Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (31 page)

“Wh-When…When
are we going to train?”

Strom
glanced at the dealer and gave an empty reply, “We’ll work out later. Hit.”

“So
when then?” Nick asked again.

“After
this hand.”

Strom
said that over three-hundred twenty-three dollars before Nick asked the
question, so Nick doubted there was any validity in the statement and simply
looked at the cards he’d been dealt.

Nick
wasn’t legally able to gamble and he knew it. But Isaac Jones was twenty-one
and since Strom wanted to toss his money in the toilet Nick agreed to join him
if for no other reason than to speed the loss of Strom’s fortune and return the
two of them to their original path. Nick was also unsure whether Mizuno would
know where to look for them, (or if he already knew for that matter), and a
part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to that life. Though Nick realized
he never left that world Mizuno brought him into, as he sat at a blackjack table
with a fake ID and passport with the world’s deadliest assassin.

Nick
glanced at his cards, a nine of clubs and a seven of spades. He simply said he
folded and tossed his cards to the dealer.

Strom
frowned and asked why he quit.

“I
had sixteen, and most of the low cards won’t show.”

“What
do you mean?”

“Even
assuming this is a new deck, the chance of me drawing anything that would be of
help to me is only about forty percent, assuming that you or the dealer don’t
have any cards that are five or below.”

Strom
studied him for a moment. “I didn’t think you were that smart kid.”

“What
do you mean?”

“You
seemed to me to be some average kid who didn’t give a shit about anything.”
Strom asked for one more card but broke, swore, and asked their dealer
Brittany, whose name he finally recalled after two hours of cards, to deal
again.

Nick
reddened a bit and admitted he only knew it because his friend Drake told him
about blackjack and probability. He cleared his throat and asked Strom, “You do
realize you’re wasting a lot of money, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So
why are you?” Nick asked. “It’s not like a big payout would help you much.”

“It’s
something to do with the money I make kid.” He asked for another card while
Nick folded without so much as looking at the hand he’d been given.

“Aren’t
there things you want to own though?”

He
didn’t answer right away. Strom took another card, broke again, and asked for
the dealer to take a break for a while as he wanted to talk with Nick alone.
Strom glared at the kid and asked, “Why do you care what I do with it? It’s
just cash, I can easily make more.”

“I-I
know. I know. It just s-seems…It only seems like a waste to me,” Nick told him.

Strom
glanced around to be sure no one could easily overhear them before he told
Nick, “It is a waste and that’s the point. All I need is enough money to live,
to eat, to travel, and to get the little things I want that’ll make me happy.
Everything else is excess.”

“Then
why do you still…” he searched for the appropriate word, “Why do you still
work?”

Strom
rubbed his eyes and sighed, “Do you realize that I only take a few jobs each
year? I’m not out trying to make as much money as I can. I’m simply doing it to
keep the wheels turning.”

“What
are you talking about?”

“I
like what I do because it gives me a thrill,” he said flatly. “I like the fact
that there’s a chance someone could catch me, that I could die in a brief
mistake or if I was set up. I like taking that shot and worrying about getting
out of a city and being completely invisible for months at a time.”

Nick
looked away from him and apologized. He wanted to ask more questions but he
felt Strom wasn’t in the mood. All Strom told him was that they’d start his
training later in the evening and motioned for Brittany the dealer to return.

Nick
left though without a word.

He
walked outside into the sun, turned his phone back on for the first time in
nearly a week, and discovered he had twelve messages from his friends; two from
Ian, one from Jordan, three from Drake, and six from Amy. He immediately called
her.

It
rang twice before she answered, “Nick?”

He
took a breath and quickly apologized to her. “I-I had to get out of there last
week Amy. I’m r-really sorry for leaving you there.”

“What
happened?”

He
wanted to explain it to her, but a pit in his stomach told him she wouldn’t
believe him.  Nick searched for the words he needed to give her some
explanation, but only told her he and his friend Ian got into an argument about
his brother’s death and Nick needed to cool off.

“I
shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“It’s
okay…” she paused, “Did you want to meet up and talk or something?”

Nick
felt a twinge of pain at the fact that he couldn’t do just that. “No, I-I’m…I’m
sort of busy today. How about I c-call you later th-this weekend and we c-can
set a d-date, okay?”

She
reluctantly agreed and told him she was thinking about him before she hung up.

Nick
turned his phone back off and shoved it back into his pocket.

“Did
you call your girlfriend?”

Nick
didn’t need to turn around to confirm it was Strom. “It’s kind of hard to tell
if we’re dating at all,” he admitted.

Strom
walked over and joined him. “Mizuno wanted me to stop you if you tried to call
her.”

“Why?”

He
said he wasn’t sure. “I think he didn’t want you to slip up and say you were
somewhere away from your home, as most people don’t pack up and fly across the
world off of a whim.”

“So
he wants me to lie to her?”

“And
everyone for that matter,” Strom added.

“I
don’t like that.”

“Get
used to it kid,” he smirked, “That’s a part of the job. Deceit is the backbone
of the world and once you realize that you can walk about like everyone else.”
Strom checked the time on his watch and muttered that they’d better head back
to their hotel. He added that they were going to drive out to the desert to
practice in about an hour after Strom found something worthwhile to drink.

