Oblivion

by Adrianne Lemke

  “I know you’re here, Jeremiah. I doubt Jason would have made so bold an entrance if he wasn’t attempting to cover for you. Have you considered my offer?” A male voice resonated through the hall.

  The detective shot me a look I couldn’t decipher, and I shifted.

  “It’s nothing,” I said.

  We were invisible and no one in the building should be able to see us. I was uncomfortably sure that if the detective was aware of what the Mastermind had promised me, she would see me as nothing more than a threat. Her talk of rehabbing me would dwindle, and I would be the dangerous predator she’d always suspected I was. Even if I refused the man’s offer, she would have to have doubts.

  “Nothing?” The voice was amused now, and a guard appeared in the hall in front of us. A smirk crossed the man’s face and he spoke again. “I beg to differ, Kindred. I know it’s what you’ve wanted for years. A chance to mold Jason into a person who can accept you. A way for you to be his friend.”

  Now the detective glared toward the guard. “A real friend wouldn’t try to change Jason to fit his needs. Jeremiah is doing it right. He is trying to prove he can become a better person. He already has friends behind him to help.”

  “So to be Jason’s friend, Jeremiah must change? You say a friend wouldn’t try to force a change, so why must he be the one to alter his behavior to fit Jason’s needs?”

  It made sense. Perhaps the reason Jason and I could not have a real friendship was because in order for it to happen, one or the other of us would have to completely change our personalities.

  “Perhaps you are both right,” I offered. “I cannot be his true friend without a different lifestyle…”

  “Jeremiah,” the detective interrupted, again stressing my name. “Don’t listen. You are able to be a better person. Jason will come around.”

  “Or you could make him come around. It might be faster to force him into a new pattern than to attempt to alter your own.”

  Was it the Mastermind or Kindred speaking in my mind? Did it matter? Both said the same thing.

  “Help me, and you can have your friend,” the Mastermind promised. “You are a remarkable specimen, Kindred. You shouldn’t need to water yourself down to please others.”

  Something must have shown on my face, because the detective began to back away from me. She had her gun drawn and at her side.

  “I will not hurt you, detective,” I promised. “But if I were you, I’d put the weapon away.”

  It was difficult to pull my gaze from the wide-eyed fearful look the detective aimed my way, but I had to. Once again faced with my darker half I pushed hard against the desire for power that flowed through my mind.

  “I made a promise to help protect the Tracker and his brother from you. I will not go back on my word. You may take that as my final say in the matter.”

  The guard took a step back. “Both parts of you are in agreement? That… I don’t understand. Kindred has always wanted control.”

  I smiled at the first sign that the Mastermind was not all-knowing. He couldn’t tell what a person would choose to do, and he couldn’t force me to go in the direction he wanted.

  “I am a man of my word, regardless of which name you use. I will not betray those who have helped me. That has never been in my character. If you were unaware of it, I am not at fault.”

  Parts of me still yearned for control over the Tracker and his friends. Yet more now desired a true friendship with the group. Despite everything I’ve put them through; they still wanted to help me.

  “I am indebted to all of them. They are under my protection. So it would be a benefit to you if you were to allow all of us to leave.”

  Even before the guard raised his weapon, I knew my proposal would go unheeded.

  “Detective, if you don’t want this man to die, we need to move.”

  She blinked, apparently surprised by my declaration of loyalty, but we rushed around the corner toward another door.

  “This place is like a freakin’ maze!” the detective exclaimed.

  “I believe Jason is in the building,” I informed her. “We should attempt to reach them.”

  She gave a quick nod, just before I heard the thud of something hitting the wall beside me.

  “RUN!” she yelled.

  Three guards carrying weapons rounded the corner. Another one fired, and I saw a dart sticking out of the wall.

  “Tranq darts,” I informed her. “Guess he doesn’t want to kill potential test subjects.”

  Another shot proved me wrong when a chunk of wall flew past the detective’s head.

