Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nick awoke lying on a metal slab.

He would like to say this was his first time, but sadly, it wasn’t. The last time, someone had mistaken him for a dead body when he fell asleep in the wrong alleyway. He awoke in the county morgue on an autopsy table. He practically gave the medical examiner a heart attack.

Nick lay motionless as his senses slowly returned to him.

“What happened?” he thought as his mind woke up. “I remember chasing that man down the street, but then what? And why am I lying on a metal table?”

As far as he could tell, he was still wearing his Dark Angel costume, but the mask had been removed. There was a throbbing pain in his neck, but he couldn’t remember why that would be.

Eyes still closed, he made to reach up to rub his face, but found he couldn’t. Only then did he open his eyes to see he was handcuffed to the table. Suddenly, all the memories from the previous night came back to him.

“The masked man drugged me and took me here,” he thought. “No. Masked men. There were several of them.”

Nick struggled against his bonds, but it was no use. Instead, he examined the room around him, which appeared to be some sort of hospital room. Several machines were positioned near Nick’s bed, occasionally beeping or displaying information on their screens. Nick looked across the room at the far wall, which sported a large mirror. He jumped when he saw his reflection.

From what he looked like before, Nick was practically unrecognizable. His hair had been cut short and his beard was completely shaved. He felt violated to have his hair cut without his consent, but he couldn’t help but smile as he analyzed himself in the mirror. He looked pretty good.

The door to the room suddenly flew open, catching Nick completely off guard. He did the first thing that came logically to him; he played dead. He flung his head down, which hit the table hard, causing Nick to wince in pain, but he quickly suppressed his facial expressions, knowing whoever entered was probably examining his every move. From the sound of it, it appeared like two people had entered, possibly three. They shuffled towards the back corner of the room. A voice in the back of his head fought every instinct he had to open his eyes. Somehow, it knew that pretending to be unconscious would give him the advantage in this situation. Sure enough, after a tense minute of silence, Nick heard hushed voices begin to speak.

 

“He sure sleeps soundly doesn’t he?” Tom said, staring at the recently de-masked man lying down on the table.

“What did you expect? You drugged him!” Erica said, unable to contain the frustration in her voice.

“And I’d do it again if I had to.”

 “He wasn’t going to hurt me Tom,” Erica said. “Didn’t you see him? He was crying!”

Though Erica wasn’t completely sure she wouldn’t have been harmed, it was a pretty good guess. She remembered sitting up after being dropped to the ground to see the masked man sobbing on the ground. Then what did Tom do? He shot him.

“Yeah I saw him. I saw him tear up half the street and practically kill you in the process! He’s dangerous, Erica! He can’t control his powers like you or I. You saw him lose control!”

Erica moved forward and rested her hand on the man’s arm and looking at his sleeping face. “I don’t think he’s dangerous,” Erica said. “He was just scared.”

But was it true? Erica knew nothing about who this was. She didn’t even know his name. He could be the devil incarnate for all she knew, but she couldn’t help but defend him. Something about him struck her deep inside, like he needed help and she was the one to do it. She tried desperately to quell her thoughts.

“That’s ridiculous,” she thought. “You just met this guy.”

Tom scoffed. “Oh really? When was the last time you destroyed a city block because you were scared?” His words were dripping with sarcasm, causing Erica to turn back towards Tom with a scowl on her face.

“I think you’re scared,” She said, then instantly knew she made a mistake.

“Scared?!” Tom said in disbelief. “How could I possibly be scared of a homeless guy who looks like a biker?”

“You know why,” Erica said, moving closer to Tom. Against her better judgement, she continued speaking, even though her mind was screaming at her to stop while she was ahead. “He’s a powerful Enhanced and we both know how we feel about them.”

Tom said nothing for many moments. He stared at her in disbelief, a feeling Erica was experiencing as well. Not only had she almost mentioned… his name, but she used him to prove a point. It was completely out of character for her. She didn’t know what made her say it, but it came out suddenly and without pause.

Tom stared at her for another few moments, then stormed out of the room, Erica in hot pursuit.

She burst out of the room and saw Tom rushing down the corridor. “Tom!” she called behind him. “Please wait!”

Tom didn’t acknowledge. He continued to rush down the hall, paying no attention to Erica following close behind.

“Tom!” she called again, but with the same response. Tom turned down a hall and entered a large vaulted room: the hanger.

“I’m sorry Tom!” she called finally, causing him to finally stop in his tracks.

Tom spun around. “Why are you defending him?” he asked suddenly. “He could have very easily killed you on that street. Why do you care about him?”

Erica paused, not knowing what to say. What could she say? The feeling she had about the man was difficult to explain, but it was almost…natural…that she should defend him. It would be impossible to explain to anyone else, but it made perfect sense to her.

“He needs help,” she said finally. “I can feel it.”

Tom’s scowl wavered. “You can feel it? When did this happen?”

“I’ve been working on it,” she answered. “It’s kind of like reading emotions, just a bit more complicated. I figured out how to do it the other day.”

