twenty-six

“You remember Finn?” I frowned and rubbed my thumb across my chin.

Dad’s brow furrowed. “Of course. You’ve been friends forever. And I’ve kept an eye on you over the past five years, you know.”

Jack shook his head like I was a lost cause. “I tried to explain that, but it’s clear who got the brains in the family.”

“Oh, right.” I glared at Jack. “He was your spy.”

Jack flinched at the word “spy” and I almost felt bad …
almost. Then he turned to Dad. “Finn was the trial-run subject for Eclipse.” His face was sober, but Dad’s face drained of color completely.

“No … no, it wasn’t supposed to happen.” He rubbed one hand through his hair, tugging on the ends like I’d always done. It was like watching a vision of me in the future. “I swore I’d never make that drug again, but when they told me you’d betrayed me, showed me pictures of you and Parker … told me you’d threatened to use everything I’d taught you against Parker … it was confusing. He made me believe them.”

I knew now that Dad was talking about his own version of Darkness. I couldn’t claim not to understand how terrifyingly real hallucinations could seem.

“Tell me you know how to reverse it,” I said.

“I don’t … ” Dad turned toward me, his face stricken. “I don’t think it’s possible. Any options are untested, unsafe.”

“We’ll start there. Tell me what you know.”

“It’s not that simple. You’d need to do something that cannot be done.” He was muttering under his breath as he turned away, arguing so low the only person it could’ve been with was himself. I made a mental note to be even more careful not to argue with Darkness in front of other people. It didn’t—well, it didn’t look good.

“Dad?” My voice was low but firm. “I’m not a kid anymore. You tell me what I have to do. I’ll decide whether or not I can do it.”

He stared at my face and raised one rough palm to my cheek. “Right … right. You’re no child, but don’t overestimate yourself. Even you can’t do this.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s like they always said, though … ” Dad muttered to himself before walking back to his hiding spot by the back wall as though he’d completely forgotten we were here. “Sometimes it takes one who is broken to heal one who is not.”

I turned to Jack, but I could see it in his eyes. Dad hadn’t been watching out for me in this frame of mind. He wasn’t really capable of it anymore—but Jack was. He’d been doing what Dad would’ve wanted, and he’d been handling this entire mess almost entirely on his own. Jack’s eyes brimmed with tears that never quite fell as we watched our dad display how far a Watcher could fall.

My heart shattered for them both and for the first time, I didn’t think about how they should have been around for me. I thought about how I should have been around for them. Was this the future for all Watchers, if we survived this long without a Builder? Or was it just for those like Dad and me? The Divided? For the first time, I wondered if it could be a blessing to die young.

Jack stepped silently to my side, both of us watching Dad’s back.

“How long has he been like this?” My voice cracked a little.

“It’s been a slow decline. He’s had a harder and harder time fighting back.”

“I’m not deaf.” Dad whirled to face us, his eyes sharp. “And I don’t know how much your brother has told you, but you’ve already been here too long and we must act quickly.” He was speaking fast, but each word was quiet and clear. I was thrown again when he said the word “brother,” but I moved past it, knowing that if what he was about to tell me was how to save Finn, it was much more important right now.

He stood beside his cot and patted his hands across the front of his dirty jeans and shirt like he was looking for something to write with … never mind the fact that we had nothing to write on. “Finn’s personality has gone quiet. It’s being slowly overwritten by the Taker in his body. Like code in a computer, he’s being replaced. The longer this continues, the more of him will be gone. Understand?”

I gave him a shaky nod. Finn was being erased from the inside out. How could I fight that? “Tell me how to stop it.”

“This is a bad idea, Parker.” He frowned and turned in a small circle beside his bed before staring at me again. “There is a good chance that you—that neither you nor Finn will survive it.”

“I understand. Just tell me what you know.” I placed one hand on his wrist to keep him focused.

“It’s the Taker. You must find the Taker’s body and bring it with you, but make sure you take the IV also. Once you unhook the drug, you’ll have one hour to find a way to release Finn before the Taker’s body will begin to shut down. Once that happens, they’ll both be lost for good.”

I frowned. “This sounds like more than an untested theory.”

His brow furrowed. “This part we know for sure. They’ve done a couple of low-dose temporary tests to make sure Eclipse was safe before the official trial involving your friend.”

“Okay … ” I said, resisting the sinking feeling in my gut. Everything he said was only making it sound less like there was an answer.

“The dangerous part is this: only a mind stronger than the bond between the Taker and Finn will be able to break him loose. The only mind strong enough to do that … ” He stopped fidgeting, grabbed one of my shoulders, and stared hard into my eyes. “Is one that’s been Divided—and permanently rejoined again.”

