Mind Slide

by Glenn Bullion

  Finley nodded. “Will do.”

  Mason and Kelly walked back to the Jeep. As they climbed inside his cell phone beeped. He had a text message from a phone number with only the number one. He leaned over so Kelly could read it with him.

  Do I have your attention now?

  They waited several agonizing minutes for another text, but nothing came.

  He circled around the block and parked on the adjacent street. It was quiet except for the hum of the street lights. He killed the engine and leaned back in his seat.

  “What are you doing?” Kelly asked.

  “I'm gonna find Lisa.”

  He took a few deep breaths and relaxed as best he could. Something was missing, and reached out to turn on the radio. He found a classical music station and turned the volume down low.

  “Do you need me to do anything?”

  “No, but thanks.” He smiled at her. Kelly would be the first person outside the lab to actually watch him mind slide. “I'll be right back.”

  Kelly felt a shiver go up her spine. She remembered once again that Mason was the person who saved her life, and she would get to see how he did it up close.

  *****

  Mason couldn't see anything. For a moment he was afraid the mind slide had gone wrong somehow, which would have been a first. But he felt the floor under his feet. He was somewhere. It was just completely dark.

  A voice cut through the air, a few feet next to him.

  “Let me out of here! Please!”

  It was Lisa.

  He ran to her voice, his hands low in front of him. His fingers dipped through some hair, a skull, and finally brain matter. He could hear her breathing.

  “Lisa.”

  “You found her?” Kelly asked.

  He felt around as best he could, his hands passing through different things. A metal chair, handcuffs around her wrists, rope around her waist.

  “Yeah, I found her.”

  “Are you okay? Your face is tensing up a little.”

  “They got her handcuffed to a chair in a dark room. I've gotta find out where we are.”

  He walked away from Lisa until he felt a wall. He pushed his arm all the way through and felt space on the other side. He stuck his head through and saw a well lit hallway. Two armed men passed by, not saying a word to each other.

  Mason pushed the rest of the way into the hall and walked slowly, studying everything he could. Offices on both sides of the hall, water fountains, an elevator.

  “I think we're in an office building.”

  “Can you find out where? Get an address?”

  Mason closed his eyes. He would do something he rarely did. Gravity meant nothing to a mind without a body. But gravity was a hard rule to break. There were more mental barriers than anything else, like expecting to fall to the ground. He had seen at the mall that Gabriel was experienced at flying, but it was something that Mason did little of over the years.

  He jumped straight up. He floated through the ceiling, then another floor. He pushed through the roof and felt the night air on his face. He flew up until he could get a view of their surroundings.

  “Mason, you're sweating,” Kelly said, touching his forehead. “What's wrong?”

  The truth was flying was incredible, but it was also terrifying. He could feel the wind passing through him. It felt like he should be flying around like a leaf. His mind stayed still, fifty feet above the roof.

  “I'm fine,” he said. “We are in an office building. I think I recognize it. Old Patapsco Park.”

  Kelly knew the place. It was about an hour's drive away, near the city.

  “Most of the buildings over there are abandoned. A good hiding place.”

  “They got lights, guards, the works.”

  He heard a ringing, and realized it was his phone. He slid back to his body. Kelly's hand felt good on his forehead. He looked up to see her holding his phone.

  “Unavailable number,” she said.

  He took the phone and answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “I'm sorry it worked out like this.”

  Suit. Mason clenched the phone in his hand.

  “You miserable bastard.”

  “I'm sure you know now we have a friend of yours. You probably even know where she is. Trust me when I say we don't want to hurt her. But please don't go rushing to her like a hero.”

  “Everything you told me was a lie, wasn't it?”

  “Not everything. In fact, I was mostly honest. Believe me when I say we had nothing to do with the research team being murdered. Those were my people, including Doctor Rierson. You have Gabriel to thank for that. We're not murderers, but I need that flash drive you have. Do not give it to Gabriel.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, the best reason, your friend's life depends on it. No police, let's keep them out of it. I'll contact you soon.”

  Suit hung up.

  Mason sat still, staring straight ahead. The nausea had passed, but he didn't bother sitting up.

  “So?” Kelly asked. “What do we do?”

  He frowned. “Nothing, except wait,” he said, then his eyes lit up. “I need to see Brian. Make sure he's okay.”

  “You mean mind slide to him?”

  “No. I need to talk to him. We need to go to the hospital.”

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure that's a good idea?”

  “I don't think they'll try anything in a hospital. At least I hope not.”

  He started the Jeep and pulled into the street.

  Chapter 27

  Mason found a spot in the hospital parking lot. He glanced around to look for anything out of the ordinary. There were a few nurses smoking outside. A couple left and climbed in a car. He didn't see any men wearing suits with guns waiting for him.

  “You know it's past visiting hours, right?” Kelly asked. “Assuming he's not in surgery or something crazy.”

  “I know. We'll be quick.”

  He gave Kelly a long look. She met his stare and blushed.

  “What?”

  He tried to think of what was best for Kelly. Part of him wanted her far away, hidden in a hotel room somewhere. But she was as much a target as he was. If they were together, they could watch each other's backs more closely.

