by Matt Stark
Sam took his time increasing the pressure on Peter’s neck, forcing him to work harder and harder to suck air in to his lungs. With each breath the muscles in Peter’s neck stuck out like steel guitar strings. Soon his strength would be exhausted and he’d suffocate. And Sam would be there to watch every fucking minute.
Sam heard a high-pitched noisy gasp. At first he thought it came from Peter’s severely narrowed windpipe. Sam had so much pressure on it that Peter wheezed with every breath. But some part of Sam knew that wasn’t right. Something about this particular gasp wasn’t right. It was…
Heart banging in his chest Sam spun away from Peter toward the sound – with a feeling in his gut that he’d thought he’d never experience again – hope. At first he thought nothing had changed. Lucy lay motionless where he’d left her next to her grave. But then she jack-knifed upright like she’d been plugged into the mains. She was alive! Sam was at her side in a heartbeat. Feeling like he was dreaming he pulled her toward him – hugging her tight – and sending her into a coughing spasm. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. He held her up as her breathing settled, his head light with relief. After a minute she looked at him, and he knew nothing else would ever matter in his life except keeping her safe.
Chapter 33
Daddy, what happened?
Sam didn’t answer at first – he was too busy hugging his daughter. He felt like he never wanted to let her out of his sight again. But after a few seconds she started squirming.
“Daddy?”
He pulled back and held her at arm’s length. Her lips had turned from blue to a healthy pink, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes bright and clear. Looking at her healthy vibrant face he couldn’t believe her brain had been starved of oxygen for more than five minutes. Lucy pointed a shaky finger at the miniature pine coffin.
“Was I in there?” Her voice quavered.
He swallowed. “Yes.” He didn’t want to start their relationship with a lie. “Craig and I dug you out,” he said, glancing at Craig.
She didn’t answer and when he turned back to her to see why not, her lower lip was quivering.
“What is it, honey?”
“Uncle Craig,” she said pointing a shaky finger at Craig, “told the man to hurt me.”
Sam hadn’t really thought about it – but Craig would naturally have seen Suzie at work and probably socially after he disappeared. And with Sam gone it would have been natural for Lucy to see Craig and Jean as uncle and aunt. But that was as far as her logic went. She was confused about Craig – which wasn’t surprising considering what she’d been through. She shouldn’t even be alive. He grabbed her stiff shoulders and gently turned her to face Peter.
“This is the man responsible, darling,” he said trying to keep his anger under control. “But you won’t have to worry about him for much longer.”
The hate inside him wasn’t so urgent now Lucy was alive. He still had unfinished business with that son of a bitch. But he didn’t want to do it with Lucy watching. She’d seen enough horror already.
Lucy shook her head violently. “No, it wasn’t him.” She had wrenched out of Sam’s grip, her shaking finger pointing straight at Craig’s chest.
“It was Uncle Craig.”
***
She was confused – worse than he thought.
“No, honey. Uncle Craig is your friend.”
“No he’s not,” she replied, crying. “He told the man to hurt me.”
She was terrified. She couldn’t look at Craig.
Craig was shaking his head.
“You know me, Lucy. We went to Disney World last year. Don’t you remember? I bought you a Mickey Mouse iPhone.”
Lucy was shaking her head – and openly sobbing. She’d looked away from Craig when he spoke and had her eyes fixed on Sam now.
“I heard him at the house,” she said.
Sam shook his head. She was still confused – who could blame her?
“I thought you said there was only one man, darling,” he said softly.
“The man was on his cell phone – on speaker – talking to Uncle Craig.”
The first seeds of doubt stirred in Sam’s mind but he pushed them away.
“Are you sure, honey? Voices sound different on cell phones. And you were very upset…”
“No! I know what I heard. It was Uncle Craig.”
The tears were streaming down her face now.
