Brink by Mikel Parry

CH – MR AND MRS SMITH

Banks’s loss had hit home harder than Thomas had expected. For someone he had largely held at a distance, he had to admit that Banks had grown on him. But he was gone. Crushed beneath tons of uncaring rock. There was no way he could have survived. His body might eventually be found, launching an insidious cover-up. He hated the organization now; all of them. How could they ostracize their own the way they did? How could Roslin be so blind as to launch an internal witch hunt for those who had risked their lives for a better tomorrow? A part of him wanted to believe that Roslin was behind it; the master puppeteer using those around him to advance his position ever further; a power whoremonger. But it didn’t make sense, did it? It was for this reason he had to see her; he had to see Barb.

It had taken hours to skulk his way through the backstreets and shadows. Occasionally, he’d pass a vagrant begging for a momentary reprieve; a dollar here, a nickel there, unperturbed by the world burning down around them. But it didn’t matter. Sooner or later, the evil he now knew so well would show up on everyone’s doorstep. It had to be stopped. He wondered what to say and how to say it. He felt so dark now, so cold. His emotional state was a dire one. Perhaps he was finally losing himself. Rapping on Barb’s door, he let himself slouch. He felt utterly deflated.

The door opened slowly. He saw two eyes peer out cautiously. When she saw it was Thomas, she ushered him without hesitation.

“Thomas! Thomas, you’re covered in dust! You’ve got blood all over you!”

Thomas nodded his head. Her presence was a welcome one. It was like a breath of spring had come to his wintered heart. He put on a weak smile.

“I’m fine; really, Barb. I just had a little tussle with gravity.”

“You’re such a horrible liar. Here, let me—”

Barb tenderly began brushing him off.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

Thomas felt his heart sink as he responded.

“They’re dead. All of them. Every agent on the program is gone. Banks was the last, and I practically walked him to the hearse. I was so stupid, so damn stupid! I was so distracted by my emotions I didn’t see it coming, like always.”

Barb stood tall in response.

“You’re not stupid, Thomas. You’re one of the smartest people I know. You can’t blame yourself for everything. That’s what this psycho wants you to do. He’s breaking you down.”

Thomas slapped a few objects off the table near where he stood. They crashed onto the floor loudly. He put his head into his hands and did his best to muffle a scream of anger.

“They’re dead! Every one of them! Banks, the other agents, the men at the dock . . .”

Barb sensed the progression and put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him gently.

“Jena . . .”

Thomas rocked back and forth, unable to contain his overwhelming feelings.

“I know, Tommy, I know. And there’s nothing you can do about that. They’re gone, Tommy. You’ve got to let it go.”

“But I can’t! I can’t, Barb! I’m . . . I’m scared.”

Saying the words, he felt his emotional dam burst open. He collapsed into one of Barb’s over-sized chairs. The truth had final set itself free. He was afraid. Not just of losing, but of being alone. Almost everyone he had ever had ties with was either dead or estranged. His life had become an empty existence. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Barb slowly walked up to his side and grasped one of his hands firmly in her own. She looked him sincerely in the eyes. The glint of caring had grown twofold. She was close to him now, a critical brick in his building of life.

“You’re scared. You’re scared that no matter what you do, you’ll end up alone. That those you care about most will be the first to go. Tommy, I understand. But there’s something you’ve got to understand now.”

Thomas winced as if in pain. His eyes pressed tightly shut.

“What?”

“That even though they’re gone, they’ve never left you. Each and every one of them is a part of you. In some way, shape, or form they helped mold you into the man you are today. Each of them left an indelible imprint on your life. Their stories are a part of your own. That’s the real power, Tommy; recognizing that. Recognizing that you’re never truly alone.”

“Why couldn’t I save them? Why couldn’t I make things right?”

Barb kneeled down beside him. She placed Thomas’s other hand into hers.

“Because sometimes our losses can help us appreciate what we have. Losing someone can sometimes help us save ourselves.”

Thomas looked into Barb’s eyes. He could feel the warm flame of friendship that had grown between them. But now there was something else; a tiny spark that seemed to be igniting in a shutdown part of his heart. He dwelled on the feeling a moment before dismissing it. This wasn’t the time or place. Her words had touched him. As always, she had a way of making his mind slow down, forcing him to pay attention.

“Okay, okay . . .”

