Broken - Afflictions of the Evolved (The Evolved Trilogy)

by Shawnda Currie

  I looked at Taylor who was shaking his head trying to figure out the connection. I remained unreadable as I knew Heather was watching us closely, analyzing our body language.

  “Here’s my cell number,” said Heather as she wrote furiously on the back of a business card. “I have funeral arrangements to make, so if you’d kindly let yourselves out.” Her voice cracked and she wiped her eye before a tear could form. Plus, she was anxious to get away from us. She felt like she was in an episode of “The X-Files.” Sometimes I felt the same way.

  Taylor and I left so the poor girl could cry in peace. Once we got back to the truck, I turned to Taylor. “Have you figured it out yet? Zed getting charged for murder is a diversion but why? Even if the dark spirits know the second event has to do with a power plant, I don’t see the connection.”

  “Obviously the dark spirits wanted to silence Mr. M before he could meet with us. Maybe it was just a coincidence that Zed was there at the same time. After all, for all they knew, Zed shouldn’t have even been there.”

  Taylor started the truck and drove away quickly.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  Taylor rubbed his right temple. “We’re going to see Zed.”

  BOOK TITLE

  10.

  JAIL BIRD

  “We can’t just walk into the police station. Clear Waters probably still has the cops looking for us!” I exclaimed. Taylor wasn’t thinking this all the way through. He needed to take a deep breath and go somewhere to think. Sure, Taylor could just activate his retrieval code if we were caught but I would be locked up. I wouldn’t be of any use rotting away in a mental facility. They would no doubt medicate me or even worse, tie me to the bed like Triona. It wouldn’t matter what abilities I had if my brain was clouded by drugs.

  “It’s okay, Lacey. I have a plan. How are you at acting?” He smiled coyly in my direction.

  “I would never win an Academy Award,” I replied. This ought to be good.

  Taylor explained his plan to me. He was going to be Zed’s lawyer and I was going to be his legal assistant. That way we could speak face to face with Zed and get his side of the story first hand. Before we could show up at the police station, we had to pick up a few items in order to disguise ourselves. We stopped at a few stores. Taylor chose a dark suit and even bought a leather briefcase as a prop. I decided on a skirt and a white blouse. Taylor tried to get me to buy high heels but I opted for flats just in case we had to get out of there quickly. I didn’t need to add a broken ankle to the misery of our current circumstance.

  We checked into another motel so we could get ready. Taylor’s suit made him look older than he appeared and of course he looked dashing. But I still looked like a teenager. I put my hair up in a loose bun with just a few strands of hair hanging loosely around my face and donned a pair of thick framed black eye glasses – the prop I bought for myself. Instead of a briefcase I purchased a black bag that housed a few pens and a notepad. I had doubts we could pull this off without arousing suspicion.

  We took a taxi to the police station just in case the cops tried to run our license plate from the truck. We couldn’t chance raising any red flags. I let Taylor take the lead as he walked to the front desk.

  “Yes, I’m here to see my client Jason Dez,” said Taylor in a calm but assertive manner. Jason Dez was an alias Zed had chosen if something like this ever happened. These futuristic guys really did plan ahead.

  The police officer stared Taylor up and down for a few seconds before checking his clipboard for Zed’s alias. “You’re pretty young to be a lawyer,” he said handing Taylor the clipboard to sign in as a visitor. “Please show me some ID and sign in.”

  My heart started to beat faster. I knew we couldn’t get away with this. Maybe the three of us could share a cell like one big happy family. Without missing a beat Taylor signed the paper and passed it to me. “I graduated early. I’m part of Mensa.” He smiled at the officer waiting for a response.

  The officer didn’t say anything but I poked inside his head just for the fun of it. He had no idea what Mensa was but was too embarrassed to ask. Bravo Taylor! I signed my alias on the visitor’s log beside Jason Dez’s name.

  “You a lawyer too?” he asked handing Taylor back his ID and staring at mine.

