Between Two Minds: Revelation

by D C Wright-Hammer

  Junior peered out. They had stopped in front of his place.

  He smiled. “Sure.”

  Junior awoke to an empty bed and a note on his night stand.

  Had a great time last night. Call me later to let me know.

  The night prior had been like a dream come true for Junior. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it really seemed like everything was coming together for him. Regardless, he deliberated all day on calling. When it came time to dial, he just stared at his phone for a minute. Ralph’s words from the bar echoed in his head.

  Get out while you still can.

  Junior knew that if he made the call and followed through, things would be different. But it was the unknowns that scared him. Taking his father down had always been his life’s mission. If it worked out like Victoria said, Junior worried he’d lose his purpose in life. But maybe then he’d be able to pursue his love for Victoria, and they could live happily ever after. It was a long shot, but it would mean finally getting out of his father’s shadow. With this in mind, he confidently made the call.

  Victoria had lived up to her word, and a week later, Junior caught his father red-handed with no way to escape. He triumphantly took his father to the station and threw his big ass into a cell. Junior was riding high as he went back to his office to file all the proper paperwork, so his father couldn’t weasel out of his booking. He found a letter on his desk.

  Baby ,

  In a different world, we could be together. For now, please accept the promotion as my way of saying thank you.

  It was signed with a kiss in the same glossy red lipstick that Victoria had worn to Flannigan’s.

  “Promotion? What promotion?” The words quietly fell from his mouth as his supervisor appeared behind him—the same supervisor who’d taken orders directly from the Padre just a week prior.

  “Busting your father was a big deal. It’s why you’ll be the first in our department’s history to go from Lieutenant to Colonel. Congratulations.”

  Junior then pieced it all together. Not only had Victoria not stopped his father’s organ trade, she’d taken it over, and with it, the Marktown police force. Junior not only felt like the scum of the earth for doing her bidding—that would have been bad enough—but despite having constantly warned himself not to let his guard down, he was heartbroken on top of it all.

  He vowed from that moment on that he’d never voluntarily speak with Victoria again. He only kept her number to remind himself how he’d gotten out of his father’s pocket only to get into hers. He outright refused any order that came his way if it seemed like she was involved.

  Annoyingly, she’d message from time to time to flirt, but he ignored her. Then, a different message had come in.

  “Your father would have been better off in prison. He tried to get back into his old business. We attempted to deal with him, but we only injured his leg before he got away. Don’t be surprised if he turns up dead in a few days. With the company he keeps, don’t believe he’s dead unless he dies in front of your eyes.”

  The message alarmed and confused Junior. He’d thought long and hard about calling Victoria for an explanation, but he resisted. Still, her premonition had come true. Junior had fished his father’s body from the river a few days later. Little had he known back then that he’d have to search for over a decade before figuring out exactly what had happened.

  Surrounded by Private I holos, Junior stared at his netphone, knowing full well that he could get the information he needed if he had Victoria’s resources. All he had to do was break the vow he’d kept all these years. In Junior’s mind, neither Charlie nor Ryan were worth it. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he wouldn’t be doing it for them. It was part of his destiny to finish what he’d started: containing what was left of his father’s influence on the world.

  In that sense, he would be doing it for himself, and he suddenly felt a drive in him that he hadn’t felt in a couple of months.

  He tapped her number, and it rang twice.

  Her holo appeared, and she had the biggest smile. “Junior. Baby. How are you?”

  He cut right to the chase. “I need your help.”

  Chapter 23:

  Riddled with Pain

  “I need your help.”

  Charlie was confused by the hologram. Ryan’s mother was familiar to him, but Charlie couldn’t quite place where he’d known her from. He also didn’t know who the man was standing next to Ryan’s mother.

  Natalie was simply shocked at the quality of the picture. It almost looked like magic to her because it seemed real.

  Ironically, Lucy was the most perplexed. “What’s wrong, lady? You alright?”

