Root

by LeeAnn McLennan

  Ben paled and then flushed red. “Seriously? Come on!” He held up the device attached to his hospital gown. “Aren’t you already monitoring me?” He swallowed. “What more do I have to do to prove that I’m not faking it?” He pointed a finger at The Octad, who were all still clustered together like an annoying bouquet of pale flowers. “Just because you freaks have a long range with each other doesn’t follow that I do.”

  “Ben, be polite.” Mr. Hallowfield eyes darted between his son and One.

  “The device doesn’t give us enough detail to be sure your brainwave patterns match when you read Rick Wilson here and in Dallas. We must be certain you are attempting to read Rick Wilson in a consistent manner,” Six answered before One could. Compared to One’s cold voice, Six’s tone was almost warm.

  Ben swallowed so hard I could see his throat muscles move. “So back on the table, then.” His hands washed over each other until he gripped them together tightly. His eyes darted around room, settling on mine before he straightened his shoulders and aimed his gaze at One. “Now?”

  “As soon as they are ready.” One turned away from Ben abruptly. Her distaste for him rolled off her like steam.

  Once his team was ready, Dr. Nolan pulled open the straps on the chair and nodded at One.

  Before One could tell Ben what to do, he said wearily, “Yeah, yeah, get in the chair. Don’t have to be a mind reader to figure that out.” He stepped up to the chair, pausing with one hand on the arm before settling into the seat gingerly as if he was afraid it might shock him. Murray and Carter attached wires to his head and fingers while Ben stared straight ahead, his face pale and his mouth set in a firm line. They removed the monitoring device attached to his hospital gown and set it on the table near the monitors.

  Harrington peered at the monitors. “Okay, we’re good to go.”

  “Benjamin Hallowfield, commence reading Rick Wilson’s mind.” One gave the order as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

  Ben looked at Rick. “It’ll be okay. Just think of something that you don’t mind me knowing.” He gave a wry grimace. “Try not to think about other stuff, like what you don’t want anyone to know.”

  Rick let out a short, barking laugh. “Easy for you to say.” He closed his eyes and released a puff of breath. “Okay, go.”

  Ben’s face went blank and he was still for several seconds. He blinked and said, “That’s nice.” He smiled at Rick. “You’re thinking about your sister, who is a fire starter, like Olivia.” He glance at me. “She’s working at the Death Valley habitat. And she recently saved some hikers from a firebug.”

  Rick ran a hand over his head uncomfortably. “Yeah, yeah, he’s right. I was thinking about that.” He gave Ben a sideways look. “So let’s get the rest of this over with, okay?”

  One raised an eyebrow at Dr. Nolan. “Do you have acceptable readings?”

  Dr. Nolan and his staff clustered around the monitor. “Yes.” His voice reflected the fascinated expression on his face. “I’ve never had the opportunity to watch the patterns of a focused mind reader.” He gave Ben a thoughtful look that made my stomach clench. Ben met the look with a steady gaze, but his hands clenched around the arm of the chair.

  One turned to Rick. “Let us continue.”

  Rick stepped backwards a few feet. Then he disappeared.

  One directed her stare at Ben. “We are ready. Rick Wilson is with our sister in Dallas.”

  Once again, Ben wore a blank look on his face. The machines beeped and buzzed – showing the same spikes as they had when he was reading Rick’s mind here in the lab. Everyone waited for Ben to speak. He slumped back in the chair. “Nope, no luck.”

  As a group, we all watched The Octad. They stood together with eyes in commune mode until One blinked, her eyes back to normal. The rest also blinked out of commune mode, back to world mode.

  “Five verifies that Rick Wilson is there and was ready.” One pursed her lips. “We must believe Benjamin Hallowfield.” She looked like she believed very much against her will. “We must act accordingly.” She turned to the guards. “Bring General Marcus Hayden here so we can coordinate our plans.”

  One of the guards turned and marched out of the lab.

  Ben started to get out of the chair, but the wires attached to his head held him back. Six said, “Please unhook Benjamin Hallowfield. We are done with this process.”

