Oblivion

by Adrianne Lemke

  “Fair enough.”

  “We really should go,” Hannah insisted.

  I nodded, put my hand on the ground to push myself up, and froze. “There are people outside. They’re surrounding us.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  Jeremiah

  There was something wrong. If everything had gone according to plan, the others should have been back already. I should never have let them go without me.

  Pacing the house was accomplishing nothing. If the others were in trouble, there was nothing I could do from here.

  A hand pushed on the door, holding it closed as I began to head out.

  “Where are you off to?” Agent Jones asked.

  “They’re in trouble. We can’t help them from here. Either come with me, or get out of my way,” I growled.

  “How sure are you?”

  “Sure enough not to take the time to argue about it,” I said with a glare, my hand still on the doorknob.

  He took a moment to search my eyes before removing his hand from the door.

  “Let’s go,” he said with a grim smile. “Paul, you and Tessa stay here,” he called into the living room.

  He received a positive reply and we headed out. The agent was on his phone, most likely trying to get in touch with Detective Farrow.

  “You won’t reach her,” I predicted. “They’re in trouble, and it’s unlikely she’ll have the ability to respond to your call.”

  “How do you know?” he snapped, tossing the phone into the car.

  “I have a gift,” I answered beatifically.

  Predictably, he glared at me.

  “What?” I shrugged innocently. “You know it’s true. You’ve seen our abilities in action multiple times just in the last few days, and you have to ask?”

  The look he shot at me would have frozen a lesser man in his tracks. Me? I smiled.

  “I know you have abilities,” he ground out. “I just want to know exactly what you’re picking up, and what we are walking into.”

  Letting the agent off the hook, I answered, “I don’t know, exactly. I know they should have been back by now, and I know Oblivion is feeling more worried than normal. I also know the Mastermind is unwilling to let the brothers slip through his fingers.”

  He paused after starting the car. “How do you know what the Mastermind wants? And this, I do need to hear. You couldn’t get a read on him before.”

  Eyeing the other man shrewdly, I decided to take the risk of telling the truth. “He contacted me.”

  “And said what, exactly?”

  Every word out of his mouth sounded as if it was forced through tightly clenched teeth, and I found myself needing to prevent an oddly pleased smile from escaping. He was fun to rile up.

  “He basically told me that if I came to work for him, I could rebuild Jason as I saw fit, and do to Sam everything I ever wanted to do to him for harming Jason.”

  The agent’s voice was low and dangerous. “He offered you a job?”

  “I didn’t take him up on it, if that’s what you’re concerned about, agent.”

  “I’ll wait for Sam to confirm that one, thanks,” he said, finally pulling away from the hideaway.

  I snorted. “So now you trust him? You didn’t seem too sure of him in the last couple days. And don’t think he didn’t pick up on that.”

  His wince made the truth of my comment obvious. “I’ve made mistakes. I allowed what he accidentally did to his brother to color my perception of him. Sam’s a good kid, but he went through a traumatic experience. It allowed his power to get away from him. His brother has had the same thing happen before.”

  “True enough. So you’ve gotten over it? The distrust of his power?”

  “Mostly. It is still nerve wracking to know that so much power lies with a fourteen-year-old kid.”

  That, I couldn’t argue with.

  He eyed me sharply. “You’re afraid of him too.”

  My lip twitched uncomfortably. “He destroyed a powerful mind… two powerful minds, without even trying. Yes, he makes me a little nervous. I would be a fool not to treat his abilities with respect.” Or caution, I reflected silently.

  He nodded.

  We were drawing near our destination before he spoke again. “So what are we walking into?”

  “To be completely honest, I do not know. But the fact your lady friend didn’t answer her phone or contact you does not bode well. They will not see us approach, but there is no guarantee they won’t have some other way to detect us.”

  “Jeremiah, I need to ask you a question,” Jones began hesitantly.

  When he didn’t continue, I realized he was waiting for me to give him permission to ask. “Ask away, agent.”

  “It’s just… you seemed to be more powerful when we first met. You could get into Jason’s mind and control him, and block yourself from the view of every person near you, regardless of cameras. The only thing you seemed to worry about was after you were no longer in the area; the camera would still have a picture of you.”

  “How do you…?”

  “I talk to Dan quite a bit, and I’m dating Alice. Do you really think your foray into the police department to kill their prisoner went unnoticed?”

  I nodded. “Fair point.”

  “So what happened? Now you can’t keep people from seeing your image on video in real time, and you seem more concerned with others discovering you, when you are using your powers.”

  He had figured out what I’d been attempting to hide. My powers were still intact, but when my Kindred persona receded, so did some of the raw power I used to enjoy effortlessly.

  “I am more limited,” I admitted warily. It was difficult to admit to weakness, but it could help him trust me more. “The power becomes less the more I reject being Kindred. He… I used the persona to protect myself.”

  “So what? He’s like a separate personality? You have multiple personality disorder?”

  “Perhaps. I never thought of it that way, only that when my cousin tortured me into becoming his slave, I lost myself. Kindred is what was reborn.”

