Читать книгу Codename - J. M. Cobb - Страница 6

Chapter 1

“Shift’s done! Pack it up, and head out! No lollygagging tonight, boys!”

The shrill voice of an older woman could be heard over a speaker throughout the entire building, a somewhat smaller factory full of assembly lines, most of which were filled with toys and games of all sorts and varieties. A younger male, twenty-one, quickly grabbed his jacket from underneath his line and headed for the door, being stopped by a coworker before he got his hand to the handle.

“Hey, Eli, got any plans for tonight? Me and some of the boys were thinking about heading out, having a quick drink, maybe shoot some pool, darts, something, ya know? Wanted to see if you were interested.”

He spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent, standing over Eli, easily topping the 6'6" margin, heavier build like he worked out all the more so than the average male. He was clean-shaven—even his head only had some small bristles of hair on it.

“Uhm, yeah, no. I, uh, I’m not really sure what’s going on.”

Eli was a bit short, barely under six feet. His dark-brown hair had a few strands of green in it from when he had previously dyed parts of his hair, now mostly fading. His eyes were also a nice bright-green color.

“Eli, man, you gotta get out of this headspace you’ve been hiding away in. The world isn’t out to get you, and who knows, you may make a friend or two if you just let loose once in a while. I’m only trying to help, ya know? Been a real good worker since you started, and you seem like a good guy. So come on, just one drink tonight, what would it hurt?”

Eli looked down at his feet and began playing with the keys in his pocket, clearly a bit nervous. This wasn’t the first time he had been reached out to since starting the job and not by this man only.

“Thanks, Mick, I just really, I’ve got something I need to do tonight, and it’s the only time I’m gonna be able to. You understand, right?”

Mick snickered a bit, placing a hand on Eli’s shoulder.

“What is so damn important that you can’t come out and have a drink, eh? And tonight only? Come on, man, talk to me. You know, I’m eventually gonna break you down, right? It’s my accent. It lets people know I’m a good safe space of a man, ya know?”

After a pause and no response from Eli, he continued, “C’mon, man, it’s 2014, and you aren’t living the best life you could be living.”

Saying that caused Eli to laugh a bit before shrugging Mick’s hand off his shoulder. He kind of cocked his head to the side, trying his best to fake smile. Mick raised his hands and sighed in defeat.

“All right, all right, all right. Ol’ Mickey can take a hint, but I’m warning you, I used to do construction, so I know how to break down a wall or two, eh. That emotional one you’re hiding behind, it’ll be no different, okay? How about a rain check, at least? Pretend to show interest in it, ya know?”

Mick chuckled to himself slightly before giving Eli a light tap on the shoulder and heading out the door himself. The night was worn. The beautiful dark sky with its purple hue made Eli smile. It was his favorite time, and standing out in an open field to stare up at the stars and wonder about life—its mysteries and everything in between. It was his favorite place. Though tonight, he would not be lying in any fields or stargazing as he hadn’t been doing much of lately at all. He got on his bike as he didn’t know how to drive and began riding off toward an old road, barely seen a car in days. The road led to the top of a hill, a very old rickety abandoned building sat atop, set to be demolished soon. This is exactly where he wanted to be and the exact time he needed to be.

Eli was no ordinary person, human as much as anyone else, though much, much more. When he was a kid, a comet storm shot through the skies, just outside the Earth’s surface, somehow completely affecting the planet itself. Weird things began happening all over the world and to the people inhabiting it, Eli being one of them. It was also the day his eyes turned green as they were a nice shade of brown before. He laid his bike down near some trees just down from the building, not wanting it to be found if anyone happened upon what he was doing. He was more than happy to walk the rest of the way.

Outside the building, a common two-story metal bottom wood-like walls on the top, probably some sort of mill when it ran in its heyday, was a sign about its demolition with the deconstruction starting at noon tomorrow. Eli quickly ran to the side of the building, looking for any crack or crevice in its walls. His eyes lit up with joy, the green almost now a glow as he shot a green pulse from his hand after finding what he believed to be the perfect spot to hit. That specific part of the wall crumbled, leaving an opening size enough for him to crawl through, which he so promptly did. The sound of the blast would’ve been loud enough for someone to hear if anyone were around, though its sound didn’t stretch too far out.

Once inside, Eli’s expression lit up. Now using both hands, he began blasting the walls, the ceiling leading to upstairs, anywhere he could without sending the building crumbling down on himself, letting his powers loose and having some fun with it. After a good twelve or so minutes of doing this, he ran up the stairs, cement made, jumping around where he had blasted them. He stood by a window, staring out and up to the sky.

