Ascension (The Ascension Series) (27 page)

T
he bullets being held in mid-air dropped to the ground. Clark ripped the gun out of the mercenary’s hands and pinned him to the ground. Clark jumped on top of him and grabbed him by the collar.

“Why are you doing this?” Clark yelled.

The man said nothing and Clark punched him in the face repeatedly. The man finally gave in after Clark had ravaged his face.

“We’re mercenaries,” the man said as he held his hands up to his face.

“What?” Clark asked.

“We were sent to kill you,” the man told him.

“By who?” Clark demanded.

“Zhang Wu,” the man cried out.

Another mercenary was across the street and he went unnoticed. He quietly pulled out a long gun-like weapon and shot it at Chloe. The weapon was silent as it shot a tracking devise onto Chloe’s right boot.

“Who’s Zhang Wu!?” Clark growled at the man who was pinned to the ground.

The man said nothing but the mercenary who stood across the street and went unnoticed pulled out a gun with a scope. He looked through the scope and fired the gun. Before anyone could stop it, the bullet hit Charles directly in the back.

Time seemed to slow down as Charles felt an intense pain hit him. His
friends turned to face him as Charles dropped to his knees and fell over.

“No!” Clark yelled. He and Sarah rushed to Charles’s side while Do
nny and Chloe rushed after the mercenary who shot him.

“Charles,” Clark begged as his friend lay bleeding on the ground.

“This really hurts,” Charles whispered. His hand was holding his chest. The bullet had pierced through his entire body.

Donny and Chloe returned with the man who shot Charles. The man was suspended in air, completely unable to move.

“We’ll handle this guy,” Donny said.

“You have to get Charles to a hospital,” Chloe told Clark and Sarah.

“Wait,” Charles whispered. He was breathing very slowly. “You’ve got to take this costume off me first.”

Sarah removed his mask while Clark took his cape and top off. Then Clark held Charles in his arms as he lay dying. Sarah backed away as Clark shot into the air with Charles.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy,” Clark said to him as they flew through the air. Clark went faster than he ever had before. There even came a loud boom as he broke the sound barrier. Seconds later Clark descended in front of St. John’s Hospital. He pulled down his goggles and ran into the reception area with Charles in his arms.

“What’s wrong?” the receptionist asked.

“He was just shot in the back,” Clark said urgently.

“We need paramedics now!” the receptionist yelled.

Clark placed Charles on the reception table. When the woman told him he would need to stay and answer some questions, Clark told her that he had no time. He ran out of the hospital and flew off.

Charles was moving in and out of consciousness. The paramedics entered the reception area
and placed him on a gurney. They rushed him into the back of the hospital after placing an oxygen mask over his face. Charles could only make out bright lights and various figures weaving around him. They wrapped up his chest with gauze, stuck him with needles, and told him he would have to undergo immediate surgery. He passed out and could remember nothing else.

After he dropped Charles off at the hospital, Clark rushed back to the scene of the crime. The cops had arrived but he noticed Chloe, Donny, and Sarah standing on top of a building. They went unnoticed by the cops and Clark joined them.

“What happened?” Sarah asked.

“I dropped him off at the hospital,” Clark said. “I think he’
s going to live─ who did this to him?”

As they stood on top of the building, Donny pointed up. The man who shot Charles was still suspended in the air. Charles pointed his hand out and took over.

“How could you?” Charles angrily asked the man.

Clark directed his hand as the man swayed over the building.
Using his powers, he dangled the mercenary hundreds of feet in the air, away from the building.

“I have every sense to kill you right now,”
Clark told him.

“
I was just doing a job,” the man said cowardly.

“By trying to kill my friends─ Who is Zhang Wu?”
Clark demanded.

“Wu is leader of the
criminal underworld in Cincinnati.”

“Why does he want us dead?” Clark asked.

“You’ve scared away the drug dealers, the burglars. You’ve cost Wu too much. So he hired us. I know you’re going to kill me… so just do it.”