“That’s possible?” My mind and mouth gaped at the ramifications. Would Darkness be gone? Could I be like before? For the first time in days, Darkness was utterly silent behind his wall.

Dad’s frown deepened at the hopeful tone in my voice. “When a person like us becomes Divided, that new portion of personality stretches out into new space. It actually utilizes a different portion of the brain, which makes the mind stronger and the personality weaker.”

“That makes sense.” I spoke slowly, my mouth struggling to form words from my rampaging thoughts. “But has anyone ever actually been rejoined?”

“It’s happened a couple of times.” Dad looked down and closed his eyes like he was in sudden, intense pain. “The risk, though, has outweighed any possible reward.”

My brain stopped whirring and every limb went suddenly cold. “What is the risk?”

“We have no proof whether it can be different, but every time thus far, every time one of the Divided has tried … ” Dad opened his eyes, but he looked everywhere except for at me. “It has been the Id—the adapted personality—that’s taken full control.”

My body went rigid and for a moment it seemed as though everything had gone still both within me and without. I heard my voice speak words that I didn’t remember deciding to say. “I understand.”

“I know how important Finn is to you, Parker.” Dad squeezed my shoulder with his long, thin fingers until I looked up into his face. “But this is too dangerous. You shouldn’t try it. The danger is too great.”

My stomach roiled inside of me at the choice I’d have to make. And all I could manage was to speak the same words again. “I understand, Dad.”

“Good.” He nodded, checked his pockets for a pen again, and then turned back to Jack. “Now then, we need to go to my lab.”

“Why?” Jack was already shaking his head.

“To make sure no one can ever make Eclipse again.”

We snuck back into the hallway and Jack crept down to the corner, checking to be sure the nearest section was still empty. He gestured for me to follow, but instead, I walked to the nearest occupied cell, pulled up the door release as quietly as possible, and then moved on to the next one. The prisoner from the first, a ragged older man, staggered out behind me. I glanced ahead at Jack and my—our—dad. “You guys want to help me out here?”

“Now?” Jack looked torn. It was a lot harder to sneak around with a massive group of people.

I paused and looked at them both. “Do you really think we’ll get the chance to come back later?”

Without a word, they looked at each other and then began opening the cells, one at a time. Dad skipped one and I asked why.

“I know him.” His mouth pressed in a hard line. “He’s a Taker.”

I peeked in. The man looked only a little older than Jack, and his face was pressed against the glass. He mouthed the word, “Please.”

“Then why did they lock him up?”

He shrugged and moved on to the next cell.

Looking back in, I met the man’s eyes and then muttered under my breath as I lifted the latch, “The enemy of my enemy … I hope.”

The Taker came out, thanked me, and turned toward the huddled group in the middle of the hallway.

I stopped him halfway there. “Why were you locked up?”

He sighed but turned, his face sincere as he responded. “Not all of us think Eclipse is the answer. I think I just disagreed a little louder than most.”

Dad raised his eyebrows from down the hall and I heard him mutter, “Maybe there is hope yet.”

By the time we got down the first hallway, we had a team of ten people opening doors and spreading our message: “We’re all getting out of here. Move quick. Stay quiet.”

I opened Audrey’s door myself. When I walked in, she cowered farther into the corner.

“I’ve talked to your mom and dad. They miss you.”

Her brown eyes got huge and she stopped shaking, but she didn’t move.

“I’d like to take you home to them.”

I counted one second—two—three. Long enough that Jack poked his head in the door looking for me, but I didn’t want to rush her … or scare her.

“Parker … ” Jack said my name, but hesitated when I glanced at him over my shoulder.

Then I felt a tiny cold hand in mine and looked down to see Audrey’s bare feet next to my own.

“Please take me home.” Her voice trembled, but before I could respond, she followed Jack out into the hallway and pulled me along in her wake.

Jack led everyone down the next hall. We found Delilah Jones, the grandmother I’d seen on the Missing Persons poster in the Newton City Jail. She took Audrey’s hand so I could continue opening cells. Perfect strangers moved together with one purpose. Some assisted older people and children to move quickly, to stay quiet. Jack took command like he was born to it and they followed him easily. This was what the NWS should have been about. Helping others to survive, to live full lives in spite of what our genes and reckless scientists had done to us. This was what Dad had always wanted.

By the time we got out of the prison wing, there were more of us than I couldn’t quickly count … more than fifty. Dad lead us down a side hallway to his lab.

We found a large, dark, empty workshop halfway there and had all the prisoners hide inside.

