A Mirrors Beginning Read online
Page 4
“Relax, it’s still early.” He pressed his lips to her. Air wheezed out of his lungs as something hit his stomach. He let the woman go, his eyes flying open as he sat up. It took him a moment to remember where he was. Mackenzie was wiping her mouth, glaring angrily at him.
“Mack, I am so sorry,” John quickly apologized.
“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have … wait, what did you call me?”
“I’m sorry, forgive me, Mackenzie.”
“Did you … call me Mack?”
“I did. It just kinda slipped out.”
“It’s all right. Just don’t make it a habit.”
“Of calling you Mack?”
“No, of kissing me.”
John chuckled. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t all that bad.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“You’re a surly one.”
“You have no idea.”
John got up from the cot, turning his attention over to Dr. Brody. “Hey, Doc, am I free to go?”
“We’re done here.” He nodded, not looking away from his monitor.
Mackenzie and John left the lab, heading into the elevator.
“So are you the welcome wagon?” He asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know why Charlie asked for my help. I’m still relatively new here.”
“Maybe that’s why.”
“Maybe, but I’m learning Charlie always has a purpose behind things, even if it’s something we don’t see.”
“He’s not an alien too, right?”
Mackenzie laughed. “Not as far as I know. He just seems to know things.”
The elevator chimed and came to a slow stop. John followed Mackenzie down a hallway of numbered doors.
“Is this an apartment complex?” John inquired.
Mackenzie nodded. “One of many floors. Ah, here is yours.” She pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked a door marked number fifty-three. She swung the door open and stepped aside.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. It was the nicest apartment he had ever stepped into. He walked into a fully furnished living room in awe. The room smelled of fresh paint and lemon cleaner. The white walls were bare. A tan couch and loveseat lined a far wall. A small coffee table with several magazines on top was in the front, and an entertainment center with a widescreen TV and DVD player sat across from it. He could see the doorframe to the kitchen in the back. He walked down the hallway, peering into a small linen closet and bathroom. To his amazement, there were two bedrooms, although one was empty. The larger bedroom had a king-sized bed and a tall dresser. Hanging in the closet was a row of uniforms and his leather jacket.
“Obviously you can decorate however you wish. Everything in here is standard issue. Feel free to change the furniture or add things,” Mackenzie said behind him.
He slowly nodded, turning around to face her and stretched his arms out. “This … is really mine?”
She leaned her head to the side. “Is that really hard to believe?”
“I’ve never had anything this nice.”
“These are standard dwellings. The spare room can be used for whatever you’d like.” She outstretched her hand, presenting him with the key.
“Thank you.”
“Of course. Would you like to rest, or are you ready to meet your trainer?”
“Huh?”
She cracked a smile. “Your field trainer. Once you’re acclimated, you’ll begin your training.”
“I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do.”
“Which is why you are assigned a trainer.” An edge of annoyance seeped in her voice. “You are a field agent, John. You will go out on missions with a squadron for ISC business.”
He had the feeling if he questioned her more, she would keep repeating the same thing. She probably didn’t know any more than he did.
“Then I guess I should meet him.”
Mackenzie nodded, turning briskly on her heels and walking out. John sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair and followed her.
They stood in silence in the elevator. John could feel irritation radiating off of her but wasn’t sure what he did to aggravate her or how to alleviate the tension. Instead, he thrust his hands into his pockets and looked straight ahead. The elevator came to a stop but she grabbed his arm before he could step out.
“Look, I’m sorry.” She squared her shoulders back, her brows furrowed as she looked at him. “It’s not all aimed at you. I am a scientist and I belong in my lab. This is taking a day away from my experiment.”
“What kind of experiment?”
“I could explain it to you, but I doubt you’d understand.”
He bristled. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She blue eyes seemed to darken even more. “Didn’t Charlie pull you out of jail for aggravated assault?”
“Isn’t all assault aggravated?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a thug. You think with your fists instead of your brain. I don’t doubt your intelligence but I have yet to see it.”
“Sweetheart, you better be glad you’re a woman. If you were a man -”
“You would’ve knocked me out by now? See, that’s what I mean, John. If you’d use this muscle,” she tapped the side of his head with her index finger, “the way you use this muscle ... ,” she grabbed his bicep and squeezed, “... you’d be fine.”
“Thanks for the assessment,” he said, brushing past her.
“And don’t call me sweetheart.” She took several big strides to catch up with him. “Come on, this way.”
She came to a stop behind a pair of double doors. Mackenzie chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking down at the floor for a moment.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.” She nodded, still looking at the floor. He touched her shoulder and she finally met his gaze.
“Through these doors, your life will be forever changed.”
“Different than it already has?”
“In a completely different way.”
That made him suddenly nervous. His mind wheeled with what could be in the room. A new alien species? A space ship they expected him to fly? Did they want him to kill someone to test him? No, none of those could be right. The look in Mackenzie’s eyes was one of wonder … and sadness?
