Deviants

Chapter 71

Johnny

It's cold and dark, my breath comes out in clouds before me, but the moon shines bright into the alleyway. But that still doesn't stop my heart from pounding against my chest and my spine from shivering when I see a figure loom at the end of the alleyway. A silhouette of a man, close around my height, approaches me, his shoulders tense. I don't see his features until he stands before me. Blood is smeared on the side of his face, which has dried by now, his blue eyes have an excited manner about them as they study me, his blond hair ruffled. He doesn't even have the proper outwear for this weather. Nothing but a flimsy jacket. But even with that and his hands stuffed in his pockets, arms tight against his body, sweat lines his forehead.

"Ace of Spades?" I voice out.

"No. Chase Storm." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a large yellow envelope. "This is what you want," he says. I hesitantly take it, but don't open it.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"Do you know what the word Deviants mean?" He asks instead.

"No," I say.

"A person who differs from that of a normal human, or has abilities beyond the comprehension of the average person," he says. A person like me, I think. But I don't voice that out.

"What does that have to do with Amee?" I ask, wondering if that's the thing he wanted to tell me. Is she like me? Is she a "Deviant"? Why is that information worth killing someone over?

"That file isn't about Amee Woods," he says. I frown. "Amee Woods has nothing to hide. She has a background so tedious; the most interesting thing is that her parents both died in a fire."

"What's in this file?" I ask.

"Have you ever heard of I.O.E.?" He asks. I shake my head. His voice suddenly becomes hushed. "Investigation of Evolution is a secret government agency that employees both average humans and Deviants. They also kidnap or entrap innocent Deviants to learn more about them. They experiment on them, figuring out what's inside them that makes them so different, figuring out if their abilities can be shut off, figuring out if abilities can be transferred to the average human. Figuring out if they can control them, turn them into weapons."

My heart beats fast, thinking of Kate and her ability. Thinking of her parents' murderer, Sabrina Carson. Where Kate's parents Deviants?

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" He asks. I nod my head. He motions to the file. "Now open it," he says. With shaking hands, I flip the top open and pull out a single paper. By the light of the moon, I see a picture of a skinny dark haired little girl, staring straight at me with gray-gold eyes, her cheeks are hollow, her hair unbrushed, her lips in a straight line. Next to the picture are descriptions:

Jenny Barlow

Subject: 644b723a

Studied: August 5th, 2007- November 21st, 2010

Deviant: Yes

Ability: Telekinesis

Status: Escapee. Target. Extremely Dangerous.

Reward: 50,000,000 US dollars alive. 100,00 US dollars dead.

Known of Subject: mother exchange her to I.O.E. to remain in compulsion routine. Father expired August 13th, 2010 by civilians. Legally claimed dead by pneumonia. Last seen with Kawikani Zhou, rogue agent of I.O.E.

I continue to stare at the paper for so long that Chase shifts, uncomfortable. I shake my head, rereading the page over again, seeming to get more confused each time I read it.

"Who is this person? The person she was last seen with?" I ask finally.

"His name is pronounced Kah-why-can-ee J-oh. I tried to get his file as well, but I had to get out of their system. I knew I was being tracked. I only got time to get a glimpse of his picture, but it was highlighted and marked extremely dangerous. Which means there is a large reward out for him too."

"What the hell does it mean 'mother exchanged her to I.O.E. to remain in compulsion routine'?" I look up when he doesn't answer. He looks at me with pity and dread.

"You remember when I told you your mother was a recovering drug addict?" He asks. My throat goes dry, and I don't say anything. "She was only recovering after Jenny was pronounced dead," he says quietly. My breath becomes short, and it suddenly is immensely difficult to stay up right. I back away, sitting on some steps of the back entry way to a building. "Johnny, are you alright?" Chase asks after a moment. I shake my head, removing my glasses and pressing my aching eyes in, massaging them.

"Let me get this straight," I say, looking back up at Chase, "you're saying that my sister is still alive somewhere, and that my mother sold her to the government agency that faked her death... for drugs?"

"According to my source, yes," he says. I stand.

"Where the hell did you get this source?" I ask him. He hesitates.

"Johnny, I know it's hard to believe... but there was a reason I had agreed to help you when we first met. I would never do what I did for you for anyone else," he says.

"Why am I the exception?" I ask. He swallows hard.

"Let's just say I have sisters too. And I didn't know where they all were until recently," he says. "So you have to trust me when I say that your sister is still possibly alive, no one knows where, and that I.O.E. will be looking for this file," he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, glancing at the cut in his head.

"Exactly what you think. This wasn't any accident, and it wasn't done by any... normal person. An I.O.E. agent had tracked me and nearly caught me. I can honestly say that I'd be surprised if she isn't on her way to Soribus right now."

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask, feeling so many things, but the most is lost and confused.

"Burn Jenny's file. Leave Soribus now. Delete any and everything we've ever sent each other, deny to anyone that you know me. If you told anyone about my accounts, tell them I was a hoax, a prankster," he says.

"What are you going to do?" I ask. He pauses for a really long time.

"It's probably better if I didn't say. And it's safer for both of us if we never meet again." I look own at Jenny's file one last time, reading it over again, memorizing how she had grown, no longer that chubby baby that I remember. I take a breath, realizing what this means of my own mother. Jenny's own mother. Was Anderson in on it? How much did she get? I hold my hand out to Chase.

"It was nice knowing you, Ace," I say. He gives me a small smile and shakes my hand.

"It was an honor, Barlow," he says. He takes a step from me and turns around,walking out of the alleyway. I take another glance at the paper in my hand before turning and walking out of the alley at the other end.

A/N:

Was this chapter a surprise about Jenny? Any theories? What's going to happen with Ace of Spades?

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