HSH: Hero Heist Chap 27-28
Chapter 27
Demons of the Past
I’m not sure who fired first. One second I’m giving Ethan instructions and the next, bullets were flying.
Abby had switched targets, firing several bullets from her laser guided rifle at Dresner. Unfortunately, as Dresner had predicted, the bullets merely bounced off his hard skin. Smith had fired both guns at once, one aimed at Dresner, which was as ineffective as Abby’s rifle, and the other at Quinn.
What Smith didn’t realize though, was Quinn’s head was no longer against the barrel of his gun. Instead, the bullet whizzed passed the end of Quinn’s nose, doing no damage to anything except the wall it embedded itself into.
I was practically in the crossfire between the three gun-toting idiots, so I ducked and covered, putting a protective shell around my body once again to stop any strays from reaching me. The next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the room, in Ethan’s arms.
“Thought you could use a pick-me-up,” he said. Laughing internally at his own non-existent wit. Oh, how I loved that non-existent wit!
I planted a big, wet kiss on his lips, and then jumped from his grip to land on the floor.
The three adults, pretty much oblivious to the rest of us in the room, ran around firing blindly at one another, twisting and turning, ducking and rolling. Abby would fire at Smith, then spin and take another shot at Dresner, while dodging the bullet coming her way from Smith. Several shots found there mark, hitting a combatant in the shoulder, the chest, or some other body part. But none of the bullets did an ounce of damage.
I mean, Dresner was bullet-proof. Abby’s bio-suit, which matched mine was pretty much bullet proof, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Smith was wearing the same thing under his suit. So, each futile attempt to kill each other ended as one might expect—with no one dying.
Klaus, and the others had pretty much scattered when the shooting had begun and were trying, as I was, to figure out how to get this all to stop. There was a very simple solution, we had powers, they didn’t. We could force them to stop.
While I was discussing what to do about the situation with my friends, and among the battle of the whizzing bullets, Quinn had laid himself down and pulled his legs through his cuffed wrists, so his hands were in front of him.
He quickly yanked the inhibitor from behind his ear and crushed it between his fingers. Then using telekinesis, he unlocked the cuffs and threw them aside.
I should have been paying attention to him, but I was so focused on Smith, Abby and Dresner I let his actions slip buy. I could have stopped Quinn if I’d realized what he was planning. Now that he had the use of his powers again, it was going to make this much more difficult.
Only when Quinn stood, did I truly take notice, because the instant he was on his feet the guns were ripped from each of their owners’ hands. The weapons were tossed aside casually, scattering about the floor.
He stepped forward and the three formally armed operatives floated gently into the air.
This is going to be bad.
On the other side of the scene, Klaus looked on, wondering if there was something he could do. Johnny and Gina looked practically terrified at the sudden shift in power to Quinn’s favor.
I got no reading from Jayson at all, which was strange, because the boy was usually as easy to read as a text message.
Quinn examined his now helpless victims, moving them so they floated in a perfect line a foot or so off the ground. For his captives, that foot might as well have been a mile for all the movement Quinn allowed them. He paced before them, as if he were a drill sergeant on inspection.
“Okay, we have to do something,” I whispered to my friends while Quinn was distracted.
Quinn stopped in front of Smith first. “There’s an old adage, Mr. Smith, I’m sure you’re familiar with. It goes something like, ‘Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.’ You are a fool to think you could control an army of supreme beings. Hitler thought the same thing, until I forced him to shove a gun down his throat. And I assure you, if someone ever succeeds in creating your dreaded clone army, the same will happen to them as well. All it will take is for only one of your creations to start thinking for himself. The chain reaction will be an unstoppable force that will end with the demise of millions.”
I continued whispering through Quinn’s speech. “Clear your minds as best you can, and don’t move until I tell you what to do. He can’t even have a second to read your thoughts. If he does, we’re dead.”
Abby was the next in line for Quinn’s scrutinizing gaze. “You’re no better than these kids half the time. Oh, you have maturity on your side, but no wisdom. After all, you’re what—nineteen, twenty? You’re barely an adult yourself. You can’t possibly understand how the outcome of today will effect every single life on this planet. How could you?”
He looked as if he was going to continue on to Dresner, but after only a step he narrowed his eyes and backpeddled to her. “You know, I’m curious. Mr. Smith wants his army and Mr. Dresner wants to halt the human races natural genetic evolution. But what do you want Ms. Davidson?”
Abby spit in his face. “I want you to die.”
Quinn didn’t even flinch. He simply raised a hand and wiped the spittle from his eye and cheek. “Lesson learned. I take back what I said about the maturity.”
While this was going on, I kept giving instructions to my friends. “We have to wait for the perfect moment, when he’s the most distracted. As soon as I give the orders, move. Don’t let him get a read on you.”
