Chapter 6: Hospitals, Stolen Records, and Police Reports
Nina didn't get any sleep when she went home that night. She lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thoughts of Isaac and her powers swirling around in her head. She had wanted this year to be different and yet there she was with blood on her hands and a mystery surrounding her. She needed to get to the bottom of everything, but first she needed to see Isaac.
The next morning, she walked down the long white halls of the hospital until she spotted the door to Isaac's room wide open. She stepped in and saw Danielle asleep on a chair beside the bed.
"Hey," the teen greeted the girl and gestured for her to take a seat.
She smiled upon seeing him. "How are you doing?"
He shrugged and sat up. "I've had better days."
"I'm sorry," she frowned.
He shook his head. "Don't apologize. You and Jerome are the reason I'm still breathing."
"Do you know when you'll be out of the hospital?" she asked.
"I should be out in a day or two," he answered. "I have to stay tonight since I had surgery yesterday."
"Of course," she offered him another smile and once again looked at Danielle. "I didn't know Officer Richards was Danielle's father."
"Yeah." He nodded as he looked over at his friend. "She doesn't tell people."
"What's your relationship with him?" Nina questioned. "He was so happy that you were okay yesterday."
"Well, Danielle and I have been friends since we were little and when my father moved to the states her family offered to take me in until he returned. I've been with them for about five years," he told her.
"What about your mother?"
"She died when I was young," Isaac revealed.
"I'm sorry,"
"It's fine," he stated yet Nina saw the way the corners of his lips twitched. "I didn't really know her."
"So… does this make us even now?" Nina asked.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Even?"
"You know, I saved your life, you saved mine?" she leaned forward, a small smile playing on her lips.
He gave a small laugh and shook his head. "Technically I saved you twice if you count me carrying you to Anubis house after getting shot by the fountain."
"I guess you're right," she grinned. "But don't worry, I'll repay you soon enough."
Isaac's smile grew and a comfortable silence settled between them before Nina suddenly cleared her throat and pushed back her chair.
"Well, I just came to see if you were okay, but I actually have to go to the station and give a statement," she said as she stood up.
"No worries," he assured her. "Maybe while you're there you can check on the man we saw."
Nina furrowed her brow. "Mr. Yamata?"
He hesitated for a moment before picking up a napkin from the nightstand by the bed. "Last night, I got another image."
"Past or future?" she asked.
He shrugged and handed her the napkin that he had drawn on. "I'm not entirely sure. It's a mugshot I think, so if it's from the past he should be in the system."
"How do I find out for sure?" she questioned.
"You're going to the police station, right? You can get on Officer Richards' computer. He never logs off the database," he replied.
Nina laughed a bit and looked down at the napkin. "I don't even want to know how you know that."
Isaac half-smiled at the comment and lowered his head. "Yeah, well, I spend a lot of time there. You know… Just try your best."
Nina nodded and she left the room before heading to her car. Once outside, she got in the vehicle and drove to the station.
(***)
"You want to do what?" Fabian scoffed and shook his head. "Why? I mean, how do you even know that he's in the system? It's too risky."
The determined look on Nina's face faltered slightly and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I wasn't asking for your permission. We need to figure out what's going on. Isaac was shot! This isn't like anything we've ever been through before. This is life or death. Okay? Jerome and I will go into his office and check the database while you distract Officer Richards,"
Fabian sighed before nodding. "Alright, but don't take too long."
Nina squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. He looked down at her touch.
"I'm really glad you're okay,"
"So am I," she replied.
She slipped her hand away and cast him one last look before walking over to Jerome.
"Let's go,"
Jerome followed Nina to the office in the corner. He looked over his shoulder quickly before stepping into the room.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" he asked.
"Anything on Henry Yamata," she answered. "You check the database and I'll check the files."
Jerome nodded and he headed for Officer Richards' desk. He opened up the database and immediately typed the name in. Once entered, a beep was heard from the computer and an image appeared on the screen.
"Did you get something?" Nina called from the file cabinets.
Jerome hesitated as he read what had appeared on the screen. "No, I think this is just another Henry Yamata."
