Chapter 43: Chapter 42

Jackie sat at the dining room table in the Hewitt's house, feeling deeply exhausted, but at the same time, too keyed up to let herself rest. Lucas Hewitt sat on the couch nearby, examining something on his tablet, looking similarly lethargic.

All around them, Meagan Hewitt and Lucas's old Generation coworkers, including Jackie's mom, were shuffling about, talking and strategizing. The debate raged on, where one of Lucas's assistants from the lab, Clive, was angry that Lucas had not yet called the police, while another, a younger woman named Tessa, was very much in opposition to this. Lucas had similar misgivings about such a plan, trying to find out how they could do it themselves without making it "messy." This had led to Clive accusing, basically, that Lucas didn't care about his children enough to risk his own skin.

The argument had been awful, and at one point, Jackie was sure that Lucas would've thrown Clive out - if he hadn't needed Clive's expertise to have a prayer of saving Matt and Ashley.

They were gone. That thought had repeatedly drifted through her mind, and she found herself barely able to comprehend it. He was gone. She could not just call him on his tablet, and ask if he wanted to hangout. When she had come to the Hewitt's home, Matt's warm puppy dog smile had not greeted her.

He was gone.

She clenched her paws. She knew that hopefully, they were still alive, but... from the moment that Matt's parents had told her what had happened... she'd felt that wave of dread move in, the same she'd felt when her dad passed away. Separation. No knowledge of if you'd ever see them again. Fate, God, or the universe had taken her father away, and now it had done the same with Matt.

She felt numb. Her mind couldn't realize it now, but she knew that when tomorrow came, and Matt was still gone - when the day after that came, then the day after that... then the true grief would set in. The soul rending tearing of her apart. All the progress she had made in becoming a more confident, hopeful person was being torn away. Her childhood innocence had finally been destroyed when her dad died - and now her youthful optimism was snuffed out as well.

She tried so hard to rekindle that hope, but the spark just wouldn't catch. She knew that it wasn't over. Matt was likely still alive, and his captors might not want to harm him - but all the possible ways things could go wrong spun silently in her subconscious, surfacing into her conscious mind every so often.

He'll try to protect Ashley. He'll get shot.

He'll refuse to give them information. He'll get shot.

He'll try to run away. He'll get shot.

She was numb, but fuming. She couldn't understand why someone like this Seth guy would do something like this. Something so awful as this was something she'd read about in her books, that happened to people across the world who lived harsher lives than her - who were stronger than her.

And she was mad at the stubbornness of Lucas, who had apparently been willing to come clean about his illegal activities - and then had closed up again. She wished that they'd called the police. It would've felt like something was happening, that professional people were handling the situation.

Lucas and Tessa however - and Jackie's mom, seemed in agreement that Seth was too slippery for the police. They'd worked with him before, and after he'd stopped working at Generation, he had vanished off the map. They didn't want to scare him off again. Jackie didn't want them to scare him off.

She hated it, but she knew that sending the cops after Seth could lead to Matt being in greater danger. Even if the police were able to successfully rescue Matt and Ashley, it hurt Jackie further imagining Matt having to watch his dad go to jail, deprived of being with the family he'd fought so hard to protect.

Jackie had wanted several times to interject in the argument in support of Clive - but then felt that guilt come over her - if they decided to go to the police, and Matt's father was taken away... she would deprive Matt of what she had been deprived of. No matter how much happiness she could have with Matt, get married, have children, she would have the stain on her heart knowing she had been partially to blame for Lucas being put behind bars.

It was silly. She knew it. If that happened, it would not be her fault. Even if he came clean, it wasn't assured that he would go to jail. He could find a way out of this. She was just so tired. Her mind was trying to focus on anything other than the awful reality that was around her. She needed to sleep. It had been in the afternoon when they'd been abducted, and it was now 2 in the morning.

She needed to go home and rest. But she couldn't, not with knowing the horrible nightmares she would have, or at least being unable to sleep, lying in bed,  with her sickening thoughts swirling around over and over. Just like right now.

Yet staying here she was powerless. She did not know anything about coding, or the genetics information Seth apparently wanted, or any of their history with the despicable man. She was just left to sit there, feeling completely worthless. It was the way she had felt before she'd transformed. Before she'd had Matt close in her life.

It felt so horribly cruel, like she was getting a slap in the face from reality, saying "look how pathetic you are without him." She knew that was a very negative thought, that wasn't grounded. But another voice rang in her mind responding to it, saying "yes, it's true. You are nothing without him."

A tear ran down her cheek, and dripped onto the table. 

She needed someone. She needed Matt. She wanted to embrace him, to hear him say it would be alright. The thought of her being in Ashley's place almost seemed preferable to her, where she'd at least be with Matt.

"Hey."

A hand rested on her shoulder - her mom's hand.

"Hey," Jackie said, barely audibly.

"It's okay Jackie. We're going to figure this out."

