iDENTITY Page 10

  “I’m drained from all that has just happened. Need some time to process. But I’m glad you showed up to see my debut,” Maggie said. She needed time to think and didn’t want Mark questioning her about the Maggie faux pas. Such an exhausting night.

  “Got it. Success is overwhelming. But I want to see you again, alone and away from the crowds. Just us,” Mark said. He kissed her cheek and got into his car and sped away.

  She watched the tail lights fade into the night. Seeing him back off only made her want him more.

  Sydney

  Sydney had acquired a following, having been dubbed the slot machine queen by Star Casino as she continued her winning streak, encouraging other players and newcomers and sharing some of her rewards with her fans and needy individuals. She had become a celebrity and poster child of the casino with her down-home style and perky personality. Monitors displayed her at the Magic Magician winning, engaging with other gamblers, and at the bar having her usual beer. Her goal to become rich was working and she felt blessed and accepted for the first time.

  This is my lucky year; no one is going to stop me, Sydney thought.

  She settled with her usual ritual of breakfast at noon, greeting the staff, and heading to the slot machines. After four hours straight on the slot machines, Sydney looked up to see her father playing the slots beside her. She barely recognized him, the man who had banished her forever from his home almost five years ago. Now dressed in scruffy jeans and a stained blue work shirt, he appeared in stark contrast to the cool, confident swagger from the past.

  “Hon, I’ve heard you’ve done so well; it’s all over G Net and TV. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had so much ambition. I missed you. How’ve you been?” asked her father.

  Sydney continued to bet, hardly glancing at the man who had caused her so much pain. His constant threats, intimidation, and rejection after her jail term burned forever in her memory and she felt it hard to forgive such a callous man.

  “I don’t want to talk to you right now,” said Sydney.

  “Do you want us to tell him to leave you alone? We can escort him out of the casino if he’s harassing you. We can block off the area if you like. Just let us know and we’ll take care of this for you,” said the security guard.

  The man who she once feared was now talking to her like a human being. Shunned as a child for her lack of brains, ambition, and ability, her father often made fun of her in front of her sisters. Because she had spent time in jail, her father wanted to disown her and prevent her from seeing the family. Her father had set up a restraining order to keep her away, hung up when she called, and turned her mother and siblings against her. Sydney left home, broken and lost with nowhere to go. The green pills gave her back the hope and respect that she sought her entire life. The presence of her father had dredged up the ugly past and she wanted to strike back.

  “Please, just give me a minute of your time. We need to catch up, and your mother…” said her father.

  Sydney looked up to see the pain in her father’s eyes and the desire for connection. She wanted to bond, but pride stood in the way. Hardened by her father’s harshness and insensitivity, she remained distant. He would need to beg for forgiveness before they could continue this conversation. Sydney handed him a slip of paper and signaled for security to take him away.

  “Here’s my number, call me later. Maybe I can fit you into my busy schedule,” Sydney said, and continued to play the slot machine.

  “Wait, I have so much to tell you…” said her father as security pushed him away.

  He lingered by the bar, his eyes still focused on her.

  Sydney resented his intrusion into her successful life, but wanted to find out about her mother. Was she dying? Did she ask him to find me? Why now? Where is Charlie when I need him? she wondered.

  Suddenly, bells started ringing and lights flashing. Sydney hit the jackpot again, and this time she would cash in. A new crowd gathered once again, with fans cheering her on, hoping to shake the hand of the Star Casino’s most famous winner. She was known to give a fan $1,000 or offer to buy dinner.

  After cashing in, Sydney handed a stack of bills to an elderly couple who had cheered her on earlier. Then she headed to the bar for her usual victory drink and bought all the patrons a free cocktail. Everyone clapped and cheered as she entered, the bartender saving a prominent seat at the bar. News of Sydney’s generosity and fortune spread, and people were attracted to her like magnets.

  “Let me shake your hand so you can rub off some of that good luck on me. The usual, Sydney?” said the bartender.

  “I’ll have whatever she’s drinking,” said a man in the far corner of the bar.

