Chapter Fifteen #2
“No buts.” He pulled back a few inches. “You’re not responsible for the ugly side of the world. And you can’t be blamed for the actions of someone with a poisoned soul.” He took my hands, squeezing them. “You’re only responsible for being you. And what you are is pure light. You hear me?”
I swallowed hard as I caught Jay rolling his eyes. “Laying it on thick, are we?”
“Are you saying it is her fault?” Kevin’s eyebrows creased.
“Of course not. Just, you know, chill with the knight in shining armor crap.” Jay pointed at me. “She needs action, not words.”
“True,” Kevin said. “We’ll kick their asses. Does that work?”
“That works.” I thought the bones in my hands would shatter from him holding them so tight. “What, umm . . . What else are the checkpoints used for?”
“Just for any lawbreakers. But they scan everyone in case they get lucky.” Gabby sighed. “Either way, no crime goes unpunished. Big or small.”
“What about those they captured? Wouldn’t they have given you guys up?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah, I’m surprised by that, actually,” Jay said. “Park’s really good at . . . persuasion.”
“Yes, but we’re good too. I hypnotized each person to forget us once they left the Org,” Chris said. “A lot of them chose to strip their powers with the weaker formula, so they’re safe.”
“What can you tell us about the Luminaries she keeps around the world?” I asked.
“They’re controlled through her usual: hypnosis, terrorizing their loved ones, and kill chips.”
“Some things never change.” I was already fed up with this new world we’d time-traveled to, and I hadn’t been here for even a full day. “We have to do something.”
“We will,” Nick said, rejoining us.
“No. We will not.” Chris faced us all. “Why won’t any of you listen to me? Nick, man, you guys all need to consider everything that’s gone down since you left.”
“We are literally in the middle of that, bro,” Kevin said.
“But you guys think you can magically come from the past and fix our present. That’s not how this works. Trust us. We know. We’ve been here living this nightmare the whole time.”
“Chris, calm down,” Gabby said, and turned to us.
“Don’t you think we’ve tried? We’re still working around the clock trying to figure things out.
David is at a hidden lab, and I’ve reinforced the perimeter with layers of blockers.
The only time I drop the inhibitors is inside a small room to safely test the tech. We haven’t given up.”
Chris put his arm around her. “We live in fear every day, just hoping the outer dampeners are holding. David is making progress, but each time he needs the block lifted, I’m risking my wife’s life. The triggers are very sensitive.”
“Oh, David, my old friend.” Dr. Ryder laughed. “We need to work together again. I have something I’ve been developing that could help us with our current situation, I believe.”
“What’s that?” Nick asked.
“It’s something I noticed with the powers belonging to my daughter and Mrs. Logan. Not you, Nick. My apologies.”
Nick shrugged. “No need.”
Dr. Ryder nodded. “I need full equipment, of course, and with David’s help, I can get to proper testing.”
“Like?” Kevin asked.
“Too soon to speak of it now. Too soon, indeed.” With that, he started walking away. “I need sleep now.”
Gabby followed him out of the living room. “Guys, come say goodnight to Grandpa.”
Her kids ran after her and her dad, while Chris shook his head. “I wish you all would stop encouraging him. What he needs to do is help David dismantle the lab.”
“I don’t know about that,” Kevin said. “I’m kind of curious.”
“Me too,” Antonio said. “Whatever Dr. Ryder is working on, it can’t be anything short of genius.”
Chris tapped his dampener. “It’s thanks to him that we even have these bracelets. The last thing he told David before the jump when he complained that it wasn’t working was . . . ‘Simply use my daughter’s blood.’”
He took off his bracelet and turned it upside down. In the middle of the band was a tiny clear window, and when he shook it, we could see a dark liquid.
“Okay, that’s too much for me. I’m going in the room with Jack.” Elisa got up, making a face as she stared at her own bracelet. “Gross!”
“Oh, that’s literally her blood?” I asked.
“Yep.” Gabby came back into the room without the kids. “You guys are all wearing my blood, and the chip inside the bracelet transmits the blocker to your bodies.”
“I’m with Elisa, that’s gross,” Kevin said, shaking his head.
She laughed. “You’re welcome. A tiny bit does pack a lot of power, so be grateful my heart is still pumping.”
“Very grateful, actually.” I smiled, then tilted my head toward Antonio. “You are right, though. Whatever Dr. Ryder has up his sleeve will be good. I hope it helps with Park.”
“What drives someone to have such an extreme desire for world control?” Kevin asked.
“She’s really disillusioned with humanity. Thinks she can do better.”
“How do you even know this, Gabby? You sound so sure. She could have an ulterior motive.”
“Interviews. She gives speeches often. Plus, Jenny said so.”
“For Jen to be sure, she must have been in close proximity,” I said.
“She risked it once, going to an annual charity event with Robert. The door security checked all the guests before they could go in, so she was already cleared when—”
“No! Tell me she didn’t use her powers on Park!”
“Yep. Jen took her dampener off inside just long enough to sense her. She knew any active signatures would be blamed on the Luminary staff working the venue. But, yes, Park genuinely believes she’s helping the world.”
“Man, that’s rough.”
“Either way, she’s evil,” Kevin said. “Wanting to help and having the resources to do so doesn’t mean you become a world dictator. We should all live freely, without being constrained by her vision of humanity.”
“Preaching to the choir,” Gabby said.
“She wants to do good . . . But she’s not a good person, right? Like she’s hurting people, not just Luminaries?” I asked, not understanding how she could want peace and be evil at the same time. Then again, when I’d met her, she had given me the heebie-jeebies.
“Yeah, no one is safe. Luminaries aside, she kills, imprisons, and separates children from parents . . . then places them with whoever she deems best for the future she wants. The kids are a big focus, and however she gets them, well, the end justifies the means,” Chris said.
“And what makes you so sure we can’t do anything to change things? Because you failed before?” I asked. “You keep saying we can’t try.”
“You can’t. If you think things are bad now or that we’ve lost a lot, it’s nothing compared to what we stand to lose if we try anything.”
“Chris, forgive me for saying this. I know I just got here while you’ve been living in this hell for years, but it sounds more like you’ve let fear win.”
“If you need perspective, it’s the people in this room against her entire army. So yes, I am afraid. And you should be, too. I have my children to worry about.”
“You know what I think?” Annie said. “I think Ryan is right, but you are too, Chris. I understand hiding out, and I respect that fear has earned its place, but we shouldn’t rewrite who we are. Survival can’t be our only goal when we can make a difference.”
“Yes, you’ve forgotten our commitment to do the right thing.” I stood, clenching my fists. “We can all sit back and watch, or we can actually fight to save the people we care about. Not just our people. Everyone.”
“They have the numbers, Ryan. They’re strong, and they have so many weapons that can stop us,” Gabby said, walking over to me. “It’s not easy, and innocent lives are on the line. That being said, I’m in for the fight.”