Twinepathy (Part 21): WHAT?!?!

Hullo, everyone! Another part for you on this wonderful Monday, and I remembered! Last time we found out that Ezra’s an IDIA agent… So let’s see what’s going on. If you missed the Random Twinepathy Wednesday, check it out, and read Part One if you’re new!

The first word out of my mouth is akin to a screechy, indistinguishable “WHAT?!?!”

Ezra looks at me with huge eyes, and both Jen and Blaze look confused and mildly surprised. Brooklyn rolls over enough to get a good look at Ezra, and her eyes get as big as the older girl’s, but she manages a squeak.

“But – what are you – you guys are…” Ezra’s so shocked that she can’t even get out a coherent sentence.

“You’re… a superhero?” I half-screech.

“You know each other,” Jen observes calmly.

“Yes, of course we know her! She’s dating our brother!” I exclaim.

Calm. If anyone should be freaking out right now, it should be Brooklyn, and here she is, telling me to be calm. And Ezra’s so confused that she’s speechless.

Jen moves over next to Ezra. “We can talk about this later. Right now, Ezra, we need you to hack into the CIA database.”

Ezra goes over to the computer self-consciously. She knows she has an audience. Jen moves next to her and gives her specific instructions on how far in and where in the database she wants her to go. Ezra starts hacking away, hesitantly at first, but she speeds up as she get in the zone.

“There,” she says, leaning back five minutes later. Jen smiles and nods towards a chair for Ezra as she sits down at the computer.

I move over to stand behind Jen as she clicks through pictures. “The CIA has a lot of records on a lot of major and minor criminals, and some ‘people of interest’ who haven’t actually committed any crimes. Some of those end up being enhanced.”

“So you’re hoping one of the people from her brain will be on their database?” I ask.

Jen nods. “Exactly.” She continues flipping through the pictures, and I notice that most of the pictures are of young-ish women. She pauses on a picture of a girl with dark blond hair. “That’s her,” Jen says immediately. She clicks on the picture, which brings up the information. Name: Genesis Fabel; Age: 20; Location… I quickly file away the information in my head as Jen minimizes the window and stands up.

“Well, I guess you’re wanting to chat now,” she says, pulling her chair around her desk so that we’re in a sort of circle. A very misshapen circle. “Yes, Ezra is enhanced, and Ezra, yes, the twins are enhanced as well. Does that cover everything?”

I glare at her – surprising myself; I didn’t think that I was that brave – and turn to Ezra. “So… what do you do?”

Ezra looks at Jen like she’s asking for permission. She receives a nod from Jen and turns back to me. “I can manipulate electricity.”

“Along with being a wonderful hacker,” Jen adds. “She comes in handy when we need our computers fixed, since I can’t do it.” She looks down at her hands.

“What about you two?” Ezra asks. She looks towards Brooklyn and spots Maddie. “And her! She was at your house last night!”

I look over at Maddie. “Erm. Yes, she was. Brooklyn and I are… telepaths. Sort of. In a very limited way.”

Ezra’s eyes widen a little. “Telepaths? That… I think that explains a lot.” She turns to Jen. “But what’s going on? Why are they here? If I’m allowed to know.” Is it just me, or is there a bit of protectiveness in her voice? I must be imagining it.

Jen leans forward. “It seems we’ve run into a bit of a mystery, and they’ve been dragged into it.” She looks at me. “But you and Brooklyn’s part in this is over now. Blaze will take you two and Maddie home. Your school’s probably closed or swarming with police now.”

“Wait,” I say, frowning. “We’re… done? You’re just going to make us go home?”

Jen nods. “Until we need you again. There’s not much else you can do.”

I open my mouth to protest, but then close it and nod. If I comply, Jen’ll be less suspicious and won’t worry about me going off on my own. Because I will. I’m not letting this drop. Not until I know who did this.

