Mentally - 12. Breathe

A day later, everything was normal. Except for Colin. His face would lit up every time we would look at each other. For some reason, there was this unnatural glow to him ever since something happened between us. Hopefully, my fluids weren't radioactive and did that to him. That would have been very troublesome.

Aiden on the hand was still avoiding me and I was barely seeing him. Except when we had the same classes. He had no choice with that. I was sure he was going to talk to me sooner or later if he would be able to get a lead on the whereabouts of Jaden and Damian. Hopefully, he will. The best lead that we had so far went down the drain because we encountered some highly manipulated woman. And it was a mistake I will not forget.

“Stop goofing off.” I grumbled. Colin was practically jumping up and down as if he was a child that got the best gift for Christmas. But honestly, it was getting annoying real fast. “I shouldn’t have left you do that.”

“But even so, I know you liked it.” He winked at me. I felt blood rushed so quickly into my cheeks as it turned red. And it also gave him more reasons to mess with me. “I am pretty sure we’ll do it again. I know you well, Kieran.”

I just gawked at him. It was a side of Colin I never knew he existed. And he really made a good point that he was brooding all this time under my balls without me taking good notice of it. The bell rang and we went to our separate classes. But this was also a class where Aiden was in it. Surprisingly, he sat right beside me.

“Do you have anything good to share?” I started asking through a telepathic channel between us. For once, he lowered his defenses. However, I didn’t give the slight effort to look at him. With what he did the day before, I deserve to knock him down a notch. At least he had the audacity to wipe the memory of those who saw us so no further nuisances will be involved. “You wouldn’t be sitting here if you don’t.”

“No news about our targets.” He murmured. “But there are interesting facts that I have picked up from one of my spies inside our company. The thing is, they are getting close to finding me. My father feels like I am just playing a game of hide and seek from me. People believed he is a good man. He isn’t. Where did you think I get my rotten attitude from?”

“I don’t know, your mother maybe?” I suggested. It was an honest opinion and I intended to ask him to know more about his mom. “I am not well informed of your family background. That question wasn’t really fair.”

“My mother was a very sweet woman. It's where Jaden got his personality." Aiden admitted. My brow raised at that sudden change of attitude. It wasn't like him to say something like that. He was a very recluse guy. But he chose to do so because he had a lot of important things to protect. "Yes, we are twins. But when it comes to personality differences, we were opposites of each other."

"That's sweet. But I still won't forgive you for hitting me yesterday." I protested and I almost lost control of the speaking volume in my head. My blood can't help itself but to boil every time that I remembered how his fist connected with my jaw. "That was something else, Aiden. I'm not sure why would you provoke me for the sake of an experiment."

"I had to." He snapped back. "My theories are confirmed."

"That armor won't save you." I replied. It was very tempting to use a strong mental attack against him since his guard was done that very moment. That opportunity was a very rare thing because Aiden's psychic walls were pretty hard break even if I was a powerful Mental. "You know I can kill you if I really want to. I just don't know what to tell Jaden."

"Yeah, I don't know what I would tell Damian if I get you first." My ears twitched at his threat. My hands curled into a ball of fist. I gritted my teeth as if I was going to break them. And I was holding back my temper with everything that I could. To make things worse, he had a smug on his damn face. "Be careful, Kieran. You might not want to expose yourself here."

"If I would be able to break your neck right now, then it's worth it!" My voice roared in his head and I could see his face cringing in a bit of pain. "You don't want to try my temper. Not now. Not ever."

"I told you to calm down! Didn't you hear what I just told you? My theory has been confirmed and it's a lead." Aiden responded. And slowly, I brought down the mental pain I was imposing on him. He was still collected even if I was on the verge of breaking him apart. "It wasn't the armor that gave me the extra strength. I wore it just in case you threw me on the wall. Which you did, by the way!"

"Then what?!" The voice I sent to his mind was almost a growl.

