Discovery (13 page)

“And?” Mr. Reich raised his eyebrows.

“And that's all, Father,” Gregory said. “There was no trace of her. None of the troops saw her leave the building. It was like she just vanished into thin air.”

“The Council must be involved somehow,” Mr. Reich said almost to himself. He then looked hard at his sons. “Find her!” he bellowed.

With Mr. Reich's commanding roar, the library's books flew off their shelves. All the furniture in the room slammed back against the far walls and the smell of burnt metal permeated the room's tension.

Mr. Reich looked around the room, glared at his sons, and stormed out, casually stepping over Doc and leaving the brothers to clean up his mess.

The black sedan had been following them for about thirty miles now. It was keeping a safe distance and Ben was certain Grace was still oblivious to its presence. Ben was splitting his concentration between the black sedan behind them and the road in front of them and was grateful for Grace's temporary silence. A silence that filled the Mercedes until they hit the Virginia state line.

“You know crossing state lines makes kidnapping a federal offense, don't you?” Grace leaned up from the back seat and rested her arms on the back of Ben's seat. “So technically you've been a federal fugitive since we left South Carolina.”

Her breath brushed the back of his neck, immediately breaking Ben's concentration.

“Enough, Gracie,” Ben sighed. “I didn't kidnap you. I rescued you. There's a difference.”

“Right.” Grace rolled her eyes and leaned back, crossing her arms. “I forgot. You rescued me from the … what were they? The Anti-Powers? And just how did you do that again?”

“Stop being a smart-ass. Just sit back and shut up.” Despite the sweet feeling of her breath on his neck, Ben was getting tired of Grace's mouth. He glanced in the rearview mirror. The black sedan was still there.

“No, really. How did you get me out of that bathroom?”

“I carried you,” said Ben. He smiled a little at the memory of Grace in his arms.

“You carried me?”

“Yes, Gracie. I picked you up and carried you out the bathroom window and down to the car. I was moving so fast no one saw us.”

“Why don't I remember that?”

“Because you were passed out. They must have drugged you or something. All I know is that when I came through the bathroom window you were right in the middle of passing out. I caught you and carried you to the car and took off.”

“Why did you do that?” asked Grace.

“Why did I do what?”

“Why did you come through the bathroom window?”

“Grace, I'm your Guardian. It's my job to know exactly what you're doing at all times. I was watching you. I saw you in trouble and stepped in. It's what I do.”

“As my … what did you call it? Guardian?”

“Yes.”

“If you say so.” Grace's hand was on the door handle again.

Ben heard the doubt in Grace's voice but didn't feel like dealing with it anymore.

“Where are we going now?” she asked.

Ben glanced at the black sedan that still maintained an unusually consistent distance behind them. “To the safest place I know. To the mountains.”

Grace looked out her side window at the steep wooded mountains flashing by. They were still on the two-lane road without any sign of civilization in sight. “Aren't we already in the mountains?” she asked.

“We're almost there. We just need to get a little deeper into Appalachia. There's a … place … a special place there. People who can help us.”

“Look, Ben.” Grace took a deep breath. “Enough of this game. You've had your fun. Can't we just go home now?”

“No, Grace. I told you. We need to get you away from the Anti-Powers.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. The Anti-Powers. Does Tom know what you're doing?”

“No. We're on our own on this one. If Tom knew, the Council would punish him too.” Ben had thought about calling Tom so his older brother wouldn't worry but decided against it. The less Tom knew, the better for Tom. As it was right now, Ben was the only one who had broken any Council laws.

“I bet if we went home, Tom could help us.” Grace interrupted Ben's thoughts.

“No, Grace. Tom can't help us. If we go home, the Council will just take you away and punish me for telling you all that I have. There are so many code violations against me, I can't go back right now. I need to make sure you're safe before I go deal with the Council.”

“So who are these people in Appalachia?” Grace sounded genuinely interested.

“They're my friends. Some of the Powers call them Misfits but I never liked that name. They aren't human but they aren't full Powers either. They're somewhere in between. They have powers per se but their powers aren't as … developed … or useful as those of us with true Powers.” Ben's mood was lightened only slightly by Grace's feigned interest.

