by Cat Gilbert
Jonas softly closed the door and made his way around the van to get Trinity. I reached over and unbuckled her as the side door slid open. I helped him slide her out and then, still moving slowly, managed to get out my own door. We stumbled up the dark rickety steps as the van sped off behind us.
The main door didn’t open directly into the cabin. Instead we found ourselves standing in a small, apparently windowless room, as it went pitch black when I closed the creaky door behind us.
“Huh,” Jonas grunted. “Taylor, feel around and find the other door. I can pretty much guarantee it’s not on the wall opposite the one we just came through.”
I groped my way down the wall from the door I had just closed and sure enough, found another door handle on the adjoining wall. It turned easily and opened quietly into the cabin, which was dimly lit. We passed through and Jonas kicked the door shut with one foot while shifting Trinity in his arms. I found a light switch and flicked it on, flooding the main room with bright light.
Jonas deposited Trinity on the sofa and she immediately curled into the fetal position still sound asleep. He reached over and took her pulse, nodding to me when he had finished that she was okay.
“What was that business with the door?” I asked as he came to his feet. I’d seen a similar entrances at gun ranges, to keep the noise level down, but this was no gun range and the area between the doors much larger than the simple setup at the range.
“Double door, keeps the light from escaping. You always have one door closed before you open the other. Plenty of room to defend from. Windows are blacked out too,” he said, pointing to the nearest wall. “From the outside, this place looks deserted. Someone was either thinking ahead or they’re up to no good.”
Jonas’s word were still echoing in my hear when the door swooshed open behind me and our missing partner in crime sailed into the room.
“Okay, now that things have calmed down, I want some answers,” I demanded, advancing on him. “Just who are you?”
My voice had risen with each word and by the time I reached him, I was practically yelling, He never had a chance to answer because Trinity suddenly popped up from the sofa startling us all. There was fear in her eyes, and she was ready to run.
“I’m sorry, Trinity, ” I apologized, realizing I’d scared her out of her sleep. “Everything’s okay. We’re all right. I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just tired and it’s been a rough night. I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. I’m tired too.” She got up and headed toward the table, clutching the blankets around her, the ends dragging on the floor. Jonas watched her totter towards a chair, ready to catch her if she went down, but she made it without incident. Arranging her blankets around her like royal robes, she turned to Jonas.
“I want to apologize for my behavior. I would have hoped I could have handled myself better in this type of situation, but apparently I couldn’t,” she sniffed out. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
All three of us just stared at her. There she sat, bloody and battered, one eye turning black and her clothes in shreds. She was lucky to be alive and she was apologizing for not handling it better. Heaven help me, I started to laugh.
Trinity looked horrified and the men worried as my laughter started to sound strange, even to me. Apparently Trinity wasn’t the only one suffering from shock. I got it under control and tried to shake it off.
“I’m okay,” I said, trying to reassure them. I wasn’t successful if their expressions were any indication. Not that I could blame them. I wasn’t all that confident myself. I looked at Trinity and the spots of blood on her face and tried to get my priorities in order
“We could probably use a first aid kit, if you have one,” I said, directing my words to our unknown host. “Some food would probably be good idea too. Then we can talk.”
“I agree,” he replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Jonas, who received one right back in return. “There’s food in the kitchen. I’ll fetch the first aid kit from the storage room.” He paused at the doorway of what I had to assume was the storage room and turned to me. “Taylor, to answer your question? My name is Mac, and I’m your Watcher.”
With that he disappeared into the other room, leaving us staring at the empty space where he had been standing, stunned speechless.
“What’s a Watcher?” Trinity finally asked, giving voice to my exact thoughts. I didn’t know, but before the night was through, I was going to find out.
IT TURNED OUT the kitchen was very well stocked. After washing off at the sink, I cut myself a large chuck of cheddar to snack on as I rummaged the refrigerator and cabinets, throwing together enough stuff to keep us munching away for a while. Taking out an armful of Diet Coke, Cokes and bottled water, Jonas shook his head in amazement.
