Shadows of Deliverance

by Amy Hale

“This isn’t the first time you weren’t sure who you are,” said Colt. “In fact, that’s how I met you.”

  She shook her head. “I know who I am, and who I used to be. I sort of remember living here and at the other facility, although the details are muddled.”

  Colt moved to sit beside her. He pointed to the tattoo of his dad’s name. “In the hospital, you asked me about this one. I told you about my dad.”

  She saw glimpses of that memory and stared at his arm. She pointed to the one on his chest. “That one. It means something to me, doesn’t it?”

  He nodded. “This one represents you.”

  She smiled and reflexively reached out to touch it. When she realized what she almost did, she stopped.

  “No, please do. I don’t mind.” Colt’s voice took on a husky tone.

  Rachel cleared her throat. “I think you two need to talk through this first, we can deal with everyone else later.” She motioned for the others to follow her.

  Brett moaned. “Always when it starts getting good.”

  Colt shot him an annoyed look and Rachel tugged on his arm. They all shuffled out of the room leaving Colt and Jane alone.

  She ran her eyes over his face, scrutinizing his features before letting her eyes drift over his sculpted torso. He reached for her and she froze.

  “May I touch you?” His question felt like a plea. When she didn’t answer, he spoke again. “It’s been so long and I’ve missed you so much.” He swallowed and looked her in the eyes. “I worried they’d hurt you. When I’d been shot, I felt completely helpless. I let you down, Jane. I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head. Her mind pushed through a haze and found the memory of Colt being shot by Jeremy. Her terror and thinking he had died still felt recent. Without a second thought, she pulled him to her and kissed him.

  His shock at her sudden movement barely had time to register before he had his hands around her back and crushed her to his bare chest. He nudged open her lips to explore the kiss deeper and she moaned. Before he realized it, he’d picked her up and placed her straddling his lap.

  She pulled back and placed a hand on his chest to slow things down. “I know this is right, Colt. It all feels right. But I’m gonna need time. The memories are only slivers of what they should be and I get very confused.”

  He nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll wait for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes.”

  She ran her palm over his cheek. She felt so much love for this man she could hardly remember, but she had no doubts that he was meant for her, and she for him. “You wonderful, patient man.” Then she leaned in for another kiss.

  Jane and Colt joined the rest of the group in the gym. Karen and Katy stood up front to get everyone’s attention and Cameron released a whistle loud enough to wake the dead. All eyes turned to the small stage.

  Karen cleared her throat. “The Curators are no more. We are now our own people, to live life as we please. I realize that some of you have known no other way of life, but I assure you there is a better way.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Some of you are of age now, even though you were brought here as toddlers. Others of you have only been here a short while. We will work to help you put your lives back together.”

  She nervously glanced at Colt and Brett standing off to one side of the room. “I, too, became a prisoner. I was forced to leave my family when my boys were very young. It was the only way to ensure their safety from Professor Russell and his men. But now I’ve found them again.” The uncertainty in her voice made it shake. “And in time, we may be able to find all of your people too. Until then, you may stay with us and we will be your family, for however long you like.”

  A lifetime of servitude had come to an end. This realization caused many of the children to quietly sob with relief. They now had the freedom to live normal lives and determine how, when, and if their gifts would be used.

  Colt and Brett struggled to take in the explanation their mother gave for her absence. Jane gave Colt’s hand a squeeze and he kissed the back of her hand in response.

  At that moment, a veritable army came crashing through the doors. Armed men in what looked like riot gear filtered in with guns drawn. The children all screamed and dropped to the floor in terror. Two soldiers ran to opposite sides of the room and each placed an odd cylinder-shaped object on the floor. They pushed a button and the lights on the contraption started to blink rapidly.

  A large man with a handlebar mustache stepped forward and looked around. “Who’s in charge here?”

  Colt and Jane held hands as they stepped forward. “We are … now.”

  He walked to where they stood and looked them over. “Are either of you gifted?”

