by Edwina Fort
“James stayed around long enough to name you boys, but not much longer. And when he left, your mother was conveniently talked into giving you guys up for adoption. And that’s how you three ended up in the doctor’s hands. He studied everything about you.” Rome typed something on his computer before he turned it around to face me.
There was old footage of three little dark boys who all looked like me sitting in an all white padded room at a little round table drawing pictures. To the far right of the room was a one-way mirror, where I was sure we were being watched.
“Wow! Why is it I can’t remember any of this? I remembered being a small child growing up in my home with my par--…The Warrens.”
He shook his head. “All programmed thoughts. He put you guys through hell. He found that the only way to activate the gene in you and your siblings was by fracturing your minds and creating the alters who don’t feel.” He paused for just a moment. “Without emotion, brotha, you have superpowers.”
It took me a moment to process all of this, I had so many questions.
“So all my siblings have alters?”
He nodded. “And this is the truly fascinating part. The five of you all shattered in a different way. In studying your particular alter, they saw that he was approachable and could communicate quite well with people. He could even convince those around him that he cared for them and was even concerned. They named him The Politician 373493.”
“In studying one of the other triplets, they noticed a bully nature in both him and his alter. If he wanted something that you or your other brother had, he would simply take it, the same with his alter. His alter did things in true bully fashion. He didn’t just kill, he made one look bad while doing it. If he was thirsty he would just take a drink out of someone’s hand. They named his alter The Bully 373492.”
“The last triplet was something of a loner in many ways, he was quite the mystery to the doctor. Although he stayed close to you and your other brother, he was quiet and kept to himself, read a lot, even seemed to think very deeply on different matters. His alter was something of a ghost. It killed before you even knew what happened, they called it The Loner 373491.”
“What about my little sister?”
“Now your sister was the doctor’s greatest achievement, he became obsessed with her. Her mother was the last woman to be with your father before he was murdered in a car accident. The doctor pulled Debra from a juvenile detention center.”
“Debra?”
Rome nodded. “Your father had named you all after biblical characters. As I was saying, Debra got locked up for life for killing her mother’s boyfriend who stabbed and killed her mother while trying to rape Debra.”
I frowned. “No court in America would send her to jail for life for such an offense.”
Rome chuckled. “It would if the Doctor had something to do with it. It was how she ended up in his grasp. You see he was having trouble with you boys. Although he could get you to do what he demanded, there was always a rebellious streak in all of you. He could sense your hate for him. In his fear that you all would one day kill him, he erased himself from you and your brothers’ memories and then sold all three of you to the highest bidders, but not Debra. He splintered her mind and her alter didn’t show any disturbing qualities like you boys.”
“Her alter was able to blend smoothly into society, thus making her the perfect weapon.” He continued.
“What is the name of her alter?”
Rome smiled. “Black Beauty 373901.” He typed something into his computer and pulled up an image of a beautiful dark-skinned woman dressed in full military gear.
“It is rumored that she’s the deadliest weapon the United States Government have at the moment.”
The hell she is, I was going to find her. “Where is she?” Rome shook his head.
“Nobody knows.
“Can you find her?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure, if I had a little time.”
I nodded, but then another thought came to me. “You said we had an older brother. What’s his deal?”
Rome sat up on the couch resting his elbows against his knees. “He was the doctor’s greatest failure. The one he called the Unbreakable.”
“What do you mean?”
“He tried everything to break his mind. But no matter what he did, nothing worked. It was as if your older brother was born with the personality of the alters. Like them, he was not approachable or sociable. The doctor spoke of him as if he was a little more than a wild animal. The only thing the doctor could figure was that somehow the drugs he’d been giving your father caused his first-born son to automatically inhabit the genes that lay dormant in your dad. Get this, he claims that your oldest brother is the strongest out of all your father’s children, the fastest, the deadliest.” He sat back in his seat.
“In the CIA database, he’s labeled unstable and extremely dangerous. But that don’t mean sh*t, those are the ones they typically liked.”
“What happened to him?”
“He went rogue and became the world’s most wanted. Agencies across the planet linked up to try and take him out. The doctor believes he’s dead.”
Damn, I felt grief for a brother I never met, just imagining what he must have gone through. I was aware that our government was involved in some nefarious things. There are more ghost departments than I can count. However, I never imagined there was a department designated just for my family.
I didn’t like it. In that moment I came to a decision. I am going to find my siblings. All of them! And then I was going to find the one called Father and kill him. He had to die for what he did to us.
“What was his name?”
“Judah Law 373001.” The deep scratchy voice came from behind me. Rome and I both shot to our feet turning to look at the interloper.
The Politician stirred as I sensed that the man standing at the door was extremely dangerous. He stared at me through a pair of dark eyes that were a lot like my own, but that was the only thing we had in common.
He stood at least six inches taller than me, his shoulders broader. He skin was not dark like mine, it was about two shades lighter. His hair fell down his back in long dreadlocks and he had a huge shaggy beard as if he hadn’t shaved in years. It hid more than half his face. He looked like a wild man.
