Mentally - 10. Pull Me A Little Closer

It had been two weeks since our sudden adventure in Washington. The next day after our short encounter with Dr. Anna Festus and SIGMA, we went back to Chicago. Aiden on the other hand went back to his usual self as if nothing happened that night. The way he embraced me under the covers was intimate. He was longing for someone but he had decided to hide it will all that he can. But not to me for some unknown reason.

When I asked about Dr. Seijiro, he just told me that he will find a way to meet him some other time. The next day, mom was pretty oblivious. She didn’t ask too much and didn’t fuss about it which was really weird. I knew something was wrong but I decided not to press too much into the matter. It just might be that I was being paranoid from going way beyond my set of boundaries. I just want to find Damian and that’s all that matters.

SIGMA on the other hand vanished without a trace. Even if Aiden and I tried to make our research on it, we never had a lead except for rumors that were outside our expectations. The ones we found were not anything related to the military. Indeed that they were a secret military force and we were sure that the two of us were being watched. In short, we were still clueless on how we would give our answer.

As for the Triad, we were still clueless how they were able to find us. I tried contacting Sergeant Snyder about it but he seemed clueless. Aiden was well protected and he was sure that he has contacts within our vicinity who would give us a warning just in case. It was a wonder that a kid like him would be a wanted target by a syndicate group. And the worst part was that they were armed with guns. Not that it would be really harmful to us, it would have meant that they were getting some kind of support from somewhere else.

Then for the next two weeks, everything went normal. Colin kept asking so I had to fill him with everything I knew. Except for the encounter with SIGMA and the part that Aiden spooned me from behind. He didn’t need to know or else he might be put in danger. And he also didn’t have to know about the intimacy Aiden was looking for. As for that guy with slicked back hair, he was distant in school and kept himself away. He was a good target for bullying but for some reason the bullies didn’t get their way on him. His stare alone was enough to kill a child.

“So what’s your plan now that you know Damian is being held?” Colin asked. We were beside each other and the class was about to start. Aiden was also there but he was on the far end of the room. No interest could be found in his eyes whenever a classmate of ours would be talking to him. “You should be telling the authorities.”

“Do you think they would believe us?” I replied. My voice sounded a bit hysterical. “It’s a long shot, Colin. And we would just look like crazy kids in front of them. They would just dismiss it as two teenagers who watched too much conspiracy movies. It’s basically unbelievable.”

“But I believe in you, Kieran.” He stated. The tone of his voice was so confident that it encouraged me to go for it. But it wouldn’t be of any help. Sergeant Snyder knew neither of the Triad and the SIGMA group. And that meant we were dealing with something that was virtually non-existent in the outside world. “You have to look for Damian. He’s my friend too! If only I was a Mental like you then I would have tried to help.”

“You’ll just get in the way.” I snickered. Colin just pouted at me. His brown hair seemed lighter that day. His eyes were deep blue like the Pacific. And I just caught myself staring at him for more than five seconds. “Just kidding. I’ll let you in the party of course. But I’m not cleaning your butt for you.”

“Yeah.” He sneered. “I’m sure you would love every bit of it.”

Suddenly, the teacher went inside. Everyone suddenly behaved as we braced ourselves for the next class. And when I saw the teacher, I was just shocked. Aiden and I suddenly looked at each other. Then our eyes darted back to the teacher. He was an Asian-looking guy. Then he had long shoulder-length hair that was untidy as if he woke up from a nap. His eyes were bored as if he was just being forced into it. He wore a dark long-sleeve shirt and gray jeans which didn’t make him look a teacher at all. His thin but muscular form could be seen through since the clothes he wore were pretty fit and skin-tight. Then there was that scarf again around his neck but this time, it was gray. The guy before us was none other than Obliterator.

“Good afternoon everyone.” He muttered dryly. “My name is Hiraku Horikoshi. And I will be your new History teacher.”

The students just stared at him and in a flash he began the lesson just like any other teacher. I, on the other hand just kept looking back at Aiden to check what his movements would be. He would just carry on with the class as if nothing new happened. But I knew he was calculating and observing the guy as usual. I wanted to send a telepathic message but Obliterator would suddenly look at me and negate my ability. For some reason, he knew whenever I was about to use my ability.

After the class, he made his exit as if nothing happened. Obliterator seemed to be an aloof guy but he was more than capable to kill us if we can’t use his abilities. When Colin looked at me, he already knew something was wrong. Meanwhile, the rest of the day went by in its usual flow and I was just dumbfounded at how SIGMA suddenly showed itself in school.