  “Guess they only want one of us alive,” she answered breathlessly.

  We pushed our way through a door and found ourselves in a room overlooking the torn up section of the courtyard. There was a pang in my conscience at the visual reminder of Jason losing control because of my actions.

  “There’s Sam!” the detective exclaimed, pointing out the window.

  Down in the courtyard Sam was backing out the door. The reason why became apparent quickly; a guard followed, holding the teenager at gunpoint.

  FORTY-SIX

  Sam

  The continuous helpless feeling was becoming tedious. Somehow, I thought my situation would improve once Jason appeared, but it seemed to be getting worse.

  A few minutes earlier Jason and Mark had appeared from around a corner, surprising the guards and me. Now we found ourselves in a standoff. For some reason a silently snarling brown dog stood at my brother’s side, its anger clearly aimed at the armed guards surrounding me.

  For their part, the guards appeared nervous and took several steps back as the dog walked forward. Two of them held their guns on the men approaching, a third held one on the dog, and the last had a grip on my arm and held the gun against the side of my head.

  I seriously doubted the dog would care if it was shot, since on closer inspection it appeared to be made of hardened dirt and sharp rocks. A bullet was unlikely to harm it in any way. In a different situation, I would find this new development in Jason’s power amazing. Right now, I could only hope his creative use of powers would help save all of us. The dog was bulletproof.

  The rest of us were not.

  While Jason could react quickly, I didn’t think he could block a bullet. Mark likely wore his bulletproof vest, so he had some protection. My brother and I were completely vulnerable to a gunshot.

  “You okay, kiddo?” Jason called.

  The emotion in his voice and leaking from his whole being was surprising, considering he still had no clear memory of us being brothers.

  “I’ve been better, but I think the drugs finally wore off for real now.”

  Jason’s eyes flashed angrily, and the dog stepped forward menacingly. “You drugged my brother?”

  A few small chunks of earth rose from the dog’s dirt coat and formed into hard projectiles.

  “Jason, don’t!” I yelled.

  He paused giving a death glare to the guards before looking at me in confusion. “Why shouldn’t I hurt them? They hurt you, and would hurt all of us given the chance.”

  I shook my head, heedless of the gun held on me. If Jason killed these men… once he regained his memories, he would never be able to forgive himself. He would always view himself as a murderer. “No, Jason.”

  The guard looked at me, eyes wide in surprise—most likely due to my attempt to protect them. I couldn’t blame them for their fear. Jason as a Tracker was talented and could be dangerous. Jason as the Earthshaker was deadly.

  “That’s not who you are, big brother. Please don’t do something you’ll regret.”

  He held his glare on the guards, but allowed the projectiles to fall back into the still snarling dog.

  Our standoff moved into the entrance of the courtyard, and I sensed shock from Alice and a more subdued surprise from Jeremiah. They were close then. It might be time to allow Jeremiah into my head again.

  I pushed against his mind to let him know I wan
ted to talk.

  “What do you need, Oblivion? Is the Tracker near you?”

  I tried to hide my reaction, but flinched a little.

  “Why do you sound like Kindred right now, Jeremiah?”

  “I am in the mindset that will help me do this job. What is it you need?” he asked again.

  A little less sure of my plan, I resolved to push forward. “I need you to distract the Mastermind. I’m not sure exactly how, but I need his focus off the guards, so I can affect them.”

  Another voice suddenly interjected. “Not a bad idea, Sam. Perhaps then I can also help?”

  “Lena? Where are you?”

  “In the car outside the facility. I’ve been attempting to manipulate the guards around Jeremiah and Alice. The Mastermind is too strong. I can’t break through his control, but with Jeremiah’s distraction, I may be useful again.”

  She continued, her voice a bit softer, “Just between you and me, Sam, I think our assassin friend may be heading in a dangerous direction again. I’m not convinced we can trust him to have our backs.”