“All the comforts of home,” he mumbled and I had to agree.
Who ever this guy was, he had seemed to anticipate our arrival, or at the very least, mine, as most of my favorite foods had been stocked. A Watcher he’d called himself and not just any Watcher at that. He was mine. I wasn’t sure I liked the implications of that and kept a close eye on him when he returned with the medical supplies. Jonas caught my look and went to oversee Trinity’s first aid treatment.
I carried the armloads of food to the table, and went back for plates and utensils. By the time I had wrestled everything to the table, Trinity was patched up and knocking down some pain killers. Jonas disappeared and returned with an ice pack, which he dropped onto Trinity’s face with instructions to keep it there. She looked like she’ll been beaten half to death, but the grin on her face as I popped the top on a Diet Coke for her, let me know she was feeling the effects of the codeine.
“You need to eat something,” I ordered, shoving a plate of food in front of her. “What’s the extent of her damages?” I asked Mac, who had done most of the patching.
“Except for the black eye from getting smacked around, along with various other bruises, she’s doing pretty well. There’s a lot of tiny glass cuts, but nothing major.”
Relieved, I looked at Jonas, who had also been extremely lucky. The gun I had heard go off, had missed him completely. He’d taken some good hits and would be bruised and sore, but aside from that and the glass cuts he too had suffered, he would be good as new in a few days. I had taken inventory and discovered that apart from a few bruises from being drug around by the leg, I was in pretty good shape, especially considering the events of the past week. At least physically. I had a sinking feeling that mentally and emotionally, I wasn’t doing all that well.
I pushed my plate aside, feeling somewhat revived and ready to get down to business. I might not want to hear it, but I needed to know what was going on, and I was willing to bet that Mac had some answers.
“So, someone tell me what happened tonight,” I started in, looking from Jonas to Mac.
“You can start with what happened at my place. Who were those guys and what did they want.”
“That’s simple,” Mac replied, taking a sip of water, which he had opted for over soda. “They wanted you and they planned on killing Jonas and Trinity and whoever else got in their way to get you.”
“Why? What would they possibly want with me?”
“Come on now. You know exactly why they wanted you. We all know why. It’s your power,” he said, sending shivers down my spine. I looked over at Trinity who looked as spooked as I felt. “Good news is, they need you alive. Which is why they used tasers on you. They had hoped to put you down so you couldn’t use your power against them. They underestimated you.”
“I didn’t use my power,” I said, shaking my head in denial. “I was helpless. I couldn’t even move. I knocked the guy away from Trinity and that must have been when they hit me with the taser. I couldn’t do anything after that.”
“They tasered you the minute they came through the door, Taylor,” Jonas said. “You went down so fast, I thought they’d killed you.
“That’s impossible. I remember hitting the g
uy attacking Trinity.”
“You did hit him,” Mac said, “but with your mind. You never moved from where they dropped you when they came through the door.”
“Same thing with the guy with the gun. He had me dead in his sights. I was a goner. Then something hit him and the shot went wild,” Jonas added. “Knowing what I know now, I have to assume it was you.”
“What about the explosion?” I asked, fearing the worst.
“Explosion?” Jonas looked at me confused. “There’s wasn’t any explosion.”
“She means the windows.” Mac looked at me, assessing and I braced myself, knowing I wasn’t going to like what was coming. “The windows didn’t explode. They imploded. The glass flew into the room, not away from it.” He paused, watching me, letting his words sink in. “ You saved two lives tonight. That’s the thing to remember.”
His words struck me to my core. He thought I had broken the windows. No, that was wrong. He didn’t just think it, he knew it. Was convinced of it. But how? How could I do such a thing? My mind flashed back to the keys, the peanut butter, the coffee. There had been no planning, no thought to any of it. It had all just happened. He was right. Somehow, I had done it. I had sent the deadly shards of glass, flying into the room. I may have saved two lives, but how many did I kill? I looked at Mac, the question written in my eyes.
