SCHISM
GREENLAND BUILDING
LOS ANGELES, CA
The auditorium of the Greenland Building was far more heavily occupied than the last time Brendan had been there. Then there had been seven people. Now, there were almost sixty, members of Greenland's organization, all. And every last one of them had abilities.
Brendan looked out, into the darkened, cavernous chamber, and he saw few people he could easily recognize, Erin, Jordan, a few others. There was, however, a conspicuous absence.
Julian Neave had yet to return from Las Vegas, and his mobile phone had gone unanswered.
Brendan decided to ignore Julian's absence for a moment, decided to concentrate on what was coming in the here and now.
Standing behind one of two podiums on the stage at the front of the auditorium, he was bathed in light, as was his soon-to-be opponent, Amy Lamotte. The conference had been designed so that he and Amy were at the judgment of the agents of the organization one of them would end up leading.
It had been decided that Greenland's successor would be decided by a popular vote, as her chosen successors, Jake Nicholson and her son, were unavailable. Jake, of course, was dead; Lachlan Collins had decided against pushing for leadership of the organization the day after the rooftop showdown.
He and Amy would both express their goals for the organization, their vision for where it could go.
And then the vote would be called.
One of them would emerge the leader of an organization of people with superpowers, an organization with no regard for international borders, or for the inconsequential laws of those governments. An organization with a United States Senator with a real shot at the Presidency in its pocket.
They would wield untold power, massive amounts of money, all with the title of Director of Special Genetic Research, Greenland Corporation.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Brendan said, speaking into the microphone mounted on his podium, clearing his throat. The chatter in the gathered crowd died down. "You all know why we're here, but given the seriousness of the situation, I feel it's necessary to reiterate what's happening here."
Silence reigned supreme in the auditorium.
"Today, you'll be deciding on a new leader, and a direction, for this organization." Brendan intoned, looking into the crowd.
His eyes met Erin's, then Elena's, then Jordan Turley's.
"Amy and I have been unable to agree which one of us could lead better. And, in the interest of fairness, I would like to take this opportunity to open the floor to any other challenges to the leadership."
Silence.
A single hand rose, however.
All eyes fell on that person, and Brendan was surprised to see Erin Eedy, the newest member of the organization, was the one who seemed to be challenging he and Erin.
"Yes?" Brendan asked.
"You're laying a challenge?" Amy asked, her tone neutral, but Brendan thought he detected an undercurrent of incredulity.
"No," Erin said, and Brendan released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I was just wondering… what happens with people who are absent? Do they get a say?"
"You mean Julian Neave?" Brendan asked, and there was a momentary burst of quiet discussion from the audience, as if they'd just noticed Julian's absence.
Erin nodded.
Brendan bit his bottom lip, considering.
Amy spoke first. "I think it's fair to say 'too bad'. He knew that this was happening. He knew the decision was being made today."
There was nodding, murmurs of assent, and, Brendan noticed with some satisfaction, some shaking heads. Not everyone agreed with Amy's assessment of the situation. He said, "Any more questions?"
When there was no response, he said "Okay then, we'll get started. Amy and I will make our initial points, then we'll take any questions you have. Amy?"
"Thanks," she said, and cleared her throat, "Good morning, everyone. All of us here have abilities. Not all of us, however, come from the United States of America. Kristen McQualter, down the front, is Australian. Elena Moskovski is from Bulgaria. My point is simply this; we can no longer display a simple American arrogance when it comes to international borders and governments. I say this, even though I am American by birth, as a true citizen of the world. Our abilities enable us to transcend international boundaries, both political and geographic, but this should not make us blind to them. I say this, as an American citizen, who has seen the extent of American imperialism. We cannot allow ourselves to become like this nation's current administration. We can't run roughshod over laws and treaties and borders. We have to embrace foreign governments, in order to keep our mission of locating, assisting and protecting people like us, as strong as possible.
