11/19/13

Twenty Seven

They were silent at the table.  Each seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.  Larissa looked at the man that sat across from her.  She knew what he was talking about.  She had seen similar things in her visions at night.  The other parts of herself had shown her how what John called the corporation, siphoned off their energy once they were contracted. 

She had not been aware that there was really anything she could do about it.  To her the last few days had been a bit of a game.  And lighting everyone up, connecting them with themselves was fun.  It was so joyful to see people whole.

“Let me get this straight,” Keith said, “You expect us to believe that Larissa has changed you in some way and now you want to be on our side?”

The man’s shoulders slumped.

“No.” He replied. “I don’t want to be on your side.  I don’t want to be on any side.  What I want is for myself to feel whole again.  To live my life with all of me present.  To not be at the command of the corporation.”

Keith and Tiana exchanged looks.  Larissa wondered what they knew that she did not know.

“What happens if I set you free?” Larissa asked. “Will they come after you?  Will they know what I have done and come after me specifically?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.  Probably.  But really, what I do know is that I have tasted what you have to offer and I don’t think I can go on living on this earth without it.”

“So, what do you think?” Larissa looked at Tiana and Keith. 

“We need to go to our council and see what they have to say.  Up until this moment our plan was simply to get Larissa out of here, to get here somewhere safe so that the corporation could not get to her.  Then we were going to evaluate her abilities and try to figure out why she was wanted so badly.” Tiana replied.

“Now you know.” Said John. 

“Yes, now we know what she is wanted for.  She is wanted because she has the ability to shut their entire operation down.  And she doesn’t even have to touch every person to do it.” Tiana said.

“No.  It seems that most people can be set free by just being around those who have already been set free.” John said.

Larissa wasn’t sure what to make of the whole situation.  She could set people free, didn’t that mean that there were others like her as well?

“I can’t be the only one who is capable of this.” Larissa said.

“As far as I know, you are the only free person who is capable of it.” John replied. “There may be others, but it is likely that they are under contract and unable to do what they once did.”

“Or they may not be developed yet.” Tiana said. “There are many who are just coming of age, just coming into their abilities and don’t know what they are capable of yet.”

“So, what is your decision?” John asked.

“I will set you free.  But not tonight.  I don’t have a plan in place, and I think that as soon as I set you free I have to leave.” Larissa said.

“They are sending backup.” John blurted out. “They think that I have been compromised in some way.”

“Shit.” Tiana said, “Why didn’t you mention that before?  That changes everything.  We have to get Larissa out tonight.”

“What does that mean?” Larissa asked.

“It means that you pack a bag, you pack everything that means anything to you and we cloak you energetically and we leave tonight.” Tiana said. “We cannot risk you staying here if they are sending additional people.”

“What can they do to me?  I mean really?” Larissa asked.

“They can steal your soul Larissa.” Keith said, “I’ve seen it.”

“But how?  I know better than to sign a contract.  I know enough about what they are attempting to do, I would keep myself safe.” Larissa said.

“That is what you think. That is what they all think.” John replied. “That isn’t how it works.  I was an exception, I was willing to give up a part of myself.  Most of the people who come in, well they are brought in.  They are not willing.  We capture them in the middle of the night, often with the assistance of the local authorities.  We make up some story about why they are wanted and we go in and grab them.  We disorient them, we don’t allow them to know where they are or what time it is.  We torture them, keeping them up all the time, not feeding them or feeding them unhealthy processed foods.  By the time we ask them to sign the contract they are more than willing to hand over anything just to have some semblance of the life they once had.  Trust me, they know what they are doing.”

“Couldn’t I just light them up, connect those who come after me with the rest of themselves and stay safe?” Larissa asked.

“You might be able to do that.  Honestly we don’t know if it would actually work.  We will have to experiment on John here and see.” Tiana said.

“Ok.  So I set John free and we run for it?” Larissa asked.

“Yes, kind of.” Tiana said. “First we pack.  Then we go to the edge of the bubble.  We’ll set John free at the edge of the bubble and make a run for it.”

“Alright.” Larissa looked around the table.  The faces stared back at her, each with a different type of apprehension about them. 

“We will meet back here in a hour.  I will stay here with Larissa.” Tiana said.  “Go back your bags, both of you.”

Keith and John left her tiny apartment.  Larissa made her way to her bedroom and started packing up the few belongings she would be taking with her.  She pulled a bag from her closet and started sorting through the things she owned.  Tiana sat on the bed and watched her.

“Do you think I will be back?” Larissa asked.

“I certainly hope that this is only temporary, Larissa.  But I cannot answer that question.” Tiana said.

Larissa nodded and kept packing.

Twenty Eight

John stood in the small dorm room and looked out the window.  He had quickly packed all the belongings he would be taking with him.  He wasn’t sure how quickly they would feel him drop from the grid, but he figured it would be pretty instantaneous considering what had happened earlier in the day.  He hoped that he would have time to get out, to really run from them.  He hoped that he would be able to connect with enough of himself to perhaps find a way to shield himself from them so they wouldn’t be able to see him any more. 

