A radical transformation is under way. It is as though the human brain...is developing a new set of skills. The most significant change in its hardware...since the appearance of Language, a third of human adaptation. These so-called "Alphas" are everywhere, but most have no idea that they are part of a Larger phenomenon. For reasons that date back to the Cold War, policy makers have insisted...on keeping this information from the public. Officially, my mandate is to supervise a group of Alphas...as they assist with cases suggesting Alpha activity. But my goal remains the same-to help understand there very special people...and the revolutionary development to the human brain. I'm ever hopeful that by publishing this book, it may alter the very fabric...of society.
-Dr. Lee Rosen
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I walked into the break room to see Gary putting his lunch in the fridge, Bill at the table reading the newspaper and Nina at the counter pouring her a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Angel." Nina greeted me. Nina Theroux was a white female. She had dark hair and mostly had her hair in curls. She had a lanky build too. She had the ability to override or push other people's willpower and bend them to her own. I looked down at my feet but carefully looked in the direction the Gary was in. Gary Bell has the ability to read electromagnetic wavelengths with mind power alone. I pushed my mind over to Gary and sensed his ability and grabbed it. Colorful lines appeared in a grid form all around me. I twisted my left hand and sent a message to Gary.
"Angel says Good morning, Nina." Gary said to Nina. "She said good morning to me but she didn't say good morning to Bill." I twisted my hand again. "She says Good morning, Bill." My name is Angel Lattimer and I have the ability to possess another Alpha's ability as long as they were within ten yards of me and I could only possess one ability at a time. I haven't spoken in over five years, since I was eighteen. I usually communicate with the team through Gary but if a computer was near by, I could touch it and speak through that. Rachel came into the break room. Rachel Pirzad was Iran. She had a petite exoitc appearance. She had dark brown eyes and hair and stood at five feet and four inches. She had the ability to enhance or detract her natural senses.
"Conference room, two minutes, you guys." Rachel announced.
"You're not funny." Gary said to Bill. "You don't get it."
"Conference room, two minutes."
"I don't get it." Bill laughed at Gary.
"He's not funny." Gary muttered.
"Whoo. Conference room. Perfect." I walked out of the break room to the conference room with Nina and Bill behind me, Rachel and Gary following closely behind them. I sat down at the end of the table next to Nina. Our boss, Lee Rosen, walked in and sat down at the head of the table.
"Good morning, Nina." Lee said. "Bill."
"Morning, Sir." Bill cleared his throat.
"My apologies for, uh, starting the morning so abruptly, but, uh, we have an urgent matter." Lee pulled a hard drive from an envelope and held it out to Rachel. "Rachel, over here please." Rachel switch spots with Lee and plugged the flash drive into the laptop. "What we're going to see is a security footage from a camera...in interrogation room three, police headquarters in Manhattan. Are you ready?"
"Uh, yes." Rachel answered and an image popped on the tv screen. It was black and white and two agents stood in a small bricked room with a man in cuffs at the table.
"This information you acquired, the encryptions were considered unbreakable." Man one said.
"It just came to me like- like the notes of a song." The man at the table said.
"Now watch this." Lee said. "This is where is gets interesting."
"Mr. Keeler, talk to us more about..." The second agent began to speak but the image was cut from the screen.
"Oh, I'm sorry. One moment. It must be this input."
"It's not the laptop." Rachel declared. Gary got up and went over to Lee.
"If I fix it, I can get to drive the car." Gary said.
"We'll-we'll see." Lee said and handed Gary the remote.
"Dr. Rosen, how about you just explain it to us." Bill suggested.
"Of course. Um-NYPD brought in a suspect invovled in blackmail, extortion, certain activities that caught the attention...of our generous patron, Don Wilson. The prisoner was killed instantly." The image came back onto the tv. "Oh, you fixed it. Wonderful." The man at the table was now slumped over the table, blood pouring from his head.
"It was the VGA display port." Gary said.
"Ah, thank you, Gary."
"So, Wilson was in the room." Bill questioned Lee. "Right? What's his take?"
"He's stumped. The room was sealed. Single door and no windows and no gun was found."
