did you… Oh my god!”
Renee stood frozen in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing. At first, she thought that Dr. Grantham had somehow managed to come into her mind without her noticing. But as he turned around, she realized that it was Serge Franks, who was still wearing the appearance of the doctor. He stood next to her mind, his hand reaching for one of the brighter tendrils. As soon as he saw Renee, he clamped his hand around the nerve and squeezed. At the same time, Renee felt a sharp pain shoot through her head and fell to the floor, crying out in agony.
“What have you done, Miss Ward?” Franks asked in a low, dangerous voice. “Where is my portal?”
“W-w-what? P-portal?” Renee gasped, clutching her head as she tried to stand up. She’d had bad headaches in the past, but this was much worse.
“Don’t you play dumb with me, little girl,” he growled. “Your broken body is all but useless to me, but I will take it if you don’t cooperate.” For emphasis, he tightened his grip on the nerve and gave it a violent twist. Renee fell back to the ground. It felt as if her head was about to explode.
Blake! Renee called out, fighting through the intense throbbing in her skull.
Renee? What’s going on?
Serge Franks is still alive!
That’s not possible. Renee could hear the frown in his voice. He’s dead. I’m looking at his body right now. He’s not even connected to the same machine as you.
He�
�s here, Blake. He’s hurting me. Please, you need to tell the doc-
Renee’s last thought was cut short. The pain stopped suddenly, but before she could even open her eyes to see what had happened, Renee was pushed violently onto her back. Franks wrapped his hands around her neck and knelt, grinding his knee up under her ribcage, making it difficult for her to breathe.
“I may not be able to kill you while I occupy your body, Miss Ward, but I can make it very, very unpleasant.” For emphasis, his hold on her neck tightened. Brilliant flashes of light began to pop in Renee’s field of vision. “I’ll ask you one more time. What did you do to the door to get back into my mind?”
“I believe you mean the door into my mind, Mr. Franks.”
There was a blinding flash of light and Renee felt the pressure of Franks’ weight lift from her chest. Still too weak to move, Renee rolled her head to the side and saw Dr. Grantham, the real Dr. Grantham, glaring at the imposter, who was lying on his back, unmoving.
When he noticed her, Dr. Grantham came over and knelt protectively next to Renee. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
Renee pushed herself up slightly and nodded. “How did you know?” she asked, still keeping her eyes on Franks, wondering if he was dead or just knocked out.
“I heard Blake telling Ethan what you had told him. I’m sorry, Renee. I should have known something wasn’t right. I knew my mind would feel foreign, having been under his control, but this was different,” he explained in a hushed whisper. “There was a pull, as if someone else still had control.”
“But how?” Renee asked. “Blake said he saw Dr. Gasparo kill Franks.”
“I expect that he’s been in command of my body long enough that killing his was inconsequential,” the doctor muttered, eyeing Franks body suspiciously. Suddenly, he jumped up and Renee noticed that Franks was no longer lying on the ground.
“So, our clever little girl found the shameful secret we’ve had hidden in the closet,” Franks said in a menacing tone. As he spoke, his features twisted and re-formed themselves until he was once again the evil man from the FBI’s most wanted posters that had terrified Renee as a child.
“The only shame is that I was so high on my own merits that I thought I could rehabilitate the devil himself,” Dr. Grantham replied, stepping in front of Renee. As he did, a loud humming filled the air and Renee gasped as a swarm of bees manifested in front of them, surrounding Franks.
“Still trying to use my childhood fears against me? For a genius, you’re a fool, doctor,” Franks said with a menacing chuckle as the cloud of bees went up in flames. “There is nothing you know that I don’t.”
“Likewise,” Dr. Grantham replied, easily conjuring up a shield as Franks began hurling knives at him. “This is our battle, leave Renee out of it.” As he spoke, the door to his mind reopened. “Well come on,” he taunted, holding his hand out in a welcoming gesture.
“Dr. Grantham, no!” Renee shouted when she realized that he intended for Franks to follow him into his own mind. “We can work together!”
“You’ve been through enough, Renee. It is my fault that you are here and I’m the only one with the means to put an end to this once and for all,” Dr. Grantham said softly, giving her a brief smile. “Thank you for setting me free.”
For a moment, Renee was confused, but then her eyes widened in horror as she realized exactly what Dr. Grantham intended to do.
“No, don’t do this! We can work together,” she pleaded, but it was too late, Dr. Grantham had already stepped through the door and Franks was about to follow.
Blake! Tell Dr. Gasparo to disconnect Dr. Grantham right now!
As Renee called out to Blake, she concentrated on changing the scenery in her mind. A wall of thick, impenetrable vines sprang up between Franks and the door. Without losing a step, Franks conjured up a flamethrower and blasted through the vines.
Are you crazy? Blake’s voice was frantic.
Blake, please! Renee pleaded, dropping a heavy steel cage over Franks, who simply shifted his flamethrower into a welding tool.
Dr. Grantham plans to kill Franks by killing himself!
I’m not leaving you alone with that psycho! Blake shouted.
As long as he’s in my head, he can’t kill me or he will die too. But if he overpowers the doctor again, he’s going to kill all of us, Renee explained quickly.
