Opheliac (14 page)

“Why's that?” Cadence asked.

Gideon released JD's hand and returned it to his lap. “Because I'm mad. The whole thing started at a party. What they told me I'd be doing and what actually happened were two different things. Rather than be treated like a person, I was more or less a superpowered slave who doubled as a lab rat. Any time the Doctor rolled out anything new, I was the first one picked to try it out. There wasn't any respect, and the more I learned about what they wanted to do, the less I wanted to be a part of it. Nothing Bean, Sprout, or anyone else a part of that tribe is doing is anything good.”

“And…what are they trying to do, exactly?” Alan asked, his gaze settling on Gideon once more.

“I'm pretty sure they're planning for genocide,” Gideon said in a hushed voice.

A fire filled Alan's eyes that Angela had never seen before. “You're sure about this?”

“Part of the reason I was pawned off to be tested on so much was because Sprout kept wanting me to spy on the Doctor's computers for information. That was about the only thing useful they had me do.”

“I see, so Alona probably knows of these plans as well.”

“I don't know who that is,” Gideon said.

Alan tilted his head to the side. “She is the Alturan leader Sprout reports to, and a member of the Basatlavan, or the blue tribe.”

“Yeah, none of that rings a bell.”

“And you weren't rehabilitated?”

“If I was, I probably wouldn't know about it. You tell me, because you would know better than I would about all of that,” Gideon snapped.

Lifting his hands in front of him, Alan shook his head. “I was told that you were not rehabilitated because you decided to aid my tribe. I will discuss it with one of my comrades to be certain, however, just to ease both of our minds. My superiors have a tendency to leave out important information.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, but to bring you up to speed I will give you a shortened version of what is going on.” And then Alan proceeded to explain in brief detail about the Alturan tribes. When he was finished, he let the room resonate in silence so Gideon could absorb the information.

After a long minute passed, Alan continued. “What you say about the other tribes trying to commit genocide is frightening but not surprising. The green tribe in particular has always had a strong disliking for our allies. How much of what you know have you reported?”

“Only bits and pieces,” Gideon said. “Like, I didn't tell anyone about the genocide bit. All Bean and Sprout wanted to know was if the Doctor was planning on pulling a fast one on them. Which he wasn't. I didn't get the impression he enjoyed working with them much, but he was always a guy of his word. Betrayal wasn't something he expressed interest in, in any of his notes.”

“I don't suppose you have copies of these notes?” Alan asked, his eyes wide with hope.

Gideon shook his head. “No, I can't make copies of anything I see. Well, I could send off emails or print things if the computer I'm working on is connected to a network that would allow me to do so. Problem is, then whoever it belonged to would have idea of my being in there. They could trace the records of the email, that sort of thing. Hypothetically, I mean, if they knew to look for that kind of information.”

“Which means they would have to suspect something was wrong in the first place.”

“Right.”

“But you can get into computers undetected,” Orlando pointed out.

Nodding, Gideon relaxed in his chair. “Usually. I can't promise never ever. In the future there might be some sophisticated technology that will be more difficult for me to bond with.”

“Fascinating,” Alan said.

Gideon only gazed at him before shifting his attention to Orlando. “I know who you are. What about the rest of you? Do you all have names? Or am I not privileged enough to know them?”

“They call me Alan,” their alien leader said.

JD puffed his chest out. “I'm Chihuahua Man.”

Every time Angela heard him say his alter ego, she had to stop herself from laughing. She somehow managed to keep herself composed, not even cracking a smile. “I'm Lucky Twelve.”

“Slick,” Cadence said. “And that's our group. We're not as big as some of the others running around, I've noticed.”

“Yeah, I saw that too when we were on our mission for the drug parts,” JD said.

Gideon smirked. “I heard about how chaotic that mission went. That was the night I was taken by your tribe. I got filled in on the ship by some guy named Jaes.”

“He's cool,” Orlando said. “Outside of Alan here, he's one of the few aliens I trust in this whole thing.”

Alan bristled a little. “While I'm aware that I'm not native to your planet…”

“Sorry,” Orlando mumbled. “A-Alturans, I mean.” His shoulders tensed up and he drew his body closer to him in a protective sort of manner. Very
not
Orlando-like. Angela made a note to bug him about it later.