"So, maybe someone manipulated the footage." Nina said.
"No, all tampering was ruled out. No, this is-this is a classic locked room mystery."
"Hate those."
"So we need real eyes on the scene. Right?" Bill said. "Ideally a CSI unit or-"
"Real eyes." Gary repeated Bill's words. "What do you mean?" Bill ignored him.
"A forensics team from Quantico."
"It's real eyes, looking real closely." Nina explained to Gary since Bill wouldn't.
"I appreciate your patience, Bill." Lee said.
"I'm on it." Bill muttered and he left the room.
"I fixed the TV, Dr. Rosen." Gary said. "I fixed the TV. I'm the driver."
"Absolutely not." Lee smiled.
"You told a white lie." I followed everyone out of the conference room, Rachel being the last one out.
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They didn't need my help at the crime scene so I began to walk home. I usually ride my motorcycle but it was back at the office and it was a beautiful day to walk. My hands were stuffed deep into the pockets of my jeans so I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out and answered it and Nina began to talk really fast.
"Angel, listen to me. Cameron Hicks is the killer." Nina said. "Dr. Rosen already diagnosed him as hyperkinesis. His brain and body are in perfect snyc. We tried to get him at his apartment but he got away from us. He should be heading in your direction and should pass you any second. He's wearing a blue shirt with a brown leather jacket." I hung up and shoved my phone back into my pocket just as a man rushed through a crowd, pushing past me. I began to pursue after him, my feet thudding hard against the sidewalk. The man was agile through the crowds, slithering in and out of people. Most people saw me coming and immediately got out of my way. I followed Cameron down an alley and he skidded to a halt with a green van block his way. Nina got out and ran to the other side of the van trying to make direct eye contact with Cameron. I stopped and tried to catch my breath.
"Who are you?" Cameron questioned Nina.
"I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Why are you chasing me?"
"Why are you running?" Cameron looked nervously from me to Nina.
"I don't know."
"It's ok. Just calm down. There you go. You must be tired. Exhausted, right?"
"Yeah."
"Little weak? Just go to sleep. Everything will be all right. Just go to sleep. Shh." Cameron's head slowly dropped and he fell to the ground. "Good job, Angel."
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I followed Gary into Nina's office with Lee behind us. Gary sat in a red chair and played with a white fluffy pillow while I stood on the far side of the desk where I had access to the computer in case I wanted to speak. Bill stood in front of Nina's desk and Lee placed himself next to Bill.
"Excuse me." Lee interrupted Bill and Nina's argument. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Nina. Confused. Wh-what do you mean?"
"I know it sounds weird, but I don't think he knew what he was doing." Nina said.
"You don't think he knew what he was doing?" Bill questioned her. "She's the expert. Go ahead. I'm sorry. I yield the floor to the expert."
"Bill, controlling the will of another mind is not a new trick." Lee said. I touched the computer and an electro shock seized my arm and up to my brain.
"Hypnotists, charismatics, religious leaders-" A computer voice sounded through the speakers of Nina's computer.
"Exactly. All of them manipulate the neural structure of the brain...to get their desired results. Not to mention our very own Nina here. Now it normally starts in the frontal lope." Lee held an x-ray of Cameron's brain in front of Bill. "Nina's pushing, for example, causes a microseizure in this region. It's a temporary effect which fades in minutes."
"Not on me." Gary said. "It doesn't work on me."
"You're right, Gary, because the success of Nina's pushing...is dependent on the plasticity of the subject brain, so it's not always effective."
"What does this-" Bill began to speak but Lee cut him off.
"Have to do with the shooter? This is the shooter's brain. And here we have a mass of abnormal size. My guess is that the induction in this case, is long lasting and far more substantial."
"All right, so, what the hell does this mean?"
"That's a very good question, Bill." And with that Lee left the office.
"It means I'm right." Nina smirked at Bill.
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"Follow the light, please." Lee ordered Cameron as he shined a flashlight into his right eye and moved it right and left. Cameron was handcuffed to a chair so Lee could do some tests without Cameron doing any harm. I was off to the side studying Cameron's aura. It was strong and red. It came off his body like smoke. "Thank you." Lee turned off the flashlight and Cameron quickly blinked his eyes a few times. I started to reach out for his ability. I could feel it, I just couldn't reach it.
