Unaltered #2_A Diamond in my Heart

by Lorena Angell

  “You never found it?” I stopped walking and stared at him.

  “No,” he said as he also halted his awkward backward walk. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I knew at that moment someone had stolen the clunky device; but who? It would have to be someone who could appreciate the value of it, someone who feared the Demons.

  “You’ve been without a Demon device this whole time, Brand?”

  “Well, yeah.” He looked down to the ground.

  “All we need is another Mp3 and some speakers because I have the sound file on my laptop.”

  “I have everything already. Can we do this tonight?”

  I nodded my head and he took off in the other direction right after flashing his dimples at me. I continued on to my math class and sat in my usual spot in the back corner where I could view everyone in the classroom. I’d been positioning myself in the back corners of every classroom so I could locate other unaltereds. So far, no one surfaced and today wasn’t any different.

  That evening after I’d eaten dinner, I returned to my dorm and waited for Brand. I checked my email and found that Beth had sent me a message:

  Calli, I can’t say I’m surprised this has happened but the Seers' leader and amulet wearer, Curtis Shultz, has disappeared with no sign of foul play. Personally, I think he had enough of the conflict and quarreling and separated himself from his clan. However, Clara doesn’t believe that; she suspects kidnapping. I don’t know who would do it though. I’ve recommended that the Runners' amulet have constant security. I hope all is well with you and I’ll talk to you later. -Beth

  Brand knocked on my door and pulled my attention away from my computer screen. I looked up and smiled. “Come in, Brand.”

  “Hey, Calli,” he said as he dumped the contents of the paper bag he was holding onto the bed. “I’m heading home for Spring Break as well but I won’t be staying at my mother’s house. I met a girl online and I’m going to crash at her place for the week.” His eyes twinkled with excitement.

  “Oh, I see. So, you want a new Demon device so you can party all night long.” I connected his USB cord to my laptop and transferred the sound file. “You know, you could keep your own backup file of my heartbeat, that way if anything happens to this one you can make your own.”

  “Wow, you read my mind!”

  “What?” Did I really read his mind? No, he wasn’t aware I could even do that.

  “It’s a figure of speech, Calli. That’s what I was thinking and you verbalized it at the same time. Chill out, Calli,” he scoffed, “as if you can read minds. You’re only a Healer.”

  I changed the subject immediately. “Why did you wait so long before asking me to make you another device?”

  “I wanted to try to make it myself, but no other heartbeat works like yours; I know… I’ve tried.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I even got Professor Guthry to let me record another student’s heartbeat on the classroom ultrasound machine but it didn’t work on the Demons when I tested it.”

  Very interesting.

  “Well, I have a different company working on another version of devices. They should be done fairly soon.”

  “I’m so excited to test them out and die again.” Brand chuckled.

  After Brand left my room with his new device, I began packing for my trip home. I still had a day and a half of school but I didn’t want to wait till the last minute to gather my stuff. I thought about the email from Beth about Curtis Schultz. I tried to look for the future concerning him, but only saw a strange blackness. It reminded me of the ‘fog’ that surrounded the delivery of the Sanguine Diamond because of Maetha’s spell… um, or magic, or something. How did Maetha create the ‘fog’ in all Readers’ minds? Well, that was just one more question to ask Maetha sometime in the future.

  I was still curious about Brand’s missing Demon device and who would possible take it. I had a couple of possible suspects in mind; Freedom, naturally, and/or his army of unaltered guys… none of whom needed a Demon device to survive.

  The next day flew by quickly and in the evening I received another email from Beth:

  Hi Calli. Two amulet wearers are missing now. Charles Rhondell has disappeared also. There was no note or indication of a struggle and I’ve voiced our suspicions of kidnapping to the Healers and Hunters. I am personally overseeing the safety and security of our amulet wearer and am confident no unauthorized visitors will get by my guards. Do you know how to contact Maetha the witch? Please respond ASAP, -Beth

  I typed a response back:

  Beth, I agree with you. This sounds like a kidnapping to me also. I don’t know how to contact Maetha; she doesn’t carry a cell phone. Excellent idea to up security around Mrs. Winter. Whoever is behind this won’t stop until they have all the pieces. Perhaps Clara should be relocated somewhere else, or maybe the amulet should be hidden; I don’t know what to tell you other than I can’t envision the future concerning Charles and Curtis because of a strange blackness. I’m about to head home for Spring Break, I’ll contact you in a couple of days. -Calli

  The next morning as I prepared for my first class, someone knocked on my door.

  “Come in,” I shouted from my closet, but no one entered. I walked over to the door and opened it to find Maetha standing in the hallway looking rather nervous.

  “Calli, go grab your ID, we’re going on a short trip and that’s all I can tell you.”

  Chapter 10 - Project T19

  I hadn’t even thought for a second that maybe Maetha was rounding up the amulets so that the shards could be reunited with the one in my heart. Was Maetha responsible for the missing amulet wearers? I didn’t really want to ask. No, I wasn’t going to ask because I felt deep inside that I could trust her. Maetha had a habit of being a bit too cryptic for my understanding, but I’d learned with Maetha you just had to go with it and figure it out along the way.

