The Post-Humans (Book 1): The League (12 page)

“Let’s just say the Indonesian government is not as careful with operation request forms when it doesn’t involve large sums of money. And ‘why they would do that?’ Their beliefs mainly. It is a different part of the world, and being like us is like being cursed where they were operating. Not everyone there would be that ungrateful, but it appears they saved a superstitious bunch, which did not work in their favour. The PHC responded very quickly and ambushed the group during the raid of a warehouse in Java’s mountainous south west.” Brad ran his hand back through his shoulder length hair, a sign that Athan had grown to recognize as frustration or helplessness. There was something he wasn’t saying.

“Out with it Apollo…” Athan crossed his arms and stared at his friend.

“Very well.” Brad sighed and sat back to look Athan in the eyes. “There were four in the group. Two were shot dead by the PHC, their abilities obviously not of any consequence to them. The other two were taken into custody, the leader and one who had the ability to identify Post-Humans from a distance. Her ability makes her the perfect sniffer dog for the PHC.” Brad watched Athan stare at the rug. He was considering the ramifications of this new dilemma. “Do you see? This is why all investigations have been withdrawn; they mean to utilize whatever the girl has in her DNA to hunt all of us down. They now have the ideal weapon against us.”

“Bloody hell. That’s the worst news I’ve had today.” Athan rubbed at his eyes and then his temples.

The headache was creeping back.

“There is one other thing. The group’s leader was a firestarter, it was Furnace.” Brad said it with guilt, like he had been somehow responsible.

Furnace was one of The League.

Athan’s ex-sweetheart and to this day, still a sore spot for him after the abrupt end of their relationship.

Her real name was Kiranda Till. She was the only child of a Vietnamese woman and an American man who had come from New York with some kind of failed banking plan for Melbourne. They had a humble family home in Creswick, just north of Ballarat, where they pretended not to be wealthy.

When Kiranda was eighteen she had a fight with her parents over the usual things: going out with friends, money, homework and boys. Only during this particular time she was growing into her Post-Human abilities, which came in a flood when she got angry. The entire house exploded into flames along with Kiranda’s family. She could summon fire from her skin, which was a very powerful, dangerous ability, and it was one that took her a long time to control.

It was a week or two after her disappearance and the burning of her home that the media began their search for the missing girl as a suspect for the deaths of her parents. That was when The League caught wind of her and Apollo was able to find her before the wrong people did.

When The League did finally find her, she had cut a swathe of property damage through Ballarat suburbs and some farmland to the north and east.

She was a mess that needed to be swept under the rug of society, and The League ended up having to be the clean up crew so the PHC didn’t get wind of someone else that needed to disappear. Apollo became her big brother after that, always sheltering her when she needed it and pushing her to trust herself and her ability.

The other members of the group had had fairly similar experiences when their abilities developed. None so violent as Kiranda, except perhaps Cynthia, who had killed her mother’s violent boyfriend.

After a while they learned more about Kiranda and she learned a little more about what The League was trying to achieve with its covert crime fighting.

But it was many months of meditation and training before she could confidently harness her abilities, even in a meager way.

She called herself Furnace.

It was in the last year of The League that Kiranda had developed a close relationship with Athan. They began to spend a lot of time together and even collaborated with each other on a number of cases. They were partners, and to Athan possibly more.

They began to spend more and more time together. When they weren’t on a case they were inseparable.

Besides Apollo, who was like a big brother to her, Athan was the only person she was comfortable with. She had even told him that she loved him once after one too many victory drinks.

But that was ended during their last real case.

On that fateful day when The League chose to disband, the day Ian was killed.

Kiranda was the only member of the group who had not seen the PHC operative put a bullet in Whirlwind’s brain.

Apollo and Cynthia decided that they were not safe. They needed to separate and lay low. Kiranda had argued with the other two. She said that they were showing the enemy they were weak.

