Young Offenders, Part 2:
"Mademoiselle Francoise?"
She got to her feet and swirled around; she met Ivan's heterochromatic eyes. Francoise gripped his shoulders, he was solid once again. She was still on the beach. She'd been amazed at Ivan's inner world. This world stayed in a constant twilight. Time didn't move forward toward day or night. She had started getting an uncanny feeling after a long period of time. She was grateful Ivan was back until she saw his troubled, furrowed brow.
"What is it? Why do you look so troubled? What's happened?" she asked.
"They've taken someone else besides you and Jet. This time it was man from East Germany, but he was severely injured in an auto accident. They're stabilizing him now, however, he wants to die. If he wakes up, altered like they plan, he will..." Ivan's took a deep breath and adopted his habitually, grim expression. "... commit suicide. You see, he's been through an atrocity exhibition. His wife was murdered before his eyes as they were trying to escape to West Germany through the Berlin Wall. He's in tremendous psychological pain as well as excruciating physical pain. It's a strain for me just to absorb and release his sensations."
"You're taking all of his pain into yourself?"
"Everyone's," Ivan whispered. "However, I don't process emotions like you or the other two. It causes me some discomfort, but I'm doing what I can." He pulled away from Francoise's grip. She jogged up to Ivan as he retreated down the beach. She fell into step with him and looked down at his face. His brow was furrowed, and he had deep, dark circles under his eyes. He explained, "You see, I was in an infant's body for a long time. Many, many years. They only granted me a teenager's body so I could be of more use, now, but I still get tired over long periods of time when I use my abilities too much."
"Oh, Ivan, you're protecting us more than you're letting us know?"
"Don't worry about it. I will handle it." Ivan's pale face suddenly flushed more; he wouldn't quite look her in the eye any more. "You're like me now."
Dread filled her. The implication hit her hard. "You mean I'm changed? Like you said?"
"Yes. You're cybernized. Pretty soon they'll wake you up. They've enhanced your senses a great deal. Be prepared to be overwhelmed when you do wake up."
"Why aren't they being stopped by police? Someone! Anyone?"
"The Merchants of Death have enough money to bribe police or anyone else they need."
A wave of dizziness lapped at Francoise. She rubbed her temples and shook her head. Ivan gripped her arm and said, "They're trying to wake you up. Go with them for now. We'll cooperate until the time comes. Right now, Albert, 004 as they call him, is still in shock, and I'm still on heavy medication to keep me under control. We have to wait until the right time to escape."
"No! I don't want to see them!"
"Listen, I'm working on persuading one of the doctors to cut my medication down. Please, Mademoiselle Francoise! You have no choice except to trust me. Please... please... I swear we'll leave this place as soon as I know how. I promise you'll see your brother, but you have to trust me. You're brave and sensitive. We'll need you."
She nodded and let a thick cloud of dizziness take over. Blackness, numbness, and coolness.
"Eat, girl!"
Francoise glared at the old man, Ivan's father, Doctor Gamo, who stood over her. She looked at the dinner tray beside the stiff hospital bed. It was soupy oatmeal and orange juice.
"Where is Ivan?" she asked, not looking directly at Doctor Gamo.
"He's asleep, not that it's any of your business. I should have never let him bring you food," he snapped. "You better find a way to choke that down. We have a test coming up after 004 recovers to a certain level."
She looked over to her left, where the German man was in a deep sleep. He was still wrapped in bandages and still had a callow complexion. What horrified Francoise was that the man no longer had a normal right arm or his normal legs. They were all metallic. She had watched when they changed his bandages and it was revolting at the seams where metal met flesh. It oozed horribly and the man kept murmuring the name "Hilde" over and over. She figured that must have been his wife's name. There was a plain, gold band on his left ring finger.
"What test, you sick bastard?" Francoise flinched at Jet's, or 002 as they called him, sharp voice. She could barely understand his English words, she knew so little of it. Ivan had warned both her and Jet to not let them know they could communicate somewhat. The Black Ghost wanted their subjects to be isolated from each other, but didn't trust them alone in separate cells. "You've had us here for three, damn days!"
"Oh... and where do you think you'll go? Back to New York?" Doctor Gamo declared in English accented with thick Russian, strolling over towards Jet's hospital bed across the room. Francoise watched the man lean over Jet's scowling face. "Be grateful for what we did for you, you brat! Now keep your mouth shut. You don't need to keep your tongue for our purposes. If you don't learn your place, we'll make you mute!"
With that threat, the man turned and stormed out of the room with a flourish. Francoise met Jet's smoldering, brandy eyes. He turned his face away with an abashed expression. Francoise felt embarrassed for him. Once Jean-Paul had tried to explain the male ego to her, but she laughed when he got flustered and declared, "Men have a lot of pride."
/Francoise, Jet?/ Ivan's telepathy pressed into Francoise's mind.
/Ivan, your father was just here./ She formed the words clearly in her head.
