Masked

by RB Stutz

  “So did Sara get you up to speed on everything?” Alex asked.

  After making it through five of the boxes himself, he seemed to have slowed down some.

  “She did. Thanks for coming after us at the HUB.”

  “Of course, but I can’t take the credit. It was Laura who got us out of there.” He paused and smiled. “Well, and lost you.”

  “Has she been back up here yet?” Sara asked.

  “No. I stopped in on my way out to get the pizza. She was running tests on Rachael, James and the other guy, but there was no change in status with any of them.”

  “Does she think they’ll be okay?” I asked.

  “She says she’s still hopeful. Their brain activity looks normal.”

  Sara rose from her stool. “I’m going to run down there and see if she needs a hand. You two catch up.” She leaned over and kissed me.

  She took a two of the untouched pizza boxes. “I’ll bring a couple of these with me.”

  Alex got up and headed back over the refrigerator. “Want another?” he asked.

  “Sounds great.”

  Alex grabbed two more cans and came over to sit on Sara’s vacant stool.

  “You know. When we were all at the HUB together, this pretty much was my dream,” I said.

  Alex grinned. “Eating pizza and drinking Coke? You’re pretty ambitious.”

  “I just wanted to be out of there doing something normal like eating pizza with friends.”

  “I know what you mean, though the reason we’re here is not what I’d call normal,” Alex said. “It’s good to have you back man. I considered you a brother when we were at the HUB and I still do.”

  I nodded and raised my can to that. I felt the same way. It was great to see him.

  “So you read minds?” Alex asked conversationally.

  The comment caught me off guard. He must have read my confused expression.

  Alex explained. “Sara told us about your new ability when she first showed us hers. She said it started developing the day she was taken. Have you noticed it doesn’t work around any of us?”

  I thought of trying to read Sara before, feeling the guilt of trying. Sara never mentioned it and I took note to apologize to her when I saw her again. “Yes I did actually.”

  “Yeah, it’s a cool little thing Laura taught us. What someone like you and that Peter bastard does is tap into the brainwaves, for lack of a technical term, of those you choose to. This is how you’re able to see others thoughts or how Peter was able to control the minds of others. What Laura taught us when we started working with her, is how to condition our minds to block such intrusions. At first it took some concentration and effort to hold, but now it comes naturally.”

  “So has everyone you’ve found had some sort of extra ability, above the increased strength, speed and healing, I mean?”

  “So far yes, but it seems there’s only one per person and as you know they vary. Laura’s theory is the alterations to our genetic make-up have given us random access to unused parts of the brain. People normally only use a fraction of their brain’s potential. Most of the brain is never tapped into. We’ve been given access to the unused portions. Each of us has access to different parts of the unused brain area, which is why these new abilities are so varied.”

  “So what’s yours?” I asked.

  “It’s not something I can really show you, but essentially I can project my consciousness away from my body. I have to know exactly where I want to go and it takes a tremendous amount of effort and concentration. If I tried right now, I could see what was going on down in the boat house without ever leaving the kitchen. I could see what Sara was saying about you.” He grinned at the last part.

  I had a hard time imagining what he was trying to describe but it sounded incredible. “So do you see where you go clearly?”

  “Not the same as standing here using my eyes, but just as clear. It’s hard to explain.”

  “How far can you go?”

  “I’m not sure what the limit is or if there even is a limit. The most I’ve tried is a few hundred yards and it does take more effort the longer the distance I try to cover.”

  “It sounds like a useful skill in your work with Laura. What’s her ability?” I asked.

  “She doesn’t have one or at least she hasn’t discovered it yet, that or she’s not telling us.” Alex paused. “We owe her everything. If she’s hiding it, I can grant her that privacy.”

  I didn’t say anything to that. I could understand their sense of gratitude towards Laura; I felt it too now I knew the truth. She’d worked for Titan though and I, for one, was really tired of secrets and blow offs. I didn’t think I could stay and work with someone I felt was hiding something from me. She seemed to be a good person, but I wasn’t sure if I could ever trust her. It was something I’d have to reconcile

  I looked up at the TV and changed the subject. “Are you a Mariners fan?”

  Alex talked baseball while I finished a few more boxes of pizza. I let him carry the conversation since I knew nothing about the game. Alex on the other hand had found a love for America’s pastime since he’d won his freedom from the HUB. We agreed that I needed to go to a game with him some time soon. Before I was able to express my concern about a game with sunlight he said Laura had a box at Safeco Field. After some time we headed down to the boat house.

  The path was covered, but the protection wasn’t needed as the sun was already setting, the sky an inferno of orange and red. It was quite beautiful to see at the lake’s edge. The scene reminded me of a question I had from my encounter with the two who tried to kill me in Idaho.

  “Have you found any others with our abilities but who not affected by sunlight like we are?”

  “Actually, no one we’ve found has the sun allergy like we do. Laura says there was an additional procedure performed once at the HUB to cause the allergy, another way to control us.”

