Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Anger boiled in Nick as he walked down the hallway, trying desperately to calm down, but every time he was close, Tom would pop to the front of his mind and new waves of anger would envelope him again.

“He thinks he’s so great because he can control it,” Nick thought in his mind. “He doesn’t know what I’m capable of. What I’ve done. If he did, he wouldn’t cross me.”

Nick eventually stopped walking, realizing he had been strolling around aimlessly and now had no clue where he was in the base. He noticed a door up ahead and poked his head in.

“Hello?” he called out. “Anybody there?”

No response. Nick looked in further to see the room was deserted. From appearances, it looked to be a storage room. Curiosity got the better of him as he glanced down the hallway, making sure it was still empty, then ducked in the room.

Compared to the rest of the facility, the storage room was far from impressive. It featured rows of shelves stacked high with boxes. Most were labeled, but time had taken its toll and most were too faded to make out. Nick walked up and down the rows of shelves, examining them all. Suddenly, he froze. On one box, barely legible, was the words property of Nicholas Blackwell.

Nick couldn’t believe his luck. He removed the box from the shelf and blew the dust from the top. Bad idea, since it enveloped him in a cloud of fine particles, causing him to cough and sputter as he set the box on the ground.

He flipped open the flaps and peered inside, preparing himself for whatever amazing relic Blackwell could have stored in the box. He was severely disappointed when he discovered the boxes only content was a small picture frame. Curious, though considerably less than he was a moment ago, Nick reached down and extracted the frame.

The photo was clearly several years old, but Nick still recognized its occupants. Tom was easy, since he still wore a black suit and his trademark scowl. Minus was standing next to him, smiling wide. Erica was also in the photo, a broad grin on her face which surprised Nick, since the Erica he knew never seemed to laugh, or smile, or seem happy in any way for that matter. It surprised Nick, but not as much as seeing who Erica was standing arm in arm with.

Next to her was Blackwell, almost unrecognizable from when Nick saw him in his dream. Blackwell had a large smile on his face and appeared…happy. It was startling how much he appeared to have aged from his younger self.

Suddenly, a feeling like ice fell over Nick and his body grew rigid. Fear pressed down on him like a vice. What was happening?!

The frame slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground, shattering on impact. The room slowly grew dim as darkness seeped into the edges of his vision, then everything faded to black.

 

Nick opened his eyes to find himself standing in a room he instantly recognized and a feeling of dread washed over him.

Blackwell sat at his desk, his eyes closed in intense concentration. They suddenly flew open and he smiled.

“Hello,” he said. Nick looked around the room, but no one was there, making it appear like Blackwell had just spoken to himself.

Blackwell began to laugh. “There’s no need to look for someone else, Nick Bennet. I’m talking to you.”

Nick froze and turned to face Blackwell once more, who was looking at Nick like he was actually there, standing in the room. But that was impossible, right?

“No it’s not impossible,” Blackwell said, answering Nick’s question as he thought it.

“Great,” Nick thought. “Now he can read my mind.”

“I can, but since I respect you and your power greatly, I will refrain from reading yours,” Blackwell responded. “You will find, in time, the powers of an Enhanced are more diverse than you could possibly imagine, Bennet. Can I call you Bennet? Since we’re both named Nick, it feels kind of strange to call you that.”

Nick didn’t reply, but glared at Blackwell. He stood and walked towards Nick, looking him dead in the eye. “I finally built up enough strength to bring your consciousness here. You are very strong, so it was quite a feat, but I had to do it. I will return you to your body in just a moment, but for now, I have to speak with you.”

“With me?” Nick asked, trying hard to remain cold towards him, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“With you. You have been lied to and manipulated Nick.”

Blackwell stalked over to the corner of the room, where a table was positioned. He grabbed a large bottle of wine resting on the table and poured himself a glass. “I would offer you some, but you’re not really here now, are you?” He took a sip and sighed.

“What do you mean?” Nick said, not bothering to wait for Blackwell. “Who’s been lying to me?”

Blackwell laughed coldly. “The better question would be who isn’t. The CIA. The United States. James Minus. The list goes on.”

“Minus?” Nick said, not believing it.

Blackwell laughed. “Yes Minus. He isn’t as innocent as he appears. You don’t get to the top of the CIA that way. He is ruthless and will not hesitate to manipulate you to further his own agenda.” He paused. “In other words, he’s using you Bennet.”

“Using me?” Nick breathed, trying hard to make sense of the words bombarding his ears.

“Using you,” Blackwell confirmed. “Just as they did me. They don’t care about you. They’re using your powers to further their own corrupt agendas. Did you really believe their lies that they would ever accept you? Even among your own team, you’re an outcast. You’re at a completely different level of power than the rest of them. They’ll never accept you as an equal.”

