Aegis: Catalyst Grove

by Nathan Roten

  “No, Graham! Get out of here! Y ou need to…rhuuu-ahhgg.” Chase tightened his arm again so that Damien could hardly breath at all.

  Graham was livid. “I trusted you Chase. You manipulated me from the beginning to be a lab rat in your sick little experiment. I will not be a sacrifice so that you can glow brighter or move faster, and neither will my friends. I said LET GO!”

  The sounds of his voice carried through the halls and the whole building shook. Everything that was not anchored to the wall or ground lifted up, hovering in mid air. The debris and trash that littered the hallway hovered around Graham like small dust particles suspended in in a ray of light.

  “NOWW!”

  As he said that last word, everything that was suspended in mid air flew horizontally across the room, smashing to pieces when they crashed into the adjacent walls.

  Kel, Ailey and Damien all flinched and ducked their heads at the sounds of the loud crashes, but Chase didn’t move. He just stood there with arched eyebrows.

  “Now that is an impressive party trick. I see the hovering thing has moved beyond your night terrors. That’s good. That is very good.”

  “Leave him alone!”

  Kel pulled her right arm back, and thrusted it forward as if chucking a heavy rock at Chase. A power surge came from her hand towards Chase, but with a gentle flicker of his hand, Chase fired a quick blast of light from his hand, deflecting energy that came from Kel, and sent it crashing into the front door, shattering the window panes. The concrete entrance glistened with shards of glass, almost matching the glimmer of the frost that lay over the grass and trees.

  “Oh, we’ve got ourselves a Pusher. Cavaness will be thrilled.”

  In the intensity of the moment, Chase’s grip had evidently become tighter, because Damien’s face was pale, and his body was starting to go limp. Looking down, Chase realized and relaxed his grip, allowing Damien to breath.

  “Lo siento, amigo. I don’t want you dead.” Chase looked directly into Damien’s half-opened eyes he asked, “Do you have anything to show me?”

  Not hearing a word Chase was saying, Damien focused on not passing out, taking in big gulps of air into his lungs. Even if he could do something special, he was too weak to do anything useful.

  Scared of all the noise and yelling, Ailey hid behind Graham and Kel, grabbing a handful of each of their shirts to cover her eyes. Feeling the tugging of her shirt, Kel instantly felt a surge of power go through her body. At the same time Graham felt a bizarre tingling in his left arm. The two looked at each other to see if the other one felt something weird. Their expressions both confirmed that they did. Somehow, they knew what the other was thinking, like a new instinct took over. Graham pulled back his left hand as Kel pulled back her right, and at the same time they both threw their arms forward, sending an blast of yellow light towards Chase and Damien. It hit them with such intensity that it knocked them both back six feet onto to the ground with a loud thud.

  They both stood there, unable to comprehend what they just did. Expecting Chase to get back up, they both pulled their hands back again, ready to attack, but neither Chase nor Damien moved. Ailey let go of their clothes and shuffled backwards a few steps, now scared of her own friends.

  The power Kel felt drained from her body and the tingling in Graham’s arms faded away. Kel began patting her arms, chest and stomach trying to decipher where the power she felt had gone. Graham pumped his arm forwards and backwards, trying to ‘shoot’ another blast from his hand. Nothing happened. Ailey stared at the two with the tips of her fingers curled in-between her lips. She was terrified.

  Graham looked over to see Chase and Damien laying flat on their back. Scenes of his parents screaming at the darkness flashed through his head as he looked his unconscious friend. Graham watched Damien’s stomach rise and fall with each breath, relieved that he was at least alive. He fought back the dread of hurting Damien, knowing that it was now or never. He ran over to Damien and put his hands under his armpits. Kel ran over as well, helping pick Damien’s limp body off the ground and sling him over Graham’s shoulder. Graham slowly stood up from his squatted position and walked towards the front door. He could still feel the twinges of pain from his near fall from the cliff, as well as from being blasted from his chair.

