Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sarah sat alone at the desk in her room, facing the computer screen.  She also had an ipad, but for certain things, the computer was better.  Right now, she was using it to skype with her father. 

“Dad, you aren’t seriously thinking of bringing Dash here!”

“You say that like you would prefer otherwise.”  Even over the speakers the warning was clear. 

Sarah’s composure didn’t change.  “No, but he just lost his mom, and we still don’t know what happened to his father.  I’m not certain bringing him here would be the best place for him to be right now.”

“On the contrary,” answered her father, his voice smooth and warm, as if explaining something to a young child, “bringing him here is the best option.  Whoever took him may want to attempt another kidnapping, or, worse yet, murder.  Our house has one of the best security systems around, and he’d be well cared for as he recovered.  It would be perfect.  And he may be able to accompany you on your trip.  It might be good for him, to travel to someplace that doesn’t remind him of his parents.  And if he left the country, he might be even safer from these people than if he stayed here.”

“And of course,” Sarah cut in sarcastically, “there is always the chance that he could test…”

“Now, we shouldn’t mention that over this feed.”  Her father cut in.  You never know who could be listening.”

“Fine.” Sarah conceded.  “You get him here.  I’ll take care of him.”

Her father smiled.  “Good.  Now, on a different subject, I will be sending you a new upgrade for our project.  Be a good little good and install it for me, won’t you.”

Sarah glared at him.  “Like I have a choice.”

The smile never left the man’s face.  “I’m glad you understand.  I love you.  Goodbye Sarah.”

----------------------------------------------

I had spent only a week home before my dad approached me.  “Pack your bags.  You’ve got a new assignment.”
“This soon?” I was amazed.  Usually, there was at least a month, usually more, between each assignment. 

“Yup.  You should enjoy this one.  That kid you rescued, well, the powers-that-be are worried about his safety.  They’re moving him to his other uncle’s house.”

“Who’s this uncle?”

“A man by the name of Jackson.  Jackson Real.”

My eyes shot open.  I should have realized it sooner, but hadn’t thought to put two and two together.  “Not that Jackson Real!  The one that owns Real Technologies.” 

“The very same.”
I was shocked.  Real Technologies was a massive organization that was well known for selling devices to the mainstream public that seemed to come out of a sci-fi novel.  It sold things such as mechanical arms that allowed the user to lift weights that would have normally required as many as five to six people to lift.  Another, highly controversial device allowed users to control their computers and phones using only their brains.  Jackson, the owner of Real Technologies, was a genius in both marketing and inventing.  He had found ways to take devices that beforehand had been in government test labs, and make them useable by the general public.  His devices were highly controversial, especially those such as the strength enhancing arms that could be used in more violent methods, but he had always been able to get away with selling them.  Real Technologies was highly successful. 

“So what do they want me to do?” I asked. 

“You are going to be his bodyguard.  They figure that it would bother him less if one of his peers was guarding him, instead of an adult.  It sounds like he’s pretty messed up as it is. 

I smiled and raised my eyebrows in a way that I hoped conveyed just how silly I thought the idea was.  “I assume that there will be adults guarding him every second he’s there.” 

My dad confirmed my suspicions.  “You know it.  If there’s a problem, your job is to get him to safety, but unofficially, if it comes between your life and his, they want you to protect yourself at all cost.  It will be an easier PR mess to clean up if he dies than if you do.”

“Great,” I laughed.  “I’m his body guard, but if he actually needs protecting, they want me to go hide.  I get it.”

My father smiled, but I could tell that he was concerned, which instantly made me concerned.  I had heard messages like this one before, and my dad and I had always laughed about them.  The fact that my dad was taking this seriously meant that I should as well.

“You know what you have to do.”  He said.  “But please, be safe.  From what I understand, they aren’t really expecting something to happen, but at this point, you never know.” 

