The Fledge Effect (18 page)

“There is one more thing, I didn’t tell
you. We did, however, conduct another test,
straight after finding you. But, it only worked on
one person out of the batch we tested. The rest
died, but this person survived. I don’t know who
it was, or if the person is a he or she, but all I
know is that it worked.”
“How was that possible. My team of
separate scientists were unable to pull it off.”
“Stem cells, but then the use of them for
any
medical, or experimental, purposes were
banned in the U.S...”
“Where is this person now?”
“No clue. They disappeared. The group
of scientist appointed to the project were all
slaughtered after disposing of his identity. Except one. The man who found you.”
“You two are the only ones that know
about this person, right? Is that what you are
saying?”
“Yes. You need to find this person. It
will be tricky. This person has undeniable
strength. They are strong enough to kill a Fledge
with their bare hands.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“They are valuable. They are almost exactly like a human, and doesn’t need blood to
survive… and based on what just happened, I
have no doubt that Hank would try to use this
person against everyone. Find this person before he does.”
“What if I can’t?”
He patted his blanket down upon his
chest. He drew it up to his chin, like a child hiding from monsters. “Then we lose. All will be
lost. All I wanted to do was help people. Instead,
I cursed them.”
She perched next to him, in a leather
seat. “Shhh. I’ll find him.”
Without them realizing it, Myers stood
within earshot right outside the door. He picked
up his cell phone, and rang the Amherst PD.
A woman picked up. “Hello?”
“Agent Hank Myers here. We have a
traitor amongst us. Lock it all down.”
“Code Black?”
“
Very black
.”
•••
Emily came up to her destination.
You’ll know
what to do
, she remembered. She didn’t know
what Brinks could have meant. The bridge was
empty. There were no cars, and the one remaining was empty.
Odd
, she thought. She looked
around, surveying the area for the owner of the
vehicle. She saw a lone man, walking to the edge
of the bridge.
Nick was expressionless during the entire trip. “I don’t trust it. What if it’s a trap?”
Parking her car, she stood on her feet,
and chased after him. He hoped on the ledge,
and she saw who it was. Agent Carlson.
Katie’s
dad
, she realized.
“Hey! Jack!”
He took one glance at her, tipped back
with a mouth full of whatever lingered inside his
silver flask. He wiped his mouth with the back
of his hand, swaying the flask between his
knees.
“What do you want?” he said, as she rushed towards him. She barely had enough time to catch
her breath. “Humph. Gasping for air. You’re human at least.” He emptied the flask, flinging it
into the freezing water beneath them.
“I’m not sure. Can you get down, so we
can talk? I was instructed to come here.”
“By whom?”
“Your partner, I believe.”
“I don’t want anything to do with her.
She killed my family.”
“Huh?”
He stood up, balancing his wobbly
stance on the metal beams.
“W-what… Get down! You’re going to
kill yourself.”
“Good,” he chuckled, “that’s the plan.”
“Why?”
“Why, not? Everything I love is gone!
My wife… Even my baby girl! Because of that
bitch that sent you on this goose chase.”
“Jack, right? Jack, your daughter is
alive! Please, get down here, and I-I c-can prove
it.”
“You would say just about anything to
get me down there. So, what? So you can off me
her
way?”
“W-what? No. Please. Trust me.”
“I won’t trust you,” he hoped down in
front of her, “but I will let you kill me. I guess
it’s better to have someone do it for you, right?”
“I’m not going to kill you. Katie misses
you. You are all she talks about.”
“You’re lying! I watched her die! I clung
her lifeless corpse to my chest!”
“If I were lying and you truly believed
she was dead then why didn’t you jump instead?
I mean, really?”
He didn’t respond with words, only an
icy glare spoke to her, telling her to stop talking.
But, she didn’t listen.
She softened her voice, and looked back
to see Nick still in the car with the windows
rolled up. She knew he couldn’t hear what she
was about to say. “Look. I know how you are
feeling. I know it very well.”