Quinn had to sense an attack was imminent. Even I could feel the anticipation from my friends. My only hope was, he wouldn’t know when or from where the attack would come. If we could at least surprise him, we’d be in good shape.
From what I could make out, Klaus was trying to rally the others on the other side of the hangar. First, he’d slipped over to where one of Smith’s handguns had landed, then he picked it up, seemingly unnoticed, and then slid back over to where Johnny and the others were. He went over his plan with them.
I hoped he didn’t plan on killing Quinn. If Klaus had the inclination, he could very well end the man with one bullet. After all, he never missed his target. Severely wounding him would be enough. I would have sent these sentiments to Klaus, but it would have been too dangerous. Quinn could potentially pick up any thought I projected.
Quinn stepped in front of his last victim. “Fifteen years it’s been, hasn’t it Dedrick? Longer than half of these kids could walk. How are the Vrill these days anyway?” He waited for a response, but Dresner didn’t say any a word. “I see you’ve gotten some new members since you removed me.”
His gaze fell upon Klaus. No words were exchanged, but it was like Quinn knew the gun was in his hand. His eyes lingered on Klaus for a few moments before they returned to Dresner.
“I guess the Society must be desperate, taking on kids so young. In our day you had to prove yourself before we’d even consider you. What happened? All the old members dying off?”
“That boy over there is a better operative than you ever were,” said Dresner. “He isn’t driven by the need for power. And for the record, you left us.”
“And you’ve been hunting me ever since.”
“Only because I know what you’re trying to do.”
“I’m simply ushering a new era for humanity.”
“By destroying this one!”
“And thus, saving us all!” Quinn backed up and now spoke in a loud voice to make sure we all would hear. “None of you have the experience I have. I’ve been around for longer than all of you and will be around long after you’re dead. This world is not going to survive for long if something drastic isn’t done. The weak have ruled the Earth for too long now. They have led us into countless wars and endless violence. Terrorist attacks, mass suicides, attempted genocide. The Doomsday Clock is only seconds away from midnight. Yet all of you, the ones who could actually have done something about it, have sat back and let the world go about its business. My solution will put an end to all of that, and all I’ve been met with is resistance.”
“Because you’re solution will kill us all,” Smith shouted.
Quinn shook his head. “How limited your little minds are. You can’t see outside of your own little world. Yes, there will be loss of life, but what war doesn’t. At least my way, those who are taken from this world will go peacefully, without any pain.”
Was I missing something here? Or did it seem everyone knew what was going on except those of us under the age of eighteen? Seriously, adults don’t tell kids anything!
“And it all rests with this girl,” Quinn said, spinning to point directly at me.
And it was then, when Quinn had turned to show everyone how his plan was coming together, a single shot rang out with a loud BANG!
It surprised us all, and I know I wasn’t the only one in my group who jumped at the sound.
Quinn, on the other hand, seemed ready for the attack and waved a hand, deflecting the small projectile, sending it on a new course which embedded it in the hangar’s ceiling.
This was the chance I’d been waiting for. Quinn was distracted and we wouldn’t get a better shot at him. “Ethan tackle him. Peter hit him with some lightning.”
They’d been waiting for the order and immediately sprang into action. Ethan disappeared with a burst of speed. At the same time, Peter unleashed a torrent of crackling blue energy from his clenched fists, aimed directly at Quinn.
They were quick. Quinn was quicker. He created some kind of force bubble around him which diverted Ethan’s course and dissipated Peter’s lightning. Ethan skidded to a stop on the far side of the room, and turned, confused, as he wondered how he could have missed.
Quinn turned on me and darkness covered his features in shadow. “Did you really think that was going to work?” He lifted off the ground and floated ten feet in the air. He looked positively terrifying, and my whole body shuddered at the sight of the man, slowly coming my way. “You think your little friends have a chance at destroying me? Your grandfather’s tried many times, and they were fully trained soldiers. But I’m still here, young and strong, while your grandfathers are decaying or dead. What chance do you have?”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do. The only thing I was sure of was, no matter what, I was going to stand my ground. Together, my friends and I would come up with some solution. We always did.
A cold sensation crawled up my spine when Peter stood in front of me. Pete had been the most loyal and best friend a person could ask for this last year. Though he was quiet, we’d grown to rely on him. Now, he was taking a stand between me and Quinn, lightning arcing up and down his arms, telling the man, if he wanted to hurt me, he’d have to kill Peter first.
The cold sensation didn’t come from Peter’s action though, it was from Quinn. Once Peter had taken his position and Quinn took notice of him, the dark shadow fell upon my friend. “I wonder if you would take the same stance if you knew what a good friend Christine really was.”
I knew exactly what he was going to do. “Quinn, don’t!”
“Maybe this will teach you a lesson.”
