Toka-Ace #1: The Re-Emergence
Chapter 12

In about three hours, Dominic and Carla Herron would wake up and discover that Andrew and I were missing. What could we do about that? If we went back, than Tovlin would replace me again and we would all be targeted. I already knew from how they attacked Andrew that innocent bystanders were not only not going to stop them from attacking me, but could easily get hurt.

Andrew and I went upstairs and looked through Katherine’s refrigerator. She had nothing but healthy food. When you’re hungry enough, you’ll even eat your vegetables. After he ate Andrew fell asleep in what he presumed to be the guest bedroom.

If someone told Andrew “make yourself at home,” he really took it to heart. If he could, he would leave his dirty socks and boxers all over the floor like they were area rugs or something. I wasn’t ready to sleep. Katherine had a computer in her living room. I sat on the chair, eyes transfixed on the screen as I aimlessly surfed the internet.

The fun had disappeared now that Andrew was asleep. I hated that. The pressure of the situation returned.

Andrew was able to liven up a situation, to calm me down by making me laugh. Now it was just me, totally serious, alone with my anxiety. My anxiety is miserable company.

What was taking Katherine so long?

It doesn’t matter, I told myself. Now was the time to think everything through. I had my list. The first thing was Mom. She was part of Tovlin.

I typed in Bing.com. The homepage wallpaper was a picture of a hummingbird. The search bar waited patiently for me. “Human Experimentation.” I pressed enter and waited.

The results were not pretty. Throughout history there had been grotesque misuse of science an astonishing number of malicious experiments carried out on people. I read and was appalled at the various evils among them: the torture of MK Ultra, the chemical injections that the Nazi’s carried out, and the deliberate injection of the polio virus into black men’s veins for the Tuskegee experiment.

It was then I noticed a theme. It was always the people who were perceived of as being lesser value who were being used as the guinea pigs.

The ones doing the experiments always hid in the shadows. When light was shed on their deeds, usually very much against their will, they always justified their work by saying that they were working to advance some grand agenda.

When I read about the Tuskegee experiment, a certain line caught my eye and I fixated on it.

SOME WORKED FOR THE “GLORY OF SCIENCE”

The glory of science? Innocent people were deliberately left to die a slow death so that the scientists could study the progress of a disease? Did they really value human life so little? People had their minds scarred by horrific torture, for what?

That’s what I had been to Tovlin. A guinea pig. That was the awful truth. The mother that I had cherished for so long saw me as nothing but a tool to advance her organization’s agenda. Tovlin used orphans, people who no one cared about. It was sick.

Before I could get too angry, I reminded myself that Mom was the one who put a stop to these experiments according to Katherine. I would have liked to know more about the details-when Mom decided it was wrong what she did. I would have to remember to ask Katherine about that.

I pushed the chair back, stood and then stretched. Then I began pacing. I returned to the computer. Another line from the page I was reading caught my eye.

THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS.

The people who conducted these atrocities, who performed dangerous experiments on people tragically thought that they had the right philosophy. All of them thought, or at least they claimed, to think that they were working for the greater good.

Who was so arrogant as to believe that their ideology was so pure that they could make any sacrifice, including the suffering and death of innocent people to achieve it?

The questions went around and around in my head until I felt like a merry go round.

No, it couldn’t possibly be for anyone’s good, I decided.

I sprawled on the couch. This whole experience had been draining. I knew that maybe I should have been thinking of some action that I could take..someway to protect myself..what to do next. Maybe that could wait…after all, I was so tired.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I was jolted awake suddenly. The computer screen had gone to sleep, which served to darken the house almost completely. “Wha?” I started.

Andrew silenced me by placing his hand over my mouth. I was agitated and confused. “I think someone is trying to get into the house,” he whispered.

“Maybe you’re just hearing things.” I was so sleepy. I didn’t want to wake up.

“You think that maybe those Tovlin guys tracked us down?” Andrew said into my ear.

I felt a jolt of fear. “Maybe it’s just Katherine,” I whispered. I sat up and then stood up, too afraid now to be sleepy.

“You think that she would take this long to get into her own house?” Andrew pointed out. “I think there’s someone at the back door.”

“I’ll check it.”I consciously tried not to make a sound as I slowly walked towards the door. I didn’t hear anything. I paused: total silence and darkness. I took another careful, gingerly step.

Then it hit me. Andrew was just messing with me, getting me back for the shadow thing. I stopped and turned, smiling and walked back towards Andrew. “Nice try, man. You really had me going. For a moment I was actually scared and I”

Then I heard a sound. It was a jostling of the doorknob. My heart felt like it was lodged in my throat.

Katherine had a thin curtain over the window of the back door. I could make out three shadows.

I felt something at my shoulder. I spun around fists raised, ready to fight. “Whoa.” Andrew raised his hands.