  Kel ran back over to Ailey and grabbed her hand. She took a few steps towards the door, but was jerked back. Ailey would not budge. Her eyes were still filled with the terror of seeing two people knocked unconscious by a wave of light that should have been impossible. She did not need words to express what was going on in her mind.

  “I know you are scared and confused Ailey. I am too, but we have to keep moving. I promise I will try explain when we get some place safe, ok?”

  Not waiting for a response, Kel ran towards the door almost dragging Ailey behind her. The glass crunched beneath their shoes as the ran out of the front doors. It would have been harder to make their way around the shards of glass protruding from the metal frame, except the blast that hit the door bent the metal outwards, making the doorway more of a jagged circle than a rectangle. They ran quickly into the front parking lot looking all around them for a clear sign of where to go next. The road was too risky. That would be the obvious choice, and they all knew that is where the others would look first. No, they had to find another way.

  Ailey ran to the right a few feet looking at the tree-line. It was like she was studying it. She ran further down, stopping again to look at the surrounding trees.

  “What is she doing?” asked Graham.

  “I don’t know, but whatever she is doing, I am following. Like I said earlier; she notices everything,” replied Kel.

  Ailey kept running a few strides, then stopping to look at the trees. She kept this pattern until they were half way around the building from the front entrance, when all of a sudden Ailey started jumping up and down in excitement. She waved them on and pointed at the edge of the forest.

  “What is it Ailey?” asked Kel, looking at the tall pine trees. “I don’t see anything. Do you want to climb the tree to get a better look?”

  Ailey shook her head side to side. Moving her hand back and forth, she kept pointing into the forest, then she pointed to two trees. Looking at Kel, she put the tips of her index fingers together and drew an imaginary square in the air.

  “Box?”

  Ailey shook her head again. She made a small rectangle with her index fingers and thumbs and twitched her right index finger like she was clicking a button, then she traced the rectangle in the air again.

  “Picture? Picture frame?”

  Shaking her head rapidly up and down, she pointed back to the forest.

  “You saw this in the picture from that office?

  Ailey smiled again shaking her head ‘yes.’ Graham looked up at the trees and noticed that they were two large maple trees. The other trees surrounding them were pines.

  Ailey tugged at Graham’s shirt. She held her hand up with her fingers straight and wove her hand through the air like a snake moving along the ground.

  “The path!” said Kel. She looked down at Ailey and grabbed her shoulders. Is this the path that led back to the Manor?

  Her head bobbed up and down again.

  “You are kidding. I don’t see a path anywhere. Y ou remembered what kind of trees were beside that path in the picture?” asked Graham.

  Again, Ailey shook her head up and down.

  Shrugging one shoulder, Graham said, “Ok, let’s see if you are right.”

  Graham walked over to the two maple trees, now stripped bare from the autumn winds. Grass and undergrowth had grown up to at least their waists. It was hard to navigate through while you were carrying someone on your shoulder. Kel went first, trying to bend some of the saplings to the side making it easier to let Graham and Ailey pass. After they got in twenty feet or so, the underbrush began to clear away revealing a small trail, or what used to be one. Flowers and small saplings had almost overtaken the trail, but if you
looked closely, you could still see where the constant use long ago had worn a permanent path in the ground.

  “You saved us again,” said Graham, wincing in-between grunts caused by the heavy load slumped over his shoulder.

  Ailey pulled her head into her shoulders in a shy, thankful reaction as her cheeks became slightly rosy. Visible puffs of white smoke came from her mouth in the cold air.

  “Do you remember how the trail led through the forest? Do you think you can lead us to one of those small cabins?” asked Graham.

  Ailey pulled her head back out of her shoulders and shook her head up and down.

  “Wait, we can’t go to the cabins. Once they realize we did not follow the road, don’t you think that will be the next place they look?” asked Kel.

  “If they even know it is here. That picture was pretty old. They may not realize how big this compound is,” said Graham.

