by Jenn Nixon
He helped her back into the main room of the base. Half of the people she’d seen when Hinta brought her in were now gone. Liam sat where he usually did, on the elevated station overseeing the room. The brother, Duncan and his father were chatting softly in the lounge. Hinta and Jazara each occupied a different computer in the middle row.
As Caelum led her to the first station closet to the hub, Sanjeeta squeezed his fingers and tugged gently. He gazed down, making her pulse spike, and smiled as he released her hand.
“Do you need sustenance?”
“Something to drink or eat, he means, of course,” Liam said, keeping his attention on the screen at his fingertips. Duncan and Valtor joined the group, each taking a station in front.
“I’m fine for now, thanks,” Sanjeeta said, stifling her giggle. “Are you hungry?”
“No,” he said as the smile faded and he turned to the team. “I’ve managed to shield a quarter of the memories from Dina’s mind. When she’s able, I’ll continue the sequestering. With Sanjeeta’s help I should only need one or two more sessions.”
“I’m down to help,” Sanjeeta replied, smiling at Liam. “You should see what’s in his head, so trippy.”
“Is she okay?” Hinta attempted a whisper.
“Yes, the side effects of our link will fade soon,” Caelum replied, looking over at her. “Perhaps some coffee or tea?”
“Sure, coffee sounds lovely, you buying?”
Jazara laughed softly and got up from her seat. “I’ll make you a cup. Hinta, tell them what you found.”
“Oh, yes.” Hinta tapped on his console. An image of Marjorie appeared on the hanging monitors drawing everyone’s gaze. Sanjeeta sighed. “DNA results are back. Your employee isn’t a psychic, she’s one-quarter Cartuilan.”
“So that means…” Sanjeeta tried to draw the conclusion. Her mind blanked.
“Her father was a hybrid,” Liam answered.
Duncan added. “So, it’s possible he didn’t know, either.”
“That’s so sad. Bet they called him a freak, too,” Sanjeeta whispered.
“People always label what they fear,” Jazara said, returning with a large to-go coffee cup with a secure top in hand. She passed it to Sanjeeta who happily took a quick sip. “I’ve been called far worse.”
“Haven’t we all?” Hinta said.
“And it appears there is more…” Liam mused, glancing from the monitors to the hub screen and back. “Lexa and Aime were able to confirm the screenname of the missing deepnet member—”
“Is Marjorie,” Sanjeeta said. “Good news, bad news.”
“What do you mean?” Caelum asked.
“I thought there were four people missing. One is still sucky, but better. And now that you know she’s ali—visitor, you can find her, right?” The Enhancer frowned. Her stomach twisted. “Oh, then how are we going to—”
“We’re already tracking her credit cards and bank. Aime is searching CCTV footage in all of Wilmington, continually, and we’re still vetting the information in the police file. We’ll follow up on anything they missed. We also have the Phoenix folder. Half the results have already been eliminated as viable leads,” Liam said from the hub.
“We may need to speak with your mother again, Jazara,” Valtor said, rubbing the side of his face. “Ravvi doesn’t know anything, but Duncan and I are both certain Zila’s holding something back.”
“Caelum, you can see into her mind, right?” Jazara said. The Enhancer nodded. “Will you?”
“She is in the shuttle, yes?”
“Yep,” Duncan said. Sanjeeta watched Caelum’s eyes turn silver before shutting. Three silent minutes passed. When his eyes turned back to blue, he shook his head. “Nothing?”
“Not even an image of Gardner. There are gaps in her mind,” he frowned. “The reason I’ve never attempted the removal of memories.”
The overwhelming sadness coming off Caelum hummed on Sanjeeta’s skin, mixing with her own worry for Marjorie. She covered her face and sucked back tears. Someone rubbed her shoulder. Sanjeeta looked up, meeting Hinta’s eyes. “What do we do now?”
“Keep searching, we won’t stop,” he replied.
“He’s right, we’re not out of options yet,” Duncan said, turning to Liam at the hub who nodded in agreement.