I lifted a hand silencing him. Slowly I backed him out of the kitchen. “I think you’re right.” I hissed.

“See,” Andrew said in a low voice.

I peeked into the kitchen. The door opened slowly as if whoever was coming in was trying not to make a sound. An unfamiliar man dressed in all black entered the house. He looked around slowly taking in every detail. Two other guys followed him in.

I backed off unnoticed. “There are three guys in the house.” I informed Andrew.

We were in the small hallway that connected the living room, the bathroom, and the bedrooms. There was also a door that led to the basement. Thankfully, when we came upstairs, neither Andrew nor I had closed it. We didn’t make a sound as we slinked back into the basement.

We could hear them above us. “Holy crap,” Andrew fretted. “Do you think they’re burglars or Tovlin?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. My heart was lodged in my throat and my mind raced. I heard the floor creak above me. I could tell they were getting close. I was going to be forced to use my powers. But to do what? Escape or fight?

“Troy, use your powers,” Andrew said echoing my thoughts.

I swallowed my angst and breathed deeply. I began to feel very warm. It was faint at first but then the white flames became increasingly visible as they swirled around me and then intensified to envelope me. For a moment I could see nothing but the swirling white flames. Then the flames broke and I was Toka-Ace.

My senses were heightened by the transformation. I now knew that all three men were at the basement door despite them doing all they could not to be heard. They were starting down. Luckily, the staircase that led down to the basement was narrow. Only one person could descend at a time.

“Come on, Andrew, we have to get out of here,” I said.

“What about Katherine?” Andrew protested.

“She’ll just have to replace us again.” I said after a moment of hesitation. Andrew had made a good point, Katherine was the only one with the answers we needed.

I looked back at Andrew. I could tell he was holding some concern, but It would have to wait until another time. I placed one hand on the wall and the other hand on Andrew’s shoulder. I concentrated on binding with the shadows. Andrew and I were starting to become one with the shadow.

Then…light. Someone had cut the basement lights on. I withdrew my hand from the wall. I could no longer bind with the shadow because there was no shadow.

I got in front of Andrew. I backed up and Andrew stayed behind me.

The three men finished descending the staircase and stood looking at Andrew and me.

At once I knew who they were. “More androids,” I said. They dropped their holographic disguises.

“Big mistake on you guys part.” I had hoped to sound tough. They were metallic humanoids, with thin dark grey skin that looked like scuba suits.

How had they found us? Katherine said that we’d be safe here. I couldn’t run and I knew a fight was coming. One versus three, not bad given my powers but Andrew was going to be a problem, I couldn’t afford to fight recklessly.

I lowered my stance and raised my guard, electricity crackled around my fists.

I shot out my hand and threw out a blast of lightning. The room flashed from the bolt. My target would be annihilated.

The android dropped to its stomach. It was crouched low. Its legs were spread wide and its hands gripped the floor. It had gone from standing upright to crouching low in the blink of an eye.

I saw a flash of movement from my left, and I turned my head.

Wham! The blow caught me in the face. I staggered back and caught myself before I fell. These androids were faster than the ones I fought before. Way faster. But I had to win this fight.

Another of the androids charged. It was too fast for me to react.

The androids drove its fist into my gut, and the force of the punch pushed me back. I grabbed it by the wrist tightly and unleashed a massive discharge of electricity. It twitched and jerked violently in my grasp.

It stopped moving. Smoke sizzled off the machine. I threw it, hoping to nail one of the droids. They simply dodged and the nonfunctioning droid hit the wall and fell to the ground.

Two on one now. Better odds but the droids weren’t going to let themselves get caught like their comrade.

They circled and attacked. So fast they were grey blurs. I swung and blasted with electric blasts. I hit nothing.

They circled me. Bam! They hit me. They struck my stomach, my ribs, kidneys, and face. They would hit me and then get out of range before I could counter.

I was knocked to the ground. I shot my hands up and fired a bolt of electricity. The blur of speed evaded my counter attack.

I sat up and saw the android draw back its’ fist, then it came at me. I wanted to counter attack but it was too fast, so I raised my arms to brace myself for the attack, but something felt different. There was no pain. My hand was closed around the handle of a sword.

The blade was driven deep in the androids shoulder. I twisted the blade and leveraged it. Then, I pulled the sword out as hard as I could. As I did the android’s arm separated from its body. It jumped back next to its comrade.

“Yeah! Keep it going, Troy!” Andrew jeered. He had his back toward the wall, inching his way to the staircase.

They circled me again. Their speed was unreal. The room became a whirlwind of flying, paper, glass, and sparks.

I slashed, whipping the sword so hard that the blade cracked the air. But I hit nothing.

I knew that I would have to wait for my chance to strike. Trying to get them now would be like trying to pluck a speeding fly out of midair.

Beakers containing chemicals were ripped from their resting places on the tables and flung through the air.

