Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next few days passed with little to no action.

Nick continued to spend every waking moment training, the demands of Tom, who insisted to everyone who would listen Nick was a lost cause. Even with all his training, however, he still couldn’t do more than roll a pencil across a table.

Henry, Josh, and Lizzie all offered their support to him, but Nick was losing momentum for training with each passing day. He just could not concentrate enough. Part of the reason was Erica.

Ever since their little therapy session, Nick had been going out of his way to avoid her. He hadn’t so much as said a word to her since, but not for a lack of trying on her part. She was constantly trying to corner him so she could talk, but he managed to slip by every time. Nick didn’t need to explain himself to her.

Needless to say, Nick was a mess. He was usually a pessimist to begin with, but now, he was even more depressed than usual. Even Lizzie was beginning to lose her enthusiasm.

“Don’t worry Nick. You’ll get it eventually,” she said after Nick’s last disaster of a training session. Even she didn’t seem convinced of her own words.

Nick grunted but didn’t respond. He had given up on agreeing with her.

Nick trudged to the locker rooms, dripping in sweat. Today’s lesson involved using your powers to attempt to jump higher. After an hour of nothing but jumping, Nick only managed to reduce his legs to pieces of rubber. He stumbled a few times as he walked, his legs threatening to give out from beneath him.

Nick entered the locker room and ripped off his clothes. He stepped into a shower and turned it on as cold as it would go. He stood in silence, letting the water wash over him. The cold cleared his senses, but his mind remained fried. He was beginning to agree with Tom that he was a lost cause.

He stepped out a few minutes later, considerably cleaner, but still in the same mood as before. He pulled on a fresh set of sweats and a T shirt with the CIA logo on them. It was difficult for him to train all day with the two sets of clothes he owned, so the CIA had supplied some for him. Unfortunately, he now looked like a walking advertisement for them.

As he approached the door to the locker room, he heard voices outside and stopped. He felt slightly guilty for eavesdropping, but he shoved the feeling deep down and slowly approached the door until he could make out what the voices were saying. He finally realized it was Lizzie and Josh, and from the softness of their voices, they didn’t want to be overheard.

“I thought you said he was getting better?” Nick heard Josh say, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

“I’m just trying to be supportive,” Lizzie replied. She sighed heavily. “The truth is, he’s a train wreck.”

Nick knew he was bad, but somehow, hearing it come from Lizzie made it even worse. She was always so positive, but from the sound of it, even she had seen the obvious fact that he was terrible.

“I just don’t get it,” Josh said, his voice elevating a bit. “He seemed so powerful, yet he can’t seem to do anything!”

“I don’t know. He has power, but he just doesn’t have the concentration. I don’t know if he ever will.”

They began to walk away from the door, preventing Nick from hearing any more, but he didn’t even attempt to pursue. He had heard more than enough.

I don’t know if he ever will.

The comment had felt like a spike driven through his heart. It was official. Lizzie had given up on him. If she just now saw that he was a lost cause, it meant the others had seen it long ago.

They’ll never see you as an equal.

Blackwell’s words came back to him in a flash. “They won’t see me as an equal, but not because I’m powerful…” he thought.

Nick leaned back against the wall and slowly slid to the ground, placing his head in his hands.

Every day, Blackwell’s offer had seemed more and more tempting. What he had said was proving true. No one accepted him anymore. He was the third wheel, the forgotten stepchild, the outcast. He was no different now than when he was living on the streets.

Suddenly, Nick shot to his feet, a fire behind his eyes. He knew what had to be done.

He exited the locker room quickly and hurried down the hall, ignoring the glances he received from agents he passed. Eventually, he made it to the control room and pushed the doors wide open. His quarry was seated at his desk, typing at his computer.

Nick practically ran up to him. “Minus, I quit.”

Minus turned, and upon seeing Nick, broke into a smile. “Nick, how can I help you?”

“I quit.” Nick repeated more forcefully. “I want out of the program.”

Minus’ smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “You quit?”

“I quit,” Nick repeated for a third time, even more forcefully than before.

“Why would you possibly want to quit?” Minus replied with a nervous chuckle, trying his best to remain his happy self.

“I just can’t do this,” Nick responded. “I’m not this powerful Enhanced you thought I was.”

Minus chuckled again, but with less enthusiasm. “But you are powerful. You saw what you did in DC.”

Nick scoffed. “Oh really? Watch.” Nick raised his hand and focused on a pencil laying on Minus’ desk. It wobbled a bit, but remained in place. “See! I can’t even move a stupid pencil!”

“It just takes practice,” Minus said with a frown, not bothering anymore to feign happiness. “You’ll get it eventually.”

“No,” Nick said flatly, throwing his arms in the air. “I won’t get it. I’ve been training for days and that is as far as I’ve gotten. I’m done.”

With that, Nick stood still, watching Minus as he sat in stunned silence. “Nick,” he finally said. “We need you.”

“Why?!” Nick yelled, causing the room to go silent and everyone to turn towards him. A week of frustration was finally coming forth. “I bring nothing to this team! If you’re looking to replace Blackwell, you found the wrong man!”

The effect was instantaneous. It was like if someone drew a collective breath from the room as everyone stood in shocked silence. Minus was the one to break it. “Who told you that name?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nick shot back. “You’re not even denying it! Well let me tell you something, I’m no Blackwell. I’m not powerful like him.”