Athan had taken Brad’s side in the argument and this infuriated her, but they were broken without Whirlwind. His speed had made their projects possible and he was a close friend. Kiranda broke ties with The League that night and left Athan without a word. She was angry and defiant, and she hated them for breaking up the only family she had left.

Athan never saw her again after that night and he had not let himself get close another woman since.

Athan raised his brow and looked thoughtful. “Shit.”

“Yes. That was my thought too.” Brad leaned forward and clasped his fingers. “I don’t know where she is, Athan. It could be anywhere in the world, but I do know that it was corporate funds that have been put towards whatever they are doing with the Indonesian girl.”

“Corporate? Why isn’t that a surprise? Everyone knows that the big companies run every government system on the planet, and it is government we are worried about here isn’t it?” Athan said as he paced in small circles.

“Well, this just seems a little more fresh than our usual
evil
corporate business. It goes deep, but it looks new as well. That’s where the names on your list come in, Athan. I’ve been looking at these people very closely and I don’t think their accidents were accidents.” Brad turned to pick up his electronic tablet from his desk, which happened to be on his left, next to a nearly empty scotch glass.

“Hang on.” Athan stopped his pacing and rubbed at his temples.

He became aware of the familiar throb of pain echoing across his brain again. His headache had dissipated a little for a while, but it was rushing back to greet him. The worst thing was that until very recently he hadn’t been getting headaches at all. It couldn’t have been from jumping from mind to mind, or staying in the subconscious space for extended periods of time, because he had spent a huge amount of time doing it since he discovered he had the ability.

Stupid brain.

He wandered into the kitchen to find the cupboard where he’d seen Belinda get the painkillers.

When he came back from the kitchen, Brad had the rest of the bottle of single malt in one hand and he held out a small filled glass in the other. “Here, you can wash them down with this.”

Athan swallowed the pills and looked over Brad’s shoulder to the tablet he was holding. “What about these names?”

“See for yourself.” Brad passed him the tablet with the four names of coma patients.

“I’ve done a little research, and these don’t look like random names to me.” Brad pointed to the first on the list. “David Li, he’s an expert in Social Psychology, Kendra Thompson is a big name working in the Department of Advertising Standards and Regulations.”

Athan muttered to himself as he tried to see any reason why they happened to be unconscious in a Ballarat hospital.

There had to be a reason.

“John Sage,” Brad continued. “Now he is a loud voice in the Fair Trade push, and very well respected. And lastly James Kallett; this guy took care of international corporate representation in Melbourne.”

“Why are some of these people in the Ballarat hospital? Ballarat is a country city, these people are big city Melbournites. Some of them aren’t even Australian… There is no reason for them to be here.” Athan shook his head and walked up to one of the newsfeeds.

“That, I do not know, but I totally agree with you. Information about their accidents isn’t on any major press articles online. I had to dig.” Brad shrugged. “It’s as if they don’t even exist.”

“But these are people that would be missed!” Athan said, spinning around.

“Yes. Which poses the question,
Who
would benefit from these people disappearing? My guess is that its not one person. This reminds me of a syndicate or a secret society, even a corporation.”

“You’re the genius…” Athan said shrugging.

“Have you woken them all?” Brad said crossing his arms.

“One left. James Kallett.”

“Look.” Brad looked up at Athan. “Don’t just rescue Mr Kallett. Get some answers from him. He is a small piece in a big puzzle and we can’t afford to leave any stones unturned.”

Athan agreed. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. I hope the rabbit hole isn’t too deep.”

“AND THIS IS the dead puppy that your Dad and the neighbour had thought the dog ate right?” Athan asked. He wondered if the Kallet kid could hear his impatience. “And you just wanted to know how it worked, so you took that little Stanley knife and sliced it to bits. Am I getting close here?”

“What? Who are you?” little James stuttered through tears.

“I’m a…guardian angel. You are free to leave this place now, son. You have been forgiven for your sin.” Athan faked a caring smile.

“What?”

