After what must have been an hour, the door to the Colonel’s office opened up, and he stepped out. The Colonel’s eyes were red and Neil could see dried tears below them.
“We’re going to Georgia. The mother fuckers have my daughter.” Steele said, without facing towards Neil.
CHAPTER 11
It took Neil a minute to fully understand what the Colonel meant.
“Wait, Emma is your daughter?” Neil asked.
Steele looked sharply at him.
“How the hell do you know my step-daughter?”
The pieces started to fall into place. That explained why Emma said her dad was a professor for the University, and why they had such a nice house. It also explained why Emma was at the party full of ROTC Cadets when they first met.
“Sir, I’ve sort of been…seeing her.”
Neil prepared himself for the ass-chewing of a lifetime.
“Oh Jesus Christ, Hitchens! If you’ve been fucking my daughter, I swear to god, I will rip your dick off and shove it down your throat!”
Steele’s face turned beet red.
“Sir, no! I swear we never did…that. I only just met her a week ago.” Steele calmed down a bit.
“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have exploded like that. It’s just…finding out that the government has kidnapped your daughter and that some snot nosed Cadet has been plugging her in the same few minutes isn’t the easiest thing to hear, you know?”
“I understand, Sir. Did the people on the phone say what they wanted?”
“They didn’t say shit. Some fuckface named Carl Douchebag said I needed to bring you with me to the NSA building at Fort Gordon, or I would never see my daughter again. He also said if I told anyone about our trip, I would be getting her head in the mail. What the fuck does the NSA want with you, Hitchens? No offense, but you’re kind of worthless.”
Coming from Steele, that was almost a compliment.
“You mean they didn’t tell you, Sir?”
Neil was trying to figure out what exactly they told Steele before he revealed anything that should remain a secret.
“No, like I said, they didn’t tell me shit. Do you know something I don’t know, Cadet?”
Steele tried to make the word ‘Cadet’ sound as derogatory as possible.
“Negative, Sir. Of course not. I’m just as clueless as you are.” Neil lied.
“Who are you calling clueless, you little ass muncher?” You couldn’t do right by Colonel Steele.
“Sir, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean -”
“Relax, I’m just fucking with you. Oh, there’s one more thing. They told me to tell you congratulations, you passed all of your exams. Also, raise your right hand.”
Neil didn’t understand. His exams weren’t for another week. Why was he being asked to raise his hand?
“Sir, I don’t understand, what do you -” Neil was interrupted again.
“I’m making you a god damned Lieutenant, now do what I say you moron! I am not in a patient mood.”
After a little hesitation, Neil raised his hand.
As Colonel Steele said each line of the Oath of Commissioned Officers, Neil repeated it. When the last line, ‘So help me, God’, was read aloud, Neil officially entered the US Army as a Second Lieutenant.
“There, you just went from Cadet Hitchens to Lieutenant Hitchens. Congratulations on your promotion, LT. We’ll worry about the paperwork later. Now go home, grab your uniform and a travel bag, and wait outside for me to pick you up. I’ll be there in less than an hour. Oh, and make sure you change your fucking rank. If I’m going to go all the way to Georgia to have the NSA tell me why they kidnapped my daughter, I’m not going to do it with someone dressed as a god damned Cadet.”
Neil left the building and headed home to do as Steele asked.
As soon as he was alone, Neil felt depressed when he had time to comprehend the gravity of the situation he was in. He would be leaving behind his friends, his school, his house, and all of his possessions. He had no idea when, or if, he would be coming back to Michigan.
The NSA was going to make him do whatever they wanted. There was no way to know when he would be free again. Would they ever let him go on his way, after witnessing them kidnap an innocent girl to use as leverage? He found it more likely that they would keep him just long enough to do what they wanted, and then try to dispose of him.
Neil was sure he was never going to see Emma again. If that fact hurt him, he could only imagine how much worse it was for Colonel Steele.
Even with the power of a god, Neil was helpless in his current situation. He couldn’t walk away without putting the people he cared about in danger.
Evil seemed to always get what it wanted. Neil couldn’t just abandon Emma, especially after learning that she was the Colonel’s daughter. He was locked into this situation, and the only way to make it right was to do what Carl wanted.
On his way home, Neil withdrew all of his cash from the bank. There were only three months left on his lease for the house, and he wasn’t going to screw his friends over by making them pay his share. He decided he would leave them all of his belongings, too. He wouldn’t need them anymore.
“Hey guys, I’m going to Georgia.” Neil said as he walked inside.
“Uhh, what? Dude, you have class on Monday. Why would you possibly need to go to Georgia the week before exams?” Alex asked.
“I’m not going to be taking exams. I’m leaving for good. I can’t tell you why. Here’s my share of the rent.”
Neil threw down an envelope full of cash onto the coffee table.