“Yes,” he answered, waving Jonas to be quiet as he moved to stop him. “I will not lie to you. Not now, not ever. So, I’m not lying when I tell you that I wouldn’t have gotten there in time. That if you hadn’t done it, both Jonas and Trinity would be dead now and you would have been taken. What you did was self defense.”
“He’s right, Taylor.” Trinity reached across the table, her icepack falling to the floor. “If you hadn’t stopped them, Jonas and I would both have been killed. You fought for us and protected us. That’s why we’re still here.” The tears were flowing down her face, her voice tight with emotion. “You did what you had to do.”
“I didn’t do anything, Trinity. I didn’t think at all,” I whispered, turning away. “I just reacted. I have no control over this thing. I could have killed you both.”
“But you didn’t.” Jonas leaned over to pick up the ice pack and put it back on Trinity’s face. “Trinity and I barely have any cuts at all. You stopped them, and that’s the important thing. I’m just sorry I didn’t do it. Which reminds me,” he said, turning on Mac, “where were you? Aren’t you supposed to be her ‘Watcher,' whatever that means?”
“I am her Watcher, and I was busy with the three waiting outside. Who do you think cut the power? I knew you were inside and thought you could take care of things until I could get there. Apparently I was wrong.”
“It would have helped to have a little advance warning. Was there some reason you couldn’t do that?”
Jonas sounded like he was working up a good head of steam, but I couldn’t get my mind off what Mac had said. Three men outside, four inside. They had sent seven men to take me, and assuming that Mac had killed the three outside and I had no reason to assume otherwise, seven men were now dead. Who were these people and why were they so desperate to get to me, that they were willing to loose so many? What about now? Surely they would try again and when they did, was anyone here safe? My mind flitted from one scenario to another, each one ending in disaster.
“Taylor, stop.” Mac had his hand out, stopping Jonas from continuing in his tirade, focused completely on me. “Everything is all right. Just relax.”
“Relax? Mac, seven men are dead because of me and I . .” Mac grabbed me and jerked me out of the chair, giving me a good shake, causing Jonas and Trinity to jump up from the table sending their chairs flying backwards, ready to defend me.
“Taylor, listen to me.” His words were calm but demanding as he swung me around, putting me between him and the others.“What you’re feeling now is raw emotion and you’re sending it all over the room. What you do, the power you have, is based on emotion. They’re linked and feed off each other. It works, if you’re focused. If not, the more emotional you are, the less control you have. Are you understanding what I’m saying?”
“Let go of...” My words froze, his gaze locked on mine, willing me to understand. As shocked as I was at being grabbed and thrown around like a rag doll, his words somehow got through to me. Was he right? I couldn’t move the spoons, but I’d wanted to. Or had I? If I was honest with myself, I wanted to fail as much as I wanted to succeed on that one. As for spinning the wheel? I couldn’t have cared less about that, but boy, did I want the coffee Marcus had been holding, and I was nearly in tears from the frustration of not being able to reach those stinking keys. Images flashed through my brain and I knew he was right. Every time something had happened, an emotion had been attached to it, a strong emotion, focused on an end result. Tonight had been no different. Terror, panic, anger - it didn’t matter.
I had sat at the table, just seconds ago, getting more and more upset, increasingly panicked by the second. If Mac hadn’t stopped me, what would have happened?
He saw it on my face, the moment I knew and relaxed his grip on my shoulders.
“You okay, now?” he asked, setting my feet back on the floor.
I gave him a nod as I smoothed my clothes back into place. He nodded to Jonas and they went about collecting the chairs, quietly putting them back at the table. Everyone seemed afraid to say anything as we sat back down and the silence soon became deafening. It was Trinity, who finally broke the tension.
“Well, okay. That clears things up. Now we know you have to stay calm, Taylor. No more big emotional upheavals.” She reached over to grab my arm. “Unless of course, we’re being attacked or something, and then by all means, get emotional.”
“Okay,” I agreed, feeling somewhat relieved that everyone hadn’t run from the room when they discovered I was nothing short of a ticking time bomb. “Let’s go back to where we were before I started freaking out.”
“Oh, that would be where Jonas was about to hit Mac for saying he was a wimp.”