  Sydney looked around and spotted her father, who saluted her. She knew she couldn’t escape and motioned for her father to join her. Besides, Sydney deserved an apology and explanation. Her father owed her that much.

  “Just give me a chance to make it up to you,” said her father, hugging Sydney tightly before taking the bar stool next to her.

  “All right. What’s happened to Mom?” asked Sydney.

  His dad downed a Scotch and cleared his throat. Sydney watched the once-braggart crumble. He started to stutter, his forehead covered with beads of sweat. He asked for another drink and looked at Sydney shamefully.

  “She left me and kicked me out of the home we’ve shared for thirty-five years. I have nowhere to go,” her dad confessed.

  Sydney contemplated these words and gritted her teeth. She thought something terrible had happened to her mother, but never dreamed this would happen.

  “Dad, I’m just staying temporarily at one of the suites in the casino. They probably won’t let me stay there forever…” Sydney said.

  “A successful gal like you doesn’t have a big house? What are you doing with your money— saving it for a rainy day? Just let me stay with you for a few days, then I’ll move on,” her dad pleaded and downed two more shots of Scotch.

  “I can’t and I won’t. You never cared about me until now when you needed something from me. I thought you came to apologize, not beg. Mom finally got smart, realized the scumbag that you are, and dumped you for gambling all the money away. Now you want me, your long-lost daughter, to bail you out of your mess. You’re pathetic,” said Sydney and she turned to leave the bar, feeling a sharp poke in her back.

  “How dare you! Ungrateful little bitch. You will listen to me now,” said her dad, pulling a gun from his coat and pointing it at Sydney.

  “Just slow down, don’t do this; it won’t solve anything. Let’s leave here and talk somewhere else. Please, don’t hurt anyone,” said Sydney.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bartender press the panic button behind the bar and prayed that Tyron and his security force would get here soon. She trembled, watching her dad swinging his gun and getting ready pull the trigger.

  A woman screamed and crawled under a table; many scattered to the bathroom. Chatter stopped; only heavy breathing from the gunman could be heard.

  It happened in a matter of seconds. As Sydney moved to protect other patrons in the bar, Tyron and four robots jumped on her dad; one zapped him with a Taser gun. A plastic enclosure wrapped around him, blocking him off from the crowd. He fell to the ground, shuddering uncontrollably and writhing in pain. The robots shoved him into a chute to be transported to a holding cell. His screams could be heard as he headed down the chute. The bar patrons shivered in fear and Sydney ordered a round for everyone, including the bartender, who had alerted security.

  “Thanks guy, you’re my hero!” Sydney said. She shook the bartender’s hand as people clinked their classes in agreement and relief.

  Charlie walked in the room just as the commotion ended.

  “What was that all about?” said Charlie as he watched Sydney’s dad being led away.

  Sydney shook his head and hugged Charlie tightly.

  “Just somebody I used to know who is no longer in my life,” she said.

  �
�Good, I need to talk to you. Let’s get out of here. I need your help,” said Charlie and with that grabbed Sydney’s sleeve.

  Randall

  They exited the casino, down the transporter, out the back entrance to the parking lot. The heavy night air greeted them and Sydney coughed from the dust. They walked to the farthest corner of the lot, where Charlie had parked his van.

  Charlie opened the van’s door carefully, turned on his flashlight, adjusted the Taser gun, and peered into the back. Randall sat quietly in the back, dressed in jeans, black shirt and jacket. A long beard and heavy whiskers covered his face; thick black glasses magnified his puffy eyes.

  “I’m Randall and I promise I won’t bite. I’m being chased by Dr. Neilson and there’s a curious reporter out there who knows part of the story. Isn’t she one of the four?” asked Randall, checking out Sydney’s black band on her wrist. “They can track me through his band. Would you mind removing it?”

  “What’s going on, Charlie? Is this the shapeshifter everyone’s talking about? Why does he want my band?”

  Puzzled, Sydney immediately handed her band over to Charlie, with no intention of being tracked by Optimal.

