Triplets Forever
Justin's Story (2 Days Ago)
"You just don't get it do you son?"
Justin looked away from those menacing eyes and focused at the patterns on the floor.
It had been six months since he disappeared from the world. Dressed in black, Justin had been prepared for a mission he had yet to embark on. But, things were different this time. For the first time in his life, he chose to follow a different set of orders, his own. Confident, yet afraid, he proclaims his independence.
"It's over Miles, the dream comes to an end."
SWAT circled the entire building; helicopters flew across red skies over the facility. With pitch-black silhouettes of hovering metal nearing the ground, the propellers swept gusts of wind across the lawns.
Miles laughed quietly, unaffected by what had transpired. He stared out the large window of his office; his attention divided between the heavily equipped authorities outside and behind him, a rebellious child. News vans began to pour in by groups, guns were drawn, and children wrapped in blankets were being escorted out of the dark recesses of their corridors into buses. It was absolute pandemonium. Somebody had exposed the secret.
"Did you actually think it would be that easy, a simple phone call and this all goes away?"
Justin stood tall but his fingers were fidgeting.
"I'm not sure what to think anymore… But one thing I know for sure, is that everyone will know what you really are."
"And what would that be?"
"A monster!"
The man laughed at the boy.
"You really, truly don't get it…"
Miles turned around and placed his hands on his desk, the boy stood back.
"You don't even realize what you have done do you?" he finished.
A puzzled expression grew onto Justin. Miles continued to stare him down but Justin wasn't going to be psyched out.
"I ended a nightmare, that's what I did."
Miles pulled out his chair and sat down.
"You may think you're a hero, but you're not."
The boy quickly fired back, "That's what you want me to think."
Justin watched Miles every move, second-guessing deep inside weather he really did the right thing or not. What were the consequences going to be, was Miles going to hit him? The boy had turned on his master and really wasn't prepared for what he had done. Justin had always been a product of a dominating ruler since he could remember. He was afraid because this man, this tyrant was always so unpredictable, like right now, Justin had prepared to fight a ruthless battle to the death for a chance at life but instead, this man was so calm it was unsettling. Miles pulled a cigar out of his desk drawer and lit it up. He blew a puff of smoke into the air and leaned back in his chair.
"No. It's not what I think, that's what HISTORY thinks. People like you; these heroes that think they're changing the world for the better are actually making things worse. You think these children needed a HERO? They needed control, just like you. The whole world needs control. It begins with a need. Things don't go the way people planned, so they cry out for direction, somebody who can set things straight, a HERO. Then that hero goes off to war for the little people to make things right. But you see, every society, every nation has its own hero they use to fix the problem, and as long as he does what the people ask the hero becomes the problem. All the heroes in all the world come together to wipe each other out for the sake of peace, but instead there's only chaos."
Miles rotated his office chair towards the window and blew another puff of smoke into the air. Justin at first was puzzled, but quickly became angry.
"So what are you saying, I'm more sadistic than you?"
Suddenly, an explosion erupted. The ground inside the office rumbled and a picture frame fell off the wall. Suddenly there was screaming. Justin raced to the outside window and looked down. One of the buses had tipped over. The emergency door had been kicked out and children began rushing full speed out of the bus to attack all the people around them. Soon, the others kids began to follow suit. The doors to all the vehicles were smashed open and they all began running in each and every direction. Justin turned towards Miles who sat in his chair completely unsurprised by what happened.
"This has nothing to do with being sadistic. You tried to be a hero and look at what you've caused. You thought by freeing the children you would create peace in their lives and more importantly yours. I guess, to you that's pretty heroic. In reality, all you did was interfere with a set of plans. You've inspired chaos, just like a hero."
Justin stared down below, looking as horrified as he was when these children were on the battlefield. He looked behind him to see a smile painted across Miles face.
"What's happening, what are they doing?" Justin asked.
"They are doing exactly what they were taught to do."
The boy was stunned. Miles got up from his chair and walked towards the window again. Justin scurried to a corner like an animal that had been left in a cage for too long.
"What are you talking about, I never went through this kind of training."
Miles looked out the window.
"That's because you were meant for bigger and better things. Those children down there are the pawns, and you are the leader."
"I don't understand."
The sun was beginning to set, and the fires that were ablaze lit up the grounds.
