Chapter Seventeen - Standstill

When Carl returned to Emily’s room a flood emotions took him. At first he was overcome with joy. Seeing Emily awake for the first time since he had been taken had caught him off guard. By the time he had shook the surprise from his body, he was let down. Emily looked distant, and afraid of him.

“What’s wrong, Emily?” he asked her quietly. She shook her head slowly. “Emily?”

“Is... is that me?” Silently he fell into his chair. He held his head in his hands. “Is it?” He wished she would stop talking. He wished she would just take him in her arms, tell him she was okay. But she didn’t. She didn’t know herself... and he doubted she’d know him. “Please,” she cried, “Is that me!”

“It was...” he muttered.

This can’t be Emily... it can’t be. This can’t be it!!

He remembered seeing her there by her car. Holding her in his arms. He knew then something was wrong with her, but now... now he wasn’t so sure anything could be done about it. Emily was awake like he’d wanted... but this wasn’t really Emily. He didn’t want it to be. He wanted her to be there for him, in body and mind. Like she had been when he had escaped from the cells.

“Please... don’t be like this...” he whispered. He knew she wouldn’t hear him. “Just please come back Emily...”

***

The internet was indeed a source of knowledge. Edel had done a simple search for Emily Quigley and found talk of miracles in her hospital.

So Carl hasn’t moved her...

The article read how the once comatose Emily Quigley had woken up miraculously in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. And that was all there was to it... besides the rumour that Emily had no memory of anything, ever.

Naomi...

Cursing under her breath she searched the small hotel room. No sign of her. Or Will and Lisa.

“Damn!” she hissed, and sped out of the room.

***

The man in white knew all about mutant kind when it came to hiding places. His ability allowed him to find them in an instant. Telepaths were tricky this way. They could shut him out completely if they were strong enough, and knew how. Few of them had both strength and knowledge for such a task.

But telepaths were not the man’s target this time. The healer, Craig Mitchell, was who he was after. With him there was no way 01 could lose again. And there would be no interference from anyone else that Craig might help.

“Ms Whyte? Have an order go out. Capture Craig Mitchell. I think Hannah will be suitable for the task.”

“Where shall I say he is?”

“Hannah will find him, or do her best. If there is trouble I will inform her. But she needs to learn.”

“Of course...” Ms Whyte mumbled.

I won’t be around forever after all...

***

“Need help. Danger nearby. Jimmy”

The fragmented text message got Ciarán moving quickly. Hurl in hand he raced towards the school. Jimmy never seemed that panicked. And phone calls were more his thing. Something was definitely wrong.

He scaled the fence surrounding the school, bounding towards the side entrance. It was quiet... not like the school at lunch time... not like anywhere at lunch time. Then he saw why. A lone figure standing on the grass, all shape hidden amongst itself. A man in a black suit that didn’t belong.

Ciaran knew this man.

Daniel... what are you doing here, you fool?

He readied himself for a fight as he approached the man in black.

“My old friend...” the man muttered. “Come to help them...” His voice had the same strange pitch to it that Ciaran had come to hate in the last days of their friendship. The unnatural pitch that came with Daniel’s change.

“Daniel... you haven’t changed much. A better wardrobe I’ll admit. But not much else. Still the same back stabbing fool that left home two years ago.”

“And you’re still the same person that refused to join me.” He cracked his hand and raised his fists. “Let’s settle this.”

***

Over coffee Jimmy had suddenly paused, much to the confusion of Anne. They had been avoiding their co-workers as they spoke, and Jimmy’s silence was leaving Anne uncomfortable. “What is it?” she hissed in a whisper.

“He’s back... he’s angry...” Jimmy muttered. He struggled to understand how he knew this. The feeling just came to him. “Anne... we have to go. I had a friend come. He’s out there!” He leapt from his chair, knocking it carelessly to the floor. The other staff members were startled by his movements, and annoyed that he failed to pick the chair back up. Anne covered her face as she left, but continued to run after Jimmy.

“Who is this friend of yours, Jimmy?” Anne panted as she tried to keep up, holding her skirt up from her feet. “Why did you ask him to come here?”

“His name is Ciarán Heller. He’s here because we’re all in danger.” He reached the side doors and pushed them open. But as soon as he tried to leave an invisible force blocked him. “They want us dead, Anne. You, Ciarán, me... I think it has something to do with your... gift.”

Anne let out a gasp. “And your friend is out there, right now?” The thought of the recent attack came to her. The man had fled, even after what Anne had done to him. “We have to help him, Jimmy!”

***

Daniel’s fist knocked the breath out of Ciarán when it struck. And he didn’t stop there. Though he didn’t use his ability, Daniel still felt the superior in the fight. In his arrogance he failed to duck as Ciarán hurl swung through the air. Daniel tumbled to the grass, clutching his head. He was dizzy standing up, giving Ciarán a chance to recuperate, but even that grace was short lived.

Daniel moved back into action, throwing punched wildly, angrily. He connected with the hurl several times, ignoring the pain in his hands. With his anger he lost control, and so gradually his ability activated. The wood began to splinter as Ciarán blocked the attack. Before it shattered Ciarán parried. He gave Daniel a punch in the jaw, then another on the nose. The glasses shattered upon impact; Daniel threw them to the ground in disgust.

He glared at Ciarán with violet eyes, a trademark trait of the army he had joined. In those eyes Ciarán saw pain; he pitied his old friend for becoming like this. Taking orders from a secretive man who could bless a man with power, or strip his life away in an instant. Ciarán knew the story too well.

You gave yourself to him, Daniel... And for what? For this?

The old friends continued their fight, despite Ciarán’s reluctance to hurt his foe. He received a great deal of the punches, but always hit back hard at Daniel’s ribs and his arms, wearing down the man physically. He knew neither of them could withstand the punishment much longer. Still, Daniel was relentless, and angry. And desperate it seemed.

The man in black made an unexpected move. He tackled Ciarán into the air, shouldering him in the stomach and lifting. He thrust him up and backwards, so that he landed hard on the ground. From Ciarán pocket rolled a slither. He knew he had to make a move; he had to do something that Daniel couldn’t just block.

He grabbed the leather ball tight in his left hand, willing energy to enter it. A spark of green light shot around it before the entire object started to glow. Hurl in his right hand, he threw up the slither, striking it in mid air. It sped at Daniel as he turned around. The explosion was bigger than Ciarán had expected. Heat burst from ball as it expanded in every direction, the pieces of it becoming incinerated. A shockwave sent Daniel spinning and knocked Ciarán off him balance.

Daniel landed hard on the grass, skidding through the muck on his back. His suit was torn to pieces, his white shirt blackened. His hat had been thrown from his head, and shards of wood from the ball’s centre had scratched his face. As he struggled to his feet, dazed, he raised his left hand. A figure sped through the air, grabbing him tightly. She wore a black suit and sunglasses, but lacked the hat Daniel had been wearing. A similarly garbed man held on tight in the woman’s other hand. She seemed to struggle as she flew miraculously through the sky and over the fence, dipping down violently once she had cleared the houses.

Ciarán fell with relief to his knees as two people ran towards him. The woman, with bright red hair, looked worriedly at his condition while the man simply grasped him tightly around the shoulders – as much of a hug as either man would give.

“It’s good to see you too, Jimmy,” Ciarán said to the man, a grin on his face. “Mind telling me what they were here for?”