“What in the fuck are you talking about, man? You’re a week away from graduating college and getting commissioned. You can’t just get up and walk away. Are you high or something?” Bryan came in from the other room when he heard the conversation.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you what’s going on. Here’s the keys to my car. You guys can decide what to do with my stuff. I just want to say thanks for everything you all have done. I’ll never forget these past four years. Maybe someday I’ll get to see you guys again.”
Neil started to tear up. Leaving his friends high and dry was more difficult than he could have imagined.
“Neil, you’re really freaking me out right now. What the hell is going on? What’s in Georgia? Don’t you walk away from me! Get your ass back down here!” Bryan yelled, as Neil went upstairs to change into his uniform.
While Neil was changing, Alex burst into his room.
“Tell me what is going on right now! I’m not letting you leave here until you tell me everything!”
Alex stood blocking the doorway. Tears were streaming down Neil’s face now. He hadn’t cried since he was a kid. He felt like one now.
Neil finished changing into his uniform and grabbed his travel bag. Alex wasn’t moving from the doorway.
“I’m really sorry about this Alex.”
Neil used his power to shove Alex into the bedroom across the hall and shut the door. He heard cursing and banging on the other side.
A car honked its horn outside. The Colonel was already out there waiting for him. He ran downstairs and shut the door before Bryan had a chance to say anything.
This was it.
Neil was leaving his old life behind for good. He was about to embark on the worst kind of adventure he could imagine.
Neil wished he could take the whole week back. He would give up his time with Emma if it meant she would be safe. He would even give up his ability. He thought it would give him purpose, instead it only caused him suffering.
Neil thought back to the dream he had with Carl in the dark room. ‘Do not get other people involved. It will bring only pain.’ Neil seemed to be playing right into what Carl was warning against.
Fuck Carl.
The warning was genuine, but the person who gave the warning ended up being the reason for everything bad that was happening.
The desire for revenge was overpowering. Neil would give anything
to get back at him. He caught himself a few times fantasizing about gruesome ways he could torture and kill him. Neil had never had thoughts of violence like that before in his life. He wondered whether it was his power corrupting him, or if this was just the first time had felt genuine hatred for another person.
Neil got in the passenger side door of Steele’s black Lexus sedan. After he shut his door, he released control over the bedroom door that had locked Alex upstairs.
“Got everything you need?” Steele asked.
Neil looked at him and nodded. He watched his friends through the window as he drove away from his home for the last time.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering when you’re going to see your home again.” It wasn’t a question, and he was right. “I thought about the same thing. My wife wasn’t even home when I left. I just sent her a voicemail. It’s probably easier that way.”
Steele was trying to open up to Neil, and the surprise of hearing him do so delayed Neil’s response.
“It’s ok Neil, you don’t have to say anything. I don’t know what kind of fucked up situation we’ve got ourselves into, or what it has to do with you, but trust me when I tell you that I will get us out of it.”
Neil heard the sincerity in Steele’s voice. Steele had never called Neil by his first name before.
For the first time, he saw the humanity behind the façade that had been put up for the past four years. Steele may have acted like a Colonel when on the job, but off the clock he was a father, a husband, a friend, and a human being. Neil could tell that Steele was feeling a very human emotion – helplessness. Just like Neil, he didn’t know whether he would see his daughter or family again, and no amount of combat experience would make that any easier to bear.
“Sir, I think you deserve to know the truth. This whole thing is my fault. They didn’t kidnap Emma because she’s your daughter. They did it because I care about her. They are using her against me. You are just the unlucky one caught up in the middle.”
Neil knew that the Colonel wouldn’t understand that what he said was the truth. Would he ever be able to forgive Neil for putting his family through this?
“What are you talking about, Hitchens? What do you have to do with any of this?”
Steele didn’t deserve to get caught up in the middle of all this. It was bigger than anything he had dealt with in his career, even as a Colonel.
“Carl, the man you talked to on the phone, he asked me to do something for him. I told him no, and it made him…upset. They took Emma because they thought they could force me to help them.”
Neil tried to reveal as much as he could without revealing the true reason Carl was interested in him. Steele deserved to know that much.
“What the hell would the NSA want with a fucking Cadet? What did they ask you to do?”
“It’s not something I can really explain, Sir. It would be better if I showed you, but I think it’s better if we wait until we get to Georgia.”
Neil wanted to say more, but it would do more harm than good in the current situation.
“Fine, whatever. You better tell me the full story soon, Hitchens. If what you say is true, you owe me that.”
Neil didn’t have anything to say in response. The man was right.
They drove the rest of the way to the Lansing airport in silence. Both men retired to their own thoughts. They each had their own share of things to worry about.
When they arrived at the airport, Steele purchased two tickets to Atlanta. From there, they would have to rent a car to drive the rest of the way to Augusta. There were no flights from Atlanta to Augusta until the next afternoon, and they were on a short timeline.
Neil would have found his situation humorous if it wasn’t so tragic. There he was, about to go work for the NSA because of his telekinetic abilities, and he had to fly in an airplane because he was trying not to tell the only man he could trust about his power. It would be much easier to simply pick up the Colonel and fly them both to Augusta in a matter of minutes, but he wasn’t going to put Steele through that after everything that had happened that day. Even a man like him needed time to acclimate to this new bizarre world he lived in.
