Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (65 page)

Mizuno
rolled his eyes and told Nick to stop stuttering. “I understand that you don’t
want to become a murderer, but there is a difference in killing one man who
will harm many and robbing an innocent man of life. If you really wanted to
preserve life and keep blood off your own hands you would have killed the
charlatan, because Nick, it’s your fault her dad is dead. In fact every single
person he slays from now on is your fault because you were a coward and unable
to do what was needed.” He waited for Nick to respond, but Nick remained quiet
and braced himself for the rest of the scolding. Mizuno massaged the bridge of
his nose and muttered that there were worse things he could do than kill
someone. He turned back to Lauren and repeated his query, “What do you want to
do? Would you like me to send you back to Paris, or to your relatives in
Canada, or what?” He waited for nearly ten seconds before he added, “I’m
perfectly fine with leaving you here to sort it out on your own, so if you want
to go home or to your family, what’s left of it, you’d better speak up.”

Bruce
finally intervened, “Mizuno, you need to go easy on them.”

“Why?”
he snapped. “Because she’s just lost her mother and father and Nick’s
completely incompetent?” Mizuno glowered at him and said it was a mistake to
think that Nick held any potential at all.

“He
made a mistake.”

“No,”
Mizuno corrected him, “A mistake is an unintentional error. Nick let an
assassin escape without even wounding him.” He glared at Nick, who continued to
look away, and told him he screwed up.

“And
what about us?” Bruce asked. “We did just as poorly as he did.”

“Hardly,”
Mizuno objected. “We managed to save a dozen people despite the fact that we
went into our mission without knowing about Jeremy Dalton or the bombs he’d
placed throughout the building. And we walked out with minimal casualties and
injuries.”

“And
Nick didn’t know this other assassin would show up.”

Mizuno
admitted that was true, but reminded him that Nick could have killed the
charlatan and averted the entire crisis. “All it took was one shot Nick, that’s
all, and you would have accomplished everything you wanted to when you joined
this group.”

“He
hasn’t ever done anything like this before Mizuno. He hasn’t even shot a living
thing, let alone another person,” Bruce reminded him. “You need to be more
understanding.”

“No
I don’t,” he barked. “I’ve spent the past four weeks breaking him from being
such a damn coward but apparently he isn’t willing to take the most necessary
step forward. Nick,” he waited until he had Nick’s full attention and then
asked, “What makes you think you could ever become anything more than your
stepfather’s footstool if you aren’t willing to change?”

“Mizuno–”

“Everyone
else has made an effort to move on from whatever hellhole or setback they
originated from except for you Nick. Even Afifa, who only speaks Arabic and
extremely rudimentary French, managed to step outside her agoraphobic comfort
zone to join this group because she wants the money she earns to go back to
help get her family out of the Middle East. Yong, who is an utterly inept waste
of sperm and egg has managed to stop harassing women and he’s slowly starting
to respect them. He’s still a thief and degenerate, but even he’s progressing.
You aren’t Nick.” Mizuno waited for Nick to say something, anything, but Nick
only remained despondent and silent. Mizuno finally let out a tense breath and
told Nick he wasn’t going to help him anymore. “I’ve wasted far too much time
trying to help you grow up.”

Nick
finally looked at him and asked what he meant. “Y-You can’t–”

“Quit
stuttering!” Mizuno yelled. Nick flinched as Mizuno approached and seized him
by the jaw and forced him to look him in the eye. Mizuno told Nick he was done,
“I helped you find the man who killed Victor and you’re the one who let him go.
I tried to help you and I wanted you to grow up and take one damn shot but your
inane beliefs caused you to falter. As far as I’m concerned, Lauren is your
problem now considering you’re the one who failed her. You can figure out the
next step on your own.”

Mizuno
walked away and out of the hideout without a word to Bruce or Strom. Bruce
apologized to Nick and Lauren and started out of the room as well.

Nick
walked over to a wall and slid down to sit on the ground and tried his best to
remain calm. He shook and felt lost. Lauren folded her arms across her chest
and asked if he was alright. He wiped a few tears from his eyes and said he
wasn’t sure. “I-I…He’s right.”

“What
are you talking about?”

Nick
rubbed his eyes and admitted that he could have shot and killed the charlatan.
“I’ve never shot anyone, let alone killed someone, so…” he cried for a moment
before he apologized to her and said he should have saved her dad.

“Nick,”
Strom finally intervened, “Stop crying.”

Strom
pulled himself up to sit on the edge of his cot in what appeared to be a great
effort on his part. His right shoulder, left bicep, and both legs from the
ankles up to his knees were in bandages and Nick could tell that even a simple
movement caused him pain. Strom struggled to get his glasses off of a book next
to his cot, put them on, and introduced himself to Lauren. “You don’t need to
worry about anything, as you can see I can’t even get out of this bed at the
moment.”

Lauren
moved behind Nick and asked how Nick knew him. “You do realize who that is,
don’t you?”

Nick
nodded and assured her he wouldn’t harm her. “He isn’t all that bad once you
get to–”

“He’s
a murderer Nick,” she blurted out. “He’s just as bad as the guy who killed my
parents, if not worse.”

Strom
admitted he was quite the villain but told her to relax, “I’m not a homicidal
maniac.”

