by Stacy
"Oh my god," Trisha said.
"What a dumb ass," Stella said.
Right there smack dab in the center screen was Carter. He pulled back the hood on his sweatshirt as he approached the gate.
"Which camera is that?" Trisha asked.
"That's the front gate," Alaric said. "He's serving himself up on a platter for us."
Carter looked right into the camera and tapped on the lens. "Hello...Is this thing on?" he asked and then he flipped the camera the bird. "Anybody home?"
"What a douche bag," Stella said.
"Should I get the others?" Trisha asked, as she made her way towards the door.
Alaric stopped her with an upraised hand.
"No, just wait. You guys stay here," Alaric said. "I'm going out to talk to him. Alone."
Trisha and Stella exchanged a curious glance, but if they had objections, they stayed quiet about it.
"Don't worry," he said noticing their apprehension. "I am more than prepared to handle this guy."
Chapter 6
Carter was about to leave, when the steel double doors spread wide to each side, revealing a long hallway made of polished metal walls and a concrete floor. The entrance to their base was carved into the side of a mountain, offering seclusion and security to the All Americans. Just the entrance alone must have cost more than the entirety of the Compound. Carter knew well, the extravagant costs of running this operation from his own time as a member of the All Americans team. From fancy helicopters, to the latest in tracking technology, the All Americans spared no expense. It was a far cry from their little Compound in the woods outside of Seattle.
Out came Alaric, dressed in his superhero suit. It was a tight fitting affair that showed off his incredible muscle tone. Carter assumed the material was something akin to spandex, only much more durable. The legs of the suit were black and the top was red with black diagonal lines running across the chest.
"Nice outfit," Carter flashed a wide grin at him, as Alaric approached. "You get all dressed up for me?"
"Where have you been?" Alaric asked. "We've been looking all over for you."
"I'm sure you have," Carter said. "Which is ironic, because we have not wanted to be found by you. We've been doing this thing; called hiding out."
"If you don't want to be found, what in the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm here because I've got questions, and even though you're not the brightest berry on the bush," Carter quipped, "I'm gonna wager you have more answers than most."
"Always the smooth talker, Carter. You really know how to stroke people."
"Well I'm not really into dudes, but if that's what it's gonna take," Carter stepped towards Alaric with his hand extended at his crotch.
"Fuck you, Carter!" Alaric said slapping his hand away. "I'm in no mood for your shenanigans. Get to your point"
"Okay, okay,' Carter put his hands up submissively. "Look, I just came to talk."
There was a moment of silence before Alaric said, "Talk then."
Alaric folded his massive forearms over his chest and waited.
"What the fuck is really going on?" Carter questioned.
"You already know what's going on. In the name of public safety, we are rounding up the Users who refuse to come forward willingly to register," Alaric said.
Carter scoffed at the notion. His bullshit meter was going off the charts. Maybe Evan's paranoia wasn't so misplaced after all.
"Do I look like a complete asshole to you?"
Alaric laughed, "Well, you said it."
"Don't feed my some line of bullshit you practiced in the mirror earlier. Who are you trying to convince with that lie, me or yourself?" Carter asked.
Alaric came in close to Carter, "Alright, Carter. I'm going to level with you. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye."
"Well, that's putting it mildly." Carter interrupted sarcastically.
Alaric sighed and rolled his eyes. "Can't you just shut up and focus for a minute?"
"Sorry."
"You used to be an All American, you know the pressure," Alaric said in a hushed tone. "And now you are a leader at the Compound,"
Carter caught Alaric off guard when he punched him square in the nose. "Oh yeah, that's for the Compound, you dick."
"Seriously man?" Alaric said rubbing his sore nose.
It wasn't a very hard punch, just enough to convey the message, but it sent Alaric back a step.
"Hey, you deserved it...please continue"
"As I was saying, you're now a leader,well I guess as close to a leader as you will ever get"
Carter shot him a glare.
Alaric leaned in close to Carter's ear and continued in a hushed tone. "You see, there is a scientist working for the government, and this scientist has discovered a way to extract the powers from Users, and transfer them to normal humans. They're planning to bottle up our powers and give them to soldiers to create a super powered army."
"That's ridiculous. Why doesn't the military just hire Users to do their dirty work?" Carter asked.
"You don't understand," Alaric said. "This scientist can take the power of one User and replicate it. He can then transfer it to one hundred soldiers. We're talking about seal team six type of characters, all equipped with the powers of a Mover."
"Sounds like they're going to put you out of business," Carter said.
"Maybe," Alaric conceded. "But this is your chance."
"Chance, for what?"
"Your chance to be rid of your powers," Alaric said. "I know your powers are one of the main reasons you were a drug abuser. How many of your companions back at the Compound would be better off without their powers? How many of them wouldn't have turned to drugs and alcohol if they had just been regular humans?"
"There's no way to possibly know that."
"Speak for yourself then," Alaric said. "If you didn't have the discomfort that comes with being a Scorcher, the constant burning sensation that runs through your veins, would you have abused drugs?"
