Break: An Urban Hero's Journey

by Wes Grant

  Spear then looked at the overnight people and said in a nervous jokey way, “Clean up on aisle 20?”

  One of the overnight people walked toward Spear and asked, “Are you Spear?”

  Spear replied, “If I say yea, do I have to clean this up?” The guy from overnight said, “Nah man, We thought you was a myth made up to keep people in check. We all just wanna thank you for the good you’re doing in the city.”

  Spear said, “Don’t worry about it, but I think you should call the ambulance and the police. This guys gonna be out for a while.” He then jumped out the hole in the wall they had made previously.

  At the end of the parking lot, Nick gotinto Neil’s car dressed like normal and said, “Told you I’d win.”

  Neil said, laughing, “You cocky bastard. Don’t act like you knew you was gonna win.” Nick said, “I always knew I was gonna win. I can’t lose. If I lose I die, and dying isn’t an option.” He then said, “OK, let’s go. I’m hungry as what, and don’t worry, I got you this time.”

  Neil said, “Yeah, thanks. And you got me for the next couple of weeks.”

  They both laugh as they drove off to get fast food.

  Chapter 5

  Answers

  Nick was at home asleep, and he was having a very strange dream. In his dream, he had a vision of a man talking with his mom. He heard his mom call the man John, give a passionate hug and the man walked off. The background was in a tropical setting, and it seemed familiar like a faint memory from his childhood. He then woke up and it was morning. He got cleaned up and went downstairs into the kitchen to make something to eat. When he got to the kitchen, his mom Audrey was making herself some breakfast. With the dream still fresh in his memory he asked her if she knew someone from Jamaica named John. The moment she heard the name, she froze. Nick could tell she knew something. Nick had never met his father because he disappeared before Nick’s mom knew she was pregnant.

  She asked Nick why he mentioned that name. Nick answered, “No reason, the name just came to me in my dream. Why, is he someone important?” She answered, saying, “Well, your father’s name is John.” Nick answered, “I thought my dad was dead.” She answered, “I don’t know if he is or not. He disappeared before I even knew I was having you.” Nick asked, “What was his last name, did you ever go looking for him?” She answered, “Of course I did! You think I didn’t want that man in our life. I loved him. But you father was more mysterious than I even knew. When I went looking for him, it was as if he never existed. I couldn’t find information regarding his name, and he wasn’t from Jamaica, he was down there working. He never really talked much about work, and I never really asked. I was 19 and he was so handsome, and charming, and passionate... I just enjoyed the moments we had together.”

  Nick interrupted her there and said, “OK, I don’t need to know the details, so you don’t know where he is right now, that’s all Ineed to know.”

  She then asked, “Why the questions all of a sudden? You’ve never asked about him before, why the sudden interest?” Nick always felt he was a little different from everybody growing up, and now after seeing that man in his dream, he needed some answers. To him, it seemed that there was only one person that might be able to give him some answers. Nick replied, “Don’t worry about it, Mom, I was just wondering.” Nick’s mom replied, “OK, but if you want to talk, just let me know.” She then went up to her room, and Nick made himself a big breakfast. As he ate, he kept thinking about the man. How was he able to see this in his dream, and why did he disappear. After he finished eating, he called Von and Neil and asked them to come pick him up. He wanted to train at their house since their backyard was more private. Once they got to Von’s house, they went into the backyard, locked the gate, and began training.

  Neil and Von were sitting in chairs with airsoft guns, (gun that shoots rubber pellets). Neilasked, “And we’re aiming these things at you, why?” Nick said, “I need to train and get back to the basics. That fight with Crank showed me my speed and strength might not be enough all the time. I need to remember everything from back when I did martial arts.” Von said, “Isn’t it dangerous shooting these things at you?” Nick said, “Von, I dodge real bullets on a regular basis. I think I’ll survive little plastic pellets . . . and besides, I need to sharpen my skills. It seems stronger and stronger craziness keeps coming after my ass.” Nick spun his two rods in his hands then said, “Now shut up and shoot!” As he chuckles.