  Dr. Nolan looked reluctant, hesitating long enough for me to get edgy, ready to yank off the wires myself if he wouldn’t do it. He finally gave the order and Murray started removing the attachments. Dr. Nolan went back to staring at the monitors. I vowed to keep a watch on him – I was certain he was looking for the chance to get Ben back in the chair or worse.

  Once the wires were removed, Ben launched himself from the chair, not stopping until he stood next me. I noticed a sheen of sweat on his upper lip. I carefully reached for his hand and he gripped it like a lifeline.

  “What happens now?” Uncle Alex was asking One.

  “We will send Benjamin Hallowfield out with guards and one of our sisters.”

  I automatically looked at Six, who stood with her eyes lowered.

  One stated, “We’ve decided that Three will suit.”

  Three? Why not Six? She was the sister who figured out Ben was sending me visions. Shouldn’t she go with him?

  Uncle Alex gave a soft, “Huh.” He was wearing an “I’ll get to the bottom of this” expression and watching Six.

  Six had been very quiet since her sisters had come into the room. Now she wore a hangdog expression on her face instead of mirroring the superior, serene expression the rest of The Octad wore. Obviously something had happened since her sisters had arrived. She acted as if she’d received a reprimand, but I couldn’t think of any reason why she would need one.

  Ben was still breathing hard next to me. I leaned towards him and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

  He shrugged. “Not a fan of being strapped down and hooked up.” He looked down at me with a wry smile, before releasing my hand to rub his eyes.

  “Understandably.” I didn’t bring up the question of what would happen to him once they caught Emma. He dropped his hands with a sigh and I suspected he was wondering the same thing.

  A uniformed man entered, and the guards automatically straightened their shoulders, standing at attention as if ready for an inspection. I decided he was the head of the supernormal Special Forces, General Marcus Hayden. General Hayden strode directly to One, stopping in front of her and just barely not saluting.

  “Ma’am,” he addressed her in a formal tone.

  “General, we’ve determined that Benjamin Hallowfield must leave this facility in order to track Emma Brighthall,” One replied in an equally formal tone.

  General Hayden regarded Ben with an indecipherable expression as One continued, “We are sending one of our sisters with him, but he’ll need to be guarded. Perhaps some of your men who are good at shielding?”

  General Hayden nodded, his eyes gauging Ben. “I suggest a force of four. I have a squad who have been training for special duty. This will suit them nicely. Their skills include more than shielding. Force field manipulator, extreme speed, precision eyesight, and incredible strength.” He never took his eyes off Ben as his listed the squad’s abilities. I sensed he was warning Ben to be careful.

  Ben tensed; obviously the list of skills was as unsettling to him as it was to me. I didn’t even know what a force field manipulator meant. I touched his hand tentatively, unsure of his reaction, but he grabbed mine and squeezed tightly. I met his slightly desperate gaze and tried to find words to calm him. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure there were any words to make this better.

  One gestured to Three, who stepped forward to ask, “Where will you be in an hour?”

  General Hayden nodded. “My squad will meet you in the transport facility at that time.”

  Everyone looked at Ben, who blinked. “Oh, sure, yeah, one hour.” He looked around and sprea
d his hands. “Um, I don’t really have anything to pack,” he plucked at his gown, “or wear, I guess.”

  Mrs. Hallowfield said, “We should have brought clothes.” Her expression was appalled and embarrassed.

  Six said, “We’ll find some clothing for him to wear.” She turned and spoke to one of the techs, who scurried off.

  “He has to leave now?” Mrs. Hallowfield asked in a small voice. She reached for her son’s arm.

  “There is little time to waste. The escapees could be rendering more destruction even now,” One said.

  Mrs. Hallowfield sniffed back tears and turned to Ben, speaking softly. Mr. Hallowfield moved closer and they huddled together. I turned away, wanting to give them their privacy.

  Everyone in the room waited in uncomfortable silence for a moment. My mind wasn’t quiet, though. I was trying to find an excuse for going with Ben that would convince The Octad. It was true that I wanted to be with Ben, but my real motivation was to find Emma. Even after all the death and destruction she’d caused, it was still hard to reconcile my childhood best friend with the teenager rampaging across the West. If only I could talk to her and understand why she was doing this – well, I wasn’t sure she could be saved, but maybe I could help her stop.

