by C. C. Bolick
“How simple?” an agent down the table asked.
Sylvia smiled. “Preliminary data suggests a simple blood test can give patients their results within hours. An off-the-shelf test could be designed. The uses are endless.”
“Why haven’t we heard about this test?” Travis asked.
“Because,” Sylvia said, “the drug companies aren’t ready for this test to become public knowledge. Their lobbyists have insisted extensive testing is required before FDA approval. It could take years.”
“Or decades,” Travis said. “This is our government at work.”
“Are there any side effects?” Dad asked.
“Not that we know of,” Sylvia said.
I peered at the picture on the screen. This doctor looked younger than the others.
Skip closed the picture. “Since her work has mainly involved a cancer center, we’ll call her Dr. O.” Skip looked around the table. “Short for oncologist.”
“We got that,” said an agent to Dad’s other side. “Bringing someone in from the outside will be a tough undertaking. All of these doctors are experts in their respective fields, but do any have security clearances?”
“That process is already underway.” Sylvia made a sweep of the faces around the table. “You all know the importance of keeping this base secure. These doctors must come on-site to learn the importance of our work. They will meet people with powers and we’ll judge how they interact with our team.”
“What if one of these doctors tells the world what we do here?” another agent asked.
“While here, none of them will have access to the outside world,” Sylvia said. “Each will be monitored and we’ll ensure that everyone understands the stiff penalties for sharing what they see.” Her eyes found mine. “Miss Mason, you’ll be the first to meet our new doctors. Hopefully you’ll find at least one to help with your situation.”
“I’ll try my best.”
She nodded. “After three weeks, we’ll make an offer to the doctor this team chooses. The other doctors will undergo a memory wipe courtesy of Agent Lockhart and return to their lives with no knowledge of this base or your powers. Any other questions?”
When no one spoke, she stood. “Meeting adjourned.”
* * * * *
Excitement rushed through me as I followed Dad out of the conference room. In the waiting area outside, I stopped to catch my breath. Agents flowed in the direction of the elevator along the far wall.
The elevator doors opened and out stepped Senator McCall. I looked for Travis and jumped when I found him at my side. The agents parted to make a path to the conference room.
The senator noticed me and approached with an outstretched hand. “Miss Mason, glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard you have your mother’s gift. Good work on diffusing those bombs.”
My hand trembled as I gripped his. A U.S. senator knew my name. Next to me, Travis watched with narrowed eyes. “Thanks,” I managed to say.
Senator McCall smiled at Travis. “I’ve got a special mission for the two of you.”
“Us?” Travis asked. “Where do you want us to go?”
Senator McCall grinned and pointed skyward. “To the stars.” He laughed as he backed away and headed toward the entrance to the conference room.
“Was he joking?” I asked.
“Who cares? I can’t stand the man.”
The senator walked through the center of the crowd and agents jumped to either side to make a path. Many of them began to clap.
“They like him,” I whispered. “Why don’t you?”
“The other agents aren’t clapping for the senator.” Travis pointed toward the elevator. “They’re clapping for her.”
“Who is she?” I peered at the dark blue jeans and red blouse of the middle-aged woman who’d stepped off the elevator behind the senator. The first two buttons were open and she wore a white turtle-neck under the blouse. Her shoes were black and flat, unlike the heels Sylvia always wore. Her straight brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and tiny gold hoops hung from her ears.
As she advanced, her eyes drifted over each agent, sometimes with recognition and sometimes with a flash of a smile along with tears that gleamed in her eyes. She stopped when she noticed Dad, and I moved to his side.
The woman shook Dad’s hand. “Thank you, Agent Mason.” She stepped closer and put her arms around Dad’s neck.
He stood rigid as she hugged him but eventually relaxed and patted her back. “For what? I let that man take you away.”
The woman wiped her eyes as she stared up at his face. “It was the only way for things to work out.”
“I hope you found the peace you were looking for.”
“I did.” Her eyes shifted to me. “Is this your daughter?”
“Rena,” he said. “I’d like for you to meet a fellow agent.”
She extended her hand and we shook. “Charlene. Nice to meet you, Rena. Your dad helped me many years ago.”
Dad cleared his throat. “I did nothing to help you.”
Her eyes stayed on me. “Your father taught me about being an agent when others here treated me like an outsider.”
“You were fifteen,” he said. “The others didn’t know how to reach you.”
I gasped. “You worked as an agent at fifteen?”
She nodded. “The gig didn’t last long, thank god.” With a warm squeeze, she released my hand and stepped back. “If you ever need anything Rena, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I watched as she continued to the conference room, shaking hands of various agents along the way. “It’s still hard for me to believe you had a life here before I was born.”
“I wouldn’t trade you for that life,” Dad said quietly.
“The trip down memory lane is over folks. Get to work.”
We both turned to where Sylvia stood at the entrance of the conference room. People around her dispersed with a mixture of fear from the younger agents and laughter from the agents employed here long enough to remember Dad from before.
