Previously, ordinary people have been discovering extraordinary abilities. These ordinary people have endured pain and suffering. They have faced death and betrayal. These events have shaped their lives into the people that they were destined to become.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO "TRY TO RECOVER"
(The Safe House)
David took a deep breath. "Tell me everything, Scott. I know you know where Wayne is. I'm his bodyguard. I made a promise that I protect him from danger." He grabbed the man by his shirt, pulling him closer to his face. "I am going to keep that promise. I need to save him. I need to find Wayne."
Scott showed his teeth. "So… do you trust me?"
"There comes a time when we must decide if, to get what we want, we can do whatever is necessary. There comes a time when we must let go, and allow those around us to go their separate ways…"
(Sarah White – Newark, New Jersey)
Sarah took a deep breath.
No one said a word.
The car drove quietly down the slippery white road.
She looked at the man who drove the car. He was quiet. Not a good sign when the person was usually talkative. She glanced at the others in the backseat. The faces. The eyes. Casey. Justin. They both looked exhausted. She turned back around in her seat and looked out the window. A tear rolled down her soft cheek.
"In the better interest of others, these dilemmas can benefit us. Define us. The decision that we make will indeed change the course of our life. Are you ready to decide?" – Mohinder Suresh
David chose his words wisely. "I trust that you'll tell everything you know."
Scott continued to smile. "All right, David. You want to know the truth? Here it is: I worked with a man by the name of James Lee-"
"James Lee?"
"You've heard of him?"
"Wayne told me that he was the one who told him about you."
"Yes, well, James Lee worked for a secret organization of the government called The Silence Project. Government officials in Silence knew about evolved humans, people like you and me, and they forced certain ones to be a military task force. If no one did what the wanted they killed them. Wayne was apart of that task force, as was I. When I found out the truth I liberated him from that tyranny. I thought James was for the destruction of Silence, but he betrayed me, taking Wayne and the others I had liberated with him."
"So James Lee was a spy for the government."
"Yes."
"Do you know where he is right now?"
A pause. Scott's neck twitched and his fingers became sweaty. David let go of his shirt and waited for a response.
"Yes," he answered. "He's in the secret headquarters of Silence."
"And where is that?"
"Underneath the Washington Monument." He twitched again. Nervously he took a deep breath, taking his hand to his brow to wipe it of sweat. "That's where they conduct their activity."
David pushed the weak prisoner into the wall. "If you're lying to me…"
"I'm not lying!"
He stared into the white of his eyes.
"I'm not lying," he repeated.
"You'd better not."
Their eyes locked in a stare down before David turned to leave, leaving the man and the room to the silence that followed. The door opened. David took one last look at Scott before exiting. The Rogue Agent remained against the wall as the entrance closed. The room became dark again. He twitched, a nervous habit that manifested itself. It was his tell. He twitched again, forcing a sly smile between his ears.
Mike gripped the wheel. His breathing was hard, concentrated to the moment. Sarah eyed him through the corner of her vision. She could only imagine what was going through his mind. Roughly he combed his hair back with his hand and drove down the empty road.
Sarah sighed. "I'm sorry, Mike."
"I don't want to hear it."
"I don't care if you don't want to hear it. I'm telling you right now that I never meant any of this to happen."
The van slid to a halt on the shoulder of the road. Danny and Tara jerked forward, coming awake after the abrupt stop. Casey held onto her seatbelt and Justin nervously looked around at everyone to make sure they were okay.
"What did you say?" Mike growled between the cages of his teeth.
Sarah faced him. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
"'You never meant for any of this to happen?!" He repeated. "You gave me a fake name, allowed me to take you to my house and during that whole time you knew that the police were looking for you. As soon as you came with me from that riot – you had full knowledge that I was harboring a fugitive!"
"Mike-"
"What the hell did you expect was going to happen?!"
"Don't yell at me, Mike."
"You put my life in danger! You put my children's lives in danger!"
"Don't yell at me."
His voice rose. "You destroyed my house!"
"Don't yell at me, Mike! You have no idea what I'm going through!"
He laughed at her comment. He looked at the passengers in the back seats. They stared at him. He turned back to her. " What you're going through?" He laughed again. "Tell me, Sarah, what are you going through? I'm sure running away from the authorities, endangering innocent people's lives and destroying things along the way is very hard. Oh, Sarah, what happened to that other boy, Alec? Was that his name? How hard was it to leave him behind?"
Sarah punched the door. "Now you've gone too far! I had to! He told Casey and Justin to run, so they did and so did I. You have no idea how difficult it is to protect people who voluntarily follow you around."
"I have a pretty good idea, Sarah. I have two children of my own to protect."
"Are you running away from the police?"
"No."