“I’m sorry,” she said before punching in a sequence on a keypad next to the door. A soft buzz let them know the door was unlocked. She stepped in first, holding the door open for him.
He couldn’t believe what he saw. His eyes focused on two men sitting on top of a table. Both men had long black hair and green eyes. Even though it had been nineteen years, he still recognized them.
“Seth? Logan?”
The one on the right flashed him a mischievous grin. The other one sat stoically. Both rose at the same time.
“Hey, little bro,” the one on the right greeted.
Before he could take a second to think, he lunged at his brother. Before Mackenzie could blink, John’s punch connected with his older brother’s jaw.
Chapter Seven
Mackenzie gasped and tried to reach for John’s arm, but he knocked her away. Seth held his chin and cursed, falling back onto the table. John reared his arm back to throw another punch, but Logan speared him to the ground. John struggled, but Logan was stronger than him. Logan straddled John’s waist, leaned forward, and grabbed his wrists, forcing them above his head. John tried to buck his older brother off of him but it was no use. His right hand began to throb and he struggled to breathe with Logan leaning on his chest.
“Logan, back off!” Mackenzie ordered.
“Not until he calms down,” Logan said through clenched teeth.
John still struggled for several more seconds before he huffed out a breath. Mackenzie grabbed the back of Logan’s shirt. He didn’t budge at first but eventually obeyed her. John hurried to his feet, clutching his hand to his chest.
Blood trickled out of the corner of Seth
’s mouth. He glared at John, wiping it away. His face had already started to swell.
“All right, guys. Everyone needs to calm down.” Mackenzie stood in between Logan and John, acting as a referee.
“I’m cool,” John said, not taking his eyes off of Logan.
“Well, isn’t this one hell of a reunion,” Seth commented, moving from the table to stand next to Mackenzie.
“Mack, what the hell is this?” John turned his eyes from Logan to her.
“Your instructors,” she flatly said. She turned to Seth, placing a gentle hand on his arm. The familiar gesture made John raise an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve got a stronger jaw than that.” He grinned at her. “It’s nice to know little brother knows how to throw a punch. It will make combat training easier.”
“Thanks.” John began to slowly relax. He tried to stretch his fingers and winced, pain shooting up his arm.
Mackenzie frowned, walking over to him. She carefully took his right hand into hers, pressing gently on his bones. He hissed through his teeth, pulling his hand back.
“You definitely broke your hand. Let’s get you to the med ward.”
“No way.” John shook his head. “Had enough doctors for the day.”
“I can set his hand,” Logan spoke up.
John’s brow furrowed. “You can?”
“Sure can. Mackenzie, can you go get the first aid kit?”
“Are you sure about this?” she questioned.
Logan nodded. “If he trusts me.”
John looked deep into his older brother’s green eyes, searching to know him. Logan was guarded, but his eyes told a story. A storm raged on in them. It was a mixture of torment, pain, and a little bit of happiness. For a moment, he selfishly hoped the happiness had to do with him. When Logan winked, he knew it was.
“I trust you,” John said.
“Good. Let’s do this.”
Logan walked over to the table and motioned John over. At his instructions, John laid his hand flat on the surface. Logan pressed down on the bones softly, feeling the tendons. John bit back a whimper, sucking on his bottom lip hard. Mackenzie appeared with a big red box and handed it to Logan. He opened the clear lid, pulling out some bandages.
“It’s a fine break. Should heal properly as long as you don’t throw any more punches for a while,” Logan informed him.
John looked over at Seth. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Seth said.
“Don’t worry about it. When we were first brought together, I hit him too,” Logan said.
Mackenzie snorted hard. “Boys.”
The three men chuckled.
“I guess so,” John said.
Logan wrapped John’s hand with precision. The wrap was tight but not to the point of cutting off circulation.
“How did you learn this?” John questioned.
“Things you learn in the field,” Logan replied.
“Here?”
“Iraq,” Seth jumped in.
“Iraq? What were you doing in Iraq?”
“Before we joined the ISC, Seth and I were working as mercenaries.”
That stunned him. John stared at the twins with his jaw hanging open. Neither of them looked surprised by his reaction. Logan cut the tape, pressing it down. Seth chuckled.
“Can’t quite picture it, can you?”
“Something like that. How did you end up there?”
“It’s a long story, brother,” Logan said.
“One we’ll be happy to share over drinks,” Seth chimed in. “You owe me, Johnny boy.”
The three men looked at each other in silence for a moment. John pulled them both in, hugging them tightly. Two pairs of arms wrapped around him, returning his embrace. He managed to choke back a tear before it could fall.
His brothers. He finally had his brothers back.
Chapter Eight
“So tell us about you,” Seth prodded as the three brothers slid into a booth in a bar inside the ISC.
“What’s there to tell?” John asked.
“What have you been doing with yourself?” Seth asked.
“Surviving.”