“Heh. No. No, you do not,” he said,
swinging his hand down in the air as if he were
slicing the tension between them.
“You’re right. I can’t even imagine what
it must be like to have your child ripped from
your arms,” she sarcastically said. “But, from
experience, I
do know
what it is like.”
He tilted his head to the side, leaning in
with his eyes. His face said, “Go on.” But, his
voice said, “Shut up!”
“My baby was taken from me. She
would be eighteen, tomorrow. She was put up
for adoption. I-it’s soul-crushingly, agonizingly
painful to walk through every day without her.
A black abyss swallows your heart, chews you
up, and spits your soul out on a daily basis when
you see the laughter shared between a parent
and their child,” she choked up, but pushed
through to her point, “but, you, you have a
chance to share that laughter. You
have
Katie.
She is safe, and well, in New Haven.”
“Those are real tears.…”
She nodded, wiping away her soaked
cheeks. “Yes.” She pulled herself together,
“Come on, I would feel much safer if we were
back at my mothers’ house. We have someone
helping us. He claims he might be able to help
solve this Fledge gene.”
“Who?”
“Doctor Seizer.”
He stopped walking. “What?” she said,
discerned by his blank face.
“That name… it was on the Project
Fledge files. Doctor H. Seizer.”
“Yeah, he used to work for Boss. But he
said he quit.”
“You can’t quit Boss. Besides, I found
his initials on a batch of the latest tests done. A
week ago, actually.”
“What?” Emily’s voice hardened. Her
gut tightened. “I left Katie with a worker of
Boss’? We got to hurry, now!” she said, rushing
to the car. She slammed down the gas pedal,
turning the wheel back to New Haven.
“What’s going on? Is someone after
us?”
“You remember Doctor Seizer?” Her
eyes widened, wildly stern. They spoke for her,
but her message was, rather, slowed in transmission.
“Yeah?” He held no conclusion as to
what she was pointing at, but the look on her
face, relaxed his senses in allowing him to realize what she meant. His face tensed, awry. “Oh,
shit.”

Her forehead beaded with tiny drops,
and cheeks reddened with warmth, despite the
dropping temperatures of the brisk, mid-October, air.

She dabbed her face with the tightly
wrapped purple scarf. However, clearing her
throat proved difficult as it tightened with anxiety.

Frightened eyes stared heavily upon
her. They demanded safety from whatever is
happening.

Even the Mayor, Eugene, held a cynical
gaze on his recently appointed Councilwoman.
His hair, the color of rusted steel, pulled loosely
off to the side of his rounded head that ended
with a double chin, and small mouth. His eyes,
green as money, revealed the only reason why
he ever became a man of power.

He rolled his eyes. “Are you sure?
Maybe all of this is a hoax. I don’t want to give
these people worries about nothing. These type
of feigned stories, are the reasons for the newcomers in the first place, supplies are running
low. Closing the wall will only result in an even
further depletion of such, besides, who told
them to even come here in the first place?”

“You’re insane. I should remove your
name from office.”
“Please do not punish her. She is only
doing what is best.” Katie, with folded hands behind her back, stood just below the podium. She
stepped up on the stand, next to Trudy. “Trust
us. This is no hoax.”
“How many more people do you have
believing this crap?” He turned to the audience.
“Who told you to come here?”
One man stood out in front. “Mayor
Jeremiah Daly told us that this is a safe place.
From Middletown.”
“Well, maybe you, too, would believe it
if you weren’t always hiding inside your house
like a turtle in its shell,” she said, eyeing him
with a tight gaze.
“What would that smug, Daly, know
about this? So, he has a problem then passes it
over to the next mayor willing to deal with this?
I think not!”
“She’s telling the truth!” Doctor Seizer,
who stood amongst the crowd, stepped forward.
“I can prove it more elaborately than Trudy,
here.”