  Stacy cleared her throat. “There’s a place in the city that’s more than meets the eye. It’s where the dying go to live, and the living go to die. The poor are the most ones to frequent this lot. Don’t be late. Be there at 1 PM on the dot. Heed my words, or with danger it is that you’ll flirt. Come alone and unarmed, and no one will get hurt.” She paused for a moment, then burst into tears. “I’m sorry, swee—”

  The holo closed, and they all turned to each other.

  “What the hell was that?” Lucy inquired.

  Charlie shrugged, but he tried to make sense of it. The urgency of the matter wasn’t immediately clear to him. “Looks like Ryan’s mom is in some trouble.”

  Then, Charlie had a strange feeling inside his head. It was as if his vision was moving from behind his eyes, and he was sinking back, almost like being pulled under water. He tried to shake his head to stop the feeling from taking over, but then, a new problem cropped up. Charlie couldn’t move. His body just sat there, against his will. More alarming still, he could see Natalie and Lucy continuing the conversation, and he could even hear them talking.

  Lucy’s day was only getting stranger, and she turned to Natalie. “Do you know anything about this?”

  Natalie scowled. “I don’t know this Ryan, much less his mother.”

  Charlie wanted to explain more from his memory, but he was powerless against the sensation sweeping across his body. He felt completely paralyzed from head to toe.

  Natalie noticed his oddly statuesque state. “Charlie? Are you alright?”

  Charlie twitched a couple of times before closing his eyes. A warm feeling rushed over him. It was a feeling that he could just relax, like before he’d been awakened. He felt as if he no longer needed to worry about things like talking or moving. Unexpectedly, he found himself taking a back seat to Ryan. Their white eye glowed bright.

  “Mom! No! What happened?” Ryan’s angst had bubbled him into the fore, and he flailed his arms out, narrowly missing Natalie and Lucy who’d both leaned back.

  “What the hell, Dad?” Lucy was frustrated. “What’s wrong with your eye?”

  The whole process of coming into the fore was a crazy ride for Ryan. He finally gathered himself, and he saw Helen sitting next to him. “Helen, what’s going on with Mom?”

  Natalie shrugged and squinted at him. “Charlie? Who is this Helen?”

  Lucy was as shocked as ever. “Yeah! Who’s Helen?”

  Ryan shook his head, still dazed from the transition. “I can explain later. My name is Ryan, and right now, I need to figure out what the hell is happening with my mother.” He scrambled to play back the call and saw that Jim was with her. Ryan was at a loss for who would have kidnapped them.

  He turned to Lucy. “Do my mom’s clues mean anything to you?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No idea. It must be some kind of riddle. Maybe a hospital?”

  “How is that ‘more than meets the eye?” Ryan contested. “And she specifically mentioned the poor. It’s gotta be somewhere else.”

  Natalie’s eyebrow went up. “The poor dying people I knew would find the closest synth heroin dealer to take away the pain.”

&n
bsp; Ryan was getting flustered. “But she said the dying went to this place to live. That’s not it.”

  “Wait!” Lucy blurted, startling the others. “She’s onto something.” She took a long breath. “Withdrawals. They feel like you’re dying. Until you get your next dose. And maybe Natalie’s example works in reverse. Technically, people who are dying are still living. They could go to a drug dealer to kill themselves.”

  She’d successfully convinced Ryan, and he moved back to the first clue. “‘More than meets the eye.’ Is there a drug dealer that operates out of a strange location?”

  Lucy got a little defensive. “How should I know?”

  As the seconds ticked away, Ryan’s impatience returned. “Well, we need something.”

  Natalie tried to be helpful. “Why don’t you search on your fancy phone?”

  “What would I even search for?” he said, condescendingly. “Drug dealers in the greater metropolitan area?”

  “The phrase ‘more than meets the eye.’” Natalie shrugged. “Maybe it means something.”

