Chapter Two - Thief

Emily scrolled down the list. The man had said he was 0179. It was what he kept on saying. 0179. Over and over again. Emily found his name. Carl Kenny. She smiled lightly. He had a name. She picked up her mobile phone, pressing number 1 and calling. “Brock, bring him in. I’ve got it.” She hung up immediately. Brock would know what she meant.

Carl Kenny. At least now we can call him something.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Carl entering the room. “Ye - yes?” She gestured for him to sit down. “You found something?” She smiled lightly. “You know my name!” He leapt up from his seat. “Well? What else did you get?”

“Your name is Carl Kenny. You’re twenty eight years old, blood type O. But that’s it. I’m sorry Carl.” He nodded methodically. “If there was some way… if we could find out more…” He shook his head. “I mean it Carl. We will help you.”

He walked out of the room silently. Emily let a tear roll down her face.

Be strong.

***

Naomi pretended to drink from the glass. There was a man sitting at the bar. He worked in Horizon, she knew it. He still had his badge on. She was waiting for him to get drunk enough to take her in. She needed to get close to him. There were two men with him. Neither had a badge on. She couldn’t be sure they worked for Horizon.

Come on! Leave already.

The men were fast getting drunk, downing their drinks quickly. They laughed loudly, attracting scornful looks from all over the room. Finally the man’s drinking buddies left for the bathroom. Naomi made her move. “Hey there,” she said to him. She presented herself at the bar, leaning in towards him. He smiled at her, too drunk to get a proper response out. She leaned in to his ear and whispered into it. “What do you say we leave here for something a little more… exciting!” he didn’t need any more persuading. She dragged him out the back door into the alley, kissing him on the neck, working up to the lips. He grasped her around the waist; he thought things were already heating up. She ran her hand up his back, along his head.

Then he was still. His eyes rolled in his head. She kept kissing, to make a scene. His mind went blank and she kept kissing. When she stopped he fell to the ground. She let out a scream, “Help!” A man ran out of the bar to the alley. “He just… collapsed!” The man pulled out a phone and called for an ambulance. A crowd started gathering around the man.

This is where I make my leave.

Naomi slipped out of the crowd as people started asking questions. She was away before they realised she was gone, away into the night.

***

Carl paced the living room nervously. The headquarters was a simple two storey house. Emily and Brock were out getting Brock’s car. It had been left at the diner when they had had to escape the man in the black suit. Carl practised teleporting. It gave him a headache. His nose bled slightly as well, although less each time. He felt he was getting used to it already.

Keep focused.

He went to the bathroom upstairs, simply to use his abilities. He was getting better, he admitted that to himself. But he couldn’t go anywhere without knowing what it looked like first. Otherwise he appeared in an odd place. He was standing on the toilet when he had tried going upstairs.

Keep practising.

The phone rang. “Hello?”

“Carl, we’ll be back soon. There’s just a little trouble getting the car to start.” Emily hung up quickly.

She likes to talk.

He teleported downstairs again. He narrowly missed the bare coffee table in the centre of the living room. Then he made up his mind.

Find Horizon. Get answers. I am Carl Kenny.

He knew where Emily and Brock were. He had seen that place already. He remembered it well. It was the first thing he had seen since the cells. He closed his eyes tightly, focusing on the image. He knew the car too. It had nearly hit him.

He opened his eyes. He was sitting in the car. Emily and Brock had their heads under the bonnet of the other car. He turned the key, bringing Emily’s car to life. He sped off before either of them could stop him.

Find Horizon. Get answers.

***

Ian couldn’t help but stare at the table before him. There was a pile of bills a foot high, all waiting to be paid. He needed €2000 in a week or he’d lose everything. His home, his life. He’d have no job as a result. He needed money. The only problem was that he got paid per month. And it was a long time until his next pay check. He was in trouble.

He focused on his cup of tea; it flew into his hand. Then an idea hit him. Simply borrow the money without anyone knowing. Take what he needed and when he could afford to pay the original owner back he would. No one would have to know anything. He could do it without being seen.

He knew where he could hit too. There was a pawn shop down the road that people regularly bought from. The goods were presumed stolen, but they were cheap. There would be plenty of money there to take, and he’d only be doing society a good deed. They just wouldn’t know about it.

He grabbed a brown leather coat and walked out the door.

It’s things like this that get me in the red!

He could imagine it now. The owner of the pawn shop seeing his till empty but his camera, if he had one, showing no one entering the shop. Just an invisible man who managed to get his arm passed the window. Ian laughed at the idea. There was no downside.