“So how can they help you … us?”

“My father's best friend, Dave, is a Misfit. He'll know what to do.” In the rearview mirror, Ben saw the black sedan shorten the distance between the two cars.

“So to sum it up, you kidnapped me from my birthday party to take me to the Appalachian Mountains to meet Misfit Dave and save me from the Anti-Powers?” Grace smirked.

“Yeah,” Ben paused. “But it sounds kind of stupid when you say it like that.”

“Exactly.”

“You think I've lost my mind, don't you?”

“Yes,” stated Grace matter-of-factly. “Or lying. I haven't decided which yet.”

“Look Grace. I don't care if you believe me or not now. I just need to keep you safe.”

“Because you are my Guardian?”

“Yes.”

Grace glanced out the window then said, “Well, as my Guardian, I am ordering you to take me home.”

“It doesn't work that way, sweetie.”

“It was worth a shot,” Grace said as she rolled her eyes. Just then, a restaurant appeared on the horizon, just at the crest of the road's next hill. “Look, can we at least stop and get something to eat?” Grace began putting her shoes back on.

Ben glanced at the car behind them. “Uh … yeah. Sure. I could use something too.” He pulled into the parking lot of Bess's Diner but the black sedan didn't follow them. It sped on down the two-lane highway out of sight.

“Okay. I think we're good,” Ben said almost to himself as he got out of the car. He turned to Grace who had already exited the car behind him. “Stay close to me.”

“Of course,” Grace smarted and walked quickly past Ben and into the restaurant, her red satin dress swishing as she stomped off. She let the restaurant's front door slam behind her, purposefully and directly in Ben's face, and then glared back at him with a fake smile, “Do you mind, oh great Guardian, if I use the restroom?”

“Okay, but let me check it out first.” Ben was now ignoring Grace's sudden but constant mood swings.

Ben followed Grace into the ladies restroom and received a distasteful look from an elderly woman washing her hands at the sink. He smiled at her and began opening the door to each stall. The woman hurriedly left and, satisfied they were now alone, Ben said, “Okay. You're good to go. Hurry it up. I'll be right outside the door.”

Grace rolled her eyes and locked herself in a stall.

Ben stood outside the ladies restroom like a sentry. Any woman who tried to enter was told it was out of order or closed for cleaning. From his impromptu guard post, Ben could see the front door and parking lot. He had only been standing there a few minutes before the black sedan came back down the road and entered the parking lot. The car parked three spaces down from Ben's Mercedes and two very large men with aviator sunglasses exited and headed into the restaurant.

“Oh, for Pete's sake,” Ben said to himself. “How cliché can they be?”

The two large men looked like identical twins trying too hard, both dressed in black slacks, tight black knit mock-turtlenecks, and black tweed sport coats. Their hair was cut military short and they wore the obvious Secret Service grade sunglasses. They glanced at Ben when they entered and sat at a nearby booth directly between Ben and the front door. Ben's instincts immediately went into overdrive.

At that very moment, Grace exited the bathroom. “See. No boogie men or Anti-Powers or whatever you call them in the bathroom. I had a successful and safe pee break. Now can we get something to eat?”

“Change of plans.” Ben grabbed Grace's arm, ignoring her sarcasm. He quickly pulled her out the front door, trying to keep a safe distance between Grace and the twins.

“But I'm hungry.” Grace tried to twist her arm free but Ben's grasp was too strong.

“Just get in the car, Gracie.” Ben yanked her toward the Mercedes.

The twins were already up and out the door following them. With lightning speed, one twin grabbed Grace from behind and forcefully pulled her out of Ben's grasp. Ben spun around just as the other twin threw down his sunglasses. The second twin's red eyes aimed directly and purposefully at Ben's head. Ben ducked to the side of the black sedan just as the twin's lasers missed him by inches, burning two holes in the sedan's front side panel. Ben tried to make his way to Grace who was now on the opposite side of the sedan being shoved toward the back of the car by the other twin, but he was too busy dodging lasers. The red-eyed twin was bearing down on Ben and had him pinned next to the sedan's front passenger door. Ben's mind was as quick as his speed and just as the twin aimed for another shot, Ben tore off the sedan's side mirror and used it to deflect the laser's rays away from his face. The rays bounced off the mirror and hit the attacking twin squarely in the head, leaving two large holes in his forehead. The twin dropped dead instantly onto the parking lot pavement.

