Better Than Human

by Matt Stark

  “How about their methods?”

  “Suicide bombers wearing vests or backpacks stuffed with explosives, along with a few pounds of shrapnel to maximize the damage.”

  Sam clenched his fist. He knew that nails and bolts packed into suicide vests killed more people than the bombs themselves.

  “What kind of explosives?” he said tersely.

  “The Piccadilly and Marylebone bombs were homemade. But Leicester Square was a mix of TNT and plastic explosives.”

  “Shit.”

  They both knew a savvy terrorist could make a bomb from ingredients bought in his local supermarket if he had to. TNT wasn’t so easy to get hold of, but it packed a lot more punch.

  “No faces, no names?”

  “We have one name: Serina.”

  “What’s her role in New Dawn?”

  “We don’t know.”

  Sam grimaced. This was looking bleaker by the second. “Anything else?”

  “A video – New Dawn claimed responsibility for the last attack online.”

  “Show me.”

  Stone played Sam a YouTube video. A hooded man said New Dawn were responsible for the attack killing hundreds of infidels in Leicester Square, and then went on a ten-minute rant against the evils of the West. As the madman droned on, images of the victims’ broken and bloodied bodies flashed in Sam’s mind. People on their way to the cinema, going out for a meal, minding their own business – blown to pieces for some crazy ideology. Suddenly he was completely on board. Whatever his personal problems, he would do his best to stop that carnage happening again.

  When the video stopped he pulled the New Dawn file closer and stared at the pictures of Leicester Square.

  “Can you tell me anything more about this Serina?” he said, looking up after a long moment.

  Peter looked sheepish.

  “No.”

  Sam blew out a hard breath.

  “Any leads?”

  Peter took a sip of his so far untouched coffee, then met Sam’s gaze.

  “I’d rather you left the detective work to us, Sam. I need you to focus on getting your ability back.”

  Sam frowned. For a second he’d allowed himself to forget he was a man with no memory – who used to have an incredible ability. But his ability was gone. And the hard truth was: without it he was nothing special.

  “Where do I start?” he said.

  “You remember Brian, the scientist I mentioned earlier?”

  Sam nodded.

  “I’ve asked him to work with you. If anyone can get you back to normal, he can.”

  Sam nodded again. Okay, he’d do his best. If nothing else it would give him some purpose.

  He was about to pass the New Dawn file back to Peter when something in one of the bomb scene photos caught his eye. It was a wide shot of Leicester Square, cordoned off with tape, bodies scattered everywhere, medics bent treating those they could still help. He pulled the file closer. A woman was performing CPR on a man. She’d caught Sam’s eye because she was wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket rather than medic’s greens. The camera had only captured the side of her face. But he still recognized her.

  It was Suzie.

  ***

  Suzie was in Peter’s office, sitting opposite him at his desk. Surprisingly he’d agreed to see her and hadn’t asked what she was doing out of the infirmary. He’d even got out the good coffee he usually saved for special occasions. Something was up. But she couldn’t let Peter’s odd behaviour distract her. She was here for a reason – to see Sam. She was about to make her case but Peter spoke first.

  “We’ve had a message from New Dawn.”

  Suzie blinked. Another message could only mean one thing.

  “An attack?”

  “Yes, at 8 p.m., somewhere in central London.”

  “Fuck.”

  Like in the previous attacks, New Dawn had given a warning in advance. But it was always too vague to be of any use.

  “Any demands?”

  Peter gave her one of his looks.

  “Just the usual – which we won’t be responding to.”

  Suzie had her doubts about the no-negotiation policy with New Dawn but let it go.

  “What do we know?”

  “Not much. I have teams out chasing down a lead. But I want to talk to you about Sam.”

  Suddenly he had her undivided attention.

  “He’s still okay?”

  “...Yes, of course.”

  “Then what…?”

  “I want you to speak to him.”

  Suzie blinked at Peter. Had she heard him right?