“I will be near, if anyone needs me,” Caelum said, peering across the room at her. “Rest, Sanjeeta.”
He blipped away. Hinta and Duncan both shook their heads. Valtor, who looked more tired than she presently felt, quietly went to the back of the base, disappearing into the medlab. Jazara stared at her computer. Liam worked silently.
Sanjeeta felt awful for these people. Beyond the guilt at not finding Marjorie, they were dealing with their potential, future deaths by stopping some psycho, while trying to heal Dina. Even as her mind cleared, she wasn’t sure she understood it all. If the team stopped something that happens in the future, how would a future version of Dina come back to warn them in the first place?
Trippy.
Lexa mentioned seeing her in the future memory, meaning forty years from now she was still friends with the team, perhaps a part of it. Too weirded out to think it possible, Sanjeeta finished the last of her coffee before checking the time. Admittedly, she wasn’t going back to work, and the woozy feeling came and went, especially if she moved too fast. Think it was best she go home, she caught Hinta’s eye. He nodded, probably hearing her thoughts again, still…she really need to learn how to block soon.
Chapter Thirteen
Liam typed the last command into the keyboard and hit execute at the same time the base doors shut. He didn’t mean to ignore Hinta and the others, he simply didn’t want to lose his train of thought. Too much information. Too many possibilities. He understood more how Dina’s mind worked, seeking out every strand, each minor curiosity knowing any could be the one to crack the case open.
“How ya doin’?” Duncan asked from his station, attempting to be casual.
“Ask me again when your sister wakes.”
“Thought Caelum was supposed to stick around?”
Liam sighed, pressed his fingers into the corners of his eyes. “He’s just as tempted to know about the incident as we are, perhaps more.”
“What are you saying?”
“If she indeed has forty years of memories in her mind she knows everything. The last thing I want is for her to see it, relive it just to give us a clue.” Liam gazed up at the ceiling, shutting his eyes. “The more we dig…”
“The more you’re tempted,” Duncan said, coming up the hub. “We’ve all thought it. There’s got to be another way.”
“I am trying everything I know. Aime’s running Marjorie’s sample against our medical database, perhaps she has a relative out there who can help locate her,” Liam said, pulling at straws. “I’m also vetting everyone who worked with you and Theo during your time with the military and the entire unit. I thought you should know.”
“I read the logs, it’s the smart thing to do. You’re the smartest dude I know, you work every hunch you have.”
Liam dipped his head. “How are you holding up?”
“About as good as Pop…we can barely be near each other right now, gets more depressing. If you’re feeling up to it—”
“Consider it done, Duncan.”
“Thanks, bro,” he said, bobbing his head as he glanced down at his station. “Kim wants to have Lexa and Bates over for dinner, try a bit of normal while we can. You should do the same, get out of the base. Take Dina for some fast food, maybe? You know she loves that shit.”
“If she’s feeling up for it, absolutely,” Liam replied, nodding as he rose and offered his hand.
“We’ll make sure she’s okay, no matter what.” Duncan pulled him into a hug.
Liam hugged back. “Thank you, brother.”
“Hit me up if you need me. I mean it. You’re not going through this alone, Liam.”
“I will,” Liam said, patting the elde
r twin on his arm. Duncan made a swift exit, leaving him in the quiet, empty base. Without Aime on screen, the only sounds were the soft hum of the stations and the lights. Stepping down from the hub, Liam ran a hand through his hair and took a deep, calming breath before entering the medlab.
Valtor had one hand over his eyes, the other clasping Dina’s wrist as his thumb moved up and down along the top of her hand. Liam approached from behind and set his hand on Valtor’s shoulder, feeling him shudder as he cried. His thoughts pushed into Liam’s head. I didn’t know Anne had the psychic gene…
Would anything have changed if you did?
Valtor nodded his head. “I may have started guiding them earlier. Or taken leave from my work with Nella and the others until they were older. Perhaps then, Dina’d be strong enough to fight these memories.”