“I didn’t say that.” He gave Jonas a look of chagrin. “I might have implied it though and I apologize for that. I failed to do my job tonight and you all nearly died because of it. You got no warning, Jonas, because I had no warning. They hit before I expected them. Way before.”
“What happened to the guard out front?” Jonas asked after a moment. I had completely forgotten about the guard, but now I remembered that Jonas had been looking out the window right before we were attacked. The missing guard must have been what alerted him. I closed my eyes, dreading hearing the answer.
“He’s okay. I got there in time. He’s probably at home with an ice pack on his head, even as we speak. And no,” he added at Jonas’ questioning look, “he didn’t see me. No one did. At least no one who matters now.”
What was that supposed to mean? No one that matters now? I cocked an eyebrow up in question at Mac, who met my gaze dead on.
“The guy who set the fire. He must have been outside and I missed him. He saw me when Jonas and I went back in. He doesn’t matter any more.”
Just like that, he didn’t matter anymore. Mac had killed him. Well, he might not matter to Mac, but he mattered to me. A total of eight now, that had come for me. All dead. Somehow it didn’t help knowing that it could have been us. Dead was dead. Killing was killing. Tonight I had done more than my share of it. Mac might be able to toss that off, but I had a feeling it would haunt me for quite a time to come.
I reminded myself that at least the police guard was still alive. There was that at least, along with Jonas and Trinity. The thought helped me get my head together and focus on the question that had been nagging at me all evening.
“Who are these people, Mac? For that matter, who are you?”
“Yes, Mac,” added Trinity, bringing her chair up closer to rest her elbows on the table. She gave him her lawyer look and I knew she was back on track as she leaned across the table, “Just who are you?”
It was definitely Mac’s turn on the hot seat as three sets of eyes all turned on him, waiting for answers. Not quite as big a man as Jonas, Mac was still a good size. After all, Jonas was just short of huge, at least to me. Mac had to be coming in at closer to 6’2 or so and there wasn’t a distinguishing thing about him, if you discounted his air of confidence. He wasn’t handsome, but not ugly either. Just a regular, attractive guy. Brown hair, brown eyes. His clothes were clean and comfortable looking and disguised his body well. If he hadn’t pulled me up against him when I couldn’t walk, I would never have guessed there was a rock solid body under the loose shirt. He came off as easy going and laid back, which everyone at the table knew wasn’t the case. So far Mac had been professional, efficient and deadly. Where he came from, I had no idea, but apparently I was the reason he was here, and after tonight, I was fairly sure I was glad he was on our side. That didn’t make me any the less curious about where he came from and what he was doing here. Mac had answers and I had plenty of questions.
“Where would you like me to start?” he asked me.
“How about at the beginning,” Jonas answered. “When we have questions, we’ll ask them.”
“Oh you’ll have questions, Jonas, and I’ll answer what I can, but I’ll tell you now, most of what you want to know, I’m not at liberty to tell you.”
“Ah, you’re government.” Jonas reached across the table to grab and crack open another can of Coke. “Why do I think this is a bad thing?”
“A few years ago, it would have been a bad thing. The people I work for have learned a few things though. That’s why they’re more interested in protecting Taylor than using her as a lab rat.”
Lab Rat? That certainly got my attention. When Mac looked over at me and winked, I felt somewhat better, although not completely relieved. If I hadn’t already conjured up a picture in my mind of being caged and studied in some hidden far away horror chamber, it would have been easier.
“Taylor, you’ve done the research.” Did he know that for a fact, or was he guessing? I was starting to get creeped out with the idea that he’d been watching me. “You know there’s never been a shred of scientific evidence that TK exists. Yet we all know that in fact, it does. They know it too. The problem is it can’t be duplicated in the lab. Something happens, maybe the people feel pressured, or frightened, but whatever it is, it’s like hitting a light switch. It just doesn’t work anymore. It’s gone. Sometimes it comes back, sometimes it doesn’t. The one thing they know for sure is that their method of testing doesn’t work.”