“But
you–”

“I
kill people for a living,” he stated. “Some people work for law firms or
corporations as thieves, others peddle drugs, and some live off of welfare and
don’t do a damn thing. I kill people for money and only for money. I don’t get
a kick out of it, I don’t relish it, and I don’t kill because I enjoy it.” He
took a breath and repeated that he wouldn’t hurt her. Lauren didn’t relax
though. Strom continued, “I once told Nick about a girl I killed accidentally
in London a few years ago. I had my target in sight but I missed and a little
girl named Katie died because of my recklessness. After that I never took a
shot if there was a chance, even in the slightest, that I might miss. I
remember her each and every day and I don’t think I’ll ever forget her. I’m
sorry she died and if there was ever a way for me to take that day back I
wouldn’t hesitate to do so. But I remember her and that changed me enough to
make me question what I do…which is why I’m here now.” He paused for a moment
before he reiterated that he would not harm her.

Nick
cleared his throat and asked why he was injured.

“Dalton
blew out one of the floors of the building and I got pinned down. He stuck me in
the shoulder and bicep and even managed to start strangling me before Mizuno
found us and took a shot at him and got me out of there,” Strom reported.

“Who?”
Lauren asked.

Strom
told her that Jeremy Dalton worked with the man who killed her parents and was
responsible for at least two complete ethnic cleansing waves throughout Sudan
and Somalia. “But you need to realize that this killer, this charlatan, is
going to continue to slaughter innocent people. And Nick,” he made sure the
young man listened, “You need to make a decision about who you want to be.
Mizuno’s right, although I hate to admit it, but you’re either going to move
forward or you’re going to stay the same little boy who lets people kick him
around.”

Nick
told him he didn’t want to kill anyone.

“Then
don’t,” Strom barked. “This world is in a constant state of flux, with people
being brought into and out of this world, and I know that a good amount of
those people leaving are dying because of someone else’s actions. You need to
understand that people are going to die whether you pull a trigger or not. If
you sit at home and let the world progress without you it’ll become something
you hate simply because you didn’t do anything to change it. Nick, you have a
chance billions of people could never imagine having and you’re letting it
remain dormant because you’re afraid.”

“What
do you mean?”

“I
mean you need to make up your mind and fight for something rather than sit on
the sidelines and let the world pass you by.”

“What
should I do though?”

“Do
you believe that there is evil in this world?”

“Yes.”

“Do
you want it to change?”

“Yes.”

“Then
go out there and change it. Every second you waste could be the second you
needed to be somewhere to save someone.”

Nick
sat without a sound for a moment. He looked at Lauren and asked what she
thought he should do. “I can’t fix anything,” he admitted, “But…”

“This
guy killed my mom and dad,” she reminded him. “Killing him won’t change that.
But if you can stop him from killing others, well maybe you should.”

Strom
agreed. Nick cleared his throat and mentioned the charlatan’s parting message,
“He said he would find and kill Lauren, so long as there was still a bounty out
for her. So what do we do?”

Strom
tried to shrug but immediately recalled the wounds and dealt with the recoil.
“I’m not sure, but unfortunately you’re going to be on your own, seeing as I’m
hardly in any position to help.”

Nick
scratched the back of his neck while he gave the situation some thought before
he suggested that she stay there in the hideout with Strom.

“No
offence, but I’m not staying here with him,” Lauren blurted out.

Strom
told her it was fine. “Besides, she’d have to go out and get food or something
if she stayed here, and if Dalton happened to find her and trace her back here
she’d be dead.”

“Then
what should we do?” Nick asked. He stopped and asked Lauren what she wanted to
do, “You never told us whether you wanted to stay or leave.”

Lauren
said there wasn’t much she could do but stay with them. “Going home isn’t
really an option, seeing as I’d have to deal with my parent’s death as well as
the publicity that would come with my parents’ death.”

“Which
would most likely lead Dalton to kill her there,” Strom added.

“So
staying here seems like my only option…” Lauren then corrected herself and
clarified that staying around them, but not alone, was her best option.

“You
do realize that until either you turn up or your body does, there will be a
missing person’s case,” Strom reminded her. “I’m not suggesting that either of
you need to worry too much, but I think it would be prudent to limit her public
exposure.”

Nick
agreed.

Strom
waited a moment before he suggested, “She could stay with you.”

“What?”
Nick asked, alarmed.

Strom
chuckled and said he was joking. “I’d say the best idea would be for you to
check out of that hotel and relocate here.”

“What
about my classes?” he asked.

“Get
up earlier and make the commute?” he suggested. “Or you could just drop out.”

Nick
nodded and said it wasn’t that bad of a plan. “We can’t do this forever though,”
he said. “I mean, hiding is fine until you’re healed, but what do we do then?”

“I
really don’t know what to tell you kid.” Strom reached for his copy of
The
Great Gatsby
and flipped open to a very early page and continued where he
left off. Nick noted the stress it caused him simply to sit and turn a page,
but noted how he didn’t relent either.

Nick
asked Lauren if she had any ideas, though they both were without a plan.

---*---

4:05
PM

Baltimore,
Maryland

“So
whoever’s next is going to have A positive blood?” Sergeant Murdock asked
Officer Maguire.

He
nodded, “Unfortunately it’s a really common blood type and it’s the only lead
we’ve got at the moment.”

“Then
our chances of finding them are slim,” Felton murmured.

“Yeah,”
Mia sighed.

The
four officers sat in Sage’s old office and poured over what little information
they had for the investigation. Naoto Suzuki was the seventeenth victim, who
Cladis killed on the twenty-second, though the official autopsy was uncertain
of how he died. He worked at a small teriyaki restaurant which happened to be
only four blocks from where Mia lived. Because of the nature of his work, he
potentially met with dozens of new people every day.

“How
long do we have until the next murder?” Murdock asked.

“Friday,
that’s the next date on the calendar,” Maguire told him. He pulled a tan piece
of paper from his pocket and showed them the hand drawn calendar he fashioned
to follow the pattern and presumed dates of deaths for the future victims. “All
of the red numbers represent the next victim’s death.”