“Anyway, the reason our groups aren't so large is because they are easier to manage,” Alan said. “I would rather have a few of you I can rely on for good work than a lot of you I can't control. Perhaps we should meet again before our mission so we can feel more comfortable with our new member.”

JD gave him a thumbs up. “Totally up to you, boss man, but I'm fine with anything.”

“I appreciate your flexibility.”

No one said anything again for a few seconds. Gideon glanced around the room with a slight frown. “So…is that it then?”

Alan nodded. “For now. I will be in contact with you soon with further details.”

“All right.” Gideon continued to watch everyone at the table before deciding to stand up. “I'm assuming it's cool if I go then?”

“Yes, of course. You are all excused to do as you wish.”

Orlando stretched. “Awesome, because as much as I love chatting business, I also have other things I'd rather be doing on a Saturday afternoon. Speaking of, anyone wanna chill? Giddy?”

Gideon was already halfway across the room. He stopped in his tracks and spun to face Orlando. “Thanks, but I should pass. I have another group meeting for a stupid home economics project. We have to invent and manage a pretend restaurant. It's the pits. Don't ever take it. Worst idea ever.”

“Anything with group work is the pits,” Orlando said. “Sans present company, I mean.”

“Right, so…next time.” He waved and walked out the door in the hurry.

With a deep frown, Angela watched him go. “Weird.”

Standing, Orlando started to clean up the miniatures from the game he'd purchased and stuffed them into his backpack. “He's always like that. Since he's a grade under me, I don't exactly get a lot of everyday contact with him, but we share a study hall. Super skittish. Pretty sure he has fewer friends than I do.”

“Wow, that's an accomplishment,” JD teased. “So you don't think we should be worried.”

Orlando zipped up his bag. “I'm not sure. Personally, I don't believe he's doing some kind of double agent thing. He's not working for them anymore. If he was, he wouldn't be so scared of us.”

“But we're the
good
guys!”

Cadence sighed. “And retaliation against him for joining us would be harsh. Wouldn't surprise me if he's worried we're just going to hurt him more.”

Snapping his fingers at her, Orlando hoisted his bag onto his right shoulder. “That's what I'm wondering too. And did you notice how he referred to Bean and Sprout as Bean and Sprout? No one told him about Alona. I bet he doesn't know the identities of anyone he worked with over there.”

“Which means they didn't value him as an asset to the team,” Angela said quietly. Guilt filled her as she realized she probably only fed the poor guy's insecurities by wearing her mask.
Next time, I'll let him see me next time.

JD scowled. “That sucks. What's wrong with people? Teamwork is about acting like a team, yo!”

“Please don't talk like that.” Orlando pinched the bridge of his nose. “No one uses the word ‘yo' anymore.”

“‘Yo' never goes out of style,” JD protested. “Ever. Besides, at least I sound like a normal teenager instead of a college professor.” He shot Orlando a glare.

With a roll of his eyes, Orlando shoved his hands into his pockets. “Fo' shizzle. Now is anyone open for doing something or should I just go home?”

“How long do we have until Mom needs us home?” JD asked, nudging Angela from under the table.

Was her brother actually helping her out? He must have known she wanted to stay out for a little while longer. There wasn't a whole lot to hurry back home to. Just hyperactive preschoolers and a lot of chores. Still, it through her off guard since he knew how she felt about Orlando. He'd been pretty against her crush up until then.

“Dinner at the latest,” Angela said.

“So we have a couple of hours. Trying to decide if I should keep procrastinating on my homework or be responsible.” JD scratched his chin. “Should probably be responsible.”

Ugh, really?
“What happened to my brother? Are you a robot?” She felt his forehead. “You're not sick.”

“I may have forgotten to turn in a few things, and now I'm getting a D in my Algebra II class. Oops?” He gave a sheepish shrug. “So I need to ace what I got for the weekend, or Mom and Dad are going to ground me and that's not exactly productive for what we're doing here.”

“If not having a car is an issue, you know I have five of them,” Orlando deadpanned.

JD's jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“No, I only have two. Why would I need five cars?” He gazed over at Angela, and her heart beat a little bit faster. “So he wants to be boring. What about the rest of you?”

“I've got a lot to think about,” Cadence said. “Add me to the boring list.”

