Oblivion (6 page)

There was a sharp
sting in my shoulder that almost didn’t register over the pain and gory images in
my head. When I glanced down, there was a dart sticking out of my arm. I tried
to speak, but no sound emerged. I heard a faint,
“I’m sorry, Jason. I’ll be
back for you,”
before the dirt collapsed down around me.

Then there was
nothing.

TWELVE

Jeremiah

In my entire life,
I had never regretted something as much as I regretted leaving this place.
Jason was self-destructing and trying to take the entire building with him. I
knew his ability to feel things through the building was stronger than he
admitted to the Doctor, but I did not know he would feel the loss of life so
easily. Or that he would react so strongly to it.

“I’m sorry,
Jason.”
It was the only thing I could think to say. But I did have to leave
in order to meet up with the people who might have a better chance to free him.
“I’ll be back for you,”
I promised him. Most likely, at this point he
would not want me to come back. But I am the only person he knows, and he views
me as a friend. For now. Maybe he would forgive the deaths if he knew they were
trying to kill me as I escaped.

Thankfully, not
every guard was equipped with a camera, so some of them I could slip past
easily. The others… well, they were in my way. The first guard I managed to
overpower was Red, the young man who seemed the most open. Him, I left alive,
and hoped he would be an asset I could use when I came back for Jason. Butch,
on the other hand, I couldn’t. He had his weapon trained on me from the moment
I managed to escape my cuffs. A handy little trick Mason taught me for if I
ever got caught. The pin I kept under a false patch on my hand was useful for
escaping them when my ability proved incapable of doing so.

They wouldn’t
connect me to Jason. They had no reason to. I had never been seen in his room,
and neither of us mentioned the other. Leaving without him was difficult, but everything
I heard so far indicated they would begin with minor testing—nothing that would
hurt him. Honestly, Jason might be safer with these people than he would be
going about his daily life… at least for a little while.

Finding Jason’s
family should be my first priority. They may be the only people capable of
getting him away from such a large, well-structured group. With Detective Alice
Farrow and FBI Agent Mark Jones working against them, they would have no choice
but to release Jason—especially with myself and Oblivion working alongside
them.

The exit was
surprisingly not very well-guarded. Perhaps the guards had been called to the
upper levels in a poor attempt to recapture me. Looking around cautiously I
noticed a camera in the corner. I tossed a careless wave toward it, and walked
out the door. Jason may not approve of my methods, but they worked.

I allowed myself
to disappear from sight and rushed to get away from the facility before the guards
realized they were looking in the wrong place. There was something odd about
some of the people there, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Time to find
Jason’s brother. He probably wouldn’t like that I had left without Jason—heck,
I didn’t like it—but there was nothing I could do about it now.

It took only a
moment to find Sam and push my thoughts into his mind.
“I am free. We need
to meet to discuss how to rescue your brother.”

His response was
swift and expected.
“YOU LEFT HIM! You need to go back! He can’t be alone,
he is falling apart!”

I winced at the
volume of Oblivion’s mental attack, and hoped he didn’t push all his anger into
my mind. There was the potential that he could destroy my mind as he’d done to
the Hunter.

“Calm yourself.
It couldn’t be helped. Now, we can either meet or you can continue to yell at
me. What do you choose?”

He didn’t answer
immediately. I didn’t push. He needed to figure this out on his own.
“Fine.
We’ll meet. We’re at 2200 Highlands Court. But if you try anything against us,
I will destroy you.”

He was angry. He
wouldn’t have threatened me otherwise.
“I’ll be there. But keep in mind; I
am the one who knows where your brother is. If you destroy me, the information
goes with me.”

“Just get here
so we can save my brother.”

Despite the dire
situation, I smirked. The kid could definitely rip my mind to pieces. He’d done
it to the Hunter and his own brother, so there was no doubt in my mind that he
could do it to me as well. But he would have to struggle to hold it in, at
least until we rescue Jason.

