Chapter 9

Hubert Quinn - South Carolina

Jason Allen Matthews had been out of prison for six months, following a proven miscarriage of justice. The system wrongfully convicted Matthews of murdering an innocent bystander in a shooting incident. His previous affiliation with the gang, BMC—Big Money Crew—was the logical reason for his coming up as a suspect in the murder.

Jason Allen Matthews left the crew over three years ago. But that didn’t matter, because once the system knew you as a gang member, a gang member is what you’d forever be. Detectives snatched up Matthews after a witness’ sketch of the shooter looked just like him. Things got worse for Matthews when a member of the gang—later discovered to be a part of the shooting—ratted him out. They corroborated the detective’s story that Matthews was involved, causing Matthews to go down for the murder.

It wasn’t until months of fighting the system from behind bars that Matthews could finally prove his innocence. The lawyer cost the family a fortune, but the attorney put some heat on the detectives, threatening to expose their unethical practices.

And now, Jason Allen Matthews was a free man. His slightly blemished reputation meant that only cleaning jobs were available to him. And unfortunately for him, a new line of cleaning bots claimed all the good jobs. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to worry about that for too much longer. Quinn was going to give him an easy way out.

“You know him, yes?” Quinn asked Kyle in the back seat of his SUV. He passed the phone to Kyle. It showed Jason Allen Matthew’s mugshot on the screen.

“Of course,” Kyle said. “He used to roll with the ops. Me and my soldiers are more than happy to take this guy out.”

“Good,” Quinn said.

“But I have to let you know, we don’t do celebrity discounts. A hit is ten thousand around here.”

“Type in your pay code and I’ll have it sent right away. I have a special request, though.”

“What’s that?”

Quinn pressed his index finger on the window, aiming it toward a tatted-up woman across the street. “I want the girl in your gang to do the hit. The one with the tanned skin and brown hair.” Quinn watched the confusion set in on Kyle’s face. “Think she can handle it?” Quinn asked.

“She can do it. No problem. But why? Is it some fetish thing?”

“Just get it done today,” Quinn said, snatching his phone back. He glanced at the screen and saw Kyle’s pay code written in the notes app. “He should set out to work between two and two-thirty.”

“Got it. I’ll go set it up now.” Kyle stepped out of the SUV and walked back to his fellow gang members, who were all eagerly waiting to find out what Hubert Quinn wanted.

Quinn glanced at his driver through the interior mirror. “Let’s head to the diner,” he said.

*

Quinn got out of the vehicle and glanced across the open parking lot. The lot connected the diner and several grocery stores. There was heavy foot traffic. Cars were entering and leaving constantly. Kids were bustling in the sun, begging their parents for candies and treats. People loading their cars full of brown bags and appliances. They were going about their miserable lives, and Quinn felt annoyed at having to be among them. All because Masha wanted to meet somewhere local. What kind of man doesn’t invite an old friend into his home? Quinn thought.

He made his way across the parking lot, keeping his eyes locked on the diner entrance. A boy called out to him. “I knew it! It’s you. It’s Hubert Quinn. You’re immortal.”

Quinn forced a smile. As much as he hated it, he had to play into his public image. “Hey there, little guy. Where are your parents?”

“They’re inside the store.”

“Go find your parents and keep out of trouble, alright?”

The boy pulled off the hooded sweater he was wearing, revealing an Immortal T-shirt. Printed on the T-shirt was an illustrated version of Quinn, Jade, and Watts. The words ‘Forever Immortal’ were printed in bold yellow text. “Will you sign my T-shirt for me?” the boy asked, pulling a marker from his pocket.

“Sorry kid. We don’t get royalties from those T-shirts. Buy your merch directly from our website.”

The boy wasn’t fazed. Instead of backing down, he went for a bigger ask than the first. “Can we take a selfie, then? Please?”

Quinn considered turning away. But then he thought about the positive press that might come from such a thing. They needed all the positive buzz they could get after Solace blemished their image. “Come here then, boy,” Quinn said, waving him over. He knelt beside the boy and smiled as he aimed the camera at them. Quinn noticed it wasn’t in fact a picture, it was some kind of live video. “What’s your name?” he asked the boy.

“Brian,” he said.

“To anyone out there watching, I want you to know that this kid Brian is much smarter than me. I’m no longer the smartest man in the world. This kid Brian is a mastermind. Make sure you and your friends work hard at school, Brian, okay?”

“I will, sir. Thank you.”

Quinn raised a thumb at the camera and stood. He rubbed Brian’s head and smiled. “I have a meeting to get to. Have a good day now.”

“Thanks, sir. You’re the best.”

Quinn saw a man exit the nearby store and stare at them. “Brian,” he called.

“Great son you’ve got here,” Quinn said. “Keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The smile quickly faded from his face as he turned to the diner. Fuck! I hate people.

*

Masha sat at a table in the far corner of the diner, slouched in his seat, reading a tablet. He stood when Quinn moved closer to the table. “Long time,” he said, reaching out for a handshake.

Quinn took his hand. “Too long.”

“Have a seat, man,” Masha said. “I recommend the chicken salad here. It’s real good. Just say the word and I’ll get them to bring you one.”

“No, I’m fine,” Quinn said.

“Reason I eat here is because everything is fresh. They order their meat and veggies directly from a farm twenty miles south. Been there myself. They use no growth hormones and no bullshit to boost up the fruits and vegetables. Everything is natural, you know? They keep their clientele low so they’re not forced to tamper with the product to meet demands. And this diner pays a premium to have the freshest food in this part of town.”

