Reckoning (4 page)

The Solomon Experiments 3.0

The Order

Dr. Benjamin LeMercier’s Personal Journal -

January 28, 2015:

Things are not going as planned. The Order isn’t who I thought they were—they want too much involvement in my experiments, too much control over the outcome, over me. More than once they’ve expressed their distrust. Today’s meeting was the worst yet. They accused me of lying to them about the Assassin. My Assassin. They don’t share my vision for her potential involvement. They doubt she can be rehabilitated.

I don’t care what they want or what they think. It isn’t for them to determine the fate of my experiments. They are financial backers and nothing more.

I only need to hold their trust a little longer.

The Architect will not fail me. She wants acceptance too much, longs for positioning with the Order. She will return with the Assassin. She knows exactly what will happen if she fails.

As for the Assassin, her place is by my side. Christyn may have damaged her mind and blocked the memories of her true nature. But it will not last forever. I can make the Assassin find her true place, make her remember where she belongs.

The Assassin will come home. She will remember who she is and then the Order will understand. I am not wrong. She is still the key to everything. If the Order threatens to get in the way, if their plans continue to derail my own, I will execute a new plan. One that ensures the success of the experiments above everything else.

Such contingencies have always been necessary. I had them in place with Project Stargate. I planned for every problem with the first Solomon Experiments. Now it is time to protect this new project.

The Architect will help. She can obtain the information I need, anticipate the Order’s moves. But only if they are weak, distracted. I need them to grow too comfortable, believe they rule over my decisions. They must see me as subservient, afraid to lose their funding. They must find me weak enough to believe their idle threats.

It is a fiction I must create.

So I will submit, comply with their demands and lure them into false thinking. Anything to ensure the success of the experiments. I’ve come too far to fail now. I will play my part and convince the Order that I serve them.

At least, for now.

W
e’re home before I expect, the
house as quiet and peaceful as when we left. David mumbles to the Hawaiians who gave us a ride, thanking them. His words float meaninglessly on the air around me. I stare at the quiet house, still afraid, still uneasy. Wind carries the scent of tropical flowers as birds continue to sing into the night. I grab the railing that leads to the porch, praying my knees don’t give out. The ground beneath me begins to shake and my body weakens. “David,” I whisper moments before my vision blurs and turns to black.

I wake to the feel of steady hands against my back and legs. Within moments, my body settles into a soft mattress, my bed. “What happened?” I ask as I try to push myself up.

“Shh. Don’t try to move. You fainted on the porch.”

“Fainted?” Images flood my thoughts—David’s promise, bullets whizzing past, LeMercier in my thoughts. Again I attempt to sit upright and again David refuses to let me move.

“You’re safe, Dakota. Just relax. You’re safe.”

More memories pour forward. The sound of the gunmen’s rifles and the screams that ended their lives.

All because of me.

“No one is looking for us here. We’re safe for now. You need to get some rest.”

Safe? I doubt it. LeMercier will send more assassins. Or worse, he’ll come himself.

“Just rest tonight,” David says, knowing my thoughts, my fears, as he always does. “We’ll figure out a plan in the morning and leave.”

My brow furrows in fear.

“I won’t let anyone get to you.”

“You can’t protect me now. He knows where we are and he knows I am using my abilities. He won’t stop until he finds me.”

“We’ll leave tomorrow.” David covers my hands with his. He meets my gaze, his eyes like steel. “But we can’t just stay on the run. I won’t let us live that way. We have to go somewhere where you can get stronger with your skills, learn to block attacks better and shield your thoughts.”

“What? You want me to use my skills more? Are you crazy?” The words spill from my mouth like accusations. “Didn’t you see what I did? I killed those men with only a thought. I confirmed to LeMercier that we’re here. I’m never using those skills again. Not ever.”

“That hasn’t worked for you yet. Your instincts are too strong. You will always—”

“What? Kill people?” More accusations fuse my thoughts, more anger.

“I was going to say protect yourself.” David leans closer, his hands tightening around mine. “Your gifts are part of you. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can learn to control them.”

I pull away, untangle myself from the bed sheets and walk in to the other room.

