Impact (Book 1): Regenesis

by Harrison Pierce

  “You get home from school this late?” he asked without removing himself from the program.

  “N-No, school doesn’t st-start until the fourth of September. I-I was out with Ian, Drake, and Jordan today,” he answered, eyes locked on the man’s, whose were locked on the screen.

  “You get any food?”

  “Yes, b-b-but only a f-few things un-until V-Victor g-gets paid.”

  “You get more smokes?”

  He handed the man the cartons and Paul set them on the recliner with him. Nick turned to leave, but was stopped when Paul asked whether he bought anymore alcohol.

  “N-No, Victor gets that f-for you.”

  “Victor, Victor, Victor…you always have him do everything for you…you need to work harder,” he opened another beer and gulped it down.

  “P-Paul…I-I think you’ve h-had enough of that t-tonight.”

  The man scowled, “Do you drink?”

  “N-No.”

  “Then how the hell would you know anything about drinking?”

  “Y-You’ve got w-work in the m-morning, you need to stop–”

  “Damn it I know!” he yelled and chucked the empty bottle at the wall next to Nick, it shattered, and Nick shrank away. Nick shielded himself from anything further. Paul continued, “It doesn’t do anything to me, so quit yelling shit at me and get the hell out of here!”

  Nick ran into his room and he slammed the door behind him. He took a seat on his bed and shook as he let out a strained breath. His phone rang and he answered weakly, “Hello?”

  “Nick? It’s Drake. Are you alright?”

  “Y-You mean a-about today?” He tried to laugh it off but knew it wasn’t convincing. He couldn’t breathe but managed to mutter to Drake that everything was fine.

  “Alright, I just need you to promise me something.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t turn this party into a disaster, okay?” Drake joked. “I can’t let Ian hold this over my head, you know what I mean?”

  “S-Sure, I’ll-I’ll-I’ll try…”

  “Great, talk to you later.”

  Nick hung up and threw his phone on his desk. He turned to his radio and flipped to the nearest rock station and turned it up to a point he knew wouldn’t get Paul’s attention.

  His cell phone vibrated loudly from his desk and he dutifully retrieved it. Nick saw a text message left from his brother that contained an apology and a notice that he wouldn’t be home until late. Nick merely sent back his acknowledgement and his assurance that everything would be fine. Afterward he dropped it on the floor and shut his eyes. All he tried to think of was the music he let wash over him.

  ---*---

  7:40 PM

  Bothell, Washington

  Drake walked down the staircase of his home and into the kitchen; all the while he followed the scent of fresh pasta, bread, and vegetables. His father was on the phone while he finished preparing their meal.

  “I have to agree with you there, Jonathan, their demand is a bit too risky, it is a big investment, and I know neither you nor I feel it would be worth the cost anyway,” Tony spoke through his headset.

  As his father finished up business, Drake found the pile of mail and flipped through to see if anything interesting had come. All they ever received were advertisements and the occasional letter from family or friends, as their newspaper and magazine subscriptions all came through electronic readers. Their bills came through his father’s email, all business related materials were at his father’s office, and coupons for local grocery stores came through both of their email addresses. The busiest times of the year for their mailbox were elections and tax season.

  However Drake did find a letter from his pen pal from South Korea. Drake befriended the young man when he was in grade school as part of an assignment, though in the end he was the only one of his classmates to strike up a lasting friendship with his buddy. They only used physical mail because his

  He immediately tore open the envelope and began to read the letter,

  Drake,

  Your school hasn’t started has it? Well it is sort of nice not having to return to school this year. I had an interesting week with Kyle just so you know. (I’ve told you about Kyle before right? He’s an overbearing guy who literally has an opinion about everything). But anyway, we were out at a club and Kyle’s going off on how beneficial socialism could be (or something along those lines…I wasn’t actually there for this part, I was getting drinks) and Kyle goes on pissing about half a dozen political science majors in the bar. (He might have insulted their choice of study too, since Kyle thinks a political science major is absolutely useless…though he said the same thing about a formal education from any university for that matter, so he might have been an ass about their university now that I think about it). In any case, a brawl erupted, I had to jump in, and one thing led to another and two of the guys are in the hospital, one with a ruptured lung and a couple of broken ribs and I broke the other guy’s arm at his elbow. Needless to say, Kyle and I are laying low for a bit, and I don’t think I’m going clubbing with him anymore.

  But in other news, thanks to Kyle I finally made myself a shiny new email address, so you should let me know what yours is so we can put this outdated medium to rest. Plus we’ll be able to write more frequently too.

  I’ve gotta get going though, (Kyle’s about to start Firefly from the beginning and I haven’t seen it in a long time) but I’ll send you an email as soon as I hear back from you.

  I hope the rest of your break is good too.

  ~Yong

  “Jonathan, tell Kitayama that we’ll make our final decision later in September.” Tony continued his discussion.

  Drake took the letter and replaced it into the envelope and dashed back up to his room. He set the letter on his desk and took out paper and pen and wrote back,

  Yong,

  I’m a bit jealous that you’ve completed school, but aren’t you going to attend a University later anyway? I know Kyle would say it’s pointless, but you can’t get a decent job without one. (What does Kyle do for a living anyway?) Either way, have a good time while you have this time off (and try your best to stay out of trouble).

