Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

Hubert Quinn - Connecticut

Quinn dropped his luxury bag into the vintage leather two-seater sofa in the hallway. He heard the internal combustion engine of the car parking up outside. That meant it wasn't his taxi. The tapping of the feet on the cobblestone told him exactly who was home. Jade loved her heeled boots.

The door opened and Jade flowed through it. Turning around to close the door with haste. She exhaled deeply, not realizing that Quinn was a few steps away. "Shit," she whispered.

"It's alright," Quinn said, startling her.

"Oh, you're here."

"I'm waiting on my ride to Charleston. But, don't worry. I've already seen the updates on social media. They all speak of a man and woman shooting down PDs and fighting with a single masked woman in black. Thankfully, no one has mentioned your name."

Jade blew air through her lips and beat her fist against the door. "We're not dealing with a normal person here, Quinn. I don't even know how they could have tracked me down in the van like that. They have to be connected or something."

"General Webster has people combing through the ranks of COG and EIA for any recent firings or resignations, to be sure. If nothing matches up, then we may have a mole somewhere."

Jade folded her arms, digging her nails into her elbows. "Even so, that woman is too bold. There's something not right about her. She doesn't act like a normal person. When I look into her eyes, I don't see the fear that I see with other people."

"Have you noticed anything else key about her appearance?" Quinn asked.

Jade's eyes darted to the ceiling. "East Asia features, but mixed. Athletic. Come to think of it, she's gotta be in her early twenties. Our age."

Quinn smiled. "Tell me, do you recall when we got rid of our human creator?"

"You mean Dr. Calloway? Yes. He had quite the underground lab down there in Brazil. I'm glad we got to him before he figured out a way to reverse his greatest creations."

A car let off its horn outside the door to let Quinn know it was there. This was his taxi. The engine was silent. Quinn didn't like that he could never hear the electric cars coming. "Do you remember who else was around when we went to kill him?"

Jade searched her memory again. "If I remember correctly, one of Calloway's assistants was off that day. The other one we got to right before Calloway himself. She was quite the screamer."

"Remember anything else?" Quinn probed.

"Oh. Wasn't there a girl there that we shot at? I was entering from the other side of the building so I didn't get a look at her, but Watts tells me she was trying to get Dr. Calloway to safety. But Calloway was more concerned about her getting away. I think it was an adopted child or something. Am I right?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes. She was around our age, too. A teenager at the time."

"You think this Zella girl is her?"

"The motivation fits. But we must be absolutely sure about this. If she's connected with Calloway then it could spell trouble for us. We never know what the mad scientist may have discussed with her."

Jade's mouth fell open. She walked away from the door, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "What's the plan?"

"Right now, I'm heading to Charleston to lock in Masha. We need him more than ever. When I get back, we head to Brazil. In the meantime, we have the media working in our favor. Even if Solace uses Elaine Rowe, COG can help us drown out their message."

Quinn picked up his bag from the two-seater and made for the door. Jade placed a palm on his biceps as he passed. "What's the play with Masha?"

Quinn turned to face her. "Masha is a soldier with no war. All we need to do is show him the war and he will fight." Quinn left her side and disappeared through the door.

*

Zella Mills - Naguela

Lola Osei switched on the projector in their meeting room, while Elias Pope shut the blinds so they could see the projected image on the wall much clearer. In the days it had taken them to drive back home to Naguela, COG had already spun the Los Angeles rescue mission. They had saved the lives of Elaine Rowe and her producer, Heath. But the world would know a different version of events.

Lola projected the article on the wall for them all to read. Immortal Murderer Kidnaps Elaine Row in Los Angeles. That's what the headline read. Below the headline there were two sketches of what witnesses believed Zella and Joe Halili to look like.

"My hair isn't that messy, is it?" Zella said.

"The article mentions Washington has given COG and the EIA the green light to do whatever they need to rescue America's favorite reporter," Lola said.

"You mean America loves me suddenly?" Elaine smirked. "Not too long ago they thought I was a trashy civilian journalist, doing anything for clicks."

Joe Halili slammed his palm on the table. "No matter what we do, we're demonized for it. What's the point of even doing any of this? I wanted to change the world. To expose evil. Now they have a sketch of me on the front of every newspaper in America. Calling me a terrorist. All I ever wanted was justice for my mom."

"And we're going to get it," Zella said. "This is what we signed up for when we agreed to expose and take down the immortals. You already knew the world treated them like superheroes. Going against them was always going to make us the villains."

Khloe chimed in, as expected. "There was no avoiding that after murdering one of them. Even with the Red Hounds footage leaking, the public doesn't believe there was probable cause."