I tried to put a mental shield around Peter’s mind to stop Quinn from doing what he intended, but I was too late.
At first, Peter’s shoulders relaxed and the lightning causing his arms to glow dimmed. He turned, his mask covered eyes staring accusatorily at me. “It’s true?” he asked. “I thought it was a dream.”
“Yes, Pete,” I said, a tear escaping the corner of my eye, “but I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“You tried to kill me,” Peter said, as if not able to believe the words. “You tortured me!”
“I’m sorry, Pete. I’m so—”
The blue energy in his arms crackled to life again, and this time it rose up to his neck until his eyes glowed with the blue light. And before I knew what was happening, a burst of energy shot from his fingertips and knocked me to the ground. My skin sizzled with the electric current.
Stunned, I managed to lift my neck as Peter stood above me, hand lit up with pure blue energy. The look in his eyes reminded me of the time he’d trapped Tommy in the supply closet at school, intent on snuffing out the boy. Those same eyes fell upon me now. Anger had completely taken over his rational thought. It was like the Peter we had come to know since that day in November had been swallowed up by this monstrous Peter who now towered over me.
He pointed a fist in my direction and it lit up as it charged with energy.
Instinctively, I pushed out mentally, sending him staggering back. He fell right into Savanah’s waiting arms. She squeezed him tightly, pinning his arms to his sides. Lightning shot out straight down at the ground as Pete struggled to break free.
“Calm down,” Savanah ordered. She struggled to keep her grip as some of the potent energy coursed through her body. “We’re still you’re friends.”
“Let go of me!” Peter squirmed in her tight embrace, using his power to shock her to break free. In response, Savanah only held tighter. Several loud snaps filled the air over the unending thrum of the electric bolts hitting the ground. She’d inadvertently cracked a few of Peter’s ribs. He howled in pain.
“Don’t hurt him!” I shouted, getting back to my feet.
“I’m… trying,” she said, as she continued to fight against the electric jolts and Peter’s thrashing.
With us, occupied, Quinn had the opportunity to turn on the others. I barely noticed as Klaus fired several more bullets at Quinn, which were apparently as ineffective as the first. And it wasn’t until there were two dozen of them surrounding Quinn on all sides, did I see the constantly replicating Johnny copies fill the room.
I had more pressing matters to deal with though. With Quinn dealing with the others, I had a chance to undo what he’d done to Peter. At the very least I could calm him down long enough to actually talk to him.
I reached out to Peter, allowing my mental fingers to touch his mind. At once, I was met with resistance. Not only was Peter fighting me, but Quinn had left some mental blocks on my friend to prevent me from doing exactly what I was trying to do.
“Get out of my head, Carpenter!” Peter screamed.
“Pete, I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.”
I pushed passed the first defense, after eroding away Quinn’s mental wall. It took a lot of concentration, and it was even harder with Peter pushing back against my mind as well. I got brief flashes of Peter’s memory, while going deeper into his mind.
I saw Peter playing as a kid in his backyard. Then a brief flash of him having dinner with his family—his whole family, like twenty different people—filled my vision. A third scene came to mind, this one of an old man I assumed to be his grandfather, holding a lightbulb in his hand and turning it on and off. All in all, he had a very happy life it seemed.
But those were the memories on the surface. The memory of that dreadful day when I’d hurt Peter—the day Tommy Fulton died—was buried far below. I pushed through, encountering more mental blocks. Each one I pushed through got harder and harder. And the further I went in, the worse the memory flashes got.
Tommy beating him up on the playground, Peter accidentally exploding his X-Box when he first discovered his powers, his grandfather dying—murdered—were among the memories I saw.
Why didn’t Pete ever tell us about that?
Three boys grabbing him in the bathroom, another large guy shoving him inside a locker—there were so many instances of Peter being beaten up or bullied.
Apparently, Peter had been picked on quite a bit until he’d fallen in with our group. It was no wonder he had such a chip on his shoulder when it came to bullies. I couldn’t believe it. I never knew any of this about the boy I called a friend. I just thought it was Tommy, but apparently there was a long line of people who’d hurt Peter.
And I was one of them.
Savanah was struggling terribly to keep a grip on the boy. Peter was shooting more lightning in every direction he could, which was still limited by Savanah pinning his arms. I didn’t have much time.
At last I found the memory I was looking for. I saw that morning when I’d made Peter believe he was being buried alive. I needed to erect a wall around that memory and make Peter forget it again, like Quinn had done months ago. The only problem was I didn’t know how. I’d never done something like this before. I understood the concept, but it didn’t mean I could perform the action.
I trapped the memory deep within his brain, and raised a cage around it. But even as I set about keeping the memory contained, it fought to break free. The harder I pushed, the more it fought. Peter didn’t want to forget. His rage had gotten the better of him.