"I have evidence, from my recent sojourn to Europe of a French-led effort within the European Union to locate and exploit people with abilities. I met a Greek woman in Athens with the ability of super hearing, and she told me of plans within the EU to create a force of Carriers of the Gene, including one young woman from Amsterdam who is already a part of French Special Forces. By working with EU, we can locate these people, and help them to discover and put their abilities to a constructive purpose within the world. But by following the Greenland model of sneaking around, of forced abductions, as I'm sure Brendan wishes to emulate, we risk antagonizing the nations of Europe. That's something we can't afford, if we one day hope to take our abilities public."
She had uttered the magic 'p' word.
There was stunned silence, punctuated by applause.
Whether or not to go public with abilities had been a major sticking point within the organization since its inception in 1969.
Amy nodded to Brendan. She was done.
"Though Amy's plan has its merits," he began, glancing down at the notes on his podium, "I believe we need to stick with what works. We need to consolidate operations in Los Angeles, and aggressively expand our overseas operations. We can no longer take small, doddering steps. Right now, today, we have seen the threats facing the organisation. We have seen Cathy Chambers, and disloyalty. We can't take this lying down anymore!"
There was applause, and Brendan smiled, casting a sidelong glance at Amy.
The debate raged for another hour, before questions. In the end, despite putting up a valiant effort, that Amy had been beaten. When the vote was taken, it was a landslide, if a small one. Brendan thanked the agents, for the first time as their leader.
Amy also thanked them, and immediately turned to Brendan. "I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I'm leaving."
Her voice, amplified by the microphone on her podium, echoed through the auditorium, leaving the audience silent.
"Uh," Brendan hesitated, mind racing. "Why?"
"I completely disagree with everything you have said here, today, mainly because its the opposite of what I said." She answered, shrugging. "So I respectfully ask that you allow me to stand down."
Brendan glanced into the crowd, all of who were staring open-mouthed at the two of them. His eyes met Erin's, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Brendan said. "I need your experience." What he didn't add was that he also didn't want to risk alienating her supporters. "We need your experience."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm leaving." Amy cleared her throat, and stepped away from the podium.
She marched down the aisle, towards the door, past the agents, her supporters and detractors, looking forward. Brendan's eyes swung towards Elena Moskovski. He nodded.
Elena touched Luke Bovill on the arm, and the two stood. Elena nodded to a few people, and then all three of them stood, too. Amy was almost out of the auditorium as the five began to follow.
Brendan started to speak, watching Amy as she walked away, followed by Elena, Luke, Mitchell Schofield, Jacob Dwyer and Kristen McQualter, just trying to distract the rest of the agents. Amy pushed open the door, and slipped into the well-lit corridor, Elena only a few metres behind.
Outside, Amy knew exactly who was following her; she knew their abilities, and she knew why they were following her.
"Amy," came Elena's voice, stern, warning.
Amy glanced over her shoulder.
The five agents stood arrayed in a semi-circle in the corridor.
"Can I help you, Elena?"
"We can't let you leave, Amy." Elena said, shrugging. "Brendan's the new boss, and he's asked you stay. And he asked me to make you stay."
Amy ran her eyes over the quintet, her eyes narrowed. "I am leaving this building now. And if any of you think that I can't destroy you in the blink of an eye, think again." She held out her hand, palm pointed towards the ceiling. Azure mist gathered around her fingertips, and began to rise from her palm, enveloping her entire hand.
Amy saw Kristen shift uncomfortably.
Elena took a deep breath. "This is going to get rough."
Amy swept her hand around, and Mitchell and Jacob stumbled backwards, frost riming their clothes. Elena opened her mouth, and screamed. Really screamed. A wave of sonic energy tore through the hallway, shattering light fixtures. Amy covered her ears as the wave struck her, forcing her to fly through the air. She struck the carpet, hard, but she rolled onto her feet, flinging out her hand again.
Kristen McQualter was a little faster, though.