“Stay here. Stay quiet, and we’ll be right back,” Jack whispered to a room full of wide eyes. Then he pointed to a workbench along one wall with tools and pieces of metal pipe. “And if they come here before we do … feel free to defend yourselves.”

Dad’s lab was more than ten times the size of the cells. There were tables set up with chemistry equipment and several different instruments I didn’t recognize. The shelves on one wall were lined with row upon row of small jars, each with a neatly printed label. A large whiteboard stood on a stand in the back. It was covered with incomprehensible scribbles that I could only assume were formulas and advanced equations that were way over my head.

The moment we entered, Jack slid a metal lock quietly across one door and sent me to guard another entry. There were several more, though, and we couldn’t cover them all.

“We need to hurry.” Jack’s voice was calm, but we could both hear more activity in the surrounding halls than had been there before. He held the walkie-talkie to his ear, but it was turned down so low I couldn’t make out any noise from where I stood. If no one had noticed the empty cells yet, they would soon.

Dad moved from shelf to shelf picking up different chemicals, turning on burners, mixing concoctions. Every few seconds I heard him whisper, “No … no, this won’t work,” under his breath and then move on to the next shelf.

Boots ran directly past my door and I glanced out to see three guards running by with guns raised. They definitely knew about the prisoners now. When I turned back, I saw Dad speaking low and fast to Jack, whose skin looked ashen.

They both jumped when I spoke. “Um … Dad? You almost ready?”

He stopped in place and stared at me, slowly shaking his head. His eyes looked sad but sure as Jack left him to stand by a third doorway. “Yes. Give me a couple more minutes.”

“That may be all we have,” Jack said.

Now Dad moved with purpose, mixing this and that in a small pot over a burner. He brought over a few other ingredients, nodded twice, and then pulled a paper and pen out of a desk drawer.

Boots ran past again and I held my breath as I waited. This base was so big, it would take them a couple minutes to organize an effective search.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

“I’m done. Come over here, quickly.” Crumpling up the paper, Dad waited as we both came back to the table.

“You’re ready?” Jack’s voice sounded uncertain and his eyes were locked on Dad’s vials and ingredient labels.

“Yes.” Dad pushed the paper into Jack’s hand and then drummed the fingers of his right hand against his thigh. “This is for after.”

“After what?” Jack opened the paper. His eyes squinted at the scribbles while Dad turned to me.

“Is this what I think it is?” The mixture of awe and anguish in Jack’s voice snapped me out of it.

“Yes.” Dad lead us toward the door we’d come in through and peeked out into the hallway. “You must get out of here as fast as you can. Take care of each other.” He put one hand on each of our shoulders and pulled us in for another hug.

“You—you’re coming with us. You have to come with us.” My voice shook, my body shook, my whole world was shaken at the idea of losing him again.

“I’d hoped I could … but this lab must be destroyed to ensure the end of Eclipse. There’s too much information they could use to build on here. And I don’t have the right ingredients for a time-delay.” He gave me a sad smile. “I’m afraid I have to stay here to make sure you both can escape.”

“No … you can’t.” My heart ripped a new tear with each beat and I was flooded with memories of losing him the first time.

“From the moment I realized what Eclipse could do, my life was over.” Dad’s eyes were haunted, tortured. “But I’ve never told anyone how to make it or even what goes into it.” He gestured to the wall with a proud half-smile. “I’ve requested hundreds more ingredients than I actually needed. Even if they had a list, it could still be a century before they figured it out.”

Then the smile turned fierce. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they don’t have any list … or me to chase down anymore.”

“No—no—” The repeated word was empty hope, but I clung to it anyway.

“This hasn’t been a life, Parker.” Dad’s eyes were sad and so tired. “Not for me, and not for Jack. This is my gift to you, your mother, your friends, and everyone you will ever love. They know the prisoners are out of their cells by now, but they don’t know you’re here. I can distract them, and then destroy this lab while you two get yourselves and the prisoners out safely. This is the only thing I can give my boys that’s worth anything. Please don’t take that from me.”

He turned toward Jack. “Remember me as Dad. You’ll never have to call me anything else ever again.”

Jack’s shoulders were trembling, but when Dad looked at him, he gave him a firm nod and a hug. Dad whispered. “You’ll be the answer. You’ll know what to do.”

“I love you … Dad.”

Jack’s eyes were wet, but I was numb. How was I supposed to know how to finally find, and then lose, my father in under an hour? How could I do this? But knowing what he was about to do, about to sacrifice, so that our lives wouldn’t have to be spent on the run like his had … how could I not give him whatever he needed from me?

