Derailed - 2. The Family

Derailed

Chapter 1

The Family

I woke up to the sound of a train pulling into the station. I heard the old metal brakes scream and screech as it slowly came to a stop. It amazed me that the brakes even still worked. I mean they had to be at least 75 years old, there were one or two occasions where they didn't hold and the entire power grid to the subway system had to be shut down until the train quit moving.

The doors finally opened and I saw the refugees slowly begin to pile out into the station. Manhattan’s Grand Central Station had become one of the very few resting spots for the infected, a name given to people like us, people who were born with the Holmen Virus and had certain special abilities. The subway made a perfect haven for us because when the Sky Tram was built to replace the outdated subway system, almost all of the entrances were blocked off and forgotten. However, when Prop 92 was passed, many of the infected need a place to run to. What better place than the forgotten underground? There are very few entrances into the system and, as far as we know, they are only known to collectors, people who go out and try to find other like us and lead them into the system.

I had been sleeping on a bench when the train pulled up. Something that I had grown very accustomed to in these past ten years was sleeping wherever I had a flat surface, or on one of the seats on the trains. As the people continued to pile out, I noticed that many of them were children; most likely their parents were captured and taken in, leaving them orphaned to fend for themselves. It’s they who we try the hardest to find. As you get older and you gain a better control of your power, it becomes much easier to hide and stay under the radar of the military Virus Control Unit, a group of traitors who have sworn to hunt down others like them just to save their own necks.

As the last of the passengers got off, I decided it was time to get to work “Hello. Welcome to what used to be known as Grand Central Station. This used to be the largest subway station in New York, now it’s the last stop before you leave the city. From here you will get on a truck convoy that will take you to the port of Brooklyn, at which point you will board a cruise ship under the disguise of staff workers. Children will be disguised as passengers until you reach Xaven, the only safe haven for our kind.” I could sense the tension in the air rise as my words sank in and then someone asked the one question I hated being asked.

“And exactly where is this Xaven place?” It was a short, plump man with a very bad comb over. He looked at me as though I was the last person to be trusting, and why shouldn't he? I'm only 14 years old after all. How could I, or my team, possibly be of any help to them. What I was about to say was going to warrant me even less trust.

”We’re not sure, exactly.” Immediately the crowd began to shift uncomfortably and mumble to themselves, so I spoke up to try to calm them down “All we know it that Xaven is the only community made up entirely of other infected people and that it was formed by the same person who started this smuggling ring twenty years ago. Now you have a choice, you can take a shot at freedom or you can take your chances back on the streets. Sure, you might make it a few weeks, months, or even a year or two, but eventually they will catch up with you and you will get caught. Believe me; no one knows that better than me.”

I look at the now calming crowd and the same man spoke up again. “If you believe in this community so much, why don’t you go there?”

Now I was beginning to lose my patients for this man. “Because I decided to stay here help people like you escape to their one chance for freedom. Now if you like, you can stay here and help and I’ll gladly take your spot on that boat.”

He decided it was best to keep his mouth shut from that point on. With all this being said, I showed the refugees around the different platforms, from the area to receive what little medical treatment we could offer to where they would be sleeping tonight.

The convoy wouldn't be here till tomorrow, so the crowd began to spread out and settle down for the night. I decided to check up on everyone when I saw Adrian sitting at the cockpit of the train, smoking a cigarette. “Sup?” he said, “Did you finish showing society's most unwanted around?” Adrian was about 23 years old he was a tall skinny man with greasy black hair and even darker eyes.

“Yeah, they don't like the fact that no one knows exactly where it is they'll be going once they leave the city. Can’t say that I blame them though,” I said with a scowl.

“It’s best this way. How do you think an entire community of us has gone undetected? The fewer people who know its whereabouts, the better. It’s safer for all of us this way,” he said, as he took another long drag.

“Do you know where it’s at?” I asked as he blew out the cloud of smoke.

“Not a clue,” he said, “and honestly, I don't want to know. The only one here who might know would be Corbin, and if he does, he ain't telling,” he said, taking another drag.

“Speaking of Corbin, do you know where he's at? I need to ask him something.”