As Sylvia approached, Dad’s smile disappeared. By the time Sylvia reached us, his voice sounded free of emotion. “You never said to expect a reunion.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How do you think I always keep you guessing? You knew it was bound to happen eventually.” With a satisfied smile, she looked at me. “No one escapes this place forever.”
“What did you do to her?” I asked.
“I did nothing,” she said. “My father held Charlene against her will. Forced her to play agent because we needed her gift.”
I crossed my arms. “You and your father have a lot in common.”
She cringed. “If I was my father, you’d be in a black suit working the field as we speak.”
The hostility in her voice took me by surprise. I’d managed to hit a nerve and one that ran deeper than I ever imagined. Under the director’s tough exterior, she had feelings. Even her hatred tasted better than the usual monotone dismissal.
“Why the senator?” Dad asked. “Why a meeting with her?”
Sylvia turned to Dad. “Agent Mason, you and Agent Lockhart will attend this meeting. The senator has a tight schedule and must return to D.C. before noon.”
“Will you erase her memory?” I asked. “Is that why you need Agent Lockhart? You’ve said before that everyone who leaves this agency gets a memory wipe.” Except for Dad. They never erased his memory.
She narrowed her eyes. “Miss Mason, I’ve just about reached my limit with you today. Please find some useful function before I find you a room on the isolation floor.” Sylvia turned and walked back inside the conference room.
“Would she send me there?” I asked.
Dad looked at me strangely. “I hope not, but don’t push your luck. Sylvia has a line you don’t cross.”
“Stay away from her,” a voice yelled.
I rushed to where Travis stood facing Senator McCall. Sylvia watched with a look of surprise.
The senator grinned an
d pointed to me. “I have plans for Miss Mason. If she doesn’t follow orders, I’ll take down everyone she cares about starting with you.”
A strange sensation flowed through me. This man was a senator who could be our next president. I was powerless to stop him and so was Travis. Fear began to ripple through me.
My palms tingled and began to glow. Within seconds, my entire hand exploded with a bright beacon of blue. Voices around me filled with fear—fear that I felt.
The senator’s eyes grew. “See there, Sylvia. That’s how you make these agents walk the line.”
Dad rushed to my side. “You’ve got to get control over your power.”
“Dad, help me,” I cried. The fear that started with a ripple now came in great waves. “Don’t let me hurt anyone.”
He pulled out his gun and aimed it at my chest. Indecision twisted his face.
“Go ahead,” Senator McCall said. “Shoot her before she blows up half this base.”
“How about all of it?” Travis said. “You caused this.”
My eyes blurred with tears as the voices merged around me. I focused on Dad’s voice, how he pleaded and attempted to calm me. Charlene ran to Dad’s side.
“I can’t shoot her,” Dad said.
“I’ll do it,” shouted another agent.
“No,” Dad yelled. “You’ll hurt her.”
“Agent Mason,” Charlene said calmly. “Allow me.”
I dropped to my knees as sobs took over. My hands glowed with fiery blue sparkles that danced in the air around me. It didn’t matter that everyone looked on in fear. I had to make the glowing stop before I set off a nuclear reaction. The more I tried to control the fear, the more I feared failing. My power strengthened with the raw emotion.
Dad relinquished his gun and she pointed the barrel at me. “Are you sure you can—”
Before he could finish, the sound of a bullet exploded through the air. A sharp pain seared my skin. My eyes glazed over. People around me moved their lips though I heard nothing. I fell on my side and my head slammed against the floor, sending a vibration through me. All sound faded and I drifted into a dark space.
Chapter Six
I heard the beeping machines before I saw them. When I opened my eyes, I felt no surprise that the bed beneath me had the trademark med-level white sheets. The cold, sterile air had a scent, but I couldn’t figure out what the smell was. Next to me, Travis sat in a chair typing on his phone.
“You can turn on a light,” I said.
He put the phone away and cut on the bar of white lights along the wall behind my bed. I immediately wished he hadn’t. “We’re on the med-level,” I said.
“You were still out so the doctors kept you for observation.”
“She shot me.”
“Charlene has a power that makes her a perfect shot.”
“Where did she shoot me?”
Travis pointed to a patch of skin near my ear. “Once she had Agent Mason’s gun in her hand, there was no question she’d take you down. You’re lucky she was there.”
“Lucky? I can’t believe Dad gave her the gun.”
“I’m sure death by nuclear explosion wasn’t how she wanted to die. It’s not how any of us want to die.”
“Were you afraid I’d blow up the base?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
I adjusted the pillows behind me and sat up in the bed. Instead of a white hospital gown, I wore the same black pants and shirt I’d chosen for the meeting. “How long was I out?”
Travis helped with the pillows. “Two hours.”
“Where is Dad?”
“He was here until about twenty minutes ago. He and Agent Lockhart had a mission to complete. They’ll be back before dinner.”
“What happened to the bullet?”