"It was a proto-type of a drug called 'Zion' and it was created by the Pandora Corp in tandem with another organization. The drug I took was to augment my brain waves in accordance to my H-Score." Aiden explained in my head. And it made sense because there was no way a piece of armor can strengthen brain capabilities. But using a drug was an entirely different story. "The other organization is called Neural Pharmaceuticals. Back when I was still a kid, I remembered a man from that certain company would often visit my father. Pandora was still a starting company back then and I heard he was some sort of business partner. If we take into consideration that it was now a subsidiary branch of Pandora for neurosciences then that means Jaden and Damian would most likely be held there! And be careful with Mr. Horikoshi. I am still suspicious of him. Don't tell him everything we know."

This time, my head actually turned to him. It was a very important detail because it was a lead on our targets. Pandora Corps was being guarded by that Anna Festus. If Neural Pharmaceuticals was a company that is only filled with scientists then that means there were going to be worse enemies there.

"Do you realize that it could be more guarded there than Pandora Corporation?" I asked him. Somehow, it calmed me down. I turned my head in front again before our teacher would notice us. "We could be getting ourselves trapped. And that would mean we would lose both of them for good. Because they might use lethal force on us."

Sure, it sounded like telepathy could really be useful for cheating exams, but in reality, a Mental should be able to absorb a huge amount of information at a small amount of time. Cheating would have no use for us Mentals.

"The reason why we had a hard time with Pandora is because Anna Festus knows me personally. She played us in the middle of her palms. Plus, it's what she had always been good at." Aiden retorted. He had a good point in regards to Anna. That one screwed up our plans. "It was a good thing she's not gonna whistle-blow on us or else we would have been dead by now. We're lucky that we got away unharmed. But we still haven't tried Mr. Seijiro. We can plan out something for him later on. For now, we focus on this drug. Something's just not right with it."

"And how sure are you that I would agree?" I challenged him. He almost looked at me with disgust. And I felt good that I got to provoke him like that. I wanted him to know that I was one stubborn person. "It was you who told me that we were not friends to begin with. So why should I follow you this time?"

"Because I have a good lead om where to hit them next." He simply stated. "I know that you want to see him as soon as possible. That's how I feel about my brother."

"Well, I can do it on my own." I shot back.

"And where would you even start?" He asked. "The first time you heard Damian's name again was because of me. Because my connections from within that damn corporation. You need me, Kieran. Don't make me say that again."

He was right again. And I hated it so much. "You said that before and we just ended up being trapped. What makes it different this time?"

"You are one stubborn person, aren't you?" He whined in my head. "I told you, the big difference is that Anna Festus isn't involved this time. We have a bigger chance of getting closer!"

"I will think about it." I quipped. He seemed to be contented with the current answer I have given him. Aiden was also a stubborn person. And I knew that he won't stop bothering me until I give in. He would just act that he didn't need me. But in reality, we needed each other for this mission. "I'll give my answers after a couple of days."

Then I raised my mental guard so he won't be able to build a telepathic link with me anymore. The discussion was over and I will brood over it for the next few days. I was able to shut him off from the first time like a douche and it felt so satisfying doing that to him. After the class was done, I immediately made an escape from before he could demand my final answer. It was another road for us. But something was telling me that it was a more dangerous one.

I also tried to avoid seeing Colin. Even though he was just being sweet, the was also being an annoying one. I knew that it might take a while before we would get to used to this thing that entered in our relationship. In reality, I wasn't really looking for a partner, but I was looking for someone I could lean on. And Colin might have expected the former from me.

It wasn't all the easy to hide from a big organization and look for someone that is within that same organization. Not to mention the lies that I would have to say to protect my mother. And that alone was already very stressful.

When I got home, mother was still not there. However, I felt a movement. At once, I released mental constructs in a shape of a bird and let it flew all over. I stepped aside the door and hid from the outside. That way, I'd be able to sense the alien presence while hiding and can immediately run if it was a threat. But suddenly, one of my birds vanished.

That was the part I knew that it was safe.