  Adding a weakness seemed like an odd way to control your super soldiers. Especially when the plan was to make us mindless zombies. Titan really had raped us from our lives.

  I followed Alex into the boat house. The exterior gave no clue that inside was anything other than what would normally be found in any other boat house on the lake. The sterile work area outfitted with sophisticated equipment, hospital beds and medical supplies I’d seen when I helped Laura bring them in earlier was probably not standard in any other boat house.

  The three beds were set at the far end of the room, side by side with four feet in between. Rachael and her currently unnamed friend were still lying on their respective beds, eyes closed. Sara and Laura were standing on each side of the third bed and James was sitting upright, awake.

  CHAPTER 28

  Sara, Laura and James all turned their attention as we walked through the door.

  “I was just on my way up to get you,” Sara said.

  James looked like he was still a little groggy but for the most part seemed fully alert. Before I had the chance to offer any greeting he smiled and said in a raspy voice “Alex, Michael, it’s good to see you.”

  It took several seconds for it to hit me, but the realization of what it meant to see him sitting there set in. They were going to be okay. Emotion flooded in. I was so relived, so happy to see him awake.

  “It’s good to see you too.” We continued towards the gathering around his bed.

  Once near the bed Alex rested his hand on James’ shoulder and with a nod said “good to see you man.”

  I turned my attention to Laura and Sara. “How long has he been awake?”

  “Five minutes. Sara and I have been trying to give him the quick version of where he is and why he’s here,” Laura said.

  “What do you remember?” I asked.

  “As I was saying when you walked in, not really anything. I remember the day Sara was taken and how you went missing that morning and then Alex later that day. Caldwell came to talk with the four of us left and explained you two had attacked an
d killed agents in the facility and were being detained. They said the four of us would continue our training the next day.

  “That’s all I remember. I guess the next day never came. I fell asleep that night and woke up just minutes ago. Sara said it’s been over a year since that day. How can that be true?”

  They took them so soon after I’d left, that same day. That was twice now Titan had taken James’ life from him. All he had was just the few weeks we were at the HUB. As I reflected on that, I was able to recognize that even though my past year was full of pain, despair and anger, at least I had that. James and Rachael never even had the opportunity for that.

  Laura gave James a brief summary of what Titan did to he and Rachael. She explained how she’d helped get the three of us out and about my reunion with them earlier.

  “So you don’t remember any of the time you were being controlled by Titan?” Alex asked.

  James didn’t answer but Laura interjected. “It makes sense he doesn’t. I don’t know much of the technical details on how the control chip interfaces with the brain, but I do know the theory. It makes sense the conscious part of one’s brain would be put away in a type of coma while the chip accessed other portions.”

  Alex gestured to Rachael and the other guy. “Have they shown any signs of consciousness yet?”

  “No. Not yet, but there really wasn’t anything to show James was waking either. He just suddenly was awake. Well, there was a spike in activity for just a split second right as he woke, but like I said that happened as he was waking,” Laura explained.

  Sara rested her hand on James’ shoulder. “How do you feel?”

  “Considering all you say has happened, I feel relatively well, definitely well rested. I’m actually really hungry. Whatever it was Titan had me doing for the past year, I don’t think keeping me well fed was a top priority.”

  “I may have to make another pizza run. Laura forgot to stock the fridge in planning for our stay here.” Alex looked towards Laura with a sardonic smile.

  “I most certainly did not,” Laura said indignant, but smiling. “There are certain things I know how to do and how to do well. Being a good hostess is one of those things. I wouldn’t have a group of friends with overactive metabolisms over without plenty for them to eat. You just didn’t look in the right place. There’s a service kitchen attached to the main kitchen. I had the caretaker stock the cupboards and refrigerator before we arrived. I understand there’s a half a cows worth of filets in the freezer and a large grill behind the house if interested.”

  “I’m on it,” Alex said and headed towards the door.

  “That sounds incredible,” James said as he moved to a sitting position with his feet to the side of the bed.

  “Are you sure you feel well enough to stand?” I asked as he tried to get up.

  He wobbled on his feet for a few seconds and then sat back down. “Maybe I need a few more minutes. I’m going to lay back and try to let my strength increase before I try that again. Let me know when Alex has those steaks ready.”

  He laid back on the bed and closed his eyes.

  The James I’d known from our brief time together at the HUB and the James I saw now were not the same person. Granted, he had just woken from, for all intents and purposes a yearlong coma, but he was taking the news really well. It was great to see, but at the same time it wasn’t what I had expected from James. It seemed that in seeing all of us again and the fact we had saved him from what Titan had done adjusted his attitude towards us, at least for the time being.

  Sara and I both stepped away from the beds as Laura moved to check the monitors connected to the others. Sara grabbed a hold of my hand and led me back out the door.

  Darkness now almost completely consumed the orange sky. Sounds of crickets, saccades and other lake residents only feet away filled the air. We continued down the path onto the small dock resting next to the boathouse.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” Sara said as we looked over the lake at the scenic view, hand in hand. “It’s a shame Laura doesn’t get to come out here to enjoy it very often. She stays so busy with her work that she spends all of her time in the city.”

