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Time's Revenge
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CHAPTER THIRTY NINE - CRUEL TO BE KIND


B furiously thumped upon a door panel in the wall, barely able to see what he was doing because of the tears that obscured his vision. The door whizzed open and revealed a large and empty office room beyond. It wouldn’t have mattered if somebody had been inside; B would have killed them.

He closed the door behind him and scurried over to the far wall where he knelt down in the corner and clasped his knees to his chest. He buried his head in his arms and immediately the images came back to haunt him. He saw Brian and he saw Marlowe. They looked so similar. The same hair, the same height… he couldn’t tell them apart anymore. Who had that man in the corridor been?

“It doesn’t matter now,” he tried to say to himself. “I don’t need them, I don’t.”

He raised his head and stared at the dark wall and door opposite him and suddenly he felt trapped. He was remembering again. He remembered being in a room where he couldn’t move or escape. He remembered crying and screaming as he destroyed everything around him in Marlowe’s lab. He trembled and screwed his eyes closed again.

He had to get out. He had to get out of this base. He knew where he was now. He remembered. He remembered that this was the Gerai base. But how had he come to be here? He shook his head. Sammy and Brian had abandoned him. He didn’t want to look any further than that in case everything became even more confused and hurtful.

He slowly rose to his feet and stumbled back towards the door. He would find a way out of this building and then he would be free. After that he could go anywhere away from here and start again. He didn’t need his family. He could forget them. He had been chased his whole life. He remembered being a child and worrying that the Gerai might find him. Now he would hide himself away.

He pressed a hand upon the door panel and the door opened to allow him to leave the office. He glanced about the corridor and then began to hurry forwards, trying to determine which was the way out. He had to find it quickly before he ran into any more distractions.

His head ached and there was something wrong with his chest; it felt as if something were swollen and bloated inside of him and it hurt, but at the same time it didn’t seem to be a physical pain. He kept thinking about that man in the corridor and the way he had tried to crush him with his powers. He felt himself shuddering.

But that was behind him in the past and awaiting him now was a new future away from captivity and confinement.

He froze slightly. There was somebody else nearby. He could tell. He could hear their voice.

“B! B, where are you?”

He gasped and pressed himself close against the wall, as if the speaker might come around a corner at any second. He relaxed slightly as he tried to calm himself. The voice was more of an echo and obviously still quite a distance away, but still he did not like the idea of somebody looking for me.

“Why can’t you leave me alone?” he begged. He didn’t want to face anything else from his past. It was all too confusing.

The voice called out again and B clutched his hands into fists. The voice was familiar. His eyes narrowed. They would never stop chasing him unless he made them, it seemed.

He imagined his fear inside of him and then he imagined locking it away in a big, black box where nobody could reach it. Determinedly he began to stride forwards.

“All right,” he whispered. “We end this now and then you won’t be able to bother me again.”



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *




Sammy was determined as he strode down the corridor. His tears over Brian had dried. Now he had a task to accomplish. He had to act quickly as well. He wasn’t sure how bad the damage to his father was and if he wanted to see him again then it would depend upon his pace.

“B, where are you?” he muttered. He was around here somewhere. He couldn’t have gone far. “You’ve really done it this time.”

He began to walk again, his ears keen and alert for any sign of movement. “B!” he called. “B, get here now! B!”

He was angry. He knew that B wasn’t in control of himself, but it didn’t quell his rage. How could B have done that to Brian? How could he be that frightened that he had turned on him?

‘It’s not his fault, he’s confused,’ he told himself. Somehow Sammy had to wipe away that confusion. It was time for B to stop being crazy and to wake up and come home. Sammy knew that he was the only one who could do that. B may have loved Brian, but they had been together for such a short time. Sammy, however, had been a part of B’s life forever. He had to remember him and remember that he would never hurt him.

“B! B, where are you?”

He wasn’t sure if he expected B to answer or not, but he had a feeling that B would not run away at the voice. They were bound together, they always had been. B couldn’t just ignore him, surely?

