Control

by J. F. Jenkins

  “We have two,” JD said.

  “Excellent. Let us get into our positions then. We will want to be there before the blue tribe arrives,” Jaes said and got out of his chair. The others followed.

  Sucking down the last of his drink with a loud slurp, Orlando waved for Angela to follow him to the counter. She got there just as he finished ordering another drink.

  “Want anything else?” he asked as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.

  “Nah, if I drink too much I’m going to have to pee every five minutes.”

  “Good to know,” he said, and paid. Then he collected a bag and another large blended drink from the barista. They were about to head out the door together when JD grabbed her arm.

  Her brother’s eyes were filled with intensity as his gaze met hers. “Don’t do anything dumb and go looking for trouble, okay? If things get crazy, I want you to go home.” He then tapped Orlando on the shoulder to make sure he was listening as well. “You got that? Take her home.”

  “She’s in good hands,” Orlando said casually and took a sip from his drink. He didn’t falter in the slightest which was impressive because whenever JD was serious it kind of scared her. Mostly because if he felt the need to be so serious, then that meant there was probably a legitimate reason.

  They all walked outside, and Orlando led her to his car.

  “No sports car tonight?” JD observed, looking over the average, hybrid car Orlando was unlocking.

  “I’m slumming it.” He shrugged and opened the driver-side door. “I thought I’d take one of my sister’s cars so I could be a little more incognito. Besides, she thinks I’m at home. She won’t notice I’m gone if my car is still there.”

  The others all got inside her brother’s car. Jaes eyed Orlando and Angela as if he were uncertain of what to think of the two of them.

  “We’ll reconvene at your headquarters no matter what happens.”

  “You got it,” Orlando said, and started the car. He glanced at the clock, and so did Angela. “Eleven-fifteen. Something tells me we won’t be back for at least a couple of hours.”

  She shrugged. “My parents think I’m with one of my friends. They won’t care.”

  “That’s not what concerns me anyway. The ‘no matter what happens’ does though.”

  “I thought you said I was in good hands?” she teased.

  “You are.” He pointed at the others who were now driving away. “For a basic mission, that makes it sound not so basic. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure how much I trust our alien bosses. Especially since Alan couldn’t even give us the courtesy to tell us about his friend coming along. Makes me think something else is going on.”

  “Orly?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I think all that coffee’s made you paranoid.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cadence had been hoping she’d never see the tunnels again. Which made absolutely no sense, she knew that, but she could dream. The tunnels were too important to the whole Alturan operation. In fact, she was convinced the system, which was supposed to be for “maintenance purposes” created by the Earth architects, was actually made by the Alturans. And that frightened her most of all because then she could only wonder—how long has the war been on Earth? Alan had said once that the war had been going on for six years, but maybe even he didn’t know all of the facts.

  She let Jaes lead the way. He seemed to know the most about what was going on. Alan was even letting him give the orders which had her curious about their difference in rank. She was alone with the guy, so she had the opportunity to ask him all of the questions on her mind. Would it be considered rude of her? That she wasn’t sure of. Nor did she know if they needed to be quiet for the sake of the mission.

  Cadence wished she could have been paired with one of the others instead of someone she didn’t know. She didn’t do too well with strangers, especially men. JD was always better with new people than she was. Something about Jaes put JD on edge as well, which was strange. He hardly ever had an issue with anyone. He was also apprehensive around Alan. Maybe it has something to do with them being aliens?

  She and Jaes walked through the tunnels silently. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing is wrong,” Jaes said.

  “You keep staring at me.” He’d been doing it ever since they had separated from the rest of the group.

  He briefly met her gaze, and gave her a half-smile. “I apologize if it makes you uncomfortable. I’ve been trying to figure out how much to discuss with you right now. Your ability is fascinating to me. Alan has told me great details about all of you. But yours specifically has me intrigued.”

  “Why’s that?” She couldn’t imagine why her power would be so interesting. All she did was know things. Wouldn’t Orlando have been more special? He could do things, a lot of things. Or Angela. They were all still waiting to see what all she could do. And if JD ever grew into his powers... Especially if Cadence’s theory on what those were was correct. She’d need to do some more observation. She was convinced he did in fact have them. They were simply subtle for the time being, and when they stopped being subtle, they would be powerful.

  Jaes laughed softly and they walked into a small closet. “We will station here. There is a duct that connects to the main room. It is easy to hear through and not being used for storage,” he said and made himself comfortable on the floor. She stayed standing, not having the same confidence he did that they were safe or that their position was useful to begin with.

  “As for why your power is so fascinating, I guess it’s because I think knowledge is the most useful thing anyone can have. It is a rare gift, and burdensome. It’s something I understand well. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m available,” he added with a gentle smile that made her want to trust him and to consider opening up. She needed more than that to persuade her.

  “You have it too?” Cadence asked, wanting to know more about him.

  “It’s one of my abilities,” he said.

  “You have more than one?”

