Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (47 page)

“Yes
mother,” Jack interrupted her, “But let’s hear about Audrey and Jason’s holiday
for a minute. How was Greece?”

Audrey
started in with stories and photographs to share while Jason commented absent
mindedly.
What happened? Why has everything changed so much? This wasn’t
such a difficult matter to hear about. Abigail blathered on about her obsession
and we all nodded and let her ramble. Why is this so personal now? That isn’t
me now and I don’t think it should tax me so even if the possibility of joining
the heroic ranks of the Human Titan and Captain Density is there. And if I did
assume some secret identity it shouldn’t control me. I shouldn’t feel this
pressure to join them or to hide. Why do I have this trepidation now? Why am I
worried about this now?

“Did
you hear about the Burning Man of Athens?” Abigail interrupted. Jason felt his
skin cringe and his spine grow rigid. “I haven’t heard anything else about him,
well, other than a few mentions of sightings, but did you hear about that while
you were there dear?”

Audrey
said they hadn’t and asked for the story.

I
don’t think London needs another hero. There isn’t enough trouble for that many
heroes anyway. London can’t be that terrible of a place. I mean, looking for
trouble isn’t healthy. This city has its flaws, I know that, but I don’t need
to look for them, to exploit them. I don’t need to look for trouble. If there
were ever an event that needed my help, something cataclysmic then yes I would
help. But petty theft and crime can be left to the police. I don’t need to
become a vigilante.

“So
mum, are there any super villains yet?” Jack finally interjected. “We’ve heard
all about your heroes but are they just rounding up pickpockets or are their
super powered villains about the world that you’ve hidden from us as well?”

“If
there are I haven’t heard about them,” Abigail replied. “And all of the heroes
I’ve told you about are decent young men and women mind you Jackson. You
shouldn’t be so spiteful about this.”

“I
am not spiteful mum,” he stopped her. “I only find it suspicious that there
aren’t any villains out there.”

“Maybe
there are, honey,” Samantha said. “Maybe they haven’t broadcast themselves as
openly as Captain Density and the Human Titan.”

“Well
that would make sense, but that would mean these heroes are not combating the
hypothetical high profile characters, otherwise we would have heard all about
it by now.” Jack glanced at his mother, “Through the papers or by other means.”

Jason
stood up and took his leave from the room with the excuse to grab another
drink. Audrey followed him and asked how he felt. “I’m sorry they won’t drop
the subject Jason. But don’t let them get to you okay?”

It’s
not that easy Audrey. I can feel their eyes on me. I can hear their whispers, I
know what they say when we’re not here. They suspect something. I know it.
They’re waiting for one of us to finally crack and tell them all. I can hear
them right now, I can, I can hear them…they’re talking about someone called
Hanzo from Japan…

“Audrey,”
he frowned. “There’s something new.”

What
the hell are you Jason?

“What
Jason?”

He
whispered to her his newest found power. He relayed a part of his
mother-in-law’s conversation with Jack and Samantha and told her the name of
the tune Alan whistled to himself in the kitchen. “I-I had a few instances
where I thought I heard something…but I tried to ignore it.”

“Why?”

Because
I’m turning into a damn freak and I can’t stand this Audrey I need this to stop
I don’t know where all of this is headed and I need some direction from you or
me or someone yet this just continues to build up day after day after day and I
can’t handle this weight on my own and I don’t feel like you understand any of
this at all. I need help and there’s no one around to save me. Life was
difficult to begin with. Working nine hour days followed with dinners with your
family who generally can’t stand me and budgeting our finances and expenses
while looking for a home and the fire and the loss of our home and belongings
and now this of all things oh my word Audrey I can’t handle this I cannot
handle this what the hell do I do?

Audrey
frowned and saw the change in his countenance. He didn’t look her in the eye
and his breathing started to quicken. “Jason,” she called out to him, “Jason
calm down.”

“No
Audrey no damn it,” he spat. “What the hell am I doing? What the hell, what the
hell, what in the hell am I supposed to do Audrey?”

“Calm
down.”

“No
Audrey,” he stopped her.

She
saw his irregular breathing and frenzied state grow and swiftly tried to take
control. “Jason–”

“Audrey.”

“Jason,
do not interrupt me again,” she barked, cross. “You are going to be fine. We
are both going to be fine and believe me when I tell you this isn’t anything
you need to worry about. I know you’re scared because there isn’t much we can
control right now, but you need to take a breath, take a deep breath, and I
want you to close your eyes and think about the two of us.”

“Audrey
now is–”

“Shut
your eyes right now Jason and don’t you dare say another word.” She waited
until he followed her command. He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths
at her say-so. “Jason, do you remember what you told me a few months before our
wedding? When I felt like the world was crumbling to the ground because our
reservation for the church for our ceremony fell through? I was devastated and
I truly felt like everything we worked so hard for was ruined and all I could
do was cry my eyes out. You took me by the hand, you kissed me, and you told me
that the entire wedding, building, procession, and all could fall to pieces,
yet what actually mattered would still remain intact. You, Jason, told me, you
reminded me that what we’d worked so hard for wasn’t a wedding but a marriage
between the two of us. Jason, you reminded me that every little thing could
unravel and in the end you and I were going to be married, and that was all
that would matter in the end. And right now we’re facing the same difficulties
we faced when we were younger. I know you’re scared and I know I can’t
understand what you’re going through, but I need you to remember that through
all of this, I am going to be here for you, right by your side, no matter what
trials might come.”

He
did the best he could to calm himself and nodded to confirm his understanding.
Jason apologized to her and asked, “Audrey, what do you think I need to do?”