“I… said… get out!” One burst of electric energy shot from him in all directions, forcing Savanah to let go. She shot back, hitting the nearest wall, denting the solid structure with her body.
With a deep breath, Peter stood tall, focusing all of his attention on me. He advanced, his hand alight with glowing blue electricity once again.
I gave up trying to contain the memory, and instead focused more on calming him down. I sent soothing, happy thoughts to him, trying to change his emotions. He slowed his advance, and looked as if he was going to turn back into the Peter I knew. I pushed harder, keeping the gentle thoughts caressing his mind.
His eyes lit up, and a snarl crossed his face. “You think you can change me again? Make me into your puppet?”
“Pete, it’s not like that at all. I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t need any help. I can see you for what you are now. You can’t change that with the flick of a switch.”
As he pointed his fists at me once more, I knew I’d failed. Unless Quinn helped me, and I knew he wouldn’t, there would be no more Peter in our group. Another tear rolled down my cheek as I threw up a force shield to dissipate the torrent of energy soon to be unleashed on me.
The lightning discharged toward me and I prepared myself for the shock, but for the second time, one of my friends got in between Peter and me. This time, Ethan took the strike right in the chest, but still managed to wrap his hands around Peter’s wrists. First he threw, the boy’s arms aside, sending the arcing lightning shooting harmlessly into the air. Then he pushed Peter down so quick and hard, Peter slid along the floor on his butt for at least twenty feet.
Then he spun and grabbed me. “Are you okay?”
Of course I wasn’t. Quinn had turned one of our friends against us and forced us to attack him. Still, I found myself nodding. “We have to get Quinn.”
The man was still floating, fighting off the horde of Johnnys that were climbing on top of each other in vain attempts to pull the man down. Slight flicks of the wrists and tiny nods of his head sent dozens of the boy flying in all directions. Each one of the copies vanished in mid-air, only to be replaced by another on the ground who would then make another attack.
I was actually awestruck by the sight. There had to be over a hundred copies of Johnny, all of them with a single purpose—destroy Quinn.
Jayson and Gina were both standing next to each other, both unsure what to do. They could only watch as Johnny continued his unending onslaught. Jayson’s skin rippled several times like he wanted to transform and jump into the fray and help, but he didn’t move. Klaus too, had given up trying to shoot Quinn, and instead he was going after the immobilized prisoners.
“What do you want me to do?” Ethan asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Give me a second to think.”
I had to think. How could we get to Quinn without him knowing it? I was the only one who could mask my intentions from him, but I still wasn’t going to be nearly fast enough—unless Ethan gave me a hand.
“Okay,” I said, “here’s what we’re gonna—”
My idea was cut off by the loud heart piercing scream of Ethan, as he was hit from behind by a large electric discharge. Peter was back on his feet and angrier than ever. His skin crackled with energy now, as he unloaded a stream of lightning into my boyfriend.
“Peter, stop!” I screamed.
My words were ignored, as he continued unleashing his unbridled fury into Ethan. I had no choice. I had to stop him.
“Tell me, Pete, what do…” My voice caught in my throat as the reality of what I was about to do hit me. The words “you fear” never did escape my larynx, but my power worked on him just the same.
The last time I’d tried to do this to Peter, my own mind wouldn’t allow me. It was because of the guilt I’d felt for almost killing him in the first place. Now, my brain must have known I had no choice, either that, or protecting Ethan far outweighed my need to keep from hurting Peter. Either way, the lightning stopped and for the second time since I’ve known him, I forced Peter to thrash on the ground, believing he’d been buried alive.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, wetting the fabric of the mask as I continued the assault on Peter’s mind. I saw everything he did. I felt the terror he felt. His heart was racing and his breathing was quick and uneven. But I couldn’t let up. I had to make sure he was completely incapacitated before lifted the illusion, otherwise he’d come back at us again.
“I’m sorry,” I kept repeating. The words came out of my mouth, but I also projected them to Peter. I hoped at least the message would get through to him I didn’t want to do this.
Every one of Peter’s yells for help stabbed me like a sword through my heart. But I forced myself to keep pushing. He had to be stopped before he put us all in jeopardy.
Only when I felt a hand shake my shoulders did I pull back out of him mind. The illusion from inside the coffin faded away to be replaced by the face of my boyfriend. “I think he’s had enough, Chris.”
I looked over to Peter, laying motionless on the ground. Fear still radiated off him like heat from a fire, but he was unconscious—for now.
“Oh, Ethan!” I collapsed into his arms and let him hold me as I sobbed into his shoulder. Only Ethan could understand why, even if he’d never understand the pain I went through to do it. “He’s our friend. I shouldn’t have.”
“You did what you had to, Chris.” He rubbed my back consolingly.