  Ryan shook his head in frustration, but he didn’t have any other ideas, so he followed her advice. After sifting through the results explaining the idiom, he nearly lost it. “This is all bullshit. I know what the phrase means, but all I’m finding is a bunch of referencing to a cartoon from my grandpa’s time where robots turned into cars.”

  Lucy scowled. “Cars?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  The answer hit Lucy like a ton of bricks. “Turner’s Junk Yard!”

  “What?” Ryan pleaded. “What’s Turner’s Junk Yard?”

  Lucy swallowed hard. “Some guys from the neighborhood used to go there to get their fix. When they were in really bad shape, sometimes they wouldn’t come back at all.”

  “This junk yard is close?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Ten miles north, probably fifteen minutes by car. But Turner’s Junk Yard—”

  Ryan interrupted. “Natalie, I know this will sound strange. But I need Helen to come back now.”

  “Who the hell is this Helen you keep—”

  Natalie couldn’t finish her sentence before she lost control. Just like Charlie, she was powerless as her consciousness was sucked back into her brain. She blinked, and upon lifting her eyelids, one of her eyes was glowing bright white. Ryan noticed since it was a first for her.

  When Helen finally completed her transition into the fore, she was a bit groggy. “Oh, shit. Ryan!” She rubbed her white eye. “What’s going on? Something with your mom?”

  Lucy stared blankly. “Helen?” She shook her head, giving up, and went back to her concern. “But Turner’s Junk Yard—”

  “Come on,” Ryan interjected, grabbing Helen’s hand. They got to their feet, took a few steps, and reached for the door.

  Lucy popped up and fought hard through a wheeze. “Wait a minute, dammit!” She broke into a coughing fit.

  Ryan and Helen turned around, concerned.

  Lucy gathered herself and spoke slowly. “I don’t know who or…what the hell you are, but if that’s my father’s body, and he’s in there somewhere, you don’t get to be an asshole.”

  Helen finally pieced together what Ryan was going to do. She turned to him. “Yeah. You don’t plan on going there all by yourself, do you?”

  “Helen,” he said impatiently, “that’s what my mom said. Alone. I have to save her, and I don’t have much time.”

  Lucy nodded. “I know, and you’re not going to be able to do that just waltzing into Turner’s. Like I said, only people looking for drugs go there. You’re just asking for trouble going there for anything else, and I bet whoever’s taken your mom knows that.”

  Helen perked up. “What kind of trouble?”

  “All the city’s low-end drugs get run through there, in the bodies of the old cars.” She took a deep, labored breath. “I heard it’s heavily secured. Even the cops don’t bother with it because crime has actually gotten lower since it became a hub for addicts.”

  Helen was exceptionally emotional, turning to Ryan. “You hear that? Security! You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  Ryan tilted his head. “I can handle a few armed guards.”

  “No!” Lucy shook her head and scowled. “They say the security is automated with cameras. Once they see you’re not there for drugs, things could get really bad really fast.”

  Ryan remembered his mother’s words. “But if I go alone and unarmed, no one will get hurt.”

  Lucy’s scowl didn’t budge. “Are you really that naïve? These people will kidnap your mom, but they won’t lie?”

  Helen nodded. “Yes. You have to be smart about this. I love you, Ryan, and I don’t want you to get yourself killed.”

  Ryan sighed, annoyed. “I love you too, Helen, but I would do anything for my family. The question is, what do I do?”

  Helen took a breath, infatuated with Ryan for what he’d just said. And she knew he was right. “I just wish there was a way we could see you. Hell, it would be even better if we could talk to you.”

  Lucy thought for a second, then her eyes became wide. “Send me two-thousand credits.”

  Ryan’s eyebrow raised on its own. “Two-thousand? For what?”

  She tilted her head, changing her mind. “Better make it three-thousand.”

  Even Helen was concerned. “What the hell is it for?”

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  Ryan took the auto-car and parked a block away from Turner’s Junk Yard. He walked up to the towering steel double-doors, and his anxiety grew. The place was like a massive stronghold. Four-meter high, rusted, corrugated metal walls topped with barbed wire spanned the block in both directions. There was a standard metal door to his right with a console next to it. He walked toward the console and reached out his hand. A holo projected from the screen before he touched anything, startling him slightly. It was Ryan’s mother and Jim.

