A Changed Man (Altered Book 1) (19 page)

"Maybe she had a boyfriend or something." Remington said trying to be helpful.

"Psh!" Jackie scoffed. "I seriously doubt it, but who knows. Weirder things have happened."

They took the tools that would be used to further test Remington’s abilities over to Jackie’s front porch and set them down on the small table that sat between the two rockers.

"Okay." Remington said picking up the big screwdriver. "Out of everything this is the smallest, so I'll start with this first.

Jackie sat down in one of the chairs and watched as Remington held up the screwdriver and stared at it. She could see the concentration in his face and the slight wrinkle that formed between his eyes as he really focused on it, and just like that, it started to bend. It took him less than ten seconds to fold the thing completely in half. She watched for any sign of instant fatigue or the usually present nosebleed. She didn't see either. "Wow, that seemed pretty easy for you."

Remington turned to look at her. "Yeah, I feel like I didn't really have to try at all with that one. I think I'm getting stronger."

"How do you feel? Tired? Is your heart beating fast?"

"No, I feel good! I'm ready to go again!" He said excitedly.

Jackie laughed at him. "Okay, try this next." She said handing him the large wrench.

Remington held it out in front of him, and within seconds the same thing happened. This time instead of just bending it in half, he made it twist as it bent. "Did you see that? Holy shit!" He said turning to Jackie and handing the twisted metal to her.

"How did you do that?" She asked eyes wide.

"I just thought about it. I pictured it in my mind, the twisting and bending at the same time, and it happened."

"That’s incredible! How do you feel now?"

"Honestly that took a little out of me. I'm not wiped or anything, I could keep going no problem, but I could feel I used a bit more energy that time. Probably because I did two things at once."

"Okay, lets take ten. I'll grab us a drink." Jackie got up and walked in to the house.

Remington just stared at the wrench. He had no idea he could manipulate it that perfectly just by imagining it. He
was
getting stronger, and with any luck it wouldn't take him long to gain complete control of his powers with little to no side affects. Then the real test would begin.

The night was coming on fast. The sun setting low behind the tree line casted shadows of wicked things that lurked in the woods at night. It was among these shadows, watching. It saw the man and woman on the porch; it saw the man do things no human should be capable of. As the sun sank deeper, the mist, blacker than the darkest night, moved closer to the edge of the woods. It would wait until the last rays of the sun that danced through the trees like lit fairies were gone completely. It had wasted enough time on these two. It was time to make its move.

Jackie had watched Remington bend and manipulate the rest of the tools they brought over from the shed. He bent the saw and chisel in less than five seconds. The crowbar being bigger and thicker took him closer to twenty seconds and came with a couple drops of blood from his nose. Not enough to even worry about a tissue.

"I think that’s enough for today." Jackie said gathering the tools and depositing them on the floor at the far side of the porch. "You did a lot today, and this last one seemed to be the hardest. I think we should call it and you can practice again tomorrow.

"Yeah, I think you're right." He said standing up. "I'm going to go in and get a refill." He said holding up his empty tea glass. "You want one?"

"I'd love one, thanks." Jackie handed him her glass and watched him go in the house. She sat there on the porch waiting for Remington to come back when a not so pleasant but familiar feeling came over her. She had a chill going down her back and her hands were starting to sweat. She could feel her heart start to race. It was like there was something she should be running from but she didn't see anything. She sat still, searching the tree line for any movement. Then she noticed how quiet it was. The crickets had gone silent and the wind was still. You could hear a pin drop. It was never this quiet outside; except for the last time she saw that huge black mass hovering in the tree line. Jackie scanned the trees, and then she spotted it. The dark misty smoke that floated only about twenty yards from where she sat. Like last time, she couldn't move, she wanted to get up and run inside, but it was like her body wouldn't catch up with her mind.

Just then Remington walked out. "This is the last of it. I'll make some more in the morning." He said holding her glass of tea out to her. Jackie didn't move to take her glass; she didn't even look at Remington. She just kept staring at the tree line.

"Jack? What is it? What’s wrong?" He asked in a worried voice. She looked comatose.