"Another one?" Nina closed the drawer she had opened and walked over to Jerome. "Let me take a look."
Jerome pushed his chair back and allowed Nina to observe the information on the database.
"Actually," she held up the Isaac's drawing to the actual mugshot, her eyes darting between the two. "That's him. He looks different."
"Did Isaac draw that?" Jerome asked as he leaned forward and got a better look at the mugshot. "Wow. What do you think caused the change in Mr. Yamata?"
"I don't know, but I plan on finding out," she stated before pressing the print button on the page.
Jerome's eyes widened and he turned to her. "What are you doing? You could get caught."
"We need the information. Plus, he's not going to know I printed something," Nina responded.
Jerome frowned, but he didn't say anything as he stood up and walked to the door. "I think we better hurry. It looks like he's getting sick of Fabian."
Nina nodded before grabbing the freshly printed pages and shoving them into her bag. She clicked out of the database and walked to the door before taking one last look and exiting the office. Upon stepping outside, Nina spotted Fabian talking to Officer Richards. She hurried over to them and put on her best smile.
"Officer Richards!" she exclaimed. "It's nice to see you."
"Nina," he turned to the girl and grinned. "I was wondering when I'd see you. I reckon they took your statement already?"
Nina nodded. "Yeah. We were actually on our way out."
"Well, I just wanted to thank you again. Get back to school safely," he told her before walking away from the teens.
"That was too close of a call," Fabian told her. "He definitely is not as interested in astronomy as I am."
Nina let out a small laugh. "Well, we got what we needed and that's all that matters."
"So what now?" he asked.
Nina thought for a moment before lightly shaking her head. "We just need to gain some sort of understanding. Let's head back to class and we can sort everything out later."
(***)
Noise bounced off the walls in Isaac's hospital room and he grinned as his friends from the track team tried to lift his spirits.
As he looked around the room his eyes caught Mick's who stood in a corner in the far right of the room.
"We're going to get some food in the cafeteria. We'll be back," said one of the boys.
Isaac nodded and he watched as the crowd shuffled out of the room leaving only him and Mick.
"Are you just going to stand in the corner or…?" Isaac laughed and gestured for him to take a seat.
Mick sighed and he walked over to Isaac. "Sorry, I'm just-,"
"Not excited to be a part of the team?" Isaac asked. "Kind of a miracle you are. You just barely made the cut."
Mick shook his head and sat down on the chair beside his bed. "No, I just feel guilty is all."
The smile on Isaac's face dropped and he looked down at Mick. "Were you the one that shot me?"
"No, but-,"
"Then stop beating yourself up," he interrupted. "It's not your fault."
"I promised you that we wouldn't put you in danger. I also promised Danielle," Mick replied as he looked down at his hands.
Isaac stared at the boy before letting out a deep breath and leaning back in his bed. "It's not your fault, mate. Just forget about it or it's going to be a bit difficult spending time at Anubis considering you're the only one I tolerate."
Mick cracked a smile at the comment before nodding. "So spending a couple hours with Nina and Jerome as you were bleeding out didn't create some sort of unbreakable bond?"
Isaac laughed for a couple seconds until he felt a sharp pain where his stitches were and winced. "Jesus, haven't laughed like that all day."
"You're welcome then," Mick grinned. "But really, you still don't like them?"
"I never didn't like them," Isaac told him. "I just didn't like the drama that came with you and all of your friends. Turns out I was right to try and avoid you guys. Anyways, Nina and Jerome are alright. I mean, as I was lying on my back thinking that I was going to die, Nina was forcing me to make conversation to take my mind off of it. Not too many people are calm in a situation like that."
"Yeah, well apparently she's a veteran when it comes to danger," Mick pointed out.
"Apparently most of you are," Isaac added.
Mick chuckled. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm as new to this as you are."
"Cheers then," he laughed once more and lightly shook his head. "I suppose there's no avoiding it anymore."
"I think we passed that point the first time a gun was pointed at one of us," Mick declared before standing up. "I've got to head back now. Should I send them a message?"