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but I heard the sound of glass smashing together. I saw smoke being released into the air.

I stepped back slowly. The blazing speed of the androids pulled at the gas cloud and it rapidly merged with the vortex.

The androids stopped suddenly and the gas slowly spread through the room. I took advantage of the moment of stillness to attack. I drew the sword back and prepared to slash through the neck. I leapt.

Then…

“Aaahhhh!!” I screamed in pain. I felt a sudden searing pain, like burning needles when the gas touched my skin.

I fell back away from the gas. As I did, my skin began to feel relief.

The gas spread slowly. I backed away not wanting to touch any more of it. I backed up until I was against the wall, and the gas was closing in on me. The gas rose and spread. A blue cloud had started to block the ceiling light and darken the room.

I covered my face with one arm. “Andrew!” I yelled. “Get upstairs! Do not let this gas touch you!”

I placed my hand against the wall. I concentrated on merging with the shadows. My body became numb and took on a shadowy appearance before fusing with the shadow on the wall.

The gas had touched the wall but luckily had no effect on my body.

I moved within the shadows to get to Andrew. He wasn’t on the staircase. Maybe he had gotten upstairs.

I couldn’t see the androids.

I emerged from the shadows upstairs in the hallway. The gas had seeped in from downstairs and I breathed some of it in. My skin burned and I began to cough.

The front door flew open. Katherine was standing there.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

“Androids,” I coughed out. “They’re fast!”

There was a loud crash from the back door. CRUNCH! The sound of splinters cracking made me jump.

Katherine pulled out a gun and ran past me.

She searched the house.

I went to the living room and sat down trying to catch my breath.

A short while later Katherine came back. “What’s the matter?”

“I fought androids and breathed in some toxic gas,” I explained.

“Transform out,” Katherine said instantly. “In that form your capacity to breathe through your skin increases from two percent to thirty percent. If you go back to normal, you’ll be fine.”

“But the androids…” I argued.

“There are no androids here now.” Katherine said.

I complied and reverted back to my normal self. I immediately felt the difference; it was much easier to breathe.

I told Katherine what happened.

“I don’t understand how they were able to replace you here.” Katherine rubbed her chin. “I planted special devices all around this neighborhood that should have scrambled any sensors that they would have. But I’ve been out of Tovlin for a long time. It’s possible that they could have better technology than I have.”

“Oh. I almost forgot to mention that you might have a little bit of a problem cleaning up your basement. What took you so long?”

“There is someone named Jib’reel,” Katherine explained. “We had to be sure, absolutely sure, that he was taken care of in a manner where Tovlin would not get their hands on him. He’s being moved right now to a secure facility.”

“So you left me and Andrew vulnerable so that you could take care of this other guy?” I bristled.

“I’m sorry, but I really didn’t think that Tovlin would be able to beat my protective measures.” Katherine said. “Besides, Jib’reel is very special. If Tovlin gets their hands on you, that’s bad, if Tovlin gets a hold of Jib’reel, that’s catastrophic.”

“So what makes you think that Tovlin won’t replace this Jib’reel fellow?” I asked somewhat belligerently.

“There are only three of us attempting to protect nineteen of you.” Katherine said tiredly. “The remaining member of our group, is solely dedicated to protecting him. It’s in no way a guarantee, but it is the best that we can do.”

I didn’t like that answer.

“We need to get out of here,” Katherine said. “If they can replace you here, than we can’t afford to stay.”

“What will we do?” I asked.

“We’ll keep moving,” Katherine answered. “And we’ll figure something else out. Troy, I need to ensure that the others can use their powers and protect themselves.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” I pressed.

For a moment Katherine hesitated. “It means that for quite a while, you won’t have a normal life. Now that Tovlin is hunting you, you’ll have to devote your life to protect yourself and your brother.”

Right then I felt a weight on my shoulders. I began to feel numb as I imagined everything I had, my old life with mom and Andrew, and the nascent life with the Herrons fading away. I wanted to ask another question but my mind was a blank. I sighed heavily. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, how much deeper I could dig, or how much more I could give.

I turned and walked away. Katherine opened the door, to air out the basement.

After a few moments Katherine and I started down. “Andrew!” I called tiredly. I walked down the stairs with Katherine close behind. “Hey man, it’s safe now.” I called. “Katherine’s here. I think she scared the androids away.”

I expected Andrew to come out from some hiding place, maybe from behind an overturned table or a closet. Moments passed.

“Andrew,” I called again. “Now is not the time to try and scare me; it’s been a long evening. Come on man.”

No answer. An awful anxious feeling boiled from the pit of my stomach. “Andrew?” I called again. I ran up the stairs. “Andrew?”

I went to the living room. “Andrew?”

I looked in the dining room. “Andrew?”

Frantically, I searched the entire house. “Andrew where are you?”

He was gone.