by Marina Epley
When we stop to change clothes, Holtzmann says, “I’ve never worn jeans.”
“Are you joking?”
“No, it’s true. My parents always preferred my wearing something more professional. I never chose the clothes I wore nor the food I ate. They thought I wasn’t capable of doing either one suitably.”
“Speaking of food,” I say. “Are you hungry?”
“I never feel hungry,” he says, “which is why Rebecca constantly brings meals and reminds me to eat. I simply forget.”
“Well, I’m hungry,” I pronounce. “Let’s get something to eat.”
When we come to the next town, I stop at a fast food restaurant, walk inside and return in five minutes with hotdogs. Of course, nobody saw anything. Back in the truck Holtzmann stares at his food almost in shock.
“These hotdogs have meat inside!” he exclaims.
“You don’t say,” I answer, rolling my eyes.
“My mother preferred healthier food,” he explains. “She was a vegan. And so am I.”
“Think of it as an experiment,” I suggest.
Holtzmann takes a cautious bite.
“You see? You’re not gonna die,” I say cheerfully.
“I hope not,” he answers.
“Maybe if you spend a few days around me, we’ll make a more normal person out of you.”
“I doubt it,” Holtzmann says. “I'm a freak in this world, just as you are. Maybe this is why I’m so curious about your kind. You know breakers could potentially treat people’s mental disorders. It’s all about the human brain. In a medical role, breakers would become very useful.”
“And then we all live happily together in peace,” I say sarcastically. “I don’t believe in that nonsense. Breakers will be always feared and hunted.”
“I believe that can and will change,” Holtzmann says.
After we eat, I drive on for a few hours more, then look for a place to stay for the night. A dilapidated farmhouse comes into view. It appears to be abandoned. I decide to give it a try. We leave the truck far away and walk toward the crumbling structure. It’s not too cold in this part of the country. We can spend the night inside of what’s left of this building.
It’s dark inside and the air is stale. We sit on the floor, each deeply immersed in our own thoughts. I think of Kitty. I can’t get rid of a nagging feeling that my sister has gotten herself into trouble.
“So, what’s next?” Holtzmann asks. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”
“I need to find somebody,” I say. I don’t want to give him much information because I still don’t fully trust Holtzmann. He understands everything immediately anyway.
“Is it the girl?” he asks. “I’ve studied the report… it said you had a young female companion as the second member of your party.”
I don’t answer.
“She must be a breaker,” Holtzmann continues. “Am I right? You can trust me. Elimination will never learn about this.”
I remain silent.
“How are you planning to find her?” Holtzmann wonders.
“I don’t know yet,” I admit.
“Use your telepathic skills.”
“Listen, professor. I’ve tried. I can’t see things whenever I want to. It happens spontaneously. I don’t know how to use those abilities.”
“You don’t have to know how,” Holtzmann says. “That you have the ability is good enough. Believe me, I’ve studied your kind long enough to understand such matters.”
“I don’t even understand how telepathy works. I always thought it was another stupid myth about breakers. How is it even possible?”
“Well, nobody knows for sure, but all human thoughts give off a certain vibration of sorts,” Holtzmann explains. “Some mind breakers have a higher level of sensitivity to such vibrations. You are included in this group. You can somehow feel or hear them and hone in on their signal. You just need to concentrate on the subject. Having a strong emotional attachment with a subject surely helps.”
“How could I connect with Lena then?” I wonder. “I didn’t even know her.”
“She was looking for you, and your signal is very strong. Consider looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack, only in your case, the said needle is approximately as bright as the North Star. Lena made the connection which subsequently triggered your visions.”
“It’s all too complicated for me,” I say tiredly.
“The science possibly, but the ability itself comes very naturally to you.”
“Why does it hurt like hell, if it’s so natural?”
“Does it?” Holtzmann asks. “I’ve never heard about other breakers experiencing pain during the process of hypnotizing or during a telepathic session.”
“I must be the lucky one.”
“You don’t like being a mind breaker, do you?” Holtzmann asks.
“No,” I admit. “I actually hate it. Just being a normal human being would make my life much better.”
“You may be blocking yourself somehow through your own personal rejection of being a breaker. Most breakers appreciate their special abilities. You’re likely causing the headaches yourself. And you may additionally be preventing yourself from seeing visions. You only need to fully embrace being a breaker, believe in yourself and your abilities.”
“Tomorrow,” I say, “I’ll begin believing in myself and embrace being a breaker. But now I just want to sleep.”
I lie down and close my eyes tightly, but can’t turn my mind off. I keep thinking of Kitty. Looks like using telepathic abilities is the only way to locate her. I try really hard, envisioning her. I don’t know if it’s gonna work. I just continue thinking of Kitty and hope to catch a glimpse where she might be.
It eventually works but when I do get a vision about my Kitty, she’s dead.
Chapter 17
My pulse is sky rocketing upon awakening. I’ve just seen Kitty lying in a puddle of blood.
Holtzmann approaches with a curious look on his face.
“What have you seen?” he asks.