  I squeezed Sara’s hand. “That’s too bad. If I never left this place I’d be perfectly happy. Of course, only if you were here as well.”

  “That would be so nice. Maybe someday we can have that,” Sara said.

  We stood on the dock in silence for several minutes just watching the darkening sky and listening to the noise from the lake.

  I interrupted the silence. “You know, I think I may need another shower later. I didn’t get as clean as I wanted to earlier.”

  “That’s funny. I was thinking the same thing, but don’t worry, I won’t interrupt you this time, I’ll wait my turn,” she said as she wrapped her arms around me, her body pressing against me, and kissing my ear. No, biting my ear.

  Heat and sensation erupted just as she suddenly pulled away.

  “Come on. Let’s go see if Laura needs anything before we take James up to the house,” Sara said with a mischievous smile as she walked back towards the door to the boathouse.

  “You tease,” I accused as I followed.

  CHAPTER 29

  The steaks Alex grilled up were amazing. James, Sara and I joined him back up at the house just as he was putting them on the grill. The caretaker had also stocked the refrigerator in the service kitchen with lots of beer. We enjoyed several while we waited for the steaks to cook and then several more when they were done. It’s not that we got drunk, our metabolisms didn’t let us, but it went well with the steak. We ended up consuming more beer and beef than I would of thought possible, for even us.

  Laura insisted on staying in the boathouse. Sara and I offered to watch so she could take a break, but she was firm in her decision to stay. A couple hours later, after the rest of us were full with food, conversation and drink; she still didn’t want to leave.

  Finally, we were able to convince her to rest on James’ empty bed and agreed that one of us would stay to keep watch while she did. That way she would still be there when Rachael and the other man woke. All of us volunteered, but Alex insisted that he stay. He said James needed to rest, which we all agreed, and Sara and I needed alone time. What a good friend.

  I did want the alone time with Sara, but I also wanted to help, to do my part. I tried to argue, but Alex wouldn’t budge and eventually the three of us left the boat house to head back up to the main house for the night.

  James found a room on the other side of the second floor reasoning that he wanted to be nowhere near our room. Once he was settled, Sara and I went back to the room we were in before and closed the door.

  The rest of the evening was quite enjoyable and eventually we fell asleep.

  I wasn’t sure what time it was when I woke to find we’d fallen asleep on the floor. Sara was curled up tight against me, her back curved to fit the spoon shape my body was in. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but whenever it happened, I had the sense to grab a couple of blankets from the bed. It was still dark and there was no sign of daybreak coming through the blinds.

  The dream I’d been having was what woke me.

  I was with Sara at some point in the future. We looked a little older and were at a lake. Not the same one, but some other non-descript public lake area. We stood on an old rickety wooden dock.

  Two young boys were with us. They looked no older than six and were almost identical to each other. I knew who the boys were immediately. They looked nothing like their newborn selves but they were the babies I’d dreamt about. There was a familiarity in their faces, something I’d seen before in the mirror.

  Both boys were bare-chested only wearing swim shorts. One was a hair taller than the other and both were slender and pale. I didn’t speak to them, but postured myself at the end of the dock and showed them proper diving form a couple of times. When I stepped back both boys stepped to the end of the dock together, copied my position and dove si
multaneously. The second their feet left the dock, an intense sense of wrongness hit me.

  The boys hit the water and I looked back at Sara. She was sitting on the dock in a collapsible chair, smiling.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  I tried to answer but couldn’t. I didn’t know how to explain the feeling I was having nor could I physically open my mouth to speak. All the while the feeling of wrongness grew and turned into unknown panic.

  It was then I realized the boys hadn’t come up from their dive.

  I rushed to the end of the dock and looked down into the water. At first I couldn’t see anything, the rough surface of the lake breaking, obscuring my view from anything beneath. The water suddenly settled and turned into a clear transparent glass like surface. Under the surface, just below where I stood were the boys being held by the blonde haired girl from the hospital room, their mother.

  Neither the girl nor the boys seemed to be in distress. The three just stood on the lake bottom, looking up at me, despair and sadness on their faces. I looked back at Sara and the smile was no longer on her face. She told me I shouldn’t dive in, that I belonged above the water.

  I looked back down to the three people beneath the glass surface. This time the girl spoke.

  “You belong down here with us.” Her voice was clear and loud despite coming from beneath the water’s surface. “If you stay up on the dock the sun will come and destroy you. You need to dive in and not go back.”

  I suddenly felt what she said was true, was right. When I looked back to where Sara was, only an empty chair remained. I turned back towards the water, positioned myself into a dive formation and went in head first.

  That’s when I woke.

  I wasn’t sure if I believed my dreams meant anything: whether the reoccurring characters were based on memory hidden from me or was just something my subconscious made for me to cope with losing my past. I felt I may never know. Did I truly believe the people I dreamt about existed? It was nice to think that someone was there who once cared about me, that I both loved and was loved.