“Want a souvenir?” He laughed and I punched his arm. “The bullet was precisely aimed to take you down without threatening your life. A doctor easily removed it and I used the re-generator wand to heal your wound. There’s nothing left, not even a scar.”
“You healed me?”
“Do you remember when you first arrived at the base and I healed your hand? The doctor wasn’t able to use the re-generator wand so I had to.”
“You said it wasn’t FDA approved.”
“Because it was brought here from the other planet. Being an alien made me qualified to use it when the doctors couldn’t.”
“It also makes you sound full of yourself.”
Travis laughed. “Whatever it takes, Rena. Whatever it takes.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You could start with thanks.”
“Thanks.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Am I free to leave?”
He helped me stand. “Yes, but I’m going to stay with you all day. Just to make sure there are no complications.”
“What about work?”
“Keeping you from blowing up the base is an important job.”
I laughed but stopped when I saw his face. “Sylvia’s worried about me losing control.”
“You’ll figure this out, Rena. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Out of the goodness of your heart.”
Travis supported my arm as we walked into the hall. “I’ve got a bet going with Agent Dallas that you’ll figure out your powers before anything in the base is destroyed.”
“What happens if you lose?”
“I don’t plan to lose.”
“What happens if she loses?”
“Agent Dallas gets off your back.”
“Where are we going?”
“To play video games. It’s the perfect medicine.”
* * * * *
When we reached Travis’s room, I felt as if my body had given out. If I was cured, why did I feel as if I could sleep an entire day? He released my arm and I dropped onto the couch in his living room.
Even though I knew about his obsession for old video games, the pictures on the walls surprised me. Vintage Pac-man. Super Mario Brothers. Legend of Zelda. The game system on the shelf under the TV looked like it should be in a museum.
Travis returned from the kitchen with a bottle of water. I opened the cap and drank the water as he sat on the couch next to me.
Laughing, I waved my hand around the room. “Dad always told me you can see a person’s pride and joy with one look at their home. It takes a deeper look to see their regrets.”
“Donald never stopped being an agent.”
“What do you regret, other than losing your dad?”
Travis stared at where his gloved hand touched mine. “Isn’t that obvious?”
“Why did you take the mission to bring me into the agency?”
“I went down to Florida a few months before to locate your dad. You don’t remember, but I ran into you at a gas station. You were driving that old truck.”
“I’d remember seeing you.”
With a smile, he pulled me closer. “When I looked into your eyes, I realized all the pain Mason had caused from his drinking. I began to hate him. The hatred ate at me.”
“You wanted the truth about your dad.”
“No, this was something different. I wanted the chance to know you. When Sylvia asked me to take the assignment to protect you, I felt relief. It meant I could go back to Florida and see you again. Not just see you, but talk to you. You’d know who I was.”
“You’re starting to sound like a stalker.” We both laughed and he pulled back slightly. “Didn’t you have a girlfriend?”
“I’m an agent. I work, I train. It’s what I’m good at. Dating is not.”
“When is the last time you went on a date?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
I laughed again. “You’ve probably got that info in a file somewhere.”
“Do you remember when I mentioned my old partner Tyler?”
“There’s not much to remember. You never want to talk about him.”
“Tyler set me up with a girl he
met at a bar downtown. Said she was perfect for me.”
“What happened?”
“We went out and had a few drinks.”
“Drinks?” I groaned. “That would be a deal breaker for me.”
“Just because your dad was drunk for three years doesn’t mean other people can’t drink one night without becoming addicted.”
“What happened after the drinks?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ve watched TV. I know what happens when two people have a drink and the camera pans out. The next morning they’re in bed.”
He chuckled. “I guess I don’t watch enough TV.”
“But that’s what happened, right?”
“I’ve never made it to the part where the camera pans.”
Getting shot must have done more damage than I thought. Were we really having this conversation? “Are you asking me to believe you’ve never had a serious relationship?”
“It’s the truth.” He turned away. “You’re making me sound like such a dork. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this.”
“You’re twenty-one and…”
“And?”
“Powerful and built and…” I took a deep breath. “Hot.”
Travis waved a hand over his body. “You don’t get built or…” He grinned. “Hot by worrying about some chick. My last five years have been all about training. When I realized my power at thirteen, I also realized I’d be in this alone from here on out. My mom was dead and my dad was gone. Who could I talk about this stuff with?”
“What about Angel?”
“I didn’t get to meet her until this year.”
“Didn’t get to meet?”
“The agency kept us apart. For her protection and mine. Until Decker was dead, anyone associated with Angel was in danger of having their blood removed.”
“But you knew about her.”
“I watched Angel for years. She’s my sister.” He stood. “It was just me until I finally met Angel.”
“Does she know about the apartment your dad had in New York?” Travis had taken me there after I first arrived at the base. It was a secret apartment the agency didn’t know about; now it was our secret. His dad left clues for Travis to find the place and Travis believed this could be the key to finding his missing dad.