“Impressive,” Tom said, the beginning of a smile drawing across his face. “Look Erica, I’m sorry for getting mad. I just…”

“Care about me?” Erica said, finishing the phrase she had heard countless times before.

“Yeah,” Tom said, smiling. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry,” Erica responded, returning the smile. “I can take care of myself, and when I can’t, I know you’ll be there to help.”

Tom threw his hands out and pulled Erica into his embrace. They stood there for several moments before Erica heard footsteps entering the hanger. She looked up.

“Oh no,” she thought as the color drained from her face.

 

When Tom and Erica stormed out of the room, Nick was left with a new sense of determination.

“I have to get out of here,” Nick thought, examining the handcuffs binding him to the table. Luckily for him, they were standard issue cuffs given to all police in the city. Nick had learned to pick those years ago. The only problem was, he lacked a lock pick.

Scanning the room, he noticed a small pin laying on a table on the far side of the room. It would be perfect, but there was still the small fact it was on the far side of the room. There was only one option.

Nick closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might on the pin, willing it to come to him. He blocked out the beeping of the machines around him and only thought of the pin in his mind. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and the pin left its position on the table, flying towards him. He cried out in pain as it flew into his arm, stabbing him. It fell down onto the metal slab, landing directly next to his right hand.

Though his arm still throbbed, he couldn’t help but smile at his success. He managed to grab the pin and bring his hands together, shoving the pin deep into the lock on his left hand. A few moments later, a series of clicks told Nick he had done it. The cuff fell from his arm, freeing him.

Impressed at his own success, Nick turned to the right arm and repeated the procedure with the same results. The handcuff fell off, leaving Nick a free man.

Nick let out a laugh, but quickly threw his hand to his mouth. He approached the door and peered out, making sure no one had heard his involuntary outburst. No one came.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door. He had to get out of here, but how?

He examined the room once more, looking for anything that could help him make a speedy escape. He did a double take when looking at a table positioned next to the metal slab. Sitting on top of it was a gun.

Nick ran over to it and quickly picked it up. Instantly, he realized it wasn’t an actual gun, but a dart gun, very likely the same one that had shot him in the first place and gotten him into this mess.

Nick approached the door again and breathed in and out slowly, preparing himself. Time for action.

He slowly pushed open the door and stepped out into a hallway going off in both directions. Since he heard Tom and Erica leave to the right, he decided to go left. He crept along the passage, trying his best to remain silent. It was about a minute before he ran into his first guard.

Two men with guns strapped to their waists appeared out of a room, laughing heartily together. They froze when they saw Nick standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Hey!” One yelled, grabbing for his gun, but Nick was quicker. He raised his gun quickly and planted two shots in their exposed necks, dropping them both on the spot. Nick stepped over their unconscious forms and continued forward. Everything was going according to plan. Every minute or so, he would run into another guard and subdue them quickly, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his escape would be discovered.

“Where’s the exit?!” Nick thought after shooting another guard. “I can’t stay hidden for long!”

Sure enough, not a minute had passed before alarms rang out through the compound, startling Nick so much, he almost dropped his weapon. He heard the sounds of heavy footsteps approaching from behind him and did what came naturally to him; he ran.

Stealth forgotten, Nick ran down the corridor as fast as he could, darting anyone who was foolish enough to try and stop him. Suddenly, he emerged into a large, vaulted hanger filled with aircraft. Nick was unsettled to see they were all equipped with guns big enough to level a city block.

As fast as he could, Nick spun around and smashed at a control panel next to the hanger door. A large metal panel emerged from the wall with a hydraulic hiss, sealing the entrance from his pursuers. Nick smiled slightly to himself, happy with his own ingenuity. He turned to continue running, but was brought to a screeching halt. Standing next to one of the aircraft was a man and a woman staring hard at Nick.

The man was tall and very well built. He had blonde hair that was greased back on his head. He also wore a full black suit, making his resemblance to James Bond even more uncanny. The woman was similar to him in many ways. She also had long blond hair, which flowed down over her shoulders in waves. She was small compared to the man next to her, but from the looks of her, could just as easily kill you. She was also fairly attractive, a detail Nick was quick to notice. The man appeared to be the same age as Nick, with the woman being a bit younger.

The man recovered from his shock and smiled, beginning to clap mockingly. “Bravo! Well done indeed!” Nick instantly recognized the voice even if he didn’t recognize the face. It was Tom, which meant the woman was Erica.

“Maybe you are as strong as they say. I never would have thought you could have escaped!” Tom exclaimed, continuing to smile cruelly.

Erica raised her hand in greeting, an apprehensive expression on her face. “Hi. My name is Erica and this is Tom. We’re…”

“How’d you get out of the cuffs?” Tom asked, cutting across Erica. She scowled at him but said nothing.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Nick responded coldly, causing a scowl to spread across Tom’s face. He had only just met the guy, but instantly knew he would never like him.