  Her voice trembled. “Ryan, place your netphone in the drop box.”

  “Mom, are you okay?”

  She sighed. “Please place your netphone in the drop box,” she droned.

  He looked around for a moment, then heard a couple clicks. The drop box popped out of the wall just under the console. Without thinking, he reached into his pocket and slipped the phone in with a clang. The drop boxed disappeared back into the wall.

  “Enter the junk yard. You’ll receive your next instructions inside.”

  “Mom, are you hurt? How’s Jim?”

  A jolt gave way to the sound of deep clanking as the giant doors to the junk yard began to open.

  Ryan took a deep breath and turned toward the open doors. Stacks of scrap metal and old cars comprised inner walls to the place even taller than the outer walls. He looked back at his mom. She nodded in the direction of the door.

  Ryan fixed a meaningful gaze on his mother and said, “I’m coming to get you, Mom.” The holo disappeared, and Ryan cautiously wandered into the junk yard.

  Once inside the parameter, the clanking started again as the doors slammed shut behind him. After the ruckus died down, it was eerily quiet. Ryan looked both ways. To his right, the office building for the facility had been retrofitted with steel plates, making it seem like the headquarters to the fortress. To the left, there was a long path between all the junk and the outer wall. He decided to head toward the building. Approaching the entrance, he noticed another console on the right side. As he got closer, the door popped open. Ryan stopped, on guard, and glared inside but it was too dark to see anything. After a moment, a holo appeared from the console.

  “Ryan.” His mother blinked, and a stream of tears ran down her face. “Run…”

  He squinted. “What? Run where?”

  “Run!”

  Before he could turn around, an auto-hound leapt from the open door with an electronic growl.
Time slowed down as Ryan battled through his shock to lean to one side, barely avoiding being tackled to the ground. He watched as the sleek, white killing machine sailed past him, swinging its razor-sharp claws at his jugular, but only slicing his shoulder instead.

  “Ah!” Ryan grabbed his wound and tried to pull himself together.

  By the time he spun around, the auto-hound had already assumed a pose to pounce again. Ryan shook off the fear and peered around the mechanical beast to see the long path. Then, he looked the thing in its red eyes, and it was clear to Ryan how he was going to get past it. He darted toward the auto-hound, and with a robotic bark, it dove at him. The knife-like claws were aimed at Ryan’s face, and centimeters before they caused serious damage, Ryan went into a sliding motion. He skidded hard on the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust. Ryan had already popped up and bolted down the path as the auto-hound turned around and began its pursuit.

  Ernesto’s netphone rang in another part of the junk yard, and he quickly answered it. A holo of Matthew Garfield’s face appeared, pissed. “God dammit, Ernesto. I told you to bring him in unharmed.”

  Ernesto rolled his eyes. “Relax. If he’s half as talented as you say he is, he’ll be fine. If he isn’t…well, then I’ll be saving you the trouble of analyzing him.”

  “You son of a bitch! You’ll pay for this when you get back to—”

  Ernesto hung up on him, and he looked at his recruits. “I’ll do the talking when he gets here but be ready for a fight.”

  The auto-hound snarled ten-meters behind Ryan. He paid no attention, and oddly enough, his mind began to wander. It dawned on Ryan that he was running much faster than he’d ever run before. Each stride seemed to stretch out farther than the last, and the wind blew his hair back. He was miraculously keeping pace with the auto-hound. Ryan did the math that it meant he was running some forty kilometers per hour, and he wasn’t even getting winded. He was sure it had something to do with Charlie being awakened. It was as if his body was a State-of-the-Art machine that required a pilot and a co-pilot to operate effectively, and he could feel Charlie doing his part. The realization almost stopped him from piecing together what was happening with his mother. Almost.