  “What about my classes?”

  “You’ll miss them today. Hurry.”

  I grabbed my driver’s license and followed her out the door to her four-door sedan. We both climbed in and shut the doors and before I could secure my seat belt, she’d begun backing up and driving away. The urgency in her actions spoke louder than words.

  I sat silently as she drove to the Toledo, OH, airport. Maetha spoke to my mind telling me to not say a word and follow her lead in everything she did.

  We parked her car in long term parking and rode the shuttle to the terminal. Once inside the building, we proceeded to the ticket counter where Maetha purchased two one-way tickets to New York City. I showed my ID for my ticket and noticed out of the corner of my eye that Maetha’s ID said her name was Janice Johnson. We took our tickets and walked to the security gate. I kept my mouth shut, like I’d been ordered, wondering why we were flying when we could be running. We passed through security without any delays and headed to the designated concourse.

  We sat in the waiting area for only a few minutes before the boarding process began. I noticed a few security guards standing in the distance talking on their radios. One kept looking in our direction. I tried to read his lips but found it impossible due to the radio positioned in front of his mouth. His mind and future appeared the same as Travis’; a bit murky and hard to read. I looked at Maetha and placed some thoughts on the front of my mind.

  “That guard is an unaltered human.”

  “I know. He’s been following us.”

  “Should we be worried?”

  “Do as I say and follow what I do; that’s all you need to worry about. Stop looking at him.”

  We stood and took our place in line to board the plane. Our ID’s were checked once again before boarding and we made our way out the door to the waiting commuter plane. Maetha’s voice sounded in my head instructing me to look to my right at the large vehicle parked near the building. We climbed the stairs and found our assigned seats.

  “Calli, when everyone has boarded the plane, we will exit using our running powe
r and hide behind that vehicle. Wait for my go.”

  The last person entered through the door and the flight attendant looked as if she was about to close it. Maetha stood, I followed and we burst out of the plane before the door was closed. We huddled behind the large truck and waited for the plane to leave the tarmac.

  “Follow me.” Maetha stood and grabbed my hand.

  She began running across the large airplane parking lot and once we were across the multiple runways she released the hold on my hand. I followed her lead leaping over the security fence and continuing on heading west. We ran for at least an hour covering so much ground before we stopped in Angola, Indiana.

  “Very good, Calli,” she spoke out loud. “We were followed from the moment I picked you up to boarding the plane. More CIA officials will be at the gate in NYC waiting for us to deplane. They’ll probably be a little upset when they realize we aren’t on the plane. Thank you for your patience, Calli, I apologize that I cannot tell you where we’re going just yet.”

  “I understand.” Sort of.

  “Your mind can still be accessed; therefore, I won’t be putting anything in it that can be read by our foes.”

  We started running again turning to the south and stopping in Fort Wayne, IN, at a large office building. Maetha approached a particular door that had a keypad lock and entered in a code that unlocked the door. We entered the building and quickly walked the long hallway to a door labeled ‘Food Additives’. Maetha put her finger to her lips to remind me to be quiet and she opened the door.

  A medium-build man stood in the far corner by a filing cabinet. He had gray hair and thick glasses and looked to be about sixty. “You brought an accessory with you this time.”

  “Calli, this is Hans Lindlbauer. He is our chief researcher in DNA studies and is also a Reader.” Maetha walked to the window and peered out and I met Hans halfway to shake his hand.

  “Did you transfer your research exactly as I instructed?” Maetha asked him.

  “Yes. I’m ready.”

  “Calli, you will hold his hand and transfer your speed. Let’s go.”

  I grabbed his hand and followed Maetha out the door. When we exited the building we turned on the speed and headed in a southwest direction. I noted the time, 1:00PM. I also noted the dark storm clouds up ahead; we were about to be drenched.

  We ran only a short distance to a post office where Maetha opened a mailbox and pulled out a package. Inside she pulled out three running suits similar to the one I wore on the delivery journey from before. The fact that Maetha thought we needed the specialized running clothes meant we were going to be running for awhile and normal clothing wouldn’t stand up to the friction and air retention. Mr. Lindlbauer seemed to understand and I got the feeling this wasn’t his first time to run cross-country.

  We changed quickly in the small bathroom and stuffed our clothes in the trash can by the door after removing our valuables. Maetha looked at the two of us and said, “I can’t tell you where we're going, just know it’s a long run. I had to find a secure location for you Hans, the other was compromised.”

  “How can you be certain this next location won’t be exposed as well?” He bobbed his head in my direction. I couldn’t believe it; he thought I might be a snitch or a spy.

  “Hans, Calli and I are of the same blood. You have nothing to worry about concerning her. Let’s go.”

  We ran for four hours and the initial drenching we experienced from the thunderstorm quickly dried as we ran. I couldn’t quite tell where we were until we stopped at the Patoka Lake resort in Indiana. Maetha had a keycard for a room and she opened the door for us.