“Val.” Liam frowned, gently tugging his shoulder. “We both know how strong she’s become in the last three months. This…time fracture is almost beyond Caelum.”
“That’s our Dina,” he chuckled and wiped his eyes. “Only she could stump an Enhancer.”
“Indeed,” Liam replied, smirking.
“I never thanked you,” Valtor said softly, tilting his head. “For everything you’ve done for my children, especially Dina.”
“No thanks are needed, Val. You’ve given me family. And despite my uncertainties regarding the future, I will still do anything to keep them safe.”
“I think that’s what we all fear. Warning or not, we may be heading right into the same outcome with our Project Phoenix search.” Valtor sighed, rising from his seat. “I don’t normally suggest using precogs, Liam…”
“Final option. Only then, will I ask for Jazara’s help.”
Valtor nodded and patted Liam on the shoulder. “I need to rest. I’ll be upstairs.”
Liam let him go, taking his place in the chair beside the medbed. His instincts were to take her hand. Unsure if touching her would bring more memories, he reach up and brushed the jagged self-cut hair from her face. Deep down, she was still his Dina. Having the base to himself allowed Liam to open his mind and senses fully without distraction. Unable to stop the action, he reached out, sliding his hand over hers and curling his fingers. He sat still for fifteen minutes, watching her, keeping his thoughts clear so he wouldn’t invade her mind inadvertently.
Minute seventeen, Dina murmured. Liam squeezed her fingers gently. Her face bunched, relaxed, and then her eyes fluttered. He held his breath. Dina looked up at him.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“How do you feel?”
“Uh…” Dina winced, rubbed the side of her head. “I touched the necklace, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” he replied and pressed a button on the side of the medbed to raise her up. “Do you remember it?”
“Just the day…the memory. It was her final day, I think she—”
“Was dying. She…told Lexa she had a virus and that Caelum’s energy had worn off,” Liam said, frowning, knowing he was only adding fuel to the fire. “I debated telling you, Dina…”
“Is that what Project Phoenix is? A virus?”
Liam grinned and shook his head. “You are incredible.”
Dina frowned. “No…I probably already know all this. How much did he block?”
“Twenty five percent, he believes. Sanjeeta was able to…do whatever Conduits do and already volunteered to help again…when you are ready.”
“Okay,” she said, lifting her thumb to her mouth. He knew the sign and worried why he wasn’t sensing her dread. Liam focused and realized she was blank to him. She lowered her eyes. “I’m not doing it on purpose…I…feel…”
“Dina,” Liam said tenderly. “I don’t want you to fear telling me what you’re feeling.”
“Numb, like nothing is real anymore.”
“Maybe a walk outside will help? Fresh air…stop at a food truck?” He rose from the chair holding out his hand. “I can do all the traveling, like when we first met.”
“What about Phoenix and the missing gir—”
“It can wait a couple of hours, gorgeous. Overworking the team, us included, always ends badly.” She slowly sat upright and slipped her hand into his. Then she lifted her eyebrow at him. “A short walk and food. That is all I ask.”
“Is Julio’s BBQ truck around?” Dina got to her feet, stepped into her shoes, and followed him to the door.
“I’ll check his app in the elevator,” Liam said, pulling his Netphone from his jeans and glancing back to see her surveying the monitors as they walked by. “Marjorie’s father was a Cartuilan hybrid.”
“Shit,” she replied, shaking her head as they entered the kitchen. As he paused to load the app, Dina pressed her body against his back and threaded her fingers through his free hand. When she set her head against his shoulder blade, his heart dipped. “We have to find this monster, Liam.”
“We will,” he said, squeezing her hand and sensing the beginnings of their link returning. “Even monster slayers need to eat, so hang on tight.”
Dina wrapped her other arm around his waist, bringing a smile to his face. He teleported to the elevator and tapped for the lobby. Her hand slipped innocently under his shirt as he scrolled through the food truck app. Since he was already completely open to her, the contact strengthened their natural link, allowing Dina to take more of his energy if she needed it. Instead, she sighed softly, her mood elevating simply from leaving the base.