“Do YOU expect something to happen?”  I asked.  My dad just smiled.  “I always expect something to happen.  This time, however, I expect it just a little more.  We don’t know enough about what’s going on here.  The enemy, whoever they are, have us right where they want us.  You are going to be in great danger.  This isn’t like your previous missions.  This time, it’s for real.”

I nodded.  For once, I was being put in a place that government didn’t have complete control of.  And while I knew I’d be surrounded by guards, I also knew that, in the right circumstances, guards didn’t matter.  And it was then that I realized just how much I was looking forward to this.  This is what I was trained for, and for once, MDI was getting a chance to do what it was designed to do: go to places where teens had the advantage, not adults.  And while I didn’t entirely know what advantage I had in this particular instance, I decided I would find out, and take full advantage of it.  And a part of me wanted something to happen.  I wanted a chance to see some real action.  That was one of the last times I ever had that desire. 

------------------------------------------------

Daniel opened his eyes.  White walls surrounded him.  A door had opened.  He had heard it. 

“Come on, Daniel.  We’re taking you to your uncle’s house.  You’ll get to see your cousin.  Isn’t that exiting?”  The voice, which came from a tall, middle-aged doctor in a white coat, spoke in a high pitched tone that reeked of fake happiness.  Had Daniel been feeling emotions, he probably would have been annoyed.  But he wasn’t.  He wasn’t feeling anything.  Life was better that way.  So when he saw the doctor gesture out the door, Daniel stood and walked out.  He noticed the cameras trained on him; there was little he missed now.  But he didn’t care.  In fact, he couldn’t care about anything.  He couldn’t feel the required emotion to care.  And a part of him was aware of it.  But it was if that part of him was asleep.  And the rest of him simply lived.  He didn’t speak…he hadn’t spoken a word until…and then the memory came back, and his brain shut off again.
--------------------------------------------

Tory walked slowly along with Sarah.  They were walking on the vast lawn that surrounded Sarah’s father’s property.  In the rear, that lawn ended at a wide, though shallow, stream, on the other side of which was a large forest.  The Real’s property ended about ten miles into that forest.  Tory had learned all this from her long friendship with Sarah.  The two had been friends for years, and had been through the best and worst of times together.  Right now, they were walking slowly towards the stream, talking about life, and more specifically, their soon-to-take place trip. 

“I may have to delay it.” Sarah was saying.

Tory looked up in surprise.  “Why?  From what you’ve told me, all preparations are going smoothly.”  Through the leash, Tory felt her guide dog, Sampson, tense in response to her surprise.  Named after the Biblical character whose God-given strength was used by God save His people, Tory admired viewed the dog as her strong supporter.  Even though Tory couldn’t see, Sampson gave her the ability to experience life in a way that most other people couldn’t.  She had only had the dog sense she was twelve, but she couldn’t image life without him.  The two shared a close bond; Sampson often picked up on even the slightest mood changes Tory had.  Tory reached down and stroked the dog softly, letting him know that everything was ok. 

Sarah spoke up again.  “No, nothing’s really wrong with preparations,” here she suddenly froze as though a thought had just struck her, “though I will need to check and make sure that those train tickets through Columbia are finalized”  She began walking again, and Tory smiled slightly.  She hadn’t realized Sarah had stopped, but Sampson had, and he stopped as well.  Even after the five years the two had been paired together, it still amazed her how Sampson was able to lead her so well. 

Sarah continued her thoughts.  “No, the real reason is because my dad wants Daniel—pardon me, I mean Dash—to come live with us.”

“Dash.”  Tory frowned slightly.  “Wasn’t he that kid you were going to introduce me to at that family reunion you took me to?  Why was I there, anyway?” 

