Awake Page 17

  “What I think is, there's no way to trust you. If you can just travel to a different world by thinking about it, you could come to my world whenever you wanted to. No dice.”

  “You could just trust me. Is it that hard, Jeff?”

  “And what's to stop the other freaks from just taking over? Suppose some of them decide to put together a little club and spread a little terror around the world?”

  “Kind of like the little club you wanted me to join?”

  “Nothing like that,” Thomas said. “You and I could have done some great things, Charles. I'm not sure why you wanted to turn your back on me like you did. Even without you we were able to accomplish some great things. With your help we could have done even more.”

  “That's a good way of justifying things, isn't it?”

  “You are a self-righteous prick!” Thomas spat. “Of course we could have done a lot to help people. You just think I have this compulsion to play God.”

  “Seems like a reasonable conclusion.”

  “I have done things to help people; I've rid the world of deadly dictators, I've returned peace to people that had been living in fear.”

  “Shipping food to the hungry? I remember you mentioning that.”

  “Sure, all of that,” Thomas said. “Whatever we can do.”

  “And the occasional murder. Have you disappeared any people? I'll bet you have. The government targets some group, and you and your boys swoop in and send them off to a great void.”

  “If we can keep the peace by...relocating those who would spread fear to others, certainly. Don't you understand, removing people like that is a good thing?”

  “I can see how you would justify it,” I said. “Sounds like you've embraced fascism. And tyranny. In my mind someone like you needs to be stopped.”

  Thomas laughed. “I have the full weight of my government backing me. They agree with what I do. I've saved my government billions of dollars and countless lives. The stability I help create in the world is felt in my world. People are working, they have money, and if they get sick they know their government will take care of them.”

  “Just as long as they don't speak out too loudly about their government. Pretty good deal, Jeff.”

  “Actually, it is,” Thomas said. “95% of the population follow the rules, they don't want to ruin the good thing they have. But even if you were somehow able to take me out, Charles, it wouldn't matter; my organization would continue on. I've trained many people to step into a leadership role in the event something happened to me. All hand-picked, good agents.”

  “Sounds like you've got it all figured out, Jeff. And I...”

  I was stopped in mid-sentence by a sudden, loud familiar sound – with an accompanying shimmering of light.

  A portal opened and Lynne stepped from it. In her hand she held a small device which, judging from the loud beeping emitting from it, was a tracking device of some kind.

  She smiled at me. “Charles! How inconvenient of you to bring Mr. Thomas here. Took me hours to track him down. Guess you forgot that he has a signal that's trackable.” She knocked her fingers against the side of her head. “It's the chip we all have. Although,” she frowned, “I can't seem to track the signal from your chip.”

  Damn! I thought. I had forgotten about that chip. Next time...

  “Charles, what I need to do is take Mr. Thomas home. And you're not going to interfere. I can't go up against you by myself.”

  “I'm not done with him,” I replied.

  She walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “You are done,” she said, and before I could react she quickly pulled her hand back and punched me in the throat. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

  “Sorry, Charles,” she said. She walked over to Thomas, put a hand on his shoulder, and the two of them vanished from the world by stepping into a portal.

  I didn't see that coming.

  It took several minutes to finally catch my breath. I finally did and stood up. Sighing, I blinked and was standing back in my living room.

  That was unexpected.

  I didn't even have a plan 'b' to fall back on. I would definitely have to be more careful the next time I was around her.

  The larger picture was becoming more clear, and it was a troubling one. Something told me that Thomas and his people were involved in a lot more than just removing both evil dictators and undesirable protesters; how easy would it be to, say, take a prisoner of war and, if that person wasn't being helpful in giving up information, to just send them somewhere with no oxygen? I could see it clearly, too: an agent, with breathing gear, opening a portal to...somewhere with no oxygen, letting the prisoner lose consciousness before returning them to the interrogation room, only to repeat the process if the person didn't talk.

  Did the government even monitor his activities? If he was operating outside of what his government has sanctioned – and I had no doubt he was – who knew what he could be doing.

  In his mind, a lot of good, but to him, good seemed to mean whatever he wanted it to.

  I was fairly certain that his government was well aware of me, and supported whatever plan Thomas had to eliminate me.

  But did they think he was trying to take me into custody, or that he really did want to kill me?

  So many questions.

  It certainly was becoming a situation where it was either him or me, meaning I would have to take him out.

  I didn't think I could kill him, but I thought it possible that I could effectively eliminate him without committing murder.

  He'd have to think his life was in danger and surround himself with people like Lynne, who would do whatever they could to prevent me from hurting Thomas.

  I was pretty sure it wouldn't be too problematic to get Thomas away from whatever bodyguards he might have.

  I'd also have to do something about his tracking signal.

  There really didn't seem to be any limits as to what I could do, but could I face off against a dozen agents? It seemed plausible to me that Thomas might get every portal-jumping agent in his agency into position in the event that I did what I was now planning on doing.