  Guilt started to creep in. He wished she wasn't involved at all.

  “You don't have to come with me,” he said. “Do you want me to take you somewhere?”

  She rolled her eyes and left the Jeep. He stuffed the flash drive in his pocket and joined her near the front. She held out her hand, which he gladly took.

  “Wherever you go, I go.”

  She gave his hand a squeeze.

  He smiled and nodded.

  “So,” she said as they crossed the lot. “You ever mind slide on anyone in the shower?”

  “Not you, if that's what you're asking.”

  “Ah, so you have?”

  He laughed. “I used to mind slide in my sleep, before I really knew what I was doing. I would wake up in different places. Sometimes it would take a few minutes to figure out if I was dreaming or not. One time I woke up in England, in a girls' locker room.”

  Kelly grinned. “And you stayed?”

  “Probably longer than I should have. I was a kid.” He felt his face turning red. “I did watch you at work once.”

  She glanced at him. “That might be a little creepy, Mason.”

  Creepy or not, she would have done the same thing, if not more.

  They walked into the hospital and approached a young woman at the front desk. She looked bored, filing her nails. She perked up when Mason put his hands on her desk. Kelly felt a flash of jealousy at the look the woman gave him. She moved closer to him.

  “Hi. I'm looking for Brian Lowdry.”

  The woman smiled and typed away at her computer.

  “He's in room 409, on the fourth floor. But visiting hours aren't until tomorrow at nine.”

  “That's okay. There's a waitin
g room on the fourth floor, right? We're gonna take turns napping and running out to get food.”

  “Yeah, there is. But it's not very comfortable. It's right outside the elevator.”

  “Thanks.”

  They rode the elevator to the fourth floor and found the waiting room. It wasn't as much a room as it was a space with chairs. There was a television in the corner and a table with magazines more than a month old.

  “I'll go check on him,” he said. “If security isn't crazy, I'll sneak you in there.”

  She nodded and took a seat. She crossed her legs and grabbed a magazine, looking very sexy. Mason shoved the thought from his head and focused on the dangerous situation they were in.

  There was no need to sneak his way into room 409. He passed three doctors, two nurses, and a single security guard, who gave him a simple nod. He made sure the hall was empty before stepping into Brian's room and closing the door behind him.

  His breath caught in his chest.

  Brian lay motionless on his bed, sound asleep. There were already a few sets of flowers and balloons from fellow police officers. He was hooked up to a few machines, one of which beeped every few seconds.

  Mason tried to keep the tears in. Brian was the brother who looked out for him when he needed it the most. He was a lost and confused eighteen-year-old when he left Yingling. Brian and Lisa took him in. He helped changed Dani's diapers.

  The flash drive was like a weight in his pocket. He would trade it for Lisa's life without hesitation.

  He touched Brian on the arm. His friend didn't move.

  “I'll take care of this,” he whispered. “I promise. I'm so sorry.”

  His phone rang. He quickly answered it, feeling like an idiot for not putting it on vibrate.

  “Hello?”

  “I don't know what you would do without me.”

  He went to the corner so he could speak quietly. “Gabriel.”

  “That's me. We've both had exciting days, haven't we?”

  “Did you kill the doctors that worked with us? Are you a murderer?”

  “Yes and yes.”

  Mason took a breath. There were enemies on all sides. The only person he could trust was Kelly.

  “What do you want?”

  “I called to tell you that, once again, you're in trouble. Some of Suit's men are coming in through the front door right now, waving their little badges around. Not exactly brilliant to go to the one place they'd expect to find you. And I don't see a pool outside to jump into.”

  Mason secured his Bluetooth over his ear and clipped his phone to his shorts. He gave Brian's hand one more squeeze, then peered out the door. The hallway was empty.

  “You call him Suit, too?”

  “Yeah. I stole that from Doctor Albert.”

  Mason was conflicted at the thought of receiving help from the man that killed Doc.

  “I thought they wouldn't try anything here,” Mason said. “It's a damn public hospital. They've got my best friend's wife. I thought they'd leave me alone, call to setup a trade.”

  “If you get out of this, I'm sure they still will. If it makes a difference, your cop friend put up a hell of a fight.”

  Mason left Brian behind and walked down the hall. He forced himself to stay calm and walk slow. Kelly still sat in the corner at the end of the hall, reading with her legs crossed. She saw him, and stood up to greet him. She stopped when she saw the expression on his face.

  “You were there? At the house?”

  “Yeah. I got there a few minutes after they did. The assholes read my mind. I figured the best way to get to you would be to lean on your buddies. They beat me to it.”

  Kelly went to say something, but Mason grabbed her hand and pulled her along, walking down the hall to the elevator.

  “You son of a bitch,” he said.

  “Hey, don't be mad at me. I'm just doing what I gotta do. I don't like any of this bullshit, you know. In a way, this is all your fault. You're the freak of nature. You started all of this. Wait! Don't go that way. They're halfway up the stairs now.”

  He stopped and turned down another hall, away from the elevator. They passed a nurse pushing a man in a wheelchair.

  “Mason, what's wrong?” Kelly whispered.

  He squeezed her hand and touched her shoulder. He couldn't talk to her, but hoped to comfort her.