Jackie, finally able to move, slowly raised her arm and pointed to the shadow, not taking her eyes off the thing. Remington turned, following her finger, and saw it. This is what had her so frightened; he told her before he believed her, but he wasn't sure if he really did. He had no choice now because it was right there. Remington slung open the door and ran into the house.

Jackie saw Remington go back in to the house out of the corner of her eye. He just left her there. It must have scared the shit out of him too. At least he could move enough to get away. She couldn't believe this man who had made her feel so safe since he had been here, this man whom she was starting to develop feelings for, just ran inside and left her! She was still too scared to move.       Within seconds Remington came running back outside with the shotgun and before she understood what was happening, he shot at the black mist.

Remington fired again, watching the bullets fly right through the mass for the second time. He had no idea what this thing was but shooting at it didn't seem to bother it. They watched it start to drift closer to them at a speed Jackie hadn't witnessed yet. It was fast. Remington grabbed Jackie’s arm pulling her behind him blocking her with his big body. Before they could blink it was on the porch. Remington shot at it once more before the gun was yanked from his hands by a spiral of smoke and thrown in to the driveway. Then it just stopped. Floating there like a black cloud so dark they couldn't see through it. Jackie, holding on to Remington’s waist, peeked around his back and that feeling washed through her again. That feeling that this thing was somehow alive; it had a conscience and she knew it was looking at them, sizing them up.

Remington swiped his arm through the dark mass and the wisps of smoke parted like he had just brushed his hand through a dry fog. He started to back up keeping Jackie tightly behind him when all of a sudden the mist started to twirl. It was staying in one place but moving in a circular motion looking like a small tornado before starting to take form; a human form.

Rick sat on his makeshift bed on the floor of his and Dillon’s cell watching her scratch another mark into the wall next to the cell door. They had just had their dinner delivered to them via the small horizontal opening at the bottom of the door. "Ham and cheese sandwich with chips huh? This place must be on a tight budget." He said smiling up at Dillon. He could see her fight back tears while she marked down what was probably to her, another torturous day in hell on earth.

"Yeah, this is the best thing they serve. Sometimes we get lucky and get turkey. For breakfast we usually get oatmeal although, I think twice I’ve had powdered eggs. Then for lunch it's a sandwich and an apple or an orange and this for dinner. Oh, and water, always freaking water. What I wouldn't give for a soda of any kind. I guess we should be happy they’re feeding us three meals a day. I'm guessing they don't want us malnourished incase they need to use us, but on the other hand they don't want us too strong either."

Rick thought that made sense. Feed them just enough to keep them healthy for their blood draws and whatever else they take from their bodies for their fucking tests. Rick spent the day talking to Dillon about her life on the outside. She was a vet tech; she loved animals, but didn't have any of her own. She told him she didn't really have time to take proper care of them because she worked so much but she did start up a fostering program through the practice she worked for to find strays or dogs that were just left at the clinic a good home. He had asked her if she thought the people at work would report her missing and she told him she didn't know. They may just think she up and quit. Rick could tell she missed her life terribly; he didn't know how someone so young could still be keeping her shit together so well with all she's been through.

"So you really think you can get us out of here?" She whispered to him.

"I'm going to do everything I can, I promise you that. I've only been here a day, I need to know more about the place. How many guards do you see on a daily basis, what times do they make their rounds? Things like that. I don't know if you have any idea of the layout of the place but that would be helpful too."

Dillon took a bite of her sandwich looking thoughtful, like she was trying to come up with all the answers to his questions in her head. "I would say besides the guards that bring the food three times a day, no one else really except the doctor lady that draws my blood. That’s usually every three days though. I'm not sure which days because I lost what day of the week I'm on a long time ago."

"Well today is Thursday." Rick said assuredly. "Can you remember how many days ago it was when she last came?"

Dillon looked up at the ceiling and bit her bottom lip. "Okay, then I would say it was Tuesday. Which means she will most likely be coming again tomorrow."

"Okay good. How about the layout, do you have any idea how big this place is?"  He asked finishing off the last of his own dinner.