  When One decided the Hallowfields had had enough time together, I still hadn’t thought of a plausible reason to go with Ben and Three.

  Ben shook hands with Uncle Alex before facing me. I tried to keep my chin from trembling but only succeeded in making my jaw ache from clenching my teeth together.

  “I wish I could go with you,” I said.

  Ben pulled me into a tight hug, saying aloud, “Yeah, me too.” I blinked, distracted by Ben voice in my head. “It is okay if I keep you updated this way?” He sounded tentative. “I won’t peek, just send you a running update when I can.”

  Panicked, I started to remind him about the monitoring device, but in my head he answered, “They forgot to reattach it.”

  Aloud, I said, “Okay.” I tried to talk back to him in my head. “Yes.”

  When he released me and smiled, I wasn’t sure if he’d heard my inside or outside response. He rested his forehead against mine, both of us enjoying the other’s touch. My stomach hurt. I didn’t want him to leave without me. I’d forgotten how good I felt when I was near him.

  One interrupted the moment. “We must leave now.”

  Ben gripped my hands and then let them go slowly, reluctantly. I met his green eyes and tried to memorize his face, just in case. Finally, he stepped back, gave each of his parents another hug. Then he looked at One with a flat expression. “Okay.”

  One looked at Six sternly. “Go with the Brighthalls and the Hallowfields to Portland.” Six nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. One looked at my uncle. “One of the places we think Emma Brighthall could aim for is Portland, so we want to have a presence there.”

  Uncle Alex’s mouth quirked with irritation. “If my niece comes to Portland, we can handle her. You don’t need to send Six if she doesn’t want to go.”

  Six glanced up at him, her eyes clear and pupils normal-sized. Her expression was very blank. “We will go to Portland as directed.”

  One nodded, satisfied by Six’s compliance. It was odd – if The Octad was all the same age, why did One feel older and more authoritative?

  Mr. Hallowfield hugged Ben. “See you soon, son,” he said, speaking the words like a hope, like a promise he was determined to keep. Ben hugged him back before hugging his mother again.

  As I watched Ben walk away with The Octad, I shivered. I’d just agreed to let Ben in my head. I felt special, but I also wondered – was it a good idea to give someone license to be in your mind?

  Chapter 21

  The room felt flat after Ben and The Octad left to prepare for the mission. Their plan was to fly to Salt Lake City where Ben had last “heard” Emma. As long as she wasn’t already out of his range, he was confident he could track her from there.

  I sat down on one of the chairs in the bottom row of the seating area while Uncle Alex talked to the Hallowfields and Six quietly. I didn’t pay attention, caught up in my own thoughts. I fidgeted with a rubber band from my pocket, stretching and releasing it until I aimed it at the stretcher still standing in the middle of the room. I released the rubber band and the resulting ding when it hit the mobile prison was satisfying. I hated thinking of Ben stuck in that stupid thing and loathed the idea he could be stuffed back into it after they caught Emma.

  The sound of the rubber band hitting the stretcher reminded the adults I was in the room and they abruptly cut off their conversation. Though I wasn’t listening, this drew my attention and made me wonder what they’d been discussing.

  I didn’t get a chance to find out because Uncle Alex gestured for me to come over, saying, “Olivia, we’re going to leave for Portland in a few minutes.”

  Because Six was going back with us, the private plane waited for us on the landing strip. Other than the airport personnel, no one was there to see us off to Portland. I sensed a distinct vibe of “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” coming from everyone we’d encountered since Ben woke up. I didn’t mind too much. It was probably better no one focused on us.

  Once we were on the plane, I wrapped up in a blanket and pretended to sleep. The adults were all quiet – everyone seemed lost in their thoughts.

  “Hey, Ollie.” Ben’s voice sounded the same inside my head as when he spoke aloud.

  I grinned, keeping my face to the window to hide the expression. “Hey Ben.”

  “I can’t talk for long because they finally remembered they forgot to attach the stupid monitor to me.” He sounded annoyed. “But once we get to Salt Lake City, they’ll expect me to use my powers, so it won’t matter if the monitor is on.”

