HSH: Camp Hero - Chap 18-19
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Chapter 18
Fooling the Devil
It was almost 3 a.m. when I traipsed back through my grandparents’ door. Thankfully Myles had “neglected” to lock it behind me – I was beginning to love that old butler. I pretty much stumbled into bed, not even bothering to change back into my pajamas, and fell asleep immediately.
Just after 6 a.m. I woke. I walked to the bathroom, knowing I wasn’t going back to sleep, and began my morning routine.
Hey, three hours is better than none, I guess. I splashed water on my face. I looked much like my mother had after many sleepless nights in the hospital. Just by looking at my face someone would be able to tell I wasn’t well. I had deep bags under my eyes, and my skin was pale. I looked like a zombie.
I debated dunking myself in my grandparents’ Jacuzzi again, but decided against it when I realized it would probably make a great deal of noise.
Since I had my cell phone again, I was able to keep in contact with my friends. Out of habit, my fingers automatically dialed Ethan. I was about to hang up, but he answered.
The groggy boy answered with a weak, “Chris, the sun isn’t even up yet.”
“Actually, it is,” I responded, checking the window just to make sure I was right. The sky was a light pink color.
“It’s still way too early for a phone call,” he moaned.
“I don’t care. It’s time to wake up. We only have a few hours and we still have a lot to do.”
“Are you kidding? Haven’t we done enough already? We found out what happened to that boy.”
“Yeah, but now we have to rescue him.”
His tone grew serious then, as if he had finally woken up. “You know, I’m beginning to think you have a thing for this Eddie kid.”
I couldn’t read his mind through the phone, so I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. His tone definitely said he wasn’t. “Yeah, well, I know you have a thing for Abby Davidson.”
“This again? Chris, when are you gonna drop this?”
“Never. You picked her over me! You can’t stop staring at her. You can’t stop thinking about her.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I hope you realize that soon.”
“Yeah. I bet she convinced you to help her with another little problem,” I said angrily.
“Yeah. So...”
Damn. I really hoped I was wrong on that one.
“So, when do you sell your soul to her? Pledge your undying love and affection? Ask her to marry you? When?”
“Chris, you’re insane.”
“Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you’re not attracted to her.”
No response. I had my answer.
If he was standing in front of me at that moment, he’d probably be dead. I would have exploded his heart, or melted his brain, or maybe shattered every bone in his body. With him far away, it gave him half a chance of living when I saw him. It also gave me a chance to calm down before saying my next sentence. We had a mission, so our problems would have to wait. But we would have it out.
“Where are you?”
“Chris,” he said. His voice tried to sound apologetic, but had only moderate success. “We’re still at The Plaza. They fixed up the room and we stayed here.”
“Well, wake everyone up. And tell Sam to get his car. We’re going on a road trip.”
“Chris, we’re not going anywhere,” he moaned again.
“You’d better be joking.” I knew he wasn’t. “Ethan. I’m not playing around. I have to make it out to Montauk Point and back by this afternoon.”
“We’re under orders, Chris.” His voice was genuinely sorrowful now.
But that didn’t matter.
“Oh, so your new girlfriend tells you what to do now, huh?” I shouted into the phone. Why should he listen to that psychotic witch? She couldn’t just move in and take my friends – my boyfriend – from me.
“There are bigger things than what you’re going after. If you’d let me explain—“
I cut him off. “I don’t want to hear it, Ethan! Either you get here and help me, or we’re through.”
“We can’t be through,” he chuckled. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t taking this seriously. “You broke up with me yesterday.”
Even as I hung up, I knew he wasn’t coming. None of them would. They’d all been seduced by the beautiful vixen who was only interested in keeping all of us on a very short leash. Some friends they were.
“Idiots. Jerks!” They’d betrayed me – all of them. My arms ached, not from fatigue, but from the need to hit something. I stopped myself, because no matter what I broke in the bathroom, it was probably worth more than my life.
I should just go over there, I thought. Make them all come with me.
“No,” I said, looking at my own undead-looking face staring back at me in the mirror, “you promised you wouldn’t do that. Not to your friends.”
I wouldn’t, either. I couldn’t force them to do anything they didn’t want to do. I wouldn’t allow myself. It wasn’t right. My friends should trust me, and I should trust them also. So, why is it that we don’t?
“Probably because no one but me can see through Abby’s mask,” I said to my reflection.
I knew why Ethan had been seduced. She was pretty – much prettier than me. Peter and Sam would probably feel the same way. But Savanah – if she had gone along with it, I really didn’t understand. She wasn’t the kind to just follow blindly. She was like me in that respect – ONLY in that respect.
Well, with or without them, I was going after Eddie. He didn’t deserve whatever Abby and the MHDA had planned for him.
A loud bang on the door interrupted any other thoughts I might have had on the subject.
“Are you alright in there?” came the distinctive British accent through the door.
Composing myself, I stepped to the door and slowly opened it. “I’m fine, Myles. Thanks for asking.”
“If I may, miss,” he said, “you don’t seem fine.” Genuine concern actually wafted off the man like an inexpensive perfume. “You are talking to yourself in the toilette.”
I giggled. He was probably right. Someone sitting alone in a bathroom muttering was probably not the first sign of being “fine”. Could I confide in him, though? I’d only known the man for a day. I’d had one meaningful conversation with him. Could I really tell him what was troubling me?
“My friends are being idiots.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying.
“Really?” he said, sounding amused. “In my day, we would have used much harsher words.”
