Post by Stardrifter on Mar 28, 2013 20:58:33 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter
#3 - From the Depths: Part Three
The drive into Portland isn't too long, having none of the weekday commuter traffic on Saturday. Tom's green '96 Ford Taurus chugs along the highway, the radio playing through only three speakers. Arthur sits in the backseat, straining to hear Tom and Jenna's conversation about all his most embarrassing moments involving his abilities. At first he's upset, but Jenna's laughter and bright eyes reveal she's beginning to get used to the idea of Arthur being different.
It takes almost ten minutes for Tom to find a parking spot in the garage next to the Maine Medical Center. It's almost ten o-clock as they stroll into the hospital, the morning sun already making the temperature reach into the 90° area. Jenna takes her long sleeve shirt off, revealing a Blur T-shirt underneath, and ties it around the waist of her jeans. Arthur gives her a smirk, lowering his eyes to indicate his plain gray tank top and cargo shorts. His look is an unspoken, "I told you so," causing her to stick her tongue out at him.
Walking down the hallway toward Brian's room, Arthur snatches a rubber glove off a cart. He jumps ahead of Jenna and Tom, a large grin on his face, and pushes the door open. "Okay, Mr. Collins. Just one last test. I assure you it will only hurt for a moment." Arthur gives the glove a hard snap as he puts it on.
Brian looks up from buttoning a short sleeved Hawaiian shirt, his eyes wide open, until he realizes it's Arthur and laughs. He grabs the pillow behind him and throws it at his friend, who ducks just in time for it to hit Jenna in the face.
"Oooh!" both the boys say in unison.
"Sorry!" Brian yells, jumping up to walk over.
"You okay?" Arthur asks.
Jenna's response is to grab the pillow and start swinging at both of them. The three friends laugh and run about the room. Tom finally enters, not at all surprised at the raucous. A short, round, dark haired woman sneaks around the chaos to walk up to Tom.
"Thank you so much," she says, hugging the much taller man.
"It's all right, Grace," Tom says, returning the hug. "I'm just glad they're all okay. Besides, it was Arthur who deserves the praise. He revived your son."
Grace steps into the middle of the pillow fight and throws her arms around Arthur, causing the teens to stop. Arthur and Brian give each other an awkward look, while Jenna whispers, "Awww."
"Thank you," Grace whispers into Arthur's chest.
"Um...your welcome."
After an awkward few seconds, Brian finally steps in. "Okay, Mom," he says, trying to pry her arms off him. "He gets it."
"You just," Grace says, holding back tears. "You don't understand how important you are. To me and your father."
"Yes, so important he couldn't miss work," Brian says sarcastically.
"Brian that's not fair!" Grace raises her voice. "Your father is a busy man. He..."
"Can we not do this right now, Mom?" A meaningful look from Brian reminds his mother they're surrounded by others. Fortunately, a nurse walks in in time to distract them all.
"All right Brian," the nurse says. "You're all set. Time to go."
****
Cars part along the streets of Portland, making way for the ambulance. On the gurney inside lies Dr. Simon Jones, covered in blood and bruises. He's conscious, staring up at the ceiling, but doesn't respond to the EMT at all. The well built, dark skinned man checks him over while a police officer sits beside him, his sweaty hand hovering close to his side arm.
"Can you tell me your name?" the EMT asks for the third time as he looks into Simon's eyes. "Can you tell me what day it is?" As before, Simon shows no response. His eyes blink, causing the chubby police officer to jump slightly and grasp his gun handle. "You always this jumpy?" the EMT asks.
"Something about this guy," the officer tells him without taking his eyes off of Simon. He reaches up and wipes the sweat from his balding forehead. "Somethings just not right. The reports we got before you got there..."
The officer trails off as they brace themselves while the ambulance takes a sharp turn. The EMT turns back to Simon. Just as he looks into Simon's eyes, they suddenly turn to face him.
"Jesus!" the officer shouts, his knuckles white from his grip on his gun.