However, he was dressed like me in a pair of army green cargo pants, military boots and a tank top. He wore a brown leather bomber jacket over it.
Without a shadow of a doubt he’s a military man.
“Who are you?” I asked, preparing myself to spring into action if he made one hostile move.
His cold gaze fell on me and The Politician shifted again. I could feel him brushing my brain, tempting me to let him free.
The stranger didn’t speak right away, he just stood there taking me in. When finally he spoke, his voice sounded as if he didn’t use it much.
“I’m your older brother.”
“The Unbreakable one!” Rome said low from the side of me.
I relaxed my stance a bit. “I thought you were dead?”
He chuckled. At least I think that’s the sound he made. “For all parties that matter, I am.”
“And what parties are those?”
He stepped farther in the office, causing both Rome and I to stiffen, readying ourselves for battle. I hated to be this way, but that’s the kind of vibe this brotha threw off. He was pure violence in the flesh.
“Easy.” He said shutting the door behind him. “If I wanted you dead I would have done it the day you graduated from high school and got sh*t faced drunk before passing out in your front yard. Or the day you lost your virginity and sat on your porch writing love songs to the chick.”
Rome chuckled, relaxing his stance a little more. “I knew it. I said this chump Jo is the kind of sucka that sit around writing love songs and sh*t. That’s probably how you got my sista.”
I lifted one side of my mouth in a grin. “Yeah, but I have my lady, whe
re’s yours?” I blinked innocently, waiting patiently for his answer.
The grin left his face and a frown replaced it. “Won’t you write one of your corny ass songs so that I can give it to her, cake boy!”
I’m not going to punch my future wife’s brother in the nose. I’m just not!
My gaze went back to the wild man. “What? You’ve been spying on me?”
“I’ve been watching over you, as well as Naphtali and Levi.”
“Are they the others?”
He nodded as his gaze went back to Rome. “I don’t know how you managed to gather information in a few months that’s taken me years to obtain…”
Rome the peacock gave him a look that said…well, I’m a genius.
“But there was something you got wrong. Something you couldn’t have learned from Father’s notes. Our dad was aware of what was happening to him. He was not schizophrenic. The things he said was happening were in fact happening to him. He made me promise before Father murdered him to look after his children and I have. Even if it meant breaking myself before Father ever could.”
“What about Debra?”
His face fell. “I lost her. But so has Father. Whoever has her now have enough power to stay off the radar. But I’m not going to give up. Even if it kills me, I’m going to find her and I’m going to kill whoever hurt her.”
I nodded, because his thoughts mirrored my own.
“Why now?” Rome asked. Judah shook his head not understanding the question.
“Why come out the shadows now?”
Judah looked at him surprised. “So, you haven’t heard? You might want to turn your phone back on or check the Chicago headlines. I’m sure your men have been trying to contact you.”
Rome frowned before he took a seat back in front of his computer, his hands flew across the keyboard before his face contorted in rage.
“Mutha F****!” He hissed snatching up his phone turning it on. It instantly began to ding with the calls and the text messages he missed.
“Thanks to your digging you’ve marked you and your whole family for death. My brothers were safe as long as they weren’t aware of what was happening to them. It’s the reason I had to die. Once I became aware, I became a danger they could not allow to live.”
I walked around the table to see what Rome was looking at.
“Dammit!” There were images on his computer screen of the whole top level of his apartment building burning.
“They dropped a bomb on your place forty-five minutes ago. The papers read that it was a gas leak. Good thing nobody was hurt.”
“Bullsh*t nobody was hurt. My computers were in there. Somebody gon’ have to die for this!” His phone rang and he turned around to take the call.
“What the f*** happened?” He barked into the phone.
Judah continued to speak to me. “You two believed you had defeated a monster with the little stunt you pulled today. You could not be further from the truth. You may have defeated a small monster, but you’ve awakened a dragon. And it’s not going to stop until you and everybody that knows the truth about it is dead.”
“Who the f*** is they?!” Rome hissed coming back in to the conversation.
“I suspect the same man that has my little sister. Every time I get close to finding out who it is, something happens to throw me off the scent.” His gaze fell on Rome. “Which is why I’ve come to recruit you. I’ve been watching you for a while. To say that I’m impressed with your technical ability is an understatement. I believe you will be a great asset to the team.”
“What team?”
“I head up a small group of men who handle a wide range of things from security to search and rescue.”
Rome and I both lifted an eyebrow. “Search and rescue?”
Judah chuckled. “Yep…”
“So, you CIA?” Rome asked.
“I’m what I need to be to accomplish my mission at the time.”
Rome threw up his hands. “Yeah, cause that’s real clear, it’s not cryptic at all.”
Judah chuckled. “I figured a smart guy like yourself would understand.” He put his hand on my shoulder, none to gently.