Clark’s expression turned to pure rage as he tightened his fist. The man plummeted hundreds of feet from the building’s top and Sarah gasped. She looked over the building and watched the mercenary fall. The man screamed as he dropped. But right before he reached the ground, he stopped in mid
-air. Then he slowly dropped one foot to the cement. The cops surrounding the area raced toward the unharmed man with handcuffs.

“You didn’t kill him,” Sarah said.

“Because I didn’t want to become him,” Clark said snidely.

“Wow,” is all Donny could say.

“I can’t believe what just happened,” Chloe said.

“So this is how we end,” Clark told them angrily. “So this is how we disband. By losing John while Charles lies in a hospital
bed in critical condition.”

“Clark, please,” Sarah said as he reached for him.

“No,” he told her. “This is the curse we have to live with.
Which one of us will be the next causality?”

Clark dropped to his knees and began sobbi
ng. Sarah hugged him as wept.

“It’s my fault,” Clark said. “This is all my
goddamn fault.”

“No, it’s not,” Sarah tried to comfort him.

“I’m the only person to blame. This was my idea. I had to get you guys to agree to this stupid game. And now it’s cost us everything.”

“Please, Clark,” Donny said. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“But I should,” Clark cried. “I really should.”

CHAPTER 13

Charles awoke the next morning on Saturday. He was in a cozy hospital bed and was surrounded by various devises that monitored his heart rate and blood pressure. There was an I.V. in his right arm which was filled with various medicines that kept him lucid. Charles could move his head but he could not lift himself up. He turned to his left, near the window, and saw his father.

“No,
” his father said benevolently, “Don’t try to move, son.”

“Dad,” Charles whispered.

“You’ve been sleep since last night.”

“Am I gonna live, dad?”

“Yes, you’re going to live, son. You required a few surgeries but the bullet missed your spine. That means we’ve got a long process ahead of us but one day you’ll be back to normal.”

“I’m so sorry, dad,” Charles whispered as tears streamed down his face.

“No, it’s alright,” his dad said as he held Charles’s hand. “Please, just tell me what you were doing out last night.”

“There’s some things I haven’t told you, dad.”

“What?”

Charles lifted his hand up just slightly and the pen that was in his father’s
breast pocket flew into his hand.

“My god,” his father said. “How did you do that?”

“The crystal, dad. The missing crystal from your lab did this to me.”

“What? How is that possible!?”

“I don’t know how the crystal was moved from your lab. But we found it in a barn over the tracks. It was huge. Like seven feet tall. We only touched it for a second and then we developed these powers. We’ve been going out at night using these powers to help people. Kind of like superheroes. And then last night I was shot in the back.”

“Son, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? Where is the crystal? Is it still in some barn?”

“I don’t know,” Charles lied. “I don’t know where it is now.”

“Who else touched it?” his father asked.

“Me and John,” Charles lied again in order to keep his other friends safe. “But John disappeared on Thursday. He robbed a bank and now he’s gone.”

“My G
od,” his father said. “I knew that thing was dangerous. That’s why I ordered it to be put away until it could be stabilized. You shouldn’t have touched it, Charles.”

“Yeah,”
Charles whispered. “I’ve kinda realized that now.”

H
is father smiled. “At least that sense of humor is never going away.”

A doctor entered the lab with a needle
and syringe in his hand. His name, “Dr. Hewer” was patched onto his lab coat.

“Alright, Mr. Walsh, we’re going to n
eed to do a little blood test now,” Dr. Hewer said.

He stuck the needle into Charles’s arm and
drew a vial of blood.

“This should be enough,” the doctor said.

The doctor left the room and Charles’s dad told him that he would be immediately hiring two security officers to guard his hospital room. Charles said it wasn’t necessary but his father insisted.

“Y
our mother was in Germany last night but she took the next flight back home and should be here by nighttime,” Charles’s dad told him.

“Good,” Charles smiled. “I could really use my mom right now.”