Nick didn’t speak, causing Blackwell to continue. “You and I are a lot alike Bennet. We’re both ambitious. We’re both extremely powerful. And we both hate being used by lesser men.”

He took another sip of his wine, letting Nick compose his thoughts enough for a response. “What do you want?” Nick shot at him, a hint of anger in his voice.

Blackwell laughed. “Nick! Have you already decided I’m your enemy?”

“I know you’re up to something. I know it was you who broke into the Boeing warehouse. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Blackwell only chuckled some more. “I applaud your detective work, but you don’t yet see the full picture. I don’t know what they’ve told you about me at the CIA, but I assure you it is to paint me in the most unflattering light. After all, they never accepted me. I was always a freak to them.” He paused. “But let me ask you this, have you ever considered you’re on the wrong side?”

“What?” Nick said, his momentum slowly diminishing.

“I’m on your side, Bennet. I’m on the side of every Enhanced. We are superior in every way. Why would you help the CIA protect normal people when you can rule over them? Think about your past. You know they will never accept you for what you are.”

Nick felt like he had been punched. A scowl formed on his face as anger bubbled within him. “Get to your point,” Nick said coldly.

“Join me Bennet,” Blackwell said, moving closer to him. “I can train you to harness your powers. We are the most powerful Enhanced in the world. Together, we can rule it!”

Nick stood silently, his mind reeling. He had been so prepared to think of Blackwell as a villain that this sudden proposal caught him completely off guard. He didn’t know what to think.

Part of him said accept the deal. He would go from homeless pickpocket to CIA agent to world ruler in a matter of days. Who would pass that up?

But another part of him urged him to reject it. Blackwell was obviously planning something, and from what Nick had learned about him thus far, he seemed like a man who wasn’t to be crossed. In all honesty, Blackwell scared him.

Nick felt like his mind was about to explode as conflicting thoughts bounced around his head.

Blackwell sighed. “Think on it. You have an amazing gift Bennet. Don’t waste it.”

With that as his final word, Blackwell closed his eyes and the room dissolved.

 

Nick opened his eyes once again to find he had returned to the storage room. He sat up, realizing he had collapsed to the ground.

“Did that really just happen?” he thought. “It couldn’t have been real.”

But Nick knew that was a lie. It hadn’t been a dream or hallucination. He had actually spoken to Blackwell.

“I finally built up enough strength to bring your consciousness here…” Nick shuddered as Blackwell’s words came back to him. Was it really possible for him to do that? It seemed there was much more to his powers than moving things around a room. Blackwell was testament to that.

Blackwell’s offer suddenly came back to Nick like a freight train. Join me Bennet. Nick had to admit, it was tempting. The criminal side of him screamed at him to take the offer before it was too late. He knew normal people would never accept him and what Blackwell was offering was too good to pass up. The vigilante side, however, screamed back, telling him Blackwell was obviously up to no good and Nick wanted no part of him.

But did it really matter to him? He was a criminal after all. Wasn’t he okay with breaking the law for his own gain?

Nick sighed. Why couldn’t these things be easier?

The conflicting sides of his personality tugged at him, back and forth. Nick always viewed himself as both a criminal and a hero, letting them coexist in his mind equally. He never liked to choose between them, but Blackwell’s offer was making him. His dual personalities could no longer coexist. He would need to choose one.

Nick punched a shelf in frustration, causing a cloud of dust to descend upon him. Perfect.

He looked down and saw the picture frame, the glass of which had shattered. Nick didn’t know what possessed him, but he extracted the photo from its crushed container. He pocketed it, and was surprised to find another paper in his pocket. Suddenly, he remembered what it was and he ripped it out, his excitement growing. He read as quickly as he could.

 

Pentagon Incident Report

Location: Washington DC

Time: 8:32 PM, November 5, 2015

Summary: Call received at 8:16 PM. Enhanced Warriors dispatched. Arrived at 8:32 PM. Intruders attempted to remove files from system mainframe. Warriors engaged and subdued intruders. Recovered files for more thorough examination. Files include details concerning digital cryptology utilized in United States Military installations. Thorough investigation pending.

 

Nick set down the paper, trying to make sense of what he just read. One thought stuck in his mind though. The intruders were trying to steal files concerning US codes, which meant Blackwell was trying to steal files concerning US codes. What could he possibly want with that?

But Blackwell was never able to retrieve the files. The team had stopped him, so whatever he was planning had to be set back, right?

Nick sighed. Hopefully their investigation revealed a bit more, since the top page of the report told him next to nothing. His conversation with Blackwell had only heightened his interest in what he was planning.

“If only I could read Blackwell’s mind,” Nick thought. “Then all my questions would be answered.”

Nick froze, an idea suddenly sparking in his mind. Would it really be possible for him? He hadn’t shown much mastery of his powers thus far, but now he finally had a reason to try.

One thing was certain to him, however. He needed to see Erica.