He looked at me as though he already knew what this was about. “As far as I know, Corbin is checking the cars, making sure everyone got off.”

I left Adrian to finish his cigarette while I went to speak with Corbin. I found him in the very back car, checking all the seats, one at a time. “So how did everything go out there today?” I asked.

“Not bad. We almost got caught by a check point, but we managed to avoid it,” he said with a smile. Corbin, for all intents and purposes, was our leader. He made sure everyone was doing exactly what they were supposed to and that our operation ran as smoothly as possible.

“Well, I was wondering if maybe next mission I could go. I'm tired of sitting here and playing door greeter while you guys go out there play hero.”

Corbin sat up and looked me squarely in the eyes. “We've been over this before, Cameron. You’re too young. I won’t risk you getting hurt out there,” he said calmly.

“But Mark is only 16 and he’s been going for almost three years now, and Seth is the same age as me. He went on his first mission today.”

He ran his hand through his thick curly brown hair before looking at me. “Yes, but they also have a much better control over their abilities... and Mark is essential for us to remain undetected.”

Mark was a Techno-path, which gave him control over any electronic device within a 100 yard radius, making him very useful when we needed to avoid checkpoints and tracers. I stared at him trying to think of some kind argument. He was a very large man standing close to six and a half feet tall, but that wasn't what made him intimidating. It was his ability to instantaneously regenerate and only feel a third of the pain a normal man felt. If you ever want to put fear into your enemy, shove your bones back into place right there in front of them or walk through fire and a round of bullets, never stopping once. If anything, he was the very rock of this group.

Corbin again ran his fingers through his curly brown hair, still looking at me. “Look, I just feel that until you gain a better grasp of your power, you'd be safer to remain underground. It won’t be much longer though, you've been improving a lot; I can see that. You'll be heading out with us soon enough, trust me.”

I decided not to argue the point any further. Before leaving I asked if he had seen Seth, he thought for a minute. “I think the train ride made him sick, so you might want to check the bathrooms.”

He was in one of the bathroom stalls, just as Corbin had said he would be, puking up what was left of his lunch from earlier. Mark was leaving just as I walked in. The first thing that hits you when you see Mark was how gorgeous he is, this was extremely obvious to everyone except him. I think he didn't exactly notice it, that, or he really didn't care. He had very light blonde hair and stunning blue eyes that could easily make someone go weak at the knees. The first time I met him, I about fell in love with him right there. The only problem with Mark was his personality. He wasn't mean or rude; he just didn't seem to care about anyone... or much of anything for that matter. The only thing that ever seemed to interest him were his computers and his research, which often made him come across as a very distant and cold person. He walked past me with a slight nod only to acknowledge my existence, even then I felt as though he only did it as an obligation.

I took the opportunity, while Seth was finishing, to get a good look in the mirror. I saw the same mess of sandy blonde hair and pale green eyes I saw every day. I wasn't a tall person by any means just a little over five feet, with a somewhat slim build. I heard the toilet flush and Seth finally stepped out.

“Hey, how long have you been standing there?” he asked, worried that I had heard him praying at the porcelain altar.

“Long enough. You get sick again?” I asked. Seth has been my best friend for the past six years and my secret crush for the last three, ever since I discovered I was attracted to other boys rather than girls. But in all this time we have spent together, I've never once had the courage to tell him just how I really felt. He had dark brown hair that hung just a little past his eyes, which were a very light and vibrant shade of blue. He also had one of the warmest smiles that could be given. He stood at just five feet, six inches, making him slightly taller than me. Just being around him always seemed to put me at ease with everything.

“How is it you can teleport back and forth constantly, yet you get sick every time you’re in a car or train?” I watched him stand there and think for a second, his blue eyes getting this curious look in them.

“I dunno. I guess I just prefer that method of travel,” he said, somewhat jokingly. All I could do was look at him and smile. For as long as I could remember he would get motion sick if he so much as stepped on something moving.

“I wish I could disappear out of here out here right about now. I’m going stir crazy being stuck underground like this.”

He looked at me for a second like I was crazy. “Are you kidding me? You have the coolest power ever! I mean, you can send a car flying just by thinking about it. You can stop bullets dead in their tracks. I would kill to be able to do that!”