I can only stare at him for a few seconds, unable to speak. I can’t fully understand what is real at the moment. Part of me remains lost in the vision. I shake my head to clear my mind.
“She’s dead,” I answer.
“The girl?” Holtzmann asks. “How do you know? What exactly have you seen?”
“I don’t know what I’ve seen,” I answer. “Lots of shooting and then blood being splattered everywhere.”
“Where is everywhere?”
“Inside a police station, I guess. I saw cops and people in ski masks.”
“And then you saw her.”
“Why? What do you care?”
“Scientific curiosity mostly,” Holtzmann says. “I’ve never gotten an opportunity to work with telepaths. Lena was Carrel’s breaker and I couldn’t properly examine or test her.” He pauses, thinking. “Have you fully experienced her death or you’ve just seen her dying?”
“What does it matter?”
“Well, you don’t actually perceive reality in real time through telepathic visions. What you see is just another person’s perception of reality. In other words, you see what’s happening in somebody’s mind and experience the same range of emotions and physical sensations.”
“You mean seeing somebody dead doesn’t always mean the person is dead?”
“Correct, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve witnessed an actual death at all,” Holtzmann states with confidence. “You may have seen the girl’s anticipation of some future event, her own imagining of possible variants and outcomes. In this case, the subject is considering her own death. If she were really dead you wouldn’t just see it. You’d experience the death in your mind as if you were her.”
“What have I seen then?” I ask. “It looked like an attack or something. Somebody breaking into a police station.”
“When will it happen?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Holtzma
nn insists. “Concentrate. Think about it.”
I close my eyes, thinking hard. My head is still spinning and I’m shaky. When will it happen, I ask myself. When?
“Tomorrow,” I blurt out. “It’s gonna happen tomorrow. Wait… Does this mean I can see the future?”
“No. What you saw wasn’t the future. It was somebody’s thoughts about the future.”
I’m trying to understand what Holtzmann is telling me. It’s very confusing.
“I have to be there tomorrow,” I say. “How do I find the place?”
“You already know where it is,” Holtzmann answers. I knew he’d say something like that, and I have no clue where the place is.
“There must be another way,” I say.
“There’s no other way. You’re inside another person’s mind. You’re connected. You can get any information you want.”
“I don’t even understand what you’re talking about,” I say angrily. “I don’t have any connection right now.”
“You can’t turn on and off a telepathic connection. You have it or you don’t have it. And apparently, you have a very strong telepathic link with another subject. So, concentrate and tell me where the place is located.”
I don’t fully believe him, but try anyway. Concentrating, I think of Kitty. I draw her image from the depths of my mind. No vision comes.
“It’s not working now, I don’t know.”
“Of course you know!” Holtzmann shouts suddenly. “Tell me where it happens!”
I think for a few moments and say, “Back in the city where we lived.” Then I just stare at Holtzmann in surprise. I can’t understand how I know this. I only know that the information is correct. The police station from my vision is back in our city.
“There you go,” Holtzmann smiles. “What street?”
I close my eyes and imagine the police station. A few images cross my mind. They’re like photographs, moving fast and chaotically. I see a street sign, white distinct on green.
“Maple Street,” I read. I’ve never been there and never known a street with such a name. If it does exist it must be in the different part of the city, not in the area where Kitty and I used to live. “I need to get there by tomorrow.”
“Because you think you can find her there…”
“Right. And hopefully, she’ll still be alive.”
“What are we waiting for then?” Holtzmann exclaims. “Let’s go! We have a long road ahead.”
“Wait a minute now. You won’t be going with me this time.”
Holtzmann looks up at me with panic stricken eyes.
“You can’t do this!” he objects. “I have to verify our hypothesis and continue my observations. I have to verify whether or not you can locate her. It’s important for my work. I have to collect as much data as possible, and to do that I must be present. Can’t you understand? This is what I live for!”
He looks like he’s about to become hysterical. I sigh. I realize he’s right, although it’s not for the sake of science I’ll be bringing the professor. We’re in the middle of nowhere. I can’t leave this epileptic psycho out here alone.
“You’re the most ridiculous hostage who’s ever existed,” I say. “All right then, Holtzmann. Let’s go.”
Surprisingly, we find the pickup truck right where we’d left it. I don’t want to use it though. I wait for a lonely car and send my thoughts toward a driver. My head hurts, but to a lesser degree than usual. The car slows to a stop. The driver gets out of the vehicle, wearing a vacant look on his face. I remember Kitty stealing a car with the same technique. What shocked and seemed almost impossible to me a few weeks ago, now doesn’t give me even the slightest pause. I’m obviously developing my breaker’s abilities. But I still wish I were more normal.
Inside the car I find a GPS and punch the police station on Maple Street in. The thing tells me directions. It’s dark outside and I have to drive slowly. My night vision is poor and the road looks blurry.
“You can’t go with me everywhere you know,” I say. “We’ll need to split soon. Do you have any place to go?”
“I could return to my parent’s house,” Holtzmann says. “But I won’t. I’ll go back to my work.”
“Why? You said you were a prisoner there.”
“I don’t like the methods Elimination employs,” he explains. “But I truly believe the results of my work will benefit all of mankind, inclusive of breakers. I can’t give up now.”
