Chapter Sixteen

Amina Dark - Connecticut

Amina walked back into the main hall of the mansion. “And that’s everywhere that we have access to,” she said. “COG has some secret rooms around here. I know that much.” She looked up at Masha, waiting for a response.

During the tour of the house, Masha wore the same plain, unimpressed expression. “Doesn’t it get depressing being locked up in such a big place?” He asked her. “I mean, it’s a nice place, but if I stay here too long, I’ll be bored out of my gotdamm mind.” He smirked.

Amina hummed with laughter. “That, I agree with. I was bored until you came.” Yet, her words couldn't capture the whole truth. Living amidst the Seers offered her a sanctuary of similar souls, a feeling of belonging that should complete her. But amid this unconventional family, Amina found herself steeped in a peculiar solitude.

There was an unseen part of her, nestled deep within her spirit, begging for fulfillment. It was as if this part, a fusion of her Iranian roots and American upbringing, was yearning for an awakening. A part of her that was uniquely hers, a part caught between two worlds, and longing for a sense of wholeness. Having no parents to teach her the culture meant that she often felt like an outsider, even among her peers. She always respected Masha for how freely he embodied his unique culture and perspective.

The main door opened. Finnigan Watts strolled through the door and eyed them. “Masha! You’re here.” He spoke.

Masha held his giant knuckle out, inviting Watts to greet him with a fist bump. “It’s been too long, brother.”

The two men greeted, and Watts nodded at Amina. Amina looked at them and smiled. With Masha back in the ranks, the diversity in their group was clearer. It was all by design. America had intentionally assigned a group of diverse babies for Dr Calloway’s’ Starlight Program. Amina herself was of Iranian descent. Masha was a black man, though she didn’t know the specifics of his family’s lineage. Watts’s parents were from either Scotland or Ireland. She couldn’t remember which. She knew that both Scottish and Irish folk would berate her for mixing them up. Jade was mixed black and white. Zip had been British-American. And Quinn was a full-blooded American. Perhaps it was why he was head of the table. They served America, after all. Regardless of their diverse birthplaces, they were all raised under the U.S. banner. Groomed into becoming COG’s tools of destruction. Amina was certain that she was supposed to have a stronger political take on their actions, but without the education of her lineage, she could only stick to what she was raised to do.

“I saw your work on the news, my man,” Masha told Watts.

“Ahh, yes,” Watts said. “General Webster and COG needed us to give our friends in Estrea a leg up in the war.”

Masha folded his arms. “So, we’re still doing the government’s dirty work, I see.”

“Yes,” Amina replied. “And I’m wondering why we aren’t hunting down this Zella chick more aggressively.”

A door opened and closed somewhere above. Seconds later, Quinn and Jade were stepping down towards them. “Watts, you’re home!” Quinn smiled. “Excellent job with the Infractor. The interaction was a little sloppy, but COG has our backs with the media coverage.”

Watts tilted his head in Quinn’s direction. “Hey, I did the best I could, given the circumstances.”

“And the job is done. Well done,” Quinn replied.

The energy in the hall shifted once Quinn and Jade took the last step and stood before them. They had questioned the Seers’ motives among each other, and now it was time for those questions to be raised to the one who could do something about it.

Quinn’s eyes were on Masha. “I take it you got the tour already. Is your bed a suitable size?”

Masha smirked. “Man, if you saw the tiny ass beds they had me in when I was serving. I almost split the shit in half. After that, I can sleep on anything.”

Quinn let out a strained laugh. “Good.” He observed their faces for a moment before speaking again. “You know, it’s easy to tell when you were just the subject of a conversation. They say your ears burn when you’re being talked about, but no, it’s something else. It’s the dissipation of energy as you walk into the room. The loss of all personality.”

Amina was glad when Masha spoke up. “Man, to be honest with you, I’m just wondering when we get to stomping out this Zella bitch who killed my brother.”

“I’m actually going to see about that later tonight,” Quinn said. “I’ll be heading off to Brazil. My intuition strongly suggests that she is linked to Calloway.

“Great, so we should get packing then,” Amina said.