  “I don’t know if we can take that chance.”

  Graham stood there for a moment. It was freezing outside. It would be hours before the frost melted away, but he would rather freeze to death than get caught again. Looking into the trees, he said, “You are right. Our best bet is in the woods.”

  Kel and Ailey looked at Graham, and with a nod of agreement, they took off into the foliage. As they walked through the brush, Graham thought of ways to keep everyone safe. Who knows what lay ahead. In case they had to run, they needed to have a plan.

  “I think we need to lay down a few ground rules, so if we ever get separated, then we will know what to do. First, I think we need to agree on where we are trying to get to. If we cannot go to the cabins, then we need to aim for something else, like that large clearing in the trees. If they come and we have to run in different directions, then that is where we meet again. Next, if we can keep tabs on the trail, then we should try to stay off it and in the foliage, so even if they catch up with us, they won’t be able to find us. I don’t know how far back these woods go, but we won’t last one night out here in the cold. We have to be sure we are not getting lost.”

  Kel reached down and placed both of her hands around Ailey’s, cupping them in hers. She blew in-between her thumbs, trying to warm Ailey’s hands. She then removed her coat and draped it over Ailey’s shoulders.

  “Here you go. Better?”

  Ailey shook her head ‘yes’ as she continued to shiver in the cold morning air.

  “Ailey, do you think you can bounce back and forth between us and the path to keep us on track?” asked Graham.

  The shivers ceased as she ardently shook her head up and down.

  “What are you doing? She is not getting near that path.” Kel was getting angry, and she made no effort to hide it. “She is eleven! What if she gets caught? Are you willing to risk her life, because I am not!” Kel wrapped her arm around Ailey as if protecting her from Graham.

  Graham kept calm, even though his automatic reaction told him to yell. “Kel, she is the smallest one. She can move in and out of that brush without making a noise. Plus, the extra movement will keep her warmer.”

  Kel kept her cold stare.

  “You know I am right, so lay off the stare. I still haven’t figured you out yet.” Graham was running out of breath, grunting with every step. “We’ve got to stop for a minute. I can’t carry Damien much further.”

  Graham looked around them for a spot to lay Damien down. Just beyond a patch of holly bushes, Graham spotted a couple of fallen trees.

  “Let’s go over there behind the trees. We can rest for a minute or two until I can catch my breath.”

  Ailey and Kel pulled back some branches to let Graham pass through the brush. He knelt down and let Damien’s legs touch the ground, letting his back flop against the trunk of one of the fallen trees. His head slung back and hit the trunk making his head rebound back against his chest.

  “Ooohh, sorry amigo,” Graham said. He moved closer to Damien’s face and waited to see the small clouds of white smoke puff from his mouth.

  “Good, at least he is still alive,” said Graham.

  “Graham, about earlier…” said Kel.

  “What about it?” said Graham in a very stand-offish tone of voice.

  “You don’t talk too much. I was only trying to lighten the mood a little.”

  Graham sat silently waiting for Kel to continue, though he really did not want to hear what she had to say.

  “I mean, you do tend to get a little bossy, but that’s beside the point.”

  “Oh, really. And you are a perfect little gem.”

  “No, I didn’t say that. Look, you got us out of that warehouse, and for that, we are grateful.”

  “But…?”

  “But what? I am trying to make amends here. Why is it so hard for you to accept it?!”

  “Because you lied about your power. My whole life people have lied to me, except Damien, and look at him. He is unconscious!”

  “Look who’s talking! You made everything around us hover!”

  “Yea, well at least I didn’t lie about it! I just didn’t say anything about it. There is a difference!”

  “Are you kidding me? Hiding it, lying about it. What difference does it make?! Sometimes what you don’t say is just as wrong as what you do say, so get off your high horse, Graham! WE are on the same side here.”

  Graham opened his mouth to react, but no words came out. He had never thought of it that way before. Was he really lying by not saying anything? That was a new one for him.