  “Seems silly to make you wear it, but whatever.”

  “Yeah.”

  We were quiet for a moment. Funny how silence could be awkward anywhere. I had so much to say to him, but I didn’t know where to start. Finally, Ben broke the silence. “They’re back with the monitor. Talk to you soon.”

  “Goodbye.” I waited, wondering if I would know when he was out of my head, but I didn’t notice anything different. I sighed and watched the sky fade into evening as we journeyed home.

  After we landed in Portland, Uncle Alex dropped me off at home. Dad was working in his office, where he gave me a long stare before saying, “I didn’t expect you back today.”

  I shrugged. “There wasn’t much for us to do once they woke up Ben.” I flopped down on the loveseat, stretching out my legs and sighing. I felt let down. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected out of the trip, but it wasn’t being sent home as an afterthought.

  Dad closed the top of his laptop and regarded me thoughtfully. “How’s Ben doing?”

  I considered the question for a moment, chewing on the inside of my lip. “He’s okay, I guess.” I smiled a little bit at the memory of Ben arguing with The Octad. “They let him out to track Emma.”

  “They did?” Dad looked shocked.

  “With guards and one of The Octad. It’s not like they trust him or anything.”

  Dad’s cell phone rang. “Sorry, this is work. There’s leftover lasagna in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

  I felt dismissed and winced inside. I guessed Dad was still mad about the warehouse.

  I sighed and wandered into the kitchen. I felt such a mix of emotions – happy that Ben was not in a coma, scared for him, and afraid of what Emma might do next. I ate the lasagna cold, barely tasting it while I tried to sort through my swirl of thoughts.

  After a while, I realized I’d been staring at the lines in the wooden table for several minutes without thinking. I shook my head to clear it. Okay, time to do something instead of brooding. I remembered my promise to Anna. Pulling out my phone, I pondered how to explain the day’s events in text, then decided this had to be an in-person talk. I glanced in the direction of Dad’s office. He wouldn’t be too hap
py if I went out, not after our argument and my trip to Colorado. I toyed with my phone and finally sent Anna a text. Meet me at Powell’s Bookstore on Hawthorne tomorrow @ 9?

  Her reply was quick. “K.” She didn’t even comment on the early meeting time for a Saturday morning, so I knew she was eager to talk.

  I slumped back in the chair, suddenly exhausted from the day. I closed my eyes and had almost drifted off when I heard, “Olivia.” Ben’s voice rang in my head and I jumped, my eyes popping open. Mental interruptions from Ben were something I’d have to get accustomed to, I supposed. He continued, “You’re too far away for me to talk to you but I can send thoughts.”

  “Are you in Salt Lake City? I didn’t know it was more than 600 miles from Portland,” I asked him automatically. Then I felt foolish when he kept talking.

  “We’re standing near the planetarium, or where it used to be.” His mental voice sounded sad. “And I was able to tag Emma’s mind, so we’re leaving in a few minutes to follow her.” He stopped talking and I strained to hear, afraid he was done. I breathed a sigh of relief when he came back into my head again. “Ollie, I just can’t believe the Emma I knew could do this. It’s really bad. So many people are dead.” I silently agreed with him. “Listen, I need to focus on tracking Emma now. I don’t want her to get out of range again. And you probably need to get some sleep.” He paused before adding in a softer, more intimate tone, “I’m glad you’re letting me talk to you like this. It helps. They won’t let me have a phone, so you’re only person I can talk to other than my swell team.” The bite in his voice made me wince. “I can’t even get online to check in with my games.”

  I’d forgotten Ben used be a gamer. He’d told me he liked it because he wasn’t in danger of reading anyone’s mind while gaming. It was one of the few times he felt normal.

  “Well, anyway, good night. Hopefully we’ll be in range tomorrow.”

  Then he was gone. This time I thought I could tell when he left because my mind felt more focused. When Ben was in my head, I felt a little fuzzier, disjointed in a way that was hard to describe. I tucked that thought away to examine later, when I wasn’t so tired, and headed off to bed.