Smiling, I said, “Yeah, I probably should.” I stepped out of the bathroom then, feeling kind of awkward talking to this man while standing inside. We both walked to the living room.
“What did they do to upset you so?” asked Myles.
Great, the butler wants the details of my life now. How could I even begin to tell him any of what had gone in the last week? Hell, even the last twenty-four hours would be impossible. So, as usual – and thankfully I’d gotten pretty good at it lately – I had to tell the normal version of my troubling events.
“Well, first, my boyfriend has fallen for another girl,” I said simply. “And if that wasn’t enough, the girl is… let’s just say she’s dangerous. But he won’t listen to me, because he’s so charmed by…he’s just charmed by her.”
“He doesn’t sound like a very good boyfriend then, little miss,” Myles said.
“No, he’s probably one of the best. Except when he’s an idiot, that is.”
Myles really did appear amused. He didn’t laugh outright, but he thought that what I was telling him was no big deal.
But it was a big deal. I could lose all my friends. “And to make matters worse, this girl has moved in on all my other friends as well. I think they’re all beginning to side with her now.”
I guess that summed up my problem without revealing anything about battles in hotel rooms and secret agents coming to arrest us. Even if Myles thought my issues petty, at least I got some of it off my chest.
“Little miss, I am going to tell you something I have learned in my great many years on this planet.” He paused, I think for effect. “Friends, if they truly are your friends, will never leave your side, no matter what tragedy may befall you.”
The little lightbulb in my head clicked on. It was a lesson I’d already learned. Even if they were mad at me, when the time came, my friends would stand by me again. Leave it to Myles to be the words of wisdom today.
“Thanks, Myles,” I said, and gave the man a hug. “Think I can take you home with me?”
“I’m sorry, miss, but no.”
Moving away now, I walked back to my room. Once there, I plopped back on my bed, intending to get some rest. My impact on the mattress shifted something and my bag, which was perched on a small chair, spilled out on the floor.
I groaned, not wanting to rise again, but I did. Sitting up, I crouched to retrieve the bag. I stuffed my clothes inside, but as I grabbed them, my grandfather’s journal slipped out and onto the floor.
I packed the rest of my things, but kept the journal out. I pulled open the worn brown cover, and as always the two pictures contained within slipped out. The first: a picture of my grandfather and grandmother, taken just before he was shipped off to his basic training. He’d kept it – hidden it, really – to remember her when he went off to war. The second: a picture of my grandfather and eleven of his army buddies, standing in front of a small barracks, their initials carved in the doorway above their heads.
For some reason, these two pictures always helped me get by. They always made me feel better about my powers. Looking at them only helped remind me my grandfather had lived with them all these years. And if he could do it, so could I.
I studied my grandfather’s face – so happy. Then his old friends: Ethan’s grandfather, Drescoe, stood next to them. One man’s name on his uniform read Stephenson – Savanah’s grandfather. Peter’s grandfather was sure to be there too, but there wasn’t anyone with a nametag of Perkins. That didn’t mean his grandfather wasn’t there – all it meant was that the gene came from his mother’s side of the family and his last name had changed. At least that’s what I assumed.
Then there was Quinn in the top corner, still looking…the same as he did… then?
I’d seen this photo a hundred times before. I’d even seen a copy of it enlarged in Quinn’s office. Before, Quinn stood in the top right corner, just behind Ethan’s grandfather. Now, looking at it, it was a completely different person. It looked nothing like Quinn. But how could the photo have changed? How could Quinn suddenly not be there?
I flipped it over, as if it would be the same as always when I turned it around again. Nope, it still wasn’t Quinn. I looked at the back. Written in the corner was the month and year the picture was taken – March 1944. Above that, were two words I’d never paid attention to before, or had, but hadn’t made the connection with all that had gone on yesterday.
The words read: Camp Hero.
At the same moment I made the revelation I received a text message on my cell. It was from Ethan.
sorry – dont go 2 camp – have 2 listen
I opened the phone and typed three simple words in response. b rite there
Immediately, I removed all the clothes from my bag, shoved my grandfather’s journal in and threw in my cell and wallet. I debated leaving my mask behind, but with what I was about to do I thought it would be a good idea to wear it – so it went in.
I charged out of the room. I had a really bad feeling about all this.
Myles was walking back through the living room at that moment. “Going out so early?”
“Yeah. And tell my grandparents if I’m not back by four, to change my ticket to the latest train going back to Pittsburgh.”
“Is something wrong, miss?” he asked.
“What was your first clue?” I asked.
“Your sudden callous attitude toward me was my first piece of the puzzle.”
“I’m sorry, Myles.” I stopped long enough to look at him and show I truly was apologizing. “But I’ve got to go. My friends really are in trouble.”
“Why not call the police then?” asked Myles.
“If you only knew. Can you please pass the message along to my grandparents?”
He bowed to me. “Of course, little miss.”
Before he straightened his back, I was out the door. Instead of heading for the elevator, I found the stairs. Even this early in the morning, I doubted it would be a good idea to launch myself into the skies from the sidewalk, so I ran up to the roof.
It was already warm this morning and while much of the park was still in shadow, and the sun was shining bright on every rooftop in the city. Even though I was thirty floors above the street I could still hear all the noises of city down below.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my black mask, and placed it over my face.