"There's always a solution to the problem soldier, and in this case, it's a war to end all wars. And no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to stop it from happening. The time of HEROES has come to an end. Today that war has begun. It's out of both your control and my control."
"What did you do to them?"
" You see soldier, the world is ill. Struck with the symptoms of irresponsibility and poor leadership. This is the cure. Like any medicine, the effects are not immediate but eventually it will begin to work. The children will destroy all forms of authority and then spread out beyond state borders, beyond the continent. They will spread across the entire world with one objective, one mission, bound not to the people, but to logic and understanding. As they grow into, business men, politicians, governors, presidents, mighty figures of society, they will remember my teachings as a way of life and establish the kind of direction in which everyone on the planet will follow whether they want to or not. They will do what no man has ever been able to accomplish. They will establish real control."
"From all of the things you taught?"
"Yes, exactly… I told you the future of war, and now I'm telling you that war was never fought for the sake of peace, but for the sake of order. The teachings they will spread are far greater than the concepts of 'war or 'peace', it's all about control now. It requires monumental sacrifice, pain and suffering from everyone because like all historically changing moments in life, things get worse before they get better. But one thing you must realize, the only way to establish control, along with the luxuries of peace and security in this world is if everyone on earth fears the same thing."
"And what's that?"
"Rules that will NEVER be changed."
"You're crazy if you think that will happen."
"Oh, but it already has begun, the seed of the idea has been planted."
Justin stared back out the window. The SWAT teams lay on the ground motionless, their weapons gone. The helicopter blades were spinning but the controls were unmanned, their vehicles on fire, and news reporters nowhere to be found. The children down below assembled in military order awaiting commandments from a superior officer that had yet to show. Justin was without words. Miles stood behind his pupil and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Is it really that hard to believe, control? How much freedom should those people out there be allowed to have? You have the chance to do something truly great, beyond heroism. That's why I picked you those many years ago; you are alive so that you can lead this army into glory. You are here to save the world from itself."
"No… this is all wrong. This can't be happening."
For the longest time Justin always wondered what kind of meaning he had in this life. All he ever wanted to do was exist. It was the reason he followed his brothers to the Tipton Hotel. It was the reason he wanted to reconcile the past with his parents. Maybe this is what the voices in his head were telling him for so many times. Was this really his destiny?
"Remember soldier, forget the past and the future. This is the glorious future I promised you. Ease your suffering and let your destiny take over."
Justin quickly moved away from Miles. For a moment he allowed his mind to be brainwashed. Miles was right he was suffering.
"I'm not doing this anymore." He said.
Miles looked at Justin and started to laugh.
"You act as if you have a choice."
Almost immediately, Justin heard his mother's kind voice inside his head telling him the most important words he ever heard. You are not a failure Justin."
He looked Miles in the eye and balled his fists.
"There's always a choice. All my life I thought there was no say as to what goes on in my life but now I know that you're just a liar!"
Miles stopped laughing and turned his head and looked out the window again.
"You know, for someone that's as bright as you are, you're sure in the dark about a lot of things. Are you aware of what happens when the fire strays too far from the candle?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means just how it sounds. A fire starts out as a tiny flame at birth and once it grabs hold of something, the flame ignites much greater than anyone could have ever imagined. But, if the fire strays too far away from the source of its strength it becomes weak, useless and pitiful. What may have began with godlike power turns into a distant memory. You're right soldier, there is always a choice. You stand at a crossroad where you can be something truly great, or a distant memory of something that became nothing. Think of everything you have gone through to get to where you are now. You are so close to achieving something incredible."
Justin paused for a moment. He began to remember that one day he spent with his brothers in the park. He remembered how each and every human roaming about on the streets and on the bus had a different story to tell, there were hundreds of kids running around without a care in the world. There wasn't an overshadowing monster in their lives plaguing them with orders that lead to their doom. Instead, they were free. Their futures were unplanned, life belonged to them and there was nothing that was going to stand in their way. For once, Justin wanted to feel that way.
"Anything is better than this."
Miles was getting angry.
"After all of these years I spent training a disciple, the worst of my dreams are becoming real. And so the story begins. A soldier, who develops a mind of his own and for the first time ever, tells his master no."
Justin smiled, "I'm not one of your puppets anymore. From this day on I'm free."
The boy headed for the door. Before he exited, Miles spoke.
"I didn't tell you how the story ends."
Justin turned around, "And I don't want you to."
