Mentally - 4. Deeper

By the end of the week, I told Aiden to come with me to meet Sergeant Snyder. I set it on a Saturday so that there wouldn’t be any classes. With a lousy excuse to go out early on a weekend, my mom reluctantly agreed. And with a little nudge into her mind, she was sort of obliged to obey. As bad as it may sound. But I had to fight and move forward. Now that I am not “wanted” anymore by the government, I needed to take advantage of it. And I’m going to use that opportunity to look for Damian as well.

We were supposed to meet at school before we would go to a nearby place so we could have a secret meeting with the officer. He was coming from Detroit where we hid the last time. I was able to make a constant connection with the officer. Sergeant Snyder still thinks that I am just a normal boy. And for some reason, he was really tolerant of me. So I took advantage of that.

Moments later, a black BMW arrived and stopped in front of me. The window on the back seat rolled down and Aiden just looked at me. “What are you waiting for? Get in.”

Once I got inside, I was quite uncomfortable. It was a luxury car and I was not used to being fetched by one. Aiden just looked at me. His eyes were a bit intrusive.

“Where to, sir?” The driver asked. When I looked at him, it got me more uncomfortable because the man was built like a rock. Big wasn’t the right word. He wasn’t all that big. But I just somehow knew that the man would be able to kill you if he wanted.

“Drop us at the edge of town. Just beside the park. Then move along.” Aiden commanded. The driver stepped on the pedal and we drove off. “And Brian, don’t stay too far.”

“Got it, sir.” He replied. His voice was rough and menacing.

The ride to the edge of town was really awkward. I wasn’t able to directly look at Aiden. For some reason, the situation was awkward. The two of us sat silently onthe backseat. He was drinking a glass of wine. Or grape-juice maybe. I didn’t ask.

“Will he be there already when we get there?” Aiden began. His voice was so self-entitled and irritating. As if he owned the whole world. The way he speaks was already getting on my nerve. But I had to control my own temper. I could feel that he would be an important key to carrying out my plans. “I invested my valuable time here so it should better be worth it.”

“I’m not sure yet.” I said. Aiden looked at me again to let me know he was annoyed. And I somehow enjoyed that moment. He actually looked more vulnerable than he thought he was. But I didn’t say a word about it. “Let’s be patient. We don’t need to rush things yet. As of now, we’re still anonymous.”

“Yeah.” Aiden agreed. Then he took out his smartphone. I knew it was the latest and most expensive one in the market. There’s no way that this boy would be from a simple family. I’m pretty sure he’s hiding something. “And I prefer to keep it that way. An anonymous life is what I need.”

“Anonymous, huh?” I groaned. “Do you really have that urge to keep hiding? By now, you should have noticed that I already foresaw that behavior of yours.”

“That’s none of your business, Kieran.” He snapped. His eyes looked away from me and checked the buildings outside. “Maybe in time, I will tell you. But not right now. It’s personal business. I already told you we’re not friends.”

“Right. You’re not into friendships.” I said. But I knew better. This person was just hiding something. Aiden Cedric is a delicate person. I could only assume that it was his defense mechanism. “I really hope you’ll change your mindset about that.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I value my relationships with other people.” He replied. It actually took me by surprise. Especially after putting up a detached demeanor. And a cold behavior. A persona that doesn’t tolerate anyone. “Yes, you heard that right. All of my friends are important to me.”

“So what’s with the I-don’t-want-to-be-friends-with-you crap?” I asked. My voice showed that I was perplexed by his sudden statement. Aiden suddenly became more mysterious as I talked to him some more. “You’re confusing me.”

“It’s just I am not that convinced with you being a friend. I see no reason yet why I should value you as a person.” He stated. Aiden loved to act high and mighty. Colin was right when he said that he seemed to be a spoiled brat. “Sorry, but I just can’t bring myself to respect people who are incapable of respecting themselves. And almost everyone I meet falls under that category.”

“So are you telling me that I don’t respect myself?” My tone was a bit harsher. He was slowly stepping towards the fine line. My energy was slowly gathering and I was sure he noticed what I was doing. “You do realize that I could blow up this car if I want to. And there is nothing you could do about it.”

“Well, it’s you who is showing his true colors.” He muttered. Aiden was calm despite my threat. I think he was secured that I won’t go through with it. And he was right. There was no way I was going to give up on an ally easily. “You tell me I’m hiding something. But actually, it is you who is hiding something.”

“Don’t start on me.” My temper was being provoked. And he was going to get it if he kept on pressing my buttons. I usually have a calm and patient demeanor. But not with this guy. He’s going to push me to the edge. “How on earth did you arrive on that?”

“You told me that I was hiding something. But in fact, I’m not.” Aiden explained. “You unconsciously project that on me because you’re the one who keeps on hiding. The one who keeps on running away.”