The Plaza Hotel was visible from the rooftop. It would only take a few seconds, a minute at most, to fly there. Securing my bag across my chest, I crouched at the edge of the rooftop. Then I sprang into the air and took to the skies, shooting like a bullet toward the hotel where my friends were waiting.
The trees below were nothing but a green blur as the hotel seemed to come toward me at record-breaking speed. Ethan said they had fixed up the room last night, but I doubted they had time to fix the window.
Sure enough, I was less than a hundred yards away when I saw it. The edges of the shattered glass glinted slightly in the morning sunlight.
How did the picture change? I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. Quinn was in that picture before, wasn’t he? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure. And of course Camp Hero was where my grandfather and the other men in his platoon had trained. It was written in the journal, and I remembered how fitting I thought the name was when I’d first read it.
So, the second question entered my mind then – When did they turn it into a park?
If I weren’t in a rush, and if I were smarter, I probably would have landed on the roof of the hotel and made my way down to the room. But I was so rushed, I wasn’t thinking straight. I made a mental forcefield around myself and soared headlong into the broken window.
Glass shattered, sending shards throughout the room, sounding like millions of tiny bells all being struck at once. I rolled on the floor, ending in a crouch. It was a remarkable entrance.
Then the room was quiet. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t silence.
The soundlessness was broken by the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked.
I wasn’t alone.
“Where are they, Abby?” I asked, finding the woman among the crowd of MHDA Agents.
She wore a white, amazingly form-fitting suit that covered every inch of her body from the neck down. It looked kind of like a spacesuit, really, only tighter and without a helmet. As she stepped toward me, I could tell the suit helped her move differently, more smoothly. What is that thing?
She turned to the bedroom, then nodded toward it. “They’re in there. We haven’t harmed them, and we don’t intend to.”
I didn’t wait for her to tell me I could take a look. I strode to the door and opened it. All six of my friends were inside, all apparently unharmed, and sitting on the two beds comfortably.
“You okay?” I asked.
“We’re fine. I’m sorry to call you back here. Davidson made me.”
“I’m sure she didn’t have to do too much convincing,” I muttered, knowing Ethan would understand. All she probably did was bat her eyes at him and he melted right in her palm.
“Actually, I had to take his phone from him and send the text message myself,” Abby’s voice sounded in my ear.
I spun on the spot and found myself staring into her eyes. She was mere inches from me—so close I could actually see the brush strokes of her eyeliner. She’d snuck up on me so silently I didn’t even feel her coming.
“Nice mask, by the way,” she said, then turned and moved off.
Ethan was next to me in a second. “You really need to listen to her.” He put his arm around me like he needed to protect me.
I shrugged him off and stepped back from him. “Why? We can’t trust her.”
“Yes,” he said, “we can.”
Not wanting to argue with him, at least not in front of Abby, I turned away. We had to put up a united front in the face of our common enemy, though Ethan didn’t see her that way.
Abby sat on the couch I’d used to barricade the door last night, and patted the cushion next to her. Now wasn’t the time to be combative. She had the answers I wanted. I’d have to play along for the time being.
Slowly stepping to the couch, I sat where Abby indicated.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a no-nonsense way. “You promised you wouldn’t bother me any more. That promise lasted, what?” I looked at the non-existent watch on my wrist. “About four hours?”
“Enough with the attitude, Christine.” She was angry now, and was talking to me like she was my mother. “I’ve been patient enough with you. I’ve kept off the thought inhibitor so you can know I’m telling the truth. Yet, you persist in being a snotty…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to contain her anger.
“Okay,” I said, still not trusting her.
“We weren’t after you. We never were. You and your friends are what we call ‘small fish’.”
“Wow, ‘small fish’? Is that a technical term?”
“Can it, Christine,” she spat. “No one cares for your colorful commentary. I can barely imagine how your friends stand your pessimistic attitude all the time.”
What’s crawled up her butt? She was a totally different person than usual. Maybe she was finally letting her true colors shine through the mask she usually wore. There was no way I would take this new attitude of hers for long.
“Your mentor back in Jefferson Hills – this man named Quinn,” she asked. “What do you know about him?”
I saw no point to playing stupid. “He’s a teacher at our school. He’s got the same powers as me.”
“How old is he?”
I never really thought about it, but he had to be about the same age as my grandfather. “About eighty-something, I guess,” I answered.
“Closer to ninety actually. But yes. That’s right.”
“I’m thrilled,” I said sarcastically, taking a little joy in feeling Abby’s anger rise again. “So, why don’t you tell me why you’re asking about Quinn?”
No response.
If the man hadn’t just disappeared from my picture, I wouldn’t have thought much about her questions. However, it was too convenient to be a simple coincidence.
I also figured out what the MHDA needed from us. It wasn’t some grand adventure that would likely get us killed. “You want us to pass along information about Quinn,” I said, as if shocked. For some reason, that made me trust her less. If she could ask me to spy on Quinn, she could easily ask any one of my friends to spy on me.
“That’s right. And I need you onboard, in particular. At least, your friends do.” She looked over at my friends, still standing in the doorway, waiting. “They claim they can’t do this without you.”
Ahhh, such loyalty, I thought. Except they can’t be loyal to me and Agent Davidson at the same time. They have to choose.
They all looked at me in anticipation. I, in turn, stared back and forth between them and the woman on the couch.
I didn’t know if I could do it, Quinn was one of us. Passing along information on him – any information – would have been like stabbing him in the back with a very large knife. It wasn’t right. And yet, maybe Quinn wasn’t all he said he was. Maybe digging a little deeper and discovering who he was would do some good. After all, we really didn’t know much about him, and we put an awful lot of faith in his teachings.