  “My ability is to copy others’ abilities. It was one I acquired from a friend of mine back home. At the time, I thought it would be a nice enhancement to the education I had already received. And it is, but it also is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Things were already complicated because I am considered a prodigy amongst my people. It changed a lot more than I thought it would,” he said.

  She took a moment to process the information. Jaes must have been well-thought-of back on Altura before he gained his knowledge. A completely different scenario than hers. Hardly anyone thought much of her. She was beautiful, like a model even, and that was about all anyone thought she had going for her. And she knew that for a fact because it was all she’d ever been told by her peers, including JD. While he was a bit more generous with the compliments, he never called her a genius either. Nor did she want him to, because she had always understood her own limitations. What hurt her was that only he and her mother were willing to help Cadence keep pressing on. The teachers had given up on her, and so had her peers.

  And Jaes was staring at her again with wide, innocent-like eyes as if expecting an answer.

  Could she trust Jaes and talk about her ability with him? “I’ll keep it in mind,” she said and that was the most she could promise. She would consider it. Having someone to talk to who understood would be nice. JD certainly didn’t get it, given all their recent conversations about the whole issue. Her mother was usually her other confidante but Cadence couldn’t talk to her either. Angela was an option, but the girl had enough to deal with trying to get her own powers under control. It didn’t feel like good timing. Orlando was difficult to read. No doubt he was capable of holding a deep conversation, but he also didn’t seem too empathetic or interested in connecting on such a level. Which left her with Alan and his friend from the ship. Alan put up walls, his friend did not. Jaes could be worth trying if he could prove himself as trustworthy.

>   He nodded. “You don’t like me.”

  “What?” She blinked, surprised.

  “You’re tense and short with me. I noticed your comrade didn’t care much for me either with how much he glared the whole time in the car. If I’ve done something to offend either of you...”

  “No, you haven’t. JD is...I don’t know what his problem is to be honest. As for me, I’m shy, and a little apprehensive I guess. If I’m being honest, I don’t know what to think of you. I can’t say I don’t like you because you seem nice, but I can’t say I like you either because—”“

  “I haven’t given you a reason to as of yet. Not outside of common courtesies,” Jaes finished and she was surprised he said the exact same words she was going to. She’d never had anyone finish her sentences before.

  “Right, so it’s nothing personal,” she said instead.

  “Of course not. Thank you for clearing my conscience. Alan is one of the few I would call friend, and I would like to do more work with your team as a whole. You’re an impressive group, and that is why I had to be sure. The last thing I want to do is cause unnecessary conflict and be where I’m not welcome. I appreciate your honesty.” He flashed a smile, and she loved how genuine it seemed.

  Something about the way his eyes lit up when he did it made her realize that he couldn’t lie even if he wanted to. Maybe that was why he had rubbed JD the wrong way and had Alan on edge. Jaes was real, honest, and straight forward. So much so to the point where it was hard to believe. Who could be that honest? Wasn’t it more natural to lie? Anyone who acted so perfect needed to be watched closely. Cadence wouldn’t mind doing that one bit. Much like Alan, Jaes was easy to look at but in a different way. Alan could easily be a model, and Jaes had similar potential if he was more cleaned up.

  Are all the guys on Altura so good-looking?

  “Now I believe you are the one who’s staring.” Jaes laughed.

  Cadence could feel her cheeks grow hot, and she hoped he didn’t notice. “Still trying to decide what to think about you. Those are all good things to know.”

  The sound of a door closing, and footsteps, came through the duct. The clarity of the sound was impressive, almost as if she were in the other room herself. Could the person in there hear her just as easily? She closed her mouth tightly, breathing quietly, so she wouldn’t have to find out. Jaes’s eyes watched the duct, as if expecting someone to come through it. He was much more relaxed than she, and lay down, leaning his ear close to the metal grate covering the small tunnel. How did Jaes know they would be meeting there? Simple deductive reasoning? They would have to talk about it later.

  Whoever was in the room was singing softly as he moved about. She wished she could see, but JD and Alan’s position was the one which allowed for that. Their powers were more aggressive. At least, Alan’s were. His ability to teleport would also be of good use in case they got caught. She glanced at her watch. Five minutes past midnight.

  “They’re going in the tunnels,” Orlando said through the communicator. “Bean, Sprout, Alan’s lover-girl, and three kids from my school. Dale’s one of them, but he’s still not sold on the idea. Pretty sure something bad is going to go down if he says no. There’s more but I’ll tell you later at The Apartment.”

  Jaes raised both of his eyebrows and looked up at Cadence.

  The action would be starting soon. There was the sound of rustling paper and then the screech of something heavy being moved. Ten minutes later she heard a door open and the sound of footsteps.

  “Excellent, I was hoping there would be three of you tonight,” a man said. Cadence recognized his voice—The Doctor.

  “These two are for sure in. This one however needs a little more convincing,” said a female voice that Cadence knew to be Sprout’s.

  “And what exactly are you so unsure of?” The Doctor asked.

  “Why,” a soft male voice said.

  “That’s a pretty vague thing to wonder about. Care to be more specific?” The Doctor said, and his heavy footsteps pounded across the room. Cadence would know their sound from anywhere. So much about her encounter with him, Sprout, and Bean was permanently engraved into her mind. All of the details were as clear as the day it had all happened.