Next Part –>

Insanity – Part Two

The continuation and completion of the insane story. Part One. Let me know what you think of this… entertaining story. 😀

Douglas arrived at Door C at about the same time as two other agents, both tough-looking older agents. They nodded at Douglas, and he nodded back, feeling awkward. What was Halloway thinking, sending him, a twenty-eight-year-old agent fresh out of training, out to rescue his brother with two older agents who looked like they’d never felt an emotion in their life? He sighed and followed the other agents outside where a black sedan was waiting for them.

The drive out to the mountain where Mac was hiding out was a long one. Douglas’s ride was probably the most uncomfortable of all of them. The driver had piles of papers and his laptop in the passenger seat, so the three agents had to squeeze in the backseat, and Douglas was sandwiched in between the two burly agents. He couldn’t even move his arms. Very uncomfortable.

After forty-five minutes in their squished positions, they finally reached the mountain. They were nearing the cabin when the driver pulled off of the road into the trees. “The cabin’s just a short ways up the road and down a trail on the right. You’ll see it,” the driver told them, consulting his GPS. He nodded at them and they scooted out of the car.

Douglas waited for the other two agents to lead the way, but they just stood there, looking at him. He looked from one to the other, confused.

They quickly caught on to his confusion. “You’re the leader, Agent Jackson,” one of them explained.

“Me?” Douglas asked, astonished.

The other agent nodded. “Yeah. We’re just here as back up, to make sure Mac comes with us,” he told Douglas. “You get the kid, we get the ‘napper.” The agent guffawed.

Douglas gulped and led the way down the road. They quickly found the trail the driver had mentioned and headed down it. The going was rough, since the trail was overgrown and not clearly marked. Luckily, it was short, and they soon reached the clearing. The three agents ducked behind the trees to study it.

An ancient-looking cabin stood in the middle of the clearing, almost built into the side of the mountain. It looked almost as old as the mountain itself, but surprisingly it still stood solidly. The door hung slightly ajar, and both of the windows were open.

“Do you think he could have known we were coming and escaped?” one of the agents asked.

Douglas shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s only one way to find out.”

The agents looked surprised. “You’re going in?” one asked.

Douglas nodded, keeping his eye on the cabin. “You stay here and cover me. Watch the door and both the windows.”

“And if Mac’s in there?” one of the agents asked.

Douglas smiled grimly. “Then I’ll just have to take a chance and try to reason with him,” he said. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and he bent down and picked up a stick. “I can throw this out one of the windows or the door if I need help.”

The other two agents nodded their approval, and Douglas began to head towards the cabin. He moved cautiously, and it was a matter of minutes before he crept silently onto the porch. His hands clenched his pistol, ready at a moment’s notice. He reached the door, nudged it open with his foot, and slipped into the cabin, pistol ready.

The cabin was only one room, and it was sparsely furnished. There was a fairly nice kitchen in one corner, complete with a dining table and a pair of chairs. The other half of the cabin held a cot and two chairs. Tied to one of these chairs was Harold.

Douglas nearly shouted with excitement, but contained his joy and rushed over to his brother. By this time, his brother had noticed him, and a spark of hope was in his eyes. Douglas untied his brother’s gag and pulled out his own pocketknife to cut the ropes tying Harold to the chair. As soon as his brother was free and his wrists and ankles loosed, Douglas enveloped his brother in a tight bear hug.

“You have no idea what it’s like to be kidnapped by a nutball,” Harold murmured as he rubbed his raw wrists after their embrace.

Douglas laughed. “You’re right, I don’t know, and I’m glad.” Shouting outside interrupted their reunion and caused them both to listen.

“That sounds like Mac,” Harold said. The brothers rushed to the door.

The other two agents each had the arm of the man from the picture Agent Halloway had sent Douglas. The man was fighting the agents furiously, kicking and howling like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum. The two agents had him secured, but he continued to struggle and make as much noise as possible.

Douglas led Harold out of the cabin. Mac’s eyes grew fiery with rage and he struggled even harder.

“Agent Jackson, do I have your permission to knock him out so he’ll come with us quietly?” one of the agents asked Douglas impatiently.

Harold laughed. “All you need is food, and he’ll follow you like a puppy.”