  Kyle seems like a bother though. I don’t know how you put up with him, though I know he offers a deep videogame and movie collection, so maybe that’s it. But these fights you seem to stumble into keep you sharp I guess, so there’s one positive aspect in all of that trouble he seems to bring you.

  And where is Kyle from anyway? Maybe you can come to the States if he travels back here sometime.

  ~Drake

  “Dinner!” Tony shouted a flight below.

  Drake set the letter next to the one Yong wrote him. He returned to the kitchen and joined his father, who had dished them both up. They said a prayer before they ate; their meal consisted of cheese covered pasta with a thick tomato sauce, a side salad, steamed green beans, and fresh baked bread with a light garlic buttering. They both drank water.

  The two ate in silence for only a moment before Tony broke it and asked, “So what were you up to today?”

  Drake swallowed and countered with his question, “D’you mean my day at work? Or my life afterwards?” he smirked.

  “Either, or both.” Tony smiled. Drake chose not to talk about work and started off by telling him about Jordan and Rachel’s relationship. “Rachel Lee, Rachel? Your cousin?” Drake nodded, “Interesting…Well just make sure he takes good care of her.”

  “Of course.” Drake gave way for a slight pause before he added, “She mistakenly insulted Nick today.”

  “Was it bad?”

  “Well it wasn’t so much as an insult,” Drake corrected himself. “She tried to poke fun at him but hit a nerve.”

  “Ah.”

  “Anyway,” he changed the subject, “I’ve told you that Ian’s moving to London at the end of the month, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well I’d hoped to throw a farewell bash for him.�
�� Drake looked at his father and said, “I could work my way up to this or just ask, is there any way I could get some money to throw that party for Ian?”

  Tony quietly sipped his water before he made his decision. He nodded and told Drake, “I want you to do all of the planning on your own, alright?” Drake agreed, and Tony continued, “I don’t care if you get Nick or Jordan to help you get the word out or to help you manage some of the finer details, but I want you to work on this, alright?”

  “Of course.”

  “That means you find the place, you handle reserving it, you manage the expenses, and you handle any and all damage control,” he finished with a smirk. “And also,” he pointed at Drake with his fork, “No drugs or alcohol whatsoever, or this will be the last party you’ll ever want to throw.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  Tony smiled. He took a bite of his salad before he asked how Rachel was.

  ---*---

  10: 53 PM

  Baltimore, Maryland

  A mug of black coffee cooled on the detective’s desk. Sage hadn’t touched it since Chief Johnson dropped it off on his way out for the evening. The Chief had a wife and two little girls, whereas Detective Sage didn’t have anyone waiting back at his very shoddy apartment. Johnson had a small gathering years earlier and Sage happened to meet the chief’s youngest, Cassidy. She asked Detective Sage if he worked for her daddy, which he told her he did, in a manner of speaking. She then asked if he liked her daddy, which Sage assured her he did, with a smile. Cassidy nodded in agreement just before her mother rushed her off to bed. Sage knew Johnson would have been right at his side in the investigation years ago, but his family was his highest priority, which Sage understood.

  The evening shift neared full force and filled the station with faces Sage only partially recalled. He hadn’t pulled the graveyard shift in years and it wasn’t with the Baltimore Police Department either, but he did work nights frequently, though his entire focus was always on whatever his investigation might have been in then.

  His newest investigation was dubbed the ‘Cladis Investigation,’ based on the assumed alias of the killer. The detective had a total of nine murders connected to the villain with a tenth victim on the way. What made matters worse was the completely bare list of suspects. Forensics failed to find any concrete evidence that managed to lead to any positive suspects. What fingerprints or trace hair particles they ever found always belonged to a family member or friend, all of whom had solid alibis, not that anyone’s genetic material was ever found at more than one crime scene.

  Detective Sage added Caroline Reynolds’ information to the case file, which happened to be scattered across his desk and office chair. Photos of her body, the scar on her forearm, and the bloodied sheet of paper from her notebook were pinned to the corkboard mounted on the wall behind his desk. On the wall adjacent to the corkboard was a map of Baltimore, which had a total of nine pins across the map, the most recent at the residence of Carolyn Reynolds’ parents. The deaths of all of the victims were spread across the city, with no migratory pattern in the slayings and without any sign of where in the city the next attack would occur.

  The rate at which the killer, Cladis, murdered was erratic at best, from what Detective Sage could see. At times there were only four or five days between deaths while sometimes there was only one day, and in one instance a span of nine days. There was also a complete lack of shared traits in the victims; some were male and others female, young and old, a variety of races, varying social and economic standings, married, single, widowed or divorced, along with a plethora of other differences. The only connection he knew was that the current target of Cladis would meet the following target before they died, between the window of when the previous victim perished and when the target would be killed. Beyond that highly abstract lead, Detective Sage was at a loss entirely.