  They both nodded.

  He addressed Jane. “Would you happen to be Alice Daniels?”

  Colt crossed his arms. “Who wants to know?”

  The man smiled. “I’m Casey Easton. I work for I.I.P.R., have you heard of us?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “Integrity in Paranormal Research. We had originally been part of The Curators before Professor Russell took over. When he went rogue, all the other branches pulled out and we formed our own organization. I assure you, we are nothing like him or his fanatical ideas.”

  He held something out to Jane. “Miss Daniels, your father wanted you to have this.”

  She frowned and looked at the object he placed in her hands. A photo of her mother, father, and a smiling eight-year-old Jane stared back at her. Her memory of the train ride was faint, but in her mind nonetheless. Tears filled her eyes.

  “On the back are the directions to a home in Indiana. It was left to you by your father. There is so much more to explain, but we don’t really have the time right now.”

  He looked at Colt. “Is the situation under control here?”

  Colt nodded. “Yes, the two guys that had taken over are locked up in the basement cells.”

  Casey turned and motioned for his men to go check it out. Several of them jogged from the room, guns drawn. He turned back to Colt and Jane. “We have a facility for gifted criminals. They are treated well and our aim is to keep them comfortable where they can hurt no one but still have a decent existence. We’ll move the men there and get them out of your hair.”

  Jane held up a hand. “Wait? How did you know we needed help?”

  Casey pushed the brim of his ball cap back and smiled. “Believe it or not, we got a call from Julia. She explained everything and said you needed aid. We flew right out.”

  “What about Julia?” asked Jane.

  He pressed his lips together, trying to conceal a laugh. “Miss Julia was located and brought in for a full debriefing, then we helped her forget The Curators ever existed. She is no longer a threat of any kind.” He looked at his watch. “In fact, in about forty-five minutes, she’ll be settling in to her window seat on flight 2456 to Boston. She has family out there that filled a missing person’s report years ago. They’ll be thrilled to see her.”

  Jane laughed and loved the way it felt. She stuck her hand out to shake his. “Thank you, Mr. Easton.”

  He shook her hand and smiled. “Please, call me Casey. I knew your parents. They were good people. When things calm down, please feel free to call me if there is anything you’d like to know.”

  She smiled, grateful for his kindness. “Thank you again. And please call me Jane. Alice isn’t who I am anymore.”

  He nodded and shook Colt’s hand as well.

  Colt nodded to the canisters on either side of the room. “What’s with those things?”

  Casey smiled. “Those are amazing. They suppress the gifted until we have a situation under control. Please don’t take offense at our use of them. We were unclear of what we were walking into here.”

  Jane smiled. “We understand. No harm done.”

  One of Casey’s men ran through the door. “Sir! Gregory escaped!”

  “How?” Casey bellowed.

  “We don’t know, sir.
He was gone before we made it to the basement,” the soldier stated.

  “Okay, spread out and search the woods. He can’t have gotten far.” Casey looked at Jane. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him. He’s our problem now.”

  She nodded and hoped for the best.

  The next morning, Colt’s group found several brand new vans waiting for them outside. Casey had left a note instructing them to use them as they see fit. He also informed them that they hadn’t caught Gregory yet, but they expected to have him in custody very soon. Meanwhile, Jeremy was cooperating fully and they took him to a secure facility.

  Karen agreed to take over operations temporarily while the children waited to hear news of family or possible places to relocate. Any that didn’t want to leave would be able to move to one of the many schools across the nation that helped the gifted integrate into society without drawing attention to themselves.

  Jane sat on a sofa and held hands with Elana. She looked a little worse for wear and even Jane could only do so much for her.

  “I promise. I’m fine. Stop fussing over me, Kyler,” Elana complained.

  He hovered, and Jane could tell he wouldn’t entertain the idea of leaving her side.

