Oblivion Read online

  “What do we call you?” Butch asked suddenly. His voice was gruffer than Red’s, and the question seemed almost torn out against his will. Red perked up, obviously wanting to know my response.

  To them, I would not give my true name. But the name Kindred did not fit for them either. Perhaps a name Jason had once given me. One he spoke to my former master only once, but Trevor Mason seemed to like it. It also seemed fitting for the situation.

  “You can call me, ‘The Ghost’.”

  TEN

  Sam

  Sitting on the swing was relaxing. I could look over the small pond, watch the horses graze, and believe things could turn out just fine. The thought of Kindred being lost forever did not faze me. I would be just as happy to never hear from him again. However, there is no way I am going to accept losing my brother. Or allow Kindred to keep me from him.

  Soft footsteps approached, nearly silent on the grassy path. The sound pulled me from my thoughts. “Hannah. Do you need something?” I asked without looking up.

  The girl is in love with my brother. It only makes sense that she would be the one to come out to see what I found out. “A piece of the tranquility this area has to offer,” she murmured. “I can see you are taking advantage already.”

  “Trying,” I agreed. “Not succeeding very well, though. How are things up at the house?”

  She sank onto the bench next to me and stared over the peaceful country scene. “Alice and Mark are trying to figure out how they can use their positions to find out more information about the people who took Jason. Tessa… well, I think she’s a bit overwhelmed.”

  Snorting, I asked, “Why? Because several people she doesn’t know came to stay at her house while trying to rescue a kidnapped man? Doesn’t that happen to everyone at some point?”

  Blinking back sudden tears, I finally met Hannah’s gaze. “Kindred was discovered. He can’t help Jason, and he said I am their only hope of escape.”

  The assassin tried to hide his intention of escaping on his own, but I could tell he wouldn’t remain a prisoner long. How he would manage, I had no idea, but I didn’t doubt he would. But his doubt about rescuing my brother remained strong.

  I didn’t want to share everything Kindred had said. Telling my friends—no, my family—that I caused Jason to lose his memory…it was going to be hard. “There’s something I need to tell you, but I can only say it once. We should go back to the house.”

  Hannah furrowed her eyebrows and frowned, but stood to follow me. Our walk back to the house was over all too quickly, and before I knew it we were in a sitting room with Alice and Mark. Tessa was busying herself with prepping our rooms, and my three companions looked at me expectantly.

  I didn’t want to look at them, so I sat in a chair and leaned forward, folding my hands in my lap and staring at the floor. “There are a few things I haven’t told you guys,” I began. “One of those things is that my ability sometimes makes it hard for me to tell which emotions are truly mine.”

  Unsure how to continue, I took a breath and pushed through. “I manipulated Hunter’s emotions, and then I played with Jason’s. And I enjoy the power I hold over what people feel. Enjoyed,” I added quickly, realizing my slip-up.

  Based on the waves of concern floating over me from all three of my friends, I was less than successful. “I don’t know how to say this,” I admitted. “Jason is the most important person in my life,” my voice was adamant. “I would never do anything to intentionally harm him—”

  Alice interrupted. “Are you saying you unintentionally harmed him?” she asked warily.

  “According to Jeremiah… yes,” I confessed. “I recently wished that Jason wouldn’t have to go through any more pain, and that he could forget about what he’s been through. I want him to be able to live a happy life. I had no idea…” my voice cracked and I covered my face as I suddenly broke down.

  Hannah was there almost instantly, grabbing me into a fierce hug. “You wanted to protect him, the way he has always protected you. Nothing you did is unforgivable.”

  “I’m not so sure,” I sobbed. “Hannah, he doesn’t remember anything! I made my brother forget all of us!”

  No one spoke for the time it took me to gather myself again. Still sniffling a bit I gave a sardonic laugh. “Kindred wouldn’t be happy. He told me not to be the ‘sniveling little brother’ this time.”

  There was an obvious attempt to hide the anger all of my companions felt at the remark, but it is true. “He’s right,” I told them. “If I’m going to help them, I need to set ‘Sam’ aside and become ‘Oblivion’.”

  This time Mark spoke before the others could, “‘Oblivion’? Since when are you called that?”

  “Since I caused my brother to forget everything he ever knew,” I answered. “Kindred started it, but honestly, it kind of fits.”

  “If you did what he thinks you did,” Hannah argued. “Jason was beat up, and he was in a car accident. Isn’t it possible he has some kind of trauma-based amnesia? Why do you assume Kindred is telling the truth?”

  They all seemed curious, and again I was less than thrilled to give an answer. I loved them for trying to exonerate me, but I couldn’t shirk the blame.

  “I can sense emotions,” I stated matter-of-factly. All three stared at me blankly, and I sighed. “Kindred was being sincere. You could be right, Hannah, but Kindred honestly believes I am the cause.”

  So do I. The sheer power thrills me. The lack of control terrifies me. Now I understand Jason’s fear of himself every time his power breaks free. I could always tell he was afraid of himself. The lack of that fear now is what led me to believe Kindred spoke the truth when he informed me of Jason’s amnesia.

  Kindred’s fear of me convinced me I am the cause.