Throwing out her hands, Kristen generated a forcefield directly in front of Amy. The freezing energy impacted against it, and both died in midair.
Jacob Dwyer was at Amy's side in a flash, and he cocked his fist back. Amy leapt to her feet as he punched, twisting his arm around and pulling him into her chest. She lifted her free hand, and placed it against his throat. The blue energy shimmered back to life on her fingers, and the agents before her slowed, fear flashing across their faces. Amy swallowed, starting to back away, her hand still closed around Jacob's throat.
Elena and Mitchell took a few steps closer, and Amy tightened her grip.
"Take another step, and I'll freeze him." Amy said, warningly.
She could hear movement in the auditorium. A lot of movement. The rest of the agents were about to burst through the door.
She had a few seconds at most.
She shoved Jacob towards Elena. He stumbled into her, knocking her to the ground, and Amy turned to run. Brendan Wunderlich emerged from the wall about three metres before her, gun up, just as the doors burst open.
Amy focused, the cerulean glow bursting forth from her fingers. She put her hands before her, bolting towards Brendan like a runaway train. His eyes widened, and his finger curled around the trigger...
But Amy had already run straight through him.
He spun, only to see Amy round the corner at the end of the corridor.
GRACE & LACHLAN
Grace wasn't sure what woke her up.
Either way, she was up in a shot, her eyes snapping open, her pupils contracting so fast she could feel them shrink. And in that moment, she had no idea where she was, until she glanced at the man sleeping beside her.
She held the crisp white bed sheet to her chest as she stood, and crossed to where she'd tossed her t-shirt the night before. She pulled it over her head, and glanced back at Lachlan Collins, who was dozing on the bed, wearing only pyjama bottoms, leaving his broad chest and sculpted abs bare. Grace turned away, and subconsciously ran fingers through her hair, trying to flatten it.
She went to one of the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows, and looked out over Los Angeles. The smog was setting in already.
She slipped from the room, into the penthouse's expansive lounge/sitting room, where she and Lachlan had been training over the past week. They'd gotten far, and Grace was no longer being overwhelmed by her ability. She was getting stronger. Walking into the small, immaculately white kitchen, she reached into an open cabinet and pulled out a tall glass. She put it under the water faucet, and turned on the cold tap.
She took a sip, and almost jumped out of her skin when the cordless phone on the countertop rang loud enough it felt as though the sound would drill into her skull. She snatched it off the counter, setting the glass down, and answered the call.
"Lachlan Collins' residence," she answered dutifully.
"Grace?"
Grace's eyebrows knitted together. What was Brendan doing calling Lachlan? Lachlan had made it clear that he didn't want anything further to do with his mother's organisation. "Brendan. Not to be rude or anything, but what do you want?"
"I just thought Lachlan should know, and you for that matter, that Amy Lamotte has gone AWOL."
"Yeah." Grace said, icily. "So what?"
"She's one of the more powerful agents, and she's free and very, very pissed off."
"Why?" Grace shot back. "What did you do?"
Brendan sighed in exasperation. "Fine. You have a little under three months before the round the world thing. Contact me around that time. Just watch out for Amy."
"No problem. See you in three months, Brendan." She didn't bother to wait for an answer, hanging up. She set the phone down on the counter, and scooped her glass of water up, knocking back half in a single gulp.
"Hey."
She turned, smiling, glass still in hand.
Lachlan stood in the doorway, still only in his pyjama bottoms. "I was thinking, after breakfast, we could give training a miss."
Grace's eyebrows rose. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Lachlan repeated, padding across the floor tiles towards her, folding his arms around her midsection. "I was thinking we could just spend the day together. Maybe go to the Ronald Reagan museum in Simi. We can hate him together."
Grace laughed, and planted a kiss directly on his lips. "Sounds great. We have a little under three months together."
