CHAPTER 10 #2
Astrid clicks some keys, and the film plays in reverse, like a nightmarish cartoon.
We follow him backwards from screen to screen.
I struggle to find him a few times, but Astrid quickly points him out each time.
It seems when I was in the hallway, she got well acquainted with the angles and layout of the cameras.
He walks casually through the building, blending in with his white coat.
Internally, I’m screaming. Notice him! Imposter! But no one finds any reason to be wary.
Jack slides a phone under a door. It looks like a supply closet? Why would he do that? We continue rewinding even further. He doesn’t speak to anyone, just walks through various labs. What is he doing?
I squint at the screen, trying to pick up on subtle details. He holds up a clipboard as he walks by a whiteboard. The phone peeks over the board.
“That doesn’t look right.” Astrid points at that frame. “Why would you hold a phone like that? You can’t see the screen at that angle.”
I cock my head, examining his body position further. I scan the room and find a sheet of paper. It’s not a clipboard, but it’ll do. I hold the paper out, mimicking Jack. Astrid helps me line up my phone with the edge of the paper, matching the angles from the feed.
“See?” She gestures. “That’s unnatural.”
“No,” I disagree. “It’s perfect.”
“For what, scratching your camera lens on the clipboard?” She mutters.
“Close.” I open an app on my phone to test my theory. After a click, I know I’m right. “For taking photos.”
“Sparks,” Astrid’s voice is quiet, full of disbelief and shock. “Was he trying to steal your mom’s research?”
“Fuck.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Maybe?”
He told me he had a brother who died in the explosion, that’s why he was at the hospital later. We bonded over our shared grief. I can’t believe he lied about that too.
I think back on Jack’s paranoia. No names, no paper trail, no setting down roots. We moved frequently, always to urban areas, always in a hurry. He was always well-connected, prone to criminal behavior. Yet, after eight years, I really knew nothing about him.
We spend a few minutes in that room, sitting with the gravity of our theory.
Well, that’s what I do. Meanwhile, Astrid pours over the blueprints, muttering to herself as she references security cameras.
This is crazy. Who would want to steal research from a random facility in rural Pennsylvania?
My mother wouldn’t shut up about her experiments, they could have just asked.
Then again, in all of her journals, she never said what she was working on. Fuck, I wish I listened to her better.
“We need to find that closet,” Astrid declares suddenly. “It’s not on the map. That means it’s important, or secret, or some combination thereof.”
“You’re not being for real, are you?” I ask incredulously. “Do you not realize how serious this could be? If Jack really was a spy or something, that means all of his paranoia and delusions of secret evils were valid. That means…” My face pales as I consider the possibilities. “We need to leave.”
“Don’t you want answers?” Astrid checks her map once again. “You have no idea what Jack was looking for. Did he intentionally cause the explosion? Was it an accident? There’s still so much we don’t know.”
“I know that your curiosity could get us killed.” I stand authoritatively. “Come on.”
Astrid begrudgingly stands and walks down the passage with me. She slyly glances at her map.
“Astrid…” I warn.
My admonition falls on deaf ears as she slips down a different hallway, forcing me to either abandon or follow her. I pause, considering it, but as much as I hate her, I couldn’t. I huff and trudge after her. She finds the closet in question, jiggling the stuck handle.
“See!” She exclaims, much too excited. “Why would a storage closet be locked?”
I roll my eyes, knowing her next question. Before she asks, I kneel and pick the lock. She steps forward as I back away. The door handle twists, and the door swings open.
Bwaaah! Bwaaah! Bwaaah!
Instinct takes over. I fall to the ground and pull my mask up in one fluid motion. My hood falls over my head, and I see Astrid inside the storage closet, hurriedly looking around.
“The fuck are you doing?” I shout. “Time to go!”
“This could be our only chance!” She desperately peeks under desks and in drawers.
I scan the closet. It’s clear it’s not actually a closet. High tech computers and other electronics cover the wall, but no papers, no cell phone, nothing easy to grab. A computer tower is set next to me, hard drive removed. I know instantly we aren’t going to find anything.
“Now!” I command.
I’m done waiting. I grab her arm, and thankfully, she comes with me.
We burst through the front doors and sprint to the car.
I beat her there and slide across the hood, popping into the driver’s seat.
Astrid fumbles for her keys, but I’ve already jump-started the car – great time to have powers.
I peel out of the driveway before she’s even finished buckling her seatbelt.
Minutes pass before I ease off on the accelerator, content that we are safe among the side roads I’ve taken.
I pull my mask off and take a deep breath, heart still beating loudly in my ears.
“So, that could’ve gone better.” Astrid breaks the silence.
“Fantastic deduction,” I snipe, still angry about her ignoring my warnings.
“Look, I know we didn’t get all the answers that we wanted, but we learned so much!” Astrid grins, enthusiastically. “We’ll figure the rest out!”
“No, we won’t.” I grip the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white. “This stops now. I won’t risk everything I’ve worked so hard to build, just so you can play superhero dress-up. I’ve put Synergy Labs behind me. I suggest you go back to stopping petty crimes and leave me out of it.”
“You’re really going to let your mother’s legacy end like that?” Astrid argues. “She’s your mother!”
“Exactly! She’s my mother.” My temper flares. “So stay the fuck away from her!”
“It’s like you don’t even care.” Her words sting.
Fuck it. I pull the car off the side of the road and slam my door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Astrid yells out the window.
“Boston!” I continue stomping along the road.
“You can’t walk to Boston from here,” she calls out, annoyed.
“Try me!”
Astrid shrieks in frustration and walks to the driver’s side of the car. She lowers the window further and rolls the car next to me. “Get in the car, Sparks.”
“No.” I turn away, hoping she can’t see the tears threatening to fall.
“Anise, please get in the car.” Her voice is strained, still annoyed but with a forced placidity. “Let me drop you off at the club. Then we can go our separate ways and never talk to each other again. Please.”
The wind ruffles my hair as a few raindrops fall on the road.
I look to the sky as water drips from the stormy clouds above.
Astrid leans over and pops the car door open.
Begrudgingly, I slide into the passenger seat.
I pull my hood back on and curl up facing the door, pretending to be asleep.
In reality, I stare at the rain trickling down the car window, matching the trails silently forming on my cheeks.