  ELEVEN

  Jason

  In the time since my captors left my room, I found myself straining to remember anything from my past. I slept fitfully for a while. I couldn’t be sure how long I managed to rest, because my room remained darkened, making it difficult to tell whether it was night or day. The only light I had seen since I’d been left alone was from the crack under the door. My eyes had long since adjusted to the dim lighting, but there was nothing to see.

  I shivered a bit. The Doctor and the Boss chose to leave me shirtless, for unknown reasons. Maybe they thought I would be less likely to run if I wasn’t fully clothed. Or maybe it was simply a way to push my buttons. Other than getting a bit cold, it caused no harm. What they couldn’t know is that I had no place to go. If I were to gain my freedom, I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do with it. The one person who I know is on my side, they have locked up. Anyone else in my life, I can’t remember.

  My shoulder ached, and when I finally looked down at it, I saw old scars under the fresh bruising. What happened to me? My eyes widened as I tried to see as much of myself as possible. Scars were all over my body. Thick ropy scar tissue wrapped from my stomach around my side, and I suspected it reached my back as well. There were thin scars along my wrists, and slightly thicker ones going up and down my arms, along with burn marks and a burn in the shape of an ‘M’ on my upper arm.

  Sinking back onto my thin pillow, my breathing sped up and I clenched my eyes shut. I had felt the tightness of my skin, but had attributed it to pain from the accident. The truth of it was much worse. Someone… someone tortured me. Why? Who? What had I done? Who was I that someone would work so hard to hurt me?

  “Jason, you need to calm yourself.” Jeremiah. His voice in my head, while odd, was still familiar, and I grasped onto it like a lifeline. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  Still breathing heavily I tried to answer. I almost spoke out loud, but after opening my mouth, I remembered he wouldn’t hear me speak. “Scars… I have scars everywhere. What happened to me?”

  When he answered, his mental voice was soft and sad. “So many things. Things I thought… A bad man wanted to use your power, Jason. You survived and escaped. Remember that. You SU
RVIVED. That is the important thing. Your memories will return in time. Don’t worry.”

  As he spoke I felt the powerful stride of the Doctor coming down the hall and my breathing, which had started to slow, now sped up again. “Jeremiah, they’re coming back for me. I don’t know how to use my power! How am I supposed to cooperate with them?”

  “Calm, Jason. Once you touch the ground your power should become apparent. Do what you can. Use your injuries as an excuse if you must. Just don’t fight them. Not yet.”

  I nodded, knowing he couldn’t see me. I felt calmer knowing he was still there, even if he is also a prisoner. “Breathe deeply, Jason. We’ll get out of here soon, okay? I promise you we will escape.”

  The Doctor was now outside my door, and I glanced up as he entered. “Did you feel me coming, Jason? That’s one of your abilities, isn’t it?” His tone was clinical, and he barely glanced up from the clipboard he held as he flipped the light switch, but I still shuddered.

  “Isn’t it?” He demanded an answer after I paused for a few seconds.

  “It is,” I answered softly. “I felt you coming.”

  He made a note on the chart. “From how far away?”

  “Only down the hall. I think when you got on this floor.” I kept my tone even, trying to hide my fear.

  The Doctor made a content sound, and finally looked up from his chart. “You ready to get out of this room? We would like to get started on your testing, but if you are still too weak…” His voice trailed off condescendingly.

  “Jason, tell him you need more time. Tell him you should wa—”

  “I’m ready,” I stated, cutting off Jeremiah’s plea for me to wait. He could be right, but I am tired of waiting for something to happen. Maybe in the process of testing I can escape. And at the very least I can get up and stretch. I’ve been confined to this bed for days, and I need to move.

  Watching me carefully, the Doctor said, “Very well. I have armed guards, so don’t try anything foolish.”

  Trying anything was definitely not on my agenda. At least not yet. The stiffness I still felt told me any attempt to run would be stupid.

  To keep my captor calm, I stayed very still as he approached the bed and removed the restraints. “Let’s go,” the Doctor urged.

  He stood back and watched while I struggled to get to my feet for the first time in days. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, I rubbed my wrists. Based on the scarring around my wrists, I could tell the restraints here are definitely not the worst I’ve had.

  “You should be used to this kind of thing, kid,” the Doctor laughed. He eyed my scars as if amused by the pain I must have gone through.

  My mouth quirked in annoyance, but I didn’t respond.

  He stopped laughing. His hand waved impatiently. “Get up. You said you’re ready, so let’s go.

  I took a deep breath and pushed to stand. Black spots appeared in my vision, but they disappeared after a few moments. “Where to?” I asked with forced lightness.

  “Follow me,” the Doctor said, leading the way out of my prison.

  Guards stopped and stared as I walked past, one gave me a compassionate look, and I wondered what caused his reaction. Why would a person who worked with kidnappers show sympathy to their captive?

  “Some of our guards are… sympathetic to those who have withstood torture. For what it’s worth, that is not what we’re about here,” the Doctor assured me.