“Since all your chances for running for president are shot now, you might as well come into the family business. Thanks to your little stunt, I’m going to have to pull all three of you. Who knows how long Naphtali and Levi have before they try and take them out as well? Alone, they may have a chance at succeeding. Us together, they have no chance in hell.”
I agreed. If this dragon he spoke of was that big, it would take all of us together to bring it down. Alone, it stands a chance of defeating us. He must have seen the compliance in my eyes. The smile that was more like a grimace grew on his face.
“Welcome to my world, boys. The first thing we need to do is kill you and everybody you love.
********
Joseph
I could not breathe easily until I laid eyes on my wife and child to know that they were okay. Judah had not lied. We needed to leave now. On our way to the hospital, Rome hacked into the security feed of my penthouse. It had been ransacked and my computer stolen. We didn’t have long before whoever that was made their way here and I needed to get Journey, Ayana, and Abigale to safety.
Judah assured me he had an excellent doctor on his team that stitched them up and got them back together when needed. He said he was one of the best in the world. That knowledge did little to stem my worry. Last I saw Journey, she was in stable condition, but not well enough to move.
And then there was our baby she carried. The doctor said he didn’t know if the little one was going to make it. If only I could turn back---
My thoughts stalled as I took in the man walking down the hall towards us. I had never in my life seen anything like him. He was a big man who wore a black cowboy hat and duster. He didn’t look as if he belonged in this day or time. His fathomless dark eyes took us in as he passed.
Something in the very pit of my being responded to him. For some strange reason, I felt a strong kinship to him. He must have had the same effect on Rome and Judah, because they too turned their heads to watch him as he continued out the door, the duster blowing behind him, making him appear as if he had black wings.
I didn’t know what I expected when I rounded the corner into Journey’s room, but it wasn’t the sight that greeted me. She sat up in the bed bright eyed and glowing. As soon as she saw me she raised her arms to me.
“My King!” She cried as her big beautiful eyes pooled with tears.
As I walked to that bed, I thanked God for sparing a wretch like me.
Journey
Seeing Joseph, Rome, and the big stranger walking into my room right behind The Preacher filled my heart with happiness. His parting words were troubling. He said the next time I saw him the world will be on fire. But somehow, looking at my brother, my man, and whoever this powerful stranger was that had eyes like Joseph, I knew we were going to be okay.
Rob, my mother, and Albert woke up as the men walked in the room, Ayana still slept in my little brother’s arms.
“Hey, hey, hey…Y’all made it back in one piece. Good job, boys!” Albert gushed, the relief at seeing Joseph safe clear in his eyes. My mother jumped up to hug Rome.
“I’m so glad y’all made it back. I was praying for y’all the whole time!”
My eyes never looked away from Joseph as he approached me, gently taking me into his arms. Everybody else in the room just seemed to fade to black. In this moment, it was just he and I.
“Baby, how do you feel?” He asked softly as he sat on the bed next to me.
“I feel like I was touched by an angel. Did you see him, Joseph? Did you see the angel?”
He smiled nodding his head. “She’s right in front of me. How does your shoulder feel?”
I reached up and moved my gown back a bit. “I can still feel that I have an injury, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
His eyes fell to my stomach and a sad look came on h
is face. “And the baby?”
I took his hands and put them against my stomach. “He’s fine. He’s going to be a strong warrior just like his daddy.”
The smile that came on his face made me fall in love with him all over again. “He?”
I nodded. “He.”
“Got to go, little bro.”
A deep scratchy voice came from the back of us causing the room and everybody in it to come back into focus. I peeked around Joseph to the big man that stood behind him. This had to be one of his siblings that The Preacher told me about. Although he wasn’t dark like Joseph, he did favor him.
Only where Joseph’s beard, mustache, and hair cut were always trimmed and lined to perfection, this stranger’s not so much.
Don’t get me wrong, he was handsome. Very, but in a violent kind of way. No, scratch that…Savage.
He felt like a savage. His beard and mustache covered his face, making him look like a wild man. When his cold gaze fell on me, I shivered. Without being told, I knew that he was broken. He felt like Joseph had felt the night he’d killed all those men in the Jamaican restaurant. I squeezed Jo’s hand.
“Baby, this my—”
“Brother.” I said cutting him off. He turned to look at me surprised.
“How did you know? I’d only just found out.”
I smiled. “I told you I talked to an angel.”
His brother gave him and Rome a signal as if to tell them we were out of time.
Joseph turned back to me. “Journey, do you trust me?”
Without hesitation I nodded. “With my life.”
He smiled. “Life as we know it is going to change. But that’s alright. Because I’ll always be here for you. And I’ll always keep you safe. That’s my word.”
I frowned as another chill came over me. These were the Preacher’s exact words. “Is everything alright?”
“It will be, just as soon as we all die.”
After saying those very frightening words, he scooped me up into his arms, and then he made sure Robert had Ayana and began to head toward the door. He stopped at Albert’s bed.