  “But I thought we weren’t to meet?” she said with a hint of resentment.

  He frowned.

  “Sam is our best chance of stopping these bastards. But he’s no use to us the way he is now. I need him to work with Brian to get his ability back.”

  She’d been right then. Sam hadn’t regained his memory or his ability.

  “So he knows he’s JIS?”

  “Yes”

  “And post-human?”

  “Yes.”

  Suzie pulled at her ear. “So why do you need me to speak to him?”

  Peter’s lips puckered.

  “He won’t do anything before he sees you.”

  Suzie’s heart sped up. Did Sam know about them? Was that why he was insisting on seeing her?

  She took a deep breath then let it out slowly, trying to keep her voice steady.

  “And why would he do that?”

  “He saw your picture in the New Dawn file resuscitating one of the Leicester Square victims. It was too much of a coincidence to believe the same nurse just happened to be on hand there and in Euston to save him.”

  Suzie frowned. “So…”

  “He knows you’re JIS. He doesn’t know you had a relationship.”

  Suzie pulled at her earlobe. She had to get this right both for her sake and New Dawn’s potential victims.

  “How is he?”

  “Physically he’s okay. But mentally still fragile.”

  Suzie bit her lip, suddenly unsure of herself. She didn’t want Sam put in danger. She hadn’t just got him back to lose him again.

  “Can I have your word he won’t be put in danger?”

  Peter shook his head. “You know I can’t give you that, Suzie.”

  It was a stupid question. Of course Peter could never guarantee that. Each and every JIS agent knew that when they signed up. But whatever the risks, Suzie had no choice. Peter needed Sam whole and so did she.

  “How can I help?”

  Peter sat forward, his hard eyes focussed on Suzie.

  “Reassure him. Get him to work with Brian on getting his abilities back.”

  She blew out another breath, feeling shaky. “Okay. I can do that.”

  She could fix him – she knew it. And it would be a new start for them both.

  Suzie was halfway out of her seat when Peter spoke.

  “I hope I don’t need to remind you to observe standard operating procedure regarding intelligence on New Dawn.”

  Suzie sat back down again.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Full disclosure regarding New Dawn is only to be given to personnel with Level 5 clearance or above.”

  “What?”

  Peter blew out a breath. “Sam must not know the truth about New Dawn.”

  Suzie shook her head as the meaning of Peter’s words slowly dawned on her.

  “You don’t trust him.”

  “Suzie, he’s just got back from ten years in a Chinese State prison. We don’t know where his loyalties lie.”

  “He deserves better. You know that.”

  Peter held Suzie’s gaze for a long moment before speaking in a slow growl.

  “Sam must believe New Dawn are an Islamic terror group. He cannot know they are post-human.”

  Suzie pinched her earlobe hard. This wasn’t right. She didn’t want to start again with a lie. She understood why Peter wanted t
o keep Sam out of the loop but the thought of lying to him made her physically sick.

  “Suzie?

  “Agree to my terms, Suzie, or you can forget seeing him. This is non-negotiable.”

  Suzie bit her lip. The bastard meant it.

  “I won’t do it. He deserves to know the truth.”

  Peter’s face reddened. His voice was low and menacing.

  “Suzie, you’re a JIS intelligence officer, not some lovesick schoolgirl. You’ve sworn an oath of allegiance to your country, your monarch and this fucking service. I want you to do your duty.”

  Suzie’s eyes stung. During her three years of JIS training she’d been known as the ice maiden – the only agent male or female to repeatedly fool a polygraph. But the thought of lying to Sam was sending her heart rate off the charts. Then again, Peter had given her no choice.

  She looked him in the eyes, trying to regain some of the composure she’d walked into the room with.

  “Just take me to him. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  Chapter 13

  Sam was pacing the small room, his mind spinning. When he’d seen Suzie in the New Dawn file he’d known she was no civilian. The chances of her being on hand to save him in both Euston and Leicester Square were too slim. She had to work for JIS.