Thomas got out of the chair and wiped his face off with his sleeve. He turned slowly back around.

“I don’t know what to do now. I, I’ve got all of this,” said Thomas, pointing at his head, “but nowhere to go. I’m just running in circles.”

Barb conjured a pen and began gnawing on its end. She took over his vacated spot in the chair. Her position implied that he should continue.

“All the agents are dead, only leaving this Roslin guy. But then there are the people at the dock, the other people harmed. I’m not seeing a connection.”

“Maybe there isn’t a logical connection. That’s the point. Maybe this guy is running blind.”

“Running blind?”

Barb stretched her arms out while gazing at the ceiling.

“Well, let’s start with the unknowns. Who is the woman?”

Thomas recited the name the instant her inquisitive sentence ended.

“Taylor DeCastro an agent like the others.”

“So, I’m assuming she’s probably off record, as they say. This guy wants you to see her, and then tries to shorten your lifespan by a few decades. But he initially wanted you to see. That’s the point here.”

Thomas shook his head. The point seemed dull.

“I don’t get it. Why go through the trouble?”

“That’s exactly my point! This guy, for some reason, slipped up. He let his emotions trump his logic, not that you’d know what that’s like. He didn’t have to show you; he wanted to. His emotional bark wanted to be heard. He wanted you to feel something.”

Thomas let his mind drift for a moment until her image came to him.

“Jena?”

“Jena.”

“But that would mean that whoever this is has had eyes on me—”

“For who knows how long, maybe using his little wrist rocket like yours. He did his homework. He obviously felt like you and he shared some connection.”

“But there’s the problem. Everybody’s dead. There’s just me and that jerk Roslin. I don’t have time to go dig up the other men in that room. I’m almost positive they’re already dead anyway.”

“Forget them for a moment. Let’s figure out her.”

Barb got up and sat back down at her computer. She opened up a few browsers and began typing. Thomas took her place on the couch. He continued mending his wounds as best he could. Barb let out a long sigh.

“Nothing . . . not surprising. At least nothing that looks remotely interesting. There’s got to be something else.”

“They’re ghosts. They’ve probably deleted most, if not all, of her history. But there’s still the name on the wall. I’ve got an idea.”

Thomas got out of his chair and nudged her over to look at the screen.

“Hey, I’m enjoying myself here! Not every day I get to look up dead, secret organization agents involved in some deranged love story.”

“You are a genius. Barb!”

Barb looked confused. Thomas tapped the keyboard wildly.

“That’s got to be it. The name on the cave wall . . . maybe it was a nickname or something. And the love thing, maybe there’s something to that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Right before this last agent died, he told me that romance within the organization is generally frowned upon. If you saw these people, that would come as no surprise. So what if that happened? What if an agent fell in love with another agent but they hid it from everyone?”

“They eloped! How dreamy.”

Barb clapped her hands together.

“Stick with me, Princess; this dream turned out to be a nightmare.”

“Fine . . . typical male ego. I’ll indulge the idea that the fairy tale didn’t work out. Always looking at the negative in things Tommy. So what’s your plan?”

“If I was going to elope and I was handcuffed to the organization, where would I do it? I mean, where would you find the time to do something like that?”

Barb puckered her lips.

“Oh, Tommy, you just lack imagination. You don’t need time, just the right setting. Dark night, sneaking out to some secret spot, saying the vows before shaking the bed posts, bodies tense, fingers wandering . . .”

“Barb, please, stick to the details. We’re not writing a romance novel here.”

Barb frowned.

“What I was getting at is that there’s probably a record somewhere.

“Barb, you always outdo yourself.”

“I’m an amazing specimen, this I know.”

Thomas’ fingers were blazing across the keys. Barb shoved him away playfully.

“Hey! I’m investigating here!”

Barb rolled her eyes.

“You lack creativity. This requires a woman’s touch.”

She quickly pulled up a list of all the hotels she’d swooned over with her friends. She asked Thomas for more information.

“Where’s this little organization’s hub, the beehive, if you will?”

Thomas pointed.

“Odds are these guys are on call almost all the time, like you. So keeping to schedules is a must. So they’d need somewhere quick and easy. Bingo!”

Barb turned the monitor for Thomas to see.

“Cupid’s Eros! That phrase doesn’t even make sense.”