The seeds had started to sprout little green shoots of fear. Was it possible? Craig had a London accent – not that uncommon amongst JIS agents – but no one had his Marlboro voice. So if Lucy said she’d heard him… No, it couldn’t be true. But he’d let her tell her story – then put this to bed so he could get on with dealing with Peter.
Sam leaned forward and thumbed tears from Lucy’s cheeks.
“What did Uncle Craig say?”
Lucy’s red-rimmed eyes fixed on Sam. Her voice was shaking but clear as a bell.
“He told the man to kill me. The man didn’t want to at first but Uncle Craig said he had to. Then when the man asked Uncle Craig how he said, ‘Bury her like we discussed.’ The man said he couldn’t bury a kid alive, but Uncle Craig said he had to so Daddy would think Peter had killed me.”
No one spoke for a very long moment. The only sound was Lucy’s sobbing.
Finally Craig turned to Sam.
“She’s telling the truth.”
Jean, who had been holding Craig’s arm until now, let go like it was a red-hot poker, and gaped at Craig with a mixture of disgust and disbelief.
Sam shook his head. Craig was his friend. He had a headful of memories to prove it. Yes Craig had changed a lot in the years they’d been apart. He’d done a lot of bad stuff – but he’d been protecting his people – the future of humanity. And he wouldn’t kill Lucy – not if every other post-human’s life depended on it. No fucking way.
He was still shaking his head when he spoke.
“You did not do this, Craig.”
Craig walked up to Sam – he seemed oddly calmer now – and grabbed him by the elbows.
“I did it. I had to protect post-humanity. Because we needed you, Sam. And I knew it would take Lucy’s death to make you join us.”
Each word hit Sam like a bullet. Craig’s face and deadpan voice told Sam more than his words could have. It was true. His best friend – his brother – had buried his daughter alive.
“You son of a bitch. Why?” The words came out like a whisper. Sam was too shocked and numb to feel any anger yet. Craig gripped Sam’s elbows hard enough to hurt a man who could still feel. But Sam felt nothing.
“I had to.”
Sam knew Craig was speaking to him – but his voice seemed to be coming from the other end of a very long room.
“What?” he said.
“I had to be sure you’d join us.”
Craig seemed to be pleading with Sam – but he couldn’t be sure. Yet somewhere in Sam’s mind cogs were starting to turn and pieces fall into place.
“So you faked Lucy’s lobotomy?” he said like a man fumbling in the dark.
Craig’s answer was hoarse – more a crack than a word.
“Yes.”
A spark of anger ignited in Sam’s chest.
“And you faked her death?”
“Yes.”
Sam broke away from Craig as the spark became a small flame of fury.
“Then you got your henchman to fucking bury her alive?”
Craig dipped his head and pulled a hand through his straggly hair, then looked up, defiant.
“Yes. I had no choice, Sam. I had to put the future of post-humanity above one person – even Lucy.”
The flame became a roaring bonfire. Sam clenched his fists knowing he had more power at his fingertips than ever before.
“I should kill you, you son of a bitch.” He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t already tearing Craig limb from limb. It would have been so easy.
“Go ahead,” said Craig. “But know th
is – I’ve told you the truth. What Peter has done in the name of the government is genocide. There’s no going back now – and no peaceful way forward. We are the Jews and they are the Nazis. We have to destroy them or be destroyed. And without our abilities we don’t have a chance. We are dying, Sam. And you are only hope. So I did what I had to. To get you to join us. You had to believe Peter had murdered her. You had to hate him enough to join us and fight. I busted my balls trying to persuade you. If there had been any other way I would have used it. I’m sorry. I loved Lucy like a daughter. Since you were away I became a surrogate father. So losing her would have been the ultimate sacrifice. But she didn’t die. And now you can both join us.”
Sam nearly choked on his outrage.
“Our survival depends on you, Sam. Will you and Lucy join us?”
