Bloodlines Ch.07

Jack watched Garth rouse and reach for the bottle. He was clearly still blind drunk, set upon finishing the bottle. He was of half a mind to go over and remove it. It was unlikely Garth would suspect him of being anything other than a vagrant who saw an opportunity to get free drink, and in his state, it was highly unlikely he would be able to follow.

Suddenly the bottle lurched and flew into Garth's waiting hand; a shout of triumph following as he drunkenly grasped the bottle and prepared to drink from it. Jack gasped in shock, his pupils dilating with the sudden rush of adrenaline at what he saw.

Jack shot to his feet and ran towards Garth, his pulse racing with excitement as he considered what had just happened. Garth had used kinetic powers! He had obviously breathed in enough of the flowers to allow him to tap into the powers that lay dormant within him. Garth was a mixed breed!

He had to work fast. He was reasonably sure there were no other watchers. Surveillance was light in the big city, but if they discovered what Garth was, he would be apprehended immediately, his fate uncertain. Jack had to get him to sober up and leave as soon as possible. There would be time enough to convince him of the importance of resisting the Council later, for now he had to get him somewhere safe.

Garth grumbled in a slurred voice as some stranger started shaking him, stopping him from getting his much needed drink. Those flowers had tasted bitter and he wanted to wash away the taste with whisky. As the stranger pulled the bottle from his hands, liquor spilling on his face, he grew angry, preparing to defend his treasure.

'That's, that's mine!' He slurred, grabbing for the bottle. 'Give it back! It's mine!'

'Stop it, you fool! You need to listen to me, Garth! This is important!'

'Whaaat?' Garth slurred in confusion. Did he know this man? He certainly knew who Garth was, but there was only something vaguely familiar about him, as if he had seen him before somewhere.

'Listen to me!' He growled in a low voice. 'You are in terrible danger! We need to get away from here. Run!'

Run? Why would he run? Could he run? His legs felt wobbly like a newborn foal, even had he wanted he was not sure he could have managed it.

'What do you mean, danger?' He asked, his voice a little steadier as anger made some of the drunken slur retreat. 'Who are you, and what makes you think I'm in danger?'

'My name is Jack, not that it's important. What's important is that you get out of here, hide. Do you have any idea what you've done? What you are?'

Garth was getting annoyed. What he was? This fool was talking nonsense; he had not done anything. At least nothing other than drink a tad too much, perhaps. He was planning to drink more in any event, and this scruffy-looking interloper was stopping him from doing just that! The audacity!

He looked this Jack straight in the eyes, preparing a few choice suggestions on where he could stick his comments when he noticed the look in his eyes. He felt blind without his extra senses, but the mixture of panic and determination in Jack's face gave him pause. The rational part of his brain took the helm for a few seconds and he managed to calm down, he was in no shape to fight him at any rate.

'What do you mean by that? What I am?' Jack seemed to relax a little at Garth's calm voice and he sat back, a look of speculation crossing his face.

'Answer me this,' he said in a calm, if strained voice. 'How did you get hold of that bottle?'

'I bought it,' Garth said in mixed defense and annoyance.

'No, not last night, right now! How did you manage to grab that bottle?'

'I reached for it,' Garth said with exaggerated slowness, as if this Jack was weak of mind or something. 'I stretched my hand out like this,' He held his hand out as if to show him. 'And I, I....' Garth trailed off as he realized what he had done.

'And it flew into your hand,' Jack finished for him in a low voice when it was obvious Garth would not be finishing the sentence.

'Listen to me very carefully. You are lying in a bed of Bluebellvine. You obviously breathed in some of it just now, and you used your kinetic power to pull the bottle to you when you couldn't reach it. Do you have any idea what that means? Do you?' Jack looked at him expectantly.

'I'm a mixed breed,' Garth mumbled in shock as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. He was a mixed breed, able to use both sides of the power, both Neuropathy and Kineticism.

The reports he had found in Jeff's books, as well as his uncle's words filled his mind. He would be hunted, potentially killed outright because of what he was. How was this even possible? Had his mother been from the other bloodline? An illicit union of the two bloodlines, despite all the care the Organization took to avoid just this?