  “Why are you helping us now?” he asked.

  “You've got the flash drive, and I need it. So guess what? We're friends right now.”

  “You don't know anything about friendship.”

  “Oh shit. I missed those two. Duck into the room next to you. Right now!”

  Mason saw a leg start to round the corner as he pulled Kelly into the empty examination room. He shut the door, leaving it open only a crack. He went to turn out the light, but Kelly grabbed his hand. He nodded, knowing she was right. If anyone in the hall saw a light go out, they might stop to investigate.

  He moved Kelly to the corner. Gabriel spoke as Mason watched the agent move down the hall through the gap in the door.

  “Just shut your mouth, kid. You don't know what I'm doing. You're just a puppet. So be a good little puppet, and do what I say.”

  Mason said nothing. He watched the agent meet up with three more as they got off the elevator. They went in different directions.

  He opened the door and took a single step into the hall.

  Right into the fist of another agent Gabriel missed.

  Mason fell backwards into the room. Kelly let out a small scream. The young agent pounced on Mason, hitting him two more times in the face.

  He fished in Mason's pocket for the flash drive.

  Kelly jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. She squeezed as hard as she could. The agent stood up and tossed her off. She landed on her back on the examination table.

  Her eyes fell on the computer setup next to her. Next to the examination table was a tiny cart, holding a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

  Mason tried to look through the stars around him. His face hurt from the punches. The back of his head hurt from the fall. He looked up to see Kelly laying awkwardly on the examination table. The agent stood over him, clutching the flash drive in his hand.

  Mason shot to his feet and grabbed the agent's wrist. The agent held tight, and clutched Mason's throat with his free hand. He forced Mason back into the wall. He struggled to breathe, but wouldn't let go of the agent's wrist. Mason gouged at the agent's face, and caught his left eye with a thumb. He released his grip and backed up a step.

  The sudden movement threw off Kelly's aim, but she still hit what she was aiming for.

  She swung the keyboard as hard as she could. She connected with the side of the agent's head, sending shattered plastic and keys everywhere. He reeled back into the corner and slid halfway down to the floor.

  Kelly wasn't done.

  She grabbed the monitor and smacked him over the head. He landed in an awkward position, his eyes closed.

  She raised the monitor over her head to strike again. For a moment, all she saw was Neil Grainger, whistling Amazing Grace in that dark, dirty basement.

  Mason wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away. He grabbed the monitor and set it on the examination table.

  “Kell, stop!”

  She was breathing hard. Tears streamed from her eyes. She let Mason take her in his arms. She shook and cried against his shoulder.

  Mason held onto her for a moment. He noticed the flash drive, still in the agent's hand. He grabbed it and shoved it back in his pocket.

  Gabriel spoke in his ear.

  “Shit, man, why aren't you moving? Where are you...holy shit.”

  Mason could almost picture Gabriel, standing right in the room with them, walking through walls and anything else in the way.

  “You're not very good at this, are you?” Mason said.

  “Hey, give me a break. You know how this works. I can't be everywhere. I'm watching the path ahead. Now get
moving. Take a right, then a left at the end of the hall. Use the stairs.”

  Mason took Kelly by the hand. She squeezed it and forced herself to stop shaking. She gasped and gently touched Mason on the cheek. He winced and pulled away slightly. He already had the beginning of a bruise forming.

  They left the room, turning out the light and closing the door behind them. They followed Gabriel's directions and found the stairs.

  “Okay, you're almost home free. They're not watching your Jeep. Just get in and drive away.”

  “What about Brian? They're in there with him.”

  Mason and Kelly left the hospital and crossed the parking lot. Kelly tried to run to the Jeep, but Mason held her next to him.

  “I wouldn't worry about your cop buddy too much.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A nurse just found your handiwork, and is calling the police. Those bastards will scatter like roaches now.”

  They climbed in the Jeep and left the hospital.

  “Actually not my handiwork. That was Kelly.”

  “No shit. She's a little spitfire.”

  He smirked. “You have no idea. Uh, thank you, I guess.”

  “Hey, us freaks have to stay together, right? Find somewhere to lay low. I'll call later. Keep that damn flash drive safe.”

  Gabriel hung up.

  Mason removed his Bluetooth and stole a glance at Kelly. She rubbed her knees nervously, staring straight ahead.

  “Hey,” he said, putting a hand over hers. “Are you okay?”

  She gave a small smile and nodded.

  “You saved me back there,” he said.

  “We'll be even one day.”

  He returned her smile. “We have to find somewhere to stay.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “We shouldn't use credit cards. I've got money. Just find a hotel, hide the Jeep, and we should be okay.”

  He gave her a look.

  “What?” she said, her face turning red.

  He shook his head. He wished she wasn't with him. He wished she was safe, back at her home.

  But if he had to pick anyone to watch out for him, it would be her.

  Chapter 28

  Kelly stepped into the hotel room first. She collapsed on the queen-sized bed and covered her face with her hands. She didn't even bother to turn on the light. The night was catching up to her. She was exhausted, afraid, nervous, angry. For two days, when she was sixteen, she wondered if she'd ever see the outside again.