"Just remember young lad that no matter where you go, every time you think there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, you'll realize that you only discovered an alleyway darker than the others. You can't leave the past; you can only run from it. You will run forever and you'll never find peace. Like a dog with rabies, it won't matter how much love you have to share, your hands will always be fangs. All those you embrace with love will be bitten by the mark of death. They will all die."
Justin turned away and slowly walked out the door. Miles was alone in his office with a cigar in hand and down below, a group of children without a leader. He then mumbled to himself.
"…and once the disease has run it's course, then you will die too."
Taxi Cab (Present Day)
"… that was the last thing he said before I left."
Justin fidgeted in the back of the cab. It had been almost an hour since they hid in the underground parking lot. Kurt's jaw had been gaped open with surprise. Justin continually looked at the back of the driver seat, avoiding eye contact.
"And that's the whole story, I guess. Maybe, this is who I am. I was taught to hurt people and I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a normal life."
Carey didn't want to look too concerned so she tried to play it down to make Justin feel better.
"Well, regardless of what happened I'm glad you're back sweetie."
Zack was keenly interested in the details. He's never heard a story so action packed in his life. If this weren't so freaky, it would actually be cool. Cody never had stories like these. Hell, nobody had stories like these.
"So, what happened to the other kids?" he blurted.
" I don't know…" Justin somberly replied.
"Oh come on you cant leave it like that! This story freakin rocks! Exploding vehicles, an evil arch enemy hell bent on taking over the world, a protégé following closely in his footsteps…"
Cody shouted, "Zack, you're so stupid some times! This isn't some comic book this is real!" Although Cody tried to sound serious, it didn't come out that way. After all, he secretly thought it was pretty cool too.
"I want there to be a happy ending, really I do. But right now, I'm putting all of you in danger. As long as Miles is alive he will never stop looking for me. He thinks I'm special or something. He keeps saying there's something that I have that the other kids don't, and he's not going to care who he hurts in order to get to me."
Kurt was afraid that this might all be his fault. Everything that he remembered about those experiments began to play in his mind. He wondered if Justin had any idea. Before he could say anything Justin spoke.
"I guess what I'm saying is… I'm going to have to run."
Justin looked up at his father.
"It won't be just for a little while…I'm going to have to run for the rest of my life. I can't stay here."
Kurt took a deep breath and pulled back his hair and stared at the ceiling. He looked back at Justin and grudgingly asked,
"Are you saying that were not going to ever see you again?"
Silence filled the inside of the taxi.
"It's really going to be up to you." Justin replied.
Kurt looked around; all eyes were on him.
"I'm going to ask you that question. Before there can be an ending to the nightmare, you have to know the whole story. I told you the story. Because of what I might do, I'm going away. I don't know where, and I don't know if I can ever come back. All my life I've had to be by myself, alone with my thoughts. I think of nothing but violence and death when I'm alone, and it scares me. But when I'm with you… all of you, I stop having those thoughts. What I'm asking is… to not be alone."
Kurt was a little puzzled as to what Justin was asking. But what he heard next was both frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Not only would it change everybody's lives in the car, it would create a newfound sense of purpose in his existence. It was a second chance.
"Will you run with me?"
There was a pause. Kurt looked at the others knowing that they already knew what Justin was going to ask. The only thing they were waiting for now was for his own response. Immediately an image flashed back in Kurt's mind when he was chasing after that limo that one night, hoping for a second chance. Then Kurt looked at Justin again. Instead of giving an answer, all he did was get out of the back seat of the car and take the drivers seat. The twins looked at their father wondering what he was about to do. Carey looked him straight in the eye.
"Kurt." She said silently.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
He looked into Carey's eyes. Inside them he saw his entire past. Those eyes told the story of his life. He saw the disappointments, the arguments, the tears, as well as the joy the happiness, and the love she once had for him. Kurt knew that the decisions he made throughout their time together weren't always wise, and weren't always right. But he knew today that Carey had already made her decision. She was going to do this with or without him. He wasn't sure if it was wise or right either, but what he did know was that even if they were going to uproot their lives by making sacrifice after sacrifice, changing schools, jobs, names, homes, states, maybe even countries, he would happily become the fool for her and the loving father all three of his kids deserved.
The keys in the ignition were turned and the vehicle started up. Kurt placed his hand behind the passenger seat and started the car in reverse.