“Hey, Losers,” Savanah called from where she’d struck the wall a couple minutes before. “Don’t you think we should—oh, I don’t know—kill the bad guy?”
“She’s right,” I said between the last of my sniffles. I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes and composed myself. There’d be time for me to feel sorry for myself later. No matter what, I resolved to make my friendship with Peter right again. Only this time, I’d do it without lobotomizing him.
“Savanah, be ready!” I called over her. Then I turned to Ethan, who though a little singed around the edges, still looked eager to get back into the fight. “Right. So, here’s what I was thinking.”
Chapter 28
Checkmate
First, let me say what a horrible idea this was. I didn’t even like going on the teacup ride at Disneyworld because the spinning made me sick. So, asking Ethan to spin me around at mach one and hurl me at the floating Quinn didn’t go quite as I’d hoped.
Ethan held my right arm and leg and spun in a clockwise motion. He started off slow, but quickly reached speeds that threatened to dislocate my shoulder and hip. It was only a few seconds into the spin when I began to feel that drunken-queasy feeling. My vision blurred, and by the time he released me, I literally couldn’t see straight.
This was a problem, because I was supposed to use my powers to guide me so I could grab Quinn around his neck and not only bring him to the ground, but touch his head and invade his mind. My brain was so muddled, I was lucky to be flying at all.
I did manage to keep a mental shield around myself, but it wouldn’t matter at all if I missed my target.
The flight from Ethan to Quinn took just under a second. I was pretty much moving, and I hate myself for using the phrase, faster than a speeding bullet.”
Not being able to see straight, did cause my course to shift a bit, but I still hit my target—sort of.
With my shield around me, and my astounding speed, I punched through Quinn’s shield with little difficulty. Then I slammed into the man at full speed and wrapped my arms around him. The only problem was, instead of being near his head, like I’d hoped, I’d grabbed him more around the thigh area.
Using my momentum, and holding with a vice-like grip, I dragged Quinn down into the horde of Johnnys still trying to attack him from below. He hit the ground before me, which was good because his mass served to cushion my fall. And let me tell you, the impact still hurt.
The shock of my airborne tackle caused Quinn to lose his concentration, and his shield not only dropped, but I felt him release his hold on Abby, Smith and Dresner.
Though my head was ringing and every limb felt like it had been ripped loose, I scrambled amidst the surrounding Johnny copies to get to Quinn’s head. I’d found over the last ten or so months I’d had my powers, the closer in proximity I was to someone, the easier it was to get into their head. Once I placed my hands on Quinn’s head, it was my hope I’d finally get access to his mind.
Thankfully, he was still a little stunned from hitting the ground so hard. When I reached his head, I smacked both my hands on either side of it. At once, what felt like a warm rush of water ran over me and my vision was filled with hundreds of thousands of images all at once.
It was too much to make sense of. It was like someone had their finger on the remote control and hitting the channel up button as super-sonic speed. If I didn’t do something soon, my brain would shut itself down due to information overload.
While my mind was among the vast array of images, I pushed into Quinn’s head looking for one specific item. For the second time in only the last couple minutes I found myself asking, What do you fear?
Instantly, the images vanished, washed away from the imaginary world around me, plunging me into darkness.
What do you fear? I repeated, then concentrated on the deepest, darkest fears he had trapped in his head. Nothing. All I saw was darkness.
Everyone was afraid of something, weren’t they? Was it possible there was really nothing Quinn was afraid of?
Okay, let’s see what Quinn plans on doing with me when he gets his hands on the shroud and the cross.
Again, nothing.
He was preventing every attempt I made at gaining access to anything important in his mind. I had to get creative. I needed access, and I needed it now. But what could I do?
Somehow, I needed to make Quinn drop his guard, but that was unlikely to happen while I was making attempts at entering the dark recesses of his mind where he kept all the good secrets.
“What did you think you would accomplish here, Christine?” A mental projection of Quinn appeared from the darkness as if emerging from a shadow. Though it was still total blackness around us, as Quinn approached, I could see him as clearly as if we’d been standing in a field on a sunny day.
“You can’t keep me out forever,” I told the projection. “I will find a way in eventually.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” the Quinn image responded. “But while I have you trapped in here, the real me will simply decimate your friends out there.”
“I’m not trapped.”
“Are you sure?” I hated even the projection Quinn had sent in here to talk to me. He was as cocky and condescending as the real man.
I closed my eyes and tried to pull my consciousness back into my own head. But when I opened them again I was still in the darkness, alone with Quinn.
“It was rather foolish of you to come in here by yourself. I dare say, I’d actually call your actions rather rash.” Fake Quinn strode around me, like the real one did when giving me a lecture. “Did you really think you’d get me to reveal my deepest fear to you? Did you think even if you did find out what I was afraid of, you’d actually be able to project that fear into my brain? I’m not one of your adolescent friends, Christine. I have all the mental power you do, and I have about a thousand times the experience using it. That means, no matter what you try, I’ve already set up a defense for it.”