“Stand over there,” Tom said, turning to Erica and gesturing towards the far wall, but she remained plastered on the spot.

“You should listen to him sweetheart,” Nick said, flashing her his trademark charming smile. “We can go on a date after I kick his butt.”

“I will tear you to shreds,” Tom growled. “Over there Erica.” He repeated, but Erica didn’t listen, remaining at Tom’s side, staring dumbfounded at Nick.

“I said over there!” he yelled, Erica lifted off the ground with a yelp and was set down gently by the wall Tom had motioned to. Nick stared at him, dumbfounded. Even though Tom hadn’t moved, Nick was now certain Tom had had been responsible for moving Erica. He had the power as well.

Nick’s mind was frantic, but one thought replaced all the others. “They’re both like me?!”

Tom stared at Nick with a cruel grin, as if taunting him into making the first move. Nick had never tested his powers out against another like himself. To be fair, he didn’t even know there were others like him until last night.

Tom finally gave in and began to approach Nick, snapping him out of his thoughts. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger, but all he heard was a click.

Tom smiled. “Out of darts? Too bad.” He thrust his hand forward, sending Nick flying off the ground and crashing into a plane behind him. Nick fell to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain.

Though his vision was blurred, he could just make out the sight of Tom approaching him casually, acting as if he had already won. Anger bubbled up inside Nick, suppressing the pain and clearing his thoughts.

Nick hopped to his feet and targeted Tom’s feet with his leg, kicking out in a sweeping motion. Tom didn’t have time to get out of the way as Nick’s leg collided with his, sending him crashing to the ground. Taking this opportunity, Nick turned and ran as fast as he could towards the opposite end of the hanger, but he wasn’t fast enough. Tom had recovered too quickly. Nick was once more lifted off his feet and thrown hard into the wall. He crumpled to the ground and collapsed on a coil of thick metal chain.

Nick swerved in and out of consciousness. “No!” he yelled in his mind. “You have to stay awake!” Gradually, his vision cleared, but it was too late. Tom was standing inches from Nick, a cruel smile displayed on his face.

“I really thought you would put up more of a fight,” he said. “Guess they were wrong about you.”

Nick’s vision blurred again, but this time, it wasn’t due to a hard hit. This time, it was due to rage. Tom was nothing if not egocentric, and from living on the streets, Nick had come to hate anyone who possessed an overinflated ego. They always thought they were better than him just because he was homeless and they weren’t. He always thought it his personal mission to bring them back down to earth.

Nick smiled manically, causing Tom’s confidence to sway. Power surged through him, fueled by his anger.

The chain Nick was laying on flew forward, knocking Tom backwards several feet. Nick felt elated at his sudden show of strength. He had never tried to move something so big from a resting position, and seeing the success of his actions brought him a considerable amount of pleasure. Unfortunately, it also swayed his concentration, a momentary lapse Tom took full advantage of.

The chain flew from the ground and coiled around Nick’s arms like a snake. He was lifted off the ground by the chains until he was eye level with Tom, who had floated off the ground to meet him.

“You’re not worthy of this power,” he growled. A chain flew forward and seized Nick’s neck, causing him to gasp. Spots flew in front of his eyes and his chest began to ache.

Suddenly, the door at the far end of the hanger flew open and several armed guards rushed in. They ran towards Nick, surrounding him in a tight circle.

“Wait!”

A voice rang out through the hanger. Nick turned to see an older man walking towards him. He was probably in his 60s, thin, and had a large handlebar mustache. The man slowly began to fade as darkness seeped around Nick’s eyes.

“Tom! Put him down,” the man said. Tom continued to stare into Nick’s eyes, but finally relented. He loosened the chains, causing Nick to fall to the ground below.

Nick doubled over, gasping for breath. Finally, he was able to bring himself to his feet. Tom was standing next to the mustached man, having returned to the ground.

“Who are you?” Nick sputtered out at last.

“Oh allow me to introduce myself. My name is Agent James Minus, but you can just call me Minus. Everyone does.” He riffled through one of the pockets on his coat and extracted a leather wallet. He flipped it open, revealing a golden badge within. “We’re with the CIA.”

Nick’s thoughts were everywhere trying to make sense of this new information. All these people were CIA? If they were, why did they kidnap him?

Tom turned towards Minus and whispered something to him. Minus frowned. “No Tom. He isn’t our prisoner. He is our guest.”

Nick wasn’t listening to their conversation though. He was too lost in his own thoughts to notice anything. How did he get mixed up in all this?

“Nick.”

Nick looked for who had called his name, and was surprised to see it was Agent Minus. How did he know his name?

“If you would follow me please,” Minus said, gesturing with his hand for Nick to follow. Nick looked around himself and saw all the guards clutching their weapons tightly and glaring at him murderously.

“Sure thing,” he said and hurried off to join Minus. Anywhere was better than here.

Nick and Minus left the room in silence. Tom watched them leave, glaring daggers at Nick as they did.