The room remained silent, so Nick continued. “I thought from the beginning you were using me, but I dismissed it after what you said. I thought I would finally be accepted here, but I was wrong. You’re only looking to help yourself!”

“Nick,” Minus said quietly. “Calm down, please…”

“Why?! Why do I have to calm down?!”

“Because you’re breaking the door.”

Confused, Nick turned around to see the door was twisting and contorting on its hinges as if an invisible hand was squeezing it. Nick was shocked for a moment, but his anger quickly returned as Minus spoke.

“See Nick. You have the power! All you need to do is learn to control it.”

Nick didn’t respond, but concentrated on his breathing, willing himself to calm down. With the anger flowing through him, it was very difficult. Slowly, the door stopped its dance and remained still, bent at an unnatural angle.

“Nick, I won’t deny what you said,” Minus began. “We were looking for a powerful Enhanced to replace Blackwell. He was not only a powerful Enhanced, but my friend. He was a vital part of the Enhanced Division and when he left, it just about tore it apart. We thought you could fill his shoes. I’m begging you, give yourself a second chance.”

Nick was breathing heavily, still trying to calm himself. He looked over at Minus and saw the pleading look in his eyes, but behind it, he saw cunning. Blackwell’s words came back to him; He’s ruthless and will not hesitate to manipulate you to further his own agenda. It was only in this moment that Nick actually believed him.

Nick looked around at the agents surrounding him. Several had a caring look in their eyes, but some looked at him in anger, as if daring him to say no. Nick actually felt scared as he looked into their cold eyes.

“You’re a lot like him actually,” Minus suddenly said. “You share a lot of the same traits. If you choose to stay, it would be a perfect fit.”

Nick sighed and raised three fingers. “Three days. That’s how long I’m giving myself. If I can’t by then, I quit.”

Minus’ face spread into a caring smile, but Nick could see the frustration behind it. “If that is your choice Nick, I can’t stop you. In three days, no matter which way this goes, I hope you choose to stay.”

Minus leaned back in his chair, which Nick saw as his cue to leave. He turned and walked out the door, which he didn’t have to push open since it was contorted enough to allow him to slip out.

As he stepped out into the corridor, he paused.

“Wait a second…” he thought. “Did Minus just manipulate me?”

Sure enough, Minus did. Nick had gone in intent on quitting, but had left agreeing to stay a few more days. He had played right into Minus’ hands.

“Wow,” Nick thought suddenly. “He really is cunning.”

Nick began to trudge back to the living room, his mind swimming with details of what just happened.

 

Erica sat on a couch, silently reading a book to herself, but she wasn’t paying much attention to it. Actually, she was listening intently to the conversations of her fellow teammates around her. They probably didn’t expect Erica to be paying attention, which gave her the upper hand.

Lizzie had returned from Nick’s latest disaster of a training session with Josh in tow and they proceeded to sit down and discuss it in light tones.

“I don’t know what to do for him,” Lizzie said. “He really seems like a lost cause.”

Erica frowned. True, she was pretty ticked after the past few days. She had tried numerous times to talk to Nick after he incident in his room, but he always found a way to slip through her fingers, leaving her even more curious than before. She was mad at Nick, but she hated to think he was a lost cause. After all, she had seen his power and knew there was an underlying cause as to why he couldn’t master it. It had become her personal mission to find it.

The door to the room was suddenly pushed open and Nick entered. Erica jumped to her feet, forgetting entirely about pretending to read her book. Lizzie and Josh looked up too when Nick arrived.

“Nick, how are you?” Lizzie asked smiling. Erica couldn’t hold back a grimace. It was the fakest smile she had ever seen, but Lizzie was never one for her acting skills.

“Great,” Nick responded, shooting an equally fake smile back. If Erica didn’t know any better, she would say he looked wearier than ever before; probably days of training taking their toll. He rummaged through his pockets and his sunglasses out, plastering them to the familiar position on his face.

“No!” Erica thought. “You aren’t disappearing behind those shades again!”

Erica concentrated hard on him, trying to tell what was going through his head. Her temples began to ache, but she pressed on. She had to know.

She stumbled backwards onto the couch, overwhelmed by the emotional feedback she received. If it was even possible, Nick was more conflicted now than ever.

She hurryingly jumped to her feet and began to walk towards Nick’s bedroom door, trying to cut him off. Nick’s pace quickened when he noticed her, but it was too late. Erica stood in the doorway, blocking his entry.

“Nick,” she said softly. “What happened? Your emotions are everywhere right now.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nick replied, trying to scoot around Erica, but to no avail. Their conversation had caught the attention of the others in the room and they were turning to watch.

“Nick please,” she said desperately. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help!” Nick growled back, causing Erica to jump in fright. “I’ve lasted this long without anyone and I don’t need anyone now.”

Nick finally managed to slip around Erica and threw open his door. He shot one last look into the room, his face softening slightly when he gazed upon Erica, but it quickly turned rock hard again as he slammed it shut.

Erica turned around. Tom had jumped to his feet, his fists clenched. Erica had no doubt in her mind he would have attacked if Nick hadn’t shut his door sooner.

Henry, Josh, and Lizzie shared equally shocked expressions, looking from one to another. “What was that about?” Henry finally managed to stammer.

Erica didn’t reply. She walked back over to the couch and sat down again. She picked up her book, but like last time, wasn’t reading.

Her mind was on Nick and the terrible loneliness that passed over his face when he slammed the door.