  But so what? Suzie had lied to him about who she really was but that didn’t explain why he felt compelled to see her. Maybe he was grasping at the only real human connection he’d made since waking up in Regents Park?

  He reached the wall, turned and continued pacing.

  Maybe he just felt Suzie was more likely to level with him. Sure, she worked for JIS just like Peter but Suzie had taken a bullet for him. That had to count for something – didn’t it?

  Sam reached the opposite wall and turned around again.

  So why was he so nervous and excited at the thought of seeing her? Why…?

  Sam’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking. Seconds later Peter and Suzie were standing in front of him. For a long moment no one spoke then Peter cleared his throat.

  “I’ll give you some time together.”

  Sam hardly noticed Peter leave. His eyes were fixed on Suzie. For some reason his palms were clammy. Then, remembering she’d just been shot, Sam’s eyes jumped to Suzie’s shoulder. She was holding it a little awkwardly, but otherwise there was no sign of injury. His jaw unclenched a fraction.

  “Are you okay?” he said in a hesitant voice.

  She nodded, pushing a stray lock of blond hair behind her ear.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re one tough cookie.”

  Suzie moved a step closer, her cheeks flushing a little more as she did.

  “I was wearing a Kevlar vest.”

  Kevlar was bullet-resistant not bulletproof – and vulnerable to high velocity Glock rounds. But that didn’t matter now. Suzie was okay. Sam took another wooden step forward feeling as nervous as an adolescent teenager.

  “Of course.”

  Then before he knew it was happening they were kissing. He felt soft giving lips, the curves of her body, and smelled her perfume. It was like coming home. Then suddenly she pulled back.

  “Sam, we need to talk.”

  ***

  They were sitting next to each other on the single bed – intimate and awkward. Sam didn’t know whether they should be holding hands or having sex. He didn’t know what to say to Suzie so he settled for the first thing that came into his mind.

  “We knew each other – before – didn’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  She swallowed. He felt relieved that this was hard for her as well.

  “We were engaged – due to get married in September 2016.”

  He knew it. They had known each other before – Suzie and he. He’d known there was some kind of connection between them but this… Marriage. Jesus. He was engaged to be married. He wasn’t alone. He still had a life. Or at least he did ten years ago.

  Sam looked at Suzie’s blue eyes – like sapphires sparkling in the snow – and allowed himself a smile. Not one that Suzie could see. He didn’t want to freak her out. Just an internal smile. Because maybe, just maybe, his life wasn’t going to be a total fuck-up now.

  He rubbed his hand against hers – not sure how to react. Scared if he held her – kissed her – it would spoil the illusion of hope he’d conjured up in his mind. Then he realized he was being selfish. How much had Suzie suffered during the ten years he’d been away? He’d had it hard – yes. But Suzie had lost the man who was going to be her husband – her future. She’d had to carry on for ten years and now he was back. He was back but his memory had been wiped. She must have felt hope when she’d first heard Sam had returned. But what would she have felt when she learned he was empty inside? He might have looked like Sam Barrick, her husband-to-be, but the parts that made him him had been wiped like some old tape. They were going to have to take things slowly.

  Still holding her hand Sam shifted position.

  “I’m sorry…” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  Her arms were around his neck before he could finish the sentence. Her lips pressed against his, soft and giving. Warm and sensual. He opened his mouth in response and felt the tip of her tongue press through his lips and search hungrily around his mouth. He felt his groin stir – felt himself swell – and he responded. Kissing back hard – exploring her soft but strong lithe body with his hands – as hungry as her tongue had been in his mouth.

  They both needed each other. Sam didn’t know if it were just the relief of stress after all both he and Suzie had been through – but this felt right. As his hands ran over her body while they kissed, as they began to pull at each other’s clothes he felt like he was coming home. Like he was becoming part of the human race again. Then she was pulling away again and he thought he’d done something wrong.