---*---

8:34
PM

London,
England

Audrey
stayed with Jason while the doctors tended to other matters. Jason's recovery
neared completion and aside from piqued interest the concern for his health
dissipated. He didn't share a room and Audrey believed it to be nearby an
operating room, initially because of fears that he could relapse. Jason's room
was very bare and cold. Machines lingered all around him but none of them
monitored him. Doctor Reynolds believed he was in the clear, that he was fine.
Her confidence reassured and slightly worried Audrey.

Jason
finally stirred though. He coughed first and once he'd composed himself he
looked around until he found Audrey. “What are you doing here?” he asked her.
His voice was low and rough, though Audrey guessed it came from the lack of
use.

Audrey
didn't hesitate to rush over to his side and throw her arms around him. She
held him tight yet worried she might have hurt him. All Audrey knew was how she
never wanted to let him out of her sight again. “Jason, how are you? Are you in
any pain? Are you okay?”

He
responded slowly at first before he repeated his question. “What are you doing
here Audrey? Where am I?”

“You're
in the hospital Jason,” she told him. “Do you remember the fire?”

He
nodded and his gaze left her. Jason thought for a moment and remained as a
statue before he slowly asked how Audrey escaped the fire. “I don't remember
saving you.”

“You
didn't. I heard the alarms and made it out on my own,” she told him. “You ran
in to save me.”

“I
didn't make it out in time did I?”

She
shook her head. “You were trapped, remember?”

Jason
said he recalled the fire and the heat but didn't remember much else.

Doctor
Reynolds joined them shortly afterwards and welcomed him to their hospital.
“How are you feeling? Other than the exhaustion and fatigue, that is.”

Jason
told her he felt fine. “I don't understand,” he started, “How long have I been
here?”

“No
more than a week," Doctor Reynolds told him.

“Then
why don't I have a mark to show for it?”

Doctor
Jamie Reynolds took a seat and recounted his admittance into their hospital.
“You were covered in burns and frankly I didn't think you would survive more
than a day or so. You've proved me wrong as well as a vast majority of medical
science that says you should be comatose and near death.”

“Then
how am I alive?”

Jamie
Reynolds smiled and told them she had a theory. “It's outlandish to say the
least and this is my own personal theory and no one else’s, but I believe you
may have heightened regenerative properties Jason.”

He
stared back at her blankly and asked for clarification. “You think I can heal
myself?”

Reynolds
nodded and started by stating that regeneration as a whole isn't rare. “We all
have healing properties Jason, otherwise the human race would have vanished
eons ago. However I purpose that you have heightened regenerative properties.
For example, if an average man cut his hand it could take days or weeks to
properly heal. If my theory is correct then you would heal much faster,
possibly in a day or less.”

“But
what is your point?” he asked. “If I can regenerate as you said, what is it
that you need to know?”

The
doctor only told him her curiosity about his survival was the only driving
factor. “But you could represent change Jason, what if you hold some kind of
key? You could help unlock the way to excel medicine into new realms. We could
cure so much, possibly everything if we're lucky. And at the very least it
would confirm how you managed to survive from the fire.”

Jason
told the doctor he doubted he was the answer to anything. “And how do you think
you'll run these tests? Are you going to just cut me open and see what makes–”

“Please
Mister Templar all I would ask of you is a basic checkup,” she stopped him. “I
want to see how your health progresses in the coming weeks and from there if I
need anything else from you it wouldn't be more than an occasional vial of
blood, so long as you would permit it.”

Jason
tried his best to scrutinize her words and analyze them for any ulterior
motives, but ultimately he let out a breath and told the doctor he would have
to think about it.

Doctor
Reynolds smiled and said she never expected an immediate answer. “I'll leave
you two alone. We would like to keep him one last night for observation if
that's alright.”

Audrey
thanked her again as the doctor headed out of the room, though Jason stopped
her. He asked about the toxins she found in his blood earlier in the day and
asked if she knew who was behind poisoning him. “Do you know where Joshua Todd
is?”

Doctor
Reynolds frowned and said she'd never heard of the man. “What about him?”

“He
came in at night,” Jason started, “I don't know when but he came in and talked
to me.” Jason sat up and closed his eyes while he tried to remember. “He
muttered something about the accident, about the fire. He said I shouldn't have
lived and that's when he injected me with those chemicals. I remember the pain
was different from everything else I’d felt, very much like when you or one of
the other doctors stuck me with needles. But after that I don't remember
anything until now.”

The
doctor crossed her arms and asked how he knew his name. “He told you who he
was?”

Jason
nodded. “He told me his name and that he represented the Lord. Joshua Todd told
me he was a destroying angel of God and that I was supposed to die in that fire
along with everyone else.”

Doctor
Reynolds said she didn't understand what it could be about but told him she
would look through the security recordings throughout his stay to determine how
Joshua Todd could have made it through their watch and into his isolated room.
“He sounds like a terrorist Jason, possibly one of the Dáfù that claimed
responsibility for the bombing in the first place. I promise I will personally
look through the security feeds and will get police involvement in finding
whoever this is.”

“Doctor
Reynolds,” he stopped her, “When you do find that recording, I'd like to see
it.”

“And
why is that?”

“I
want to know who he is and I want to know why he tried to kill me.”

She
nodded and told him she would once they located it. From there she took her
leave and left the couple alone.

---*---

7:10
PM

Bothell,
Washington