REILLY CARROLL
LILLIAN, AL
Reilly pulled the tiny, crappy rental car up out the front of a tiny diner in a tiny town in the relatively tiny state of Alabama. He smiled to himself as he read the signage above the diner, and he pulled the keys from the ignition. He opened the door, and slid out into the morning.
The diner's door opened, and a slight, pretty woman appeared, standing on the topmost step, a teasing grin crinkling the corner's of her eyes. She was wearing a waitress' uniform, with a couple of stains on the small, white apron. Her hair hung free about her shoulders, and she winked cheekily.
Reilly smiled as he walked towards her, scooping her into a bear hug as he reached her, pulling her up and around, before finally depositing her on the pavement.
She hugged him back.
"It's good to be back." He said, meaning it.
"It's good to have you back," Alex Chapman replied. And then, leading him by the hand, she pulled him into the diner.
LOS ANGELES, CA
"We're on our way to Seattle," Elena Moskovski's disembodied voice said, filtering from Brendan's phone, set to speaker. "We've traced Amy at least that far."
"Good," Brendan answered, cracking his knuckles. He sat with his feet up on Greenland's desk. "I don't want Jordan and Lachlan on the front lines on this one. You and Luke go in. Call in Lachlan and Jordan only if you need them."
"Got it." Elena responded. She, Lachlan, Jordan and Luke Bovill were somewhere between L.A. and Seattle, where Amy maintained a house. Lachlan's clairvoyance had confirmed she was on her way there. "I'll call you on the other side."
Brendan reached over to cut the connection, just as the door opened. He looked up as he tapped the button. Erin Eedy was walking towards him.
"I just saw the last of our guests off," she said, and sat across from Brendan. "You wanted to see me?"
The sun was setting through the windows behind him. "It's been a long day, huh?"
Erin nodded. "I can't believe what happened this morning."
Brendan took his feet off the desk, and leant forward. "Erin, I was wondering if you'd like to take up a position as my partner. Essentially, my number two."
Erin beamed.
SEATTLE, WA
Amy's throat was dry, her heart was pounding. Lachlan Dickson knew what she looked like, and he'd know where to find her. She should have killed him in LA, before she escaped. Her Seattle house, a split-level faux Victorian, the house she'd grown up in, was dark as she rushed through, collecting whatever she needed. Clothes, files she'd put together over the years; leads she'd never checked up on, contacts she'd never shared with Greenland.
She threw everything into a duffel bag, and was almost at the front door, almost out to freedom, when she heard a rustling at the back door, down the corridor, and through the kitchen.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She spun, dropping the duffel, the freezing energies of her ability gathering around her fingertips.
She felt more than heard Elena Moskovski's scream. The sonic shockwave swept down the hallway, shattering the picture frames on the wall, and hitting Amy square in the chest, Her feet left the ground and she was tossed through the air, slamming, hard, into the polished hardwood floorboards.
She threw out her arms, and the blue light flashed through the halls.
Elena leapt aside, and the energy hit the back door, freezing the wood solid.
Amy spun on her heels, and scooped up her duffel bag, just as a dark shape slipped in through the gap between the door and floor. Amy came to a stop, as Luke Bovill appeared before her, his musculoskeletal structure resolidifying before her very eyes.
A gun appeared in his hand, but Amy lashed out first, her fingers making contact with the gun barrel.
Luke pulled the trigger, but the superheated gases escaping the gun shattered the frozen barrel like glass.
Luke's eyes widened in shock, and Amy punched him, hard, in the chest. Suddenly, Elena was on Amy. She spun, and blocked a punch. Like all agents of the Greenland organisation, both Amy and Elena were both well versed in several martial arts.
Elena lashed out, with a twisting kick. Amy caught her foot, and Elena's boot immediately froze. Amy spun as Luke tried a punch. His fist missed Amy's nose by centimetres.
She returned fire with an elbow to the throat.
Luke began choking immediately, and he dropped to the floor.