  I also had a strong sense of other individuals like Melissa out there, people who seemed to be even more powerful than I was; suppose Thomas had them under his employ?

  So many questions, and no answers. I had a strong feeling that soon things would be coming to a head. The big question was, when it was all over, who would be left standing?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Over the next few days I spent a lot of time getting used to using my abilities in a new way, the way Melissa had suggested, and bypassing the entire portal business. If anything it was all even more amazing than what I had been doing, because it was so fast.

  I stayed in my world and no one bothered me; if anyone had been sent to spy on me, I was unaware of their presence. I wouldn't have held it against Thomas to send someone here to watch me, but I was pretty sure no one had been there.

  Two days probably wasn't enough time, but I was getting anxious and needed to put some kind of plan into action.

  First, I would have to see Melissa and see if she was ready to help me. Unfortunately, I had forgotten a key piece of information while I was home: time passed at a different rate on her world than on my mind, so in the couple of days I was home, two months had passed on her world.

  A lot can happen in two months.

  I closed my eyes to get a fix on her, and I was struck by the fact that I wasn't feeling her presence in my mind.

  I was sensing others (Lynne was easy to find) but not Melissa.

  Nothing.

  I brushed it off; it didn't necessarily mean anything, and she could very well have the ability to block herself out from someone like me.

  And had I been thinking differently, it might have occurred to me that she could sense me, and was waiting for me to do just what I was about to do.

  And if I had a better grip on my own abilities, I would have
sensed that I was about to put myself into a trap.

  Since I couldn't focus on her, I pulled up an image of Melissa's apartment complex in my mind. When I opened my eyes I was standing in front of it.

  The second I emerged in her world, something didn't feel right, although I couldn't have put my finger on what it was, exactly. Everything looked normal; it was a sunny day, warm, with a slight breeze blowing and blue skies.

  I started to have the feeling in my mind that I was being watched, yet there was no one around – I suppose someone from inside the apartment building could have been watching me.

  I shrugged it all off and headed for the front door of the apartment complex; I didn't get very far.

  It didn't surprise me to suddenly see Thomas and Lynne appear out of nowhere.

  It was more surprising to see Melissa with them.

  “Mr. Matheson, how good to see you,” Thomas said; Lynne stood next to him, while Melissa stood to my right.

  “Nice of you to pop in, Jeff,” I said, trying to be calm. “Although I'm really only here to talk to Melissa. We can chat later.”

  Thomas grinned. “Oh, I think we're going to chat now, Charles, if that's okay with you.”

  “How about I just take Melissa out for a cup of coffee, and we talk later?”

  “Sure, whatever you say, Charles,” Thomas agreed, still smiling.

  All this time I was trying to remove me and Melissa from this scene; nothing was happening.

  I was concentrating and trying to visualize my home, but the corresponding sensation in my head of a successful jump wasn't there.

  “What's wrong, Charles?” Thomas said after a moment. “Thought you would have, you know, popped out by now.”

  I looked over at Melissa. “You're blocking me.”

  She smiled. “So you're not as powerful as you thought,” she said. “Jeff wants to talk to you first, and I think that's a better idea.”

  Jeff.

  “Sisters working together?” I asked. “You could be next, Melissa. Jeff doesn't like people like us.”

  “You flatter yourself, but there's no 'us,' it's people like you he doesn't like.”

  “Let's get out of here,” Thomas said.

  “Right away, boss,” Lynne said. After a moment a portal opened; through it I could see what looked like the inside of the building Thomas worked in.

  “What, you can't take us there?” I asked Melissa. “This is kind of a quaint way to travel.”

  “I could, but I need to keep an eye on you,” Melissa replied.

  Meaning...she was using all of her own ability to keep me from using mine?

  I wasn't sure, but it felt right.

  Melissa grabbed my shoulder. “You first,” she said, and pushed me towards the portal.

  “I'm going, you don't have to shove,” I said, and stepped through.

  I emerged into what looked like a kind of holding cell; there was a bed bolted to the wall, and off in a corner was a sink and urinal.

  It was a small room with no windows, but there was a door; of course, it was locked.

  I was alone in the room; apparently Thomas and his ladies came out in a different location.

  With no Melissa around, maybe I could do something about this.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated.

  Nothing.

  Was she nearby and preventing me from using my ability? I had no way of knowing.

  Not only that, but I wasn't getting a sense of anyone in my mind, not Lynne, and not the other jumpers who I normally could feel.

  How did this happen?

  I had no idea.

  Panic was starting to set in, and I did what I could to damp it down.

  Maybe she was still blocking me, but could do so from a remote location; and maybe she was standing outside of this room.

  I had no idea.

  With nothing else to do, I sat down on the bunk, which was just a very thin mattress atop a metal frame.

  Time to wait and see what was in store for me.

  * * *

  It turned out to be a long wait.

  I wasn't really sure how long it was, as the passage of time was (ironically) difficult to track in the cell.