  “I…I..”

  “That’s right. You, you. That is all you care about, isn’t it. Well, I’ve got news for you, Graham. You are not the only one with issues and insecurities you’d rather keep in the dark.”

  “Would you two pump the brakes for a minute. Geez,” Damien mumbled under his breath as he held his hand to his head. “What in the heck happened? I feel like burnt death.”

  Graham twisted around. “Damien! You’re alive!”

  “Yeah….why wouldn’t I be? Why, was I almost dead or something?” Damien closed his eyes again, his body wracked with pain in every movement. He took a moment to clear his head, then opened his eyes to see where they were. “I am in the woods. We are in the woods. How did we get in the woods?”

  “It’s a long story, and trust me, you won’t believe how we got out here.”

  “I never believe what you say anyway.”

  “Well, at least you still have your wit intact. You had us scared, man. Very scared.”

  The mention of fear must have jogged Damien’s memory, because he shot up to his feet pointing at Graham and Kel with one hand still gripping his throbbing head.

  “You shot bright light from your hand! Both of you! How did you…..light and wind….pain….owww, my head.”

  Damien crumpled back to the ground. “Your wrists were glowing. Chase’s wrists were, too. Guys, those bands are real.” Damien looked up from the ground and made eye contact with the others. “I think we are officially part of their experiment.”

  Graham pushed his sleeves back to his elbows, exposing his forearm and wrists.

  “There is nothing there. Are you sure you saw them glow? Maybe the force knocked you silly.”

  “I know what I saw. I saw the same glow coming from Chase’s wrist when he had me in that headlock. I think it is an energy source, and I felt like he was draining it out of me. Maybe they drain energy from others to make themselves stronger or something. Whatever those bands are, I think they are why you did what you just did.”

  Damien looked down and started rubbing his wrists.

  “Whether we like it or not, they are a part of us now.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  He's The One

  He moaned a bit before he found the energy to sit up.

  A huge form was standing over top of Chase slapping his cheek with his hand.

  “Wake up, kid.”

  “Oh, man….what happened?” said Chase. “Uhh, my head.” Chase took the palm of his hand and massaged his temple as
he sat up straight.

  “I don’t know, you tell me. I just felt the building shake back and forth,” said Cavaness. Taking a look at the debris and the smashed door left behind by the blasts, Cavaness said, “Looks like we got some strong ones.”

  “Yea, they are strong alright. We’ve got an interesting mix this time. I’m pretty sure the little one’s a Bridge, and you’d be happy to know that we finally found ourselves another Pusher.”

  Cavaness stroked his goatee as he listened to Chase. “Its the older girl, isn’t it.”

  Cavaness held out his hand to help Chase to his feet. Chase stood slowly so that it didn’t make the pounding of his head worse. Once he was fully upright, he bent his head side to side, cracking his neck to loosen up.

  “Yep, though you are not going to get much out of her right now. She is pretty weak.

  “If she was weak, then who did all this?”

  “It was a combo. The little girl, Ailey, was cowering behind the two while I had the little latino boy hostage. I could see it before it happened. They both felt the connection, but I have never seen that level of strength before.”

  “So, it is him then, isn’t it.”

  “100%, no doubt in my mind. Graham is the one we have been searching for.”

  “I hope you are right. Who knows what they would do with limitless power.”

  “It is going to take some time. There is some sort of block with him. It is there alright, but it’s like there is a cork in the wine bottle. Something is holding it back. The power is there, but it only begins to build up, then it stops. He is going to have to learn how to pull that cork loose.”

  Cavaness looked out beyond the mangled front door to the woods beyond the parking lot.

  “Sometimes using a corkscrew isn’t enough. In some cases, you just have to let the pressure build up inside until it forces the cork free.”

  Cavaness shoved a manila folder into Chase’s chest. “I went back upstairs to have another look around. They found the files. It still amazes me every time that though our guests are so eager to flee this place, they always have time to snoop around.”