My smirk dropped.
Once we rescued his brother, Sam had no reason to hold back unless he felt
grateful, or if I could figure out how to help him restore Jason’s memories.
Figuring that out could be the best way to protect myself from Oblivion’s
power. But it would also remind Jason of how much he hated me.

I made my way to
the address Oblivion told me and paused for a moment in surprise. I had assumed
Jason’s friends would take refuge in a hotel, but the place they were staying
would qualify as a mansion. Whoever they stayed with would not let me in if I
showed my true face, so I projected the appearance they had seen last:
detective Scott Nickels.

The woman who
answered the door appeared to be in her sixties, and I smiled. “I’m here to see
Sam,” I said in a kind tone. “He’s expecting me.”

“May I get your
name, young man?” she asked.

I hesitated. “
Sco
—Jeremiah.” She frowned slightly, but allowed me in.
Agent Jones stood to the side of the door, his hand near his holstered weapon.
“At ease, Jonesy.” My voice took on a mock-playful tone.

“Where is Jason?
What did you do?” The agent’s voice was accusatory.

Glaring, I took a
step toward him, pausing when he gripped his weapon. “For your information,” I
gritted, “I did nothing but try to keep your friend safe!”

He scoffed. “Yeah,
look how well that turned out.”

I narrowed my eyes
at him. “It isn’t my fault that bad people are drawn to Jason like magnets. I
went with him to help him. Until I decided to find out more about the people
who took him, I was able to keep him calm. Not sure what else you would have me
do in that situation, agent.”

Before he could
answer, Sam burst into the foyer. “What are we going to do?” He was frantic,
and his voice was loud enough to make me cringe. “My brother had a major
meltdown just before you contacted me. We need to get him!”

“We will get your
brother,” I assured him, “but we need to be smart about it. They know about me
and what I can do, but they do not know anything about you. Sneaking in will be
difficult, but with your powers combined with mine we might stand a chance.”

“Who are these
people?” Alice came up behind me. Like the FBI agent, her hand also hovered
near her service weapon.

I chose to ignore
the obvious threat in order to answer the detective’s question. “I don’t know
who they are, but there are a lot of them. The man in charge calls himself ‘the
Doctor,’ and so far doesn’t seem like he wants to harm Jason. His second in
command, however, may be a different story. He seems a bit more likely to do
something harmful.”

“What would he
do?” Jones asked. “Will he hurt Jason?”

“Maybe not at
first,” I answered. “The Doctor doesn’t want him harmed before they figure out
how his abilities work. But from what I could tell, the Boss is significantly
more sadistic. He relishes holding others in his power and hurting them.”

The look on Sam’s
face darkened, and I could feel something stirring. “Stay calm, Oblivion.” I
used the name to remind him to keep control, and he jumped at my use of it.
“You don’t know what will happen if you do not.”

The boy took
several deep breaths, and his friends watched him warily. Interesting. They appeared…
frightened. “He will not harm you,” I informed them. “At that moment his anger
may have been unchecked, but it was aimed away from those he cares about.”

Alice’s eyes
widened and she took a small step back. “We…”

“Are made nervous
by abilities you do not understand. But your reticence makes Sam more likely to
lose control. He is a child in need of guidance.”

Mark put a hand on
Sam’s shoulder. “We’ve been here for Jason, despite his occasional lapses in
control. I think we can handle being here for you too. Don’t be afraid to talk
to us, kiddo.”

Sam smiled weakly.
“I’ll try, but Jason doesn’t even know yet.”

“And he won’t for
some time,” I informed him. “At this moment, he knows you only as Oblivion. He
is aware he has a brother, but he doesn’t know you are the one who caused his
memory loss.”

The boy looked at
me, an unreadable expression on his face. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

I cocked my head
slightly as I explained, “Think about it, kid. If Jason thinks his brother
caused him harm, but can’t remember anything else, how would he react? Would he
be able to set aside his feelings and allow you to help me rescue him? Admittedly,
I don’t know for certain. But I don’t want to cause him any unnecessary hurt.
Knowing exactly what happened can wait until we set him free.

Then we can figure
out how to undo what you did.”