Briefly, a frown formed on Alan's face, but he soon resumed his normal expressionless demeanor. “Obviously, I have a lot to do. Soon, I hope to have the luxury of free time where I can experience more of your culture with you. At this point in time, I should focus on work. I already waste enough time in between meetings goofing off at the city library.”

“Angela?” Orlando asked. He still hadn't once looked away from her.

I should go home with JD. I need to not be so obvious. Plus, I know he's just offering because he wants to be away from home right now. But how can I waste such a perfect opportunity?
“I'm open to ideas,” she said.

“Okay, but you need to take off your mask. It's kind of weird.”

JD took the miniatures he'd been gifted with and clutched them to his chest. “Dinnertime, remember. Otherwise you're going to be in some serious trouble. Especially since Mom said she might call for us to pick something up, which means she's going to be calling you.”

“I know, I know! Cool it!” Angela waved a hand in front of her.

“Hey, your time management skills kind of suck.”

Pulling out his phone, Orlando mumbled to himself. Louder, he said, “I'll set an alarm if you're so worried.”

That seemed to satisfy JD, a little. “Okay, bye.”

Orlando started for the door. “I don't know how you live with him.”

Pulling off her mask, Angela hurried after him. “One day at a time.”

“You know, we'd be able to get there a whole lot faster if you didn't text so much while we were walking,” Payton said, nudging his twin sister in the side as they walked to the entrance of the tunnels.

Tait rolled her eyes and sent one more text to Orlando.
“Sounds like you're having an exciting day.”

“Very. I was social. That's always an adventure”
was his reply.

Briefly, jealousy filled Tait at the idea of him spending time with other people who weren't her. At school, he tended to fly solo sans when he hung around Nia. He could have been with her, but what if someone else was finally able to break through his tough shell and get him out of the house? That was supposed to be a talent only
she
had. The fact that he wouldn't text her until after he was done with his social obligations meant he cared about them. Otherwise he would have complained to her the whole time.

She paused, licking her lips.
“Good adventure, or bad?”

“All of my adventures are good.”

There was little room for arguing with him. He certainly had a way of making boring things at least mildly entertaining.
“Are you busy tonight?”

“When am I busy?”

“This afternoon, obviously.”

“Beyond that.”

Tait rolled her eyes.
“Do you want to hang out?”

“I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the house.”

She read the text a few times, and then checked to make sure she was in fact still talking to Orlando. Talking him into doing anything seemed like a chore, usually. He must have been desperate to get away.

Payton stopped at the entrance to the tunnel and tapped his fingers on his arms, glaring down at her. “Focus. We're here, and I need your help to lift the manhole cover.”

“Okay, okay,” she said and sent Orlando one more text, promising to call, before stuffing the phone into her coat.

She checked around her to make sure no one was around before calling upon her vines to do all of the heavy lifting for them. Small brown-and-green vines slithered across the snowy ground. They wrapped themselves into the holes of the cover and hoisted it a few inches into the air before carrying it off to the side.

The sun had set, no one was outside because of the cold, and so their entrance into the tunnels via the park near her high school was still an ideal location. Of course, the enemy knew of the entrance as well. What made the tunnels so handy, however, was they led to so many buildings as well as had a number of small rooms built into them. Even if they used the same entrance, where they actually met was completely different.

“No matter what the Doctor says, just don't respond,” Payton warned. He climbed down into the tunnel first. She followed. Once they were inside, they each put on their masks.

Tait gave him a sideways glance. “I haven't said anything to him yet. Your warning is a bit unnecessary.”

“I'm just telling you, again. Alona seems to think he's going to be a bit more verbally aggressive tonight than usual.” Payton scowled. “I don't know what his problem is. It's exhausting to have him take it out on us all of the time. I'm reaching the end of my rope.”

“Maybe I should be warning you to keep your cool with him instead of the other way around.” She raised both of her eyebrows at him.

His gaze averted to the ground. “I won't lash out. It's only a little while longer. I'll suck it up…again.”

Tait nodded, rubbing her brother's back. “Good.”

With nothing more to say, they walked through the tunnel. At the fork where the path to the school and Lunar Falls Business Center met, they turned toward the business center. A new location for them. The Doctor always had to meet at a new location, and he wouldn't go near the high school. That was Alona's territory anyway. His refusal to go there was part of why she had chosen it for her base of operations.