Elena leapt in again. Amy put her out of the fight almost immediately. She looped her foot behind Elena's ankles, and slammed an elbow into the back of Elena's neck. There was a hideous popping sound as Elena's ankle joint snapped out of its socket. Elena dropped to the floor, screaming in pain.
Luke, still choking, was back on his feet, lunging for Amy.
She caught his arm, twisted him around, and planted her knee in the small of his back. The gut-wrenching crack of vertebrae snapping free rang through the hallway, and Luke screamed to the rafters, as he fell to knees. His eyes rolled into his head as he fell unconscious to the ground.
Amy stepped over Elena, writhing in pain but still lucid.
Turning to the woman, Amy spoke, ice in her voice. "Luke's alive, but that elbow to the throat will start to cause swelling in the next five to ten minutes. After that, he has about five more minutes before he suffocates. The back injury will leave him out of action for three months. You tell Brendan that if he sends anyone after me, they'll not be coming back."
Elena spat blood, and looked up at Amy, eyes smouldering with rage. "I will kill you!"
Amy grabbed the duffel, swinging it over her shoulder. "Bring it on."
With that, she was gone.
THREE MONTHS LATER
LOS ANGELES, CA
"All passengers for flight TT71 to Orange Beach, Alabama, please commence boarding."
Alex Chapman smiled sadly, and placed her hand in Reilly's as the two walked slowly towards her gate. With a duffel slung over her shoulder, and a tan from almost two months spent at the beach, Alex was more than ready to go home, even if it meant leaving Reilly.
They arrived at the gate, to see a line of people presenting their boarding passes to the flight attendants, and being shown onboard.
"I'll see you soon," Reilly said, pulling Alex into a hug. "Stay safe."
She smiled again, and they kissed, as they had a thousand times during their time together, and she got in the line.
Reilly watched as she flashed her boarding pass, as it was fed into the machine, and as she walked towards the door leading towards the plane. She turned back, and waved.
"I love you," she said, and winked, disappearing into the plane.
Reilly smiled all the way to the international terminal.
Grace expertly manoeuvred her massive suitcase to the elevator doors outside Lachlan's penthouse, and coughed into her hand, trying to keep from crying. He stood in the doorway, bare-chested and as good-looking as ever. She smiled sadly, and he stepped out, holding out his hand. He took it and pulled her into a bear hug. Her hand curved beneath his chin, and she pulled him in, pressing her lips to his in a long, passionate kiss.
It seemed like eternity before they parted, and even that wasn't long enough.
"I'll miss you," Lachlan said, looping his arms around her, holding her tight.
"I'll miss you, too." Grace answered, and planted another kiss on his cheek. "It's been a great few months."
Lachlan nodded. "You've progressed wonderfully."
"All thanks to you," she said, and hugged him. They let go, and she turned as the elevator doors slid open. She picked up her suitcase, dragging it across the floor, into the elevator. "I guess I'll see you around."
The elevator doors began to close, and Grace felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. She turned away from the doors, expecting the elevator to start descending at any second.
Something stopped them from closing, however.
She turned back, to see Lachlan holding them open.
He stepped into the elevator car, and they embraced, wrapping their arms around each other, their lips meeting once again. Electricity blazed from Lachlan, blue bolts lighting up the tiny, plush elevator car. Grace barely felt them, locked as she was in his arms, in his embrace, and in his love.
The doors finally closed.
In his office, Brendan read over the latest reports on Amy's whereabouts. She had simply disappeared, and Lachlan Dickson had been unable to locate her, even with the use of his ability. Sightings had been logged from South East Asia to right there in Los Angeles. None, however, had been confirmed.
"Brendan?" Brendan looked up, to see his number two, Erin Eedy, holding a cordless phone. "Reilly's on the line for you."
Brendan nodded, setting aside the file, and took the phone from Erin. "Hello?"
"Brendan, hey."
"Reilly, what can I do for you?"