"Who are you?" Cameron asked as he pulled against the restraints.
"I am a doctor. My name is Lee Rosen. Um, can you tell me what day it is?"
"I'm not telling you anything. This obviously isn't a hospital, so who exactly are you people?" Lee got a syringe and filled it with Topiramate. He turned to Cameron and he automatically pulled against his cuffs, pulling away from the syringe. "What's this?" I took a step forward in case Cameron caused Lee trouble but Lee waved me off.
"You can trust me, Mr. Hicks. I'm trying to help you." He knelt down to Cameron's left side and clean his arm for injection. The only reaction from the syringe that Cameron gave was a little flinch in the eyes. "I'm giving you an injection of Topiramate. It, uh, iterrupts the messages from your basal ganglia, countering any effects of forced induction. There. Right. I am more interested in your blackouts." Lee put his syringe down on the table and pulled up a chair in front of Cameron. "You left work in the middle of the day."
"How do you know about that?" There was something about this man that struck me. Struck me right in the chest...it wasn't his ability...could it be his aura? I have never seen an aura quite like his.
"What was the last thing you remember?" Cameron didn't say anything. "Please, Mr. Hicks. This is very important. What was the last thing you remember before you blacked out?"
"Uh, my, uh-My phone rang and then-oh, there was a sound. Like a-a tone or something and-"
"And then? What?"
"And then, uh-and then I-I don't know. I don't-I guess it was the next day."
"And anything else? Say, for example, aphasia."
"Excuse me?"
"Diffculty reading. Hearing wrong words."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Mr. Hicks, please. In your own words, tell me what you experienced."
"I, uh-" His aura flickered from red to a bright, light pink and back to red. I took a step back in shock. I had never seen an aura do that. It usually stayed one color. "I couldn't-I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. And all the words, even the ones on the billboards, they just kept saying the same thing over and over again. Look, what's wrong with me?"
"Uh, nothing." Cameron let out an irritated laugh.
"Nothing. If nothing's wrong with me then why am I locked up?"
"You killed a man, Mr. Hicks." Lee got up and signaled for me to free Cameron. I slowly knelt down in front of Cameron and unlocked his cuffs, my fingers barely brushing his skin just to see what his aura would do. It flickered to the pink and back again. I tossed the cuffs onto the table and stepped back as Cameron rubbed his wrists and got up.
"So, you're saying I was brainwashed?" Cameron grabbed his jacket and put it back on as he followed me to the other room with Lee behind him. I touched the computer and an image of Cameron's brain popped up.
"Yes." I spoke through the computer. "The aphasia is incidental. It's a mere side effect of the location of the lesion."
"Look, assuming I actully believe you, why would someone do this to me?"
"Because you are an Alpha." Lee said.
"I'm a what?"
"You have a, uh, neurological difference...that confers some exceptional advantage. But you're not alone. This is Angel Lattimer. She has the ability to possess another Alpha's ability if they are in a short range of her. She can also communicate through computers. Everyone on this unit is just like you, Cameron." Cameron began to shake his head. "They are all Alphas."
"No, I'm-I'm-I'm not an Alpha."
"Disregard the term for the time being." We left the room and walked out into the lobby. "Surely you have wondered...where your incredible gifts come from. Is it normal to pitch two perfect games in a row?"
"And not throw another strike until they boot my ass down the double A ball? No, it's not normal, Doc, but it sure as hell isn't a gift."
"Your hyperkinesis-it's a delicate instrument, and when it falls out of tune, it crashes. All Alpha skills come with a downside, Cameron. Angel can only possess one Alpha ability at a time and she gets a major headache and very lightheaded when too many Alphas close in on her at one time because her brain doesn't have enough time to process each Alpha ability so it goes into overdrive."
"I'm sorry, ok? This whole thing is just-"
"No. It's hard to believe."