/You mean Dr. Gamo? He's not Father to me any longer. I'm still asleep from draining Herr Heinrich's depression. He'll be awake soon. It's then that we can make plans to leave. They haven't been able to move forward until we prove a success with their testing. The Merchants of Death want results before they fund more research./
Francoise picked up her orange juice and glanced at Jet. He was now lounging back on his stiff bed and gazing at the ceiling. Francoise wished the three of them could have a direct conversation for once. She knew nothing of the lanky, redheaded American, and Ivan refused to tell her anything about him other than he was a year younger than her. That would make him eighteen. Ivan had also told her Albert Heinrich was thirty, but he looked older than that to her because of his hair.
/The oatmeal is drugged. Eat only part and hide the rest. In three days they'll take all of you out to the woods, a testing ground. It's then I think we have a chance. I've been communicating with Albert. He's agreed to come with us. He's stronger than I first thought. All of you are. Both of you need to rest, and Francoise, do not let them know you know the slightest bit of English./
/Of course, but... how are we to escape. What about your mother?/ she thought, worried about helping Ivan's mother, as well.
Several long minutes passed. A chill ran through her body; she looked to see Jet shivered, too. Jet turned wide eyes towards her. She clearly thought, /Ivan? What's wrong?/
/Mother is no longer our concern. We'll leave now./
/Ivan, tell me what happened? Did they kill her?/ she asked terrified for the Russian boy.
/No./ He thought and his expression turned sour. /She betrayed me. Gilmore told me she left me with Father so she could continue her spying on America. She'll be here within a week. We need to leave before then because she's a very powerful psychic. I'd rather not confront her. I don't know that I could win against her as I am now. My drugs are cut down enough to flee, but not enough to fight. On the positive side, Doctor Gilmore is ready to help us escape. He's cut my sedatives down so I can start to use some more of my psychic abilities. I'm more and more useful by the day./
Francoise felt her stomach sink with anxiety. /We're family now, Ivan. When we leave here, Jean-Paul and I will take care of you. Count on it./
/Get some rest./ His thought was firm with a bitter note. She had the sense he was avoiding something. /We'll talk tomorrow./
Francoise laid back in bed as a scrawny nurse came in. She drew a drape between Francoise and the two male cyborgs. The lights dimmed, and the nurse left. Francoise tried to work on relaxing.
Francoise looked down at the green uniforms with yellow and red trim she now wore. She tried to keep her shoulder-length, golden hair from flying in her eyes. She looked across the bed of the jeep where Jet and Albert sat in silence. Albert's head hung low, his elbows on his knees. Jet's fists were in his lap; his eyes were locked on Francoise. She shivered when the jeep stopped at the edge of a forest.
Jet grabbed Albert's shoulders before he toppled forward onto Francoise's lap. Black Ghost guards swarmed around the back of the jeep and dragged them out. Francoise didn't fight; she took in the dusk, forest surroundings and concentrated.
It was just as Ivan had said. She could actually hear waves crashing against the rocks two miles from where she stood. It sounded as if it were happening by her ankles. The exotic, pungent flowering planets overwhelmed her sensitive nose. She sneezed twice and let herself be dragged to a clearing.
Francoise stood on the grassy ground beside Jet and Albert. She was unnerved. These two men were strangers to her. She hadn't spoken a word to them yet. All she had was Ivan's word that these two men were trustworthy, but she admitted she didn't trust Ivan implicitly. They'd had so many telepathic conversations over the last two weeks. Still, who was to vouch for Ivan?
She and Ivan had confided so much to each other, yet, she felt Ivan was still holding some things back. It was as if he were older, wiser, and in control. It had had finally sunk into Francoise he wasn't the fourteen as he appeared to be.
/Get ready, Francoise! Now! Do it!/
Francoise fell to the forest floor in a false faint at Ivan's telepathic command. She kept low while Jet swiftly leaped at two of the guards. He was so swift she barley could keep track of his actions. Her head jerked around at the rapid explosions. It came from Albert's metallic, right hand that was converted into some sort of gun-like weapon. The German man appeared more coherent now. No doubt he'd been faking his condition.
Albert quickly grabbed Francoise's elbow and jerked her upwards. He pulled her behind him; Jet ran behind them. He was now aiming a small, electric gun at anyone coming up behind her and Albert. Seven guards lay on the forest floor within minutes.
"Where do we go?" Albert asked in French.
"Two miles, northeast," she answered.
"Run for it and keep up with us!" Albert shouted in English, towards Jet. He grabbed Jet's elbow when the redhead hesitated for a moment.
"You can speak American!" Jet said with stunned, wide eyes.
Albert's face squished up unpleasantly. "Um... English, you dolt!"
"Yeah, give me a lesson later, Poindexter! Let's get the hell out of here!" he snapped back. Both glared hotly at each other. More gun fire their way interrupted the impromptu pissing match. The three of them launched head-long into the lush, green forest now bathed in inky darkness.