When I got out of the school, Colin caught up to me. The two of us walked towards home.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” Colin asked. “I saw your look a while ago. Something is wrong.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I pretended not to know anything. But Colin could read me better than any other Mental. Heck, he’s better at reading me than Damian. “There’s nothing wrong, Colin. It’s just your imagination.”

“Back in our History class, I saw your look.” He replied. Then he stared at me as if he looking for something inside my eye. Colin knew I was hiding something. “You stared at Mr. Horikoshi as if he was ghost. You’re hiding something.”

“No, I’m not hiding anything.” I lied. But Colin had seen through it already. There was no point in keeping it up. “I told you, it’s just your imagination. Drop it, Colin.”

“Stop pretending, Kieran.” He muttered. I was tempted to use my ability to break his will but that would just be unfair. That’s something I hope would never arrive. Because if Colin knew, I might lose him for good. “I know what I saw. And the way you looked at our teacher was as if you’ve seen him from somewhere else.”

“Yeah. I saw him during the banquet in Washington.” I lied again. But Colin’s eyes were still inquisitive. He knew there was something more so I had to add some more into it before he would try pushing into it further. “I’m sure he recognized Aiden and I. That would have meant he would be wondering why I was at Washington two weeks ago. It’s going to be troublesome if the administration of the school would know it. Then mom would have to know and it would just be a big problem for all of us.”

“Ha! I told you. You can’t hide anything from me.” He exclaimed excitedly. As if he won an award for being a detective. “And now look who’s thinking too much. I’m sure it would be just another bodyguard for Aiden. Who knew that kid was a spawn of Helix Corp? Hopefully, he won’t turn into something as evil as his father.”

“I wouldn’t really put Aiden in that category.” I muttered. Colin’s brow raised in question. A smile was on his face as his eyes narrowed on me. He already knew something was up. “Oh come on man. You don’t have to inspect every inch of my life.”

“Well, someone had to substitute for Damian while he’s absent.” He snickers. I just grumbled at him. But Colin seemed to be indifferent when he made that statement. He knew no better when it comes to Damian’s personality. “I hope that didn’t offend you. And it looks like the two of you had been getting closer lately. You know that I don’t like being replaced.”

“Nope. Not at all.” I assured him. Then added a smile to make sure he wouldn’t whine about it. Or else I would receive another one of those looks of him. That would surely force me to make more lies about it. “Actually, he already replaced you in many ways more than one. Aiden could read me better than you could. Probably better than Damian. And that’s without his Mental powers.”

Then he gawked at me with his mouth slightly opened. I just laughed at the face he made because he couldn’t believe what I was saying. Colin was good at doubting but this was something he didn’t expect.

“Nah, I’m just kidding.” I snickered. “Did you see your face?”

“You’re such a retard!” Colin whined. And I kept on laughing. “I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“No. I’m kidding.” I replied. “Actually, you could read me better than Damian. Plus you sometimes sound like my mom. Always asking so many questions. Just don’t let me suck on your tit. That would be awful. Just awful.”

“That’s good to hear. And I’m sure you would like to suck my tit. But that’s not the only thing you could suck on me.” He sneered and laughed it off. I punched him on the arm after saying that comment. Suddenly, a car approached us from behind. “There’s my ride. I need to do some project at Heather’s house. See you tomorrow, Kieran.”

“See you.” I replied. The car stopped beside us and the windows rolled down. Heather was sitting beside the driver’s seat. At the backseat was where Monica and Caleb were sitting. The three of them waved at me before Colin got inside. Then the car along with all of them left me there.

When I looked around, I saw Aiden approaching me. His car was parked at a distance. I was sure Brian was inside, waiting on us. His face was grim and indifferent.

“I guess you know why I need to talk to you so suddenly.” Aiden said. His voice was deep and calm as usual. And I nodded in agreement. “It would be better if we talk somewhere safe. I have a feeling we are being watched ”

“What place do you have in mind?” I asked. The two of us started walking towards his car. Brian opened the back door for us and we stepped inside. “And how are you going to lose them?”

“We’ll go to my house. That way, we could also try the Neo-Marine Prototype suit.” He said. I was going to suggest somewhere else. But I knew Aiden could have thought that it was a logical decision to go to his house. “As for the losing them part, I have prepared another car. We’ll go through some of the underground streets and change car from there. If we’re talking about SIGMA then they will be watching us from the sky. And covering their sight would be the best way to get around.”