"Then don't patronize me!" She clenched her fists, trying to control an outburst of more anger. "Do you know why I'm running away from the authorities? I made a decision to protect Alec's life because he was special like me. You don't have special gifts, Mike, I don't expect you to understand how important it is for us to stick together. My assignment was to turn him in for some robberies that he was forced to do by some punk father of his but I didn't because I protect the people who I care about." She glared at Mike. "Yes, running away from the authorities is hard."
Mike shook his head. "You're a selfish person, Sarah."
"I'm selfish?"
"Yes… so you disobeyed orders so that you could protect Alec. And Casey and Justin. They follow you around voluntarily, I get that."
She nodded her head.
"But every time you save them from an attack by the police, every time you continue to run with them tailing behind you, you're not helping them. You may think you're protecting them, but you bring them deeper into the hole you're in. And worst of all, you do nothing about it." The tone of Mike's voice changed. It was no longer loud and accusing. It was soft. "Those officers shoot because they want you, Sarah. Not Casey. Not Justin. I called you selfish because you don't have the decency to force them to leave because your actions have put their lives in danger too."
Sarah opened her mouth to retaliate, but she could not.
"Alec? Where's he at now?" He asked in a calm voice. "He told you to run. Okay… but if you really meant what you said about the importance of sticking with people like you, you would've gone back. Even if it did require that you maybe put your own life at risk of being caught."
His words stung her heart. Nothing hurts more than the truth.
"And me and my children. Sarah, you were willing to use us – I don't have a home anymore. Even now you keep us with you, to 'protect' us… but what are you going to do if the authorities catch me? Would you come back for me? Or would you keep running? It looks to me like you're willing to sacrifice the lives of the people around you so that yours can continue to run."
"Mike…" Sarah could not finish. Fresh tears ran out of her eyes.
Everything he said was true.
David sat on the couch contemplating the information that Scott had given to him. There was a lot to fish through. He wanted to save Wayne. But he wasn't sure if the man inside that room could be trusted. A secret government organization that forced people into service didn't seem plausible, especially for the United States government. But his information was detailed. There really could be a secret base underneath the Washington Monument.
Jessica took a seat next to the contemplating man. "What are you thinking about?"
"Scott," he answered. "I'm still deciding whether or not I can trust his story."
"I don't think you have much of a choice. Wayne is out there somewhere. We need to save him."
"I know."
"Give him the benefit of the doubt."
"It's not that simple."
"It's Wayne's life, David. Trust the man."
His mind ran over Scott's words. He had to make a decision but so many questions still plagued him. Scott was a variable in complex equation. Wayne was the answer. There was only one choice. He looked at his wife and reassured her with a smile. After getting up, he headed to the temporary jail cell. Scott would be waiting for an answer. He was going to give him one.
The door opened.
"Scott…"
"Yes?"
"I just came to tell you that when I find Wayne, I'll let you go."
"When you find him? So you believe me."
"I'm going to go to the Washington Monument right now and get him."
Scott laughed. "You're insane if you think you'll past the security defenses by yourself."
"Don't worry. When I have a strong purpose, there's nothing that can stand in my way."
"Well, you can do it your way," he paused, baiting David to hear him out. "Or you could do it the right way."
David crossed his arms in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Scott slowly got up to his feet. He slid his way towards the man. "Do you realize that you could stop Silence too? Save Wayne. Destroy Silence. You're a powerful man, and you could use your talents to take down the very core of corruption in our government. You could be a hero."
"I'm not here to destroy Silence. I'm here for-"
"Wayne, yes I know. But if you go and save Wayne, don't you think the government will try to get their man back? You could just save him. But you'd risk losing him again."
David slowly exhaled. He didn't want to lose Wayne a second time.
"Take down Silence and you free every human with special abilities from the evilness of our twisted government. We have a duty to our people, David. A duty to protect them. If we have a way to do something good, we must take every action possible to make sure that the good triumphs." He grinned again. "And we have a way."
"What way is that?"
"You, me, your wife. Even Dawn and Will. We can take them down together… and save Wayne."
"I'd need to heal you completely."
"Yes you would."
David pondered over his options. Scott eagerly waited for a response.
"Okay, Scott. We take down Silence. We save Wayne. What's in it for you?"
"Silence destroyed my life. I get the sweet taste of revenge."
David nodded. "That's fair enough."
"So we'll do it then?"
"If you double-cross us, so help me, I'll finish what I started when I first interrogated you."
Scott opened his hand and extended it out towards him.
David shook the hand.
Scott nodded his head. "Good. We'll need to begin our training right away."
David's face twisted in confusion. "Training?"
"So what do we do?"
Mike gingerly put his hand on her shoulder. He glanced at the four people in the back seats and nodded his head in a manner very matter-of-fact. "Let us go, Sarah. Let my children go, let Casey and Justin go… let me get back to what life I have left."
She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.
"Sarah, I know you know it's the right thing to do. You can't keep running with us following behind."
She nodded her head. "I know. It's just… it's just that the right thing isn't always the easiest thing."