“Why are you so interested in him?” I asked. “It’s not like he’s done anything.”
“Yet.” The one word spoke volumes. They wanted Quinn because of something they believed he would eventually do. But if that were the case, why only him? Potentially, any one of us super-powered humans could apply our abilities to wreak havoc on unsuspecting humans.
“And when do you turn on us? When do we become a threat?”
“When you do something that is not in the best interests of this country.” It wasn’t a threat, but it wasn’t exactly a clear-cut statement, either. She was in a sense, blackmailing us. “It would be unfortunate if we needed to do something drastic.” And there was the threat.
Unfortunately, I had to think of people other than myself, or I would have told her where she could shove her little spy mission. My friends were at stake, and my family. I saw only one option to get out of this mess: play along. At least, until I thought of something else.
“You leave me little choice, I guess.”
Abby smiled, and I could feel her satisfaction. I wanted to slap that smile off her face.
“So, why do you need me for this?” I asked my friends. “You know I can’t read Quinn’s mind. I can only gather information like any of you.”
“First,” Abby said before any of my friends could respond, “they claim you’re their leader.”
I groaned and put my hand on my forehead. My hand ran over the mask. I had honestly forgotten I’d been wearing it. Sadly, it felt natural to wear it.
Why do they do this to me? I wondered. I’m not a leader – never have been, and never will be.
“If I’m your leader,” I shouted, “then why the hell don’t you ever listen to me?”
“Second,” Abby continued, “your powers are needed to ensure this mission is a success.”
“I just said I can’t read his mind. He’s too strong.”
“We don’t need you to read his mind,” she said. “We need you to erase theirs.”
Huh? Why would I need to erase their minds? They were my friends, and I promised I wouldn’t do things like that to them. Plus, I had no idea how to actually erase someone’s mind.
I shook my head. “No. I won’t do that to my friends.”
“It’s all right, Chris. We all agreed to it.” He eyed Abby as he said that last part, which didn’t inspire much confidence that they were doing this willingly.
I delved into Ethan’s head, which was another thing I promised I wouldn’t do. But I wanted to know for sure whether they were being coerced or whether they really wanted me to take away their memories.
An image of Ethan, shaking hands with Abby Davidson formed in my head. The two of them had agreed on something. I cringed at the thought of him even touching her hand, and if I’d been here at the time I probably would have wrenched them apart.
“She’s never going to agree to this,” Ethan had said.
Abby smiled at him. “If she does?”
“Then we’ll do it. She’s been right about everything else so far.”
“Not me.”
“No, I’m pretty sure she’s been right about you too,” he told her. “No matter what you say, I’m trusting Christine.”
The image faded away as waves of affection rolled through my body for my boyfriend. He did trust me. He did love me. Maybe it was nothing but jealousy driving me away from Ethan. I looked into his eyes.
Ugh! He was still gawking at Abby, thinking how hot she was. I thought seriously about stabbing his eyes out, so he wouldn’t be able to look at anyone ever again.
But then he won’t be able to run, the voice in my head explained. And he so enjoys running.
“What’s your answer, Christine?” Abby asked.
“I don’t even know what memories I’d have to erase.”
“Pretty much anything that’s happened over the last twenty-four hours related to me and anything that can be taken from their heads that would lead Quinn to believe he’s being spied on.”
I wasn’t sure I could do it. Erasing memories wasn’t something Quinn ever taught me, maybe for this exact reason.
I looked at Ethan and thought, Whatever I decide, huh?
He heard me and nodded.
“Okay,” I said, turning on Abby. “But on three conditions.”
Frustration radiated from her again. She was losing patience with me. “Let’s hear it.”
“One, I don’t want you here when I do it.”
“Done.”
“Two, after we get information on Quinn for you, you leave Thomas Jefferson High School and never come back.”
“I can’t promise never. Let’s just amend that to unless absolutely necessary.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “And three, you tell me what you know about Camp Hero, right here and right now.”
“No. The goings on at Camp Hero are strictly classified. Only the highest security clearance can unlock those files.”
“You have that clearance.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. That doesn’t mean I’m going to share it with you.”
I would have forcibly pulled it out of her head, but I didn’t want her to suspect I was up to something. She needed to think I was cooperating fully—for now.
“Do we have a deal?” She held her hand out to me.
I checked her other hand. Empty.
Sticking out my own hand, I grasped hers. “We have a deal. Now get out so I can talk to my friends before I…do it.”
That vicious smile of hers stretched her lips. She’d gotten her way, and she was very, very happy about it. If I could, I would have spit acid into her face to melt that smile away. But, seeing as I had no acid filled sacs in my cheeks, that was an impossibility.
She motioned for the other Agents to move out. “We’ll be waiting in the hall for you.”
She shut the door behind her, and like last night, it was now just my friends and me in the room. Only instead of trying to capture some supers, we were now going to try and escape.
Ethan jumped onto the couch next to me. “I can’t believe you agreed to that.”
“Yeah, well, I hate to break this to you, but I can’t exactly erase memories.”
“But you–”
“Ethan, she obviously did it to get Agent Davidson out of here,” Tiffany mentioned. “She has a plan to get us out of this.”