“What
do you mean?”

“Do
you think I need to don a costume and parade about with the others?”

Audrey
pursed her lips for a moment.
You’ve obviously dwelt on this Audrey. You
don’t need to protect me from your thoughts. I really need guidance here. I
don’t know what to do. I don’t want to, I don’t feel that I need to but
everything I think of revolves around these heroes. I don’t know if I want that
though. What do you think? Please tell me.

“Audrey,
what do you think?”

She
smiled and asked him to remain calm and to keep an open mind. “I think it would
be a great idea. You have a gift Jason,” she told him hushed. “Why squander
that?”

But
is that right? Is this something I want to showcase or should I keep it to
myself?

“Jason,”
she took his hand and looked into his eyes, “You don’t need to worry about this.
Think about it and give it time. You don’t need to make a decision right away.”

She’s
right. Give it time and think about it Jason. You don’t need to rush into
things blindly. You could compromise everything and put yourself and your wife
in danger. You can’t risk something like that. Look at all of the angles and
make a decision then and only then. You have all the time in the world.

---*---

2:46
PM

Baltimore,
Maryland

Chief
Johnson sat in his office with Commissioner Schmitt and a file filled with photographs
of unearthed graves and emptied caskets. Five graves were desecrated in one
night and it seemed as though no one had seen the perpetrator. To make matters
worse, there wasn’t enough evidence at any of the crime scenes to generate one
lead or suspect, other than assuming Cladis was responsible.

Commissioner
Schmitt reclined in his seat and asked who would do something so heinous. “And
I mean aside from this Cladis fellow you and your people tracked down for so
long.”

Johnson
didn’t have an answer for him. “I hate to bring it up, but these people were
all victims in the case, all five of them.”

Schmitt
looked at the list again, which included Tim Qing, Rachel Schmitt (who held no
relation to the commissioner), Brett Foster, Caroline Reynolds, and Jenna Bell.
The images of the marred headstones unsettled the commissioner.

“What
are we going to say about all of this?” Johnson asked him. “Blame it on the
gang you created under Cladis’ name? No one’s buying that cover.”

Schmitt
slowly nodded. “It seems like the only thing we can do for now.”

“Or
we reopen the actual case, assign some people to it, and stop this psychopath
before he turns our city on its head,” Johnson countered. “Lying about this,
cowering from trying to fight him means we’ve already lost.”

“Spare
me the lecture Johnson,” Commissioner Schmitt stopped him. “If we reopen it
then the media and public will begin to lose faith in us,” Schmitt told him.
“We’ve already got enough trouble as it is with gang activity, drug and weapons
trafficking, and…well you get it.”

“And
you think adding another gang, your ‘Cladis gang,’ is the best idea to restore
faith in our department? We can’t ignore this, because if we do and it
escalates, we’re to blame.” Johnson sat up in his seat and reminded the commissioner
that two of their own were already lost to the madman’s spree. “I’m honestly
surprised the city hasn’t demanded a manhunt yet.”

Schmitt
rubbed his forehead and agreed. “And with this damned REFOIA leaking everything
to the public, a cover story isn’t going to matter…” The commissioner gave the
situation a moment of thought before he asked, “If you were going to put anyone
on this case, who would it be?”

Johnson
acted as if he needed to think about the question, but made his way to say,
“I’d give it to Murdock and Felton.”

Schmitt
nodded his head and said it wasn’t a bad idea.

“I
would also want to have Bryce Maguire and Mia Hendricks on the case as well,”
Johnson told him.

Schmitt
failed to understand. “Why would you need two rookies who haven’t got any
experience working on this sort of case?”

Johnson
reminded him that this wasn’t a normal case. “But we’d need some regular
officers who could assist them, considering there are going to be more stiffs
until we solve this case. Murdock and Felton are going to want to work with the
same officers who can be at each crime scene to avoid explaining the case to
every officer who they interact with.”

Schmitt
looked at the chief for a moment before he mused, “You’ve given this quite a
bit of consideration, haven’t you?”

Johnson
smirked and said he had.

The
commissioner nodded before he stood up and headed for the door. He opened it
and told Johnson that he would leave it up to him. “I’ve got a feeling you
already know what you’re doing, so I’d better just let you continue to run
things and get out of the way.”

Johnson
thanked him and would have let out a breath of relief had Officer Maguire not
burst into the room, burning with questions.

“Chief,
you’ve heard about the grave desecrations, right?” Johnson only had a moment to
nod before Maguire continued, “What happened to the rest of the bodies of the
victims? Do we know that?”

“I
don’t, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Do
you think it’s safe to assume they were all cremated? With the exception of
Detective Sage of course.”

Johnson
said he didn’t know. “What’s more important is figuring out who did this and
why they did it.”

“Do
you think it could be Cladis?”

He
nodded, “Very much so, yet at the same time I don’t know why he’d want the
corpses…or why anyone would for that matter.”

“What
should we do about it?”

Johnson
asked him when the next body would turn up.

“I’m
not sure,” Bryce admitted. “I think we’ve got about a week though.”

“Go
make sure.” The chief stopped him before he dashed out of the office and asked,
“Who was it that turned up on Sunday?”

“Danielle
McMinn,” Bryce reported. “We’re not sure how she died yet, but Officer
Hendricks and I managed to confirm that the scar was on her arm.”

“Did
you all ever manage to figure out if that one guy was your fourteenth victim or
not?”

Bryce
nodded and told him it was Joaquin Hernandez. “We finally had confirmation that
Hernandez had the mark on his arm, which made it evident that he was the
fourteenth.”