"Come out," I said as I entered into the living room. It was not other than the first Eraser ever. Mr. Horikoshi was part of SIGMA, so it wasn't a surprise that he knew where I exactly live. "What are you doing here?"

I found him in the kitchen, sitting on one of the chairs. It seemed that he already had helped himself because there was an empty glass of milk on the table. My eyes narrowed because he actually felt so at home that it was irritating. He could have had met me at school.

"There is something we need to talk about, Kieran. It's very important so I would advise not for you to avoid me. Besides, I don't think you're capable of escaping from me, yet." He muttered. Then he helped himself with another glass of milk. He brought the gallon out of refrigerator as if I wasn't watching him steal milk from us. I was just getting more annoyed. "Please, have a sit. I don't your mother would be returning soon."

"What did you with my mother?" I made sure to make my voice as threatening as much possible. But even if I was a powerful Mental, he can simply erase that potential to nothing.

"Nothing, relax kid." He quipped back. Then proceeded to returning back to his seat and motioned me to do the same. I was still doubtful of his sudden presence in my home. Hopefully, we weren't going to have some training. Otherwise, our small home will be thrashed. Mom would kill me if ever. "She went to get some groceries since I checked that you out of food left. I just checked so don't even ask. Look at me Kieran and listen, your mother is having a hard time and what you have isn't enough. So just here me out."

I took my seat and sat down opposite of him. His eyes were small because he was of Asian descent. But I felt that he was being genuine despite him sounding so strict and stiff. It was probably due to his training in the military. "Fine, I am listening."

"I will be talking to your mother." He stated simply. My impulse was trying to get the best of me to try to attack him. Every time my mother was mentioned, I would want them to be obliterated into oblivion. "She will not able to support you financially if this continues. And if that happens, then even social workers will be hot on your trail and you wouldn't want that."

"So what's your point?" I asked him. But I knew what that would mean. I was about to open a window I might not be able to shut. However, I knew that he would be using my mother as a leverage against me. I need to know what I was playing with first.

"Let's help each other. You know what we want, Kieran." He replied. "But even so, I will pretend that I am someone Sergeant Snyder sent in order to help your mother financially. Your mother will take the bait and she will give us her bank account. I will personally see to it that you are well financially provided."

My heart jumped when he mentioned about the Sergeant. Only a handful of people was supposed to know. "How did you know about Sergeant Snyder?"

"He actually led me to you." He said. My hands curled into a fist and he noticed it. I tried to be as careful as possible and yet he snuffed me out. Meeting Aiden was a very peculiar coincidence. But SIGMA tracking us down wasn't. It was a well-placed plan and it wasn't without good reason. "I could sense when a trigger is set inside a person's mind because there are small ticks that show up every once in a while. We were from the same military base but you may wonder why he had no idea about SIGMA. That's because we were hidden even among from the US Military. We were very careful and would analyze every situation before we reveal ourselves."

"I guess that wasn’t much of a surprise anymore." I admitted. It made sense and I took note of that very possibility. Erasers would be able to detect if I was able used brainwashing or a trigger on some of the people. Which means, the plan that Aiden was thinking was very dangerous after all. "Why would help us? I mean at the cost of nothing, you would still help us."

"Call it is as an act of kindness. SIGMA was created to protect humanity from a variety of threats. And that includes potential destructive force like the growing number of Mentals." Mr. Horikoshi finished gulping the glass of milk. From the looks of it, he seemed to be very fond with it. Almost addicted even. He licked his lips from the traces of milk. "Besides, you are now an asset to SIGMA. We won't be letting you go that easily. The fact that I am sent on this assignment, means they were willing to spend resources for you. And that's saying a lot. Genesis is more than willing to put the fate of humanity in your hands."

"That's a lot of risk putting it on a kid." I retorted. My heart started beating quickly. In reality, I didn't want to believe what he was spitting out of his mouth. There was no way that they would do something like that. "If you're being careful, then why reveal yourselves to a couple of under-age individuals like us."