They fell silent for a moment. John took a big swig from his beer mug. Seth looked at the big bowl of peanuts in the center of the table.
“Us, too,” Logan said.
“Do you know where Elizabeth is?”
“No.” Logan shook his head. “We’ve been searching for her, but have come up empty.”
“Same here. I searched for both of you for years, but couldn’t find you.”
“I’m sorry. We couldn’t find you either.”
“How did you end up here?” John asked.
“Charlie,” Logan replied.
“We were helping a village in South Africa when we met Charlie,” Seth explained.
“Suddenly the work we were doing seemed pale in comparison,” Logan said.
“South Africa? Iraq? You guys sound like you traveled.”
“It started about seven years ago. I was working as a pilot for the Red Cross, helping deliver supplies to countries,” Seth began. “My plane was shot down over Iran. Apparently I got too close for comfort near a no-fly zone. An army medic healed me in a refuge. That’s where Logan and I met up.”
“I did many different odd jobs, acted as muscle for some terrible people,” Logan explained. “Finally I had enough. I didn’t want to hurt people. I wanted to help. I was in Iran supposedly working on a weapons deal when I hijacked the truck and took off. The guns I stole I used to help liberate many camps along with some freedom fighters.”
“Wow.” John let out the breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding during their story.
“Once we were together again, we made it our mission to help as much as we could. There’s a lot of hurt in the world.”
“So you traveled all over the place.”
“We went where we could do the most good,” Seth said. “I don’t know why Charlie chose us, but every day I’m grateful.”
“Mackenzie said Charlie seems to have a way of knowing things,” John commented.
“She’s a smart one,” Logan replied.
“She ought to be. Has her Masters in two scientific fields. Makes most of us look like morons,” Seth said.
“She’s not a doctor?”
“Nope.” Seth shook his head. “Silly reason why she’s not. Some dude made her feel bad about it, so she quit her studies.”
“You know a lot about her.”
Seth shrugged. “She’s special.”
The corner of John’s mouth twitched as he drank from his frosty mug.
“Hey, man, it’s not like that,” Seth protested.
“If you say so.”
“What about you?” Seth attempted to change the subject. “How did you end up here?”
“Charlie,” John copied Logan’s earlier reply. “Don’t know how or why, but he found me in a jail cell in Las Vegas.”
“What were you in for?”
“Aggravated assault. Judge sentenced me to a rehab program and thirty days.”
“Did rehab work?”
“Yeah, I’m clean.”
Logan clamped a hand down on John’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He smiled affectionately and nodded.
John didn’t need to explain himself to them. His brothers accepted him wordlessly. It didn’t take them long to reconnect. Within twenty minutes, the three men were laughing and swapping stories. The evening hours went by fast and eventually the bartender had to kick them out.
~#~
John met up with Seth and Logan in a training center to begin work. He couldn’t begin combat training with his broken hand so Seth made him sit down at a computer to learn the history of the ISC.
“This is boring,” John complained, leaning back in his computer chair.
“I know, but it’s necessary,” Seth replied.
“Mission reports, data files … why do I need all this?”
“Because knowing about the different worlds we are in contact with could save your life one day.”
“Hmph.”
The next day was just as unbearable with medical stress tests and more instruction time. By the end of the week, John’s patience was growing thin.
“Seth, I swear if you put me in front of computer today, I will -”
“Relax.” Seth waved off the pending threat. “You’re going to have fun today.”
John perked up slightly. “Yeah?”
Seth grinned. “Follow me.”
He happily followed his older brother up two floors. Seth input a command on a keypad and the large metal doors swung open. Inside was a large egg-shaped machine connected to a series of computers.
“Thought you’d like to try one of our simulators,” Seth said.
“Hell yeah!” John exclaimed, sliding into the seat.
“You’ve read about the missions. Now you’ll get to experience one.”
“How?”
Seth shoved John over the second seat and pressed a red button on the console in front. It buzzed to life, illuminating the small dome with a soft light.
“This is going to be a flight simulator.” Seth looked over at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. “Hope you read up on the specs.”
“I think I can handle it.”
“We’ll see. All right, these are your controls.” Seth activated a button above their heads and a metal pole came up from the floor in between them.
“Is this how I steer?”
“Steer.” Seth snickered. “I thought you read the specs?”
John glared. “It’s hard to memorize all six different types of ships the ISC has.”
Seth’s eyes momentarily widened as he slowly nodded. “All right, I guess you have read them. For this purpose, this is your weapons system. The shaft points your guns, red button on top fires.”
“Gotcha.”
Seth spent the next ten minutes going over the controls, making John repeat his instructions back to him. Finally, John was alone in the simulator. He slid back into the pilot’s seat and put on a helmet. A computerized voice counted down from ten and the soft light slowly went out. The screen in front of him flickered on, displaying space. Unfamiliar stars surrounded his cockpit. It looked like he was hovering over a yellow planet.