“I’m so glad I know where your loyalties lie,” I said. A feeling of warmth filled my body that hadn’t been there in a couple of days. Despite the fact they never listened to me, and that they had agreed to this foolishness in the first place, they were still my friends, and they would always be there for me. Go Myles!
“So, what’s the plan?” asked Sam.
I motioned for Peter to check the door, giving him a mental push in that direction. The boy understood and walked to the door. He pressed his ear up against it, then looked through the peephole. He turned back and nodded.
“We need to be quiet. They could still be listening.”
All six of them gathered around as I whispered about the photo and Quinn’s amazing change in it. I actually showed them the photo. Ethan pointed out the man who used to be our teacher. “Something funny’s going on, and it all centers around Camp Hero. That should be where we head next.”
“That still doesn’t explain how we’re getting out of here, Loser,” retorted Savanah.
“I made our escape when I came in.” I looked at the broken window I’d smashed through only a few minutes ago.
“You’re insane.” Samantha’s voice carried through the entire room and I was confident they’d heard it outside.
Sam shushed her, much more politely than I would have.
“We’re twelve floors up,” she whispered. At least she was smart enough to understand the urgency of the situation. But she also forgot that we happened to be a group of super-powered teens.
“Ethan, how many people can you carry at once?”
Ethan looked at everyone in the room. I could see in his head that he was analyzing each of them, determining their body weights and calculating just how much he’d be able to carry. “I can probably take Tiffany and Samantha down in one trip.”
“You can’t fly!” Samantha shout-whispered, if that was even possible. I felt her panic. She pictured Ethan grabbing her and jumping out the window, and both of them plummeting to their deaths.
“I can run down the wall,” Ethan explained. “Relax, will ya?”
“Oh.” Her cheeks reddened. She really felt stupid.
“Right, so you take the two of them.” I assessed the remaining people in the room. I could carry two, though I’d felt the weight of Samantha crushing me last night. While I knew I could carry her, I doubted I’d be able to get her and another person out safely. “I’ll take the two boys.” Peter and Sam would be simple to fly down to the ground.
“So I get left behind?” Savanah asked. Her life of entitlement wouldn’t allow her to believe that she would be left to the wolves. She should have known better.
“Ethan will come back for you. He’ll drop the girls off and run right back up. You’ll be alone for all of a second.”
“Besides,” Sam added, “we need someone to cover our backs as we escape.”
I hadn’t thought of that. He was probably right. If they were monitoring us, then as soon as we made our escape they’d burst through the door. Who better to hold them off than Savanah?
“Okay, so once we’re out,” I said, “Sam, you need to get your car. We need to get to Camp Hero and back before tonight.”
“I can just run us out there, Chris,” said Ethan. “We can be back before noon.”
I looked around at my friends, all their expectant faces, waiting for me to agree. Sure, that would have been easier. Yeah, it was going to be dangerous. Anyone who went could get thrown in jail, or killed, or a hundred other possible outcomes. But they didn’t come all this way for me just to send them home. Whether I liked it or not, we were a team, and we were sticking together.
They already knew my decision before I said anything. “We’re all going.”
“Let’s get moving then,” Savanah said. “That witch isn’t going to wait forever.”
It felt so good hearing someone else call Abby a witch.
It was time to go. Abby might get pissed, and she might come after my family, but I couldn’t just bow down and submit to her. My mission was clear from the second I had that first dream, which seemed like an eternity ago – I needed to rescue Eddie Eagan. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to do it.
“All right everyone,” I said, replacing my mask. “Let’s go to camp.”
Chapter 19
The “Truth” About Quinn
I jumped out the window right behind Ethan, holding onto the two boys’ arms. They were heavy. Our flight to the ground was less than graceful, but at least we landed without crashing.
Tiffany and Samantha were already standing under a nearby tree. The whoosh of air told me that Ethan was on his way back up to collect Savanah. Dropping both Peter and Sam, I hovered in the air, just in case there was trouble and I needed to soar back up to the room.
My worries were unwarranted, however, and Ethan reappeared with Samantha a few seconds later.
It was funny, the buildings that surrounded the park kept it in shadow, though the sky was the brightest shade of blue. There were dark clouds off to the west, but those didn’t concern me. I was hoping to be in a nice warm car by the time they came close.
Pulling off my mask, I turned to Sam. “Where’s your car?”
“In the parking garage.” Sam pulled a valet ticket out of his pocket.
“You put it in the valet lot?” I asked. This would cause no end of problems. I could just see it. “Why would you do that?”
“They don’t give you a choice. We are talking about the Plaza Hotel, after all.”
I sighed. I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach. This wasn’t going to be good. “All right, let’s get the car.”
They all walked away. Ethan and I didn’t follow.
“Chris, I’m sorry.” He reached out and pulled me into his arms. For a second, I was loving the warmth of his embrace. But then an image of him gawking at Abby flashed through my head.
I gave him a hard mental shove, and the boy stumbled back five feet. “No, I’m still mad at you.” He didn’t get to respond before I followed the others.
Why do rich people think it’s such a hassle to park their car themselves? I mean, it’s really not hard to do. All you do is point the car in the right direction and put it between the yellow lines. I would never pay someone to park for me. Besides, if I had an expensive car like rich people have, I definitely wouldn’t trust some idiot who probably flunked out of high school with it.
We marched around the building to the entrance of the parking garage. Two men – boys, really – stood near the entrance. Both were dressed in identical red coats with white shirts, giving them the look of bellhops.