"Maybe not," Carter agreed.
Alaric was hitting him where it hurts and the worst part was that he was making sense. The idea of Users being stripped of their powers without their consent didn't sit well with him, but he couldn't deny the fact that he and possibly many of the Users at the Compound might have fared better in their fight against their addiction without their powers. Hell, many of them might never have had the addiction in the first place.
"Take a little friendly advice," Alaric said. "Get rid of your powers. Start over fresh. Start a new life. A normal life."
Alaric was saying the things every addict wanted to hear, that he could have a fresh start. But could he really hope to keep all those skeletons in his closet? Would it even be possible for Carter to start over? There had been one overriding theme in his life for almost the last decade, he had been a recovering addict. It absorbed his thoughts and between the Compound and the Elks Club, it made up the vast majority of his days. He spent almost every waking hour helping recovering Users. Addiction and recovery was his life.
What would he even do with himself without being an addict or User? It was not a decision he could make lightly.
"Tell me where you're keeping the Users you captured at the Compound," Carter said. "I want to know they're okay first."
"I can't do that," Alaric said.
"Why not?" Carter asked.
"Just tell me where your friends are hiding and I'll go get them," Alaric said drawing a scowl from Carter. "Hell, we'll go get them together."
"I can't do that," Carter said. "I'll go talk to them and if they want in, I'll bring them to you."
Carter turned to leave, but Alaric grabbed him by the shoulder.
"You've got twenty-four hours. If I haven't heard back from you by then, we're coming after you," Alaric said, nodding at him.
"I hope you do," Carter said under his breath so only he could hear it. "I hope you do."
*****
Carter returned to the aban
doned house to deliver the news to his companions a short while later. He circled the house once to make sure no one was watching before landing just inside the picket fence that ran the length of the property. His landing was less than ceremonious. The grass in the abandoned yard was long, unkempt, and dry. He had to cut off the fires from his feet fast and high to avoid catching the yard on fire. He dropped from a full five feet in the air, landing hard on his feet, and falling back on his ass.
"Christ," Carter said as he dusted himself off and got back to his feet.
The sun was just starting to set over the Seattle skyline and the skyscrapers were casting their long shadows over the city. Carter wanted desperately to go hide in one of those shadows. To go and hide and never come out again. He had dealt with many problems since he joined the Users at the Compound, but this, this was something different. This time it was more complicated.
He shoved aside the board covering the back door and slid inside the abandoned home. Carter was startled to find Ryker waiting for him in the hallway.
"What?" Carter asked.
"It's Barber," Ryker said. "He's getting worse."
"What happened?"
"He's not handling this well," Ryker said. "Shortly after you left, he started crying, and he hasn't stopped since. I think he's really scared."
"Well he ought to be," Carter said and tried to walk around Ryker.
"What? Why?" Ryker side stepped to block Carter's path.
"I've got news, but I want to tell you all at once." Carter squeezed past Ryker and rushed into the living room to find Evan standing over Barber protectively.
Barber was lying on the floor in the fetal position.
"Barber." Carter knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.
He could feel the unsteady heave of Barber's shallow breaths in between his sobs. His normally cold heart broke a little for the kid in that moment. They had been close ever since Barber stuck a spike through his leg, way back on the first day they met. Shortly after they had trained together almost exclusively, and then Carter had been Barber's sponsor for a short time. They had seen some rocky times together, but had come through it all as better friends for it.
"Listen man," he said gently, "We've gotta talk."
Slowly, Barber calmed himself a little before he slid up the wall to a sitting position, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and rubbed his eyes; but still he didn't speak. Barber just stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with any of them.
"What did you find out?" Evan asked. "Are we skipping town or what?"
"You're going to want to take a seat for this," Carter said and he waited until Evan and Ryker took a seat on the floor before continuing. "They want our powers," he said plainly.
Carter went on to tell them about the scientist, the government, and the All American's role in this whole thing. He told them about how they could abstract their powers and give them to regular humans to create a super powered army. All the while the other three sat silent, listening intently to his every word. There was an awkward moment of silence between when he had finished and his companions processed all the new information.
"So Alaric wants you to bring us to him?" Evan asked finally breaking the silence.
Carter nodded in affirmation.
"So they can take our powers from us?"
Carter nodded again.
"No fucking way man. I'm not going; they can suck it," Evan said, grabbing his crotch.
"Yeah, you can count me out too, that's crazy," Ryker agreed. "Why would any User want to hand over their powers to the government? That's the equivalent of handing a toddler a loaded gun; they would never know what to do with it and someone is going to get hurt."
"Well, for me, it's not so simple to make that decision," Carter said drawing concerned glances from both Ryker and Evan. "You guys don't seem to understand what a burden some User's powers can be. Your powers don't burn you up on your insides like mine do, and I know I'm not the only User whose life would have been better off without these damn powers."
"I'll go," Barber blurted out.