'Shit! I need to get out of here! I need to hide!' Garth looked at Jack, panic giving him strength and making him instantly sober, more or less.

'Finally, he gets it,' Jack said sarcastically. 'Come on, I'll hide you. I have some friends you'll want to meet, as soon as we know it's safe.'

'Wait,' Garth said, suddenly suspicious. 'How do I know I can trust you? Who are you? Really?'

'We don't have time for that right now,' Jack said as he drew his sleeve up. He turned his hand around to show Garth a tattoo of a yellow flower on the inside of his wrist. 'I'm like you, but then again, I'm not. I will explain more once we get off the streets and somewhere the Organization won't find us. They'll be just as pleased to capture me as you, I think. But for now, you can either trust me or hope they won't catch you before you can get away.' Garth just nodded and followed him at as fast of a walk as he could manage. In his mind, the implications spun in circles, always leading back to what his uncle had said, tales of immense power. Tales of disaster and death. If anyone discovered what he could do, what he was, he would spend the rest of his life as a captive, at best.

Garth watched as Jack carefully checked the alley they were about to enter, looking back and forth several times before nodding to himself.

'Looks clear, let's go. Hurry! We're nearly there.'

Halfway down the alley, Jack turned into a dark alcove that was hidden from the street. A short stair led to a basement door he opened with a key from his pocket. Jack ushered him in and locked the door behind him before leading the way down a narrow passage. Several doors led off to the sides, but Jack ignored all of them, stopping near the end of the passage to reveal a trap door in the floor. Another key opened this, and Garth stared down a long ladder, soft light showing a carpeted floor below.

'Get down,' Jack said. 'I'll follow and lock the door here.'

With no other options, Garth grabbed the ladder and started to climb down, a sudden bout of vertigo from the lingering alcohol making him hold on very tightly. He made it to the bottom without incident, but the feel of a soft carpet was welcome after his fear of losing his grip and dropping down uncontrollably. Jack followed him down and walked up to Garth, the tension draining from him visibly.

'Now, we're safe. Come on, let's go meet the others.'

Garth sat back, cradling the cup of warm coffee and letting its warmth seep into his hands. If only he could make the warmth travel up to his pounding head, maybe his hangover would retreat a little. Alas, he would have to hope the painkillers he had gotten would do the trick. Staying awake through the entire sobering up was not a pleasant experience, though his mind would not have let him sleep even had he wanted to. The revelations of the past few hours had been many and shocking. Jack and his three companions, Adam, Chris and Tom had set his whole world upside down, and Garth was not entirely sure he trusted them yet. At least not completely. They were still hiding something, he was sure of it.

'So let me get this straight,' Garth sipped his coffee before continuing, to gain time to formulate his words. 'The four of you represent a faction that wish to undermine the Organization, to oust the ruling body and free the practitioners of both bloodlines from their control. Does that sum it up?'

'Pretty much,' Jack said. 'The Council is rotten to the core, its members corrupt and only set upon keeping to the old ways, getting rich along the way.'

'And,' Chris chimed in, 'we have proof they have had threats to their power killed outright under the guise of protecting the Organization, claiming the good of all. What they were really doing was removing rivals to their power and quelling dissention. The resistance, for lack of a better word, was formed by one such who escaped their hitmen.'

Garth let this sink in. He had very little knowledge about the Council apart from his meeting with them during his initiation, though he could see how the allegations could very well be true. They had struck him as very conservative and unyielding, though at the time he had chalked it up to the formality of the situation. While he understood the need for supervision and control, knowing he was being watched constantly had irked him to no end.

'Ok, say that you succeed,' Garth commented, 'what happens next? All of us start using our powers freely? Taking advantage when and where we see fit? That would be total chaos, and could just as well turn into a virtual witch hunt if people found out. Something they would, if we used our powers openly.' The four men looked at him, considering. Garth had not been able to replenish his herbs, so he was blind to their emotions, and their faces gave away little.