I kept glancing at the entrance to the hotel. Eventually, Abby and the other Agents would realize we were gone and they would come bursting through those doors. I hoped we were long gone before that happened.
“You have your claim ticket?” One of the valets eyed Sam’s clothes and thought he was wasting his time even asking. His eyes went wide with shock when Sam produced it. He pulled it from Sam’s hand, mildly amused. “I’ll take care of this one.”
“Right,” the other valet said.
The first valet walked into the garage in search of the car. The other one did his best not to look at us, fearing that if he did, he might actually have to strike up a meaningless conversation. I would have rolled my eyes, but I was too busy watching of the front door.
Every time it opened, my legs prepared to spring at a moment’s notice. This time I wasn’t planning on fighting, either. That would have been counter-productive.
Seconds ticked by, then minutes. With each one, the lump in my stomach grew exponentially. And I was growing more and more agitated. The valet, still doing his best to keep his eyes off us, was growing irritating. He kept thinking over and over again, I hope they don’t ask me anything. If I don’t look, they won’t ask me anything. I hate having to talk to kids.
The sky began to gray. With it came a cool breeze – those far-off clouds were moving in quicker than I thought. Between the threat of rain, the Agents sure to be on our tail, and the valet not coming back with Sam’s car, this had all the makings of an unfortunate morning.
Where the hell is the guy? I thought. This thought echoed in my friend’s heads as well.
“This is taking too long,” Ethan finally said after we’d been waiting for about five minutes.
“They’re probably trying to keep us here,” Sam suggested.
“Stop being paranoid,” I told him, even though the same thought had run through my head.
Two people exited the front of the hotel, making my insides jump again. It was just an old couple, apparently going to take in the sites of the park before the rain started. Each carried an umbrella; the man used his like a cane as they meandered down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.
Then, at last, the car arrived. I’d almost forgotten what a beat-up piece of crap Sam’s dad had – an old Altima. I really was one of the fortunate ones who had a pretty decent car, even if I hardly ever used it. But with the storm clouds looming overhead, the unmistakable musty smell of rain in the air, and the fact that at any moment a few dozen Agents could surround us, the car looked like a lovely rusted metal sanctuary on wheels.
The problem was it was a rather compact car, really only suited for five people – max. And we were seven.
“Pile in.” Sam slipped the valet a few bucks and climbed into the driver’s seat.
This is really gonna suck! I thought. For me in particular. They might have all been my friends, but we were talking a super-confined space. I didn’t think I could make it even a couple minutes in those conditions. So while everyone else got in, I stood motionless next to the open passenger door.
“You coming, Chris?” Ethan asked.
I backed away from the car. My breathing was growing heavy just thinking about getting inside. “Why don’t I just follow you?”
The first raindrop plopped on the end of my nose, and I looked to the sky. I could easily fly behind them, even if it did mean getting drenched to the bone. It was still preferable to spending a few hours in a cramped vehicle, hyperventilating.
“Chris.” Ethan held his hand out to me. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
“What’s her problem, anyway?” Samantha asked.
Sam looked from me to her, then back to me. It was like he was asking permission to tell my greatest fear to the girl I hated most. “Chris doesn’t like crowded spaces.”
“Oh, what a baby.”
Once again, I wished looks could kill, because Samantha would be lying dead on the floor of the car.
Her snide comment, though, did one thing: it made me resolve to prove her wrong. I grabbed Ethan’s outstretched hand and began squeezing in to sit on his lap.
I only got one foot in the car before I felt something. They knew, and they were coming.
Before I was even able to turn my head to look out the door, my fear was realized. Pouring through the entrance of The Plaza, out onto the sidewalk, were a dozen Agents. Two black SUVs pulled up in front of the building and several more filed out. In the middle of the throng was Abby Davidson.
I let go of Ethan and slammed the car door. “Get out of here!” I ordered Sam. “I’ll be right behind you. I’ll keep them from following.”
“Wait a sec–” Sam protested.
“Go! Now! You know where to go.”
The tires screeched on the asphalt, and the two valets jumped back in fright. Sam’s car shot down the street with more speed than that car had seen in a while. I was sure I heard pieces of it clattering to the ground as it rounded the corner and careened out of sight. I hoped the old car would hold up.
They’ll be fine. You have more urgent matters to attend to.
That was when the skies opened up. A cascade of rain pounded down upon me. People still on the street ran for cover, opening umbrellas and newspapers. I didn’t move from my spot. Abby had seen me. There would be no running now. Not until I made sure they weren’t following my friends.
Abby pointed in my direction. The Agents closest to her turned my way. They lined up like German stormtroopers and raised their guns.
I probably should have been frightened, but I wasn’t. I was angry. That, and I knew there weren’t bullets in those guns aimed at me. All they had were darts with a powerful sedative. So even if they did shoot me, all that would happen would be me falling into a deep sleep.
The valets obviously didn’t see it that way; they both ran for cover inside the garage.
Abby stepped through the group of Agents, standing only a few feet in front of them, but still well away from me. Her form-fitting suit seemed to repel the rain. “Christine, I’m sorry to do this, but you leave me no other choice.”
Her tone sounded sorrowful, but I no longer felt any emotion coming off her. She must have replaced the thought inhibitor. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need to read her thoughts anymore.
“There’s always a choice.” Why did those words sound so familiar?
“You don’t understand the danger you and your friends are in,” she said, almost pleadingly.
“The only danger I see here is you. If you were really concerned about us, then you wouldn’t be pointing those guns at me.”