I had what is known as Basic Telekinesis, the ability to mentally convert potential energy into kinetic energy and vice versa, but this also came with a backlash; the slightest emotional outburst and anyone or anything standing too close would be sent flying. This was part of the reason Corbin was reluctant to let me go on the collection missions with the rest of the crew. If Seth accidentally disappeared randomly, he'd be gone too fast for anyone to notice. Or if Mark sent a surge taking out everyone's cell phones, no one would be able to tell it was him. But if I lost it and people got thrown into the sides of buildings, it would be quite a bit harder to explain or write it off as something else.

After leaving the bathroom, we headed over to Andrea to get something for Seth's stomach. Andrea used to be a pharmacist until it was discovered that she had the ability to heal others. Now she spent most of her time undoing the damage caused by our run-ins with the Virus Control Unit. We stepped into the medical tent that was set up on one of the unused platforms. There we saw her tending to some of the refugees brought in earlier. We didn't even open our mouths when she grabbed a bottle handing it to Seth “Take two and come back if you don't feel any better in a few hours,” she said, not even looking at us. She had long red hair and looked to be in about her mid-20s with a tall and slim figure.

Seth stared at her blankly for a second or two before asking, “How did you know?”

She finally looked up at us. You could see her dark green eyes, which were always hidden behind a pair of oval shaped glasses. “Let’s see... Seth is paying me a visit just after getting off a train, he doesn't seem to have any broken bones, he’s not gushing torrents of blood, so why could he be here? Ah, that's right, he gets sick every time he steps on a moving object. Honestly guys, I've been treating you for years, I think I got you medical history pretty well down. Give me a little credit, will ya?”

Just then, Corbin came into the tent. “There you are, Cameron. I need you to go help Bruiser unload the rest of the supplies from the train. No arguments.” Moaning a little, I left the tent and headed back towards the train.

I saw Bruiser unloading a pallet of supplies. He looked up at me and began waving manically. Besides me, Bruiser was the only one who didn't go on missions, due to him being only 11 years old. But this didn’t fool any of us, despite his age, he has the strength of a bulldozer. One solid punch from him would shatter almost every bone in your body, thus, the nick name. He was a small kid, even for 11, with light brown smooth hair he constantly was brushing out of his eyes, which were a deep brown, almost black.

“Hey Bruiser, Corbin sent me down here to help you unload the rest of the supplies.” He looked overjoyed to see me.

“Awesome! There isn't a lot left, just a few pallets, but I can get those. All I need you to get is all the loose boxes in the corner, but I figure you can do that easily enough.” He smiled at me as I looked at the small boxes piled in the corner of the compartment.

“Sure thing. Where do you want them?” I asked.

“Ummmmm, just over there, by the other pallets should be fine. I’ll carry it to the storage by myself.”

I extended my arm to feel for the energy flowing through the boxes. As soon as I was sure I had a grasp on all the boxes, I began focusing on lifting them upward and out of the train. Easily enough, they obeyed and soon began flying out onto the pallet with the last of the supplies. Within ten minutes the train was empty. Bruiser walked over and with little effort hoisted the entire pallet over his head, which was really something to see, considering his small size.

Just as we were about to head towards the storage unit, there was a loud snapping sound like the crack of a whip and Seth appeared in front of us “We need you guys’ help right now; no time to explain!” He looked frantic as he grabbed both our shoulders and we instantly felt the ground disappear and reappear beneath us; our vision went blank for a second and we were standing on the main platform that housed all the refugees.

People were running in all directions as I heard a familiar voice yelling, “I told you before to leave me alone, asshole!” It was the same plump man from earlier. He looked like he was about to rip apart someone, then I saw a teenager with two spikes in his hand about ready to gut him right there. In the middle was Corbin, trying to calm them both.

“I’m gonna have to ask both of you to stop now. If you don't, I won’t hesitate to use force."