***
Sam ducked his head and raked his fingers through his hair. Craig’s confession and the whirlwind of emotions it produced had ramped his power up to full on again. He could hardly contain it. His hands itched with dangerous possibilities. He had to break away from Craig for a moment or else he would destroy him – or at least try to. Images of Lucy on the mortuary slab – cold and pale, her voice pleading with Sam to rescue her – flashed through Sam’s mind. Craig, Craig fucking Glaser. That son of a bitch who’d been his friend, who’d pretended to be his fucking friend, had buried his only daughter alive.
Sam’s attempt at diverting his anger was always going to fail – once his power had this much energy behind it he knew it would have to be released or it would kill him. But this time he didn’t really want to hold back anyway. His fingers itched for revenge, for justice – no, not even that. They itched for destruction. He wanted to wipe Craig Glaser off the face of the earth.
Before the thought was finished Sam’s fingers were around Craig Glaser throat. He could have achieved the same effect without moving a muscle – but Sam wanted to physically feel Craig’s suffering. He wanted to feel the life drain out of him.
Craig grunted and grabbed Sam’s fingers trying to wrench them off. But he didn’t have a tenth of the strength required. As he squeezed, Sam saw the life draining out of Craig’s eyes – knowing that he might have to do this again and again before the son of a bitch was really dead.
“No, Daddy, no.”
Sam was back in his cocoon again – only the victim had changed. But he still heard Lucy’s voice and hesitated. His fingers on Craig’s neck, Sam turned his head and saw Lucy through the mist of his power. She was standing by her grave, hand limp by her side, fresh tears running like rivers down her face, her mouth open in a wail of anguish.
“No, Daddy, no. Please stop.”
Sam realized he could hear Lucy only because she was transmitting her thoughts to his mind. He didn’t know if she was doing it on purpose or if her pain was pushing her thoughts at Sam. But the reason didn’t matter. She’d reached him. She was the only person who could now.
Sam stared at Lucy’s pleading face. His power still coursed through him like a raging torrent and demanded action – release. Sam was holding it back – the effort made sweat leak from every pore. But he knew he couldn’t deny it for long. The energy within him was too great to be denied. As he looked at Lucy he felt her pain in his mind as if it were his own and knew he’d been right earlier. Lucy had suffered enough. He didn’t want her to suffer anymore. He wanted – had to – protect her. And witnessing the kind of destruction Sam had in mind would scar her forever. However much he wanted to, he could not kill Glaser in front of his daughter.
Okay. Lucy. I won’t hurt him.
Sam just had time to see the relief in his daughter’s eyes before he turned back to Craig. The man’s neck was still caught by Sam’s iron grip. Sam didn’t know whether he’d said his last comment out loud or not. If not, Craig was in for a hell of a surprise. With a supreme effort Sam unhooked his fingers from Craig’s neck and let his arm fall to his side. The power in him seemed to howl in disappointment. Sam ignored it, but knew it would have to be satisfied at some point.
He blew out a very long breath. Somehow he would have to find a better way.
Sam was vaguely aware that Craig was talking.
“Sam?”
Sam didn’t answer. There was nothing he needed to hear from Craig right now. Instead he went into himself. He directed his power to intensify the cocoon around him, cutting off all external distractions – even Lucy this time. He had to think. He had to come to a decision now before events moved on any further. There had to be a path through this disaster that didn’t end up with genocide for the post-humans or the norms, and that kept his family alive. Just before Sam sealed the cocoon around him he remembered Suzie and sent out his consciousness to check on her. She was sitting with her arms around Lucy – she was okay. Satisfied, he let the cocoon seal around him.
Could post-humans and norms co-exist? Sam wasn’t sure. Craig might have been right. Maybe they should go to Alaska. But Sam couldn’t go anywhere with Glaser. He might have agreed not to kill him but he couldn’t see his face every day – and wouldn’t risk Lucy with him. But a settlement without Craig – was that possible? Suzie, Lucy and the surviving post-humans – making a new life? But that would only be delaying the inevitable. Because one day humans and post-humans would meet again. And then the situation would be even more difficult for Sam to control. Right now Sam had the power. When there were a hundred fully-functioning post-humans his voice would be just one among many – and he couldn’t guarantee those angry post-humans wouldn’t tear humanity apart.
