Chapter Ten - Future

Patience was indeed a virtue. Subject 01 sat in his cell each day, smiling calmly as the doctors walked in. He knew they couldn’t do anything to him. They had stopped giving him the drug when they realised that his body refused to respond to it. His immunity to their methods was startling at best… he couldn’t be stopped by them.

His abilities were his secret. They knew he was hiding something… a power that might be useful to them. And finally he was prepared to act upon it. His outside sources had told him all he needed to know, now he was ready to show the doctors his unique ability. He only wished they would hurry up so the theatrics could begin. He knew how excited they would be, like children on Christmas morning. The idea brought a wicked look to his eye, a sharp twinkle.

Finally the door buzzed open. The same doctor as always entered the room - a thin, grey haired man with glasses perched upon his nose. “Subject 01,” he began as usual. The doctor despised 01, who held an unnatural, yet human ability to frighten someone with a glance. “Are you ready to show us what it is you can do, if indeed you can do anything?”

01 cleared his throat and stood up. He was taller than the man, though a sorry sight to behold. Middle-aged, but with already grey and thinning hair. His face was slender, much like the rest of him and he looked ready to collapse. “I request a test subject,” he announced. It was the first dignified thing he had ever said to the doctor. Normally it was teasing.

The doctor let out a sigh. “We cannot allow test subjects. You are the subjects here. You and your kind.”

An interesting thought.

“Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, I will demonstrate my ability, my grand gift! But only on the fore-requested subject. And don’t come back without one!” He sat down gently, careful not to seem too uptight. That could wait until the man was at least out of the room.

The doctor grumbled as he left, otherwise quietly.

Let the games begin.

***

Naomi’s breathing was sharp as she sat perched on a rooftop. Her next target was in sight, but he wasn’t like Emily. He was alone for one thing. But he seemed stronger. He didn’t look like he could be taken down. He would certainly make things difficult. He was armed constantly in Naomi’s book - a hurl hanging in his bearish hands. He bore a wide figure, and though he lacked a great deal of height of Naomi who stood tall herself, reaching his head would present a problem.

This is ridiculous! There’s no way I’m going near that guy.

She knew she might be punished for aborting, but from the looks of things, his routine on life left him constantly with that hurl. And there was no telling his ability. A man like that was dangerous to even think of hurting, for he could more than likely hurt you far worse. She had seen his picture, and with his long hair framing his tired eyes he seemed like a cold hearted killer, rather than a member of the country’s leading Gaelic games club.

It’s time to abort.

She backed away from the ledge and took deeper breaths, throwing away the mobile the man in white had supplied her with. As it smashed into several pieces, she considered herself free.

***

Will found life with Lisa particularly easy. When he struggled with something she could help, when he was feeling down she was there to cheer him up. They would talk for hours and it seemed their lives never seemed even in school they were doing better. It all seemed too much for Will, for which he sensed Lisa was grateful.

As he made his way home, he felt two strong hands grab at him. He was lifted easily from his feet, and despite his screaming no one came to help. He could vaguely hear Lisa’s cries for him, but the signal was getting weaker, like something was disrupting it. He was hauled into a chair and a circlet was placed over his head. He lost all contact with Lisa at that moment. He looked around quickly as his arms were being strapped to the chair. The men were wearing black suits, black bowler hats, black glasses. Then they disappeared into the darkness. It was then that a man in white stepped into the dim light in back of the van.

“Hello William,” the man said to him softly. “You don’t know who we are.” It was just a statement of fact. “We know all about you. And Ms Reilly.”

Lisa…

“We need you to do us a favour, young William. Or… you prefer Will?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Well, Will, we need you to gather a few people for us. The future depends on it. You want to save the future… don’t you? To be a hero? I’m sure Lisa would really appreciate it.”

“Don’t you dare use her name!” Will screamed at the man.