THIRTEEN

Sam

Kindred’s tone
sounded accusatory, but he looked at me with sympathy. Having a killer look at
me with such understanding made me seriously reconsider my use of power. My
uncontrolled use of power had killed Hunter and destroyed my brother. Was I
different from Kindred? I think the answer is still yes. I haven’t killed on
purpose, or set out to harm someone.

His ability to
empathize also makes me wonder how bad he truly is. How can a soulless killer
be sympathetic? How can someone who has murdered an unknown number of people
still manage to understand the pain or difficulties someone else is having?

Slowly, I looked
up to meet the former assassin’s gaze. “I will figure out how to fix my
brother,” I vowed. “You may have some redeeming qualities, but you are still a
murderer who belongs behind bars. None of us are going to forget what you’ve
done.”

“Sam…” Alice met
my gaze, shaking her head slightly. She didn’t want me antagonizing the man.

Too bad for her. I
figured I didn’t have to worry much. Kindred needed us. He also wants to stay
on Jason’s good side, so he wouldn’t dare to hurt us. I also could tell he was
nervous of what I could do to him, and his confidence was already shaken by
what had happened at the facility. A predatory urge struck me, and I wondered
briefly if it was truly me or if something in Kindred had crossed to me. I
mentally shrugged. Didn’t matter. The result would be the same. He had accused
me of harming my brother. While that was true, he had no right to judge me.
Especially after everything he’d put Jason through.

Narrowing my eyes
angrily, I stepped toward Kindred aggressively. “I am not scared of you. But
you’re scared of me. And I can amp that up until you are absolutely terrified.
And if you do anything I don’t like, I can destroy you.” My words were hostile,
but I kept my tone even.

“Sam!” Hannah
entered the foyer in time to hear my tirade. “Stop that! What would Jason
think?” She grabbed my shoulder and gave it a shake.

I smiled at her,
knowing my words had the effect on Kindred that I was hoping for. “Sorry,
Hannah; just wanted to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”

She glanced at
Kindred and the others standing there and said, “As messed up as it is, he
seems to want to help us find Jason. Please don’t make him regret that desire.
We need all the help we can get.”

“Even if it means
working with the devil?” I asked harshly. “Would Jason want us to sell our
souls to help him?”

She paused, considering
how to reply. Alice beat her to it. “Jason cares about
you
Sam. He
doesn’t want you to become a monster, to stop a monster.”

“Your brother has
made me a better person. He helped me discover my identity,” Kindred explained.

“After you
terrorized him into doing so. Not sure that counts as better,” I snapped.

Before Kindred
could do more than nod thoughtfully, our hostess entered the room and cut in,
“If you all are going to keep talking, you should go to the living room. It is
more comfortable for long discussions.”

“Thanks, Tessa,”
Mark sounded grateful for the interruption. “We’ll do that.”

“And you,” Tessa
said, looking at Kindred. “Don’t start anything. If you are genuinely here to
help this young man get his brother back, then do that without trying to rile
Sam up. You’ll get nowhere with him like that.”

Seeming to be
stunned that the woman would stand up to him, Kindred swallowed. “Yes ma’am. I
will keep that in mind.”

“Do that,” she
said with a final glare at him. Apparently, hearing about how dangerous Kindred
is didn’t deter Tessa from speaking her mind.

We walked to the
living room, and I overheard Mark muttering to Tessa, “Be more careful. He’s
dangerous.”

Followed by the
older woman’s response, “I will not be silent in my own home.”

Brave woman, I
mused, but maybe not the brightest. The rest of us remained silent as we chose
seats in the living room. The quiet allowed me to check on Jason, whose
emotions seemed unnaturally quiet. “I think they drugged him.”

“What?” Alice
glanced at me, and I realized I spoke that thought out loud.

“Jason,” I
clarified. “After he lost control, I think they drugged him. He’s still
conscious…
sorta
, anyway. I don’t know. His emotions
are muffled; a hint of unease, some anger, but mostly just confusion and fear.”

Alice and Mark
exchanged a glance over my head. “If you can, keep monitoring him. But try to
focus on us too.”