"I'm at LAX, just ready to set off for Africa. Are you meeting Grace and myself here before we leave?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Brendan said, nodding to himself. "I'll be there in a half hour."
"I'm so glad we're doing this." Grace said, and she squeezed Reilly's hand. "How was your three months?"
Reilly couldn't help but smile. "It was good. Great. Amazing."
Grace smiled back.
The two stood in the lobby of the LAX international terminal, Brendan Wunderlich and Erin Eedy standing nearby. Their ticket to London had been paid for, and their connecting flight to Ghana had also been covered.
All that was left to do now was check their baggage and get through security.
After that, they'd be boarding the plane, and they'd be on the first steps of their round the world journey.
Reilly shook Brendan's hand, then Erin's, and the two joined the line to the check-in counters.
Amy reclined in the First Class plane seat, belted into place. The pilot was going through pre-flight checks and the stewardesses were doing the 'in the event of emergencies' talk, but she was too absorbed in the file on her knees to care. She'd been on the run across the United States for eleven weeks, and now, finally, she was convinced she'd thrown off pursuit. She was going overseas.
Of all the data she'd collected over the years, she had enough to locate any of two dozen people, around the globe, with the potential to carry a superpower.
The file on her knees was one of three she'd taken aboard the flight. The name on the front was L Rietdijk. The other files, which sat beneath the one she was reading, were embossed with the names H Burak and V Tagaroulios.
And the first file indicated that its subject was living large in Paris, France.
That was Amy's destination…
THE PRESENT DAY
Reilly Carroll yawned and stretched as he stepped into the crowded gate lounge in Mumbai's sprawling airport. Dodging the evangelical Christians, waving pamphlets in his face, and the Hare Krishnas pounding tambourines, he slumped into one of the few empty seats, saving the one beside him.
Grace slumped into it, as exhausted as he was from the double flight, first from Accra to Ethiopia, and then from Ethiopia to Mumbai.
Priscilla Cardwell, however, was as relaxed as anyone could be, and The Ghanaian, who had, as always, never left their side in their continent-hopping journey, was standing beside her, serenely still.
The fifth, and newest member of their group, squeezed her way past a heavy-set American gentleman and an Indian woman wrapped in a shawl. She was a petite Chinese woman, with a rather special gift. She could understand, and communicate in, any language.
They'd met her in Ethiopia, and she'd joined them, under orders from her boss. Brendan Wunderlich.
"So," Tracey Ho said. "When are we going to find Pariza Khale?"
"So where do we meet this friend of yours?"
"She'll be around, somewhere," Amy Lamotte answered, as she and Louisa Rietdijk stepped out in the brilliant sunshine out the front of the Athens International Airport, fresh off a flight from Tangier.
Before them stretched the parking lot of the airport, and beyond that the capital of Greece. And somewhere out there, was Amy's old friend, Victoria Tagaroulios.
It was night time, and freezing cold, when Erin Eedy and Kristen McQualter pulled up in front of the imposing office front of the building that housed the company who had leased the warehouse in Berlin, the one that had almost been their grave when a hidden bomb had been set off.
Erin had managed to fly the two of them to safety, Kristen generating a forcefield to keep them safe from the flames.
They now stood in Munich, at the foot of the five story building.
"This is it?" Kristen asked.
Erin nodded. "This is Blue Horizon, International's German office."
Once again, Elena Moskovski sat across from Brendan. He glanced at his computer screen, at the drawing of Lauren, lying dead in his arms. He glanced at Elena and said "How is security in Monterey?"
"I have four non-Carriers guarding the beach house. Luke and I are currently keeping up surveillance on Sophie."
Brendan nodded. "Good. I want you and Luke out of there, however."
"What?" Elena said, disbelieving. "I thought this was top-priority."
"It was," Brendan said. "Everything's changed, however. I want you two in Simi Valley. I have intelligence telling me that Amy is coming back, and that she's coming after me."