  Nick was training to extend the time he could stay diesel because in his fight with Crank, he was able to stay big a little bit longer than usual. He trained for as long as he could in his diesel form; then when he shrank back to normal, he continued or tried to continue at the same intensity. So far, he’s been lucky as far as not shrinking to normal at a bad time but he wanted to be able to still defend himself if he ever ran out of adrenaline at a bad time.

  After training hard for about an hour, they took a break. While getting something to drink, Nick asked Von, “How good are you at the computer?” Von told Nick that he’s the best at hacking; He’s downloaded the latest games before most of them came out and he could get any info from anywhere. Nick said,“Great, because after we’re done training, I might need you to find some info on someone’s name.” Von told Nick, “Sure man, anything you need.” They trained for another hour then ended it for the day. They then went into Von’s basement and got on the computer.

  Von sat down in his seat and set up his computer station to do his magic. He turned to Nick and asked him, “So what’s the name, and what do you want me to look for?” Nick told Von to look through the airport records for the name John Gossette coming from Jamaica in 1981 between April and May because that was nine months before he was born. Nothing showed up, so Nick told Von to just search for the name John. A few names showed up then. Nick then asked Von to try to see if he could pull up some pictures to match the names. Neil said, “Isn’t this kinda illegal?” Von said, “Only if I get caught, so what’s so special about this guy anyways?” Nick said, “I think one of these guys might be my father.” Neil said, “Holy crap dude, are you serious? . . . I mean, you never talk about your dad.” Nick said, “That’s because I thought he was dead. I don’t think he even knows I was born. Von, can you do a wide search for pictures of the Johns on the list.” Von got to work searching for the men’s pictures with bios. Neil said, “So do you have a picture of your dad?” Nick said, “No.” Neil said, “Have you seen a picture of your dad?” Nick said, “No.” Neil said, “Sooo . . . how do you plan on knowing which guy is your day?” Nick said, “I don’t know how to explain it, but Ithink I saw him in my dream.” Von said, “So now you’re psychic.”

  Neil said, “What the hell, man, how do you get two powers and I still don’t get none?” Nick said, “I’m not psychic and I don’t have two powers. It’s hard to explain, just trust me. I know he’s in that list.” Von said, “OK, got ’em.” Nick went to the computer and looked through the pictures and bios of the men. It was about an hour before he yelled out, “That’s him, that’s the man from my dream! Mr. John Pierson.” Neil said, “Are you sure?” Nick said, “Yeah, I’m sure, what are the odds of me seeing a man from this list in my dream and none of it is related?” Neil said, “OK, I believe you, now what?”

  Nick said, “Now I find him. Von, can you find out for me where he lives and print me out his bio.” Von said, “Sure, no prob. Wait, this guy is a ghost. It’s like he was wiped from the internet.” Nick question, “What’s that mean?” Von answered, “That means this guy’s gotta be someone special to the government. You sure you want to find this guy?” Nick answered, I have to.” Then Neil interrupted and said, “This is crazy, man, this guy could have a family, and besides, you’re twenty-three now. How do you think he’s going to react when you go up to him saying he’s your dad?” Nick said, “I know it’s a risk, but I have to know something and only he can answer my question.” Nick asks, “Can you get his info?” Von replies, “Of course, it�
��s me. While y'all were talking I hacked into the government and got it.” Nick said, “Thanks!” then grabbed the printout and said, “He’s not that far, he’s in Connecticut. I think I’ll go up there next weekend.” Neil said, “Nick, if you need company, we’re down for a road trip . . . And besides, you still don’t have a car . . . I don’t think your bus card has enough zones to cover that trip.” Nick said, “OK, you’re on. Clear your schedule for next weekend, guys, we’re going to Connecticut.”

  The next Friday after Nick got home from work, Neil and Von arrived a few minutes later at Nick’s house to leave for Connecticut. They drove for a couple of hours and got there late at night. They stopped off at a motel and slept there until morning. In the morning, the guys got up pretty early and went to the address on the paper. They parked around the corner from John’s house and waited to see the man. The place looked like a mansion. Neil said, “Dude, your dad’s loaded.” Von said, “Yeah, man, I’m about to say I’m his kid.”