"I've only been out of my cell a handful of times. They put me in a room with a mirrored wall, like the kind they have on the cop shows on TV."

"An interrogation room." He said

"Yea! An interrogation room. Anyway, I've only gone that same direction, but I know it like the back of my hand. OH! I do remember seeing a window! There’s a door a few feet from it so it has to lead to the outside!"

"Good girl!" he said getting off the floor and sitting next to her on the bed. Dillon beamed at him like she had just gotten praised for her first A on a report card.

"Why did they take you to an interrogation room?" He asked.

"So they could throw stuff at me."

"What? Throw stuff?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah, they like to test my power. They put me in there and throw stuff at me to see if I can block it. Got hit a lot the first few times, the stool hurt the worst. I had to learn how to control my power real quick.”

"They threw a stool at you?" He asked his face turning red.

"Yeah, every time I block something they would throw something bigger or faster. I used to have really bad nosebleeds from it. I would pass out and wake up back in here with a really bad headache. That doesn't happen anymore though.”

Rick was getting angrier by the second. The story this poor girl was telling him was fueling his fire to get her out of here and destroy the ones who did this to her. "You think you could make me a map if I could get you something to write with?" He asked looking around the room.

"No, no map."

"Why not?" He asked his brows drawn together.

"Because I'm the map." She pointed to her head. "It's all in here and there’s no way in hell if we get a chance to get out of here that you're going without me." She stood defiantly, her hands propped up on her small hips.

"Okay, you're right." Rick said shaking his head. "I wanted to scout it out first, but you're right. If we get the chance we both go, we may not get another one.”

Remington and Jackie watched with wide eyes and gaping mouths as the black mist started to take shape. Within a few seconds a man stood just a few feet in front of them. He was about six one. He looked to be around two hundred pounds of lean muscle. He wasn't bulky, but very toned.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." Jordan said, his hands up in a surrendering posture. "I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Jordan Chase and we have something in common."

Remington looked behind him at Jackie; she was shaking and trying her best to hold herself together. He pulled her close to his side and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "What the fuck are you?" He asked Jordan.

"I'm just like you." He answered. "Well, not JUST like you, you can manipulate metal. I can dissolve into what you just saw."

The bulb went off in Jackie’s head. "It was you." She whispered. "All those times I saw that shadow it was you. You were in my bedroom!" She cried out.

"I can explain." Was all he had the chance to say when Remington landed a hard punch to the side of Jordan’s jaw.

"Fuck! What was that for?" He bellowed, righting himself while holding the side of his face.

"For scaring her you fucking pervert!" Remington yelled. "I should just end you right now!"

"Wait!" Jordan said putting his hands up again. "Let me explain! I knew your grandmother." He looked at Jackie.

Jackie grabbed Remington’s arm as if to hold him back from having another go at Jordan’s quickly swelling face. "You knew my grandmother? How?" She asked skeptical.

"I was never trying to scare you I promise. I was just trying to see what kind of person you were. If I could trust you like I could her. Your grandmother saved my life."

Jackie looked at Remington then back to Jordan. "How?"

Jordan looked at Remington. “I know what you are. I know what they did to you because they did it to me too. When I was finally able to escape I found this place and just needed some time to rest and figure out what to do." He looked at Jackie. "Your grandmother found me in her shed and instead of calling the cops she listened to my story. She fed me and took care of my injuries.

Jackie looked at Remington. "That sounds familiar." she said.

"I'm so sorry about her passing, she was like a mother to me. She hid me out and let me build a small place at the far edge of her property and in return I helped her out around here."

"The handyman." Jackie said staring at Jordan.

"Yeah, I guess." he answered. "But it was more than that, we had a friendship, a mutual trust. If it wasn't for Evie I'd be dead."

Remington could feel Jackie’s arm tighten around him, he knew she was confused and frightened and he would do whatever he had to do to keep her safe. "So you escaped that place? When?" He asked Jordan.