She eyed him curiously, haven’t any
idea what proof he could show. As far as she
knew, George remained buried, and not to mention, he turned human after his passing. She
shook her head.
No way has he had any proof
than a real-life Fledge
, she thought.
Eugene, however, crossed his arms
tight enough to bunch his blue button up shirt.
His black overcoat wrinkled, matched his wrinkled forehead. “Fine. I’ll play along with this little charade.”
“Why don’t you believe my mother?
Has she ever led you wrong?” Maddie’s voice
chirped, snapped at his reluctant attitude.
He ignored her, allowing Seizer to proceed. “Prove me wrong, then.”
Seizer held up a vial, filled with green
liquid. “This, right here, is a substance I have
created, replicating the very problem we are
having today;
the Fledge gene
.”
The audience squirmed in place.
Creased faces and bitter spurs washed over
them with pure anger. Some demanded it to be
destroyed along with the rest of the Fledges.
Others demanded to know the man responsible
for such a creation. They were answered with a
stony gazed, silence.
Eugene chuckled. “Okay… I think we
have had enough of this little game. You’re upsetting everyone.”
“Heh, it proves everything.” His tongue,
thick with British dialect, ticked. He rolled up
his sleeve, exposed his forearm, and filled a syringe. “I will inject myself with it, and then you
will see.”
Eugene’s brittle breath shook. “N-now,
w-wait. Y-you don’t need to do that.”
“Really? I thought it was all a game,
hoax, to you. You’re scared. Heh. Too late.”
Seizer pressed it on his skin.
“No, stop,” Katie screamed. She piled
on top of him, tumbled down towards the
ground.
The syringe flung out of his hands. He
reached for them, grasping just a little too far
away. She pounced on him, holding him down.
He growled, grabbing her leg, and swung her
off. She attempted to retreat into Trudy’s arms,
but her hair was met with his firm grasp. She
cried out, but not in pain. She tried to pry his
hands free, but stopped the second he placed a
cool barrel against her back.
He chuckled, grabbed the syringe, and
stood up. “Yeah, you know what this will do to
you. Don’t you?”
“Let her go,” Trudy cried out.
He spun her around, digging the gun,
rather, into her abdomen. Trudy stepped closer.
“You come any closer, I will kill her!”
“She’s a little girl. You’re a psychopath!”
“Right. A little Fledge girl. It’s just a
matter of time before the entire human race
turns into one of these. Why fight them? You
will all lose, unless you become one of them!”
He jabbed the syringe into his thigh,
grunted. “Ahhh.”
Trudy whispered, “Katie, come here,”
when Seizer covered his eyes, with both hands.
He growled, wincing. His thigh burned
like flames from Hades’ home. It tingled with
sharp pricks, ending in a cooling sensation.
He glared up at them, flared. His eyes,
gunmetal blue, hungrily targeting Maddie. He
bolted after her, inhaling the intoxicating scent
of her pumping veins; the juices inside her
veins, made him thrive to yearn for the succulent taste amongst his tongue.
Her posture, rigid, and her eyes were
unable to blink.
Run
, she thought,
move out of his sight.
But, her feet refused to move to her command.
A tiny whimper escaped the back of her throat,
each centimeter he came closer to her. She
squeezed her eyes shut. His surly appearance,
slack-jawed and dead-set demeanor, refused to
dissipate its imagery from the back of her eyelids.
Steven halted his furtive movements
with inexplicable ease. Seizer’s body bounced
off his shoulder, shuddered. He writhed on the
ground, as Steven kept a sternness about him.
“Steven, no!” Maddie, shaken, teared
up as her heart jumped out of place.
Seizer, stunned, grunted back on his
feet. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Bring it,” Steven said, keeping a lowkey tone to his deep growl.
Seizer bolted towards him, determined
to chew his flesh like gum. However, he stopped
him by swiftly grasping him around his neck. He
raised him up in the air.
“How are you going to charge me now?”
Steven squeezed tighter, turning his face deep
red. “I can kill you, easily.”