“Woah there. Aren’t you the one who suddenly appeared in our school?” I retorted. “And I don’t see you having any plans to make friends with anyone. That’s because you’re hiding something.”

“That was where you’re wrong. I’m just a silent person. And I keep my business to myself for personal reasons. Believe me, Kieran. I am not hiding anything. Never did I deny anything to your face.” Aiden smirked. “It’s you who keeps on hiding. You’re insecure with who you are, Kieran. I know you’re a powerful Mental. But as of now, you’re so insecure with who you are that you will never reach the full potential of your ability. And that’s why I still have no respect for you.”

I just looked at him. Shocked and confused. My fingers twitched. But I wasn’t feeling the heat of my temper in my head. My lips went dry with how he stated it. “How...just how could you even say that? I’m not insecure.”

“With that way you acted, I was right.” He simply said. “You lost your cool. But it’s okay. I’m sure you’ll grow up eventually. Then maybe we can be friends.”

“Sir, we’re here.” Brian interrupted. The travel time was pretty quick. I looked down and dwelled on what Aiden had said. He was surely blunt about it. And despite my attempt to block most of what he said, he had hit my inner sense?. The two of us silently exited the car. And I was aloof for the first few seconds.

We were in front of the park. There was a small cafe beside it so we decided to wait there. I sent Sergeant Snyder a text message to inform him of where we would wait. As soon as we got inside we both took a seat and ordered our drinks. After a few minutes, the officer entered the cafe. He saw us and sat with us.

“Sergeant Snyder, this is Aiden. He’s with me.” I informed him. It always felt like I was talking to a robot whenever he was under my complete control. He just nodded passively and took out some papers and showed it to us. “And just make sure he’s kept hidden. Plus, you won’t remember anything that happened here.”

“Yes.” He replied. His voice was monotonous. Slowly, I was inserting a set of fake memories that would make up for his missing time. The soldier was within my disposal and I wasn’t afraid to maximize him. “I won’t remember anything.”

“How would this guy help us?” Aiden asked. I just ignored him and he seemed to already be annoyed by it. I knew he was some sort of ego-maniac and it was always about himself. “I’m asking. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Just shut up. I got this. Just listen to what we can get out of him.”I snapped. Then I turned to the soldier. “Was there any new information you were able to obtain?”

“I copied some of the data Helix Corp has recently gathered.” He explained. It was the reason why he brought some papers. “This is the proof that Mentals are currently evolving. They haven’t discovered yet what was the natural cause of it. However, they categorized it as a future problem and are already looking for some solutions for it.”

“Why would that be a problem?” Aiden asked. His tone was serious. I knew he was already hooked on my plan. “I think that evolution is a progress. And proving this means a good thing to remember. I find it remarkable that they were even able to trace it down.”

“They believe that it would topple down the peace and equality they have established throughout the years.” The officer pointed out. His voice was still detached. I also made sure that there was no way he would remember the data he had gathered. “Another thing is that there was an organized group of Mentals that seek to take advantage of this growth. They seem to be aware of this certain discovery.”

“That makes sense.” Aiden replied. “And what about this group of Mentals?”

“So far, it is still considered as a rumor. That topic was avoided both in the military and in the Helix Corp. They believe it is a bad implication of something else.” Sergeant Snyder just kept revealing what he knew. He didn’t even put a break on his mouth. The man was under my control. And it was major advantage because we could get more information from Helix Corp. “If the Mentals kept on evolving, those who knew this might start a war again. But so far, there’s been no confirmation of this truth.”

“So what’s the solution they are thinking of?” I asked.

“The Helix Corp is going to have a joint operation with Neural Pharmaceuticals to make a drug that can hamper a Mental’s H-Score growth. It would be funded by the military to ensure that no war would break out.” The officer explained. He showed some of the papers to use as a proof of his statements. One of them was even a formal letter to the Pentagon. “Their main goal is to pull down the H-Score to that of a normal human being.”

“In short, they want a drug that can turn a Mental into a normal human being.” I stated. It was a logical goal for the military. But I knew there was something else. “That seems like a good idea. I’m sure everyone would want peace. Everyone deserves it.”

“No. It’s not. I just have a bad feeling about this.” Aiden interrupted. His eyes were dead serious. We both knew where the conversation was going. “And how are they going to make that drug?”

“Human experimentation.” The officer stated. Aiden and I looked at each other uncomfortably. It had directly confirmed our hunches towards Helix Corp. They were not afraid to try on humans. And it left a bad taste in our mouths. “The rebels they have captured in the first wave of Mental outbreak years ago are their current test subjects.”

“So these data are the results from the experimentation on them?” Aiden clarified. The officer just nodded in agreement. The boy clenched his fist. I was surprised that he was very bothered by this. “Those sick bastards.”