'True,' Jack said after a pause, 'we do not seek anarchy, and certainly not to be alienated further by the common people. There would have to be control of some sort, but it should be a joint effort, a rule that would welcome dissension and discussion. That's better than using intimidation and fear to force us in line. That is, in a large part, where you come in.'

'Me? What do I have to do with any of this?' Garth was uncertain, though he had figured his role as a mixed breed would be brought up. Did they want to use him to reach their goals, like some other tool that could be discarded after use? He suspected at least some of them really only wanted to change who sat at the top. He would have to be very careful, seeing danger from both sides. Jack studied him closely, likely using his own powers to try to judge what Garth was feeling and thinking.

'You are vital to our cause,' Jack said. 'There has not been another mixed breed in over fifty years, at least not that we know of. We do not even know how it is that you could be one, though we are looking into it. I can see that you are skeptical, and you should be. Do not take our words and intentions for truth just because we say it. We can prove all of our claims, but it would be better if you found out the truth for yourself, that way we could earn your trust and make you see the right of it.'

Garth nodded, relieved they did not expect him to be persuaded in a matter of hours. What they claimed would turn many things he had been told on its head, and put him in a singularly dangerous situation, regardless of his mixed bloodline. That was a whole other danger in itself, and one he knew next to nothing about. The big question now, however, was what he should do next. Where could he go?

'We do not want to control you Garth,' Jack said, leaning forward intently. 'We want you to open your eyes and see the truth, help us fight back, become one of us.'

'And if I don't?' Garth said defensively, 'You'll make me disappear as well?'

'No.' Tom said simply.

Garth had assumed Jack was the leader, but Tom spoke with a quiet authority that made him exude command.

'Nothing we have said or shown you today can help them catch us, we know how to evade them and stay hidden. However, it's in your own best interest to stay hidden as well. The truth of your powers would get out. You'd slip up sooner or later and use your power where someone could detect it. We can teach you how to stay hidden, but not before we are sure we can trust you. Trust goes both ways, and it's earned both ways.'

'Then what would you have me do?' Garth asked, directing the question at Tom.

'Nothing,' Tom said simply. 'We will not try to control you, that's their way. No demands, only suggestions. I'll leave it up to you how you chose to take them.'

This caught Garth by surprise, he had at least expected them to try to attach some strings to him, or set some bait for him to be tempted by. True, he had hinted at skills they could teach him, but he was becoming more and more convinced they were not using it as leverage against him, they were simply being careful. That made sense to him, and he nodded slowly to himself.

'So I can simply go?' Garth decided to test their commitment to their claims.

'Of course,' Tom said, smiling in a sly manner. He had no doubt seen Garth's motive in asking, and he appeared confident his words and actions would tell their own tale. 'The door is over there, we will not stop you. But you will not find us here again if you go, we will keep our eye on you to make sure you are not trying to betray us. This is not out of malice, though I suspect you are starting to see we are sincere.'

He was right, Garth saw the sense in his words. He did not trust them yet, but felt at least less distrust.

'Let's say I believe you,' Garth began, 'and I think you might be right and your cause is worthy. I cannot see how I can be of any help to you now. And I would certainly not be any help if they catch me. What do you suggest I do?'

Again, Tome smiled that clever smile before answering.

'For now, you should run and hide. Somewhere no one can find you, at least for a while. You need time to think, and you need to become comfortable with your new power. In order to reach your potential, you will need to master both sides of your power. You are becoming very proficient with your neuropathy, by all accounts. Now you need to learn about kineticism, something we can help you with.' That struck true with Garth, and he opened his mouth to say as much, but a raised hand from Tom stopped him.

'Don't say anything yet. A promise of support now is worthless and I would not accept it. What we are offering is dangerous, deadly even. You need to think this through, learn what you can about your powers, and then we can meet again and have a serious talk about the future. The only promise I would have of you now is that you think carefully. Think about what we have said. What you know, and most importantly what you want. We can help you, and we will. We can help each other.'

Garth stood slowly, gathering his thoughts and pacing around the room as he answered.