“Welp, I guess it’s time to finish the job.”

Eli quickly ran back downstairs, beams from both hands shooting as he spun around, trying to collapse the building, moving toward his exit hole as he did so. The walls began crumbling, the ceiling and roof caving, and he quickly dove out of the hole he had previously made. As the building came almost completely down, he pulled his phone out. He always kept a burner on him for occasions such as this and called 911, trying to disguise his voice. He spoke quickly and in a panicked tone for whoever was going to pick up at dispatch.

“Help! It’s awful! All I can hear are explosions, bangs, and bombs! Oh, it’s so scary! The abandoned building at the top of that creepy hill! What? They’re already on the way? Oh well, yes, that’s wonderful news.”

Eli quickly hung up the phone and threw it down, smashing it, figuring he didn’t have much time, hearing sirens now off in the distance. He was so used to being gone well before they even found out, so the fact they not only knew but were already almost to him made him feel like he was slipping or getting sloppy at the very least. Turning back to the building, he ran back around to the side, blasting it as he ran past, heading for some trees that lay behind.

He wouldn’t have a hope of getting to his bike now, but he felt it was in a good hidden spot. The cops quickly arrived on the scene, and Eli began to panic. He knew there was another way to get around and back down to the main road, but it was tricky, and he would have to be completely silent, something he was not accustomed to. In about six minutes’ worth of walking, he was next to the road again, though still stayed behind the cover of trees as another squad car came screaming up the road, followed by what could only be described as an oddity. Eli walked out from the trees, seeing another car slowly coming up the road.

The headlights were off though from the light of the moon, Eli, saw it looked old and beat up. It pulled off the road just a little way down from him, noticing Eli hiding in the trees. A single man sat in the car, older by what Eli could see, a soft grandfather type.

“Eliot King, yes? Been looking for you, young man,” the male spoke from the car, only the passenger window down. “Don’t worry. I’m not one of them. I am, in fact, one of you.”

Eli took no moment of hesitation as he took off down the road, passing the man, heading toward his bike as fast as his feet could take him. Within moments he was near the bike, there were two officers, flashlights in hand, looking around. Eli got down, hiding out of the streetlight’s light. One of the officers found his bike and pulled it out of the trees.

“Think someone left it? Seems to be in okay condition, dried mud. Uh…think we should call it?” the first officer spoke, the other just waving it off.

“Calm down with that, will you? You think someone of great mind and explosive knowledge is riding around on a huffy? You must be joking, Seymour. Now focus. Some kids probably just playing around and left it behind,” the other cop spoke back to the first officer, Seymour.

The first cop began walking up the road toward where Eli was, the panic returning. He was able to get a closer look at the officer’s name tag, D. Morris. In a scared panic, Eli walked out, hands already up.

“Thank God you’re both here! Did you guys hear all that? Sounded like someone is blowing stuff up—”

Eli was cut off as Officer Morris drew his gun, pointed directly toward him. The other cop was running up behind. His gun was also drawn, pointed at Eli.

“Now that’s far enough, son! You stay right there and explain slowly and calmly what you’re doing out here.”

Without missing a beat, Eli’s face went from hiding his panic to completely showing it, though faking it this time as he needed to seem like just any random bystander to the cops.

“Officer, you have to believe me. Those blasts woke me up. I just ran out here to see what all the commotion was, and I should really be getting back to my house. It would be a real bad night if my wife woke up, and I wasn’t there. Of course, she is a heavy sleeper as the blast didn’t wake her, but that is all beside the point. Point is, I really should be going now, okay?” Eli said in as fake of a calm panicked tone he could muster, hoping the police would believe him. A silly thought though as Morris began pulling some cuffs out, slowly moving toward Eli.

“Okay, we’re just gonna have to have a nice conversation down at the station, you understand? All just seems a bit too convenient, right? You can call your wife and get her to come down to the station, and she can prove what you’re saying is true, right?”

Eli’s eyes began to light up, knowing now he should have just tried to hide better. Both cops’ heads turned to the side just a bit, not sure if they actually saw his eyes like that or if it was just some light from the moon.

“That’s more than enough, gentlemen. I’ll be more than happy to take it from here. Don’t you two worry. I think my boss would like to see this young man immediately.” A stern voice could be heard not quite in the distance, but as though the voice was moving toward them all. From the darkness, stepping into the light, it was the man that was in the car who spoke to Eli, now with a better view of him under the streetlight. Both cops did a quick turn to him, then Morris turned his gun back to Eli, now quickening his pace over to him with the cuffs.

“Sir, I’m going to need you to step back, please. We are investigating some recent terrorist activities, and we’re gonna need you to stay back, or we will have to take you in as well.”