"That's pretty simple." Mr. Horikoshi chuckled. And I was simply annoyed because it sounded like I asked a stupid question. "One, you said it yourself. You and Aiden are under-aged individuals. No one would believe you if you tried to whistle-blow on us. I told you, even the US Military had no records of us. A few would take interest and might investigate on us. But there are only a few who would. Sadly, they won't find any and might not go any further. We have covered up our tracks. SIGMA dirtied its hands for that."

Then I just sat there silently because he was about to state another reason. His eyes narrowed further and I felt my heart skipped a beat. Mr. Horikoshi's tone was dead and serious. The man was giving off an intense an aura and I didn't feel welcome from it.

"Second, you are both fugitives and act like one, too. Hiding from the authorities is currently your best weapon." He added. I gulped hard on that one because he blasted me "Exposing us would mean that you have to expose yourselves too. And that would defeat your only chances of survival."

"Is there any other reason why you are here?" I asked. Then I observed what he was about to do next. "That was a very shallow topic if you ask me. It doesn't make a Mental to figure out that you're here for something far more than that."

"Of course, about your mother was just the start. But it's good that you picked that one up. Genesis was right about you." He complimented. For some reason, he made a smug and my eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Do you know anything about the drug named Zion?"

"No." I lied. If he knew then it might spark his curiosity in our connections. Aiden was specific when he told to be very careful about this guy. "What's that?"

"It's a drug that messes up the hormones of the user. That person that ingested it will create synthetic Hemoglobin in its blood and can give momentary boost to the its user's ability as a Mental. Given the right DNA strand, it can also give a normal human some Mental abilities permanently." He explained. What he mentioned wasn't something new to me. Aiden even showed me what it can do. "However, it also has some downsides. Its side-effects can also cause permanent damage to the user."

Then my attention was caught further. Aiden took one and I can't help myself but to worry about him. What's worse was that Aiden only took a proto-type of it. Which means that he can suffer from more of those side-effects. "What damage would that be?"

"Imagine if you put a different fluid into a container and it wasn't designed to hold that certain type of liquid. Let's say putting corrosive acid on a metal cup. It would burst open and the container will be destroyed." Mr. Horikoshi started with some gruesome analogy. And I almost winced because Aiden could die if he took another. "In short, the user could die because of the organs are not used to the new blood structure that the person would have. Some organs might burst after the effect wears off. It works like an adrenaline rush."

"Why are you telling me this?" I retorted. Then I put both my hands on the table flat out. "I don't plan to get involved in it, sir. Shouldn't be SIGMA enough to stop them? I am still wondering why are you wasting resources on Aiden and I. That's just stupid if you ask me."

"Zion was created because a drug opposite of it called Sinai was also created. That drug was designed to suppress the Mentals' abilities. According to our spies, it will be supported by the US government. Thanks to Sergeant Snyder, you are part of the database and will be forced to take that." He explained further. "That could put you in danger. Both you and your mother."

"Easy, I could easily wipe him out and his memories." I said to him. His face was grim as if he was about to give me some more bad news. I can't help it but to shake my head. "There no need to worry about it, Mr. Horikoshi."

"Please, call me Aizen. And I know you are more than capable of protecting yourself and your mother. But you're obviously under-estimating the US Government. They are not people to be played with." He stated. "The thing is Kieran, they will be bringing Erasers. If you put that into the equation, you won't be able to do a thing."

"Do you think that Sinai drug can take away my powers completely?" I asked him.

"No. Honestly, it won't really affect you." Aizen replied. "The thing is, they would be checking your H-Score again. This time, with an Eraser right beside your spy. Plus, if the Eraser is skilled enough, he might notice that you planted a construct in their own soldier. A case will be filed against you and your life is over."

"I guess it's time to move again." I mumbled. And the first person I thought of was Colin. He would be very devastated if he knew. "We need to get out of the country this time. Is that why you're here?"

"Not really." He admitted. "There's a reason why I was sent here to train you. And it's specifically for this situation."