“It’s a play on words, Thomas. It’s cheesy, quaint, and accessible. It’s well within the search parameters. And trust me—I’m a lady—we love this hopelessly romantic crap.”

Barb pulled up the number for Cupid’s Eros. She dialed, and then snapped her fingers.

“What was that name again, the one on the wall?”

Thomas looked baffled but responded.

“Johnny, but it’s just one name. The registry would have two, wouldn’t it? Assuming they were that stupid.”

“Trust me, they were.”

A voice picked up on the other line. Barb politely asked about the hotel registry. She lied, stating that she and her husband had visited there for a celebratory night, and had forgotten the date. She covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand.

“What’s the last name? This lady’s going along with it, but wants our last name.”

“Our?”

Thomas gave Barb a wink. She responded with a sarcastic sneer. Thomas’ brain quickly scanned over every name he had ever known. From there, he broke it down to the most likely of candidates. But it was stupid, sloppy, and completely arrogant. Would someone sworn to a life of secrecy be so cliché?

“Smith . . . try Smith . . . I don’t know.”

Barb smiled.

“See? You’re finally starting to get it.”

Barb looked around her desk until she found a pen and paper. She jotted down a few details as she listened.

“Ask for the time. The time they checked in.”

Barb looked slightly confused, but obliged.

“And when did they, we check in that day?”

Barb’s was magnificent. Her acting, spot on. She put down her phone with a smug look.

“Guess what I found?”

She gave the piece of paper to Thomas who looked it over. The date, times, and names stared back at him.

June Smith

Johnny Smith

“But why be so stupid? I mean, assuming this is even right. Someone could easily track this down with the right information.”

Barb sighed.

“And here I thought I had you at abysozologic . . .”

“Abyssopelagic; of, like, or pertaining to . . .”

“Whatever. Point is, nobody found anything because they didn’t have a reason to look, until now. This was an act of defiance, but a part of them wanted the world to know. They wanted to prove that their love superseded all the stupid rules. A true Romeo and Juliet. My heart’s practically throbbing out of my chest right now.”

“Well, that’s all great until Juliet dies. Now Romeo is burning down the whole city.”

“A vengeful heart looking for relief. I imagine he’s a very conflicted fellow.”

Suddenly something lit up in Thomas’ mind. A little light bulb surged with current, illuminating paths in his mind he hadn’t explored before. Was it possible? Could it really be so sinister? Thomas dabbed at an open wound on his face before he responded.

“I think I have an idea of what to do. I just hope I’m right, and that you’re right.”

Barb smiled. She swayed across the room before collapsing into her favorite arm chair.

“Thomas, I’m always right. You know that.”

Thomas’ eyes suddenly widened, his heart skipping a beat. He was having déjà vu. Barb walking across the room, sitting in her armchair . . .It was all so . . . predictable. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up. A tingling sensation permeated his body.

“Barb! We’ve got to go now!”

Thomas leapt from his chair with an inhuman strength. He threw himself at Barb, tackling her from her chair and onto the ground.

“Thomas! What are you doing?”

Barb’s scream was instantly muted by a deafening crash. Barb’s apartment wall collapsed in on her chair, crushing it flat beneath the enormous weight. From outside, someone screamed. A massive crane was whipping back and forth, out of control, its operator holding on for dear life. It passed through the apartment again, ripping another segment away like it was made out of cardboard.

“Watch out!” screamed the operator.

Thomas pulled Barb off the ground.

“Go, now! This whole place is going to collapse!”

Barb nodded silently. She looked terrified, but mechanically did as she was told. Thomas pulled her to her feet and they ran for the door. The crane ripped through the floor behind them, large chunks of the apartment collapsing into the rest of the building. The screech from the immense power of the crane shredding both steel and rock were gouging out their ears. The trail of destruction nipped at their heels as they ran. With each passing moment, it was closer to swallowing them whole. But just as it appeared that the end was upon them, they saw the front door.

“Keep moving. Don’t stop for anything or anyone!”

Screams could be heard echoing from every direction. The chaos had awoken everyone to a new state of fear. Nothing was safe anymore. Sprinting down the stairs and out the door, they watched in horror as a massive chunk of the building fell free. It thundered down, landing on top of a few parked cars that were squashed like toys. Fires erupted randomly, as an array of broken pipes haphazardly spewed water over the scene. Sirens sounded off in the distance. The madness was just beginning.