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Would you do me a favor and buy me a soda?" Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out a few quarters. Cameron eyed the pop machine that was a couple yards away.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. Here. Please." He handed Cameron the quarters and Cameron sighed and began to walk over to the machine but Lee stopped him when he was about four yards away. "But, uh, do it, uh-Do it from here."
"Come on. Look, I'm a good shot but that's impossible."
"No. Well, try." Cameron tossed a coin and it bounced off the machine just below the slot.
"Okay?"
"Again." Cameron took a deep breath and tossed another quarter which also bounced below the coin slot.
"Look, this is stupid."
"Our minds are capable of so much more than you think. Again." Cameron sniffed. Cameron barely even thought about it this time and when he tossed the coin and went into the machine.
"No. No." He tossed another quarter and it went in.
"You focus on the moments when your remarkable skill fails you. But the potential is there, clearly." Lee chuckled lightly. I held out my hand for a quarter and Lee dropped one into my hand. I took Cameron's spot and focused. I fingered the quarter in my hand, searching for Cameron's ability. I closed my eyes and concentrated and pushed out the elastic force of my mind over to Cameron so I could use his ability. I felt myself attach to it and opened my eyes and focused on the coin slot. I raised my right hand and tossed the coin and it went in and a soda dropped. I let go of Cameron's ability and felt my brain relax.
"What do you want from me?" Cameron asked as Lee went to retrieve the pop. "You didn't send your team out to hunt me down...just to give me this little therapy session."
"You have barely scratched the surface of what you are capable of."
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"Okay, so if this Ghost is actually involved, how do you track him?" Bill asked Lee once we sat back in the conference, Cameron sitting at the end.
"Well, all his former proxies are dead." Lee said. "Mr. Hicks would not be alive if his work were complete, if this Ghost was not planning on using him again."
"So, I answer my phone. Then what?" Cameron questioned Lee.
"You just go out there and kill someone." Bill said.
"Bill, please." Lee said.
"Sounds like a really good plan. Do you have another idea?" I banged my fist on the table. I didn't know why I did it but it felt right. Cameron looked over at me and his aura flashed pink as he pale blue eyes scanned my face as I looked over at Bill.
"Angel doesn't like it when you talk like that." Gary translated as I glared at Bill.
"Thank you, Gary." Lee said. "Angel's right, this is not the time. Thank you. To answer your question, Mr. Hicks, Gary is our transducer, which means that he can read a wide range of frequencies, including television, Wi-Fi and cell phone transmissions."
"Except for Nokia." Gary stated. "It's a different protocol."
"So when the call comes in, Gary will trace the signal back to its source."
"By scanning locak antenna towers, I can create a splash grid."
"Mmm. I'm the Cold Charlie." Cameron muttered. I cocked my head at him in confusion.
"What?" Rachel questioned him. Cameron sighed as he began to explain.
"It's-It's a way of flushing out snipers. You put your helmet on the end of your rifle. Stick it out there. Sniper takes his shot. You clock his position. You nail him. A helmet on the end of the rifle. That's the Cold Charlie. And that's me, right?"
"That's good." Bill said. "He catches on quick." I slammed my fist on the table again. I clenched my jaw. Am I actually defending this stanger?"
"Bill, I told you she doesn't like it when you talk like that." Gary reminded Bill.
"It's how I always talk, Angel."
"Well, I don't see that we have much choice." Lee said. "You are aware, Mr. Hicks, that if the Ghost is still out there, you are very much at risk." Cameron's eyes rotated around the table looking at everyone.
"Right." He muttered.
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I leaned against the hood of the van, waiting for Gary to get the signal from Cameron's phone when The Ghost called him. We were waiting right outside Cameron's apartment. I didn't like waiting. I got impatient to easily. I had to be doing something.
"I got it." Gary said from inside the van. Gary and Rachel moved to the back of the van when Cameron and Nina came back out from the apartment. Bill took the driver seat and Nina called shotgun. I allowed Cameron to get in first and I got in and sat beside him, closing the door behind me. Bill whipped out his phone and called Lee. I twisted my hand to the right. "No, I don't need help, Angel. It's there. This is it. It's here." Gary pointed to the Thompson Hotel. "It's this. It's coming from the sixth floor.