  “No, just wrongful imprisonment,” I stated mildly, keeping my eyes down. Making him mad could only be bad for me, but I couldn’t stand the lie he was trying to sell. He seemed to want me to believe he wasn’t all bad. That holding a person, people, against their will was not a bad thing as long as it furthered his goals.

  He paused for a moment, and I felt his heart speed up slightly. “You’re upset?” I scoffed. “Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, Doctor.”

  Once again, the Doctor paused. “How were you aware I felt upset?”

  Wincing, I realized I gave myself away with my last comment. “Tell me, Jason. What told you how I felt?”

  I considered lying. I thought about explaining that he was bound to be upset by my truthful comment about the criminal nature of his activities. I thought about it, but he was watching me so closely. Lying couldn’t be an option, and I didn’t believe his assurances that they were not about torture. He had already warned me about punishments, so he knew torture of some sort was already on the table.

  If I lied, what kind of punishment would I receive? It wasn’t worth the risk, so I let out a huff and answered, “Your heartbeat.”

  “Fascinating. Your ability to feel things through the ground is even more sensitive than we were led to believe,” he muttered softly.

  “Led to believe by whom?” I asked, unable to hide my interest.

  “The Hunter,” he answered in an off-hand way. “He knew about your abilities, but never told us everything he found out. Strange that he would have hidden it. The knowledge would have driven up the price.”

  The Hunter. The man involved with the last case I worked. He was the one who was going to sell me to the highest bidder. Apparently, he had buyers lined up, in case he decided not to kill me. Nice. Not only were my captors guilty of kidnapping, but also human trafficking. I no longer believed there was a level they wouldn’t stoop to.

  The Doctor jotted down a couple more notes on his chart, and I frowned. What did they hope to gain from this? “I don’t understand what you want from me,” I admitted. “I get that I have powers, but why hold me here? Why force me into these tests?”

  “You don’t understand? You are a genetic anomaly, Jason. Why do you have these powers? What parts of your genetic code are different from normal human beings? Is your brain wired differently? These are only a few of the questions raised by your very existence! You could very well be the next stage in human evolution!”

  “You lost me, doc,” I feigned disinterest. “If you think I’m the ‘next stage’ of human, you should be respecting me, not keeping me prisoner. Next rationale?”

  My captor sighed. “Even if you do not believe it, Jason, I am a scientist. I want to learn what makes you tick. And you are a threat. You’ve already used your ability to kill, and there is nothing saying you wouldn’t do it again.”

  Kill? Who…? I glanced down at the scars littering my body. “We won’t do that to you. I already told you that. We are using observation and medical testing to figure out what you are capable of, not torture.”

  Somehow his reassurances didn’t exactly make me feel better. Medical testing could cover a wide range of painful procedures and potential drug testing. What could I do to stop them? Without the knowledge of what I can do, I am helpless.

  We were in an elevator, and I could feel the ground coming closer. I don’t mean that I simply knew the elevator was descending, but that I felt more powerful as we neared the earth. I could feel footsteps and heartbeats through the floor in my room, but here they practically pounded through my skull. “How many do you feel?” The Doctor asked. “How many people in this building?”

  “It’s hard to say…” I hedged. “Some are blurring together.” There were a lot. Way more than I expected from a group who used kidnapping as a method to get test subjects. “What is this place?” I questioned quietly.

  “A question for another time, Jason,” the Doctor said somberly. The elevator opened, and we exited the building into a central courtyard. “Now. Do what you have to do. Clarify the separations. How many people do you feel in this building?”

  At a loss for a moment, I suddenly knelt and put my hand on the grassy surface. How many? The vibrations and echoes separated, and I could tell how many people were around now, and how many had been around earlier. Maybe not something I should share. I could gather intel for Jeremiah and me to escape. Maybe I shouldn’t be too exact either. “From what I can tell, there are thirty-seven people in this building.”

  The Doctor took out a smart phone, tapped in a code
, and frowned. “Can you tell how many on each floor?” he asked. I looked up through my eyelashes, eyeing his phone with interest. Obviously their security was pretty tight, if they kept tabs on every person in the building.

  “Ground floor, twelve… no thirteen now,” I changed as another person descended a level. “Next floor up, twenty-one. Basement level, three.”

  Thirty-seven. It is the correct number for the floors I mentioned. But the number total is closer to sixty. “There are four floors to this building. You’re telling me you can’t feel anything from the top floors?” The Doctor asked.

  “Nothing concrete,” I said. “It always gets tricky the farther away from the ground I am trying to feel.” The excuse slipped easily across my lips, and the Doctor was nodding as if he expected it.

  I reached up to rub my temple, and suddenly felt movement on the fourth floor. “Jeremiah, what are you doing?” I have no mental abilities I am aware of, so there is no way to know if the other man heard my mental call.

  “I told you, Jason. You need to play nice. I have no such obligation. They don’t know we know each other, so you will not be punished for what I am doing. I can help you better if I am free. Do not tell them what I am doing. You were smart to hide your true capabilities, and they have no real way to know whether you are lying to them. I need to go now. I will be back for you.”

  “What…?” I stopped myself, but the Doctor looked at me with interest. “There is a lot of movement on the second floor right now,” I said after a moment. “What’s going on?”