The older man laughed a bit.

“Terrorist? Look at him. He probably couldn’t wire a clock, let alone a whole bomb. You see, your whole department has it all wrong. It’s not a bomb. He’s a Beyohuman as am I, Raiser.”

Raiser smiled and nodded to the cops. As his head rose, his eyes had a slight orange foggy look to them. The cops, clearly dumbfounded, stood still for a moment before Morris nodded for the other one, Seymour, to take him as well. Seymour put his gun up and pulled his cuffs out, walking over toward Raiser.

“Okay, crazy old man, I think its best you come with us as well. Now stay calm, and we won’t have to use f—” Seymour spoke as he moved in before stopping completely and standing still in front of Raiser. Eli’s face was now covered in fear as he had no clue what was going on anymore or what the old man was talking about when Raiser called him a Beyohuman. Morris stopped just short of Eli. He lowered and put his gun away.

“Thank you for the hospitality of putting those dangerous items away, boys. I do appreciate it. I’m not a big firearms person, you see. Now then, feel free to forget any of this and head up the road and tell your boss or whoever is in charge up there, you found nothing, not even a silly old bike.”

Raiser smiled to the cops, them both nodding, and began walking past both him and Eli up the hill to the old mill, leaving their cruiser behind.

“What the fuck was that? Who or what are you?” Eli shouted at him once his mind was just clear enough to get his bearings back.

“I told you, Eli, I am one of you. I am a Beyohuman, though due to your lack of knowledge on the matter, I’m sure this is all confusing to you and probably hard for you to wrap your head around, yes? I would much like it if you come with me, then we could talk to Boss, and I promise, you will know everything we do. If you don’t want to, I can erase your memory of this encounter, and we can try again later, yes?”

Eli stepped back, thought for a moment about it. Then his eyes turned back to their normal shade of green.

“Ha-has this happened before? I mean, with you and me? Like have we met, and you erased my memory of it?”

Raiser’s eyes also turned back to their normal color, though his eyes were blue, not the orange like his glow.

“Hm…once or twice, yes. Though exciting for me. This is the first time with cops. Boss says he wants you to come of your own mind. He does not want us to force this on you, but you must understand that time is running out, and we need you, Final, I mean, Eli.”

Eli turned around for a moment, then began walking toward his bike.

“I don’t know. None of this is making sense. Maybe I need to sleep on it, yea?”

“Oh, I can’t let you. I’m sorry. Too much thought runs to many risks. That’s what my wife says. We can hide your bike better this time, and you can come. Or you can forget all this, and we can try again later.”

He stopped a few feet away from his bike, thinking hard about the choices, though was one even really a choice? If he did tell him to go ahead and erase his memory, the choice wouldn’t have mattered cause he wouldn’t remember or have known of any choice or the need to there being a choice, and it just runs a long circle in his head before he gets mad at the thought of it.

“Okay, okay, that’s…okay. You’re like me, though you play with peoples’ minds?”

“Yes, Eli, I do. You see, from all the Beyohumans, what you and I are called, we have found, rehabilitated, and helped them discover who they truly are. We have seen many, many powers. If this were a game, think of it as an RPG, and I would be what the support class would be, whereas you would be considered a combat class. In a real fight, well, I’m sure I would be overtaken quite easily, though you, you would strive in combat.”

“And Boss? What would he be?”

Raiser rubbed his chin for a moment and thought.

“Well, honestly…let’s consider him a type of multi-class—would probably be the closest I can think—more support really but so much strength. The headstrong leader of the underground organization that tries to help the world go round.”

Eli turned back to Raiser and began walking back toward him.

“Okay. And how many times have you explained this analogy to me?”

“Once. You were actually the one who helped me with the RPG thing. I was really at a loss for how to break it down to you. You are quite smart. So what do you say? How about you give it a try? What is the worst that could happen? Even if you don’t like it or want things to go back to the way they were, I can do that at any point. Boss just wants to talk to you himself, but I’m the only one who could make the first contact for obvious reasons.”

Eli nodded, a small smile forming at the edge of his mouth.

“Supersecret organization, full of people like me who I can be me with—I’m having trouble understanding why I turned it down before, though I guess I won’t really know as the memory is just gone.”

Raiser began walking up the road to where he had parked the car, motioning for Eli to follow him.

“I’m sorry. You never really said. Just that you thought I was crazy, and one time, you even tried to blast me into the moon—quite the show. I will send word to one of our men to have your bike taken care of. We haven’t a moment to waste so you must leave behind any sort of phone, and no forms social media either.”