  Despite my intent to hide my mental conversation, a sigh escaped.

  Jason’s eyes were still glinting angrily as he and his pet stalked toward the guards. I may have stopped him from killing the guards, but he was still willing to hurt them.

  The men dragged me back with them until we were near the middle of the courtyard.

  I had to warn Jason! The Mastermind had snipers. “Careful, Jason! There are—” A sharp pain cut me off. The only thing that prevented me from dropping to my knees was the guard’s hand holding my arm.

  I raised my hand to the rapidly forming bruise on my face and almost didn’t register when the guard who’d hit me suddenly crashed to the ground. Or rather, through the ground.

  “Nobody hits my little brother,” Jason growled. His hand was held over the ground, palm down, and the guard had sunk into the earth up to his neck.

  His pet practically flew through the air toward the other guards before Jason hesitated, causing the dog to pause and take a couple short steps back.

  “Why…?” I tore my gaze from the slowly dissolving dog to see a dart sticking out of Jason’s neck.

  “Jason!” Mark yelled.

  “Kindred, we need that distraction! Now!” I urged him.

  “Doing it already. Give it a moment and I believe you should gain an opening,” he responded.

  Jason took a drunken step forward and slowly sank to his knees. One hand rested on the ground while the other sluggishly pulled the dart free.

  The remaining guards stood taller, now assured that the threat was over. Mark stood protectively by Jason, still holding his own gun toward the guards.

  “You okay, Jason? There is still some fluid in the dart, I don’t think you got the full dose,” the agent asked.

  My brother shook his head sharply, and attempted to stand.

  More emotions began to seep through my mind, and I had to force myself to ignore Jason’s struggles.

  “You two need to protect yourselves better,” I scolded, pushing strength and confidence toward the confused guards. Mark looked at me in confusion, but I couldn’t stop what I had to do.

  “Use your minds and fight when you think something isn’t right. He can’t control you if you don’t let him.” The words may not have been true, but they helped the mental manipulation to take hold.

  I added a strong dose of determination to the mix, and pointed up at the window where the guard who’d shot Jason was crouched.

  “He is hurting people under your protection,” I pushed protective instincts, and their guns rose. “You need to stop him at all costs.”

  One guard covered the other as they sped through the door to make their way to the shooter.

  I risked a glance at Jason, who shook his head at me. “They’re going to get themselves killed, or kill the other guard. Why?”

  I smiled coldly. “You’re not the only one who’s protective of his brother.”

  His dismay was clearly written on his face, and I could feel his disappointment pushing into my mind.

  “What?” I asked, angry at his reaction. I hadn’t done anything wrong! They would have killed us, so why did it matter what I did to them?

  “You stopped me. I should have stopped you,” he admitted.

  That stopped me. It wasn’t me he was disappointed in. It was himself. “I’m sorry, Jason. You’re right. I reacted, and now those men will suffer. It’s not your fault though. Chalk it up to being drugged, and not remembering how you’d normally react.”

  I suddenly remembered the other snipers stationed around the courtyard.

  “We really should get out of the courtyard before—” A sharp pain cut through my back, and I found myself on my side, one hand clawing at the dirt.

  “SAM!”

  FORTY-SEVEN

  Jason

  My voice echoed through the courtyard as I ran to my brother’s side. As I dropped next to him a wall of earth rose up to surround us.

  “Sam! Sammy, talk to me!” I begged; all weariness from the dart forgotten as my power flowed through me. Too late to protect him, but still able to separate us from those who would further harm us.

  My brother stirred, his eyes opening blearily. “J… Jason? Wha… what ‘appened?”

  His voice was weak and I forced my eyes to look at the bloody wound. There was already so much blood. I put pressure on it, hoping to slow the flow.

  “You… you’ll be okay, little brother,” I forced out, attempting to push my fear aside.

  “I… I know yer lyin’,” he slurred.

