“Kal, what’s this about?” Remko asked.
His words snapped Kal out of his rambling murmurs and his face darkened. A look of pure hatred crossed his eyes and Remko feared for a moment that he might pull the trigger. But the storm faded and confusion and pain took its place. Kal gripped the left side of his skull with his free hand and dragged his nails through his hair over and over, mumbling again. His voice grew more frantic, less intelligible.
“Tell me what you want, Kal,” Remko tried again.
“I can’t remember. . . . I can’t . . . Why can’t I remember?” Kal yelled.
Remko had no idea what that meant. “Kal, just calm down.”
Kal shook his head and a soft cry fell from his mouth. Remko thought he saw tears running down the man’s face, but it was hard to be certain it wasn’t just sweat. He glanced at Neil and Ramses, and Ramses shook his head. Kate and Sam were close too, all of them simply waiting for the signal. But Kal was a good man, a man Remko had trusted many times. His actions weren’t his own. Something else had to be happening here.
“It’s time,” Kal said. “Time for change. ‘The pact,’ they said. Time for change.”
“Tell me about the change,” Remko said. “Why don’t you come with me and—”
Suddenly Kal cried out, a short plea heavenward, his eyes still trained on Remko, his weapon still raised. He began pounding the side of his head with a balled fist, and Remko stepped forward, fearful the man would knock himself out.
Kal responded to Remko’s movement with anger and let loose a single shot through the air. He missed Remko by a mile, but the sound echoed loudly off the tunnel walls and ceiling and caused panic in the camp. People started screaming. Sam didn’t wait for Remko’s signal. He sped forward, Kate on his heels, and dove for Kal.
The man registered Sam’s approach too late and couldn’t even swing his gun around before Sam took him to the ground. The gun snapped out of Kal’s hand and skidded toward Neil, who swept it up and aimed it at the fallen maniac.
Neil cocked the weapon.
“Neil, hold your fire,” Remko called.
“He shot at you,” Neil said.
“We don’t harm our own,” Remko said.
Neil never took his eyes off Kal, who was now crying like a baby, facedown on the ground. His arms had been pulled behind him and strapped together by Sam, who was kneeling next to him. Remko reached Neil and placed his hand on the weapon. Neil moved his gaze and huffed, lowering the gun.
Remko looked at Kal, who was so out of sorts from his usual manner. Muttering still, snot and tears catching the dirt on the floor and sticking it to his cheeks. “Change, change, change.” The words softly echoed from Kal’s lips between sobs.
Remko pitied the man and exhaled. “Take him to Connor. Maybe he can help.”
“We should be locking him up,” Neil said.
“Does this seem normal to you?” Remko said.
“Look around you, Remko—none of this is normal,” Neil said. “Survival is our new normal. It’s all we have anymore.”
“We need people in order to survive,” Remko said.
“Not people who threaten us.”
“He needs medical attention. Something is wrong with him.”
“Something is wrong with a lot of things lately.”
Remko could feel the heat rising to his face. He was done fighting with this man. “Do we have a problem, Neil?”
Neil took a step closer so his face was inches from Remko’s. “It’s hard not to have a problem when every move we take makes me feel like my son would have been safer staying in the Authority City.”
Remko’s anger flared, but he couldn’t ignore the way the man’s words stung.
“Dad?” a soft voice whispered.
The group turned to see Corbin, Neil’s son, standing outside of the closest tent. The boy looked on with worry and fascination. He was barely six, with full blond hair and crystal eyes. His gaze moved from his father’s face to the gun in his father’s hand to Kal, still lying facedown on the ground. The only sound was his tender cry.
Neil’s body eased. The tension he’d been holding in his shoulders lifted and he tucked the gun into the back of his pants. A small wave of shame flashed across his face before he turned to throw Remko a hard glare and walked over to greet his son.
Remko’s eyes followed the man, and he watched as he lifted his small child off his feet and carried him out of sight. Maybe Remko should pity Neil; he was only trying to protect his son. But anger was still the only emotion coursing through Remko’s blood. He could feel it working its way to the surface and pricking at the insides of his skin. He understood Neil’s concern but couldn’t justify his selfishness. He was right to be worried about his son, but Remko needed to be worried about everyone else.
A hand fell on his shoulder and he swung his head around to see Carrington. She gave him a knowing nod and his anger defused slightly. He turned his attention back to Kal, who had gone quiet and still.
“Let’s get him to the medical tent,” Remko said, bending down to help Sam lift the fallen man.
14
Remko stepped into the medical tent where Kal was sleeping. Connor, their residing medical professional, had given the man something to help him sleep moments after they’d brought him. It had worked beautifully, and Kal had been trapped in dreamland for several hours. Wire was already in the tent standing guard over their crazed madman, even though, with the heavy restraining clamps and the sleep aid, Kal was no longer a threat. Wire looked up as Remko entered. He nodded a silent greeting.
“How are things?” Remko asked.