“Dakota,” David calls out.

“I just need some air.”

I walk onto the porch, every instinct in me screaming to run as far and as fast as I can. David’s ring burns into my skin, along with the promises he made. I never told him my answer, never said I would do anything to live a normal life with him. My fingers worry the small band, rubbing against the cool metal.

“Dakota,” David whispers into my neck.

My body shivers in response.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Please come back inside. You need your rest.” His words are barely more than a whisper. His arms wrap around my waist.

“I’m not upset because of you.” I turn to face him, his eyes reflecting the feelings I can never seem to be able to say aloud. “It’s just LeMercier, the experiments, everything. I don’t want this life—being on the run, fearing that we will die any minute.” My vision blurs as water fills my eyes and spills onto my cheeks. “I want a normal life with you, away from this. Can’t we have normal?”

David pulls me to him and covers my mouth with a kiss before I can refuse. He steals away my fears with each passing heartbeat, chasing away the other thoughts.

The kiss ends and David leads me back into the house and to our room. We crawl into bed and he wraps me in a blanket of safety, his body keeping the bad guys away, at least for tonight.

“You’re safe,” he whispers between kisses. “I promise.”

I believe the lie and accept the fantasy of a normal life . . .

For tonight.

The dream comes fast tonight. Too fast. The same tight feeling in my chest, as though all of the oxygen has been taken out of the room. The same hard wood enclosing me. The same thud as dirt covers the box I’m in and buries me alive.  I bolt upright, my eyes open wide.

David stirs, his hands grabbing for mine. “It’s okay,” he mumbles, not fully awake. “You’re safe. We’re both safe.” He coaxes me down and snuggles next to me, his arms covering me in warmth and safety. “I love you,” he says as he drifts back into a deep sleep.

I drink in his embrace and everything it represents. I hold on to his words, willing them to be true. Within a few moments my mind calms and I drift back to sleep.

Only to find myself back in the box.

It’s only a dream
, I say in the recesses of my thoughts.
None of this is real.

Isn’t it? How can you be so sure?
My father’s voice fills my mind.

Go away,
I think. I force myself to think of David, his promise, our future. For a moment, the box begins to fade, replaced by images of David and me together and the feel of his body next to mine.

The constriction in my lungs eases. Until the images again darken and fade. The air grows heavy and stale. I hear the familiar sound of the dirt as it encloses me in my tomb.

You can’t escape me, Assassin
. The image of LeMercier surrounds my thoughts.
I know where you are. I’m coming for you.

I’m not your Assassin. Not anymore.

You killed the others without hesitation. You are everything I hoped you’d be. But I can still make you more powerful. Join me. Come home.

I will never join you
. My lungs constrict on the last word as the air grows more stale.

LeMercier’s face grows, his eyes dark and filled with rage.
Then you and everyone you hold dear will die, starting with David
.

My throat closes. My lungs scream for oxygen that does not exist. Panic seizes my thoughts. I jab my nails into my palms and try to wake myself from this nightmare. The sides of the box tighten around me. Darkness refuses to abate. My mind swirls, blurs . . .

Ends.

M
y eyes open to a dark room, sof
t
moonlight streaming in through white sheers.
Home
. I settle my thoughts, aware of David’s strong arms still blanketing me. “Help me, Josh,” I whisper in the darkness. He was always the one to ease me from my nightmares. He taught me how to shield my thoughts and block out the dreams. But he isn’t here now. He’ll never be here again.

Because of me.

I roll over and look at David. No worry lines mar his face.
I love you,
I hear him say in my thoughts.
I want us to have a life together. You have to let go of the past. Embrace your gifts and move forward
. There is no way I can do what he asks. I won’t give in to LeMercier. I can’t trust myself or my abilities. I just can’t.

I release myself from David’s embrace. He moans, smiles, and rolls to his other side, settling back into a deep sleep.

“I love you,” I whisper before I walk to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. I stare at the mirror and my reflection reveals a truth I don’t want to admit. There is no future for me that includes David or a normal life. It just isn’t possible.