Sarah gave an exasperated sigh, though Tory could tell that she wasn’t really bothered.  “I told you already.  You were there to keep me from getting bored.  I swear, my family is the most boring family ever.  Sure, we have some talented people here and there, but really, nobody ever sees each other regularly.  Family reunions are just a bunch of clicks who just happen to have the same bloodline getting together to eat too much and try to figure each other out.  And yes, that was Dash.  Anyway, apparently, my dad wants to keep helping that kid out.”  Here her tone softened slightly.  “I have told you about his parents, right.”  Tory nodded.  “Even if you hadn’t, it’s been all over the news.  There was no way I could have missed it.” 

  “Right, well, anyway, my dad wants to take in Dash while they search for the thugs who took Sarah.” 

“That sounds like a great idea.”  Tory exclaimed.  “But why can’t he just join us on our trip?” 

“There are a number of reasons,” Sarah explained, “but the big one is the fact that he’ll be safe here, and if he is to join us, we’ll need to ensure that he stay’s safe wherever we go.  In addition, I’ve heard that he’s had a mental breakdown.  He watched his mom die.  I guess that would wreck most people, but it really affected him.”  Tory heard a wistful note when Sarah said the last sentence, but chose to ignore it.  Sarah had grown up without a real mother, and Tory knew that Sarah secretly missed that love and affection that only a mother could show.  Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but Tory had developed a strong ability to read people’s emotions, which she used often when around Sarah, who was very good at keeping up a barrier surrounding her true feelings. 

“When will he arrive?” Tory asked. 

“In about a week.  It will be weird having a guy in the house.”
Tory looked at Sarah, confused.  “But you have your dad, and most of his employees who work around here are men.” 
Sarah snorted, a sound that she often made when she found something mildly amusing.  “Dad’s hardly home, and the servants…they hardly talk, except to tell you what they’re doing.  Not much for conversations.”    

Tory laughed.  “They’re probably scared of you.  You can be quite intimidating sometimes.” 

Sarah looked back at her, wide eyed, pretending to be shocked.  “Me!  Intimidating!  I’m certain you must have me mistaken for somebody else.  I’m the picture of a meek and innocent young woman.” 

Tory laughed again.  “Innocent.  You!  Anything but.  You’ve played with the hearts of how many young men.  Come on.  And how long’s your latest boyfriend going to last?  What’s his name again?  Kris?” 

Sarah nodded, smilingly coyly.  “Yea, that’s his name.  And he’s a great guy.  I think he’ll last longer than some of those other idiots I’ve dated.  Honestly, that last guy…I was beginning to wonder if he even knew how to tie his shoes by the end of our relationship.” 

“You know,” Tory jokingly pointed out, “some might see your choice of boys as a reflection of your character, not theirs.”

Sarah paused for a moment, pretending to be in deep thought, “I tend to do my best to ignore those people.  They’re depressing.” 

While they had been talking, they had gradually wandered back towards the house.  They were now standing at the back door.  As they were about to enter the house, Sarah suddenly spoke with a tone that Tory had rarely heard Sarah use.  It was the tone she used when she was about to say something, and she wanted to be sure that it was taken with the upmost seriousness.  “Honestly, Tory, I’m nervous about going on this trip.  I arranged most of it, but my dad had several spots he made sure that I would visit.  I know my dad.  When he does stuff like that…well....” here she paused, as if searching for the right words to use, “he’s usually got a plan, and I’m hoping it only slightly involves us.” 

Tory paused and looked over at Sarah.  She knew that Sarah’s father and Sarah had a strange relationship, but what Sarah had just said made him sound almost sinister.  Not certain what to say next, Tory chose the escape route: “Ok….???”  She sensed Sarah’s mood change instantly.  Just as suddenly as she became serious, she changed back to her normal, crazy self.  “Actually, never mind.  That was weird.  Don’t worry about it.  This is why I try to avoid deep thoughts.  They’re rarely a good thing.” 

Tory smiled.  She didn’t know what had made Sarah have this sudden mood swing, but if Sarah didn’t want to talk about it, Tory wasn’t going to press her.  Together, the girls entered the house.  And from the edge of the woods, a dark form left its hiding spot, where it had heard the entire conversation.