Making a mental note to thank Duncan later, Liam tugged her toward the elevator doors when they opened. She switched hands so she could walk beside him, occasionally smiling over as they neared the door. When they stepped onto the busy sidewalk, he felt her usual block slap into place, yet their link remained strong.
“There’s a truck at the entrance to Central Park, a few blocks, that okay?” Liam asked, gazing down. Dina nodded. “Then let’s go get you some BBQ.”
***
The lively downtown area of Wilmington bustled with pedestrians, executives leaving work and heading to happy hour, fathers and mothers rushing to the day care center to pick up a child, singles heading to the same happy hour hoping to become fathers and mothers. Normally, he’d peek into a mind, here and there, just to live vicariously through the humans he passed. Today, he had the majority of his focus on Marjorie Allen.
Most of her radiation trail had vanished over the course of the last few days making it impossible for him to locate her presently. However, listening to her mother’s thoughts and those of friends from her school, Caelum knew one thing mostly no one else knew, Marjorie had a secret hiding spot. Although she hadn’t used it since she was a child, a former ‘best friend forever’ from elementary school still had the image in her mind.
Caelum turned down the street leading to Marjorie’s old hiding spot, trying to keep his focus on his task and not the heartbreak he’d seen on Sanjeeta’s face after hearing the MIND team’s lack of trail. The desire to solve the problem for her overwhelmed him. He knew he had to address his growing link to her soon. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away, but if she had no interest in being his Conduit, Caelum needed to start distancing himself.
He slowed his steps, reaching the beginning of the fence surrounding the small children’s park. Although it had seen better days, most of the equipment and landscaping remained, enough to entertain for a little while. The large apparatus in the back, seeming to be a climbing structure with various paths, had two covered areas. Marjorie wasn’t here and he didn’t sense any residual energy. Caelum flashed to the swing set. He sat down and kicked back with his feet. This seemed to be a nice town and he understood why Sanjeeta lived here.
The dark corners of his mind, the ones filled with the whispers and emotions and vibrations of the entire planet’s population threatened to overflow into his current stream of thought. He’d ignored them for far too long. Suppressing The Millions, as Lexa called them, required more energy than he presently had left to spare.
Sh
utting his eyes, Caelum lowered his mental block, absorbing the rush of thoughts and feelings into his mind. Ever grateful images weren’t part of the equation, he set his head on the cool chain of the swing, freeing the spaces within his mind, allowing The Millions to fill every crevice. Trying to pluck one fiber from the billions bundled together took a focus he never mastered. Perhaps now that he had access to a Conduit again, he’d try to learn a way to keep the voices and emotions in the background. He too needed to grow and change to become stronger if he wanted to survive.
He spent an hour or two swinging in the empty park, concealing his presence when anyone neared, and watching the sun setting below the tree line casting a pink and purple hue on the clouds. When he had his fill, Caelum pushed everything to the background, fighting the discomfort, aware it would take some time to go away and sour his mood.
With a thought, he was standing in the parking lot of the pet shop Sanjeeta worked in. Her unique mind wasn’t nearby.
Far in the distance, he felt Dina stirring awake.
Caelum turned his focus to New York, gathered the general sense of the team in the vicinity were calm, relatively speaking. He was most concerned about the future memories crippling Dina again. She seemed fine, for the moment, but he wanted to make sure and kept a link open as he continued his walk through Wilmington, passing the time, and trying to occupy his mind.
Chapter Fourteen
Halfway to the park, Dina’s head started filling with questions. She squeezed Liam’s fingers to fend them off, and inhaled when the scent of BBQ wafted through the air. Her stomach gurgled. Liam chuckled. She wrapped her other arm around his, keeping as close as he’d let her. Given the situation, Dina didn’t think she’d have the discipline to stay as objective as he seemed to be. Being an enlightened visitor had advantages.
“Smells delish,” she said, tilting her head in his direction.