  Elana looked at Jane and smiled. “I want you to concentrate and think about the snippets of memories you know to be true. I’m going to work to undo all the damage those dirt bags caused, but I don’t know how long it will take to really set in.”

  Jane nodded, thankful that a remote possibility even existed that she would regain some sanity. She still felt very off, even though Colt and her friends were helping a great deal.

  Elana closed her eyes for a moment and blew out a breath. “Jane, look into my eyes.”

  Jane did as told, and Elana placed her hands on either side of Jane’s head. Her gaze bore into Jane’s and for a moment Jane felt intensely uncomfortable. It felt as if Elana could peer into her soul. Then the darkness flooded her mind. It seemed to ooze around her. Slowly, the mass began to recede and allowed small slivers of color to poke through randomly. Jane willed herself to stay calm as sparks shot through the tar-colored haze and revealed glimpses of things she once knew.

  Little by little her life started coming back to her. She specifically remembered the last colors she had seen before she lost it all had been green and purple—Colt’s tattoo. In her mind, he’d been swallowed up by the darkness and erased forever. She had to credit that very tattoo for giving her pause and energizing a slight recognition when she’d been at her worst. The darkness drained as clarity filled her mind. She felt herself weeping as fear and confusion were banished.

  When Elana released her, Jane believed she had the majority of her old self back. She knew there might be small things that would take time, but the important things—the people she loved—were all back where they belonged: In her mind and heart.

  Colt’s original group decided to go back to the camp and settle in before they all arranged the next steps in their lives.

  Jane sat in the front passenger seat of one of the vans as Caesar, Rachel, Wes, Jocelyn, Blake, Elana, Kyler, and a man named Dr. Sands climbed inside. Dr. Sands had agreed to stay with Colt’s group on behalf of I.I.P.R. to assure everyone stayed healthy. Cameron and Katy approached the van and stopped to talk to Colt, then moved to talk to Jane.

  “Are you coming, Cameron?” Jane asked.

  He shook his head. “No, I’m gonna hang out here. They could use a little muscle.”

  Jane smiled. “That’s very kind of you.” She leaned out of the window and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

  He blushed and Katy laughed, then reached down and took his hand in hers. “I’ll take good care of him.”

  Jane smiled at the twinkle in Cameron’s eyes. He liked Katy and it appeared she liked him as well. “You two take care of each other.” She pulled Katy in for a quick hug.

  Colt and Brett gave their mother a hug with a promise to return soon. They had a lot of catching up to do and they didn’t want to waste any more time. Brett climbed in the back and Colt jumped in the driver’s seat.

  The clear blue sky and flat highway were much more preferable to the contrasted experience of hiking down the mountain. Jane reflected on all that had happened since she’d first escaped The Curators.

  She turned to face the back seats. “Dr. Sands, please tell me how you came to be a part of I.I.P.R.?”

  He beamed. “Ah, yes. Amazing research. It’s been very fulfilling. I started studying paranormal phenomenon for my thesis in college. Very compelling. So much so that I decided I wanted to devote my life to understanding these gifts and helping those that need it. I was recruited by the I.I.P.R. right out of school. By that time the factions had split and most of them went underground. Those that didn’t had been attacked by The Curators and forced to merge with them.” He grinned at her. “I’ve studied this topic and the gifted for many years. If you have questions, I might have answers.”

  She smiled and Colt cleared his throat. He glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Doctor, can someone develop abilities that had none before?”

  “Hmmm,” said Doctor Sands. “Can you give me an example?”

  Colt shrugged. “Me, I guess. I had nothing, although now I know my mom is gifted. But Brett and I were born normal.”

  Brett spoke up from the back. “Speak for yourself! I’ve got special talents, I’m just waiting for the right woman to share them with.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at Rachel.

  She rolled her eyes. “Shut up.” Then she pulled him to her and kissed him squarely on the lips. When she released him, he looked dazed and she smirked.

  Colt laughed. “If I’d known that would be all it took to shut his pie hole, I’d have asked you to kiss him weeks ago.”