"Shut up!" the EMT boldly tells him. "Can you hear me?"
"In more ways than one," Simon says in a calm, even voice. "Harold Stephens."
The EMT's eyes go wide. "How do you know my name?"
"The human mind is a rather simple thing," Simon tells him, their eyes locked. "It vexed us at first, but once we had taken rest we were able to finally master it."
"We?" the officer asks, leaning past Harold. He unclips his holster, leaving his gun free to be drawn at a moments notice. "Whose 'we,' you creepy fuck?"
"We are the amalgamation of what was once Dr. Simon Jones and another," Simon tells the officer, his intense stare causing the officers face to flinch. "We did not have a name. We did not exist in a manner in which you could comprehend. We found this place, this one, and merged with it. We are now one."
Harold pulls his radio closer to his mouth and says, "This is 817. We're gonna need a psych eval standing by."
"You fear us, Frank Jenkins," Simon tells the officer, his eyes continuing to stare. "This is good. Fear, is good. And you should be afraid."
"All right just shut the fuck up!" Officer Jenkins pulls out his gun and points it at Simon. Harold raises his hands, more afraid of Jenkins than Simon.
Simon doesn't show any signs of fear. He doesn't even flinch. "Humanity is such a lowly, disgusting species. Even the part of us that is Simon Jones thought so." Finally, Simon lays his head back down and closes his eyes.
The ambulance slows down as it pulls up to Maine Medical Center. Harold slowly reaches out toward Officer Jenkins. Jenkins doesn't move, sweat dripping down into his eyes, until Harold places a hand over his wrist and gently pushes his arms down. Finally, Jenkins looks away from Simon and holsters his gun.
The ambulance stopped, Harold opens the door and jumps out, taking a deep breath of the car exhaust and enjoying it over the cramped ambulance. Jenkins slides out of the ambulance and leans over, trying not to vomit. The other EMT walks over from the drivers side and gives Harold a confused look.
"You don't even want to know!"
Simon doesn't resist as they pull his gurney out of the ambulance and wheel him into the emergency room. A small flicker of emotion on Simon's face goes unnoticed as they pass the room with the mail man from before. A smile briefly forms at the sound of the mail man screaming in agony.
They come to a stop and transfer Simon over to a bed. A tall, gray haired nurse walks over to check on Simon. She looks at him as if he's just a speed bump on her way through another day. So disinterested is she, that she doesn't realize he looks on her with even less regard.
"And how are you today?" she mumbles.
"We are much better than you, Ellen Darby," Simon says, causing the nurse to stop what she's doing and look up at him. "Your mind is preoccupied with your coworker. We would even say, obsessed. You can really find no pleasure in life but by seeing her in pain? How small you are."
"What've we got?" The doctor walks in in a hurry. His short, brown hair is disheveled. Two days of stubble has grown in on his face, betraying the fact that he's been at work for almost twenty-four hours. He pulls a handkerchief out on his coat and wipes his glasses off, only looking up when he doesn't get an answer. He looks about in confusion, finding Ellen backing away from Simon slowly and the officer and EMTs just staring in silence. "Nurse?"
"Ellen Darby is in the midst of an existential crisis, Dr. Reginald Simmons," Simon says. He slowly sits up to address the doctor. "Your mind is quite exhausted. You care for the weak, and in so doing work yourself into weakness. It is a flaw."
"I don't...I," Dr. Simmons starts, dumbfounded at the situation he's walked into. "What the hell is..."
"We have seen enough," Simon says, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The EMTs and Officer Jenkins try to stop him, but are instantly frozen. Their eyes dart about, filled with fear but unable to cry out. "With the knowledge we possess from the part of us that was Dr. Simon Jones, we shall bring our people to Earth and cleanse it of the human filth." Simon stands up and turns toward Dr. Simmons and Ellen. His eyes are focused and deadly. He doesn't use his powers to hold them still, his stare alone accomplishes that. "We shall begin here."