Clark and Sarah were standing right outside of the hospital. Clark was afraid to go into the hospital because the receptionist had seen his face the night before. When Sarah told Clark that the staff rotates each shift, Clark slowly walked into the hospital and peered around the reception area. He was relieved to discover that Sarah was right. There was a different receptionist who took one look at him and went right back to reading her paperback novel. It was something titled “A Clockwork Plagiarism.” Clark had never heard of it but she was clearly engrossed in it.

Clark and Sarah took the elevator up to the eleventh floor. When they
exited the elevator they approached the main desk and asked if they could see Charles Walsh. The nurse at the desk told them to wait a moment. She hurried off down the hall and returned a minute later.

“
Alright,” she said. “You’ve been okayed to see him. Just head down the hall. Room 11-3.”

They headed down the hallway
and noticed two bodyguards outside of room 11-3. One of the bodyguards opened the room’s door and said, “Okay, Charles, your friends are here to see you.”

The two bodyguards moved aside and allowed Clark and Sarah into the room.
The door was shut behind them.

They looked around and
noticed the entire room was filled with balloons and flowers.

“Wow,” Clark said. “Lots of balloons and stuff. I was going to get you one but the shop is closed right now.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Charles said. “Don’t worry about it. My dad just got all of this stuff for me.”

“Are you going to be okay, Charles?” Clark asked him.

“Yeah, man,” Charles answered. “I’m going to be okay. The bullet missed my spine. That means I should be able to walk again. One day.”

“I’m so sorry, Charles
,” Clark said. “I feel responsible for what happened.”

“Don’t,”
Charles whispered. “You didn’t know some asshole was going to shoot me. But that was a hell of a night to end our reign on. I’ll never forget it, I tell you that much.”

“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Sarah said.

“Well, Sarah,” Charles addressed her. “I’m going to live but this morphine drip is keeping me out of pain. I feel almost like this is my deathbed so I think I should confess that I’ve slept with just about every girl on the cheerleading team except you.”

Sarah laughed, “Stay classy
, Charles.”

“I just had to get that off my chest,”
he whispered as he laughed.

“Anything else you need to tell us?” Clark
asked.

“Nah, that’s it, brother. W
here do we go from here?”

“I guess we try to live normal lives,” Clark said. “We wait for you to heal. And we’re going to be there for you every step of the way.”

“Sounds good,” Charles said. “No more costumes?”

“Never again,”
Clark nodded.

“Oh,” Sarah reminded Charles. “
Donny and Chloe are coming to visit you later today.”

“Great,” he said. “Then it’ll be a party.”

“We’re going to get something to eat,” Clark said. “And then we’ll be back for you. You’re not going to be alone, are you?”

“Well my dad was just here,” Charles told him. “I don’ know wher
e he went but he should be back soon. So I won’t be alone for long. And besides, there are two huge bodyguards right outside my room protecting me.”

“Yeah,” Sarah smiled. “I imagine it’s hard to get past those guys.”

Dr. Hewer entered the room. “Hello, are these your friends, Mr. Walsh?”

“Yeah,” Charles told the doctor. “They’re good friends.”

“Okay,” the doctor said. “I’m afraid it’s time for another I.V. This next one is going to sedate you so your friends will have to leave for about an hour or so.”

“Oh, we were just leaving,” Clark told the doctor.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys soon,” Charles said as he
lifted his arm in an attempt to wave.

Just as Clark and Sarah were leaving the room, they heard the doctor ask Charles something else.

“Charles,” Dr. Hewer said, “you don’t remember who brought you here, do you?”

“No,” Charles said. “I don’t recall.”

“The receptionist said that someone wearing a costume brought you here. Some believe it may have been one of those so called superheroes that have been making the news rounds.”

“No,” Charles said again. “I don’t remember.”

Clark heard the conversation and became slightly nervous as he and Sarah were leaving the hospital.

“Do you think they
might try and connect us together?” Clark asked Sarah as they walked out of the hospital.

“I hope not,” Sarah said. “Charles told the doctor he didn’t remember how he got there.”