  Nick said, “Yeah, I know, but I’m not here about that. I just wanna get some answers.” Neil said, “Yeah, about those questions. What is it you’re gonna as—” Nick interrupted Neil and told him and Von to get down because John had just come out of his house. He got in his expensive car, and the mechanical fence opened for him as he drove up to the gate. When John pulled out and started driving down the street, Nick told Neil to follow him. John pulled into a mall parking lot and parked his car. Luckily, Nick and his friends were able to find a parking spot relatively close. They followed John into the mall and waited until he went into a bookstore. Nick told Von and Neil to stay back, saying he wanted to confront him alone. Nick followed John down one of the aisles, but when he got to the end, John was nowhere to be found. John somehow got behind Nick and said, “Who are you? Why are you following me?” Nick said, “How did you know I was following you?” John said, “Kid, I work for the government, they pretty much watch me on a daily basis and a couple of kids like you aren’t spy material . . . Now like I asked before, why are youfollowing me?” Nick said, “My name is Nick Spears, and I just have some questions that only you can answer.” John said, “What are you talking about, kid?” Nick asked, “Do you remember a woman from Jamaica named Audrey Spears.” John mumbles, “Audrey… I haven’t heard that name in a very long time. How do you... I see.” He then pulled out a piece of paper, wrote on it, and told Nick to meet him at the café at the address on the paper at 1:00 p.m. When he handed it over to Nick, his hand touched Nick’s, and Nick got that strange feeling he had gotten before. John then said, “We can’t talk here, meet me there and we’ll talk.”

  Nick walked out of the bookstore and met up with Neil and Von. They asked him how it went. Nick told them that he didn’t know yet; he had to meet him later at 1:00 p.m. to get the answers he needed. Neil said, “Hey, since we’re already at the mall. Let’s check out the females of Connecticut.” Nick said, “OK, I’m down for that. Let’s go.” They walked up and down the mall until 12:00 p.m.; then they left so Nick could meet up with his father. The guys had gotten a good amount of numbers from the girls at the mall, so they were in pretty good spirits. They drove over to the café at the address provided. Nick told Neil and Von to stay in the car; then he got out and walked across the street to the café. Nick got a table in the back of the café and ordered something to drink. John came out of nowhere and sat down at the table. John then asked, “How much do you want?” Nick said, “What do you mean?” John said, “Don’t play stupid, you came here to blackmail me for money because you think I’m your father, right? Well, listen, kid, I had no idea she was pregnant. My job called me back, and I had to pick up everything and leave.”

  Nick said, “I don’t care w hat happened between you and my mother. She raised me, you weren’t there. I get it. I think I turned out OK. I just want to know about you.” John said, “Me, why do you want to know about me?” Nick said, “Because something strange has happened to me, and Iwant to know if it’s because of you.” John seemed perplexed. He then asked, “Things like what?” Nick said, “I know you’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but after an accident saving my mom, somehow I gained the ability to control my adrenaline.” John said, “What do you mean control your adrenaline?” Nick said, “OK, but watch really close ’cause I’m going to do this real quick.” He then turned diesel for a second just for John to see. John whispered, “Holy cow! That was amazing . . . Is there anything special you can do when you take that form?” Nick whispers, “Yeah, I’m three times stronger, faster, and my reflexes are super fast . . . like dodge bullet. . . Now tell me, is there something different about you?” John said, “First, let me ask you a question.” Nick said, “OK, then you’ll answer mine, right?” John said, “Yeah, any question you want . . . First, what do you do with your abilities? You said dodge bullets. Are you in trouble?” Nick said, “No, I actually use my abilities to protect the city I work in. I thought it would be a piece of cake, but these weirdos with abilities keep coming after me out of nowhere.” John said, “Weirdos with what abilities?” Nick said, “One guy could read thoughts, the other controlled electricity, and the last one had the same abilities as me.” John said, “Wait, are you saying you’re—” He leaned over and whispered, “Spear?” Nick said, “Why . . . how did you heard about him?” John said, “Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to tell the government about you.” Nick said, “What! You would have done that to your own son?”