“No phone, or social medias. I’ve no use for them, no friends and all. What if another cop happens upon it before your guy gets up here?”

Raiser chuckled again. “So much we must teach you. It is already taken care of. Trust me. Now come quickly. We have got a good drive ahead of us, and I can finally return to my beloved.”

Eli hurried to his side, then as they got to the car, he hopped in the passenger’s side. Excitement was evident on his face.

“You called me Final back there. What is that?”

“It is, well, it’s you. Raiser isn’t my name. Boss isn’t his. We all have code names. As who we previously were, those people don’t exist anymore. We can never go back once we learn of the things we can do as I’m sure you’re well aware. That Mick has been trying for a while to get you to open up. It’s for the best that you didn’t.”

Eli nodded then leaned his head against the window, tired from his day of work as well as his fun at the abandoned mill.

“I suppose you had to keep tabs. He’s a nice guy, but I don’t think me and him would have clicked like he wanted. So I don’t even get to pick my own name. I’m just Final?”

“Well, I suppose you could probably change it, though that is what Boss has code-named you as, so it’s just what you’re known as currently. Now get some rest. We can talk about it later, I promise. Boss is a good guy. He will help you.”

Nodding off to try to sleep, Eli nodded against the window, hoping he could get answers soon. He stayed asleep the entire trip, though to Raiser, the drive was always going to be a nice one as he finally achieved his goal. The drive itself was five and a half hours, heading toward Alabama. When Eli woke, the sun hadn’t quite risen yet, though the dusk was certainly leaving. Letting out a big yawn, he lifted his head from the window and began trying to pop his neck.

“That was not comfortable. But I suppose it was something.”

Raiser nodded to him, eyes still on the road.

“Not much farther then, you will be welcomed with open arms.”

They were both quiet for the rest of the trip, only about another hour left. Raiser slowed to stop at a red light just outside Eli’s new home, telling him the story of it as they drove in.

“That motel was sold years ago to a man who had too much money to blow. He never did anything with it, only wanted to flatten it, build some titty bar or something equivalent. Boss found out, and with my help, we convinced him to give it to us for use. I know it isn’t right, and he is still paying on it with no clue about anything that goes on there, but trust me, he isn’t missing any of the money he is giving it. We needed it like you need us, Final. If we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t have been able to help all the people we have so far. To many of us, this is home. So, yes, suspicious conditions, though trust me, this is for the best. I hope you like it here. Ah, home sweet home.”

Raiser pulled into the motel, a three-story building, looked brand new with many people sitting and standing around outside awaiting Raiser’s return. Once stopped, they both got out of the car, many coming up and hugging and welcoming Raiser back, some waving to Eli, some just scoffing and heading into rooms, some just walking away, around, or not at all concerned with what was going on.

“Final, this is Order Beyond. Everyone you see here is exactly like you in some way, though all in one big way. Come on. Let’s introduce you, ah, well, there he is actually.”

Raiser pointed to a man in a nice suit, slicked-back hair, a bit snobby looking in Eli’s opinion with a big smile on his face.

“Wonderful! You are finally here. I’ve been expecting you, Final. First things first, I would like you to get settled, but the anticipation of meeting you got the better of me. Room 2695, here. I feel like it would be one you favored. In fact, the twelfth door even. I had it numbered purposely for you that way. Thought you might like it.” The smile never left the man’s face as he spoke giddily.

Eli began panicking as that was a number combination no one should have known, causing his already panicked state to get worse. Afraid and unaware of his surroundings and partially losing his mind at this point, he turned, and he rose his hand at Boss.

“Now wait. I didn’t mean to upset you, but this is a bit much, don’t you think? I know how important this day is, and I’m not feeling the appreciation!” Eli screamed, letting a pulse blast out from his hand at Boss, quickly getting tackled to the ground by a few of the other men. As he went down, he hit his head on the concrete, and his vision went black, knocked out cold.

“Well, that wasn’t expected, I must say. Get him in the bed and have Hands come and look at him, just to make sure you guys didn’t do anything serious.”

A few of the men and Raiser picked him up and carried him into the room and lay him on the bed.

“Raiser, please stay with him. I imagine with everything, you made some connection last night.

You finally got him to agree, so you may be the only face he wants to see when he wakes if any at all,” Boss spoke softly, not a scratch on him, not even a particle of dust.

Raiser nodded and joined Eli in the room, sitting at a table next to the bed. A woman came in to check on Eli, quickly running her hands down from his head to neck.

“Well, he certainly hit hard. But it’s nothing I can’t fix. He’ll be fine. Just give him an hour or two to get back on his feet.”

Raiser nodded, and the woman left him to the silence.