The EMTs and Officer Jenkins begin to cry out as they convulse in pain. Blood pours from every orifice of their heads and they fall to the ground. Ellen screams in terror and runs, never looking back. Dr. Simmons looks on in horror before snapping into action. He runs out the door, turns the corner, and slams his hand down on the fire alarm. The alarm sends the hospital into action, the nurses and doctors all going about the plan of escape.
"Call the poli..." Dr. Simmons starts to shout as he turns around, cut short by Simon standing right in front of him. There is no malice or hatred in his eyes, only determination. He tilts his head slightly, as if studying Dr. Simmons.
"Your efforts are wasted," Simon whispers, walking past Dr. Simmons writhing form.
****
The fire alarm springs to life around them, causing the group to pause as they're about to leave Brian's room. Grace's hands clamp around Brian's arm, her over protectiveness reacting to the slightest thing. The nurse walks in front of the group and motions down the hall. "It's the fire alarm. Remain calm and head this way toward the exit. Don't take the elevator."
The group does as they're told, Tom taking the lead. Arthur reaches down and takes Jenna's hand. She looks up at the sudden touch, trying to see a reaction in Arthur's face, but he's already ahead of her, walking with purpose. She has to speed up to not get dragged behind him.
As they work their way down the hall, it begins to fill up with people as patients exit their rooms, many in wheelchairs or still in their beds. Arthur and Jenna get cut off from the others when a large family piles out of a room, cutting right in between them. It's not long before Arthur loses sight of his father in all the pushing and shoving.
"This is nuts!" Jenna yells over all the noise. Arthur doesn't respond, instead only looking back to make sure she's still there and then gives her hand a squeeze.
A minute or two later and they finally make it to the stairway. Arthur sticks his head over the railing, looking down the flights for some sign of his father, Brian, or Grace. He doesn't see them, but he barely has time to search before getting pushed to move on. As they start slowly making their way downstairs, Jenna pulls her hand back in order to cover her ears against the still blaring fire alarm.
A commotion starts up when they reach the third floor. At first it's the sound of loud banging drifting through the open doorway. It's quickly followed by screams. The people on the stairs begin to panic. The already cramped crowd starts trying to run down the steps, knocking others down in the process. To avoid being trampled, Arthur grabs Jenna by the waist and pulls her through the third floor doorway. More follow suit, but they begin to push their way back onto the stairway when the screams get louder.
Another scream rings out behind them. Arthur looks just in time to see a man fly around the corner and smash into the wall, falling into an unmoving heap on the floor. He turns back and forces an opening into the crowd and pushes Jenna into it.
"Arthur!" she screams, trying to come back to him but having to follow along with the crowd.
"Go! I'll be right behind you!" It takes a few seconds for Arthur to make his way onto the stairway. When he does, he turns back and catches a glimpse of a bald man covered in dirt and blood entering the elevator.
It's a grueling walk down the stairs, Arthur no longer able to see Jenna. As he finally makes his way to the bottom floor, more screaming can be heard coming from the lobby. The crowd tries to go back up the stairs, but Arthur pushes his way through. All he can think about is that those screams might be his father or his friends. When he rounds the corner to the large, open lobby he isn't prepared for the sight in front of him.
In the center of the lobby stands the same man he saw enter the elevator. The large desk that normally sits in the center of the lobby is lying upended across the room. The standing plants and benches lie strewn about on the floor. A half dozen bodies lie motionless, covered in blood, and another dozen people are either cowering or convulsing in front of the bald man. One of them is Jenna.
The sight of Jenna sets Arthur off. Under the assumption the bald man in the center of the room is the cause, Arthur charges. Even though he plays quarterback, anyone who saw him would assume he was an expert on defense by the way he tackles the bald man. They tumble over onto the ground, and Jenna's convulsions immediately stop. The rest of the crowd run away.
Arthur ends up on top of the man. He rears his hand back to punch him when he's suddenly thrown across the lobby. Arthur get back to his feet quickly, not sure what happened but preparing for another attack. The bald man rises up off the ground, like Dracula in an old horror movie, in a fluid, unnatural motion. Not sure what to make of it, except that he's a threat, Arthur starts another charge.
