“It’s me.” He steps into the light, and it illuminates his face and his radiant smile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wider grin on Gerad’s face.
“Did you come all the way here to find me?”
“Yes. What happened to your face? It’s—it’s from the accident, isn’t it?” Gerad winces. I grab his hand and squeeze it tight. I can feel his hand trembling.
“Gerad, it isn’t your fault. I wasn’t paying attention, and it just happened. Don’t blame yourself.” Lukas’s gentle words make Gerad’s hand relax. “Who’s that hiding in the shadows?”
I wipe my face of any make-up I could so my face was recognizably young and normal. I step out. “My name is Kaya. I used to go to your school. I’m Gerad’s friend.”
“Your girlfriend, Gerad?” asks Lukas, and the left side of his face quirks up to match his permanent smirk. “She’s cute.”
“No, no, we’re not dating,” Gerad and I say in unison. I look over at him and we burst out laughing. I let go of his hand.
“I’m glad to see you’re happy, G. I was worried about you.” Lukas looks at the machine on his laps, which appears to be some sort of a laptop. He types something in, and then snaps it shut. “Did the two of you come by yourself? That’s quite the feat.”
“No, we have another one. Without him, I don’t think we would’ve been able to pull this off,” I tell him. “Marc, stop hiding in the shadows and come out for goodness sake.”
Marc steps out, his face set seriously. “Hello,” he says formally. He’s rather…stiff, for a lack of a better word.
“Hello,” says Lukas. He straightens up slightly in his wheelchair. “Thank you for helping to rescue me.”
“No problem. You should be thanking them,” he nods his heads at Gerad and me. “They’re the ones who dragged me into this.”
“I see.”
There’s an awkward silence between the two, and the air between them is so high strung, you could probably snap it with the lightest of touches. I decide to interrupt this uncomfortable moment.
“If I remember correctly Marc, you invited yourself into this. Besides, you were the one investigating Lukas as well, no?”
Man, if looks could kill, the one that Marc just gave me could’ve probably killed me over 3 times.
“Oh, so you were?” asks Lukas. “Glad to hear some people actually realize that I was kidnapped.”
“You were kidnapped…by whom? The government?” I ask.
“Yes, indeed. They wanted my talent. They said I was ‘special.’”
“Isn’t that what Mr. Sharpo told me?” I turn to Marc. “That I was like Lukas? That we were special?”
Marc just nods his head. He shifts, his wait, and glances at the door. I don’t think I’ve seen Marc so edgy since the day we met Mr. Bronson.
“Calm down, Marc. I’m not going to hurt any of you,” says Lukas, and his voice seems to have gotten colder. “I’m a cripple, what could I do?”
“Don’t say that!” exclaims Gerad, and in a few quick strides, he reaches Lukas. He bends down and hugs him. “Don’t you ever think that. You’re still the same old Lukas. And you’re alive!”
“You’re right,” says Lukas, and he wraps one arm around Gerad. “I am alive.”
The next thing I hear is a dull thud, and a muffled whimper. Lukas moves his wheelchair back, and Gerad slumps to the floor. I catch a glimpse of a glint of silver in Lukas’s hand before he returns it to his pocket. Red starts seeping out from under Gerad’s immobile body.
No. This isn’t happening. No.
Lukas throws back his head and cackles. “Yes, you fool. I am alive. Which is exactly why you must die. But you are wrong about one thing. I am not the Lukas you once knew.”
No! Gerad! I lunge forward to help him, but Marc pulls me back into a hug. I struggle against him, but his hands hold me tight and won’t let go.
“Let go of me!” I nearly scream at Marc, but he ignores me. He stares over at Lukas. I keep on thrashing, so Marc places his hand over my mouth.
“I never thought you’d go this far Lukas, to carry out your demented dreams.”
“Then you’ve underestimated me. Like you always have,” spat Lukas. “Don’t you realize I don’t need you anymore? I don’t need anybody!”
“So that’s what you stole Chronos for. To gain power, right?”
Wait, what? He stole Chronos? But…? Oh shit. Is it that laptop that’s sitting on his lap?
“That’s right. I’m so tired of those of you who take pity on me, and think I’m so hopeless and weak. With Chronos by my side, I can take over the world! Just the two of us,” he pats the laptop, ”I can show all of you what I’m capable of. Chronos is so powerful, it made the government people think that ‘kidnapping’ me and taking Chronos was their idea.” He lets out a chortle. “You’ve already seen what it’s done to all those people. You’ve seen what happened to her precious little boyfriend,” he jerks his head towards me, “and you know I won’t stop now.”
“Stop abusing Chronos. It was not meant for this. You know that.” Marc pauses. “We designed it together. You know what will happen to you if you keep on abusing it.”
“It’s too late!” guffaws Lukas. “We are already one,” he hisses.
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