“Things seem to be back to normal,” Connor answered. The doctor was standing beside the bed, a small medical device in his hand recording and delivering data from the wired connections attached to different points on Kal’s bare-chested body. “Heart rate, mental waves, blood pressure; all in normal rhythm.”
Connor and his family had been with the Seers for a while. They were another group that had come to camp on their own, having heard Aaron speak many times and feeling the need to be a part of the movement against the Authority. Remko had been happy to have Connor’s set of skills at their disposal, especially since Carrington had discovered she was pregnant only a couple of months prior to their arrival. It had taken Remko and his team several runs to get all of the medical equipment they had now, but Remko had been motivated by Carrington’s impending due date and was relieved to have the proper equipment when she went into labor.
Remko nodded. “You find anything?”
“I just analyzed his blood work and most of it seems very normal,” Connor said.
Remko shook his head. There had to be an explanation for all of this. Kal couldn’t have simply gone mad.
“But I did find small traces of a chemical that I’m still trying to identify. It seems to have been working its way out of his blood over the last several weeks. From what I can gather—and I can’t confirm anything for sure—but based on its apparent path through the bloodstream it may have been deposited in the brain.”
“What does that mean?” Remko asked.
“Well, I did a more in-depth brain scan and the results were . . . startling,” Connor said. “Are you familiar with the way memory works?”
Remko shook his head.
“Memory is a very complex process that we still barely understand, but to give a simplified explanation, it’s the continuous process of neurons firing together in the brain’s cortex, the frontal lobe to be precise. Neurons deliver information back and forth through synapse highways that create neural networks. Many believe these networks act as memories. For example, you can arrive at a place and not remember how you got there because you have traveled to that place so many times that your brain is just following a hard, fast memory of the route you always take. A neural network communicates the way without you having to think about where you are going. Your memories just lead you. In fact, many doctors and scientists believe tha
t all our mental capacities are composed of memories. That the actions we take in a given situation come from memories of either what we have done before or of what we think we should do in that situation.”
Remko nodded his understanding, and Connor continued.
“Myelin, a sort of shield used to protect the connectors that create neural networks and help them function, is essential to the memory process. Looking at these deep scans of Kal’s brain function, it looks like the myelin is being broken down, almost as if something were eating away at the protective barrier.”
“What makes you say that?” Wire said, startling Remko. He had forgotten the boy was there with them.
“As far as I can tell, the unidentified chemical is interfering with the myelin before passing through the rest of the body via the circulatory system. If I’m right, it appears to be an intentional attempt to suppress Kal’s memories.”
“But why do that?” Wire asked.
“I need to research further, but the only benefit I can see from this process would be to access the core of these neural networks,” Connor said.
“I don’t understand,” Remko said. “For what purpose?”
“Beats me,” Connor said simply.
“Is he marked?” Wire asked.
Both Connor and Remko gave Wire a questioning look. “Marked?” Connor asked.
“Seth Hale said that people in the city have been disappearing and coming back different, changed, and marked. Did you find any unusual marks on him?” Wire asked.
Connor nodded slowly. “Funny you should ask. I actually thought it was weird but not unusual enough to bring it up.” He moved to the top of Kal’s bed and nodded for Remko to help. “Grab his legs, will you? On three we’ll turn him on his side.”
“Will that wake him?” Wire asked.
Connor smiled grimly. “Not with the stuff he has running through his veins.”
Remko did as he was asked and on Connor’s count, they hauled the man onto his side. Wire came around the foot of the bed to see what Connor had found. Connor pointed to a perfectly round scar, maybe quarter-size in diameter, near the bottom left side of Kal’s back, with a straight line running vertically through the center. It was pale, nearly blending in with Kal’s skin, and hardly rose above the surface. Wire ran his fingers along the mark with fascination.
“I just thought maybe this guy had an unusual scar,” Connor said.
Wire pulled Roxy from his side and snapped a photo of the mark before Remko and Connor laid the man back down. Wire studied the photo, and Remko could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
“What are you thinking?” Remko asked.
“People are being taken, marked, changed, some returning with seemingly no recollection of where they’ve been. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since Seth mentioned it to us. I’ve been in communication with a couple of other Sleepers, and they say that the rumored number of missing is near a hundred. The only pattern seems to be that most candidates have little or no family, like Kal. Why they are being taken is what everyone is concerned with, but I can’t stop thinking about where.”
Wire paused for a moment before continuing. “A hundred hostages is a large group, and hiding them in the city would be extremely difficult, especially with all the new Authority security measures. This got me thinking about the structure Sam and Kate discovered outside the city limits to the northwest. They said people from all different stations were being led in there and that the place was surrounded by security. We haven’t had time to further investigate, but it can’t be a coincidence that this place exists.”
Remko had nearly forgotten about the structure. He had been so focused on retrieving Selena and her girls when Sam had reported it to him that he’d hardly given it a second thought.
“Now with what appears to be evidence of neurological tampering with a man who is clearly marked and presumably was taken at some point when he was a Sleeper Seer, it would be easy to reach the conclusion that someone is orchestrating a systematic effort to take people to this unknown facility and, well . . .”