Just as quickly as he starts, he stops. His mind feels like a pressure is pushing in on all sides. Purely on instinct, Arthur pushes back against the pressure with his own thoughts. It's a great strain, and it's all Arthur can do to keep the pressure back, but not repel it.
The two men stare at each other from across the room. The bald man's face quickly turns to confusion. <How are you resisting us? What are you?>
The words invade Arthur's mind, surprising him, since he didn't use his ability to read them. It does shed light on his situation. Trying not to get distracted from keeping the pressure at bay, Arthur replies, <No idea. What the hell are you?>
<We are Dr. Simon Jones. And we are more. Much more than you.> Images flash through Arthur's mind. Images of a strange world unlike Earth. Green waters with no dry land and the myriad of creatures that live there. There are no words, yet Arthur begins to understand what this creature is, and what it wants.
<You want to invade our world? Why?>
<You creatures are odd. Contradictory. Weak. Yet through this one we have gained strength. We shall all gain strength here. We shall be the strong.>
From Simon's thoughts and the images he saw, Arthur pieces together what he means. In it's world, the creature was at the bottom of the food chain. A weak being hunted by all others and feared by none. Through it's melding with Simon, the two have somehow gained a power neither possessed alone, and now it wants to be the predator rather than the prey.
<I won't let you!> Arthur thinks defiantly, despite his strength fading and the pressure in his mind beginning to gain ground. <I'll fight! We all will!>
A chuckle escapes Simon's lips. <Humans are weak. Ineffectual. You are the first to offer any substantial resistance to us. You are not the norm. You are failing.>
Arthur hears the truth in those words. He can't keep the pressure back. He can feel Simon's mind forcing it's way in and there's nothing he can do about it. His eyes turn the sight of Jenna lying on the ground. A small sense of relief wells up at the sight of her chest going up and down, telling him she's still alive. He just hopes that after he's dead, Simon doesn't finish what he started.
Just as the pressure is about to push past his defenses, it's suddenly gone. Arthur looks up to find Simon stumbling over and his father, Tom, standing behind him. Tom continues the assault, punching Simon in the stomach and wrapping his arm around his throat in a sleeper hold.
"Dad! Get out of here!" Arthur yells, running over to them. Before he can get there, Simon uses his powers to send Tom careening into the air. He lands with a hard impact against the wall and slides down onto the floor. Simon turns to continue the assault.
Arthur pushes his concern for his father aside and focuses on Simon. He figures Simon's powers require concentration, so he does his best to keep him distracted. He reaches out with his left hand and turns Simon around, throwing a hard right fist right into his face. It sends Simon spiraling across the floor, and should have broken every bone in his jaw, except that Arthur could tell it didn't actually connect with him. Simon had some sort of telekinetic shield up just inches from his body.
Not wanting to give Simon the chance to recover, Arthur continues his assault. He kicks Simon in the back, sending him sliding across the floor. Simon stumbles to his feet and sends a telekinetic wave toward him, trying to keep Arthur off him. Arthur braces himself, keeping his feet but sliding back a foot along the floor. There's too much distance between them for Arthur to reach him before Simon could assault his mind again, so he reaches down and grabs a nearby bench, slinging it at Simon with as much force as he can muster.
Simon's eyes go wide at the sight of the bench headed for him. He reaches out with his telekinesis and knocks it aside, only to be tackled again by Arthur. The two crash into the large window in the front of the hospital lobby, tumbling out onto the street. The small crowd across the street gasp in shock, some turning to run. The firefighters who were preparing to enter the hospital look over in confusion, not sure how to react.
Simon untangles himself from Arthur and uses his telekinesis to push himself into the air, leaping twenty feet away from Arthur. What's left of the crowd run screaming at the sight and the firefighters duck down behind their fire engine. Arthur tries to make it to Simon in time, but stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the street. A sickening grin spreads across Simon's face, the look in his eyes like a shark about to slaughter his prey.