  I cleared my throat. “Legal assistant,” I smiled.

  The police officer nodded. I was relieved that he didn’t find my identification suspicious but was admiring my picture instead. Visions of me draped over a desk as his hands made their way up my skirt flooded his mind. I was embarrassed for him as he was completely unaware that I could not just read but could also see his thoughts. My disguise did make me appear older but that didn’t change the fact that this cop was a pervert.

  The officer handed me back my ID and placed the clipboard on his desk. He pointed to a hallway on his left and picked up the phone with his other hand. “Yeah, prisoner 129s lawyer is here.”

  I grabbed my notepad from my bag and walked with Taylor down the hallway. Another officer unlocked a door which led to a room with a table and four chairs. We sat down beside one another. Moments later Zed entered the room wearing bright orange coveralls. The police officer unlocked the handcuffs from his front wrists. The cop closed the door and kept his post outside.

  Zed’s face brightened and he was almost going to run up and hug us but Taylor used telepathy to tell him about the ruse of being a lawyer and legal assistant. Zed sat down at the table with us and I scribbled random words on the notepad to make it look like I was recording the interview.

  “I’m so glad to see you guys. I thought you would just let me rot here for the sake of the mission,” said Zed relieved.

  “I want to know why you went to see Mr. M. Don’t lie to me or I’m walking out this door and not coming back,” Taylor demanded.

  “I received another newspaper with a new date and time for the meeting. I was told to come alone. So I did.” Zed couldn’t possibly be that naïve could he?

  “And how’d that work out for you?” asked Taylor. “We have protocols for a reason. Didn’t you find it the least bit suspicious?” Taylor pounded his fist on the table. He got very angry when his team didn’t follow protocol. I had been on the receiving end of his infuriation once.

  “What do you want me to say? How could I ever predict this happening?” Zed put his head down in shame.

  Taylor took a deep breath. He felt horrible for Zed. “Obviously I don’t think you had anything to do with murdering Mr. M. I’ll bet my left arm Blake did it. Did you see him at all that day?” Taylor prodded.

  Zed stared around the room and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “No, Blake wasn’t around. When I got to the warehouse Mr. M was sitting alone in his wheelchair. But....”

  “But what?” I piped in.

  “He looked surprised to see me, like he was expecting someone else. I told him about the message and he was adamant he had nothing to do with it. Feeling uneasy about the whole situation, I begged him to give me the info he was going to share with us today just in case something happened to either of us. He insisted that he had to speak to the girl in person.”

  “The girl?” I asked.

  “Meaning Lacey?” added Taylor.

  “Probably. But now we’ll never know will we?” He pondered for a moment. “Are you going to leave me here?”

  Taylor rolled his eyes at Zed. “You know you could get out of here at anytime.”

  All Zed had to do was trigger his retrieval sequence. “I’m not ready to go home yet. Besides, I’m sure you could use my help with the next mission. Plus, I need to know what the hell is going on!” Zed’s eyes widened.

  I couldn’t say I blamed the guy. After all, if someone set me up for murder I would want to know why. Taylor let Zed know that we would come up with a plan to get him out. My heart dropped a little when the police officer slapped the cuffs on Zed to bring him back to his cell. He was a friend, at times an annoying friend, but I didn’t like see
ing him so helpless.

  Taylor and I signed the visitor log on our way out of the police station. I ignored pervert cops’ sexual fantasies as we walked outside.

  While we waited for a taxi Taylor said, “For my plan to work, you’re going to have to practice your teleportation skills.”

  I laughed. Sherry was right, he was such a jokester.

  I looked at Taylor before getting into the taxi and knew he was completely serious. Instead of breaking out of jail, we were going to break in.

  BOOK TITLE

  11.