  Sergeant Geoff Murdock knocked on his door and walked in. He set a small stack of papers on Sage’s desk. “They asked me to bring these to you,” he said with a glance at his work. “They finished up with the diary and there’s nothing that indicates anyone other than the girl or her family had contact with the journal.”

  Sage frowned and asked what the documents were.

  “Photo copies of the pages for the past few weeks,” he told him. “I took the liberty of looking through the journal once forensics was finished with it and found a few notes that might help.”

  “Did they check the handwriting?”

  Sergeant Murdock nodded and told him they confirmed it was Caroline’s. “As I was saying, I leafed through the last few pages and found something, though I think it might be a load of bull.”

  “What was it?”

  “Super powers.” Murdock folded his arms across his chest and explained, “Caroline Reynolds recorded in her diary that she accidentally dropped a glass on the wood floor of her parents’ house and caused it to shatter, however when she started to pick the pieces up to toss the glass out, the shards reformed and the glass was whole again.”

  Detective Sage frowned and checked the documents himself.

  Aug. 10,

  …the weirdest thing happened today. I dropped a glass on the floor in the kitchen and broke it, but when I gathered the pieces up in my hand, the glass fixed itself. It was completely fixed as if I hadn’t dropped it in the first place! I told my parents but they just assumed I was lying about it, that or they ignored me…though I have to admit, I’m not sure I’d believe it myself if I wasn’t there.

  Sage put the pages down and repeated, “‘The glass fixed itself…’ Do you think–”

  “No,” Murdock cut him off. “There’s no chance. Super powers? Sage, this is fiction. Caroline must have mistaken dropping the glass in the first place, or someone else picked it up and she didn’t realize it. It just doesn’t seem possible. It’s impossible.”

  Detective Sage nodded and agreed. “But it is something to consider.”

  “Just don’t let it dilute your focus Sage.” Sergeant Murdock headed for the door but stopped to remind him that he was always available to help with the investigation, if he ever needed or wanted it.

  Sage waited until he knew the sergeant was gone before he started to read the entries in the girl’s diary, though the pages were covered in blood and made the copies difficult to read.

  Aug. 9,

  …school was interesting today, our history teacher’s dad is in the hospital, so he’s going to Wyoming to see him, tomorrow we’re getting the intern at the high school as our sub for the next week or so. I heard that she’s kinda weird, but I haven’t met her, so we’ll see. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll just as soon cancel class for a week or so while our regular teacher’s out.

  Sage found someone she hadn’t met, the only person she’d mentioned meeting that far. He continued to read in an attempt to learn more about that person.

  Aug. 10,

  …the weirdest thing happened today. I dropped a glass on the floor in the kitchen and broke it, but when I gathered the pieces up in my hand, the glass fixed itself. It was completely fixed as if I hadn’t dropped it in the first place! I told my parents but they just assumed I was lying about it, that or they ignored me…though I have to admit, I’m not sure I’d believe it myself if I wasn’t there.

  Aug. 11,

  …something weird is going on, I noticed it first yesterday and I thought it was a fluke or something, but now I did it again today. I went to pick up a glass of water I had, and my hand moved through it. I thought at first that I missed it, then I picked it up and was halfway to my room when it fell, my hand went through it again! I know I didn’t just drop it, because my hand was soaking wet when it hit the floor. What’s going on?

  Aug. 12,

  …I found that I need to concentrate when I’m holding or carrying glass, but anything else is fine! Bowls, plastic cups, books…it’s just glass…something else happened, I dropped a glass again, but when I went to pick up the pieces, the glass repaired it
self, no cracks, nothing was wrong with it! What on earth is this? What is going on?!

  Sage stopped and stared at the entries. He reread the entries twice and then took out a note pad and scribbled a few notes before he read the final entry.

  Aug. 13,

  I found something really cool today. I tried it out once my parents left for their dinner. I tried walking through the sliding glass door that leads to our porch, and I walked straight through it! I think I walked back and forth about twenty times before I finally ran upstairs and tried it out on the triple paned window in my bedroom, which worked too! After that I had to come and write this down! This is so cool!

  Detective Sage stopped reading. There wasn’t anything left. He set the pages aside, looked back at the information he had on the previous victims, and for a second believed he’d found something.

  He examined the notes on the first victim, Red Irons, and recalled that he’d spent nearly a half an hour under water before the second victim, Breanna French, dove in and saved him. Sage jotted down a few notes, though they were merely ideas, and continued down the list.

  ---*---

  Chapter 3

  August 16th, 2029

  9:15 AM

  Baltimore, Maryland

  “You’ve lost me,” Felton told Detective Sage as they both hunched over his desk.

  The desk in question was blanketed in documents which ranged from photos of Caroline Reynolds’ diary to crime scene information and documentation. Detectives Felton and Sage studied the small set of notes Sage compiled on everything he knew about the victims and what limited connections he believed they shared. Chief Johnson joined them with three mugs of coffee, two of which he handed out to the detectives.

  Johnson asked Felton, “What’s this about?”

  Sage took a breath and said, “I believe I’ve found something.” He pointed to pages spread across his desk and explained, “I didn’t think anything of it at the start, but something in Caroline Reynolds’ diary made me reconsider.”