  His hand reached up weakly, and I gripped it tightly, willing him to hold on. The blood wouldn’t stop. My world had shrunk down to me and my injured brother.

  “I… I want you to remember,” he admitted, eyes tearing from the pain. Or maybe it was the thought that I didn’t remember him.

  He took a gasping breath and stared at me. I met his gaze, tears now streaming down my face as one hand held pressure over the gushing wound and the other squeezed his hand, not wanting him to give up.

  “I need my brother,” he stated strongly.

  His face grew pale, and he was shaking hard, as if he were freezing. The grip on my hand was weak, and his face held a grayish tinge.

  Mark suddenly approached, and I realized my barrier had blocked him in with me as well. He gently placed his dress shirt over my brother’s shaking form. He was left in a white undershirt and his bulletproof vest. He put his hand on my shoulder supportively.

  “I called for an ambulance,” he informed me. “They should be here soon, but they can’t come in with an active shooter.”

  When I pulled my attention from my brother for a brief moment, I realized there was a commotion on the other side of the thick barrier surrounding us. The detective and the assassin were rushing toward the area where the shot had come from, and several unknown footsteps were now surrounding us.

  The only concern I had was for my brother.

  He pulled his hand from mine and rested it on my face. “You… you need’ta remember,” he insisted weakly.

  “Sammy, you need to hold on, okay?” I urged. I leaned closer to him and took his hand again. He had to see I wouldn’t leave him.

  He met my eyes, sweat forming on his pale face. “Not… not sure I c-can,” he stammered, his voice almost too soft to hear. His eyes closed, and he remained limp in my arms.

  I didn’t realize I was shaking until Mark again rested his hand on my shoulder. He pushed my hand from the wound and took over putting pressure on it. I raised my hand to Sam’s face and noticed the tremors running through it as I contemplated losing my little brother.

  “Sammy, please don’t go,” I sobbed.

  I ran my hand over his face, leaving blood on his cheeks as I attempted to rouse him.

  His heart was beating too quickly. It was trying to compensate for the loss of blood, but only succeeded in pushing out what little remained even fast
er. I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t save him.

  “Sammy… I love you, little brother. Part of me never forgot you. Please don’t make me… don’t make me go on without you.”

  He remained limp, and I could tell he was losing the fight. “I’m with you, little brother. I won’t leave you alone. Please, Sammy…”

  My voice trailed off and I rested my head on his unmoving chest, tears trailing down my cheeks in anguish as memories of my life began to rush through my mind.

  Memories of my life with an abusive father, and how I ran away to escape. How I eventually went back to rescue Sam, and saw that the monster had treated him almost as horribly as he’d treated me. A younger Sam limped down the street, injured, but still ecstatic to see me.

  My kids. Paul, Erin, Ginny, Jeffrey, and Sam. The children who made my life worth living. Heartbreak at losing Erin to the monster Trevor Mason, the physical pain he caused paling in comparison to the mental anguish of losing a member of our family.

  And now I was losing my little brother, the child I’d sworn to protect. The only true family I had left. He was the only one I had any emotional connection to. The only one my damaged mind would allow me to care about.

  “Remember me.” A voice trailed through my mind.

  Remember me, and AVENGE ME!” It roared.

  There was no heartbeat. No breathing. Only the empty shell of what had once been a vibrant and healthy teenage boy. He was gone, and it left me empty of all emotion save one.

  The voice in my head roared for vengeance, and I raised my head from Sam’s chest and roared right along with it. “NO!”

  The wall around us collapsed down with force and a massive shockwave blew through the courtyard. The huge amount of moving earth buried guards and struck at the base of the facility that had stolen my brother from me.

  They would suffer.

  FORTY-EIGHT

  Jeremiah

  The detective and I raced through the maze-like building, hoping to capture the shooter before he managed to escape. After a successful diversion—I’d gotten the Mastermind’s attention and told him that if he agreed to not harm any of the Tracker’s group I would join him—the gunshot had been unexpected.