“Where is he?” I
asked again, aiming my focus toward Kindred again.

“There is a large
abandoned building near the edge of town,” Kindred informed us. “This group has
taken it over for their own use.”

“I know the
place,” Tessa said. “It’s an old steel mill. Since it was shut down it has been
used for all sorts of questionable activities. Unfortunately it is hard to
prevent people from breaking in.”

“Or from taking it
over, apparently,” Kindred spoke acerbically.

Tessa frowned
thoughtfully. “I did hear rumors that someone bought the place and was planning
to fix it up for use again.”

“A clever cover,”
Mark said. “If there are as many people there as Jeremiah says, then they would
be noticed.”

“They have
excellent security. There are cameras everywhere that are closely monitored. My
ability will not be of much use. Several of the guards also have cameras on
their helmets, allowing them to see me.”

“So we don’t sneak
in,” I snapped. I turned toward Mark. “You and Alice are cops. We know Jason is
there, we can walk in the front door and get him back!”

It couldn’t be
that easy. Nothing is ever that easy. “We could try it that way, Sam,” Kindred
answered. “But I’m afraid they would simply hide Jason away until we leave. You
underestimate them.”

Glowering at him,
I snarled, “If they don’t willingly tell me where they are keeping my brother,
then I will make them.”

“Sam, don’t go
down this road,” Hannah pleaded. “Jason wouldn’t want you to go around hurting
people with your ability.”

I looked at each
of them. My friends. My allies. And each of them held the same concerned frown,
their eyebrows crinkled slightly as they met my eyes. Not one of them seemed
frightened of me, but instead they all seemed worried for me. “Jason is my only
family,” I insisted. “He doesn’t know what I am capable of, and I can use my
abilities to force information from people without harming them.”

The former
assassin was the first to raise concerns. “Are you certain of this? You have
shown little control so far.”

Letting out a
huff, I assured them. “When I was with Hunter I was able to get information out
of him. After our discussions, he had no memory of what he told me.”

“And yet, you let
the power overwhelm both the Hunter and your brother. Both circumstances
happened without your conscious knowledge or consent. How can you hold such
exact control over your power at one point, and lose it so completely at
another?”

I opened my mouth
to defend myself, but clamped it shut a moment later.

“You don’t have to
answer to him,” Hannah assured me. “I can make a pretty good guess.” She turned
to Kindred. “Jeremiah, Sam is a fourteen-year-old child. His emotions are in
turmoil on a regular basis due to normal teenage hormones. When you add his
ability to that, it’s a wonder he doesn’t lose control more often.”

“I can’t always
tell my own emotions from other
people’s
,” I admitted
softly. “When I was with Hunter, I felt more aggressive and powerful. Once
Jason showed up, I was panicked.”

“You can tell
every time we doubt you, can’t you?” Alice asked. Shame flowed from her in
waves, and I doubted I was the only one who could tell.

Nodding once, I
added, “When I lost it with Hunter, I knew Jason was in trouble. My big brother.
My hero. He had fallen. The only way I could think to help him was to make
Hunter feel everything I felt.”

Mark whistled.
“That’s a lot of emotion to pile into a sociopath, kid.”

My mouth quirked.
“I know. I hoped it would slow him down until we could get to them. I never
thought…” My voice caught. I had killed him.

“You and Jason are
more alike than you realize.” Hannah pulled me in for a hug, tears glistening
in her eyes. “You never want to admit when you’re hurting.”

Sniffling, I wiped
my nose with the back of my hand. “What can you do to help us?” I aimed the
question at Kindred. “Berating me for a loss of control will not help get Jason
back.”

Pulling away from
Hannah a bit, I spoke again. “Jason would do everything in his power to save
me. In fact, he already did when he confronted Hunter. He may not want me to go
down the same path, but how could I do any less? It’s my fault he’s in this
situation.” I held up my hand to stall any arguments. “Don’t. I know it’s the
truth.”

I met each of my
friend’s eyes as I made my promise. “If it is the last thing I do, I will find
my brother and save him.”