“I’m doing this for your own good. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Stand down or we’ll fire.”
“Bring it on.”
She stepped out of the way, and in an instant several darts shot at me. Time slowed to a crawl as six darts cut a path through the raindrops. I held up a hand and mentally caught them, slowing them until they stopped mere inches from my body.
I can’t believe that actually worked! the voice in my head shouted.
I spun each dart and shot them back at the man who’d fired it at me, striking the Agents in the neck. The sedative took immediate effect, and sent all of the six shooters falling to the wet ground in a deep and restful sleep.
The next thing I knew, Abby was flying through the air directly at me, a look of complete rage on her face. She covered the distance in a second. I was lucky enough to catch the movement, and before she’d landed on me I’d jetted up two stories and floated above the sidewalk.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” She shouldn’t have been able to do that. She couldn’t have been super-powered – could she? Wouldn’t I have detected it when I had read her mind all those times?
In response, she leaped onto the side of the building, nearly up to the second floor, and vaulted off, right at me.
Oh, crap! I dodged out of the way just in time. She sailed clear across the street, landing on the second-floor fire escape of the nearest building.
How? Why? When? Huh? I couldn’t get my mind straight. It was frankly amazing I was able to concentrate hard enough to stay aloft. My head was spinning. I was so confused. If she was able to do these things the whole time, why hadn’t she before? She could easily have caught me by surprise in the counselor’s office, or in the hotel room. Why display her talent here, on the street, where hundreds of people could see us?
She leapt at me again. This time, as I dodged, she threw a grappling hook. It tethered itself to my ankle. She fell to the ground, and as the wire went taught, I was dragged with her.
Just barely managing to stay afloat, I grabbed the wire. But even as I did, I noticed Abby wore an expression that said she’d won, or at least she thought she had. I noticed a device attached to the other end of the wire. It was connected to a Tazer that Abby flourished in her left hand. Her thumb hovered over the trigger.
“Come down, or you’re going to feel the shock of your life.” She waved the device around a little more. She was as cocky as me when I was sure of something. It was kind of scary in a way.
I’m not sure if she was just stupid, or really hadn’t figured me out yet. She had to know I would never come down. The problem was, I had to do something, because I was in no way eager to feel ten-thousand plus volts coursing through my body, nor was I eager for the twenty foot fall to the hard concrete that would be sure to follow.
The only course of action was to somehow yank the device from her hand. I just wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it before she hit the button.
“Last chance,” she said.
Instinctively I lowered my altitude. The wire went slack, but only just. Her thumb was ready to press the button. I imagined the intense pain it would bring me and actually felt a mild tingle run down my spine.
Alright, Abby. You want to get rough? Let’s do it.
My eyes narrowed, and I knew she knew I wasn’t coming quietly, but it was too late for her to do anything. I shot straight up into the sky, clearing the tops of all the surrounding buildings until I was sure I was out of range of whatever weapon they had aimed at me.
I imagined the look of utter shock and frustration as the Tazer dart tumbled to the pavement. But when I looked down, it was I who had the look of utter shock and frustration. Dangling by the end of the wire, Abby had managed to hold on.
Damn, she’s strong.
Her face was twisted in what I can only describe as supreme rage. I knew she was going to make me pay for this, and I thought seriously about just unhooking the wire from my leg and letting go. But at this height, I wasn’t sure if she would survive the fall.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“This.” She pressed the button.
I closed my eyes and braced myself for the shock. She had to be crazy. If I fell, she’d fall too and then we’d both probably end up in caskets. However, my fears were unwarranted, as nothing happened.
She slapped the device with her other hand and let out a grunt of frustration. This was definitely not a woman used to losing, and I had beaten her too many times already.
Then I discovered why the item didn’t work. Neither of us was touching the ground. There was nowhere for the current to go, so it simply didn’t work.
“Nice trick,” I said. “What do you do for an encore?”
“Christine, listen to me.” I could barely hear her over the howling wind and rain beating down on us. “Your friends are in great danger. We all are if you don’t wipe their minds.”
“You haven’t told me why I should. And frankly, you’ve given me no reason to trust you. I mean, attacking me…again…without provocation? Come on!”
“Let’s land and I’ll explain this.”
“Why? So you can try shocking me with your little Tazer again? No thanks,” I responded. “I like you just where you are.”
“You are so stubborn.”
“Finally figured that out, did you?” I couldn’t help but rub it in. It wasn’t often I had the upper hand with this vile woman, but I definitely had it now.
She looked away – actually, she looked down. It was like she was trying to gauge just how far it was to the pavement below. I wished I could have read her mind at that moment and savored the fear she must have felt when she realized we were at least a quarter-mile from the street.
She turned back to face me, her face again betraying no emotion. She really was good at that. I would have asked her to teach me how she did it, but there wasn’t a thing in the world I would have requested from her – except maybe to drop dead. “At least listen to what I have to say.”
My first response was to say, “Why should I?” However, at this point, I figured it couldn’t hurt. After all, she was the one dangling like a worm on a hook over 5th Avenue. “Talk,” I said instead.
“Quinn isn’t who he says he is.”
“You said you didn’t know anything about him.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t wearing my thought inhibitor and you didn’t read my mind? I was keeping things from you – from your friends, actually. The less they knew, the less you needed to erase.”
“How can they do anything if they have no memory of the objective anyway?”
“They can’t.”
“Then why tell them anything?”