Neil went through security with the Colonel, and they proceeded through the terminal towards their gate. The terminal was more crowded than usual. From the large number of students around the same age as Neil, he figured that there must be a lot of people heading home from school. Other colleges had already finished exams.
The Colonel and his new Lieutenant were wearing their fatigues, and it was obvious that many people in the airport weren’t used to seeing someone in uniform. It felt like every head was tracking them as they walked through the terminal. Some stared out of curiosity, but some held a snarled expression that could only be interpreted as spite.
One man bumped into Steele’s shoulder as he walked by, clearly on purpose. Steele wasn’t the type to let go of his pride in a situation like that.
“Hey man, watch where you’re going.”
Steele could have been more tactful with his tone of voice, but given the circumstances, it was understandable.
“What the fuck did you say to me, baby-killer?”
Oh great, Neil thought, one of those guys. He was messing with the wrong Colonel - and the wrong Lieutenant for that matter. Neil decided to defuse the situation before it escalated.
“Just keep walking, we’re not worth your trouble.” Neil said.
“God damn right you’re not worth the trouble. Scum of the earth is what you are.” The man said.
Steele wasn’t going to have any more of this man’s bullshit. He bee lined straight towards him. As Steele approached, Neil saw the other man reach into his pocket and pull something out. The flash of metal was all Neil needed to figure out what it was.
Neil was on him instantly. With unnatural speed, he grabbed the man’s arm as he attempted to raise it with the knife in hand. Neil bent the arm backwards in one swift motion, using more strength than any ordinary man his size would be able to wield.
The man’s arm snapped in half, releasing a painful crunching noise that could be heard by everyone around. The bone was sticking clear through his skin. His scream echoed throughout the entire airport.
With his left hand still on the wrist of the broken arm, Neil took the man by the throat in the other hand and lifted him several inches off the ground. He slammed down with incredible force and the man crashed into the ground. His head hit so hard that he went unconscious directly upon impact. Neil snatched the knife out of the hand on the broken arm and tossed it aside so everyone could see what caused the commotion. Neil released the man and stepped away, satisfied with his work.
Everyone in the vicinity was staring. Neil glanced around nervously as he realized what he had done. His actions were justified, he was sure of that, but the strength and agility of his movements was clearly unnatural. They all stared like they had just seen a ghost.
“Holy shit, Hitchens. You fucked him up! How the hell did you do that?”
Steele’s voice quivered. He was trying to hide his fear.
“Uhh, I don’t know, Sir. I did a little bit of martial arts when I was in high school, but it was mostly just reflex I guess. I think the more important question here is; how did he get the knife past security?”
Neil tried to divert the attention away from his superhuman self-defense techniques.
“Hey, let’s get out of here before security shows up.” Steele whispered.
Neil agreed.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea as the two walked through it, away from the scene. They made it all the way to their gate without getting stopped by anyone. No one had ratted them out – either because they felt Neil’s actions were justified, or because they were scared shitless of what they saw him do.
While they waited for their flight at the gate, Neil studied the faces of the people passing by. Nearly everyone took a passing glance at the two men wearing a uniform. Some gave
a nod of approval, some a look of disgust. Neil recognized many of the people from the crowd that gathered earlier.
An hour had passed before they were allowed to board their plane. No one had arrested them yet. That was a good sign. They boarded and awaited take off. While the rest of the passengers were still boarding, Steele turned to Neil.
“Hitchens, about what happened back there.” Neil braced himself, and tried to come up with a more believable explanation for his impossible strength. “I just wanted to thank you. That asshole could have killed me if he got a lucky swing in. You saved my life.”
That was not what Neil was expecting.
“It was nothing, Sir. I did what anyone would have done. I just saw the knife and reacted.”
Steele was showing a side of himself that Neil didn’t know existed. They both knew they were going to be spending a lot of time together. If they were going to work together, Steele had to be able to talk to Neil like a human, not a Cadet.
“Also, if we ever make it home, you have permission to date my daughter.”
Neil smiled. It was about the biggest sign of respect that he ever expected to receive from someone like Steele.
“Thank you, Sir. I really care about her. I’m not going to let anything bad happen. You have my word.”
Neil took his silence as gratitude. He might not have had any reason to believe that Neil could keep his word, but he no doubt appreciated the sincerity.
The plane finished boarding and taxied down the runway. It wasn’t long before they were in the air. As they flew, Neil closed his eyes and pretended he was soaring above the clouds. It was something he would never get bored of, and something he longed to do again. He spent the rest of his flight in a meditative state and had a relaxed smile across his face.
They landed in Atlanta and found a car rental service that they would use to make it the rest of the way to Augusta. It was past midnight now, and Neil was starting to feel tired. He knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to rest for a while, so he pushed the thought of sleep out of his mind.
Superhuman Nature Page 12