“How about the family of Captain Davis?” I suddenly asked. He was turned to my spy to look for Damian. And I was not going to give up easily. “Any word on them?”

“He has recently been promoted to Colonel.” Sergeant Snyder informed me. “Sorry, but I have no news regarding his son. Their private life is not easily accessible especially if they are ranked high in the military.”

“Is he at least alive?” I needed to know how Damian was. There was no way he was going to vanish off the face of the planet just like that. My eyes were already tearing up at the idea that he might be dead. “I hadn’t seen him in the past 3 years!”

“There were no news of Colonel Davis having a deceased relative for the past three years.” He said. And the relief it gave me was huge. I was sure Aiden noticed that one. He was just silent beside me. Patiently waiting for his turn to ask.

“Is there anything else that you have gathered?” The dark haired boy asked.

“None. But I am on the verge of obtaining information about the strongest Mental.” The soldier stated blatantly. He seemed to be so dazed from my control. The man was emotionless when I was pinning his consciousness down. “So far, I know that the person is located in the Nevada base of Helix Corp. It’s an underground facility a few kilometers away from Vegas. That patient is called Prophet Daniel.”

“Prophet?” Aiden wondered.

“It’s what they call the strongest of Mentals. They are further into the evolution tree and has a very high H-Score.” The soldier explained. Then looked at me as if he was trying to tell something. It was then I realized that I was a Prophet too. But I said nothing about it. “There is only one Prophet that they are currently experimenting on.”

“How high?” Aiden requested for more information. He didn’t seem to notice that I was so curious by his sudden change of behavior.

“Prophet Daniel’s H-Score is 94. It is the highest score to ever be recorded.” The soldier answered. Aiden on the other hand was unfazed by this information. He was still focused on getting more. And the officer seemed to get it. “I have no idea what Daniel’s true identity is. It would be impossible for me to get that. Only the upper officers of Helix Corp can access those data. Not even the military has been granted access to those.”

“But do they have an idea of their human experimentation?” Aiden questioned the soldier. He knew that the man will be honest with answers. The boy was so fixed on questioning the man. I even noticed one of his fingers twitching once in awhile.

“Yes. It was approved by the military because of their diplomatic negotiations.” The soldier plainly stated. Aiden gritted his teeth when he heard this. “It has always been like that. The integrity of our current military can be questionable at times. Some of the sub-sections have been following through what Adolf Hitler had started.”

“Okay.” I muttered. “Anything else, Sergeant?”

“No more than that, Kieran.” He stated.Then waited further for other commands. He seemed to be very obedient ever since I was able to took a hold of his willpower.

“We have to keep our meetings short. It will cause trouble if someone noticed ” I said. “You’re dismissed. Aiden and I need to discuss things further.”

“Copy.” Sergeant Snyder simply stated. He compiled all the documents into his folder then quickly slipped out of the cafe. I was sure he can cover for himself. Everything went by so quickly. Like being dragged by the wind.

“Are you sure we won’t get caught?” Aiden asked.

“If we keep our pace and make ourselves discreet then we won’t.” I explained. Then crossed my arms. I was thinking of I could make use of the new information we got. “Any ideas what to do next?”

“We need to infiltrate Helix Corp.” Aiden decided. His tone was serious. And his eyes were piercing mine. The determination on them was so obvious. “We’ll go to Nevada as soon as we can.”

“You’re kidding, right? I need to look for Damian. That’s why I planted a spy that has access to both the military and the Helix Corp. Colonel surely has to do something with his son. And I’m not going to let that opportunity pass just like that.” I explained. He suddenly seemed so obsessed with that idea of his. “Plus this has nothing to do with us, Aiden. We’re just going to put ourselves in danger. I am not joining a war that has nothing to do with me.”

“No.” Aiden disagreed. “But it has everything to do with me.”

“Huh?” I groaned.

“Kieran, can you take over and control people through a video call?” He suddenly asked. I had no idea where he was getting at. And to be honest, I was not entirely comfortable with what he seemed to be planning.

“I’m not sure. That soldier is the only person I have tried it on.” I replied. He gave me an uncomfortable look. Aiden was intending to push me to do what he wanted. And I still didn’t get where he was coming from. “Fine. I’ll try.”

“You better damn try hard.” He quipped. His eyes were so dead and cold. Even if I don’t have the empathic ability of a Mental, I would still be able to feel his killing intent.

“And why are you pushing so hard for this?” I demanded. He was silent at first and looked me straight in the eye. I could feel the conflict inside of him if he would answer or not. “I demand answers, Aiden. We need to work this out.”

“My real name is Aiden Christensen.” He stated. “Johan Christensen is my father. And he is the CEO and founder of Helix Corporation.”