Their footsteps echoed quietly as they made their journey. Waiting for them at the door leading into the business center was Alona. Even though the weather was freezing, she wore nothing more than a pair of loose pants and a tight blue tank top. She was casually fixing her hair into a bun.

“On time, just like I prefer,” she said.

Payton gave a full-on ear-to-ear grin. If Tait didn't know better, she would have assumed he had a crush on the woman. But he was in a long-term relationship, and incredibly loyal. Still, she didn't see him get so excited about people often.

“Our meeting will be brief, like I said, but Sprout, I would like to have a private moment with you afterward,” Alona said.

Why just me?
Tait frowned, but nodded, knowing better than to question her leader. “All right.”

“It won't take long. Only a few minutes.”

“However long you need, my leader,” Tait said.

Alona frowned, but didn't say anything more on the issue. “We are only here to be appeasing, nothing more. Remember that.”

The twins nodded and watched as she unlocked the door via the keypad placed over the lock. A quiet beep sounded, and then the door slid open with ease. Alona took the lead, walking them into a medium-sized storage room. They didn't go further than that. Everywhere Tait looked she saw boxes, tables upon tables of boxes. Some were stacked as high as the ceiling. There were filing cabinets in the center of the room. Cleared space created a ring around the files allowing for access to everything in the room as well as a safe way through in case of an emergency. The place was cluttered. It would drive Payton up a wall.

“Business is still being conducted at the moment,” she said. “The Doctor is here performing duties for his other job. I'm not quite sure what he does, but he seems to come to this location at least once every couple of weeks. It makes for a convenient meeting point, as well as a jumping point for researching his true identity.” She gave them both a pointed look. “You are more familiar with these things than I am.”

“I understand,” Payton said. If anyone could find anything out over the Internet, it was him. He had a knack for knowing the right words to search for, and when it came to field research he was even better. His gentle personality made it easy for him to blend in and get into places others might have be turned away from.

A smile actually formed on Alona's face. She hardly ever seemed to express much emotion.
Payton will be bragging about it for days.
Tait tried to not let it bother her. She kind of liked being Alona's favorite, though. If her brother took her place, she'd be at a loss over what to do. Something about their alien leader's charm made them both want to go above and beyond to please her. Tait felt a little like a dog if she viewed things that way. She hoped she meant more to Alona than an obedient pet.

Nodding, Alona found a counter to lean onto. “He has two minutes to get here, otherwise we're leaving. I will not tolerate tardiness.”

The door opened, and the Doctor stepped in. “If you were hoping I was going to forget about our little get-together so you could use it against me, you're sadly mistaken.”

“Now, we both know that I would never do such a thing,” Alona said and batted her eyelashes at him. “My superiors might, but never me.”

“Of course not,” he said, his gaze narrowing from underneath his black mask. He put his attention on Tait and her brother. “I see you've brought your faithful lackeys.”

“Yes, we're doing a bit of a training exercise in listening skills.”

“Something they seem to lack,” he mumbled.

Tait didn't react in any way. She wanted to say something in her defense. At the very least, roll her eyes or clench her fists. Just like she promised, Tait simply stood there and took it like a big girl. Even Payton didn't tense up, which was impressive for him since he was the more sensitive of the two.

And of course Alona wasn't fazed by anything. She laughed at the Doctor, covering her mouth with her hand. “Seems to be something that's missing in most of your culture in general. From the nations I've met while on my travels of your…home, I've found Americans to be the most stubborn of all. The younger, the more difficult to deal with.”

“Yes, which is why it's a shame that teenagers seem to be the most useful age group. I'd personally prefer to work with other adults, but abilities don't seem to grow in them the same way. Their powers don't become as strong, or they're a lot more complicated to unlock.” The Doctor still didn't take his gaze off Tait or her brother.

Shrugging, Alona picked at her nails with feigned disinterest. “Not my problem. Can we please discuss business?”

“Of course, my apologies.” He bowed to her, mockingly. “As you know, my superiors are interested in developing a drug to unlock the natural superabilities in all humans. They've found someone who is willing to help pay for research. Obviously, I'm tickled at the idea because more funding means I can work in a bigger lab and have easier access to the supplies I need. There is also going to be an Alturan buyer who wants to bring the drug over there.”