  “For what it’s worth, your Jeremiah persona is much less creepy,” Jones said lightly.

  “We have a problem,” I said a moment later.

  “Yeah, I would say we do,” Jones agreed, stopping the car.

  We climbed out, not taking our eyes off the building at the end of our destination. Parts of it were burning.

  Other parts had been demolished, as if in an earthquake.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Sam

  I learned quickly not to struggle against the restraints. They would only chafe my newly healed wrists again, and it wasn’t worth the pain. What these people wanted with me was a mystery, but at least they had only gotten me. For now anyway.

  If Jason had been in his right mind—had remembered I was his brother and not had to be told I am—he would never have left. Both of us would have been captured, or he would have seriously injured the people who took me. It was the first time I’d been grateful for his memory loss. For now, he was safe. At least, as far as I knew.

  Even without the desire to protect me and his friends as a driving force, Jason still destroyed half of the building. It was part of our attempt to escape the fire they’d set to smoke us out.

  Now they were taking me back to where they’d held Jason before, and I knew they were counting on Jason coming for me.

  “He’s not stupid,” I informed the man driving. “He won’t fall into your little trap.”

  “You think so? Our boss is pretty good at what he does,” the guy answered.

  “Drop the act, Mastermind. This guy is another of your puppets, right?”

  The driver smirked. The passenger turned to face me. “You’re only half right,” he answered. “My driver is my right hand. You can call him the Boss. He has no need of being controlled. He works for me of his own volition.”

  “So you’re the meat suit,” I said with a yawn that was only half faked. “What
ever. Doesn’t change the fact that Jason isn’t going to fall for this. And I am going to destroy you if you even attempt to harm him.”

  “You have me wrong, Sam. Or should I call you, ‘Oblivion?’ It’s what your friend Kindred calls you. We’re in the process of making a deal. Anyway, I have no desire to harm your brother. Simply to train him as one of my best underlings. He is the most powerful Ex I have met.”

  “Ex?”

  He frowned slightly. “Yes, Ex is not the best name I could have come up with. It is short for Extraordinary—as in people with extraordinary powers.”

  I snorted. “That’s the best you could come up with? Really?”

  The puppet blinked. “Naming a subspecies of humans is not as easy as it appears. Come up with something better, and I may consider changing it.”

  “I’ll have to let you know,” I sneered. “What deal are you making with Kindred?”

  “That is between me, and my future helper. Suffice to say that your brother is an excellent bargaining chip for locking in his loyalty.”

  “I know the man. He won’t do anything that will harm Jason. Jeremiah is loyal to him.”

  “You may be right, to a point. Jeremiah wants nothing more than for Jason to trust him as one of his friends. Kindred, on the other hand, wants him under his control.”

  “It’s the same person,” I protested. My certainty was beginning to waver. The Mastermind was making sense. Kindred had threatened to take Jason and put him under his control before, so the powerful being promising he could have him…

  The meat-suit pondered my words. “You’re correct, in a way. Jeremiah was a good man until he was changed. Kindred is the creature who kept him alive. As much as Jeremiah would want to protest it, Kindred is still alive and well.”

  I shut my mouth, unsure how to respond.

  He smirked, and I found myself wanting to destroy the man, the way I’d destroyed Hunter.

  “You know,” the puppet said thoughtfully, “I think you could make an excellent addition to my crew. So easy to manipulate. All I have to do is feel something strongly enough, and it will affect you as well.”

  My lip twitched, and I glared. The idea of being overwhelmed by another person’s emotions freaked me out. It had been bad enough once I was out of range of Hunter, and realized how much of what I’d done was because of him. Jason feared his powers escaping him and causing a natural disaster. I feared my powers overtaking me, and changing me into someone I’m not.

  “See? Are you normally one to become so angry so quickly?” the Mastermind goaded.

  “Maybe not,” I admitted through clenched teeth, “but after everything, my nerves are a bit raw.”

  “Raw. Untrained. Powerful. Dangerous combination, kid.”

  The passenger turned back toward the driver. “Boss, you will take over this child’s training. I want him willing and eager to help us recapture the Earthshaker.”

  I didn’t want to feel what I felt from the Mastermind; confidence, hatred, power… all meant to make me believe the end was all but inevitable.

  The puppet smirked again, “In time, Oblivion, you will help turn your brother into my puppet.”

  I shook my head in denial. He continued despite my adamant rejection of his plans.

  “And you will enjoy it.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Jason

  “What are we supposed to do now?” The girl, Hannah, asked frantically.

  The other woman… the one who hadn’t entered mine and Lena's hiding place until we were surrounded… answered, “We need to settle and figure out how to get Sam back.”

  Lena and I sat in the back of the SUV, and I grew tenser every time one of the other women looked toward me with sympathy. They seemed almost disappointed when they didn’t see whatever it was they expected to see.

  “Any thoughts, Jason?” The new woman asked.

  “One comes to mind,” I answered hesitantly. “Who are you? I know the kid is my brother, and Hannah is… a friend? But who are you?”