Arthur does what he can to repel Simon's mental attack, but isn't very successful. Already exhausted from before, his defense falls quickly. The pressure pushes against his mind from all sides, causing Arthur to convulse. Blood begins to drip down out of his nose when the wind suddenly picks up around them.
A red tranquilizer dart hits Simon in the neck. He releases Arthur and looks up to see a silent, unmarked helicopter descending. A squad of five soldiers in all black military gear and armor jump down onto the street. Their faces are concealed behind black helmets with black visors. Standing in the helicopter is a woman dressed in the same gear, but with only sunglasses on her face, her long black hair tied in a ponytail, flowing behind her head.
Despite the tranquilizer in his neck, Simon turns and attacks the soldiers. He sends two flying with his telekinesis, one going straight up into the helicopter blades. The other three fire more darts, but Simon blocks them with a telekinetic shield. A soldier tries running up to Simon as the other two continue firing, but Simon gives him a look that knocks him to the ground, writhing in pain.
Arthur, having fallen to his hands and knees once he was freed, wipes the blood from his nose. Watching the soldiers losing to Simon, Arthur rises to his feet and shouts his thoughts into Simon's mind. <You're not done with me yet, Simon!>
Simon's head snaps around to look at Arthur, the sudden intrusion in his mind distracting him. Before he and Arthur can continue their own battle, the black haired woman inside the helicopter jumps down onto the street, walks forward with a determined stride, and raises a taser. The darts spring forth from the gun, planting themselves into Simon's head and neck. The electricity coursing through them bring Simon to his knees, where the remaining two soldiers fire multiple darts into him as well.
The woman casually drops the taser and reaches up to her ear. "Manhunter Five to Bones. Threat is neutralized. Package is on it's way."
"Wait!" Arthur yells, rushing toward them. One of the soldiers raises his gun at Arthur's face and shouts at him to back off. Arthur raises his hands up but otherwise ignores him. "You don't understand! He's more dangerous than..."
"Who the hell are you?" the woman asks, giving him a deadly look from behind her sunglasses.
"Who the hell are you?" Arthur echoes.
"I'm the one in charge here," she says in a cold voice. She dismisses the soldier holding Arthur back with a sharp nod of her head. He joins the others in binding and gathering up Simon. "That's all you need to know. You have something you need to share?"
Her entire body language is deadly. Her voice is cold and calculating. It disturbs Arthur enough to break his own rule, he reads her thoughts. He doesn't like what he finds. "No," Arthur mumbles. "No. I just...he killed so many. He...Dad!" Arthur turns and runs back to the hospital, leaving the woman slightly confused but otherwise uninterested. Her team throws Simon into the helicopter and gathers all the evidence of their being there before taking off.
Inside the lobby, Arthur finds Jenna lying on a gurney, conscious but weak. He gives her a quick smile, certain she's fine, before turning to find Tom. He runs up to find a firefighter helping him slowly to his feet. Tom rubs his neck and arches his lower back, sore but otherwise uninjured.
"Dad!" Arthur shouts, throwing his arms around him, causing Tom to let out a loud breath. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine." When they let each other go, Arthur holds onto Tom as they head over toward Jenna.
<You shouldn't have done that,> Arthur says in Tom's mind. <What were you thinking?>
<I was thinking that my son was still inside the hospital, possibly hurt. I'd never leave you, Arthur.>
The father and son share a warm smile as they walk up to Jenna's gurney. She smiles despite the situation. Her voice is scratchy but strong. "You two okay? Where's Brian and Grace?"
"Oh they're fine," Tom assures her. "We made it out safe. When I realized you two weren't behind us, I came back to find you."
"We need to take her to the E.R.," an EMT tells them.
"I'm coming with her," Arthur declares, leaving no room for discussion. He takes Jenna's hand in his and walks beside her as they wheel her away. Tom walks behind them, smiling to himself.
-The End-