Refusing to listen, the teen attempted to throw the spike past Corbin’s shoulder, at the now even angrier man, but Corbin rose up and caught it in, or rather, through, his hand. Immediately blood began to pour out of the wound and down his arm. The teen stood frozen there for a second in shock at Corbin's lack of concern or pain from the wound. Instead, he pulled it out and watched as the once-bloody hole began to fill in again, leaving only the stain of blood behind. Enraged by the attempted attack the on him, the man began to tense up and the whole building began to shake. Corbin looked to see the man attempting to cave the building in around the teen. “If you don't quit now you'll bring the whole structure down,” Corbin yelled. But the man wasn't hearing it, he was intent on getting his revenge. Corbin began to run towards the man in order to subdue him, but as he approached, a seven foot tall spike of earth shot out stopping him. Debris began to fall from the roof. As the whole building continued to shake, pieces of it began to fall and hit the others.

Andrea tried to sneak up on him, syringe in hand, but once again another spike shot up and nearly skewering her and she had to back away. Just as Corbin tried to make another attempt at getting close enough to bring him down, a large chunk of the roof broke away and began to descend over a group that had tried to get away from the fight. I put both hands out to find the energy and slow it. It was a strain; it was moving fast and the faster an object is moving, the harder it is to stop. Eventually I got it to slow enough to hoist it away from them. I kept a hold of a small piece and threw it in the direction of the man, hoping I could knock him off his concentration, but with no luck. As soon as it got close, another spike came up causing it to shatter into pieces before reaching him. I tried again with three more pieces, but once again, all of them hit the shooting spikes. I then attempted to push him, but before I could find his energy he shot a spike directly underneath me I was able to dodge it, but it grazed the side of my cheek ripping it open leaving a long gash up the side of my face. I felt the blood run down and off my chin and hit the floor.

“Seth! Get the syringe!” Andrea yelled, as she tossed it and ran towards me. Seth caught it in midair and with a loud pop appeared right next to the man. Before he realized what was going on, Seth rammed it into the man’s fat neck, squeezing the plunger down. The shaking slowly stopped and the man fell to the ground unconscious.

Slowly the people became aware that the fight was over. It was safe to move around again. They began returning to what they were doing before the incident. Andrea began using her power to slowly close the wound on my cheek; I felt the cool stinging sensation I got every time she did this. She looked over her shoulder to see Bruiser standing there to make sure I was ok. “Bruiser honey, will you take him into my tent I want to keep him sleeping for the rest of the night,” she motioned toward the now sleeping man. Bruiser grabbed the now dead weight man and threw him over his shoulder with ease. Arms and feet still dragging the ground, he carried him off to Andrea's tent.

As she finished up, Seth walked towards me. I looked at him and smiled. “I see you have the cooler power,” I said jokingly.

He looked back at me, relieved to see I was ok, and finally he sighed. “Yeah, but I couldn't have saved all those people the way you did,” he said with a smile. Corbin then walked over to join us.

“Good work, both of you. I want you to know I’m proud of you. Now go and get some rest. We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow repairing the damage that asshole caused.” We agreed and I made my way towards the bathroom to clean the dried blood off the side of my face. Once I was done, Seth rejoined me and we made our way to the sleeping platform. We had set up rows of tents for us, or the refugees when they came through. Often, though, there wasn't enough room for everyone and a lot of the people found themselves sleeping on one of the train seats, or on a bench, or sometimes on the ground.

Luckily enough, Seth and I found an empty tent. We crawled inside and lay next to each other, not really speaking, still jittery from what had happened. Within minutes I heard Seth’s steady breathing, letting me know that he was asleep. I stared at him for a while, wishing that I had the nerve to tell him how I really felt and how much I loved him. At one point I even thought of waking him up and telling him, but my better judgment got a hold of me and I decided against it. Then I began to remember back to ten years ago, before the subways, before the refugees, back to when it was just me and my mom, back to when I remember honestly being happy. As I lay there remembering, I felt a tear run down my cheek and quickly wiped it away, knowing that one would lead to one hundred and the last thing I needed to do was send our tent up into the air. I rolled over and thought to myself, ‘I'm tired of the subways, I'm tired of hiding and I'm tired of only remembering what it was like to be happy and safe.’ With these thoughts, I felt exhaustion take me over and I fell asleep with the image of my mother smiling at me, promising that she would make everything better.

I was right; she lied.

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