An idea struck Douglas. “Wait,” he said, digging in his pocket. He pulled out the plastic bag that he’d put the bacon in that morning. It was a little smashed, but it still looked pretty appetizing. Mac’s eyes lit up greedily when he saw it, and he stopped struggling, focused only on the bacon.

“I’ll give it to you if you come with us quietly,” Douglas promised.

Mac nodded hungrily and followed the two agents docilely, even with his hands cuffed. Harold walked next to Douglas, who slipped the bacon back in his pocket.

“You’ve started carrying bacon with you in your pocket?” Harold asked teasingly.

Douglas grinned. “It was supposed to be a snack in case I didn’t get lunch.”

Harold smiled. “Well, I guess I’m lucky that I’ve got a big brother in the FBI, huh?”

Douglas laughed, putting his arm over his brother’s shoulders. “You sure are, Harold. You sure are.”

Insanity – Part One

Let me just warn you, the title fits. ‘Nough said. Love to hear your opinions! 😀

Douglas Jackson popped the last bite of his homemade bacon-and-egg biscuit in his mouth and stood up, tossing his napkin in the trash. He stretched and glanced at his open laptop on the counter. A message popped up on the screen. He frowned, noticing it was from Craig Halloway, the agent above him in rank. He clicked on the message.

“We need you. Get to headquarters ASAP. Urgent. –Agent Halloway.”

Douglas sighed. So much for his day off. Ah, the life of an FBI agent¸ he thought. He stuffed some leftover bacon in a sandwich bag for a snack in case he didn’t have a chance to eat lunch. He slipped the bag into his pocket and headed out the door.

~~~

Douglas hurried down the hall to Agent Halloway’s office. He knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” a gruff voice called from inside.

Douglas smiled a little. “Agent Jackson, sir.”

“Come in.”

Douglas slipped into the small office. Agent Halloway motioned him towards a chair. Douglas couldn’t help but notice the worry lines creasing the agent’s face. He quickly became concerned.

“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately after sitting down.

Agent Halloway sighed. “We’ve gotten a report of a kidnapping.”

“And…” Douglas prompted.

“It’s your brother,” Agent Halloway told him.

Douglas’ jaw dropped. “Harold?” he asked incredulously.

Agent Halloway nodded. “We have all the information about the case: the car’s license plate, the kidnapper, and even where they are.” He paused. “Apparently the kidnapper, named Mac, is literally insane, and has an obsession with red hair.”

Douglas nearly laughed. “Really?”

Agent Halloway nodded. “He’s got food obsessions, too. We have it on our records that he robbed a restaurant to get some of their food, and he’s broken into a cupcake shop.” Douglas snorted. Agent Halloway gave him a half smile. “He is armed, and most likely won’t hesitate to use his weapons.” Agent Halloway looked intently at Douglas. “Are you willing to try and get your brother and the kidnapper without hurting anyone?”

Douglas nodded determinedly. “Yes, sir.”

Agent Halloway motioned him over to stand next to him at the desk. Douglas looked over Agent Halloway’s shoulder and studied the map that his superior had pulled up on the computer.

“I’ll e-mail this to you so you can look at it on your phone,” Agent Halloway told Douglas, who nodded in reply.

Agent Halloway clicked on another window. A picture of a man with gray hair popped up. “This is Mac, the kidnapper,” Agent Halloway said. “He looks a lot older than he is; he’s really about forty.” Agent Halloway e-mailed the information to Douglas’s phone and turned to him. “I’ll send a couple of agents with you, so you can get your brother and they can handle Mac.” He looked Douglas in the eye. “Think you can handle this?”

Douglas nodded firmly. “Yes, sir.”

Halloway half-smiled, approving of Douglas’s confidence. “All right. I’ll get some agents and a car to meet you at Door C.”

Douglas nodded and turned to leave, but was stopped by Halloway clearing his throat. “Good luck, Douglas,” the agent said, smiling supportively.

Douglas smiled. “Thanks, Craig.”