He wondered if any of it were actually possible.

He looked down at the laptop on the bed.  He would not be taking it with him.  It held no personal information.  In fact nothing he had held any personal information any more.  John was almost literally a non person.  He doubted if anyone that he knew before joining the corporation would recognize him now. 

What would he do?  Where would he go?  He saw only possibilities when he looked out the window. 

John decided not to wait the full hour before heading back to the girl’s apartment.  He wanted to be out of his current situation as quickly as possible.  Picking up his bag he walked to the door and reached for the handle.  Just as he was about to turn it there was a knock at the door.  He hesitated, not sure who it could be. 

“John? Are you there?” A voice whispered on the other side.

John didn’t answer.  He stood, staring at the door.

“I swear I saw him return.  I’m sure he’s in there.  Maybe he’s asleep.” Another voice said.

“Maybe you didn’t actually see him.” Said the first voice.

They had sent back up much faster than John had expected.  The two voices on the other side of the door were two of the most vicious members of the corporation that John knew.  They never missed a catch. 

What was he going to do?  He couldn’t exactly go out the window.  There was only one door to the room and the two were standing outside of it.  He had to figure out how to escape. 

“What should we do?  Knock again?” Said the second voice.

“Maybe we should just wait outside the door until he comes out or comes back.” Said the first voice.

John felt his heart beat accelerate.  If they choose to wait for him he would miss the meeting with Larissa.  He had to find a way out of the room.

“Hey, what are you two doing at that door?” An authoritative voice sounded from down the hall.  John recognized the RA for the dorm. 

“We were looking for John.” Said the first voice.

“Do you have passes?  Are you registered with campus?” Asked the RA.

“What?” Said the second voice.

“Look, you can’t just come on campus and start knocking on people’s doors.  That’s not how the system works.”  The RA said.

“Oh, but we’re John’s uncles.” The first voice said.

“Doesn’t matter if you are John’s Dad, or the Pope.  You need to register before coming into the dorms.  I’m surprised that someone didn’t stop you before.  You will both need to come with me and register.” The RA said.

John listened as the two were led away, grumbling and complaining.  He cracked the door open and watched them turn the corner.  Then he flung himself out of the room and headed the other direction as quickly as possible. 

Twenty Nine

They were all sitting around the table when there was a knock at the door.  Tiana answered it and saw John, who looked white as a sheet.

“They have come early.  And they sent the worst of the bunch.” John said.

“The back up is here already?” Tiana said.  She glanced over at Larissa and Keith.  Both were packed and ready to go.  Keith had put all of their bags in his car at the edge of campus. 

“Yes.  I didn’t know they would come so fast.”

“We’re ready.” Said Larissa, “It doesn’t matter does it?”

“Well, it means that they are closer than we would like.  They might be able to find us if we are not fast enough.” Tiana said.

“What about John?” Larissa asked.

“What about him?” Asked Tiana.

“If I clear him, won’t he be vulnerable?  Won’t they be able to find him and put him under contract again?” Larissa asked.

Tiana looked at the man who stood before her.  He was not much older than herself.  They were both young.  What would he do?  She had been wondering that all afternoon.  Once he was set free, where would he go?  The corporation would want him back, that was for sure.  But he had seemed reluctant to join them instead.

“Well?” Tiana asked John, “What will you do?”

“I don’t know.” John looked defeated. 

“Then you will come with us.” Larissa said.

Tiana looked at Larissa, then at Keith and finally turned to John.  Larissa’s face was set, she was certain of this path.  Keith did not like the suggestion, it was written all over his face.  John, John wasn’t sure what to think, Tiana thought.

“Well John?” Tiana asked.

“Ok.  I don’t know what else to do.  I want to be free, but I have nowhere to go.  And you are right, without ties to someone or someplace, they will likely pick me up again.  And the consequences of my actions will be harsh.” John said.

“You are welcome to join us John.  You will find that we are not like the corporation, that we will not require you to do things that you do not wish to do. But you must be loyal.  Our entire future lies in the balance.” Tiana said.

“I understand and I thank you for the kind offer.” John said.

“Well, no sense sitting around here waiting for the others to find us.  Let’s get to the car and break out of here!” Tiana said. 

They walked out the apartment, each looking around but not seeing the people or the buildings.  They were searching for more.  Tiana was looking for the other men the corporation had sent.  She knew they were in serious danger if John was scared.  She only hoped they were able to escape in time.

They got to the car without incident.  They all got inside and Keith started the engine. 

Tiana turned to Larissa.

“It’s time Larissa.  Set John free.”

Larissa nodded at her and then turned to John.  Tiana watched as the energy around John shifted.  At first the shift was small, slight and hard to see.  Then he was glowing like a light, his entire body shifting and pulsing with the energy that Larissa was pushing through him.  He was connected to himself again. 

Tiana turned to Keith.

“Drive, quickly.  We don’t have much time to get out of here now.”

Keith stepped on the gas and they shot out of the parking lot.  Tiana cloaked the car and everyone in it as they approached the edge of the bubble.  She prayed that what they were about to do would actually work.