“I made it this far into your mind,” I said defiantly.
“And I applaud you for it.” He actually stopped his circular pacing, looked me in the eye, and clapped his hands. I was amazed when the claps echoed.
I rolled my eyes, the applause was meant to mock me. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting it bother me. “I will beat you.”
“But why do you have to?” The Quinn projection resumed his strides. “Wouldn’t it be so much easier if the two of us worked together?”
“No. You’re insane!”
“The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success—or so it’s said.”
“I suppose you’re going to quote me scripture next?” I asked.
“If you insist. Now let me see, which would be the most appropriate?” He stepped around me, making two more full circles with a hand on his chin as he thought about it. “Ah, yes. John, chapter ten, verse twenty. ‘Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”’”
“Right. Why should I listen to someone who’s insane?”
“Because I’m far from insane. I would say, of all people, I have seen what must be done most clearly. Others understand the human race cannot and will not survive if it is allowed to continue on the track it is on. I am the only one who is willing to throw the switch and change our course.”
“And does that include killing millions of people?”
“Some will die. I don’t deny this. But it’s for the greater good.”
I rolled my eyes. The more he spoke, the more insane he sounded. But, instead of arguing, like I knew I could, I played along. “Can you explain how it’s for the better when we’ll have to kill innocent people?”
He stopped in front of me, and turned in my direction. He shook his head. “No, no, no. You misunderstand, Christine. Those who will die will be the unworthy, and I promise you they will be far from innocent.”
“Listen, Quinn,” I said, feigning actual interest in what he had to say, “if you want me to cooperate with you, and I mean really cooperate, you’re going to have to explain exactly what you’re trying to do.”
“All in good time, Christine. All in good time.” He paced around me again.
I could feel fissures in the darkness opening. I wouldn’t be able to siphon any of the information I needed without him knowing it and trapping me in here again, but I would be able to jump back into my own head, and the real word, soon. I had to keep him thinking he was turning me to his side.
Just like, Grandpa Carpenter told me: make my enemy think he’s winning, keep him confident until I make my final move.
“Okay, let’s suppose I do decide to help you. How do I know someone in my family wouldn’t be considered one of the ‘unworthy’?”
“Fortunately, that’s up to you to decide,” he explained. “You see, you would be the one to choose who was worth saving and who would be cast out.”
“And you’d take the chance I wouldn’t cast you out if I had the power?”
He smiled. For the first time in a long time, I believed the smile was genuine. “I would like to think once you see things my way, you’d realize I’ve had our race’s best interest at heart all along. That fact alone would make me worth saving.”
I played it cool, even though I was fuming. I needed to keep him thinking I might help him, but there were too many questions I wanted answered.
“You’re still not telling me anything. If I’m the only one who can help you, then why all the secrets? If you’d be open with me, maybe I’d be more willing to help you.”
“I know you, Christine,” Quinn retorted. “You’re just like your grandfather—always trying to get as much information as possible before you make a decision. While the trait is commendable, sometimes you need to go with your gut reaction.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“Am I?” he looked at me with an expression I would describe as “fake-shock”. “I don’t seem to recall you asking one.”
“It was implied!” I shouted before I could stop myself. I was sick and tired of these mind games. Why couldn’t he give me a straight answer?
When I yelled, I felt the holes I intended to make my escape through contract. So I quickly calmed myself down and said, “I’m sorry. It’s frustrating. Why can’t you tell me what you intend for me?”
The holes reopened.
“I cannot risk you opposing me. Its best you learn a little bit at a time. That way you get used to your destiny.”
So, now I was destined to help destroy the human race? This man really was insane. It was time to get out of there.
I didn’t move at first. Instead, I asked, “So are you going to keep me trapped in here until I agree with you?”
“No.”
“Then why hold me here for so long? It has to have been like fifteen minutes since I entered your head.”
I pinpointed one of the larger holes, one that would take me out of Quinn’s mind. I still couldn’t see it, but I sensed where it was.
“Actually, the mind works much faster than the outside world, it feels like fifteen minutes, but it’s really been about two seconds.”
“Good to know,” I said. Then I decided to add a little sugar to the statement by adding, “I could learn so much from you. I want to help you Quinn, but I don’t know.”
His defenses were relaxing even more. It wouldn’t be long.
“You have no idea how much I could teach you. You have only just begun to tap into your powers. Wait until you open up your mind to the impossible.”
“When you give me that extra DNA?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Okay.”
Then I launched myself—at least the projection of myself—up through the blackness to the hole I sensed. I’d taken Quinn completely by surprise.