"Yeah." Isaac nodded and he looked around at the numerous gift baskets that crowded the room. "Stop sending shit."
Mick smiled before shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll be sure to do just that. Amber goes kind of overboard when it comes to all the 'get well soon' stuff."
"I can tell," he frowned slightly and handed Mick one of the smaller baskets. "Here. Enjoy. I think it's moisturizer or something."
Mick took the basket from his hands and said another quick goodbye before turning his back to the hospitalized teen and walking out of his room.
(***)
"I don't think that's it," Amber declared as she crossed off something from her clipboard. "Maybe you can fly?"
Fabian shook his head at the suggestion. "I don't think we should try to test that one."
"Right," she agreed and once again crossed something off. "Maybe you don't have one."
"So I'm the only ordinary one then?" He frowned.
"You want powers?" Danielle gawked at him and shook her head. "Well you can have mine."
Fabian turned to the girl who was seated on the sofa across the room. "Having trouble?"
"People really don't know how to control their thoughts." She sighed and walked over to where the trio sat at the dining table. "I can't sleep at night with all these dumb voices in my head. Every day is a constant headache."
"I froze my vanity yesterday," Amber revealed before looking down at her hands. "This seriously sucks."
"Which is why we need to be looking into everything that has happened," Nina finally spoke. She looked up from her laptop and pointed to the items she had collected when she, Jerome, and Isaac went to the abandoned house.
"I have no idea how to translate these," she groaned and slid the letters to Fabian. "They look like Egyptian hieroglyphics, but there's something off about them.
Fabian examined one of the letters and lightly shook his head. He frowned and set it down. "You're right. There is definitely something off about them. I could look into it. I'm heading to the library later anyways."
Nina smiled and nodded. "Thanks."
Just then the door to Anubis house opened and Mick entered the dining room.
"Hey," he greeted the group and took a seat at the table before setting down some of his things.
"Were you at practice?" Amber asked.
He shook his head and slid the gift basket of moisturizer to the blonde. "I was at the hospital. Isaac said to stop sending him things."
Amber frowned, but she didn't protest as she took the basket.
"How is he?" Nina asked. "I saw him earlier, but he seemed a bit off."
"When did you go to the hospital?" Fabian asked.
"This morning," she told him. "I went before heading to the police station."
Fabian frowned at the confession, but instead of saying anything he turned back to Mick. "Did he have any new information?"
"No. He was just tired, I think," Mick answered. He looked down at the table and took notice of the letters. He narrowed his eyes a bit and picked one up, scanning it carefully.
Nina raised an eyebrow at the action and leaned forward. "Do you know what language that is?"
Mick was quiet for a moment before he looked up. "Uh, yeah, I do actually. I saw it in a textbook. They're Egyptian hieroglyphics."
"They can't be," Fabian told him. "There's something different about them."
"There is," Mick agreed. "It's in cursive."
"Cursive hieroglyphics?" Amber questioned as she glanced at the letter. "That's a thing?"
"In Ancient Egypt, cursive hieroglyphics were often used for religious literature. Nobles also used them," Mick explained. "It looks like whoever was writing this really didn't want people to be able to read it."
"Can you?" Danielle asked.
Mick considered this before nodding. "I think so. I'd need a couple of hours though."
"Wait," Fabian scoffed and shook his head. "Since when can you read Egyptian hieroglyphics?"
"I-I don't know," he frowned and looked at Fabian. "But I'm sure that I can."
"After reading a textbook about them?" He questioned.
Mick shrugged. "Yeah."
"Mick, what year were hieroglyphics first used?"
"Around 3300 to 3200 BCE," Mick answered in a heartbeat.
"How many languages exist in the modern universe?"
"Roughly 6,500,"
"What is Einstein's theory of relativity?"
"Well, it's a bit too complicated to answer in one sentence. I mean, it explained that what we perceive as the force of gravity in fact arises from the curvature of space and time. Einstein proposed-,"
"I knew it!" Fabian cut him off. "Something has been off the past couple of weeks. You've been raising your hand in class and actually getting things right."
"Hey!" Mick protested. "I'm not an idiot."