Dad pulled me against his chest and rubbed his hand across my hair as tears broke free and fell down my face. “I’m so sorry you couldn’t see me, but know that I was always watching over you. I’ve always been more proud of you than you’ve ever known. I couldn’t be there for you myself, but I gave you the greatest treasure I’ve ever had—your mom.”

He lifted my face and smiled. “Now it’s your turn to take care of her. And when you finally decide to tell her all of this, please tell her that I have never, will never, stop loving her.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “I will. I love you.”

Dad turned his gaze on Jack, then released me as he reached out and pulled Jack into his arms. “I know you can do everything you’ll need to. I’d never trust anyone else with that paper. No one else.” Jack hugged Dad back, but he kept a firm hold on his emotions as Dad continued. “I’ve always had more faith in you than you’ve had in yourself. Now is no different. I love you and I know you can fix everything I’ve broken.”

“Are—are you sure—” But before Jack could finish, Dad patted him on the shoulder and turned him back toward the door.

“Now go. Be careful. Make sure you get everyone out safe.” Dad met my eyes and I understood his message. Then he grabbed the walkie-talkie from Jack’s belt and waved us out.

We listened, waiting for boots in the hall. I looked back one last time before following Jack around the corner. Dad gave us a brave smile, then ducked back into his lab.

“Wait … ”

Jack looked at me, his voice still choked up with emotion. “What? We can’t … he won’t … ”

“I know. Is he … how is he going to do it?”

Jack blinked at me. “He’s a phenomenal chemist with a lab full of chemicals. You have any wild guesses?”

“That’s what I thought.” My words shook as I swallowed back the massive lump of loss in my throat. Then I walked quietly toward the room we’d left the prisoners in. “Let’s make sure we hold up our end of the deal.”

“How many are there?” I whispered, my voice so small I could just barely hear it.

“Eight in the hall, more inside.”

I could hear whimpering and crying from the prisoners on the other side of the wall we were leaning against. The walkie-talkie of one of the guards sparked to life and I heard Dad’s voice loud and clear. “This is Daniel Chipp. You’ve done just about all you can do to make my life a living hell. You’ve stolen my family and my freedom. Eclipse isn’t what I started out trying to make, and I’ll be damned if I give you a way to extend your lives when you’ve cost me so much of mine.”

I peeked around the corner just in time to see the guards exchange panicked looks. One spoke sharply to the others. “We’ve got this situation under control. You five go check his lab and cell. Find him!”

Five gone—at least three to go.

As soon as the group of guards was dispatched, I decided to move. Even though I knew this might be the stupidest thing I’d ever done, I didn’t let myself think about it too much, just untucked and rumpled my shirt and messed up my hair, letting it hang down across my face. “Don’t let them kill me, okay?”

Before Jack could even question me, I turned the corner into plain view of the remaining guards. Stumbling noisily as I walked down the hall, I yelled, “Jennifer! Are you here?” I sniveled and argued with myself. “No, she isn’t. She wouldn’t leave us.”

“You, stop there!” The guards turned their attention on me.

“I’m not, you are. No—no, I can’t.” I kept muttering, careful to keep my hands open so they could see I had no weapons. I slid one foot like I had a limp and breathed as loudly as I could.

The front guard drew his gun. “I said, stop!”

But I was almost there … just a few more feet and I’d make it. I’d seen Jack at work; for this to have even a chance, the positioning had to be right.

“Jen-ni-fer?” I sung out the name and slowed down, leaning against the far wall like it was the only thing keeping me upright. Then I grew even more agitated with my muttering. “You promised she wouldn’t leave me. Shut up! Yes, you did.”

“STOP!” The front guard pointed the gun at my right temple and I froze, breathing hard, knowing I wasn’t quite in the right position yet. I still needed another couple of feet.

I stared straight at the gun and squinted as my palms sweated like mad. “Jennifer?”

Then I fell straight forward, letting my body go limp and pushing off my toes so my face crashed into the floor first. My head exploded in pain, but I knew I’d made it. The guards bent over me, their backs exposed to Jack as they muttered about “another prisoner going crazy.”

And my brother didn’t waste the opportunity.

He sprinted silently up and kicked the legs out from under one guard, sending him crashing headfirst into the stone wall. Then Jack grabbed the now-lowered gun out of the hand of the other guard before he could react and brought it down hard on his head. More guards came out into the hallway, just as Jack pressed the gun to the third guard’s temple.

“Everyone drop your guns and move back inside the workshop.” Jack voice was low and almost sinister.

The first guard to follow orders lowered his gun directly in front of my face. When I grabbed it from him and climbed to my feet, the guards’ eyes went wide.