"I know," Mike grabbed her hand. He squeezed it to tell her that he was no longer mad at her. "I know."
Justin unbuckled his seat belt. "So… we're leaving you?"
"I can't expect you to follow me wherever I go anymore, Justin."
Casey unbuckled her seat belt.
"Like Mike said, 'it's the right thing to do'."
Mike turned the keys, killing the ignition, and unlocked the doors. He opened the driver's side and stepped out. Justin and Casey hesitantly looked at once another. They looked at the melancholy of Sarah's body language. With their heads down, the two high school students exited the vehicle. Tara and Danny unbuckled their seatbelts and left the van as soon as the two left.
Sarah was the last to get out. She stared at her reflection in the side-view mirror. She looked at the outline of her face. Blotches of dirt combined with her tears smeared her face like mascara. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew it was the right thing to do, but a small part of her did not want them to leave. Apart of her soul needed them to stay.
She stepped out and took a deep breath.
"It was nice getting to know you, Sarah," Justin said giving her a hug. She embraced him as new tears began to fall again. "I forgive anything you ever put me through."
He left with his head down.
Casey stood next in line.
Sarah wiped her eyes.
"Sarah, I just want to say that I don't hate you. I just disagreed with your decision to leave Alec behind."
There was a brief pause as Sarah thought of the next thing to say. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm gonna find him," Casey sternly stated. "I have to."
"You have to," Sarah repeated. "I guess you do."
"Well… I guess this is good-bye."
"I guess it is."
Casey nervously gave her a hug. At first she hung limply in her arms, but soon she gave Sarah a real hug. They had been through a lot. And through all of that, Casey knew how hard it must be for Sarah to begin her journey alone. Sarah appreciated the gesture. The high school junior gave a smile before she turned to leave.
"Casey, wait."
She stopped.
"You can't be afraid to use your powers."
"I'm not afraid-"
"You can't be afraid to use your powers," she said again. "If you're going to find Alec, you're going to have to have to learn how to use your abilities. He's probably in jail by now and if you're going to break him out you can't be hesitant. Use your powers."
She nodded her head.
"Learn to use them."
"Okay. I will."
And she left to join Justin.
Mike slowly walked up, hands in pocket and a solemn expression on his face.
"Mike, I'm sorry for everything I put you through recently."
"I forgive you," he said. He smiled and shook his head. "Just don't bring anybody into your troubles again. You need to learn how to solve your own problems, Sarah. Bringing in others will only cause more pain…"
Mike spoke, but his words did not register in Sarah's mind. She looked at him, thoughts piercing her temples, telling her to say what she wanted to say. The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to jump off, but something inside her told her not to. Sarah wanted to ask Mike if he would stay with her, if he would stay with her as she ran. It was a selfish question to ask. And she knew it was. But she feared being alone.
Fear overtook her sense of nobility.
"Please come with me," She blurted out. She had to say it. She would never have another chance.
"What?"
"I can't do this on my own, Mike. I need someone with me." It was desperate. But she only spoke the truth.
"Sarah, I-"
"Please! Casey and Justin can take care of your children."
"I'm not gonna-"
"Mike," Sarah pleaded. "I can't do this by myself."
He looked back at his children who waited patiently next to Casey. "Sarah," he began. "I – I can't. My children need me."
Sarah grabbed him by the shoulders. Desperation. "I know that I'm being completely selfish but… but I can't do this by myself. Please." She looked deep into his eyes, trying to appeal to the good person that she knew he was. "Please."
Mike looked back. He opened his mouth to say no but he couldn't. Defeated by his own kindness, he nodded his head slowly. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll come with you. I can take you to Cape May in Delaware. There's a ferry that can take you further south." He pointed his finger. "But that's as far as I'll take you. From then on, you're on your own."
She hugged him. "Thank you! I know how hard this must be for you."
Mike nodded his head and walked over to his children to explain what was happening. Sarah waited by the car, anxiously awaiting Mike's return. Her hand met her eye, wiping away the final tear. It was a desperate act, an act that she wasn't proud of at that moment. But she knew that she wasn't going to be alone. And that's what she feared the most.
The whiteness of the sky fell upon her head. A strong current of air blew past her face causing her to wrap her arms around her body. The cold winter winds sifted pass her, through the air and up into the sky, meeting the moon's bright light. The once strong current went higher and higher until it dissipated into nothingness; the farther it went, the less powerful it got until finally it died. The chilly weather of winter was not kind. It knew only darkness. It knew only cold.
Mike started the car. Sarah went back into the front seat. She looked at rear view mirror, watching the four people walk away from her life. "Where are they going? Why are they walking?" She asked.
"I saw a Starlight Diner not too far back. They'll wait for me there."
A low rumbling sparked the car to life as the ignition started. The windshield wipers coursed back and forth gently wiping away the flurries of frozen water. And then they were gone. Down the road towards their destiny.
Continued…
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