“But why your house?” I questioned him. Brian stepped on the pedal and we left the school. “I don’t think it would be wise. That’s going to be obvious.”

“Actually, it would be the last place they would think.” He simply said. Indeed, he had a logical plan in mind. Aiden never fails to amaze me with his way of thinking. He simply was a strategic genius and he’s still young to top that off. “It would be common sense to think that we wouldn’t pick that option. That’s why we need to take advantage of how it really works. I think it would be best if we go for it.”

“You’re right.” I admitted. Aiden just nodded at me. “And if it was the Triad that followed us, I’m sure they wouldn’t be watching from the sky. They might follow us to your house. We need a plan for those.”

“On the contrary, that would have been an easier task. We could wipe them out just like last time and make another implant.” He replied. Then he made a frown and made another thought. He was being careful this time. “But that would me we’re going to be obvious. If that happens, I would need to use my illusion on all of them. That would make things complicated, not to mention sloppy as Genesis said.”

“I’ll place constructs on the tunnel entrance.” I suggested. Aiden’s face looked contented with my idea. He nodded as I explained my plan. “That way, we can disrupt their line of thinking if they passed through them. It could give us more than enough time to change vehicles.”

“We’re almost there.” Brian said. “Please get ready.”

“What about Dr. Anna Festus?” I suddenly asked. “What if she’s watching our movements as well? That would be trouble for us too. I think she already knows that we would be targeting both Damian and Jaden.”

“I highly doubt that.” Aiden muttered. He had already made his considerations on the opposing forces we’ve encountered lately. And all three of them are power hungry. I winced at the fact that we’re being hunted down. “She’s not that aggressive. I’m sure she’s just waiting for our next move. SIGMA and the Triad on the other hand want something from us that’s why they would pursue us relentlessly.”

“Point taken.” I quipped. “I could feel she’s planning something for us too.”

“That I will agree on.” Aiden said. “Get your construct ready.”

I focused my energy on my hand. It was as if I was holding a ball made of feathers. Aiden opened the windows for me and ball of energy shot out of my hands. It stuck on the side of the road as we drove into the tunnel.

“Are you sure that would work?” Aiden asked.

“Of course.” I said with confidence. “It’s expanding as we speak. Everyone that passes through my construct will send a signal to me. If I sensed that the person has a malignant aura then I could blast a disruptive signal to the brain and they would be stalled for a few minutes.”

Our car suddenly stopped. Another car was beside with Felix standing on the door. He opened the doors of both cars. The way he moved was so fluid and natural. We only had a few seconds otherwise they might see the delay when we passed through the tunnel.

“Quick, sir.” He spoke with his thick accent. The man never lost his poise despite in a tight situation like this. “We’re on a tight schedule.”

Aiden and I got inside the other car as quickly as we could. The car looked like an ordinary sedan but had heavy tints just like his BMW. It was gray and it didn’t look as pricey as the previous car would be. That way, we would seem like ordinary people.

“Did anyone from the Triad or SIGMA passed through the tunnel?” Aiden asked to make sure. He was intuitive and it would always help him in making strategies. “They should be catching up to us by now.”

“None so far.” I confirmed. The construct I left were not giving me signals at all. But they were still there so I was sure they weren’t negated if ever Obliterator passed through the tunnel. “If Mr. Horikoshi saw it then he would be forced to negate it with his ability before he could pass. If that happens then I would know.”

“Good.” Aiden patted my shoulder. It was something he did for the first time. And it was a good thing that he was finally softening his heart. “I knew you were going to be handy.”

“Stop it. I’m blushing.” I sneered.

“Gross.” He muttered dryly. “Don’t you ever say something like that again.”

“Relax.” I smiled at him. “I’m just kidding. No need to be so...stiff.”

“That will be your last.” He groaned. “I don’t want you talking to me that way.”

“Okay.” I quipped. “I’ll stop.”

In a few seconds, we got out of the tunnels and went straight to his house. The ride was pretty fast and the traffic was pretty light. There was no hassle in going there. Both of us just went quiet as well strolled through the streets. As we approached his house, it was really big. Almost like a mansion. The gate opened and we got inside. Our car went into an underground parking where Felix dropped us off.