Wire couldn’t finish his thought, but Remko understood where he was headed. It was anyone’s guess what might be happening to the people inside those walls.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking this,” Connor said, “but the Authority is the only influence large enough to be able to pull a stunt like that off.”
Wire glanced at Remko; they both agreed. Could it be possible the Authority was intentionally harming its own people? And for what purpose?
The new threat this presented made Remko’s mind spin. They needed more information.
“Connor, continue to run whatever tests you think might give us any indication of what happened to Kal,” Remko said.
Connor nodded.
“Wire, you come with me.”
Wire waved good-bye to Connor as he and Remko left the tent.
There was one person in camp who might have information, and they needed to speak with him right away.
Remko found Jesse near the kitchen tent, trying to have a conversation with Lesley about various ingredients they hadn’t had for a while. Lesley’s son, Kane, was with them, his eyes fixed on Jesse’s bow and arrows while his small mouth ran a million miles per hour. He was clearly not interested in talking about food.
“How did you get that?” Kane asked.
“I made it,” Jesse said.
“Was it hard?”
Jesse shrugged. “Not really.”
“Can I make one?”
Jesse cautiously glanced up at Lesley. “I’m not sure your mom would like that.”
“Have you killed people with it?”
“Kane!” Lesley exclaimed.
Jesse chuckled as Remko greeted them with a wave. Lesley smiled at her brother-in-law before turning back to continue scolding her son. Remko motioned for Jesse to take a walk with him and Wire; Jesse looked relieved to leave Kane with his many unanswered questions.
The three men ventured into the shadow and silence of the subway tunnel beyond the lights and noise of the main camp tents. Remko didn’t want people to overhear their conversation and stir up unnecessary worry.
“I’m glad to see you’re still around,” Remko said once he felt they were alone.
Jesse gave his usual shrug. “Better than wandering around alone, I guess.”
“I thought you preferred to be alone,” Wire said.
“Maybe I’m ready for a change,” Jesse said.
Remko stopped and turned to face Jesse. He searched Jesse’s face, as he had done several times, looking for indications of falsehood. Although Remko himself was drawn to the boy and intrigued by having him around to help, he couldn’t ignore the unease his presence caused among people throughout camp. Even now, Remko could see the way Wire watched him, and he knew Kate had a problem with him. It was important for Remko to listen to the intuition of those he trusted.
“Why now?” Remko asked. “Why change things now?”
Jesse leaned back against the stone wall of the tunnel and crossed his arms over his chest. He kept quiet for a moment, maybe searching for the perfect lie, maybe searching for the right words.
“I’m good on my own. I know that. Always have been,” he said. “Most places filled with people feel like a prison. It’s hard to fit in when people want you to be a way you’re not. Being alone is easier, but that doesn’t mean it’s great.”
Jesse paused and Remko recognized the same loneliness he’d seen in the boy’s face before. He could see the expression was familiar to Wire as well. Feeling like an outcast wasn’t foreign to either of them.
“Look, I know people don’t trust me,” Jesse said. “I wouldn’t trust me either, and I’m not sure I trust any of you or if I plan to stay long. But I figure for now we all have something in common—none of us want to live under the Authority’s rule. So if you all are planning to take them down, then I wanna help.”
“Maybe you can,” Remko
said. He nodded toward Wire, who pulled Roxy from his pocket. He handed it to Jesse, who took it with caution.
“What the heck is this?” Jesse asked.
“Her name’s Roxy,” Wire said. “Handle her with care.”
Jesse flashed a coy grin and cradled Roxy appropriately.
“Have you seen that mark before?” Remko asked.
Jesse studied the photo on Roxy’s screen for a moment and shook his head. “Does this have something to do with the man who lost his mind in camp earlier?”
“You know something about that?” Remko asked.
“Not a lot. Just mostly what I’ve heard.”
Remko waited for him to continue.
“A couple weeks ago I was north of the city walls, out in the Old America wreckage. I’d been set up there for a few weeks when a patrol came through. I’m guessing they were searching for your group. Anyways, just a couple of guards, maybe four. I was out of sight, waiting for them to pass, when one of them started acting crazy. Similar to your man in camp today.
“The other guards didn’t know what to do. They restrained him and hauled him off, but one of them stepped away to radio it in. I remember thinking it was odd because he put so much distance between himself and the rest, like he definitely didn’t want the others to hear what he was saying.”
“Did he mention what was happening?” Wire asked.
Jesse shook his head. “Nope, just said the patient hadn’t transitioned well. And then something about getting the patient back to ground zero.”
Wire turned his attention to Remko. “Maybe that’s what they call the structure?”
Remko’s mind had already gone there.
“What structure?” Jesse asked.
Remko hesitated. He wasn’t sure how much information he wanted to give Jesse, but if he could be of help, then they needed him. “Had you heard of ground zero before?” Remko asked.
The Calling Page 14