  The door never opened; twice a day a tray of food and a bottle of water was passed through a slot on the door.

  The food was surprisingly good.

  It was, however, difficult to keep a positive attitude.

  I had to wonder if Thomas had others in cells like this one – or maybe in even worse conditions.

  No due process, apparently, and no one ever offered me a telephone to call my lawyer (not that I had one).

  I spent a lot of time laying down on the bunk and thinking about, well, nothing at all.

  What I was seeing in my mind was a dark room with what seemed like a door with a tiny crack of light coming through it, and in my mind I was trying to reach that crack of light.

  It was slow going; I was inching my way forward (in my mind) and it seemed like it would be months before I reached that door.

  And what would happen when I did reach it? I had no idea, but I felt like something would happen when I did.

  There definitely seemed to be some sort of mental barrier preventing me from using my ability, and it didn't seem as tangible as something like Melissa in a nearby room, using her own power to block it.

  That something had been done to me, I had no doubt. What that something was, I had no idea.

  Eventually – and again, I had no idea how long I had been in that cell – Jeff Thomas did make an appearance.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Good morning, Charles,” he said, entering the cell; I had been laying on the bunk and didn't even hear him enter.

  “Is that you, Jeff?” I asked. I hadn't gotten up to greet him.

  “It is,” he said. “Don't get up, I'll sit next to you.” He apparently had brought a chair in with him; he unfolded it and sat down. I sat up and turned to face him, rubbing my face, which was covered with stubble.

  “No chance to shave in here, Jeff? It's been a while.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe, depending on how things go.”

  “There's always a catch,” I said. “Fine. What brings you here? Do you need to savor your victory?”

  “Nothing like that, Charles! Just wanted to ask you some questions.”

  “Questions, sure. Ask away.”

  “Melissa tells me you can jump without opening a portal. Is this true?”

  “Did she now? Impressive you got both sisters involved. And wiping her memory! That was quite the trick. How'd you get her to agree to that?”

  “She volunteered,” Thomas said, impatiently. “We wanted to see what the extent of your ability was. Nice trick being able to remove that wipe. You didn't answer my question.”

  “No,” I lied. “Besides, if I could, don't you think I would have by now?”

  “Oh, I know you can't at the moment. We finally developed a way to block your ability. If I wanted to I could restore it in a second, but that wouldn't be a very good idea. But if it wasn't blocked, could you just...imagine yourself out of here without the use of a focused wormhole?”

  “Is that what it's called?” I asked. “I didn't know it had a proper name. It sounds very scientific.”

  “Can you,” he said softly, “jump without the portal. It's a simple question.”

  “I already said no, Jeff. I didn't even know something like that was possible.”

  “Melissa can do it, and she told me you can do it, too.”

  “Well, that's news to me,” I said.

  Thomas pushed his chair back and stood. “Are you calling my best agent a liar, Matheson?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “She also says you can...sense others like her in your mind and jump directly to them. How do you do that?”

  “That's another puzzler,” I answered. “Others like her? What does that mean?”

  “People who can jump without the use of a po
rtal,” he said. “People who can manipulate matter with their thoughts.”

  “Can't she do that herself? Why would you be interested if I could do it, Jeff? You have your star pupil, I don't see what you need me for.”

  “Her, I can control. You? If you're walking around with these powers, you're a threat to the stability and security of this nation. Either you're going to use that ability to help your country, or you're not going to use it at all.”

  “Just like that, huh?” I said. “Besides, Jeff, as we both know, I'm not really a citizen of this country, at least not anymore.”

  “You'd be a threat to whatever world you lived in, Charles. I can't in good faith just let you go and trust that you don't do something to put innocent lives in jeopardy.”

  “That's fine, Jeff, but still, can't your Melissa just imagine her way to these supposed other individuals?”

  “No, she can't,” he said. “She says she can sense you, and that you're the most powerful one, so powerful you block everyone else out.”

  “She's obviously mistaken, Jeff, considering that I'm still locked up in this cell. If I were the most powerful of these...what would you call them? They're not portal jumpers. Whatever you guys might call them, if I were one of them, don't you think I'd have shaken off this block on my abilities and just left by now?”

  “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. We've been pumping a neural toxin into your cell. It doesn't have an effect on 'normal' people, but it does have an effect on people like you.”

  “How nice, an untested toxin pumped into my cell, and I'm sure you've had lots of time to study the side-effects.”

  Thomas grinned. “Not at all. You're our first test subject. You'll get to tell us about any...ill effects of this drug.”

  “You're a saint, Jeff,” I said, although as far as I could tell, whatever gas they were pumping into my cell didn't seem to really do anything but block my ability...if it was doing that at all.

  In my mind, I was getting closer to that door at the edge of the darkness.

  “If you were to help me out, Charles, I could do something about your situation. Maybe you're right, maybe it would be best if you just stayed in your own world.”