  But before he could speak she put a finger on his lips. There was a playful smile on hers and a sparkle in her sapphire eyes.

  “Wait,” she said. Then holding her open blouse together with one hand she scurried across the room toward the sink. She took her jacket and hung it on a hook on the wall so that it covered the mirror. Then she hustled to the door and punched a long sequence of numbers into the keypad until a high-pitched squeal rang out. She turned back to face Sam. Her blouse had fallen open again revealing smooth and pert breasts. Her face had an impish smile on it.

  “That should give us some privacy for a while at least,” she said.

  Sam smiled, feeling happy and horny. He hadn’t felt either for a very long time.

  She scooted back to the bed and sat beside him. They kissed again. Then she broke off.

  “One question, Sam. Do you remember me?”

  For a moment he felt scared – when he answered she would change her mind, realizing he was a fraud and not her husband-to-be at all but some husk of a man. But he had to tell her the truth.

  He shook his head, “No.”

  A flicker of disappointment ran over her face, and Sam, seeing it, made to move away.

  “Look, I understand if you don’t want to…”

  She grabbed his arm with one hand and slipped another into his groin, gently kneading his already swelling cock.

  “It doesn’t matter. I want you now.”

  He wasn’t going to argue.

  ***

  The banging on the door started before they had finished – before they’d really got started. They were already rushing – making love in a hurried, hungry, eager way. Peter’s banging on the door just added to the feeling that they were a couple of horny teenagers and not two JIS agents with fucked-up backstories in a heap of shit. They both reached climax seconds before Peter burst through the door with half a dozen black-suited security personnel in tow. By the time he was standing hands on hips with an expression of extreme distaste on his face, they had most of their clothes back on. As Peter led the pair out Suzie leaned toward Sam and said the words he’d not been able t
o.

  “I love you.”

  Chapter 14

  2 p.m. Saturday, 31st January; Vauxhall Cross

  Peter had given Sam and Suzie a stern lecture about their immature and irresponsible attitude. But once he’d calmed down Sam got the impression that Peter was quite pleased. It made sense. If Sam had been a cynical man he would have said Suzie had made sure Sam wouldn’t back out. From Peter’s point of view Sam was still a loose cannon. Peter didn’t know how Sam would respond to the stress of being humanity’s saviour. He didn’t know if Sam would change his mind and decided to crawl back under a rock. After what he’d been through it would not have been surprising. So Peter, being the clever spy he was, had decided to cement Sam’s commitment to JIS and to him personally. And how better to do that than with an old girlfriend? An ex-fiancée no less. Now Sam was emotionally committed. He would find it much harder to back out. It was Spy Craft 101. It was what Sam would have done in Peter’s place.

  But Sam wasn’t feeling cynical. Part of him knew Peter might be manipulating the situation. But he’d seen the fire in Suzie’s eyes, the passion and the love. And he felt the same back. There was a bond between them. Neither was faking. They loved each other and nothing was going to break that.

  Once Peter had calmed down he’d sent Sam to see Brian. He was JIS’s boffin, the man who first discovered Sam and JIS’s resident expert on all things post-human – as much as one existed. Peter wanted Brian to rekindle Sam’s ability. But after five minutes together Sam had realized that Brian – very intelligent boffin though he was – had absolutely no idea how to do that. So he’d resorted to giving Sam a lecture on the biochemistry and genetics of his ability. When they’d eventually gotten around to what they were supposed to be doing – getting Sam back to his post-human self again – things hadn’t gone well. For more than two hours Brian had Sam try exercise after exercise – each one, it seemed to Sam, lamer than the previous. None of them even got close to triggering his telepathy. Finally Sam had had enough. He’d taken himself off for a coffee promising an agitated and impatient Brian he’d be back in a couple of minutes – although he hadn’t been sure if he could see the point. He had already come to the conclusion that whatever he needed to light his fire wasn’t going to come from Brian.