Carter, Ryker, and Evan turned to eye him in unison.
"What?" Ryker asked with a quizzical expression.
"I think Carter is right," Barber said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "All these powers do is bring us pain. Look what happened to Walt. Look at what's happening to us now...and maybe...maybe if I wasn't some kind of freak, my parents wouldn't have left me at that orphanage."
"You can't think like that," Ryker said. "You have no idea why your parents may have done what they did."
"That's true, but maybe if I got rid of my powers, I could find my parents and things would be normal," Barber said.
Ryker had a stunned look on his face like he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but Carter knew better. Carter knew that Barber had some deep seeded parental issues from the time he spent as the young man's sponsor.
"If your parents ditched you because you're a User...I hate to say it, but maybe they aren't the kind of people you want to be reunited with," Ryker said. "Maybe they're not the kind of people you should be worrying about."
"What's the matter with you guys? There is nothing wrong with us," Evan said.
"That's easy for you to say." Barber turned on Evan. "Your powers are all hidden. You don't have two grotesque looking spikes that pop out of your skin. You're not the one who is a freak amongst freaks." And whether consciously or subconsciously, Barber itched the spot on his wrists where his spikes popped out of.
Evan finally shut his mouth. The man wore a dumbfounded expression as if Barber had just slapped him across the face.
"We've got twenty-four hours before they come looking for us," Carter said. "I don't want anyone making this decision before thinking about it first." Carter turned to stare directly at Barber. "If, after our twenty four hours are up, you still feel the same way, I'll take you to get yours powers removed myself."
"What are we going to do in the meantime?" Ryker asked. "And what about our friends? Are they having their powers removed against their will?"
"Everyone get some sleep. In the morning we're going to get some answers," Carter said.
Chapter 7
They left the safety of the abandoned house before the sun had even crested the horizon that next morning. Carter knew they had little chance of Alaric and the All Americans not discovering their whereabouts once they were out in the open like this, but he hoped that his twenty-four hour deal with Alaric would buy them the amnesty they needed to roam freely about the city. At least until their time was up; then they were screwed.
It rained. A dense layer of gray cloud cover moved overhead, almost as if it were following them on their way across town.
"Where are we going?" Barber, who was finally talking again, asked.
"The Elk's Club," Carter said without breaking pace, but Barber froze in place.
"Won't they be looking for us there?" Barber asked, and Evan and Ryker stopped as well, as if the possibility hadn't occurred to them until that exact moment.
"Yes, but where else are we going to go to find other Users?" Carter asked. "Where would you go for help if you had escaped the Compound like we had?"
"The Elks Club?" Barber asked with his face contorted in confusion.
"There's nowhere else for them to go," Carter said. "And there is really nowhere else for us to go at the moment either. We're just going to have to risk it."
They walked silently the rest of the way through the city. No one but the occasional vagrant begging for spare change bothered them. It was a surreal feeling for Carter to know that while he walked free, his friends from the Compound were being held captive. He really needed his meds at that moment. He struggled to keep it together, but he couldn't escape the feeling that he was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
"Let's hurry inside," Carter said as he rounded a corner and the Elks Club came into view.
It was hard to miss
amongst the gleaming glass structures that towered over it on all sides. It was older than the other buildings in the neighborhood by thirty plus years. The paint on its cheap panel siding having faded long ago. It was also the only one story building with a peaked roof for about twenty square blocks. The building was a misfit amongst the buildings of downtown Seattle, which was fitting as it frequently held those unfit for normal society.
It was a place for the downtrodden. Not just Users, but normal humans as well congregated under its roof. Carter eyed the sheet of the day's meetings. There were groups for those suffering from diseases, abuse, and addiction. There were subcategories for abused spouses, or those addicted to sex. The list went on and on, but Carter was looking for one in particular. He found it near the bottom of the list. The narcotics anonymous for Users. As usual they were in room thirteen, and they were only a few minutes late.
With Barber, Ryker, and Evan on his heels, Carter traversed the halls until he reached the correct room and pushed open the door. Once inside, the eyes of the Users went wide at their appearance. There were many open seats in the room, which was an uncommon occurrence at these meetings. Usually the place was packed. It seemed the Compound wasn't the only place missing Users.
Vince, sitting at the head of the table, didn't see them come in and was confused by the room's sudden focus on the door. "What? Why do you guys look like you've seen a ghost?"
A woman sitting at the opposite end of the table merely pointed in their direction. Vince turned, and his eyes similarly went wide.
"Well that's it for today," Vince said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." The crowded room emptied out like it had caught on fire.
"What are you doing here?" Vince asked once they were alone. "You guys can't be here."
"That's it? No, hey where have you all been? Or how are you doing?" Carter asked. "Just get the fuck outta here?"
"You guys can't be here," the normally warm, inviting Vince said.
The man was acting completely out of sorts and Carter imagined he knew exactly why.
"Alaric's been here, hasn't he?" Carter eyed Vince carefully. The visibly shaken man nodded.