'This is much to take in, and to be honest I wouldn't even know where to begin, where to go or anything. I can't go back to the hotel, it's probably being watched. And I have no idea how to get out of the city without being seen.' He turned to the others, glancing at each in turn as if seeking answers.

'If you trust us a little,' Jack said and rose as well, 'we can get you out of the city without them knowing where you went. As for your stuff, I anticipated you would want your clothes and stuff, so I had someone collect them from your room earlier. It's all upstairs, packed and ready to go. It would be best for all of us if you went somewhere nobody expects. It might be a good idea to call your uncle and lay a false trail, in case they start looking for you in earnest. For now, they probably expect you hooked up with someone last night and stayed with them over night. We still have a few hours before the alarm goes off and they realize you've gone missing. What about Miss Frei, what will you tell her?'

'Erica left,' Garth said, fighting down a lump in his throat. 'I don't know where she is, but she's probably gone back home. She won't be a problem.'

They regarded him with pity for a few seconds before Jack came over and clapped him on the back.

'It's probably for the best,' he said, 'this way she'll not be implicated in your disappearance. Harsh as it may be, she'll be better off for it, I think.'

Garth just nodded leadenly, agreeing but not able to say anything.

'We have a car waiting upstairs to smuggle you out of the city. Your best option right now is to catch a train and go somewhere remote, get off the grid for a while. If you call your uncle and say you need time to think, you can probably buy a week or two before anyone will suspect anything. Use Miss Frei leaving as an excuse. Getting dumped is a perfectly valid excuse to want some time alone.'

'A train? Is that safe?' Garth asked.

'So long as you don't use your powers on the train and no one recognizes you, you'll be safe enough. Despite all its power, the Organization is not that large, and if you get on the train outside the city somewhere, it's unlikely anyone will spot you. Their reach is far, but mostly in the bigger cities. If you go somewhere remote, you'll be all but invisible to them, especially if you don't go around flaunting your power where people might see.'

'Ok,' Garth said, his mind made up, even if he had no idea where to go yet. 'I guess there's no point in wasting time. Let's go.'

An hour later, the car pulled to a stop a short walk from a train station in a farming community well away from the capital. Two perpendicular sets of train tracks led away, forming a cross. From here he could board trains to all four directions of the compass, though back towards the capital was not an option right now. He and Erica had come from the other direction when they arrived, so Garth had no real idea where he was. Tom and Jack exited the car as he did, and Tom approached Garth while Jack got his stuff from the trunk.

'Here,' Tom said, holding out a small tote bag. 'Inside are some various things to help you on your way. There should be a train coming in about twenty minutes, so we have time for a few last minute words. I've packed a sizeable stash of herb for you, both kinds, to help you explore and learn. Second, I've added a map with some of the major Organization strongholds marked. Stay away from them at all costs. There's also some food and water, just until you get to wherever you end up going, and some cash. You'll want to stay away from any banks for now. Stay as low as you can, and don't give away your real name to anyone.'

Garth accepted the package and nodded his thanks, looking quickly inside.

'This is very generous of you,' he said, holding a hand out to shake.

'I consider it an investment,' Tom said with a smile and took his hand in a firm shake, 'one I'm sure will pay dividends once you realize we want the same thing. Here is a number you can call to reach me when you make a decision. If you do not call within a month, you will never see or hear from us again, though I am sure we will speak again. You are much like your father, he would have been proud to see you become the man you are.'

'What!?' Garth was shocked out of his thoughts. 'You knew my father? Please, you have to tell me!'

'I will tell you all I can when we talk next, now is neither the time nor place.' Tom said, making it obvious this was not up for debate.

'You bastard,' Garth growled, 'you did that on purpose! You want to manipulate me, just like the others!'

'Of course,' Tom said, his voice dangerously low. 'Your father was one of us, and he died for it. Just as any of us probably will, sooner or later. I can't tell you any more until I know you are with us, but I will use any tool at my disposal to secure your allegiance. I am a bastard, I have to be, but that does not mean I'm not doing the right thing. We're fighting a war and your father was but one of many who gave his life in that war.'