“Jennifer?” Jack grinned over at me. “Nice … but maybe clue me in next time?”

“Just the first thing I came up with. I’m hoping there won’t be a next time.”

Jack kicked the foot of one the guards who was moving too slow. “Then you’re more optimistic than I am.”

As soon as we were back inside, a couple of prisoners stepped forward and tied the guards up while Jack and I kept our guns trained on them. As soon as they were secure, I took one of the walkie-talkies and we lead the group down the halls toward the medical center where we’d come in.

We hadn’t made it far when we heard an emergency beacon come over the walkie-talkie. “Red Alert: All security to the lab. Red Alert: All security to the lab.”

By listening to the team’s coordinates, we were able to avoid the guards remaining in our section. Dad had security fully distracted, as he’d promised … now we had to get out of here before he finished his plan. I reminded myself not to think about Dad and pushed back another devastating wave of loss. Focusing on getting Audrey and the other prisoners out alive, I forced myself to keep everyone moving.

I stood beside Chloe’s bed, trying to decide on the best way to move her. The curtain shifted aside, and the nasal man with the medical training stared at me before suddenly laughing.

“I should’ve known you might be here. Your father is so—” He made a soft whining noise as Jack swung twice and knocked him out cold. Jack stepped on the man’s fingers.

“Do not talk about our dad” were the only words he spoke as he turned and lead the way through the labyrinth of curtains.

Most of the people behind us stepped carefully around and over the man, but I saw a couple of light kicks as well. I figured he might be a little sore … if he survived the coming explosion.

And after what they’d done to my family and these prisoners, I didn’t feel even a little bit bad about that.

Picking up Chloe, I swung her IV bag over one shoulder and her body over the other. Then I felt a slight tug on my arm. Audrey reached up and took the IV bag for me.

“Thank you.”

She gave me a shy smile, and when she said “You’re welcome” it made a little whistling sound between her teeth.

Jack found a couple of flashlights in a nearby supply room. We’d reached the end of our secret tunnel when he turned to face the rest of us. “Okay, looks like the easy part is over. Everyone ready?”

The prisoners stared back, determined and terrified. And they waited for directions.

“We’ll be leaving through this hatch directly above me. To the left is a building where they have keys for the cars in the parking lot on the right. We’ll be going out in groups of about eight, so everyone find a group. Make sure you have someone who can drive. The driver is responsible for getting everyone in the group back to their homes. I’ll go out first and break into the building to hand out keys. I’ll signal my brother when it’s time to send a new group. When you climb out, come to me to get the key, then go to your vehicle and duck down inside it and wait. If you start the car and leave early, they’ll catch you and you’ll die. Only start your car when you hear my whistle, or if you hear nearby gunshots. If we all leave at the same time, I can dump the rest of the keys and they won’t be able to catch us. Everyone understand?”

Murmurs of assent spread through the group. I was impressed.

“Dad teach you that?” I asked as Jack reached one hand up onto the ladder.

He gave me a sad smile and nodded. “Dad taught me everything I know.”

Instead of my normal jealousy, I felt curiosity … and a little pity. I’d had a pretty normal childhood. Jack had been raised to fight and to lead. “Maybe when all this is over, you can tell me more about that.”

“Deal.” He climbed up to the top and listened. I silenced the prisoners and we waited. After a few minutes, Jack gave me a thumbs-up and opened the hatch. I handed Chloe off to one of the stronger prisoners and climbed to the top, then watched the path for the security patrol as Jack took off his black jacket, wrapped it around his fist, and punched through the glass pane next to the door of the key shed. The glass was so old that it broke like spun candy. Jack unlocked the door and crept inside.

Then I saw the patrol coming in the distance. It seemed that due to the breakout, they’d doubled the frequency of their perimeter sweep. It was obvious from the lack of a bigger search out here, though, that they believed the prisoners were still inside the base.

I lowered the hatch, hoping Jack had seen them … but the door to the key shed was still open. It would be obvious. Turning off my flashlight, I waited, hoping and praying in the hushed shadows of night. Just before the patrol rounded the closest corner, I saw the door close softly and silently. I finally relaxed.

Listening close, we stood motionless in the pitch-black tunnel. Every tight breath and muted gasp of the prisoners felt like it was lending its tension to me. We were their only chance, and I wasn’t sure how long Dad would give us to get out of here. He probably thought we were already gone. How would he know? I heard a soft sob from a couple of the prisoners, but nothing loud enough to be heard outside. Finally the patrol was out of the area, and I lifted the hatch an inch. Jack already had the door open again and was using something metallic to bounce the moonlight back at me—car keys.

“First group, time to go.”