It didn’t take him long to react. Even as I sped toward it, I could feel the hole closing again as Quinn tried to trap me.
It worked. I couldn’t believe it. Letting Quinn think he’d beaten me, even if only half-heartedly, caused him to lower his guard. I hoped I was quick enough to escape before he completely sealed me in.
Faster, I pushed myself. The opening was closing at a rapid rate. So quickly, in fact, I was afraid I wouldn’t make it. I willed my imagined body forward, determined to make it to the hole.
Closer, closer and…
I shot up to my feet and found myself surrounded by the many Johnny copies, all trying to get a piece of Quinn. Or at least, that’s what I assumed.
The Johnnys definitely had me surrounded, making me incredibly nervous being in a crowd like that, but they weren’t attacking anyone. I looked down at my feet where I’d slammed Quinn down before I’d entered his brain. He wasn’t there.
“You know, Christine,” Quinn’s voice echoed from above, “you forget I am always ten steps ahead of you. Did you really think your ruse would fool me?”
“Actually, it did,” I responded with complete confidence. The fact he didn’t answer right away told me I was right.
Being right, however, didn’t change my situation. My breathing was already getting more rapid and my heart was racing. Quinn, still above me, watched in amusement as, caught in the center of a sea of Johnnys, my body betrayed me. This was a point my former mentor was quick to point out.
“Having a panic-attack are we?” he let the question hang in the air for a moment while I continued to slip into an uncontrollable state. “You know, the only thing preventing you from being pummeled to death at this moment is my patience, which is about at its end. I’ve tried reasoning with you. Now it’s time for threats. I can easily pull your brother into this, in which case, I no longer require you. So, you can join me, and no one else need be hurt, or I can unleash my fury on all of you and watch as you destroy each other.”
This was the part where someone was supposed to rescue me—not that I was trying to be the damsel-in-distress or anything. But sometimes a powerful girl could use a knight-in-shining-armor to whisk her away from danger too.
I sought out Ethan or Savanah, desperately attempting to locate their thought patterns—I even reached out for Klaus, but either because Quinn was blocking me, or they were no longer there, I sensed no one who could help me. No one except Johnny, but the boy was completely under mental control as his thought signature was a reflection of Quinn’s.
Glaring at the aged clone, and resolved to my fate, even though deep down I really hoped he was bluffing, I defiantly said, “I guess you’re going to have to kill me.”
He shook his head, closing his eyes and tightening his lips. “Such a waste, but if that’s your wish then…”
There was a pause then, as if Quinn were hoping I would rethink my response. He was wrong. There wasn’t even the most infinitesimal chance I would ever agree to help him exterminate a portion of the “unworthy” human population. No matter what he threatened me with, I would stand by my morals.
If what Quinn said was true, and I did indeed have some preordained path set in front of me, then that path saw me stopping Quinn—not helping him.
The pause was brief. He looked down on me with disgust. Then, with a wave of the hand, the battle for my life began.
I was grabbed from one of the zombified Johnnys from behind, his thick arms wrapping around my torso, while another one punched me in the face. I spat blood in his eye and kicked hard between his legs. He made a cross-eyed face of pain, then disappeared. Another Johnny took his place.
I fought off several Johnnys while trying to pinpoint the real one in the crowd. I was having a hard time of it, not only because of all the punching and kicking I was doing, but because the crowd was definitely causing me to lose all control. I tried to hold it back as much as I could, but it wouldn’t be long before I projected something horrible that scared the crap out of everyone in the room.
When I took another hit, my vision blurred. I couldn’t help but wonder why I was fighting back what came naturally. If I let loose my fears and scared everyone in the room, it might save me.
So, I stopped fighting, both physically and mentally. I took several more punches and kicks from the Johnnys, the ones that didn’t land on my face were mostly absorbed by the bio suit, so they weren’t too bad. As I kept taking the hits, my mind slipped into oblivion.
I’m not sure when I blacked out, and I’m really not sure how long I was out for. But I was awoken by the sounds of my own scream along with the echoed screams of hundreds of others. My eyes were still closed, but I could feel the cold, hard cement floor against my cheek.
Opening my eyes, I watched the sea of Johnnys vanish a few at a time, all of them crying out in terror as they disappeared into nothingness. Eventually, they all winked out, leaving only the original Johnny behind.
Who knew my fear of crowds would actually save my life one day?
Beyond Johnny stood Jayson, Gina, Klaus, Savanah and Ethan. Smith, Abby and Dresner were nowhere to be seen.
Quinn still hovered high above me. “Impressive,” he said. “Too bad you can’t repeat it.”
I didn’t respond to his jibe, but lifted myself from the floor and stood once again. Reaching out, I felt for the minds of the others, wanting to relay orders to them, but I received nothing. Their minds had been cut off from me. And there was only one person who could do that.