  John said, “Calm down, I’ll tell you everything from the beginning. I’m a geneticist. The government had multiple Blackout Project stationed all around the world. I was stationed in a laboratory down in Jamaica because the experiments we were working on weren’t legal in the US. My lab was one of many stationed around the world in countries the US had agreements with. I met your mother down there at a beach festival. She was very beautiful. She taught me how to—” Nick interrupted and said, “Yeah, you can skip the details about my mom.” John said, “Sorry, as I was saying, I was sent there to come up with a way to bring out the potential of human beings. Can you believe we only use 10 percent of our potential? There had to be a way to scientifically bring it out. And that was my job. I had been down there about two years, and my progress wasn’t going so well. It came to a point where one of the other labs was successful in creating a baby with extraordinary abilities. The project was called Pegasus, but we called it Pegasus 2010. It was the US government’s greatest achievement, and because of that, most of the other labs, that had not produced enough viable products, including mine, were ordered to shut down. I told them I was so close to coming up with a safer way to unlock the human potential, but they wanted to focus more on the labs that had high success rates. They said I already wasted too much of the government’s money. I worked until the last minute on a serum. That project was mylife’s work. Iwas sure Ialmost had it.Sosure in fact that because I was so desperate to see if it worked, Itook the serum myself.” Nick said, “You did what!” Johnsaid, “Quiet down. Ihad no other choice, the place was shut down and my progress was going to get scrapped. I needed to know I didn’t waste my life on some idea of safely bringing out our true potential so I took it. I seemed fine at first, but then I got dizzy and passed out. When I woke up, it seemed I was normal and I had failed. I spent one last night with your mom and came back to the US without telling her. I cared about your mom a lot, but the truth was, I was married with a family back here in the US. I couldn’t stand to break your mother’s heart, so I just left. I had no idea she was pregnant.” Nick said, “Would it have made a difference?” John said, “I suppose not . . . but you’ve got to understand. I cared a lot about your mother and—” Nick interrupted and said, “Save the speech, is that all you have to tell me ’cause if it is, I’m done here.” John said, “No wait, remember when you asked me if there was something different about me . . . well, there is.” Nick said, “What do you mean?” John said, “I can’t get sick.” Nick said, “What, like you don’t get colds. OK,
so your immune system is a little bit better than the average person, it doesn’t make you different.” John said, “No, you misunderstand, I can’t get sick. I’m immune to every disease, every virus. I’m literally the cure to every illness thereis.” Nick said, “That’s crazy, have you told anyone?” John said, “Of course not, if they knew what I was capable of, they would lock me up and conduct experiments on me nonstop.” Nick said, “I guess you’re right, but why would they lock you up, you’re oneof them?” John said, “You just don’t know. They’ve been capturing people like you for years. The government calls them Breakers, because they break past the boundaries of normal human beings . . . You said you unlocked your abilities after saving your mother, right?” Nick said suspiciously, “Yeah.” John talked to himself and mumbled, “There must have been extreme circumstances to have you unlock those abilities . . . maybe that’s the cause and effect of these people unlocking their abilities, extreme circumstances. But I think I might have passed you down the abilities genetically, but that doesn’t make sense, the other subject didn’t have parents with abilities or who took the serum. I was the only one who took it, plus I took the only batch. But if that’s the case, why hasn’t my other son—” Nick interrupted and said, “Hey, Doc, I’m still here. What do you mean you might have passed it down? Are you talking about my abilities?” John continued to talk to himself, “Of course, why didn’t I think of that before, who else could do the perfect experiment but Mother Nature?” Nick said, “You what, now you’re talking some other kind of crazy. I think I’ll go now.” John grabbed Nick’s hands and said, “Answer me one thing . . . have you shown any signs of other abilities other than what you have now?” Nick said confusingly, “I don’t think so . . . why?” John said, “Listen carefully. I believe you might have the potential to go beyond anything any of us can imagine.” Nick said with a look of disregard, “OK, so now I’m the chosen one. Thanks for the pep talk, but I gotta go now.” John said, “I’m proud of you.” Nick said, “For what?”