“I can’t believe you’re living in this house alone.” I exclaimed. But Aiden just ignored me and motioned me to follow him. He took the lead with me on his tail. I gawked around the place where he stayed for the time being. It was pretty spacious and most of the things that were there were beyond expensive. “Where are you getting all these?”

“I don’t have to explain myself, Kieran.” He coldly stated. “That’s not really the reason why we’re here. And this isn’t like a field trip. I brought you here out of safety precautions.”

“So what’s the plan?” I asked. But he ignored me again and just told me to follow him. We went deeper into the house and we stopped before an iron door. It was obviously different than all the other doors inside. It was a blast door and I don’t even think I could force my way in. “Okay, so you really do like keeping secrets.”

“Stop being so noisy.” He whined. From the sound of it, Aiden was already irritated. And I don’t really want to push further. On the side of the door was a eye-scanner. He placed his face in front of it and the blast door suddenly opened. “Just get inside.”

I obeyed and went in. It was even more spacious. There were a lot of tools inside along with a rack of guns. Another rack beside it was filled with melee weapons and other things. Then the rack opposite of it contained body armors. There was a lot of things inside the huge and it was basically a small military stronghold.

“Wow.” I gasped. “You could equip a small army with all these.”

“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” He groaned. Aiden then approached this enclosed cabinet that suddenly opened when he approached. Inside was a suit similar so what Obliterator and Snake were wearing. “Put these on. You need to get the hang of it.”

I followed through and put it on along with all the gloves and boots. Aiden wasn’t really disturbed when I suddenly removed my clothes before him. The suit was skin tight and I wasn’t used to the feeling that it was hugging my skin so tight. However, it was still comfortable to some extent. Then he also put his on which was identical to mine. It was another opportunity for me as well to see his well defined body and well defined bulge in his boxer briefs. But he seemed to be aloof about it.

The two of us looked almost the same as Snake and Obliterator, only smaller. It looked awesome to be honest and we looked so battle-ready. The suit were mostly dark gray and black in color. So I thought that it was really for undercover missions. The upper part of the combat suit hugged my skin tight while the lower part had a thicker layer.

“What are these?” I asked Aiden. When I inspected the suit closer, it had layers like muscle fibers all around my body. There were other external armors that was on it like the shoulder pads complete with the utility belt. “This isn’t your ordinary combat suit.”

“Let’s go upstairs. I’ll explain ” He said. So I had no choice but to follow. “We’ll try walking around with it. And maybe even fighting with it.”

As I walked around with it, it slowly started to feel more natural. Sooner or later, I knew I would have to get used to it. Looks like this was the armor Aiden talked about before. He on the other hand wasn’t having any trouble with it.

When we got out of the yard, we saw someone sitting on one of the bigger tree branches. The man was simply observing us. He had dark hair that was long and untidy. Asian-looking with face that was simply bored to death. It was unmistakeable. Obliterator was able to follow us.

Aiden and I went ahead with our instincts. Our arms darted towards him and tried to blast him with a telekinetic push. But he already canceled our abilities and then he quickly grabbed both ends of his gray scarf. He threw it towards us in which it extended with great length and wrapped around both of our arms. Then he jumped high backwards and landed on the floor. Using the tree as a giant pulley, we were dragged upwards and suddenly found ourselves hanging helplessly.

“What do you want from us?” Aiden growled. His eyes stared at him as if he was drilling holes but Obliterator was unfazed. We were both tied so closely together that we were both in the center of his field of vision. That way, both of us had our abilities negated. “Let us go!”

“I want nothing from the both of you.” He said. His voice was so calm and soothing. As if he wasn’t a ruthless killer. Obliterator sounded as if he was still our teacher. “But Genesis wanted to make sure of something.”

“You’re here to kill us aren’t you?” I asked. My wrist wasn’t really in pain because it was protected by the combat suit. “Do it quick!”

“We still have no answer for your offer.” Aiden simply stated. He tried grabbed a throwing knife from his pocket and threw it at Obliterator. But the man used his scarf to swat away the knives in mid-air. With the way it clanged, the scarf seemed like it was made out of metal. “Couldn’t you wait a little bit longer?”

“No, we’re not really expecting an answer from you yet. And no, I’m not here to kill you. That would be a big waste of talent.” He simply muttered. Obliterator still looked bored. Even his demeanor was making me lazy. “If that happens then we would all be in trouble.”

“So what on earth are you doing here?” Aiden questioned him.

Obliterator made a small smile. “I’m sent here to train you both.”