  Right away I noticed this wasn’t any ordinary hotel room, this was someone’s living quarters. I scanned the room with a critical eye. The books on the shelving unit were old, very old, and above them I saw several painted portraits of men, women and children framed in intricately carved wooden frames. Antiques littered the room; oriental vases, snuff boxes, salt dishes, Faberge eggs, nesting dolls, crystal bells, lamps, and shadow boxes filled with silver and gold coins.

  I looked at Maetha realizing this was her room and these antiques weren’t simply collected in the same manner an antiques dealer would build a collection; no, these items had been gathered throughout Maetha’s multi-millennial life and each probably had special significance.

  “Hans, your studies will arrive tomorrow but I’ve set up a mini lab in the other room. Would you take a look to see if I forgot anything?” Maetha pointed in the direction of a door across the room and Hans walked to the door and entered. She turned to me and answered the questions on the front of my mind.

  “Yes, this is one of my residences. Yes, not many individuals know of its existence, and yes, bringing Hans here indicates the level of severity of the situation.”

  Hans came back in the room. “You were very thorough in your preparations, Maetha. Now tell me about the subjects I tested.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what you found first?”

  “Alright, the new blood samples show inconsistent alterations compared to other high-powered individuals. The alteration appears to have been forced upon the subject.”

  I looked at Maetha and she told me through telepathy that the blood samples were from Repeaters. I turned to Mr. Lindlbauer and asked, “Are you saying this ability is manmade?”

  He stared at me and then asked Maetha, “How much does she know?”

  “More than you, Hans; she is in direct contact with one of them.”

  He rubbed his jaw and seated himself in one of the ornate high-boy chairs in the corner. “Until further research validates my studies, I cannot be certain, but the possible implications are monumental.” He looked at Maetha, “Just before you arrived today, I learned that the government has been working on two top-secret projects dealing with DNA modification. Twenty-five years ago project ‘T19’ was launched and directed on pregnant women yet failed miserably when the exposed fetuses were inflicted with severe defects and deformities. T19 was in operation for six years before the plug was pulled. It was assumed that it was a complete failure. The subjects’ blood you submitted for testing fits the time frame and doesn’t fit the bill of natural alteration. Oh, and all the samples have the same paternal DNA.”

  I looked at Maetha for answers shocked to hear that Brand’s father had also fathered the other Repeaters. Instead, Maetha asked him more questions. “What is the other project, Hans?”

  He continued, “It was instituted in the early eighties and is still in operation, although I don’t know if it’s anything to worry about. It involves sequestering men and women in government-run underground facilities in some sort of baby-making operation. According to my information, the women were only kept in the facilities for the first five months of their pregnancies and then released back into society and each participant was a willing party. I don’t know why they classified it as ‘DNA modification’ though. There’s a third project, Maetha; it is in the weapons sector but I don’t know much about that one other than it was headed up by General Harding and a male civilian whose mind is similar to yours.”

  My mind recalled Freedom saying, ‘Where I come from Unaltereds are a dime a dozen.’ Apparently the government was creating Unaltereds and Freedom was deeply involved with the program. That had to explain why he had such a large group of guys to fight Brand.

  Maetha’s voice came into my mind acknowledging my supposition as she walked to the small refrigerator and pulled out three bottles of juice and passed them to us. I hadn’t seen this variety before and when I tasted it I realized it was most likely something Clara Winter had made. It reminded me of the food and beverages served at the Runners' compound; it reminded me of Chris. I quickly deduced that between hearing his father’s name and tasting familiar flavors my mind recalled his face and all the emotions and feelings buried deep in my soul.

  Maetha asked Hans, “May I look into your mind to see the face of the man?”

  “Certainly.”<
br />
  I found it extremely interesting that she’d ask permission to do something she could have done without him even knowing. Could it be that this Reader had no idea of whom he was dealing with?

  “Ah, yes. I know that man,” she said to Hans and at the same time spoke to my mind, “It’s Freedom, and no, Hans doesn’t know anything about my abilities.”

  Hans finished his juice drink and glanced around the room and asked, “Maetha, how secure is this room?”

  “I’ve lived here undetected for thirty years. The owner is my friend and the staff never enters the room. It will remain safe so long as you don’t venture outside.”

  “I don’t see a telephone.”

  “Hans, your excessive telephone use is what gave your location away. If you are right about the blood samples and the individuals are government experiments then you are the only scientist to know that T19 was actually successful and the results are potentially catastrophic for mankind. Your telephone communications were being listened to and your Internet searches were being followed. The government knows that you know about these top secret projects but they do not know you’ve identified the blood samples of living, breathing government modified DNA recipients. Calli and I removed you not two minutes before your office was raided, Hans. You are safe here in my room, but I’m afraid Calli and I need to leave now. There’s some clothing in the box by the computer and plenty of reading material to keep you busy until your research arrives.”

  “How exactly will my research arrive? I sent it to New York.”

  Maetha smiled and said, “Yes, I know; your package will be intercepted and redirected here and one of my associates will deliver it to you. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Maetha shook his hand and turned to me. “Let’s go.”