Zella locked eyes with her momentarily. Khloe had to have her digs at least once per day for everything to be normal between them. Even while giving her first aid in the car, Khloe had made sure to rub it in that this was her own fault. Zella was growing tired of it. Now wasn't the time to address her. They had guests. "Look, the immortals have COG at their disposal. That means they have the power of the media and the US government. We just have to eat shit for a while until we put in some work to win over the public. We know that COG has its hands in dirt all over the world. Enough that the US risks war if they continue. The public won't be happy once they learn the truth behind COG and their beloved immortals. The longer America sides with them, the worst it will be for them."

Joe stood up straight and looked Zella in the eyes. "You're right, Zella. We just have to switch up our focus a little. Let's stop going directly at Quinn and the others, and play the long game. We need to get some receipts that we can use against them. We'll play this propaganda game with them."

"Can I make one thing clear?" Khloe said. "America is not our enemy. There are good people in the US government. People who want to see the country thrive. Those people still hold the rights of the American people in high regard."

"I never said otherwise," Zella said.

Khloe continued as if she hadn't heard Zella. "Both the EIA and COG were respected agencies who wanted to uphold our freedom. The problem came when evil corporations and politicians infiltrated them. Wanting nothing more than to change the fabric of America. And the world. They are the ones who wanted to use the immortals to bully the opposition. We need to focus on outing these people and not look at the American government as our enemy. America is designed to prevent dictatorship. Evil corporations and politicians find covert ways to create their own organized dictatorships. That is what I'm here to put a stop to."

Zella agreed with her words, but somehow, she felt attacked, as if Khloe was aiming her statement at her. Joe threw his arm around Khloe and smiled. "Well said. I needed that reminder of why we're fighting. I grew up in America, and I had an amazing childhood because of it. My parents were immigrants and worked their asses off so that I could go surfing with my friends on the weekend. Few countries are that rewarding, ya know? And then, my mother was murdered for being smart enough to empower the poor. That's what woke me up to the evil in the shadows. We have to fight so that the next generation has a chance to enjoy America as we know it."

"Not all capitalism is bad, you know," said Heath. Zella hadn't heard him speak much since the ride home. During their drive across the border, he'd told them all about his unfavorable encounter with Hubert Quinn. The bruises on his face told half the story. The man was lucky to still be alive without more serious injuries. "Speaking of capitalism, though, how do you expect us to migrate our operation here?" His eyes danced around the room. Looking at the old rundown cream wallpaper that was stripping off the walls. "There's no way we can film in this place."

"And let's not forget, we left behind our best equipment," Elaine added.

Zella took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling the soreness of her stab wound as she did so. She pressed her hand against the wound in response. "I will use my personal savings to get you set up somewhere across town. It will be nicer than this place. I promise."

Joe turned to face Heath. "In return, you're going to help us spread our message, right? The world has to see we're not the evil ones."

"We don't intend to be another propaganda machine," Heath said.

"But we owe it to you," Elaine added. "You saved our lives. Jade had no good intentions for us. And we've seen firsthand how problematic the immortals are. If you give us a story worth reporting, then you have our support. Just let us get back on our feet first."

"You got it," Joe nodded.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to rest a bit. The ride back wasn't very comfy," Elaine said. "After some rest, I'll be open to hearing more about your plans."

"Second room on your left," Lola said from behind the computer screen. "That room is yours for now."

Elaine and Heath said their thanks before leaving the room. Khloe stepped into Zella's space, causing her to tense. "Let me see your wound. It probably needs new dressing." Zella guarded her cut with her hand, forcing Khloe to tug at her fingers. "Let me see, Zella."

She relaxed herself and allowed Khloe to peel away the tape and prod at her. "Jesus," Khloe said.

"What?" Joe called. "Is she still bleeding or what?"

"No. She's… It's almost healed. It's a miracle."

Zella covered up the cut with her vest. "Young bodies heal faster, I guess." Khloe's eyes did not stray from Zella's for at least half a minute. It was Elias, sat next to Lola at the computers, that broke the silence.

"Oh, Joe," he called. "You mentioned that you and Zella were interested in buying a local business so you can bring in some income. Well, there's a farmer who's looking to sell off his farm. I've sent the address to your emails now. A farm could be an excellent investment for us. And at least we'd never go hungry."

"Good call," Joe said. "I'm tired of beans on toast every day."

"Baked beans are a delicacy where I'm from," Elias said.

"Let's see about that farm first thing tomorrow," Zella said, walking out of Khloe's line of sight. "A break from immortal hunting would be nice."

-Mere Immortal is written by Gary Swift. If you see this on another website under another name, then someone has plagiarized it. Visit mereimmortal.com for official chapters. Subscribe to the Substack paid tier to read further ahead in the story.

-This version of Mere Immortal is written in US English.