“Of course he doesn’t remember,” Clark joked. “He’s so doped up on morphine he barely knows his own name. If he doesn’t recover I’ll never forgive myself.”

“He will,” Sarah said. “Charles is strong. He’ll get through this.”

Clark and Sarah walked across the street to a small diner and had breakfast together. They tried to keep the conversation on small talk but the fateful night they had just endured continued to pop up no matter what they discussed.

While Clark and Sarah were having breakfast together, John stood outside across the street. Despite having robbed a bank and subsequently t
hrown the money into a crowd of people, John remained outside in broad daylight. He felt like a man without fear as he swept his trench coat behind him and entered the hospital.

“I’m looking for Charles Walsh,” John told the receptionist.

“He’s on the eleventh floor,” the receptionist said.

John took the elevator and arrived on the right floor.
He approached the desk and was greeted by a nurse.

“How may I help you?” the nurse asked.

“I’m looking for Charles Walsh,” John said with his head lowered.

“
He’s in room 3-11 but I’ll have to confirm your visit. One moment,” the nurse said as she walked off down the hall.

John turned to his left and
saw the two large bodyguards standing against the door. Then he noticed a doctor speaking on the phone and overheard his conversation.

“We’ve analyzed his blood,” Dr. Hewer said over the phone. “
He arrived last night─ His molecular structure is unlike any other─ his blood platelets show a particular aversion to lead in a manner wholly different than other humans─ I believe he is likely one of the masked vigilantes─ Yes, Mr. Wu─ I’ll keep an eye on any friends who visit him.”

John quickly turned away and hurried down the hospital stairs. When the nurse returned, she looked around and couldn’t find him.

John made his way back down to the ground floor and exited the hospital. He walked around to the side of the hospital and looked up to the tall building. After peering around to make sure that no one was watching him, John shot up into the air. While levitating next to the eleventh floor of the building, John looked around until he saw a window that had the curtains drawn back. He saw Charles sleeping in the room so he placed his hand out and the window slowly opened.

John flew through the window and landed on his feet.
Charles was sedated but John stood next to his hospital bed and spoke.

“I loved you, Charles,” John said softly. “I’ll never forget all
of times you were there for me. I’m here because you made the eleven o’clock news. I almost couldn’t believe it. But now you see what happens when you’re under the almighty leadership of Clark O’Sullivan─ a bullet to the back. I only hope you recover but now I’m afraid we must part.

“But this is it. There is no turning back. The time has come for a new order on this earth. And I will lead it, Charles. And soon
, I will possess the power to bring back my loved ones. It remains my greatest task in proving my worth. You see, I was never before certain that God existed. But now I am. I am certain that God exists because I have his powers. I have his strength.

“And I will use these gifts to usher in a new world order. I will create a world without destruction and fear and loss of the ones we love the most.
But in order to rebuild, I must first wipe out the seeds that have already been planted. For those seeds have grown into wild vines that will plague and cover the earth until they are uprooted. And that is my job. I will uproot the seeds laid by these dragons. And all who stand in my way will face the same fate. They. Will. Perish.”

John softly placed his hand on top of Charles’s head and said his final goodbye.
At that moment, the door of Charles’s room opened and Dr. Hewer entered with a clipboard in his hand. The doctor looked up and saw John.

“Who are you?” Dr. Hewer asked.

John looked at the door behind the doctor and it quickly shut.

“Scream and I will kill you,” John told him.

“You’re one of those… super… superheroes,” the doctor stuttered.

“Not anymore,” John said.

“What are you?” the doctor asked as he looked around the room.

“I heard your conversation,” John told him.

John looked the doctor in the eyes and the doctor’s feet lifted off the ground. He was suspended into the air as John clenched his fists.

“How much do you know about us and who were you talking to?” John asked him angrily.

“I was talking to Zhang Wu,” the doctor spoke quickly. “I’ve been selling… information to him.”

“WHY?” John shouted.

The bodyguards on the other side of the door attempted to open the door but were unable to.