  CLOSE CALL

  Taylor thought it was best to practice our psychic techniques in a more private and tranquil setting. He made numerous phone calls from multiple phone booths all located a couple of blocks from our motel. The cell phone was for emergencies or to communicate with the safe list of contacts. I was just as paranoid as Taylor was. We didn’t want the dark spirits tracing the numbers from our motel phone if they managed to track us down again.

  Taylor also phoned other numbers such as taxis and restaurants just in case the dark spirits could track the vicinity of our whereabouts. Perhaps they wouldn’t see a pattern if we mixed it up a bit.

  Maybe we both read too many spy novels or watched too many suspense movies. Either way, we were determined to stay ahead of the bad guys as much as possible. I couldn’t end up in a predicament like Zed or much worse: Dead!

  Taylor couldn’t secure another secluded cabin but he did manage to rent an old farmhouse. Any reminders of the animals that had once occupied the place were long gone. The old farmhouse showed its age. The paint was peeled, the window screens were ripped and some windows were broken completely. An inch of dust covered the outdated furniture throughout the house.

  We had purchased some groceries and cleaning supplies en-route to the house. We worked as a team wiping down counters, cleaning the inside of the fridge and scrubbing the stove. We swept and mopped the floors and even did some laundry so we would have fresh linens to sleep on. The house had electricity but no cable or internet services. After our long day of playing house and me day dreaming about having a life with Taylor, we went to sleep early. With Zed in jail and the details of the second mission looming in our thoughts, neither one of us was in the mood for what we had started in the other motel room before Zed showed up. We didn’t discuss it with one another, we just both understood.

  Taylor’s primary focus had always been the success of the mission and always would be. I was an unexpected complication. I was no longer bitter that I was second place, I was lucky to be there. Without the mission I never would have met and fallen in love with Taylor and vice versa.

  The next morning I awoke to the smell of bacon. By the time I reached the kitchen, a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon cooked to perfection, whole wheat toast, a glass of milk and a bowl of cantaloupe waited for me at the table.

  Taylor kissed my cheek. “Eat up. We have much to practice today. I’ll meet you in the barn,” he said and walked out the door.

  I thought about his words as I ate my food. I was excited to practice my skills although I wasn’t as secure about my abilities as Taylor and Sherry. I had always been hard on myself when I couldn’t do something perfectly the first time. I laughed when I recalled a memory of learning to ride a bike. I had insisted that I could do it without training wheels. My father amused me by removing them but only if I agreed to practice in the grass. I started in the grass and headed right for the pavement where I fell off and skinned my knee.

  My father didn’t say he told me so, rather he picked me up and carried me into the house to clean my wound and covered it with a bandage. Instead of telling him he was right, I asked him to put my training wheels back on. I missed those days when he actually showed he cared for me through his actions. Those days slowly disappeared when he met my stepmother Judy.

  I fought back against all the sadness those memories of my family caused. I couldn’t afford self pity to raise its ugly head. I was stronger now. I had done the impossible by stopping those two trains from colliding and saved countless lives. I did that! The outcast Lacey Bennett had teleported and prevented a large scale crash. If saving the world didn’t work out for me, maybe I could become a motivational speaker.

  My little pep talk to myself worked. I was ready to do whatever Taylor had planned for me. I teleported once, I could do it again. This time I was determined to take off the training wheels and teleport on demand.

  Taylor was waiting for me in the barn. He had managed to create a tall wall to divide the barn in half using straw bales.

  “I’ll huff and I’ll puff….” I said jokingly. Sometimes I felt like I was living in a fairy tale.

  “When I’m through with you there will be no need to blow the house down,” he replied.

  “Really?” I asked intrigued. Hopefully this lesson wouldn’t be as painful as the last one. I couldn’t go through that emotional turmoil again.

  “Really,” he stated flatly. “You’re going to be able to just disappear and reappear.”

  “Oh sure! Just disappear and reappear huh?” I had lost some of my confidence during the short walk from the house to the barn. I changed my mind about the training wheels.