"You have to admit that you've kind of been excelling in classes that you usually fail," Amber told him. "I mean, no one just knows how to read cursive Egyptian hieroglyphics."
Mick frowned, but this time he didn't say anything.
"When did you begin to suspect this?" Nina asked.
"I admit that during class I was surprised at his sudden knowledge of physics, but I chose to believe he was just finally using my study guides. However, a couple days ago when Isaac told us about his second power, Mick knew exactly what it was in an instant. Retrocognition isn't something that people know off the top of their heads, especially guys like Mick. The other day we were looking up a bunch of powers and I think when we scrolled past retrocognition Mick memorized it."
"That's his power? He's a walking encyclopedia?" Danielle asked.
"No, it's more than that. He sees things and then he just knows everything about it. It has to be some sort of superhuman intelligence," Fabian clarified. "His brain has probably advanced far beyond the genius level. This includes memory, emotional intelligence, and who knows what else."
"So I'm officially the smartest guy in the room?" Mick asked. "I'll take it."
"Guess we don't need Fabian anymore," Patricia smirked from where she stood in the kitchen.
Fabian glared at the girl who had entered the room during their conversation. "Not funny."
She shrugged and stepped into the dining area. "Anything else I missed?"
Nina shook her head. "Not really, but I have a feeling that with Mick we may be able to find out more."
(***)
Isaac had his back turned to the entrance of his room as he tried to fall asleep. His body ached and his eyes could barely stay open yet when he tried to doze off, his mind wouldn't let him. Isaac sighed and he shifted so that he was staring up at the ceiling as the mechanic beeping of machines occupied the dark space. He should've been grateful that he couldn't sleep considering that for the past few days his nights had been filled with dreams of gunshots and him waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, gasping and clutching his chest.
He didn't mention the nightmares to the doctor he was told to speak to in case he had any weird reactions to the medication he was on. Isaac knew that it wasn't the meds that were making his head cloudy. It was everything that had happened since he came back from Peru. Of course he couldn't mention any of that either. He didn't want to be checked into the psych ward of the hospital.
He sighed and let out a deep breath before closing his eyes and once again attempting to sleep. His thoughts slipped away and he could feel his breathing slow down a bit as sleep began to consume him, but just as he was about to enter a deep slumber, he heard the door knob rattle as someone pushed open the door to his hospital room and walked in.
Light flooded the area for a moment before the door closed behind the interloper. Isaac didn't dare open his eyes as footsteps sounded in his ear. Instead, he kept them tightly shut and pretended to sleep.
Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his arm stand as someone moved close to him. Cold breath hit his face and it took everything in him not to start panicking right at that moment. He didn't want to cause a scene in case it was just Danielle or Officer Richards. However, he knew that it wasn't them. The moment the person had entered the room Isaac had felt a chill run down his spine. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but he knew that it wasn't a good one.
"This'll be quick," a raspy, cold voice spoke.
Isaac's eyes shot open at the snake-like whisper and he immediately punched in the direction the voice had come from.
"Ugh," the person groaned as they fell back and crashed into the monitor beside the hospital bed.
Isaac looked down at them, but all he could see were shadows created by the moonlight peaking in through the closed shades of the window.
"You shouldn't have done that," the voice hissed and Isaac gulped as he ripped the IV from his arm and scrambled out of his bed. He wanted to run out of the room, but the person stood tall, blocking his only clear exit.
"Who are you?" Isaac asked, his voice calm and steady.
The person didn't answer. Instead, they tilted their head and lifted something into the air. Even in the dark Isaac knew that the cold metal in their hand was a gun.
"Don't," was the only word that Isaac could think to say as he backed up towards the windows.
"My orders were clear," they replied. "Kill the boy."
Isaac frowned and he took another step back. The person stepped forward in response, entering the moonlight, and Isaac gasped as he recognized the doctor that had been treating him. His face was stiff and cold and where his eyes should've been were bright red orbs.
"What the-," Isaac narrowed his eyes and he reached for the lamp beside him before throwing it at the doctor.