“Ben!” Grace screamed from the other side of the sedan. She was fighting the other twin, kicking and punching him with no effect at all.

Without thinking, Ben picked up the sedan and held it over his head. “Drop, Gracie!” he yelled.

Miraculously remembering a dodge ball strategy they had used in elementary school, Grace fell to the ground at the twin's feet. The twin still had a tight hold on Grace's arm but that fact was of little significance to Ben now. With precision aim, Ben hurled the sedan at the twin as if it only weighed two pounds. The car flew through the air like a Frisbee and slammed into the twin's torso, smashing him into a nearby concrete retaining wall. The wall crumbled upon the sedan's impact and buried the twin in a mixture of steel and concrete rubble.

“Aahh! Aahh! Get it off! Get it off!” Grace screamed.

Ben turned his focus back to Grace who had crumpled down in the middle of the sedan's previous parking space. Her eyes were as wild and crazy as her screams as she held her left arm up toward Ben. The twin's hand still held Grace's arm in a tight grip with the rest of his severed arm dangling down at her side, dark blood pouring out all over the red satin folds of her dress. The sedan's slamming force had ripped the twin's arm clean off.

“Ben! Ben! Help me! Help me!” she frantically cried.

Ben ran to her side, pulled the arm off and threw it on top of the concrete rubble at the side of the parking lot. “Shhh. It's okay, Gracie,” Ben soothed. “Everything's going to be okay. They're gone now.”

Grace looked up into Ben's eyes but it was obvious she couldn't focus. Her wide eyes darted quickly back and forth from Ben to the bloody arm on top of the concrete rubble.

“Come on. We really need to get out of here. We don't want to be around when the cops get here.” Seeing diners beginning to congregate at the restaurant windows, Ben quickly picked up Grace and carried her to the Mercedes, buckling her into the front seat beside him.

Grace stared at the pile of concrete rubble as they drove out of the parking lot. “Do you think he's dead?” she whispered.

Ben glanced back at the crushed sedan peeking out of the mound of concrete. “I don't know. They were obviously Anti-Powers. I'm pretty sure Mr. Laserhead is dead but I don't know about the other one. Depends on what kind of powers he had … or has.” Ben looked over at Grace seated beside him. “Do you believe me now?”

Grace did not answer. She could not answer. Tears streamed down her face and she started shaking uncontrollably.

Ben reached over and gently caressed her hand. This is what he had wanted to avoid. Her shock. Her pain. He didn't want her to find out like this. Grace's reality had been permanently altered at Bess's Diner that day and Ben knew it was going to take a while for her to get used to his version of the world.

For the second time in two days, Tom stood before the Council.

“Are you aware there was an altercation between your brother and the Anti-Powers?” the Council leader asked.

Tom's eyes widened. “No, Madam.” He stood very still. He had not heard from Ben in two days and had assumed the worst. The Council's question just confirmed Tom's assumption.

“Well, apparently your brother and Grace had a little incident near the Virginia state line at a little diner called … What was the name of it?” the Council leader asked her Lieutenant.

“Bess's Diner,” the Lieutenant replied.

“Yes, that's it. Bess's Diner. Have you ever heard of it?” she asked Tom.

“No, Madam.” Tom looked directly at the Council leader. “Grace was with him? Is he okay? Are they … are they okay?” Tom asked without regard to the meeting's protocol.

“Yes, Tom. From what we hear, they escaped unharmed,” the Council leader replied. She then smiled. “And I understand Ben destroyed two Anti-Powers in the process.”

Tom sighed with relief. “Thank you, Madam. Ben may be younger than most Guardians but he should never be underestimated.”