  She glanced back toward me with a wince. “Yeah, sorry. I’m Detective Alice Farrow. I’ve known you since you were a kid, and you and Sam are like family to me.”

  She eyed me as if expecting something, but I couldn’t muster a response.

  “Jason, your brother is missing. Even with your memories gone, doesn’t that strike a chord with you?” the detective asked incredulously.

  Lena leaned into me supportively as I stared at the floor of the vehicle. I had to consider what I felt, and try to figure out a proper response to this crazy situation. It was difficult to figure out a way to react that wouldn’t cause the others to look at me with even more concern.

  Several moments passed in silence, the bumps of the road the only sound.

  “Jason?” Hannah broke the silence when it appeared like I wasn’t going to respond.

  “Look… I know he’s my brother. Intellectually, I know that,” I nodded mostly to myself. “Emotionally is another matter. I don’t recognize him. But he’s a kid in trouble, and if they took him where they had me, we need to get him out.”

  I raised my gaze, and met Hannah’s eyes. “You can count on my help. I will do whatever it takes to save him.”

  “In the meantime, where are we going?” Lena asked suddenly.

  “We know where they’ll take Sam. At least we suspect it. But we need Jeremiah.”

  “No!” I exclaimed. If I hadn’t been belted into a vehicle, I would have recoiled in horror. “We do not need that murderer’s help. Figure out a way without him, or I’m out.”

  “You would leave your brother in the hands of the Puppet Master because of your hang-up with this guy?” Lena asked dubiously.

  The others waited in silence for my response.

  “Do we really need him? You’re a cop, right?” I asked the driver. “And Lena and I have abilities we can utilize in our rescue attempt. Can’t we figure something out without him?”

  I realized Alice was driving back toward the place Lena and I had so recently escaped from, and I felt angry that they would bring my brother here.

  “We’ll get him out, one way or another,” Alice answered. “But it may be easier with Jeremiah’s help. I know you don’t remember that you trust us, but know that we wouldn’t do anything to harm you or Sam.”

  I slumped. “I want to trust you. I really do.”

  “You trust Lena, right?” Hannah asked softly.

  “She helped me escape, and helped me fortify my mind against the Puppet Master’s intrusion. She’s earned it.”

  “Lena, you can see into people’s minds, right?” Hannah asked, turning to meet the younger girl’s eyes.

  My companion glanced at me before nodding warily. I understood her reluctance. If people with abilities were rare, it seemed likely we wouldn’t talk about them much. Which would make it difficult to confide in anyone about them.

  “Good. So you can see that we’re being honest. We are your friends, Jason. And right at this moment, we can trust Jeremiah.”

  I looked to Lena curiously. Her assessment would tip the scales either for or against allowing Jeremiah to help.

  “She’s being honest, but you already know that. You’re being stubborn.” She assessed me for another moment and shook her head. “Okay, maybe stubborn isn’t the right word. You’re being… over cautious.”

  “We’re here. Can you tell if Sam was brought here?” Alice called back.

  “Let me out for a moment and I should be able to tell,” I answered.

  “You can tell from here if Sam’s walked into the building,” Hannah objected.

  I shook my head. “No, Hannah. Right now I can’t. Maybe I could, but right at this moment these powers are brand new to me. So I need to get out and make contact with the ground.”

  Hannah flinched, and I felt a flash of discomfort for putting the look of hurt on her face. The frustration was eating at me, so I ignored her.

  It seemed like they were forgetting that I couldn
’t remember anything. They obviously expected me to be the person they knew. Maybe in time I could get back to that person, but for the moment I couldn’t be who they wanted me to be.

  Stalking away from the vehicle, I knelt and touched the dirt near the edge of the fence line behind some bushes. I pushed, and my power pulsed through the ground. Echoes of footsteps bounced back to me, almost too many to sift through.

  How could I do this? How did this power work, and why was I gifted with it? Did I know before my memory loss? I pushed the questions away as unimportant, and attempted to focus.

  The echoes and vibrations were overlapping, making it difficult to read any single pattern. I was unsure how to proceed, so I pushed again. My mind automatically searched for familiar patterns.

  A rush of recognition came through, stronger than expected for the short time I’d known him. Proof, perhaps, that the kid was a bigger part of my life than I admitted initially. Something in me still recognized him.

  The thought made me smile, and I pushed to see where they had taken him.

  A few minutes later I returned to the SUV. The others stopped talking as I approached.

  “He’s here. They took him in. I believe he’s on the fourth floor, but everything gets jumbled the further away from the ground they go.”

  “I called Mark,” Alice said. “He and Jeremiah are on the way here.

  I don’t want any argument, Jason. We can use all the help we can get,” she added sternly.

  “No more arguments, Detective,” I answered. “My brother is in there, and he needs help. If I have to hold hands with the devil, I will.”

  Lena glanced at me, an unrecognizable look in her eye. Her black and pink hair hung off to the side as she tilted her head curiously. “You sure about that, Jason?”

  “You trust them, and they keep telling me he can be trusted, so yes. He will help me get my brother back, and then my brother will help me get my memories back.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  Jeremiah