  Everyone in the van laughed and Brett mumbled under his breath, still looking at Rachel with an awestruck expression.

  Dr. Sands leaned forward to hear Colt better. “So, you had no gifts, and now you do?”

  Colt nodded.

  “Interesting. What I do know is that we all have the genes responsible for the various abilities, but they are only activated in a small percentage of the population. I have yet to understand why. Maybe something triggered yours? When did it start?” Dr. Sands eagerness to hear the answer made him smile. The man’s curiosity practically spilled out of him.

  “It happened after I got shot.” He pointed to the back of the van. “They got me a doctor and blood transfusion. But at some point, I’d died, then miraculously came back. Now I have unsurpassed strength and I heal rather quickly.”

  Scratching his head, Dr. Sands considered this information. “Interesting. My guess is one of two things happened. The trauma and temporary death set off a chemical reaction that pushed your gifted DNA to mobilize. Or the blood used in the transfusion had been donated from a gifted person and has temporarily given you a taste of paranormal living.”

  “What if it’s the blood transfusion?” asked Colt.

  “Then you have about three months at most to enjoy the gifts, or suffer through them, depending on our opinion of it. Red blood cells have roughly a three-month lifespan. Once those are gone and new cells regenerate, you may be back to the pre-gifted version of yourself.”

  Colt nodded, and Jane reached across to squeeze his hand. “I don’t care. You know I love you no matter what.”

  He smiled at her. “I love you, too.”

  The van pulled up in front of the camp and everyone gladly climbed out and stretched. Caesar ran straight to the door, not wasting any time getting inside. Jane made a mental note to be sure to purchase more toys for him when they went to town. She didn’t know if she would or could have kids, but she knew that Caesar belonged with her and Colt.

  Colt unloaded a few of the supplies Casey had given them and he and Brett carried them inside.

  Wes grabbed Dr. Sands by the arm. “Let me show you around. We have an amazing library. I’m the one that took the bullet out of Colt’s sho
ulder, but something went wrong. Maybe you could teach me in case I need to do that again.” He pulled the doctor along as he chatted away incessantly about his genius and how he and the doctor would be great friends.

  Jane smiled as she watched them leave. Rachel walked by her and gave her a hug while everyone else disappeared inside the building. Brett ran back out to grab the last of the boxes and before he returned to the building he gave Rachel a sweltering kiss. He walked away whistling and Rachel had to fan herself.

  “I see the shoe is on the other foot.” Jane laughed.

  “Oh, honey, he’s always had the upper-hand, I just refused to let him know it. His ego doesn’t need stroking.” Rachel smirked. “But other things …”

  Jane stuck her fingers in her ears. “Oh, lord, you are as bad as he is. I don’t want to hear about stroking anything.”

  Rachel laughed and kissed Jane on the cheek. “I’m so very glad we are all back together.”

  “Me too,” Jane replied softly.

  Colt grabbed one final item from the van and then looked at Jane. “You okay?”

  She inhaled and exhaled, surveying the building before her and smiled. “Yes, I’m very much okay.”

  “Glad to hear it, beautiful.” He gave her a quick kiss and strolled to the front door. “Don’t stay out here too long.” He winked at her as he backed into the building and the door shut behind him.

  “I won’t,” she whispered. Her heart felt so full that she feared joy would burst through her chest.

  She looked around her and leaned against the van. Jane raised her face to the sun allowing herself to enjoy the rays that warmed her skin, despite the cold. She smiled. “Life doesn’t get any better than this.”

  The next thing Jane knew, she was lying on her back. Her ears rang painfully and smoke clouded her vision. She rolled over to pull herself up to her knees and coughed, trying to clear her airway. A sharp pain shot through her right leg when she tried to stand. As she looked down, she noticed blood running down her leg and it appeared to be badly broken. She reached down and touched her knee, willing the leg to heal so she could stand. She managed it just enough that she could now hobble without debilitating pain.