I glared up at the man, determined not to show him anything but pure hatred. He had my friends under his control, and I was going to get them back.
But then, I felt something. There was one mind in the group not being effected by Quinn. Jayson was still there, for some reason. He had all of his thought patterns intact. Quinn didn’t have a hold on him. So, I reached out to the boy.
Jayson, can you hear me?
There wasn’t even a second’s hesitation. Yes.
You need to help me. Come here.
Jayson didn’t respond mentally, but walked over to my position. As he got closer, and my muddled brain was able to see him more clearly, I noticed the grim expression on his face. He didn’t seem like the nervous little boy he usually was. There was something different about him. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Can you turn into anything?
Yes.
Glancing up at Quinn, I wondered why he hadn’t done anything to attack me. He simply floated above, watching the exchange between Jayson and myself with interest.
I quickly turned back to Jayson. I need you to turn into something that can fly and help me out up there. I need to take down Quinn.
No.
The statement was simple, yet it spoke volumes. I hadn’t expected the negative response, and so I was completely unprepared when a long, coiled, leathery tail wrapped around my neck and tightened.
The next thing I knew, Jayson was no longer standing in front of me, and instead there was a large, green boa constrictor, swaying from side to side, wrapping more and more of its tail around me.
“Very good, Jayson,” Quinn finally spoke again. “I knew you would be able to get near enough to her.”
The coiled length of the tail tightened its grip around me, as the snake looked up at Quinn and nodded. It had been all been another of Quinn’s elaborate tricks. He’d had Jayson all along. The boy didn’t seem to be under his control. Instead, Jayson was serving Quinn under his own free will, which meant he was really no better. The boy had been a spy for Quinn since this whole thing started, probably feeding him all the information he could get from us. It’s why he’d stayed so quiet and off to the side all the time. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself. If I survived this, I would really have to beat myself up for not noticing earlier.
With the ever tightening lengths of Jayson’s newly formed scales winding around and around my body, I wasn’t really sure if I’d live through this. Quinn and his new sidekick were really determined to annihilate me. Without the help of my friends, they could very well succeed.
A loud snap and pain surged up my arm from my wrist where the pressure had crushed it. My left arm was all but useless now. I would have cried out in pain, but the tail around my neck choked off my oxygen supply. My cheeks were tingling and I knew I was close to blacking out again. I needed to do something to get this stupid snake off me.
I tried flying, to pull myself free of the slippery scales, but Jayson’s grip was much too tight. I tried getting into Jayson’s mind, but I felt Quinn blocking me. Maybe that’s how he’d hidden Jayson’s true feelings for so long.
I was seconds away from unconsciousness when I tried one final act of desperation. I created a skin tight shield around myself, and then I expanded it. It loosened the coils around my body and I sucked in a good deal of life-giving air. My cheeks, which had been blue only seconds before, returned to their normal pale color.
After taking a few breaths, I was ready to tie the snake into a knot. I flew out of Jayson’s grip and watched as the snake expressed his anger by hissing at me, baring his fangs.
I did the only thing I could think of, I kicked with my right leg as hard as I could and knocked the boy’s lower jaw into the top one. The snake didn’t seem to like that very much, and after shaking off the blow I’d inflicted, it lunged. Its teeth extended as if to rip my flesh from my bones.
This time, I was ready. I moved to the left and the head shot passed me. I grabbed Jayson with my good arm around his neck—did snakes have necks—and then flew down to the ground as quickly as I could. I slammed the snake’s head into the ground as hard as I possibly could, and then, seeing it wasn’t completely knocked out yet, I did it again. Three times I wailed Jayson into the cement floor before his body stopped moving.
I reached out with my mind to sense him. Yes, he was definitely out, but not dead. He would have a horrible headache when he woke though.
My arm hanging limply at my side, I spun. I was going to tell Quinn what he could shove up an orifice I shouldn’t mention in polite company, but when I turned to face him, I found Savanah standing in front of me.
“Hey, Loser,” she said, a blank expression on her face.
The next thing I knew, her fist connected with my jaw and I was flying toward the ceiling. Luckily, I’d managed to throw up my mental shield in the last second or she would have caved in my skull. The last thing I remembered before passing out for the second time was seeing the roof of the hangar careening toward me and then smacking headlong into it.
Like what you’ve read? Well this isn’t the end of the story for Christine and her friends. New chapters will be coming soon! Stay with us and enjoy the fun!
Check out more High School Heroes stuff at our website!
Also, if you like the content above, we have plenty more for you! We will always post stuff you can access for free, but we also have premium content for our premium subscribers. Want to access this content and see what it’s all about? You can be hitting that Subscribe Now button below and starting a 7-day free trial!
Thanks all!
STAY AWESOME!!!