“I understand…and it’s not your fault. You are free,” Athan said, running out of speeches.

The boy stared out into space for a moment.

“I don’t need to be here now do I?” the boy muttered.

“That-a-boy, I knew you would understand.”

Things began to fade away.

He used the moment to slip out of the boy’s mind back into the hospital where the adult, James Kallett, lay in his bed in a private room.

Athan went to the window, and gazed out at the city of Ballarat. Its old red brick buildings gave the vista a coral look and the bustle of the traffic made the city look like a termite mound that had been kicked open.

Another dupe. Same as David Li.

A groan pulled Athan back to the room.

The comatose James Kallett, stirred as he came tumbling back to consciousness. Now that he was awake there would be precious little time till the nurses would be alerted, so Athan had to ask his questions quickly.

Come on, come on…

Kallett muttered as he tried to open his eyes in the fluorescent light.

“Hello, Mr Kallett. I know you probably don’t feel up to an interrogation right now, but there are some questions I need to ask you.”

James Kallett’s eyes fluttered and tried to focus. He looked around the room trying to get his bearings.

Athan didn’t have time for this; the nurses station would have been alerted by computer as soon as Mr Kallett’s condition changed.

“You may remember me…?” Athan asked, leaning over the bed.

“Where… Where am I?”

“You don’t remember how you got to the hospital?” Athan asked.

He shook his head, eyes blinking wildly.

“You were allegedly in a car accident,” Athan informed him.

“My dream,” he whispered in a raspy voice.

“Well…”

“…a man…in a suit. Dream…”

“I was the guy in your dream. I…used modern medical science to project a digital image of myself into your dream to wake you up Mr Kallett,” Athan lied with a slight smile.

“So I’m not crazy? It was an odd kind of dream,” James said as he examined his hands and various medical paraphernalia around the bed.

“Was it a memory, James?”

“It was a dream…” Kallett said, half listening.

“Was it based on a memory?”

“What?” Kallett looked a little shaken by the interrogation.

“Was any of that dream based on a memory? Had any of that happened to you in real life?” Athan felt time ticking away.

“Umm… No.” Kallett was still confused, but Athan didn’t have time to spell everything out.

“Are you sure that none of it was based on a memory from your childhood?”

Mr Kallett shook his head a sour expression. “Sorry doctor, it wasn’t a memory”

Athan nodded.

It was confirmed then; the dreamscapes were synthesized.

“And what about the car accident? Do you remember it? Or do you remember seeing anyone suspicious?” Athan urged.

James Kallett was checking his fingers and feet for feeling.

He couldn’t see any injuries.

“I… I don’t remember.” Kallett squinted in the light, giving his eyes a break. “I don’t remember a car or anyone.”

There was a pause that set Athan’s pulse thumping.

Foot steps in the hall.

Kallett’s eyes glazed as he searched his memory. “I was at work…”

That was the best answer Athan was going to get.

“I’m sorry, but that’s all we have time for today.”

Athan stepped into James Kallett’s subconscious and vanished from the private room in the hospital leaving the man staring dumbly at the window where the he had been standing.

Athan emerged through a rippling doorway into a bright glowing haze in the organic landscape.

It was what resembled daylight in that place.

The mist was thin wisps, giving him better visibility across the plain, which was pockmarked with circular craters that looked to be breathing. This was always a strange place, no matter how far he went or how much he saw. There would always be something different, or things would change shape or shift out of, or into, the leathery ground.

Belinda’s mind wasn’t that far, maybe half a day’s walk, which would possibly be a single second in the physical world.

He had to navigate some ribcage-like ridges filled with soft porous organ-like lumps and he wasn’t very far into the rugged area, when the feeling of not being alone came over him.

It was the unpleasant smell or feeling of being watched or hunted. It was the same feeling he got in the presence of the black clad figure.

He climbed over some of the spongy porous outcroppings so he could reach the top of an emaciated ridge.