Quinn forced another smile. “That’s great.” He took a good look at Masha. The man was bulkier than ever. His knuckles were so thick that he could end a mortal’s life with one soft punch to the heart. He had broad shoulders and a barrel chest. His brown dreads dangled over his clavicle. His abs were so defined that they showed through his sleeveless tank top. His skin was like thick, glowing, impenetrable ebony. Masha was without a doubt the most psychically adept immortal. Quinn often wondered how much of his physique was down to genetic traits, and how much was from the star serum.

“I heard about Zip,” Masha said. “I’m surprised it took this long for you to reach out to me.”

Quinn straightened up in his seat and looked Masha dead in the eyes. “Yeah, well, we’ve had so much to deal with behind the scenes that it took a minute. But that’s why I’m here. Because I want you back in the fold so that you’re with us all the time. These people we’re dealing with are terrorists. It’s one of those groups that feel like America has an unfair advantage in global warfare because we exist. Some people see us as walking-talking nukes.”

“Our genetics give us an enormous advantage,” Masha said. “I served in the army and saw first-hand just how overpowered we are.”

Quinn sneered. “To be fair, you are a freak of nature, even for us.”

Masha chuckled. “Maybe. I gotta be honest, though, Quinn. What you did to me was manipulative. You wanted to keep me away from my biological family, just so I could play superhero with you.”

For years, the details behind their biological parents were top secret. They grew up under the care of a government-backed program. Even as a child, Quinn wasn’t stupid. He knew the government wanted to monitor them. They wanted to groom them into becoming political assets, without making it obvious. But when turning sixteen, Quinn’s own curiosity got the better of him. For months, he played nicely with their caretakers. He put on a smile and said all the right things when they were visited by the Vice President and Secretary of Defense. Quinn played the role of a star government asset in order to get all the information he needed from COG and the EIA. And when they trusted him, he moved in and obtained everything he wanted. He seized military operation plans, classified mission reports, and the identities of all the immortal’s biological parents. Even the parents of the babies who had died.

But when he finally gained access to the information, he realized that he no longer needed it. He read the names of his mother and father and had no desire to ever seek them out. Quinn was already among his true family. He was destined for great things. He didn’t need some silly middle-aged couple to think they had any say in his life. Besides, they hadn’t wanted him in the first place. They’d given him up to an orphanage. If they didn’t want him, then he didn’t want them. He focused on becoming the best-damned asset to America that he could be. Because his success would be their biggest punishment.

Despite Quinn’s own animosity toward his parents, he had a feeling that his immortal siblings wouldn’t share his viewpoint. He shared the information with Jade because he trusted her the most of them all. But one particular occasion made him want never to share the information with Masha.

One day, caretakers took them to an amusement park as a special treat. They were offered special badges that allowed them to skip ahead of any line. Regardless of this, Masha wanted to queue for every single ride so he could witness the lives of everyday families. Quinn would never forget the glossiness in his eyes as he watched a father and his son in the queue before them. For that reason, Quinn kept the information from him. Quinn needed Masha to remain in the fold. Because together, they could surely become part of America’s great legacy. And since they were immortal, and would never grow old and die, they may one day lead the country themselves.

Two days after visiting the amusement park, Masha found the documents himself while they were moving out of their group home. That day he left their group and never looked back. He moved to South Carolina and sought his true family.

“Look, Masha,” Quinn said. “You have to understand why I didn’t say anything. There’s a reason I didn’t go looking for my own parents. Do you think I wasn’t living with depression of my own? Knowing they abandoned me? I felt like it would do nothing but kill me inside to meet the ones who let me become a test baby. I’m just happy the Starlight program worked in our favor, but who knows what could have happened to us? Any one of us could have died during the procedure. I wanted to protect you from whatever person would toss you away like trash.”

 “As my serum brother, you were supposed to give me the information and let me decide for myself what I want to do with it,” Masha said. “Giving me up was a financial decision. My family was poor and couldn’t feed another baby. Man, if only you knew the difference I’ve made in their lives since being here. My mother retired, thanks to me. I’ve become a positive role model to my little brothers and cousins. I even got my brother out of prison and set him on the right path. This kind of thing makes a vast difference, man.” 

Quinn inhaled sharply. He glanced at the clock on the wall during his exhale. Like clockwork, Masha’s phone vibrated on the table. The screen showed that the call was from his mother. Masha’s eyes shot between the phone and Quinn as if he considered whether to answer. “It’s fine. Answer,” Quinn said. “I’ll just order myself a drink.”

Quinn stood and walked over to the counter. He eyed the selection of drinks and listened. Waiting. "What happened, ma?” Masha was asking. “Shit!” he yelled. Quinn tried hard to suppress a smile. “I’ll head right over there.”

The imitation leather seats squeaked with relief when Masha got up on his feet. Quinn turned to him. “What’s up?” he asked.

Masha shook his head. “Look, I’ll get back in touch with you again, alright? I’ve gotta handle something.” He tapped Quinn on the shoulder and waved to the worker mopping the floors.

Quinn watched through the glass door as Masha rushed to his jeep. He had a feeling that he would be ready to join the Seers any day now.

-Mere Immortal is written by Gary Swift. If you see this on another website under another name, then someone has plagiarised 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.