I walk back to the bedroom. My skin turns to gooseflesh. Shadows that don’t belong move across the window. I flatten myself on the floor and creep toward the sheers. Chancing a glance, I peer into the darkness. Nothing but a soft breeze swaying the trees that surround the property. I release a strangled breath. “Get a grip,” I say to myself and stand. “No one is here.” I turn toward the bed just as a voice fills my mind.

I am
.

Instincts take over and throw a shield around David and me. LeMercier laughs.
You can’t win. You can’t escape
. He raises one hand and David begins to cough and choke. His eyes pop open as his hand goes to his throat, pulling at invisible vines.

“Stop,” I yell. I ram into LeMercier’s thoughts, pushing images of his death into every crevice. “Let him go.”

LeMercier smiles as David continues to fight against his unseen enemy.

Again I push into LeMercier’s mind. I attack his thoughts, willing his body to crumble.

David coughs. His eyes roll back, his mouth opens, and a horrible choking sound fills the room.

“Stop!” I order.

Laughter is the only reply. That and the crushing stillness of David’s limp body.

I bolt upright as sweat pours from my brow. David sleeps next to me, quiet. I lean in, desperate to feel his breath on my skin and know that his death was nothing more than my never-ending nightmares. The slow in-and-out of his breath soothes me immediately and I feel my heartbeat begin to regulate.

“Just a dream,” I whisper as I get up and walk into the other room. “A couple of weird dreams.”

These weren’t ordinary dreams though. These were warnings. Ones I don’t intend to ignore. I glance over my shoulder, memorizing the image of David. The way his body moves in rhythmic patterns with each breath. The peace that radiates across his face. The odd angles of his hair. Each image burns into my thoughts. I know what I have to do now.

Even if I don’t want to do it.

I open the drawers in the kitchen, looking for pen and paper. Finding a small pad, I quickly scribble a note that I hope captures everything I need to say:

David –

I love you. I know I never say it as often as I should, but I need you to know how much I care about you. Every day more of my memories return, and with them I remember everything you were to me back then, everything you are to me now. I know you think we can be safe if we stay together, that I will learn to control my abilities and people will eventually stop looking for us. I wish I believed the same. But, more assassins will come. LeMercier won’t stop until he has me. And as long as you are with me, he’ll target you too. I won’t let you get hurt, caught in the crossfire because of me. You’ve already lost too much.

Please don’t try to follow me. This is something I have to do. For me. For us. It’s better for everyone this way. You know I’m right. We can’t be together—not while I’m broken. Not while LeMercier lives. And not if I become what I must in order to kill him.

Remember that I love you. Thank you for making me feel safe and believing we could have a normal life. If only for a moment.

Forever yours,

Dakota

I fold the paper in half and place it on the nightstand along with the slim band of metal that represents a future I can never hope to find. My lips brush softly against his forehead. I leave the room, closing the door on David and what he represents. If I’m lucky, we will never see each other again and I will know that he is safe, far away from LeMercier, the Solomon experiments, and me.

The go-bag from my parents and Josh is taped under a drawer in the kitchen. I grab the bag and quickly inspect its contents: passports, IDs and a small amount of cash. I grab some of the cash and a new ID for me. Tears well in my eyes and I wipe them away. There is no time for my grief. I have to get away and figure out how to end things with LeMercier.

Mom’s voice fills my mind.
Go home, Dakota. Go home
. She sounds real, even though I know I’m just trading one fantasy for another. I linger too long in the memories of her, wondering what she would do if she were here. But I don’t know what she’d do.

I will never know.

I detach from my thoughts before the anger can take hold. I replace the go-bag in the kitchen and shove the cash and ID into my backpack. Taking one last glance, I shut the door on my life.

Again.

The path to the main road is long, littered with petals and droppings from the trees. The sky is painted in pink and gold as a new day begins. Fragrant flowers fill my senses, along with the singing of birds. I will miss this island, the peace I thought I’d be able to have forever. Pulling my backpack closer to me, I speed up my gait, anxious to put distance between me and David.

Anxious to figure out how to end this life with LeMercier.

Once and for all.