The lamp knocked the gun from his hands and Isaac immediately dove under the hospital bed for the weapon. The man remained unresponsive for a moment before bending down and grasping Isaac's wrist.
He pulled the teen from under the bed before he could get the gun, and stared into his dark eyes. His other hand gripped Isaac's neck and he began to tighten his grip.
Isaac struggled for a moment, clawing desperately at the man's large beefy hand, before he gave up on trying to pry him off himself and instead used his free hand to reach for the gun that lay a couple feet away. He stretched his fingers as his life slowly drained from him, a breathless "no" escaping his lips. His vision began to blur, but just as he was about to give up his fingers grazed the gun and he was able to shift the weapon closer to himself.
He wrapped his fingers around it and quickly knocked the gun against the man's head. His hand immediately loosened and his eyes returned to their normal state as he fell forward and landed on Isaac with a quiet thud.
Isaac tried to catch his breath as he reached up and ran his fingers over his neck. He coughed and pushed the doctor off of him before grabbing his jacket from the chair by his hospital bed, shoving the gun into one of his pockets, and stumbling out of the room.
(***)
It was past curfew, yet Nina and Fabian were still up doing research. Fabian had suggested that the two go to bed and get some rest, but Nina had refused, wanting to learn as much as possible. He didn't understand why she was so caught up in everything that had been happening. He wanted to tell her, but he feared that it would come off as insensitive or petty. And yet, something in him told him not to keep quiet anymore.
"We won't know anything until Mick translates the letters," he stated as he watched her eyes move rapidly over pages.
She ignored him, too busy looking over Mr. Yamata's file.
"Nina," he tried to get her attention once again. "Maybe you should take a break?"
"I need to finish this," she replied without looking at him.
Fabian sighed and he took a seat beside her. He placed a hand over the documents and forced her to turn to him.
"This isn't like you Nina. I mean, you stole police records," he pointed out.
"You're acting as if this isn't something we would've done before."
"But this may be going too far."
She groaned and stood up, throwing her hands into the air in frustration. "Someone got shot Fabian! Someone almost died. How many times do I need to remind you of that before you get it?"
"I get it Nina," he insisted as he too stood up. "But there is a point where you have to take a step back and not get buried in all this… this… chaos."
Nina's face softened for a moment before returning to the cold stone it had been seconds earlier. "Isaac is in a hospital bed because of me. He doesn't deserve this. I promised him he wouldn't get hurt."
"You barely know him!"
Nina rolled her eyes. "I know him enough."
Fabian frowned at the statement and his voice lowered in volume as he asked, "what exactly happened at the parking structure Nina?"
She scoffed and took a step away from him. "Don't turn this into something it isn't."
His jaw tightened and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then answer the question."
"Fabian-,"
"Nina."
She let out a short breath and lightly shook her head. "Fine, you want to know what happened? I'll tell you what happened. I held Isaac in my arms for hours as he lay on the floor with a bullet lodged inside him. I told him stories and tried to keep his mind off the fact that he was bleeding out and was probably going to die. I was there for him in a dark time and that is why I can't turn my back on this. Not when he's still at risk, not when we're still at risk. I won't let anyone else end up in a hospital bed or, worse, in a shallow grave. And you can be angry and annoyed and fed up with me, but I'm not going to stop looking for answers. Not when there is so much at risk."
Fabian was quiet for a long time before he sighed and stared into Nina's eyes. "Nina-,"
"I'm sorry Fabian," she told him. "I really am, but if you know me then you know that I can't just let this go."
He nodded, neither a frown or smile on his face. "I know."
She reached for his hand then, but before she could grasp it, the door to Anubis house opened and Isaac crashed into the floor.
Nina's eyes were wide and she rushed to the boy wearing only a hospital gown and thin jacket. "Isaac!"
She turned him over and gasped at the blood that stained his hospital gown. "What happened?"
"I think his stitches tore," Fabian guessed as he looked at the stain.
Isaac could barely move as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. Fabian backed up at the sight, but Nina remained still as she took it from his hands.
"Isaac?"
He coughed and forced his eyes to remain open for another second as he said, "they found me."
And then he faded into unconsciousness.