Jackie did not respond. Clive and Lucas were arguing about something yet again in the other room. Her mom pulled up a chair next to her and sat down. Jackie still did not say anything. A moment later, Jackie felt her mom scratching her behind the ear - she'd been doing that occasionally, it feeling really weird at first, but now felt... felt like how her dad used to tousle her hair. Jackie still said nothing, but felt some of her tension release.

"I think that you need some sleep," her mom said.

"I don't know... if I'll ever be able to sleep again."

"It's out of your control. I know that this hurts to hear, but try not to worry. Matt would want you to be strong."

Jackie let loose a few more tears. "I'm not strong mom. I realize now how little I am without him."

"There's no shame in needing others in life Jackie. Is a baby worthless because they need their parents?"

Jackie slowly shook her head.

"And we're no different as adults. We need friends and family to become the best people we can be."

"I know," Jackie sobbed. "I know. I just... I'm so afraid mom. I... I don't want to lose him... not like I lost dad."

Her mom hugged her, rubbing the fur on her back. "It was so hard losing your dad. But I know he's not gone. He's somewhere out there."

Jackie sniffled, wiping her tears away.

Clive and Lucas's arguing became more heated, while Tessa was trying to take a short nap on the couch next to them. They both abruptly went quiet. Lucas took his tablet out of his pocket, looking angry, but then all the color faded from his face.

"Everyone shut up," he yelled.

The house went quiet, everyone freezing in position. Then Lucas answered and then answered the call.

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"It has been a long time Lucas," a voice said through the speaker.

"You."

"Yes, me. I hope that you've been able to manage all the mess with the company closing up shop and all."

"Where are my kids Seth?"

"Very direct," Seth said, "that's refreshing from you. I wished that back in those days you'd been more like that. Would have -"

"I don't have time for you to open old scars, you detestable scum. Tell me what you want."

"Alright then Lucas," Seth said, "if we're going to operate that way, I'll be direct as well. I don't want money, I want your help."

"Help crushing your skull in is the only help I'm willing to offer."

"I'm not going to kill your kids Lucas," he said with an eye-rolling tone. "I'm not going to torture them either - though they have proven to be rather unruly."

"One tends to not want to be kidnapped."

"As is expected - but anyway, I am willing to trade - you... for the kids."

Lucas paused.

"And what do you want me to assist you with exactly?"

"Big things," Seth laughed, "big things. Understand though, it is not a paying position."

"You want to exchange prisoners," Lucas said.

"You put it so crassly," Seth said. "They have food to eat, some books to read..."

"Seth," Lucas said, his tone becoming less sharp, but still forceful, "I know we disagree on how to use these technologies. You claim that you want to help people - but you need to give people a choice. You need to approve things through the proper peer reviewed channels."

"Lucas," Seth said, all humor gone from his voice, "you know as well as I do that those 'proper channels,' are canals with expensive tolls, and with long waits. We have the ability to make the magical real. We could not only cure the worst ailments of humankind, but we could control evolution in whatever way we see fit. I will die long before we ever attain that, if at all, if I were to do things your way."

Lucas was silent, his mouth drawn to a line.

"So," Seth said, "I am going to have an associate at the Mallard park soccer complex, I think your son is familiar with it, on Monday at noon. I don't want any of the people listening to this call, police or your personal henchies, to get in the way. I don't want to see any tracking chips on you, any devices, nothing. If you cooperate, then we will deposit your kids back at the park at 3 pm."

And then the call ended.

"Lucas, I told you that - "

"Yes, I know Clive," Lucas said, "it wasn't like I could force the cur to stay on the line."

Everyone in the room was quiet for a moment, as they tried to process Seth's message.

"What does he want with you?" Meagan asked, her canis paw-hands trembling as she rested them on the back of a chair.

Lucas rubbed at the fur on his forehead. "He knows - he knows that we have the viral anomaly in us. He is doing something to our kids, I'm sure of it."

Lucas got up from his chair and stood perfectly still for a moment. He kicked one of the chair legs, the loud cracking sound starling everyone else. There was silence as Lucas breathed in deep for several seconds.

"Lucas," one of the people there, named Patrick sternly said. "Freaking out isn't going to solve anything," "We need to think this through."

"He gave us several days," Clive said.

"And that's... that's several days to plan this out," Lucas said, breathing slowly.

"I'm just...," Lucas said, "trying to figure out everything he said. Trying to figure out what everything means."

"Why is there a three hour gap between the two times on Friday?" Jackie thought out loud.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"I'm just thinking," Jackie said, "why would there be a need to wait so long between exchanging Lucas for Matt and Ashley?"

"I don't know," Lucas said, "it seems arbitrary."

"What if," Jackie said, "it's because it takes around an hour or so to get out to where they are?"

Clive stroked his chin. "That might just be the case. Maybe we should spend more time looking at possible sites further out. We at least know that they aren't out of the country - though it doesn't rule out the possibility that they might try to get Lucas on a plane, and once they do, they can put Matt and Ashley on a plane back."

Lucas was continuing to try his best to control his anger, breathing slowly while typing out some things on his tablet.

"We have time to plan," he said, "we have a place to scout out. Let's start looking at how they're going to do this..."