"Are you sure?" Bill questioned him.
"Yes."
"Ok, we've got a midtown hotel location. I'm gonna put the team in place and move in. Copy that?" Bill hung up on Lee and turned off the ignition. "Nina, Rachel, with me. Angel, stay here and make sure the car does not get towed." Bill got out and opened the door on Cameron's side. "Gary, I need you to keep feeding me intel. I need to know if he moves an inch."
"Yes."
"How can I help?" Cameron asked.
"You can help by not killing anyone today." Bill said, pulling out his handcuffs and handcuffing Cameron's left wrist to the handle on the ceiling of the van.
"The guy brainwashed me. Harken, I can help."
"You can take these off when it's over. Angel." Bill tossed me the keys to the handcuffs and I caught them with both hands. "Let's go, Nina and Rachel."
"Uh-huh." Gary said, talking to Bill using the walkie talkie. "Yes. Signal isn't moving."
"Angel, he's gonna need some help." Cameron pleaded. I loved the way he said my name, holding the L at he end. "You gotta let me out. Please." I continued to stare straight ahead and Cameron sighed, irritated.
"I lost him." Bill said through the walkie talkie. "West stairwell."
"Angel, come on! He's getting away." I thought about it for a second and sighed. I leaned over and unlocked the cuffs and Cameron grabbed my gun and ran out of the van to the hotel. "I got him.
"Oh, my god, he just jumped." Nina said.
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I walked to out of the parking lot and began to walk to my motorcycle. As I reached out to grab my helmet off the handlebars, a hand clamped over my mouth and pulled me back. I let out a muffled scream.
"Be-Be still." A man whispered in my ear. I failed my arms around trying to break free from the man's grip but I wasn't strong enough.
"Hey!" Cameron's voice sounded in front of me and I looked up to see him pointing a gun at the man. "Let her go!" I let out another scream as I continue to fight free.
"Not a step closer, Mr. Hicks, or she dies. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you can make that shot without hitting her. But I know you."
"No. You don't know me."
"I have researched you extensively. Never fired a shot in combat. Without my hand to guide you, you're helpless." Cameron readjusted his grip on the gun as he concentrated on the ghost. "Every time the pressure's on, you fall apart." I struggled harder agains the grip and looked at Cameron, pleading with my eyes asking him to take the shot. "The only way you make that shot is if I tell you to. Now you let me go. I let her go. It's as easy as-" Before The Ghost could finish his sentence, Cameron fired at the sign behind us and the bullet bounced off the sign and into the ghost's chest and into his heart. The ghost fell and I pushed away from him and gasped. I raced away from him in fear and Cameron grabbed me and pulled me into his arms, holding me to his chest. I breathed heavily as I gripped his jacket, never wanting to leave this safe haven.
"Are you ok?" I looked up into his blue eyes and nodded before buring my face back into his jacket.
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I sat on the couch in the break room and Gary sat at the table. Bill, Nina and Lee were in their offices. Cameron and Rachel were outside the break room talking in hush whispers. I reached out for Rachel's power and inhanced my hearing to hear what they were saying.
"She hasn't talked in over five years." Rachel told Cameron.
"I bet she'll talk to me." Cameron insisted.
"And what makes you say that?"
"Just a feeling. Maybe there's a connection between us." Rachel sighed.
"You're more than welcome to try but she's not going to talk." I quickly looked back down into my lap and twiddled my thumbs as Cameron came to sit to the right of me on the couch. I looked up at him and immediately drowned in his ocean blue eyes. He held out his right hand to me.
"We didn't properly meet each other. Hi, I'm Cameron Hicks. Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?" I looked from his eyes to his hand to Rachel and Nina standing behind him and back again. Bill and Lee soon joined the show. I looked at Cameron's aura and it glowed pink as he stared at me. Passion. I extended my hand and took Cameron's hand in mine and gently shook it, electricity sparking through my body.
"Hi, I'm Angel Lattimer and I would love to." I said in my high soprano voice. Nina dropped her cup of coffee and it crashed to the floor as everyone else gasped at me speaking.