“To get you in there to talk to me.”
Sadly, her argument was becoming more and more logical. She could have been telling the truth.
I mentally kicked myself. This was what she did. She told half-truths, manipulated people until they bent to her will. I couldn’t get sucked in.
“So, tell me about Quinn.” Another mental kick. Is that the way to not get sucked in, Christine?
“He’s trying to recruit you.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”
She hesitated. That moment before she spoke said volumes. She knew I was right. If it was true Quinn was trying to recruit us, then she was no better. “It’s not the same,” she finally said.
“I think it is. Both of you want us. For what, I don’t know.”
The rain pelted my face. I had to wipe my wet hair out of my eyes. The wetness was chilling me to the bone. A shudder ran through my body, inadvertently dropping the two of us a few yards in altitude.
“What did he tell you about his past?” she asked.
Nice change of subject – impressive.
I debated whether or not to tell the truth. In the end, I figured it couldn’t hurt. After all, she probably already knew anyway. I shrugged. It didn’t really matter, I guess.
“He’s one of the original soldiers from Project: Hercules. He’s as old as my grandfather, but he looks like he’s thirty.”
“That’s a little inaccurate.” She sounded almost as if she was saddened to deliver this information to me. “He is as old as he says he is, but he was never a subject of Project: Hercules.”
“That’s not true!” I shouted, before I could stop myself. Why would Quinn lie? He didn’t need to, and there wasn’t any point to being dishonest with me – with us.
But the picture had changed. Why had it changed? Could what Abby was saying actually be true? Was Quinn a big fat liar? Too many questions were flying through my head. I couldn’t make sense of them.
“Have you ever asked your grandfather about a man named Quinn in his regiment?” Abby pressed the matter, not giving me a chance to think.
My first instinct was to answer, “Yes.” But something in the back of my mind stopped me. I thought about every time I’d spoken to my grandfather. I’d meant to tell him about the science teacher and how he’d been one of my grandfather’s best friends, but it always slipped my mind. I’d never once mentioned Quinn’s name in his presence. Why?
“No,” I was forced to answer.
My head pounded as I tried to fathom what that might mean. Something had prevented me from telling my grandfather. Something made me see Quinn’s face in that photo. And there were only two people capable of changing someone’s thoughts. Of those two, one I trusted completely, which only left–
“Quinn,” I said aloud, as if saying the name might clarify my suspicions.
“His name is Quintus Fuchs. He is one of five German soldiers trained during the second world war. Each were given the same formula as the soldiers of Project: Hercules. We have tracked down the other four members of this elite squad of soldiers – all are dead.”
“And let me guess: they were all Nazis.”
She nodded.
“So, Quinn’s a Nazi. A really old Nazi.”
She nodded again.
“And he wants…?”
“I don’t know,” she answered.
Looking into her eyes, I believed her.
So, my teacher – my mentor – was essentially out to kill me. Sounds great. As if I don’t already have enough on my plate.
“I’m gonna put you on that roof over there.” I pointed to the highest and nearest rooftop. “Before I do, tell me something.”
“What?”
“Are you one of us?” I was pretty sure she would understand what I mean.
She smiled. This was a warm, gentle smile, a huge contrast to her usual vicious one. “It’s the suit. A gift from MIT.” She gazed up at me, wiping the rain out of her eyes. She must have seen the look of incomprehension on my face because she added, “Massachusetts Institute of Technology.”
I nodded now. The suit must somehow enhance the wearer’s strength and agility. Seeing what it did for Abby, I had to admit, I was impressed.
I flew over to the roof and hovered, leaving her dangling about ten feet over it. I wasn’t stupid enough to set her down gently and give her an opportunity to use her Tazer. So I unhooked the wire from my ankle and let her fall.
I would have loved to see her land flat on her face. Unfortunately, even suddenly finding herself dropping through the air didn’t make her flinch in the least. She landed gracefully in a crouch on the rooftop. Before she stood, she had already begun wrapping the wire around her arm.
For some reason, I didn’t immediately fly off. Floating above the rooftop, getting wetter every moment I remained (if that were possible at that point), I watched her.
She finished coiling the wire and shoved it into a hidden pocket. That suit was truly amazing—who knew what else it contained inside? Even though I knew the wire was there now, I couldn’t even see the lump in the tight fabric.
Abby surveyed her surroundings. Even though she never looked in my direction, I knew she realized I was still there.
Walking toward the door, which led into the building, she called to someone on a small wrist communicator.
She’s got more gadgets than James Bond.
“Agent Davidson, requesting pick-up,” she said. She paused before the door as a response must have come through her earpiece. “Yes. Returning to base. I’ll debrief when I arrive.”
She grabbed the handle and pulled open the door. Instead of going down the stairway, she turned and just barely glanced over her shoulder. “Consider for a second why your teacher would want you to investigate Camp Hero. Ask yourself what motivation he must have to have you investigate a place he dare not go himself.”
I had thought about it, and the truth was, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to Camp Hero for Quinn, or Quintus, or whatever he real name might have been. I was going because of the dream I had. Abby had to realize that.
“We’ll talk more about this at our counseling session tomorrow afternoon. I trust you won’t be late.”
Oh, come on! You’re going to make me still sit through your fake psycho-chatter?
She stepped through the door and disappeared.
I didn’t have time to think. My friends had a good head start on me now, and I had to catch up. I turned east and flew away from the city as fast as I could.
Camp Hero is waiting.
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