“I’m growing tired of your games, Miss Ward,” Franks growled as he easily extinguished the flames that Renee had thrown at him. In return, he sent a charging lion after her, but Renee reduced the predatory cat into a domesticated, purring puddle with nothing more than a well-placed scratch behind the ear.
Suddenly, there was a soft pop and the door vanished.
I’m coming back in, she heard Blake say darkly.
No, Blake! We need you awake, Renee reasoned. Our link is important and besides, he can’t kill me in my mind or he’ll die as well.
I’m not leaving you alone with him!
Blake, please!
Serge Franks turned to her, eyes blazing with hatred as he realized what had happened.
“That was a very foolish move,” he warned in a threatening whisper.
“Was it?” Renee asked, maintaining a casually indifferent attitude, but inside, she was freaking out. Even though Franks couldn’t kill her, she now had to find a way to get rid of him for good.
Dr. Grantham is livid.
But he’s not dead, Renee retorted, keeping an eye on Franks.
“You can run, Renee. You can run and you can hide, but you can’t outwit me. I will destroy you.”
“You can’t,” Renee remarked. A wall of electrified barbed wire sprang up between them as her mind frantically raced for a way to destroy Franks that he would not be able to counter. “There’s nowhere else to go. If you kill me, you’ll kill yourself.”
“I’m not an idiot,” he replied with a condescending laugh, reaching through the barrier as if it were made of smoke. “I have no intention of killing you, Miss Ward. I’m just going to borrow you for a while.”
Before Renee could put up another barrier, Franks reached out and pulled her to him. There was a slight sting in her neck and Renee looked down to see a spent hypodermic needle in his hand just before she fell to the ground.
“Goodbye, Miss Ward.”
Just before fading out of consciousness, Renee watched, horrified, as Serge Franks placed his hand on her mind, his body going rigid.
Blake… I’m… she began, but succumbed to whatever it was that Franks had poisoned her with before she was able to complete the warning.
“She’s coming to,” Dr. Gasparo said quietly, noting the change in Renee’s vital signs on the computer screen.
“Did she say anything?” Dr. Grantham asked Blake with a hint of desperation in his voice.
Blake shook his head and shifted closer to the edge of his bed. His grip tightened on Renee’s hand as she began to stir. He wanted to be the first person she saw when she awoke. That is, if it was indeed Renee. Her last message had been cut off, but her voice had worried him.
As Renee’s eyes opened, Blake caught a flash of an all too familiar hard expression. Almost as quickly as it came, the look melted into one of relief as Renee smiled up at him.
“Blake! We did it!” she sighed, struggling to sit up.
“Careful,” he said, helping her to sit up more comfortably as he searched her eyes, hoping for a sign that what he thought he saw was just his imagination.
Renee, you need to let me know if this is really you.
His mental request was met with silence, but Renee smiled at him.
“I can’t believe we’re finally free,” she said with a frown at the tubes and wires that still connected her to the machine. “Ugh! Can we get this stupid stuff off of us already?”
Renee, where are you? Blake pleaded, but again, there was no response. His blood ran cold. Renee said Franks could not kill her, but that certainly didn’t mean he couldn’t incapacitate h
er in some way. There was, of course, the possibility that they had somehow lost the connection, but Blake had to be sure.
“Soon,” Blake assured her as he pulled her into a hug. Over her shoulder, he caught Dr. Grantham’s eye. “Not Renee,” he mouthed with a slight shake of his head.
Renee, if you can hear me, be strong, he added silently.
Dr. Grantham’s eyes went wide and he turned back to the machine, intending to go back in.
“No!” Blake mouthed again, lifting one hand from Renee’s shoulder and gestured for the doctor to stop. “Too obvious. Send me.”
Dr. Grantham shook his head, but Blake sent him a pleading look. At last, he set down the connections with a sigh and shot Blake a look, gesturing to keep Renee distracted. Catching Dr. Gasparo’s eye, he pulled him to the other side of the room and quietly explained Blake’s suspicions and proposed solution.
“Okay, I’m sorry to break up the reunion, but you both need some rest,” Dr. Gasparo said with an apologetic smile, distracting Renee as Dr. Grantham reconnected Blake into the system. “Here, let me check your vital signs and make sure we’re administering enough nutrients to regain your strength,” he added, shining a light in Renee’s eyes so that she could not see what was happening on the bed next to hers.
“Ready?” Dr. Grantham asked Blake in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” Blake breathed, closing his eyes as he succumbed to the sedative the doctor administered.
Renee awoke as something soft brushed across her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on a soft carpet of moss next to a clear blue lake in a lush, otherworldly forest that seemed vaguely familiar, yet she had no idea how she got there. It should have bothered her, but it was such a beautiful and idyllic setting that she really didn’t mind at all.
Renee…
She sat up and frowned. She could have sworn she had just heard someone calling her name. Like the forest, the voice too was familiar, yet in a distant, déjà vu sort of way. She shrugged it off, deciding that it was just the wind and her overactive imagination.
Renee… be strong…
Kind of Like Life Page 21