“B!” His voice echoed about the corridor, brining nothing back but a rebounding copy of his own voice. He stood still for a moment, listening for a reply. “Come on, B,” he said quietly. He was counting on B coming. somehow he knew he would show himself eventually.

B had tried to kill him before because of his anger. He wouldn’t be able to resist coming back again. B remembered Sammy, he had seen it in his eyes just before the boy had killed Kevin. He remembered who he was and all Sammy had to do was to persuade B to listen to his memories.

He began walking again down the silent corridors. The base was larger than he had originally thought, but it was clear that Paul had been right when he’d told Sammy it was undermanned. There were no Gerai anywhere and even on the last set of scans Sammy had taken, he had hardly seen any. This base and the Gerai’s mission had been nothing but a desperate act, but it had still almost killed them. What would have happened if the Gerai had unleashed that vicious virus upon everyone?

As he reached the end of the corridor, he found another turning. It looked identical to every other fork Sammy had seen in the place. He drummed his fingers against his side. Which way would B have gone?

He closed his eyes briefly and then turned right, hoping that it wasn’t the wrong choice. The base was like an impossible maze.

He had only taken a few steps before he knew that there was somebody behind him. He froze.

“Didn’t you get the message last time?” a voice hissed.

Sammy turned around and saw that B was leaning against a wall on the left, his face overrun with an angry scowl. He must have come from the opposite turning and followed Sammy. A small flame of hope was ignited in Sammy’s chest. B had answered his voice and come to him instead of just running. That had to mean something.

“I don’t want anything to do with you anymore,” B added. He had a knife in his hand and Sammy felt slightly sick as he saw that blood had clotted on the edge of the blade.

Sammy gulped slightly and then shook his head. “You don’t mean that, he replied.

B’s face creased with yet more anger. “Yes I do!” he screamed. “Don’t you tell me what I think and what I know! I don’t need you!” His limbs were trembling as they tensed and he gestured violently with the knife.

Sammy stared calmly at him and watched the blade out of the corner of his eye, knowing that with B’s mental condition he would behave erratically and could strike at any point. He studied B’s face carefully. It was red with anger but at the same time his eyes were wide and betrayed him. They were watering slightly.

“Why are you crying?” Sammy asked softly.

B moved away from the wall, but did not come any closer to Sammy. “I’m not,” he said stubbornly. He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

“Then what were you doing?”

B glared at him, but did not reply. He folded his arms, looking away from his brother. The knife was still held tightly in his hands.

“B, stop playing with knives, please?” Sammy asked. “You’ve hurt at least two people with it. Just listen to me.” Sammy may have had his own weapon, but he wouldn’t use it on B, even in self-defence.

“Why should I?” B replied coldly. “I hate you.”

Sammy’s eyes narrowed. This was it. He had already known what he had to do in his mind and now he could back out. He leapt forward and viciously seized hold of B’s wrists, making the boy yelp in surprise. In one quick movement he had knocked the knife from his hands and then kicked away well out of reach of B.

“Get off of me!” B squealed. “Get off, get off!” He writhed and struggled, but Sammy was bigger than he was and only gripped his arms even tighter.

“You remember me and you remember dad!” he snapped. “You also remember that we are not your enemies!” He had to make B understand! And this was the only way he knew how. He’d tried being calm and that had led to Kevin’s death. Now it was time to exorcise some authority. B was his younger brother and Sammy had disciplined him in the past to make him see what was right and wrong. Now he would have to use that method again.

“You left me!” B had turned his head away from Sammy, refusing to look at his face while he still struggled.

“No I didn’t!” Sammy felt hot tears running down his cheeks. Reasoning with B hadn’t worked before and it wouldn’t work here, unless Sammy wanted to end up in the same state as Brian. “I am sick of this! I am sick of you wallowing! It’s time for you to wake up!” He practically screamed the words at B. He hadn’t abandoned him! He would never leave B behind.