“This is wonderful.”

“I want to agree, but I don't. Why? Because the drug isn't as perfect as I was hoping. You see, there is something missing from my formula. The problem is, I lost my notes from the attack by Chihuahua Man during the party. Almost everything was gone. On the plus side, the list of those who took the drug is pretty accurate, and I'm almost positive the answer lies in the bloodstream of one of
them
.”

Alona's smile faded. “You want us to kidnap them?”

“That's just one thing I need your help with,” the Doctor said. He folded his arms in front of his chest. “I also need a few of your charges to volunteer a display of their power to the buyers. You have so many of them, and a lot of them have strong, useful abilities worth showing. And…”

“There's more?”

He laughed. “Are you surprised?”

“No, I suppose I'm not,” she said.

“You're learning. All good things come in threes, remember that.”

Her gaze darkened. “Of course.”

“I need Sensor.”

“No,” she said flatly.

The Doctor took a step forward. “It's not your place to argue with me, Gesubsavat. I need Sensor. His abilities are useful to me.”

“They're useful to us too!”

“Not in the same ways,” he said. “You're not even using him to the full extent of what he's capable of. Did you know he can find those whose powers are potent and ready for tapping? This would minimize on duds, so we wouldn't go through all of the trouble of injecting or using the Wimosiphyer on the teenagers and then have them produce no abilities whatsoever. He can even find who is compatible with the drug and who isn't. Like I said, he's useful to me. I request he join my tribe, and by request, I mean it as an order.”

To say Tait was stunned was an understatement. It took everything within her to not show any kind of reaction to what the Doctor had just said. Not only was he blunt, rude, and all-around disrespectful of Alona, but to suggest taking one of their most worthwhile teammates was ridiculous. Sensor did a lot more than just detect who was near their meetings. The Doctor didn't get to see all of the work he was being used for. When Alona's gaze dropped to her feet, Tait let out a quiet gasp. Hopefully, no one heard it.

Sighing, Alona shook her head. “I have superiors who need to okay this…request…before I can just flat-out give him to you. Changing tribal allegiance isn't as easy as just saying it is so.”

“Yes, I'm aware,” the Doctor said, his tone softening some.

“Then you'll understand my inability to give you what you want right at this moment,” she said stiffly. “As for your other assignments, those should not be difficult in the slightest. I know just who to send to you. I'm surprised you wouldn't want to use your own charges for this special show-and-tell.”

The Doctor laughed, hard. So hard he wiped at his eyes. “You're hilarious. Why would I use my own charges? I barely have any as it is, thanks to our latest fiasco back in December. Remember that delivery of supplies you were supposed to help me with? And how I was supposed to give the upgrade to some of your charges as well as a number of mine? Do you know how many of them were taken by the enemy and turned against me? Nearly all of my most powerful ones. It's going to take time for me to rebuild my army. Who gets what kind of ability is not something I can predict. While my team is still useful, it would not be considered…impressive in terms of a display of power.”

“I lost a number of my charges too, remember,” she muttered. “I don't particularly want to lose anymore.”

“Then don't screw up. Again.”

“Of course. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

He shook his head. “No, this has already taken enough of my time as it is. I trust you understand what you need to prepare for. We'll meet again with exact dates and times.”

The Doctor's gaze trailed over to Tait and her brother. She knew then that the only reason he wasn't elaborating was because they were present. In that one gaze, she could tell he did not trust them. Stupid, really, since Alona was going to tell her the information later anyway.

Jaw tightened, Alona faced Tait and nodded for the twins to head back out through the door. She didn't bother to bid farewell to the Doctor. Not like it would have mattered anyway, since he had gone out through the other door already. Once Tait was back in the tunnel, she waited for orders from her leader.

“That was interesting,” Payton said, breaking the silence as soon as the door was closed behind them.

Alona was quiet for a moment. She shut her eyes and took in a few deep breaths. “Interesting is one word, yes. Aggravating is another. Does he not realize how difficult it will be to kidnap individuals who were injected at that party and not already under our control? I'm sure a few of them are being used by our enemies. They have the same information we do. In fact, they know much more than I care for them to, thanks to all of the charges who were extracted from our team. At least we didn't lose quite as many of them as the green tribe.”