  “It’s very hush-hush. Your activities are being followed by Dr. Neilson and Dr. Arno because of the nature of your contract with Optimal. Randall, on the other hand, worked in Optimal’s lab, taking the green liquid that caused him to turn. It’s now been perfected and put into pill form. Randall started at the early stages of testing…” explained Charlie as he drove carefully onto the freeway.

  “I was the guinea pig and I escaped from all their madness. But others, like Samantha, need me to free them, to make it right once again. They took away our humanity, sanity, and souls. I want to take revenge before it happens to someone else,” shouted Randall.

  “Wait, what did Optimal do to you? And the others? So far, the green pills have been the secret to my success,” said Sydney.

  “Calm down, Randall, you’re scaring Sydney. She wants to help, but we just need to check on Samantha. You said you had a plan, not an execution,” said Charlie.

  Charlie kept checking the back seat for changes in Randall, while maneuvering the van down the crowded freeway. Cars whizzed by the van, passing at speeds of 170 miles per hour. A Miata weaved dangerously in and out of the lanes, passing vehicles on the left and right.

  “Randall spent all of his time in the lab until recently. The effect of the green liquid on him changed his chemistry along with his thought processes, just as yours did with the pill form, Sydney. While you dreamed of being rich, Randall dreamed of being powerful, which translated into an altered state of being,” said Charlie.

  “Does that mean that he changes into something other than human? And who’s Samantha?” asked Sydney, grabbing Charlie’s Taser.

  Randall snapped over Optimal’s exploitation and disregard for his friends that still lived in the basement. “I just want to free everyone and burn the place down!” growled Randall as his lion state began to appear.

  Just at that moment, the Miata shot down the freeway, traveling at least 180 miles per hour, clipped the van, spun around, then righted itself and took off down the freeway. Most cars were able to avoid colliding with it, except for the van. Charlie overcorrected, but slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the car in front him. “Hang on, baby!” said Charlie.

  “I don’t want to die today! Don’t understand what we’re doing here—help!” Sydney screamed.

  Randall tumbled around in the back, growling.

  The van skidded, headed for the embankment, and rolled three times before landing upside down on the dry ground.

  The van hit the ground, tires blown and windows shattered. Built like a military tank, it was designed to be one of the safest vehicles around. But the front end was bashed in and a slow flame leapt from the van’s interior. The fake plants remained standing among the debris.

  Randall smelled two humans as they raced toward their vehicle. He heard the woman call the police as the man attempted to free the passengers.

  “Honey, look out! Run for your life,” screamed the man as he quickly pulled out a bloodied but breathing Charlie.

  The woman stared at the sleek mountain lion that emerged unscathed, its dark eyes gazing intensely at the couple, as they backed off slowly, then took off running up the hill toward their car.

  The mountain lion chased after them, leaving the other two to fend for themselves.

  “Sydney, are you okay? Randall, please help her!” screamed Charlie as he struggled to inch his way to the van. His torn pants revealed a large bloody gash on his thigh and his head throbbed from the pain.

  Sydney groaned. Stunned by the force of the crash and hit by glass particles, she could barely find a way out of the van. The fires now engulfed the entire back portion of the van. Smoke filled the van and Sydney started to cough uncontrollably. She moved toward an open window.

  “Help me,” she whispered.

  “Can you move? Just get out of the van now—almost there,” Charlie said.

  He crawled toward the van, praying he would reach her before it exploded.

  “My foot’s stuck and it’s too dark to see a way out,” she said.

  The vehicle started to cave in as she adjusted herself and willed herself to escape. Her body hurt all over and she prayed for a break. A bright moon revealed a small opening. She kicked and squirmed, finally freeing herself. Rolling toward Charlie, she pushed them hard away from the broken van. Not a minute too soon.

  The van blew up, flames leaping high into the air. Sirens screamed in the background, the smell of smoke and burnt rubber filled the air and the wind started to kick up.

  “Are you ok?” Sydney said.

  Charlie looked into her dirty, yet still beautiful face. “Barely, only with your luck. Without it I wouldn’t have survived this.”

  She kissed him lightly and took a deep breath.

  The flames lit into the grass around them, the smell of burning rubber and metal overwhelming them. Both started to cough.