“Thomas! Watch out!”

Barb suddenly shoved Thomas hard as motorcycle veered off course nearly crashing into him. The cyclist panicked and overcorrected, sending himself flying like a rag doll across the ground as his motorcycle smacked into a thick wall of brick. It burst apart into a hundred pieces. Thomas couldn’t believe his eyes. The world around him was crumbling around him. The scene was horrifying.

“Keep moving, Barb! Just keep moving!”

Thomas grabbed her and began hurling her forward. All the while his mind scanned every angle, every detail, and every possibility. Hell had been unleashed. The devil was coming for him at all costs. Everything was just collateral damage at this point, even human life. An explosion erupted down the street that sent another crowd of people scrambling for their lives.

“He’s not sure where I’ll go, so he’s just going to blow up the whole damn block!”

Both he and Barb were sprinting as fast as they could. Thomas felt like he was having a very bad dream. As they rushed down the sidewalk trying desperately to flee the worst of it, they heard out of place. The sound was being reinforced by powerful waves that pulsated in the air and the whooshing of metallic blades cutting through matter at a blinding speed. Looking up, they saw a helicopter. Its pilot had abandoned his post, thus vanquishing all hopes of controlling the destruction his aircraft was inflicting. And it was coming right at them.

“We’ve got to get off the streets, now!”

Thomas grabbed Barb by the shoulder as the helicopter cut its way through the overhead power lines. Sparks rained down from the sky like fireworks. The helicopter struck the ground creating an ear-splitting screech of metal against asphalt. Its battered blades spun madly, ripping everything in its path to pieces. Its velocity was incredible, and it was now within striking distance of Thomas and Barb. Just as their escape appeared to be futile, an alley presented itself like a path to paradise. They expended every last bit of energy they had to dive out of harm’s way. The think blades narrowly missed their flailing legs. The immense force of the blades whipping through the air propelled them further down the narrow passage. They were both screaming at the top of their lungs.

They fell hard against the ground, knocking the wind out of them. The helicopter continued spinning wildly out of control.

“Where can we go?”

Thomas didn’t know what to say. All he cared about was assuring Barb’s safety. He could feel his own life force beginning to fade. He couldn’t last like this much longer. All of the damage to his body was overcoming him.

“Barb, we need to split up. You can’t stay with me. Is there somewhere you can go?”

Barb’s eyes were rimmed with tears threatening to spill. She was trembling in fear. Thomas remembered seeing this same emotion a lifetime ago in Jena, and it broke his heart. Some of the parameters around his purpose were changing. The fiery flues of his hatred were being soothed by love for Barb, and those he’d left behind. She had been right; they were all still with him. Their faces empowered him to go on. He put out his hand to hold Barb’s, which was shaking uncontrollably. He drew her close and hugged her. He didn’t know why, and he didn’t want to know—he needed it. He let the moment linger before letting go of her hand and repeating himself.

“Is there anywhere you can go, Barb? Somewhere no one could find you; not even me. I can’t know.”

Barb was crying frightened tears. But she kept her composure.

“I think so, yes.”

“Then go there, now, until this ends. Don’t come out until it does.”

Thomas looked into Barb’s eyes and did his best to show her his deeply felt emotions; he genuinely cared for her. Suddenly, another explosion went off somewhere behind them, sending a wave of debris into the alley. Thomas threw his arms up to shield his eyes.

“Thomas . . .”

Barb’s voice sounded faint. Suddenly she collapsed to her knees.

“Barb!”

A piece of rebar was sticking out from her side. It had punctured her clean through. A crimson river of blood gushed out of the wound with each heartbeat. Her complexion went white. She was fading fast.

“No, Barb! No! Don’t do this to me! Not now! We’ve made it this far!”

Barb smiled weakly; a smile that even Thomas knew was fake. As her eyes rolled back in her head, she muttered her last words.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got you, don’t I?”

Her body went limp, her last breath drawn. In complete anguish, Thomas collapsed on top of her. He let his heart relinquish all of its pain in a soul-shattering wail; a ravaged heart’s last plea for redemption gone unanswered. He was now utterly and truly alone. As the city shook around him, he could feel himself beginning to slip into darkness. Death’s shadows were closing in on him too.