“Jade and I are going alone,” Quinn replied. “You’ll all be on standby in case COG needs something. And if I need you, I’ll have you flown over immediately.” Quinn observed them after speaking. “Come on, speak your minds. You have a problem with this approach, do you?”

“She’s fought us three times and got away unscathed,” Amina said. “We need to go on the aggressive and flush her out of whatever hole she’s in.”

“And do you have a clue which city her hole is in?” Jade asked. “We know little about her. So yes, it’s going to feel slow while we learn more. Once we know more, it will get easier to lure her out.”

“I’m still trying to figure out why we didn’t just kill them in the car park,” Watts said. “We had them outnumbered, and you let them just walk by.”

Quinn laughed. “I respect the blood lust in you all, I really do. I’ll need you to encapsulate that energy until the moment comes. As for the car park, I know you were running on adrenaline and didn’t realize it, but we made quite the commotion under there. We were seconds away from cameras, news crews, and nosy dumbshits walking in on us. You saw all the cameras when we got out of there. And trust me, Zella knew she could use those cameras to her advantage.”

“So what?” Watts asked. “If a few cameras pick us up, we can just have COG come in and shut them down.”

“What do you think would happen if some idiot with a camera on their phone pics up a live video of this Zella girl fighting us so close after Zip’s murder?” Quinn asked. “Other nations will see that and think that maybe we’re not such a threat. And that’s why I let her go, Watts. Because I knew I had to figure out how it was possible for one girl to fight off the most physically adept beings on this planet. And if my hunch is correct, Dr Calloway could have armed her with a way to neutralize us. That’s the exact reason we went to kill him in the first place.”

Amina nodded. Quinn’s logic checked out. The lingering shame at getting bested by Zella might well be the root of their frustrations. “At least allow us to follow some leads over here while you’re gone,” she suggested.

Quinn smiled. “By all means, please lead your own investigation. It will do you good to keep your minds sharp. Just promise me that if you find something, you won't make any moves on it without speaking with Jade or myself.”

“You got it,” Masha said.

Finnigan Watts held his index finger in the air. “One more question.” When no one objected, he asked what was on his mind. “After we kill Zella, because I know that we will, but after, what do we do next? Are we stuck being COG contractors forever, or what?”

Quinn and Jade stepped closer so that the group of them were now in a tight circle. “Do you remember your dream, Watts?”

Watts’ eyes thinned. “After your little initiation, yes I do.”

“After Zella is dead, we work on that dream,” Quinn replied.

Watts looked around the hall as if making sure they were alone. “With all due respect to our COG helpers, how do we work on that dream without destroying everything that we currently stand for?”

“To be honest with you all,” Quinn said. “I’ve learned a lot since forming the Seers. And one thing that I know, Watts, is that your dream is already enjoyed by others on Earth.”

Masha’s eyes shifted between Watts and Quinn. “What are y’all talking about?”

“There are six families that run the entire world,” Quinn said. “Their identities are a mystery. They use media, scapegoats, politicians, terrorists, slaves, activists, and anyone that they can use to do their bidding. All to hide their presence and preserve their spot as the world’s puppet masters. America, and by extension, the Seers, are just pawns in their game. Even wars have to be green lit by them. And wars are how they make the most of their money.” An icy silence filled the atmosphere between Quinn’s sentences. “We are the only ones on this planet that can replace them. It is our destiny. It’s what our ancestors wanted.”

“The six families, huh?” Masha grunted. “I remember the conspiracy theories in the army.”

“A conspiracy theory is what they label a truth that they hope to hide in plain sight,” Quinn said.

They heard a car pull up in the driveway outside the front door. “I hope what I’ve said has put your minds at ease. Trust in me, because although it doesn’t seem like it, I am playing the long game. We’ll talk more when I return,” Quinn said.

Amina wanted to say more but didn’t know how to express it. Quinn’s mention of the six families was intriguing. It was so bizarre that it made sense. She had always felt like she was living in a simulation constructed by puppet masters. There always seemed to be a ceiling in how far they could use their genetic gifts. If there truly was some pathetic game being played by a select few, she wanted to crumble their dynasty. Maybe it was worth nurturing her bond with her Starlight family if it led to the truth.

-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.