  “You’ll see, Lacey. Now come over to this side,” he said pointing to the left.

  Of course I was skeptical. But I had also doubted my ability to unlock my cell doors at Clear Waters.

  “Okay. Now I want you to set your mind free and imagine standing by me.” His voice faded as I watched him walk to the other side of the straw wall.

  I let out a deep sigh. It was a difficult task to empty my mind. It was like reading a do not touch wet paint sign; you had this overwhelming urge to just touch it to see if it really was wet. How could I empty my mind? I had ten thoughts swirling around at once.

  I closed my eyes hoping that would help. I breathed deeply in and out, in and out. Soon the rhythm of my breathing lulled me into a relaxed state. I could feel myself leaving my body as a faint tingle took over. I envisioned standing beside Taylor.

  When I opened my eyes I was still in the exact same spot. I tried the technique again. My body felt like it was floating. This time when I opened my eyes, I saw Taylor. But as soon as I blinked I was right back where I started from.

  Taylor ran from the other side and grabbed me excitedly by my shoulders. We both laughed so hard that we lost our balance and fell over onto the straw.

  “I saw you, Lacey. Just for a split second but I saw you!” He pulled a piece of straw from my hair and kissed me. I loved the feeling of his luscious lips on mine.

  The kiss only lasted a few moments. Then we both laid in the straw staring at one another. I was lost in his piercing green eyes. I could have stayed there forever but I felt little pieces of straw prick against my back and arms and I was grounded to reality. This was not the time to follow my impulses. I had important work to do. Zed’s freedom depended on it.

  I practiced several times to teleport beside Taylor. I could only manage to appear by his side for seconds at a time. Finally I said a little prayer and asked my mother to help me. I could have sworn I heard her voice and saw her floating through the air during the first mission. She was no longer with me on this plane, but I liked to think she was a guardian angel looking down from above.

  The familiar tingling took over my body but this time I imagined an anchor when I appeared at Taylor’s side. I did it! I moved my physical being from one spot to another and remained there.

  “Awesome, Lacey! You can teleport at will. Now we just have to practice teleporting with somebody else.” He was more excited than I was.

  I knew where he was going with this. He thought it would be such a simple plan to teleport into Zed’s cell late at night and teleport out of there with him. The cops would be baffled but as long as we didn’t get caught on video or seen by anyone, this could really work. In theory it sounded like a good plan but I wasn’t sure if I could teleport with someone else.

  Taylor
and I stood beside one another and I practiced my technique. I imagined the two of us as one body. It took many attempts but I finally teleported the both of us from the barn to the kitchen of the farmhouse. The next couple of days were spent fine tuning my teleportation skills. Taylor and I would appear in the woods, by a lake or in the truck. We were as ready as we ever could be.

  Zed had been moved from the local police station to a larger prison outside of the city where he awaited his first hearing as the city jail had flooded shortly after we visited him. This was actually beneficial as we could seek cover in the trees. Taylor had managed to get aerial photographs of the prison and a current nominal roll of the prisoners so we knew where Zed was being housed. The only concerning item was that the prison had so much security. The convicts that resided there were hardened criminals, most of which were convicted of serious crimes.

  We waited until dark and parked on a back road. Armed with some bottles of water, we hiked through the woods dressed in black. We inched our way along the tree line towards the side of Zed’s cell. Occasionally we had to stop and take cover as the high intensity industrial lighting passed our way. Guards controlled the lighting and there was another guard that walked the perimeter of the prison with a small flashlight. If we stayed quiet and didn’t move, we should be okay. As far as we knew, this prison didn’t have dogs. That was another check in our favor.

  When I felt the opportunity was right, I went into my zone. The tingle took over my body and I was gone. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness inside the prison. Dim light from outside the cell in the common area allowed me to see a body sleeping on one of the cots. I tiptoed quietly towards Zed and was just about to shake his arm when I realized that it was a stranger. I was in the wrong cell!