“How exactly are you planning to save humanity?” I ask, hoping the conversation will help me keep awake.
“First, I need to figure out how breakers and humans can coexist peacefully,” Holtzmann answers. “We need to begin with something small, to demonstrate humans and breakers aren’t enemies. A community project utilizing a breaker team with you as its leader could possibly be that first small step. I was very disappointed when you refused to participate. It was my pet project.”
“Yeah, Browning was disappointed as well. He sent Bulldog’s gang to beat some sense into me, and failing that, condemned me to the Death Camp.”
“What are you going to do after you find her?” Holtzmann asks, changing the subject.
“Keep her alive,” I answer, “even if I have to die again.”
“Why do you think you might die?”
I remain wordless for a few seconds and then decide what the heck? Why don’t I tell him?
“Remember those terrorists from the news?” I say. “I think she’s with them.”
It’s well past sunrise when we arrive in the city. I worry it may be too late and we won’t be able to find anybody.
We find Maple Street easily enough and drive along it. Before long, I notice an old two story building with a lot full of parked police cars. Slowly, I drive past and park at a convenience store with a nearly empty lot. Then I just sit inside the car, thinking. My hands are still on the steering wheel.
“What now?” Holtzmann asks.
I don’t have an answer. I only know this is exactly the same police station which I saw in my vision last night.
“Rex, what will happen there?” Holtzmann wonders. “You saw a terrorist attack, didn’t you?”
“I’m not sure. Everything happened too fast.”
“Maybe calling Elimination wouldn’t be a bad idea? We might give them an anonymous call, provide some information and then drive away.”
“They would track us down. Elimination is the last thing I want to see here.”
“Maybe we could inform the city police?”
“And say what? That I had a vision that they’ll be attacked by breakers? We’ll be lucky if they just think I’m crazy. Most likely they’ll contact Elimination and in the meantime lock me away in a padded cell.”
“What are we going to do then?”
I frown, trying to create a plan in my mind. It’s harder than it seems. I haven’t slept, driving for half the night. My reflexes are slower than normal.
“I’ll just go take a look around,” I say. “Maybe I’ll see something or recognize somebody.”
Perhaps the police officers won’t pay much attention to me, I hope.
“I’ll go with you,” Holtzmann offers.
“Not this time. You’re staying right here, inside the car.”
“What do I do if something happens?”
“Nothing. Just stay away from any trouble and keep low.”
“Good luck,” Holtzmann says.
I get out of the car and walk slowly toward the police station. The city is waking and a few pedestrians pass by.
Approaching the police station, I notice a large black minivan parked on the other side of the road. Somehow it captures my attention. I walk pass it, then turn and go back for a second look. Part of me still rejects accepting the vision as being accurate. At the same time I have an intuitive assurance that Kitty is somewhere very close.
A police officer walks out of the station, swaying. His eyes are unfocused and foggy. He staggers to the middle of the r
oad and collapses onto the concrete. A couple of strangers offer assistance, but they can’t figure out what’s wrong with the guy. Although fully awake and visibly unharmed, he can’t answer a single question. I immediately understand he’s hypnotized. Breakers are already inside the police station. I was right.
I run toward the building, drawing Wheeler’s gun that I’ve kept hidden under my shirt. I slow down when I get inside and walk carefully down the hall, sticking close to the wall. I hear voices coming from different parts of the building. I see a few more officers lying on the floor, others wandering around with the same meaningless expression and unfocused eyes. Somebody has put them deeply under. The officers don’t even notice me.
I enter a large office to the sound of gunfire and see several people in camouflage and wearing ski masks. They are well-armed and shooting into the few unlucky officers still in the room. Elimination officers dressed entirely in black, I realize. What are they doing here? A few cops are sprawled across the floor, dying. They must have been directed under hypnosis to attack the Elimination guys and were shot down.
I notice two teens wearing bright orange jumpsuits, sitting on the floor and covering their heads. I spot blocking collars on their necks and understand what’s going on finally. A group of breakers have attacked the police station where Elimination was temporarily retaining freshly captured breakers.
In spite of a valiant effort at concealment, I recognize her. A short thin figure all decked out military style. A ski mask with a matching dark gray uniform, tight fitting and tucked into heavy military boots. She’s firing a large .45 in direction of the Elimination officers.
“Kitty,” I whisper in frustration.
“Damn it!” she curses, as she runs out of ammo. She is definitely in harm’s way.
I notice an Elimination officer, gun raised, drawing a bead on Kitty. I don’t have time to think. I just shoot, aiming in the direction of the officer. In spite of any consequences, I have to protect my little sister! I miss as he quickly drops behind a desk. I continue firing until my gun is empty. Then keeping low, I crawl through the room toward the officer. I have to stop him. He fires at Kitty, but she’s managed to take cover. Risking a bullet, I rise up and charge into the officer, tackling him. It takes him by surprise. I slam my empty gun into the side of his head a few times and the officer becomes motionless. Still not noticing me, Kitty rushes to rejoin the main group of breakers near the entrance.