  “Let’s get out of here now! Where’s Randall?” screamed Charlie. He grabbed Sydney and limped toward the freeway.

  A fire truck and ambulance pulled up together, pulling out stretchers and fire hoses. The force of the water drowned out the fire, turning the smoldering blaze into a pile of ashes.

  “What happened here? Is everyone alright? Someone reported a loose mountain lion in the vicinity. Maybe it was the shapeshifter,” said a paramedic as he assisted Charlie and Sydney and eyed the debris.

  The burnt, crumpled van started to smolder; pieces of tires and car parts were strewn on the ground. A pair of broken black glasses, jeans, and a jacket lay on the ground, but Randall had disappeared.

  “No, just my extra set of clothes,” Charlie said and took Sydney’s hand.

  Randall sensed this was his time to run for his life, his freedom, and especially for Samantha. The world wasn’t safe now with Optimal still experimenting on humans and his goal was to stop them, with or without Charlie. His animal instincts told him that Samantha was in deep trouble and his sleek, agile body eased him through bushes and trees, trying to keep out of sight. He could hear the rush of traffic and the sirens in the distance. With his energy level peaked and his adrenaline flowing, he leaped over twenty-foot fences. He smelled both human and animal scents, avoiding suburbia and the city. From high atop a hill, Randall saw the millions of tiny city lights below. He needed to find Optimal before dawn and the rain.

  A dry wind rushed through the trees. A sandstorm in the form of mini-tornadoes kicked in. Randall lifted his powerful head and honed his hearing. His ears perked up and his eyes focused, leading him down the hills past the outskirts of the Sun City. He ran with lightning speed to his destination. Samantha was in danger, suffering at the hands of a monster and he was the only one to save her.

  Hang on, Samantha, I’m coming for you. Don’t give up,” he thought.

  He raced stealthily through t
he woods, getting closer and closer with only the moon to guide him. The tornados swirled around as he darted through the bent trees and bouncing boulders. Luckily, with his night-vision eyes, Randall cleared a straight path to Optimal’s gates. He leapt over them landing near the parking lot and detected the smell of fear and terror. He heard the security guards rushing around the grounds, their guns cocked and loaded. Then a gun went off.

  Randall crawled toward the back of the building basement window and leaped up on the ledge, the window ajar. Inside the animals scurried around, scrambling to climb up the wall or hiding in the far corners of the basement. The trough of green water sloshed violently as a large tentacle fought to drag Samantha down below. The glistening green water illuminated the walls, casting large ominous shadows on the basement walls. Screams, yelps, and moans echoed off the walls. He heard the guards pounding on the large basement door, attempting to knock it down.

  Instincts urged him to flee as he viewed the cast-off hands, legs, toes, and feet from past experiments. The basement resembled a medieval dungeon. The stench from dead bodies, animal feces, and urine overwhelmed any newcomer, but numbed those still inside. Dust balls covered the walls and cobwebs hung from the window and corners. The trough of magical liquid glowed and glistened in the dark, illuminating shadows on the walls and heightened an uncommon savagery. One of the shadows grew larger and grabbed Samantha before she reached the window sill. Randall knew he needed to make his move, but how?

  “Let me go!” she screamed. A cacophony of screeching and wailing hit a crescendo, then went completely silent. A large tentacle thrashed the water out of the trough and grabbed Samantha by the neck. She fainted.

  Samantha, gasping and spitting up water, suddenly spied Randall on the ledge. “Save me now or I’m going to die,” she screamed with her last few breaths as the tentacle pulled her under.

  Fearing the worst, he leapt through the window, landed in front of the trough and attached his massive teeth to the thrashing tentacle. Randall held on tight, bobbing up and down in the water, which seemed like hours. He pushed to free Samantha, only pushing them all farther under the water. The tentacle finally gave up the fight and released Samantha, who popped to the surface, choking and gagging. Randall scooped her out of the trough and she landed on the wet cement. He tore into the creature, biting and ripping off one of its gigantic legs, growling fiercely and aggressively until it stopped squirming.