  There was a quiet shuffling of feet before the soft voice spoke again. “Why go through all of this trouble? Why go against our permission to make it happen? Why are you even doing it to begin with?”

  “A little more progress, but still a lot to answer. There’s a lot going on, and some of it I don’t want to share until you take the pledge,” The Doctor said. “Still, if it’ll ease your mind to know a few things beforehand, I can do my best to tell you. Have you ever believed in something so strongly you’d do anything to make sure it went the right way? Even to the point where you’d do something normally considered unethical?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “There are a lot of things that inspire this kind of a reaction. Religion? Politics? A girl you love? Think hard, and maybe you’ll see what I mean.”

  “So what you’re saying is you were desperate to do something for your cause and attacked a bunch of kids? Now you want us to join in?”

  The Doctor laughed. “I am not desperate.” Cadence didn’t believe him. She didn’t think the mystery guy did either.

  “Sure,” he said. “This is the part where you sell me your grand plans. I want to believe you, so please just tell me instead of dodging.”

  “I don’t know if I can trust you yet.”

  “Then I guess we’re in a catch-22.”

  “Nah,” The Doctor said. “There is no catch because you owe me. You talk about force, and I remember you distinctly. Nervous, unsure, but you knew what you wanted when you came to me. Adventure and power, and I’ve given you both. Now you need to repay me with your service.”

  “I don’t need to do anything,” the guy said in disgust.

  There was a shuffle and a crash, and The Doctor growled. “Have you ever heard the phrase—I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it again? It’s pretty applicable right now I think.”

  A soft hum filled the air and Cadence could hear a girl whimpering.

  “Please don’t hurt him,” she said, her voice barely louder than the hum.

  “Tori, what are you doing?” the guy asked.

  “Everyone, calm yourselves,” a new female voice said. It sounded familiar, and Cadence wondered if maybe it belonged to Alona. A few seconds passed and the humming died down. Alona spoke again. “Good. Now, Doctor, I think you’re being a bit unreasonable. We can simply brainwash the boy and make him do as we please. His powers are strong and useful. This is an opportunity we have to take.”

  “Brainwash?” the guy choked out.

  Cadence was losing track of who was saying what now. In fact, she wasn’t even sure what was going on. Then she heard a voice she wished she hadn’t.

  “Look, the guy said no, okay? What part of that didn’t you understand? The N, or the O?” JD said as confidently as ever.

  “Alanmendiquixanimackle...” Alona said quietly.

  A hand touched Cadence’s arm and she had to fight herself from screaming. Jaes was holding on to her gently. When she looked into his eyes, there was a slight determination behind his gaze.

  “We need to go now,” he whispered.

  “But what about—”

  He shook his head. “They will be fine. I’m sure they have a plan. We must stick with ours. There is little we can do to assist outside of going back to your headquarters and being ready for the others.”

  “All right.” She couldn’t argue with him anyway. He was right, and she would be useless in a battle. All she could do was hope.

  Don’t do anything stupid JD.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Everything happened quickly. JD saw The Doctor set up his lab, humming and smiling as if he were getting ready to have a party. When Sprout and the others came, the room was full of chairs and other equipment that hadn’t be
en there before. Dale was with them, and JD couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Until the conversation took a surprising turn.

  “Nah,” The Doctor said. “There is no catch because you owe me. You talk about force, and I remember you distinctly. Nervous, unsure, but you knew what you wanted when you came to me. Adventure and power, and I’ve given you both. Now you need to repay me with your service.”

  “I don’t need to do anything,” Dale spat before trying to leave the room. Sprout moved to stop him, shooting a long vine from her arm that he easily batted away with a black, gooey-looking fist. The blow sent her stumbling backward into one of the lab tables, and she knocked a few supplies off.

  The Doctor growled angrily and pulled out a gun. “Have you ever heard the phrase—I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it again? It’s pretty applicable right now I think.”

  The one girl in the group began to glow and there was a soft hum. As the light grew stronger, so did the humming, and steam began to rise from her body.

  “Please don’t hurt him,” she said.

  “Tori, what are you doing?” Dale asked.

  “Everyone, calm yourselves,” Alona said, and stepped in-between The Doctor’s gun, and Dale’s head. She waited until The Doctor put it down again before continuing with a small smirk. “Good. Now, Doctor, I think you’re being a bit unreasonable. We can simply brainwash the boy and make him do as we please. His powers are strong and useful. This is an opportunity we have to take.”

  “Brainwash?” Dale asked, swallowing.

  JD glared at Alan. “So you’re okay with just watching all of this and not doing something?” he whispered.

  With a sigh, Alan shook his head. “We can make an attempt to get your peer, but I’m not sure if it’s a wise decision.”

  “Helping someone out is never a bad idea,” he mumbled and then jumped down from the ceiling compartment they were hiding in—placing him right in the center of the room. Alan followed his lead, and everyone else in the room was stunned to silence.