He dropped Seizer to the ground, and
bellowed, “But, I don’t like easy things.”
“Argh!” Seizer, in one quick second, bit
his shin.
Steven kicked him off, jumped up into
the air, landing on Seizers chest with his elbow
pointed out.
Seizer yelled, wincing, “You. You are
the one.”
Steven pressed his arm into Seizers’
jugular. “What are you talking about?”
“You were… the one… we erased,” he
said, spatting after each pause.
Steven examined him, unable to read if
he were, indeed, telling the truth. His nostrils,
enflamed with bulging rage, protruded from his
face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Move your arm… I’ll tell you.”
Steven forced a sigh, ready to apply
more pressure, but something told him to listen.
“Fine.”
“It was twenty years ago….”
As Seizer explained, with each bit, Steven recalled those memories that he had always
played off as nightmares.
A seven-year-old boy rode his bike
around the block where he lived. Secret Service
Agents, watched precariously at him, and
snatched him up along with a hundred other
children. Seizer continued to explain that he
was lead in the earlier experiments of Project
Fledge. They had completed the series of genes,
perfecting them. However, anyone who was injected died. Their bodies couldn’t handle it. But,
one boy, in particular survived. “… You! You
were given impeccable strength, knowledge,
and you don’t even need to survive on flesh. You
can eat real food.”
“You’re lying. Yeah, I’m strong. So,
what?”
“The boy, who survived, lost his
memory. His name was Tommy; Thomas Michael Jean.”
He was ignoring Seizer, but the name
he spoke rang a familiar tone inside him. “What
did you say?”
“Ah,” Seizer grinned. “Sound familiar?”
“Who is it? Tell me! What does that boy
have anything to do with me?”
“He is you. You were given a new identity. Tommy was erased from anything and anyone who ever came in contact with him, after
he ran away.”
Steven shook his head violently. “I
don’t believe you!”
“You were adopted at seven, where you
not?”
“Shut up! That doesn’t prove anything!”
“You were found on the side of the road,
almost dead. You know exactly who you truly
are. Don’t you, now?”
“Shut up!”
“How else do you think that my bite did
not affect you? It is because you are the product
of such gene. The original, not a copy like me…
You are a, well, Super Fledge, if you like dallying
in comic book personas,” he said, chuckled.
Steven, pulsated by the flooding of his
repressed memories, dropped him to the
ground next to Seizer.
“One more thing,” Seizer said, rising
from the ground. He shadowed over Steven,
“The only time you are weak is when you are
weak in the mind. And, about now, I would say
that you are on the verge of a mental breakdown. Hope you don’t mind if I kill you.”
Seizer hovered over him, opening his
mouth wide enough to tear his neck from his
head.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots, fired one after the other,
rang through the eerie silence. Seizer snarled,
and then groaned.
Steven jumped, checked if he were shot,
looked up as Seizer’s lifeless body weighed its
way down.
He rolled out of the way, avoiding the
crushing sound Seizer made as he hit the pavement.
He gasped, breathing rapidly. “What
the hell? Who— “
He ran his sight across the circling
crowd, landing on Maddie. Her eyes held open
a wide expression, as she trembled the tightgripped gun between her hands.
He headed towards her, rose one hand,
and took the barrel of the gun with his other
hand. He stayed in defense, pointing the gun to
the ground. He emptied the rounds, keeping
steady eye contact with her. When the bullets
clanked to the ground, her eyes filled with color.
She began sobbing gently.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
She nodded. “Y-you… I-I…”
He held up a finger to her lips. “I’m fine.
At least, if I have you by my side, I know I will
be.”
She tilted her head, squinting her eyes.
“What do you— “
He grabbed her by the face, brought her
towards him, and gently pressed against her
lips. He pulled away. “I was wrong to ever pick
Theresa over you.”
She giggled. “Well, you don’t really pick
her. More like, you catch her like you would a
disease that lasts for life.”