And what was he going to do with Craig? He couldn’t forgive him, that was for sure. But if he wasn’t going to kill him – then what? Somehow Craig had to be punished for what he’d done – the power in Sam wouldn’t accept anything else.
Sam could dimly see Craig, Jean, Peter, Suzie and Lucy through his cocoon. And he wondered if Lucy could hear his thoughts despite his protective measures. For a moment he was scared. He’d wanted to shield her from his private worries – but then it hit him. Secrecy was the problem. What Lucy, Suzie and even Peter and Craig needed was the truth. Lies and deceit had brought them to the edge of destruction. However lame it sounded to his cynical ears he knew only truth had a chance of healing them now.
Sam took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Then he opened his eyes – forced his power to subside – and scanned the amazed faces around him. All were amazed except Lucy, who was smiling and wiping tears from her cheeks. Suzie was still with Lucy; he sent a message to her – everything will be okay – then turned to address Peter, Craig and Jean.
“Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. We will stay. There will be a truce between humans and post-humans. We will make it work.”
“How?” said Craig.
“There’ll be a new centre,” replied Sam. “A real one this time – not a front. We’ll use the Millennium Dome. There’s plenty of space and it can quickly be adapted to suit our purposes.”
“And what are those purposes?” asked Peter.
“First, to ensure the welfare of all post-humans. We’ll move each and every person being held in Vauxhall House to the new centre. We’ll section off part of it to be a field hospital where their injuries can be treated. Other sections will be allocated for accommodation and research.”
“And apart from treating post-humans what is the centre’s aim?” said Peter.
“To develop the full potential of each and every post-human.”
Peter’s face blanched. “The Home Secretary and the PM will never accept that – never.”
“They’ll have to,” said Sam. “You’ve seen the power Glaser and I have. If you don’t give us what we want – we can destroy you.”
Peter’s face was as white as snow, with two red spots in the centre of his cheeks.
“You wouldn’t…”
“All bets are off now, Peter,” interrupted Sam.
Peter was shaking his head.
“Sam, you can’t expect the B
ritish government to allow fifty superhumans free reign in London. If it gets out there’ll be mass panic.”
Sam wiped cold sweat off his face from his earlier exertion.
“It will get out, Peter. There can be no more secrets. No more lies. The people have to know the truth.”
Peter’s jaw dropped to the floor like it weighed ten kilos.
“They can’t.”
“They must, Peter.”
Sam took a step toward Peter. He knew this would be a shock, the threat of extinction always would be. But he was determined to find a way forward for both species. And that had to start with managing Peter.
“Post-humans don’t have to be a threat, Peter. Look around the world – before post-humans – did you see peace, harmony, opportunity? Or war, fear and starvation? The world is more divided and torn now than it has ever been. It is crying out for someone to heal it. And that someone can be post-humanity. I’m sure we haven’t even began to tap our powers yet.”
There was a glint of hope in Peter’s eyes, or maybe it was resignation. Sam wasn’t sure – and he didn’t want to read his mind. It didn’t seem right.
“There has to be some kind of limitation,” said Peter after a long pause.
“Don’t trust him, Sam,” said Craig, trying to push in between Peter and Sam.
Sam palmed him away easily using the remnants of his power.
“What kind of limitations?” he said quietly.
Peter met Sam’s eyes. Sam saw his jaw set, and knew he wouldn’t back down any further.
“No post-human can exercise their powers outside the Dome or its immediate surroundings without prior authorization from yourself, Sam, as head of the project.”
“I agree,” said Sam without hesitation.
Peter seemed surprised. “Okay,” he said slowly. “It’ll be a hard sell but I know the PM will go with my recommendation if I make the alternatives clear.”