The Program

Chapter Thirty

The first thing we did when we got there was find out that our parents were all in one house due to John's request, and that they were at John's house because his parents knew more about what was going on and let's just say, were slightly prepared for such an event.

Our parents wanted to speak to us so Bridget was getting that out of the way now and setting up a web cam, Natalie attaching a device to the computer it was hooked to. "It's to make sure that neither Reid nor his boss can hear your conversation. I've blocked all frequencies they could use. Considering I practically built every piece of tech they use, it was easy to keep them out."

I knew Jack wanted to be informed of all that was going on, but for now he just went with, ready to speak with his own parents. Apparently, as I found out on the ride over, the prison quit letting him have visitors about two weeks ago. Which would have been around two weeks after Annie came into my dream in real time.

The image came to life. I could see my mother sitting on the Evans' couch with dad, both on either end. I'm guessing it's not a good idea to put two divorced people on the same piece of furniture.

Martha and Henry showed up next, both in front of the computer. I could see Marcus in the background as they backed away a bit so everyone could see the screen.

"Um, where's Mary?" I asked. Not that I actually cared, and i'm sure it showed, but I was still worried about my stupid theory. I would have preferred if I knew where she was.

Dad's face fell. "We haven't heard from her. We've gotten calls left and right saying that people saw you guys on the news, but no Mary."

I could tell that John noticed my uneasiness. "Lexi," He started. "Are you okay?" Apparently one look said it all. "How about you guys talk to Jack at the moment, huh? Lexi, a word?"

Without being very kind about it, he pulled me away from the cam. "Ouch, learn to handle this kind a thing better, could you?"

"What aren't you telling me?" He demanded an answer, ignoring my other words.

I shrunk back a little. "I have a theory."

"Involving Mary. I picked up on that much." He paused, waiting for something. "Well, don't just stand there. What is it?"

"When Riley told me about Reid and Jack's mom and everything else, she mentioned some things about the boss. She said that I really hated her and that the boss knew it, and if there's anyone in this world I hate besides for Reid and that they know it-"

"You think it's Mary?" He hissed. "Do you realize how big of an assumption that is? Do you realize how impossible that is?"

"Think about it." I suggested. "I'm probably wrong. Heck, even paranoid. But if we just found out a little more, maybe i'm right."

John closed his eyes and took a heavy breath, exhaling a moment later and just looking at me like I was a lost cause. "Don't mention this to anyone else. Me and you will discuss this with Natalie more later."

All I could do was nod before we both went back to the cam. "What was that about?" Jack asked when I got back.

"I'll explain when we're finished talking to each of our parents," I was including Jack in this topic whether John liked it or not. 

"Lexi," I heard my mom say. "They're not hurting you are they?"

I shook my head. "No, mom. I'm fine."

"I just needed to make sure. I don't exactly trust Bridget," She turned to Bridget. "No offense." Then back to me. "And Elody, I mean, Natalie has lied to us in the past."

"It was to protect you. None of us wanted to be mixed up in this."

Bridget walked up to us then, holding a clip board in her hands. "While the cam is still on, would anyone like to hear some results involving Lexi and John's compatibility? They're very interesting."

Natalie took the papers, flipping through them and then holding a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Is this what I think it is? Do they really..." She trailed off. "It was right in front of our faces the whole time."

"What was?" Henry said through the computer.

"Lexi is one of the highest disrupters we've ever seen. But she hid it well. It still can't process her brain enough to find out the full percent of which she can disrupt." She paused, thinking over her next words. "John was similar. It took awhile for the characteristic to show and for the disrupting to seep through though. Or maybe it was there all along and I just couldn't see it because he too was as strong as Lexi and was using his ability to hide it in the program. But it's different, they each took on a different form. We didn't even realize there were different forms."

I saw that Martha and Henry too looked at us weird after her words. "Hey, Natalie. Us dumb people aren't you science nerds that would instantly understand. So could you explain further?" John pointed out.

"It's like a magnet," Natalie began. "Like what you learn in school. Two positives won't attract without force, and even then they won't stay together. Put a negative with a positve though, and there's unity, a bond that can only be broken when you pull them apart. Liken the the magnet to your disrupting power for a minute. Now, view you and Lexi as two different ends of that magnet.

"You're both the same, in the fact that you have the ability to disrupt, or in the illustration, both be a magnet. Yet, you're different enough that it causes a reaction when you're joined together, or when you showed affection or became intimate with the other." Natalie explained. "You both are disrupters, at either end of the magnet. You both grew to what you are in a different way, and somehow you're two different kinds of disrupters. Together, you make a whole new version that is even capable of reviving the test when it's unsavable."

"So, let me get this straight," Jack piped up. "When they join together, or kiss," He rolled his eyes. "They become different, only while they're being intimate. Then, tell me this. Why have to take it that far instead of just holding hands or something? Intimacy comes in many different forms."

Natalie nodded. "That's something we'll need to definitely look into. We also thought of the same thing, Jack. But no results are coming up. It's just what that part of the 'magnet' holds onto for some reason," She touched his arm. "Don't worry though, they'll never have to do it again. The test is over. It can only come back if Reid figures out a new code, which he had problems making before I showed up, or if he gets his hands on John and Lexi together."

"So," I heard my dad speak up. "This Reid guy, if he were to have just one of the kids then?"

"It would be useless. He'd be stuck with a teen that can disrupt the test and ruin any progress he would make." She answered. "Yes, if he got them both, there's no saying they wouldn't do so anyway, given how Lexi and John also shut down the test completely using their compatibility. But even then, Reid would need the codes, which Lexi has the last copy of."

All eyes went on me. That's when I remembered, the papers Bridget gave me. I pulled them from my back pocket, a place I had put them earlier for safe keeping. "This is the last copy."

Natalie nodded. "I've been into work recently, mainly to check on you while you two were in the test. No one stopped me from coming in, I don't think they enjoyed Reid's tactics either. I deleted everything I could after you woke up, printing this out and bringing it with me to the hospital. That's when Bridget's guards attacked me and took it when I came to see you. The codes used for the test are wiped, the program used is no longer in tact." She looked at my hands. "You are literally holding the test in your hands. You can decide if you want to break it or not, that's what you keep doing anyway."

"There's no other copy? No where. Not even Reid's boss has one?" I asked.

"If she did I would imagine that she's having a hard time finding it. I'm pretty much magic when it comes to technology, they won't be getting into their database for awhile."

I kept looking at the paper in my hands, handing it to Jack a second later. "What? Lexi?"

"You can do it." I told him. "Reid's taken everything from you. Your dad, that man, he doesn't deserve you to take pity on him. This organization can't control you and take anything away from you anymore. So do what you want with it."

I saw Jack choke up, holding back a sob as he tore the papers in two, then three, then ten to twenty more pieces until they were shreds on the floor.

"That's for taking my mom from me." He said then walked away without another word, up the stairs and out the entrance to this secret place.

And I remembered one more thing I needed to tell Jack.

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Dedicated to @relivethephan for being an awesome reader :)