Francoise couldn't believe how energized she felt. No sweat, no cramps, no slowing even after the vigorous run to the rocky shore. It hit her that her body, even with how in shape she was normally as a dancer, was even more so now.
"Duck!" Jet shouted. He shoved Albert and Francoise to the ground and launched himself into the air. It was the first time Francoise could see the changes made to the American. He flew into the night with bright light trailing his feet. He drew the guards' fire as Albert cursed in foul German.
Francoise turned and coved her ears as Albert leveled his arm and destroyed the three robotic guards with a rain of bullets from his modified, right hand. Albert turned towards Francoise and was about to take her elbow; he was coming closer to her when she heard twigs snap.
"Watch out!" Francoise screamed.
Albert swiveled and dropped five more robotic guards sneaking up on them. Seconds later, Francoise heard another group approaching. Her eyes went down to her right hip; an electric gun was there. She allowed instinct to take over. She drew it and held up with trembling hands just as two human guards appeared from the darkness.
One started to draw, but Francoise felt her finger squeeze the trigger. She wasn't even conscious of the act until after. The bright electric flash hit the approaching guards and laid them low. She felt the gun waver, but Jean-Paul's voice came to her and said, 'Hold it firm, or I'll never see you again! Fight for freedom.'
She pressed her lips tightly together and concentrated on her senses. They were so extended it still caused her trouble sorting out all the information flooding her awareness. There was a flash of heat and light, Jet appeared beside her.
"Is she alright?"
"Yes, she's fine," Albert answered, prying the gun from her grip. "Francoise? That's your name?" She nodded. Albert went over and checked the human guards. "They're stunned, they'll wake up soon."
All she could do was nod again. She felt his left, fleshy arm around her shoulders as he guided her towards the rocky shore. Albert assured her in French. "We're almost free, Mademoiselle. We'll get you home."
"Yeah, don't know what sauerkraut said, but don't worry. The the ankle bitter said he'd meet us and get us out of here. Where is he? Damn it!" Jet howled in English.
"Ivan will be here," Albert snapped in English. Then he said in French to Francoise, "What a stupid donkey! Typical American moron!" Francoise looked up to see Jet give Albert a baffled look that grew hostile.
"What did you say?!" Jet snarled with balled up fists. "You better not have said anything about me!"
"I said you're a stupid...!" Albert start in English.
A flash of blue light two feet from Francoise's left side hit. The night on the beach filled with light and died instantly. Ivan appeared, along with Doctor Isaac Gilmore. Francoise had a momentary flair of panic seeing Gilmore's white lab coat. She quelled it quickly, remembering his pitying glances when the rest of the scientists weren't around. She was grateful that Ivan's appearance, no matter how strange, interrupted the silly argument. Francoise rushed forward in time to stop Ivan from collapsing on the jagged rocks.
He wore the same green, yellow, and red uniform she did. She pressed the end of her long, red scarf to Ivan's bloody nose. He hesitated before gingerly pulling away from her and getting to his feet.
"Let's get to the dock before more come!" Ivan ordered. Francoise pulled herself together and raced after her male compatriots while listening for enemies.
They followed Ivan up on a dock, he raced headlong towards a small batch of slack guards on the sub's deck. Ivan raised his hand. A flash of blue snaked out from his palm, and the guards all crumpled.
"They're asleep," Ivan assured Francoise. He looked up at her with a stoic expression. "None of us really want to kill, even if they are Black Ghost agents. Let's get out of here."
"We'll talk about everything later! Come on!" Jet shouted. Ivan jerked his head to the submarine.
"It's empty. Dr Gilmore knows a place to hide. Jet, you have the latent knowledge to guide this sub out of here," Ivan said.
"Me? You've go to be kidding me! I can't do this shit? I didn't pass the tenth grade! Aw... what... Fine!" he snarled before reinforcements came for them.
"They've implanted it into your mind and kept it buried for later. I've already unlocked that knowledge. Just relax and it'll come." Ivan coaxed.
Ivan put his hand on Francoise's shoulder to comfort her. She nodded at him with a reassuring smile. She followed the three men and one teenager into the submarine right before more guards appeared on the beach. Jet and Albert took the helm quickly and were able to get the submarine active.
Before she knew it, they were off into open ocean from the place she had heard refereed to only as Ghost Island. Jet, sure enough, seemed to flip on the switches and throw what toggles he needed to to get the sub moving. Francoise was amazed, but what Jet didn't know was how to avoid the mine field around Ghost Island. Jet depended on her enhanced senses to guide them through the mines around the island. Once away from the danger, he put the submarine on maximum speed in an auto-pilot mode.
Francoise slumped down on the metallic floor beside Ivan. Ivan drifted towards her and slumped against her shoulder. She put her arm around the teenager's shoulders as she watched Albert and Jet each slouch deeper into chairs in front of the submarine's controls. She was grateful Gilmore hovered around, giving them all crummy coffee and blankets. The rest of the escape blurred into a haze for her.
To be continued.