B suddenly lowered his head and bit Sammy’s hand. Sammy closed his eyes and only clung on even tighter to B, even though he felt himself crying out. He could feel the skin rubbing and bruising below his hands and he could feel B’s teeth ripping into his skin, but he wouldn’t let go of him. This was his brother and he wasn’t going to let go of him ever or surrender to him to the Gerai.

“I’ve been through too much for you to take this shit!” Sammy snapped. He spun around and wrenched B off of his hand before pinning him against the wall. Tears had stained B’s cheeks and he was screaming. Sammy didn’t know if it was anger, pain or frustration. “I’ve been through too much to keep you alive and I will not leave you here now!”

“I’m not going back with you, I’m not going back with you!” B screamed. Sammy still held his wrists and had pinned them against the wall again, but B was kicking furiously.

“Yes you are! You’re my little brother! I damn well raised you and you do as I say! When I tell you to come home, you’re going to damn well come home!”

B was shaking his head. “No, no, no! I hate you! I wish you were dead! I want you to get away from me! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”

Then the pain started. It was slow at first, creeping over his stomach like an unfriendly hand but all too soon those fingers turned into talons that felt as if they were tearing at his flesh. “B!” he gasped. How could B do things like this? He had thought it was his imagination before, but now he saw that it wasn’t that at all. B was struggling even more, desperate to escape. Sammy bit his lip, trying to blot out the pain and he felt a thin trickle of blood oozing from where his teeth had dug in too hard. “Uh…”

B was glaring at him hatefully. “I want you to die! Just go away!” he screamed through a haze of tears.

Sammy suddenly jerked one of his hands away from B and then smacked B hard across the face. “Stop it!” he yelled.

B fell back, clutching his face and staring at Sammy in shock and fear. The pain abruptly stopped and Sammy ran a hand briefly over his chest to make sure that none of his skin beneath his shirt had been ripped as it had felt. He breathed deeply, his hand trembling from what he had done. “You don’t want to hurt me, B. You know you don’t. You’re just pushing me away because you’re afraid to accept your past! You’re confused and you need help!”

B’s hands had turned themselves into fists. His face was red, but Sammy saw what was going to happen and was prepared as B ran into him, trying to hammer him with his fists. “I’m not confused! I’m normal, I’m normal!” he sobbed. Sammy grabbed him, but B refused to stop trying to hit him. His fists flailed and Sammy easily blocked them. He sighed and then pinned B back against the wall. “You need help and you know it. I’m not Marlowe, I’m not a scientist. I’m your brother and I love you!” he snapped. “I can help you!”

“You don’t know what I’ve been through!” B’s face had almost turned purple. He pushed violently against Sammy’s hands and at the same moment Sammy felt something invisible pressing into his stomach again, but this time it was a weak and pathetic effort. He gritted his teeth and kept hold of B’s wrists. B was trembling, too confused and angry to even use his unique mental abilities.

He sobbed slightly. “You don’t know what I’ve been through!” His hands tore at Sammy’s, trying to unclench his fingers. “You don’t know!”

Sammy’s vision was now blurred with tears. He could hardly make out B’s face anymore. B kicked weakly at him and once again scrabbled at his hands, like a wounded animal almost. “I would if you would tell me,” he whispered.

B pressed himself against the wall, turning his head away from Sammy. He shook his head, but ceased his struggles. “I don’t remember much,” he replied.

“I can help you,” Sammy said tearfully. “You can remember what you lost. You can remember that you have a family.” ‘Remember me.’

“You’re hurting me.” B’s eyes had closed.

Sammy scrutinised him carefully through the veil of tears and then slowly released B’s arms, but remained watchful in case he tried to run or escape. B had always been unpredictable, but now he was worse than ever, but Sammy was close to reaching him. He had to be…

B clutched his arms to his chest and Sammy could see the bright red and purple skin about his wrists. B sniffled miserably and slowly slunk down to the floor where he clasped his knees to his chest.

Sammy seated himself opposite B, but kept his distance. He didn’t want B to feel too trapped or pressured.

“Why did you attack dad?” Sammy asked after the silence had stretched to fill a few minutes.