The shop was empty; closed for the day. It would be open in a couple of hours, everyone knew that. So he had to hurry. The road was empty. People had social lives to tend to, people unlike Ian. He saw the till in the dark shop. He opened it easy, pulling it’s contents out. He focused hard - he was standing across the road as if waiting for a bus. If one came he was in trouble. Only one came to this spot.

The money came out under the tiny gap where customers paid, just underneath the bullet-proof glass. As it reached the door, Ian undid the lock. The door swung open slightly and the money zipped out. He grabbed it quickly and pocketed it. The door closed once more as Ian walked further down the road. He planned on taking a longer route home than going direct.

As he walked he flipped a coin. He let it hover in the air for a minute before letting it drop into his open palm. Life wasn’t so bad.

***

Naomi found the man’s memories useless. She scowled when she realised that he was nothing but an office worker, employed to keep a youth programme project open. Some sort of charity Horizon were using to keep a good public image. And the world fell for it.

Curse you Horizon.

She set out once more for one of Horizon’s employees. They were hard to find considering there were so many of them. She figured that not all of them were stupid enough to wear their badge out in public. Just that one drunkard. But still, she ploughed on. If she stopped for too long someone might recognise her from somewhere. Luckily Horizon couldn’t exactly have a search party after her. That would attract too much attention. Plus, the other girl had escaped too. And a teleporter.

A white van pulled up in front of her. There were no logos or names on it. It was just a plain white van, save for the tinted windows. The back doors opened and a man in white came out. Naomi almost laughed to herself as she leapt towards him. This man was here for something, she knew that much. And she would find out what that was. But before she reached him, he pulled out a gun. With a silent shot three darts stuck into her neck. She collapsed into his arms seconds later.

***

“Wake up!” She lifted her head groggily. The man in white had a surgical mask on, probably to hide his identity. He wore silver goggles, the glass of which was like a mirror. All Naomi could see was her own reflection in them. He had a white bandana covering his hair, yet another distinctive feature masked. He wore a lab coat that parted only for a pair of white trousers. The entire idea of him scared her.

“Who-” She tried to move, but her arms were tied behind her back. “What is this?”

“I’ll be asking the questions Ms Ryan.” She flinched. He knew her name. “You recently escaped from the cells at Horizon, correct?” She nodded slowly. “Please, you must speak your answers.”

She noticed a microphone in his pocket, carefully disguised to look like a pen. “Yes, I escaped from Horizon. What does that have to do with any-”

“Moving on.” She scowled at him. “How did you escape?” She remained silent. “Don’t make us use force, Ms Ryan. Just answer the question.” He raised a short pole. On the end of it was what looked like a pair of pincers. “Or you may have to discover what this will do.”

“There was a girl.” The man seemed interested at the mention of another person. “I don’t know what she did. She broke down the wall.”

“Impossible!” the man screamed. He brought the pole down upon her neck. A charge of electricity was sent through Naomi’s entire body. She went numb for a few moments before the pain in her neck became unbearable. She screamed in pain. “What did the girl do?”

“I don’t know.” The man screamed loudly, bringing the pole down on her again. It was worse than the first time. “Help me!” she screamed.

“No one can hear you, Ms Ryan.” He lifted the microphone close to his mouth. “Note that the subject refuses to answer truthfully about the second girl’s ability.” He turned back to her. “What did you do to the man in the bar?” He shook the pole threateningly.

“I stole his memories,” she stated slowly. “It knocked him out.”

“I see…” He turned around to the driver. “Pull over.” When he addressed Naomi next, he spoke with a low voice. “I think we might be able to make a deal.”

***

Emily and Brock pulled over. Emily’s red convertible was parked at the side of the road. Carl was sitting against it on the ground. His head was in his hands. Emily got out of the car slowly and advanced upon him. “Carl?” He looked up and frowned. “Carl? Are you okay?”

He beamed a smile. “I remember everything. My family…”

“Carl, why did you take my car?” She sat down beside him. He remained silent. “Carl?”

“I had to… I had to find out more about Horizon. But the more I did, the more I remembered and missed my family.” He let out a sigh. “I have to find them, Emily. I have to go back to them. I know how to do it.”

“We can help!” Emily cheered. He shook his head and stood up. She got up too, looking him in the eye. “Why not?”

“I have to do this alone. I’m sorry Emily.” He closed his eyes and vanished in front of her. The search for his family began.