Theresa raced to his side. “Steven,
honey, are you okay?” She patted his left peck,
shimmering off the huge carat on her ring finger.
He lifted her hand, grimaced at the
ring. “I didn’t give that to you.”
“Oh, well, I know work is slim now, so I
used my own money to by myself one. No
Biggy.”
“Yes,” he exasperated. “Huge
Biggy
.”
“What? I didn’t see nothing wrong with
it. We have been together for years. You need to
commit to me by now.”
“You know what? No. Actually, that is
the problem. You think everything you do is
good. But it is not. It is selfish. So… We are
done. Through. Over.”
“But, no. I won’t allow it.”
He wrapped his arm around Maddie’s
shoulder, bumped past Theresa, and then
steadily walked away.
Theresa through her fists down,
screeching in frustration. “Ark!”
Emily cleared her throat. “Did we miss
anything?”
Maddie grinned, reddened. “You’re
back!”
“Yeah. But, where is Seizer?”
“Look for yourself,” Maddie said, pointing at the ground to his lumped over body.
“Oh, good.”
Jack pulled Emily out of his way. He
swirled his head around, then froze. With wide
eyes, he found her.
He crinkled his eyes, pulling Katie into
his chest.
Emily smiled, and then her lip quivered. She folded her lips in, creating a thinlipped smile when Nick brushed passed her.
Marcel, slumped, sent a chain of thorny guilt
and sadness throughout her brittle, but deepened, heart. “We’ll find her,” she assured him.
He nodded, sullen. “I know. But I have
an idea of where she might be.”
“Where?”
“My old lab.”
“Okay, sure.” She rubbed his upper
arm, but felt unsure if her sympathetic warmth
went through with him having an icy stare out
towards nowhere in particular.
Nick started walking away. Emily
asked, “Where are you going.”
He paused, bowed his head, then spun
around on his heels.
She felt safe in his eyes, but knew that it
wouldn’t change anything.
Her phone rung. “Hello?” she said.
“Hello, Emily.”
“Hank?”
Nick stepped towards her, narrowing
his eyes.
“It’s
Boss
, now. The first one is about to
meet his fate. Just wanted to send you a message.”
“What?”
“You’re next.”
The line clicked. She hunched her
shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself.
She clenched her phone tight, and nodded at
Trudy. “Close that wall.”
“What is it?” Nick pressed.
“Hank. He’s behind it all. Or, at least, he
is trying to make it seem that way. I don’t know.
But, our lives are in danger, because we are trying to stop this.”
“Well, if I have to die soon, then there is
one thing I have wanted to do since we came
here. I just didn’t know how to, or what to say.
But, now, I have no time to waste.” He looked
down at his feet, then back up to Emily.
“Please… Come with me.”
She nodded. “S-sure, Nick. Okay. To
where, exactly?”
He looked back at her, barely revealing
his chin over his shoulder. He sighed. “My parents.”
She followed behind. Her palms started
feeling sweaty under her gloves. She twiddled
her thumbs, and kept silent for most of the walk.
But she couldn’t stand another awkward step.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, how
are they going to react?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “probably
the same way they reacted the day I left to find
you.”
“I’m getting the hint that they don’t like
me too much. All I did was skip town for a better
life of my own.”
“And how did that work out for you?”
“Not at first, but as the years passed it
got better. Well, sort of.”
A grim smile tightened his lips. “Exactly.”
They came up to a red door, surrounded
by a white frame, and beige-yellow siding. In the
top center, a small window, typically found in
public restrooms, protruded from the door. It
has always looked weird to Emily, but it doubled
as a mail slot, and peephole. Which, in her eyes,
seemed efficient. At least, up until ten years ago
when mailpersons stopped delivering mail to
the doors. It was deemed more efficient to just
drop mail off at the corner of every block. No
matter if the owner was disabled, or not, like
Misses Leanne Douglas, Nick’s Mother.
She was the one who opened the door.