“It wasn’t him!” B snapped. “It was an impostor! It was that scientist who hurt me! They look the same!” The voice was suddenly full of venom and hatred.

Sammy placed his head in his hands. B was so confused that he couldn’t tell who was who anymore. Sammy remembered Marlowe from the time he had seen B. Now he thought back to it, that man had resembled Brian. No doubt that was what had made B’s confusion even worse.

“It wasn’t a scientist, B. That was dad. He loves you,” Sammy said softly.

B shook his head. “That wasn’t my father! It wasn’t him, it wasn’t him!”

Sammy thought of Brian lying in the corridor, blood pouring from the wound in his side and his body crippled and bruised. “You spent your whole life wishing you had a father and now you do, you push him away,” Sammy sobbed. “He’d do anything for you, but now you’re so mixed up that you don’t know who anybody is anymore.” He was trembling. He didn’t even know if his father would be alive when he returned to him and B was the cause…

B was shaking his head and murmuring to himself, but now his voice was growing with more and more anger and desperation. “It wasn’t him, it wasn’t him, it wasn’t him, it wasn’t him!” He screamed. He jumped to his feet. “It wasn’t, it wasn’t!” He suddenly began to cry, covering his whole face with his hands. “It wasn’t…” He slumped to his knees again, the sobs shaking his small body.

Sammy slowly crawled forward. B couldn’t think of that being his father. The guilt would kill him. He had to believe that it was Marlowe that he had attacked. Anything else was just too painful.

“Come here,” he whispered as he pulled B into his arms. “Come here, it’s all right.”

“It wasn’t him…”

Sammy’s voice shook slightly. “No, it wasn’t,” he whispered. “You’re right, I was mistaken. They just look alike that it’s difficult to tell sometimes.” He rocked B in his arms, more tears falling. Brian might be gone by now and B was almost falling over the edge into a black void of insanity. He kissed him on the head and stroked his hair soothingly like he used to do when B was a baby. “B, let’s go home,” he pressed gently.

He felt B’s body tense and then something hard was hitting his chest and pulling him away from B. He groaned as he slid across the floor and hit the wall. It wasn’t over yet.

“No!” B screamed. “H-how do I know I can trust you? You left me!” B’s hands trembled as he held them to his head in confusion.

Sammy shook his head. “You’re just believing what Marlowe told you! He separated us and kept us apart! You were locked in a lab, I in another room as a slave! Wake up, B! Remember!”

B was angry again. He was on his feet and pacing with discomfort. He twitched in agitation and emotions fought across his face in wars of confusion and fear. “I can’t remember…” He covered his face with his hands. “I can’t!” He stared up at Sammy. “I want you to go, I want you to leave me alone!”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Sammy tried to crawl towards him again but B stepped away, staring at him like he was a dangerous animal of some sort. “Not until you tell me that you remember!”

B shook his head. “I can’t!”

“Yes you can!” Sammy screamed. He scrambled to his feet and then grabbed hold of B again. He wasn’t sure how B could do the things he did, but he had to prevent him from using his new abilities. He couldn’t fight them. He seized hold of B’s arms and forced him to look at him. “I am your brother, don’t you remember that?”

B tried to look away from him, but Sammy only pulled him closer. “Do you?” he pressed.

“I-I…” B looked lost and tears were falling again.

Sammy stared at him tearfully. If B couldn’t remember, then what did he do? “Do you remember?” he said quietly. He allowed the salty tears to run down. He could not leave without B, he would cry forever. His stomach writhed as he began to be faced with a new, horrifying possibility. What if B couldn’t remember? He sniffed slightly. “Do you remember this, BumbleB?” He suddenly pulled B into a tight hug.

B went limp in his arms and then he began to cry. Sammy sobbed himself as he suddenly felt B clutching him desperately and wailing like a small child.

“Sammy…” he cried. “Sammy. I-I… So… sor-”

“Shush, now,” Sammy soothed. He gently, yet firmly picked B up and placed him over his shoulder. “Come on, we’re going home.”

B didn’t reply, but he didn’t argue either. He just clung even tighter to Sammy.



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