He smiled lightly in response. “Your powers are inhibited by that device, William. And my partner here is blocking your connection with Ms Reilly. You will not tell her about this. She will ask, undoubtedly. But this must be our little secret.” Will averted his eyes from the man’s, the eyes that were hidden behind the shiny goggles. A single silver eye, covering half the man’s face. His hair was grey, hanging over the goggles. His coat suggested he was a scientist or a doctor. “Do we have a deal?”

“What… what’s in it for me?”

“We will let her live. And you of course. Your families. Your friends. You will all be safe in the future.” Will nodded. “Very well. Set him loose. Edward, escort him out. Remove the inhibitor. Ms Whyte will block his link with the girl for now.”

One of the men stepped forward and pulled the circlet upwards. The straps were opened and Will was swooped into the air. The man was stronger than he should have been. His noncommittal grunts seemed wild, the suggestion of such only enhanced by the pair of fangs sticking out onto the man’s lower lip. As Will was lowered to the ground, he could feel the signal with Lisa growing stronger. Whoever Ms Whyte was, she wasn’t able to block the connection as much out here.

The man, Edward, leapt into the van and shut the doors quickly - with inhuman speed. Lisa’s voice began to echo into Will’s head.

“Will! What happened?”

I… I think I know what I have to do Lisa. I have my purpose in life.

***

Carl was sitting with Emily in the hospital. He missed her deeply. Seeing her wasn’t enough. He needed to hear her voice, feel her kiss. It hurt to see her in this state. He was lucky to have found Brock. Together they had a list. Two people… but it was list nonetheless. What they could do was still a question. And they still had no idea whether they were working together.

“Carl?” It was Brock. He looked tired, but excited. “I found out the girl’s name. The one from the apartment. Her name is Edel Mooney. It seems she arrived into town a few weeks ago. About the same time you got out of the cells.”

“You think it’s connected?” Carl remembered the cells well. Little over four weeks wasn’t enough to erase that memory. They were isolated there. “You think she was a prisoner there too?”

“Well… yes. It’s possible. You teleported out of there. Your powers obviously weren’t taken from you by whatever drug they used on you. So I’m guessing hers weren’t either. Edel could have escaped right after you and you’d never know. It’s not the sort of thing to be on the news after all.”

Carl took Emily’s hand. “Do you think she could have done this to Emily?”

Brock shook his head. Instantly his mind went back to the apartments again, before he had asked about Edel. There was an explosion. A powerful one. And a man was thrown from the building by it. He was wearing a black suit. And someone had saved his life. Clearly he had been after Edel. “I think Edel was targeted by the same people that went after you. Somehow she shot one of them out the window. Some sort of energy blast. He only survived because he had a partner. A flyer.”

Carl was silent. Now they had only one person on their list, and they only had her description. She had to be the one to do this to Emily. There wasn’t anyone else they’d come across to date. But they still had no idea where this woman was. But it seemed she was capable of putting people in comas. Carl had already met another one of her victims.

“We have to find the real person who did this to Emily, Brock. We have to get her to reverse it!”

Brock nodded. “We both miss her, Carl.”

Carl grunted to himself.

Except I love her, Brock.

***

Edel shivered in her apartment. The window was still missing. She was glad summer had arrived. At least it wasn’t raining. And it was worth losing her window if it meant she could get the man away from her. Finally she was safe.

Her phone rang. Silently at first, then the volume got louder. She looked at it fearfully before answering. “Hello?” Her finger hovered over the red button to hang up just in case.

The voice on the other end was hoarse, like an old man. “Edel Mooney?” It sounded weak. But Edel didn’t fear it.

“Ye- yes. This is her. Who are you? How did you get this number?”

“I can’t tell you. But you must know, you are in grave danger. The man who tried to take you now wants you dead. You must leave your apartment before noon tomorrow. I can promise you, you won’t survive what he had planned. Get out of there Edel.”

The man inhaled sharply before the line was disconnected. Edel had twenty four hours to live.