" For the first time in my life, I do know what I'm doing. I'm doing what I should have done fourteen years ago."
Carey was taken back by what she had just heard.
"C'mon Carey, you and I both know this is the right thing to do."
"Kurt, do you even know the gravity of what sacrifices you are about to make?"
He turned the question right back around.
"What about you, have you thought it through?"
The engine was roaring as the car sped in reverse towards the exit. Carey shouted over the noise.
"Yes, I thought about what would happen to the kids. I know we can never go back to the Tipton hotel, the school, Boston, everything. I know that we are going to be on the run for as long as it takes and that maybe we will never be able to make friends again but…"
The car spun a 180-degree turn. The engine subsided into a low growl. Both Carey and Kurt looked at each other closely. They were inches away from each other. Carey became very soft spoken as a tear ran down her face.
" Making the decision to run was never in the equation, it was how I was going to go about doing it."
Kurt smiled, "Then you already know that I'm willing to go any and everywhere if it's with you."
Carey looked at her ex husband with a new light and realized that something that she thought was gone forever was right in front of her. The man of her dreams was staring deep into her eyes and for the first time in a long time, they felt the same way about each other. Carey launched forward in her seat and locked lips with Kurt for a long passionate kiss. This was their magic moment in which everything in the world was right again. They were both complete again.
They looked back at the boys and saw glowing faces. This would be the first time that the entire family would be together. They would be on the run maybe for the rest of their lives but they would be doing it together. Justin had his answer.
The family was finally complete and there was nobody out there that was going to take this moment away from them.
Cody was ecstatic and amazed that his dream was finally realized, Zack was in total disbelief that this was actually happening.
The taxi zoomed out of the parking structure and headed to the nearest freeway. This was the moment where history was about to write itself and there was no changing it once it happened. They drove and drove far away, across the state and into the night. The stars glistened through the night sky as the car drove onward to a destination yet to be determined. As the night progressed and the ambient sound of the vehicle motor buzzed in his ears, Justin fell asleep without a care in the world, much like that time he spent the day with his two brothers. Except, this time it was going to be forever.
It was daylight when Justin opened his eyes. The car was empty. He wasn't sure what it was about this day but something didn't feel right. They had stopped at a gas station to refuel. He got out of the car and closed the door behind him. Kurt looked up from the gas pump.
"Oh, you're awake." He smiled.
"Where is everybody?" Justin asked.
"Oh, they're just getting ready for the big trip."
"Have you thought about where we are going?"
"I was hoping sometime today while were driving we could all decide."
"That sounds like a plan," Justin smiled.
" Not really. But I'm starting to like not having a plan, it makes life so much more interesting."
Zack and Cody were coming out of the little store with bags full of chips and salsa, maps, and soda. For some reason, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. There was a dust storm brewing and it created giant clouds. Carey was coming out of the restroom; Justin watched the sky fill with dust. By the time the wind settled down, he could see something far in the distance. What started as a tiny black dot soon became a speeding vehicle. Justin's eyes widened.
"GET IN THE CAR!!!" He shouts.
He knew without a doubt that he had been located. The taxi zooms off at full speed, but the tiny black dot seemed to be getting closer. Justin looked at everyone in the car. Time began to slow down again. Sound no longer existed. The only things that Justin could see were his family's eyes, wide with fear. He immediately began to question what he had done. He turned around to see that the hummer was close enough to them now he could get a visual of the driver. It was Miles. In his hand was a giant firearm that looked like some sort of missile. Suddenly Justin had a revelation as to what Miles was talking about before he walked away.
"You can't leave the past; you can only run from it. You will run forever and you'll never find peace. Like a dog with rabies, it won't matter how much love you have to share, your hands will always be fangs. All those you embrace with love will be bitten by the mark of death. They will all die…"
Justin knew it was useless for the car to try to get away. The Missile was fired. Although the weapon shot out at lightning speed, Justin watched it as if it were a dream. He felt the car rumble, and lift off into the air. Several somersaults the car made before landing on its side and eventually off a slope where he watched the windows crackle upon every spin. The car finally stopped spinning and for a moment there was dead silence. Justin opened up his eyes and to his horror, saw that not one person in the car was moving. As he began to lose consciousness, he remembered one last thing.
"And once the disease runs its course… then you will die too…"
His whole world went dark.
I know it took FOREVER to update... But Part 2 gets better!