"It's been almost a year. After Evie found me, she helped me get better and I was finally able to get a grip on what I've become." Jordan said, looking back-and-fourth between them. "I was pretty messed up for a while, kept changing randomly, I had no control over it. She taught me breathing techniques that calmed and centered me, after that I learned how to control it pretty quickly. I've spent every day since casing the place where they held me. I have log books full of all the info I've gathered since my escape." He turned his focus solely on Remington. "I want to go back in, and I need your help."

                        Chapter 14

"How do I know you are who you say you are and not just one of their mutated guard dogs trying to get me back to that shit hole and lock me up again?" Remington asked.

Jordan could understand why he didn't trust him. Hell, he probably wouldn't trust him either if the situation were reversed. "Because I'm the one who saved you. I found you passed out in the woods and the team that was sent to find you would have done just that if I didn't find you first and bring you here."

"You brought me here? Left me in the shed?" Remington asked with a stunned look.

"Yes. I watched you fall from the cliff and thought for sure you were dead but then I saw you struggling in the river so I followed you. When you lost consciousness I carried you back here in hopes she would find you." Jordan pointed to Jackie. "If I worked for them I would have just taken you back to the den."

"The den? Is that what it's called?" Remington asked.

"Yeah, that’s what the guards call it anyway. It's built into the side of a mountain, like a giant cave. There are four entrances and five exits. The fifth being the one you fell from." Jordan watched Remington for any signs that he may believe him. "What’s your name?"

Remington looked at Jackie as if asking her if she thought he should give his name to this stranger. Jackie nodded. "Remington Cross." He stated.

"This is a lot to take in." Jackie interrupted, sitting down in one of the rockers. "You say my grandmother saved your life, then she let you live on the property?"

"Yes, she was a wonderful woman. I was hoping you would do the same for Remington here when I left him in your shed. It seems your heart is as big as hers was. You look just like her you know?" Jordan smiled at Jackie.

"I've heard that a few times." Jackie was freaked out but fascinated at the same time. "Okay, So they did this to you? The people at the den, they gave you that ability? To fade into smoke?" She asked with almost child like curiosity.

"They did. I was in the Army for four years when one day I woke up in that place. Apparently they only recruit, err, I mean kidnap, the best people of any military branch. It doesn't matter if you were a soldier or a tech-y, as long as you were one of the best at what you did. When I woke up a man had come in and told me that the procedure was a failure and that they would try again in a couple of weeks. I sat in that cell seeing no one except the guards who brought my meals and a doctor who took blood samples. One night I was lying in bed just staring at the ceiling when I felt my nose start to bleed." Jackie and Remington looked at each other.

"It happens to you too." Jordan said to Remington, more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, well not so much anymore. Headaches too, bad ones."

"Yeah. Me too." Jordan said. "Anyway I went to sit up and I couldn't see myself. There was just a black fog laying where my body was; it scared me shitless. It happened a few more times and since I seemed to be totally aware of what was going on when I changed, I figured I would just float the fuck out of there. So when it happened again that’s exactly what I did."

"No one saw you?" Jackie asked.

"No, I got real lucky I guess. I found a door that led out and just flattened myself against the wall. It didn't take long before someone opened that door and I just zipped out into the night. Like I said. Lucky."

Everyone just looked back-and-forth at each other. They were all shocked in one way or another. Jordan couldn't believe someone else that had been changed was able to escape. Deep down, Jackie felt better knowing that Remington’s crazy story had just been corroborated, and Remington now had a way back into the place.

"I know it's a lot of information at once, believe me, I understand." Jordan looked at both of them. "But there are other people there, people that are having hideous things being done to them right now and we need to get them out of there."

"Do you have any idea how many people are being held?" Jackie asked.

"I'm not sure, dozens if not more. When I escaped I passed at least twenty-five cells and that was just down one corridor. The place is pretty massive."

Remington looked at Jordan. "You say you've done recon? You have information on the people that work there, a map of the place? Times, dates?"

"Yeah, I have all that and more. Listen, I know it's getting late and you guys probably want to let all of this sink in. How about I come back in the morning, I'll bring all my data and we can go over it together."

"I think that’s a good idea." Remington said looking at Jackie; he could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

"Okay great, If you need me for anything I live on the far east corner of the property. Just head through the trees and you will eventually run into my cabin."