Eric and the others were about halfway back to the Fortuna before Veronica pointed out they should probably call ahead and let everyone know that the approaching Scorpion chopper wasn't a threat.
The Newmans informed the team over the phone that they'd pull the ship out of the harbor before their arrival, so that the chopper's landing would draw less attention. They'd also send someone back to L.A. later to pick up the car the four had driven. Well, Adam had driven, as he usually did on missions.
Hopefully they wouldn't rack up too much of a parking fee. The garage they'd left the car in had steep rates.
The geokinetic they'd found at the hotel had elected to stay with her family, although they now planned to move and keep their new location a secret. With that sorted out, the Fortuna Guard had taken off in their new chopper and headed back to the ship.
Eric struggled to make the chopper do anything beyond moving up and down, but once Sam and Veronica joined him and Adam in the cockpit, they were collectively able to get it to fly forward. It was a bumpy ride after that, but they decided against transforming the thing into a jet, for the time being.
All things considered, though, it was a pretty great victory.
Other altered were training on the ship's deck when the chopper made its rough landing, and they immediately moved to check it out. Both Newmans were waiting, too. And Raveena.
"Sounds like the fight with Scorpion went well," Raveena said as Eric and the others hopped onto the deck. "I'm guessing Ash was there? And, uh, Wren and Seth?"
Eric's mouth opened, but Sam responded first. "Just Ash and Wren," he said. "And some soldiers."
Eric tried to speak again, but this time, Charles interrupted him.
"How on earth did you get a chopper all the way here?" Charles asked as he circled the aircraft, his voice brimming with excitement. "None of you have flown one before, right?"
"The control panel was pretty easy to figure out," Veronica said. She rested a hand on her hip. "Believe me, I wouldn't have let them fly us back if I wasn't sure we could do it safely."
Eric finally got a word in. "I think Scorpion designed it to be easy for their kids to use."
While Charles seemed eager to put the chopper to use, his sister's expression was more apprehensive. Beth's arms folded as she studied the Scorpion logo painted on the side. "We'll have to cover that up," she said. Turning toward the altered, she added, "We'll have our technicians look it over and see what they can learn. And make sure it's not being tracked."
"I'll go see if they're ready now," Charles said. He stepped away from the chopper and headed inside. Beth followed. As they left, some of the altered returned to training, while others stayed to check out the chopper. A few kids climbed inside to give the interior a look.
Eric glanced at the rest of the group. "Hey, you guys wanna go get lunch?"
"Uh, in a little bit," Veronica said. "I, uh, told Charles I'd help him with something." Before anyone could ask questions, she ran off to follow Charles and Beth inside.
"Do you know what that's about?" Eric asked, shooting Sam a confused look.
Sam shook his head. "No idea. But I'm starving."
"Adam?" Eric asked.
"I'll eat later," Adam replied. "I was gonna hit the gym first."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Dude, we're basically on a cruise, and you're still sticking to your workout regimen?"
"This isn't a vacation, we live here now," Adam said. "And I'm still hoping to tour some of the colleges that accepted me. I can't talk to people on their football team looking out of shape."
Eric had never seen Adam look out of shape in his life, but there was no point arguing. Eric shrugged. "Alrighty, have fun." Nodding to Sam, he said, "Let's go."
The two walked to the cafeteria, grabbed some sandwiches, and found an empty table to sit at. "I still can't believe we got one of their choppers," Eric said as he slid into his chair. "This is going to make recruitment so much easier."
"Yeah," Sam agreed. He hesitated for a moment. "We still have no idea what Scorpion has planned, though."
Eric nodded as he lifted his sandwich. In the past month, they hadn't gotten any closer to figuring out what Scorpion needed their superpowered army and soldiers and stolen tech for in the first place.
"I'm afraid we're going to run out of time," Eric said. Mom was expecting him and Adam to meet back up with her when summer started, and Eric wasn't sure he'd be able to say no. As important as dealing with Scorpion was...he missed Mom. And their home, but that was gone forever.
Eric took a bite of his sandwich and tried to swallow the lump in his throat with it. "Even if I can convince my mom to let me stay on the Fortuna over the summer, I have to start my senior year of high school this fall."
"Yeah," Sam said. "And Veronica and I already committed to colleges."
Right. Veronica had gotten into one of the UC schools, while Sam was going to a small art college near Long Beach.
"I hate to say it," Sam continued. "But I think if we want a shot at beating Scorpion by fall, we have to be more...aggressive."
Eric nodded. "I think so, too. But the Newmans barely approve of us going on recruitment missions. They don't want us taking the fight to Scorpion."
"We have to, eventually," Sam said. "Their army's just going to get bigger and bigger if we don't."
Maybe they would have to go behind the Newmans' backs. As grateful as Eric was to have adults trying to protect them, they couldn't hide from the fight forever. But they also couldn't attack Scorpion blindly. For starters, they needed more information on Scorpion's headquarters. Like where it was located.
There was only one person on the Fortuna who could possibly help them with that. And just the thought of talking to him made Eric anxious.
Sam seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. Or maybe he actually knew. Either way, he said, "This might sound like a terrible idea, but—I want to talk to Malcolm."
After locking Malcolm up in the ship's cell block—made up of rooms that had been repurposed into cells by knocking out some walls and putting in metal bars—the Newmans had forbidden anyone from going near him, for the time being. But even though talking to him did sound questionable at best, Eric nodded. "I'm starting to think that might be our best shot at getting information." He let out a small sigh. "But I don't think he's going to give us anything, as long as he's locked up. The Newmans said he wasn't being cooperative last time they talked to him."
Eric also had slightly selfish reasons for wanting to talk to Malcolm. He'd been going crazy trying to figure out what secret information the guy had on him, whether it be from SCI's files or Scorpion's or Delta Labs'.
"I don't know, maybe we can get something out of him," Sam said. "He was definitely more interested in us than the Newmans, and they cut our first conversation with him short." He shrugged. "I'll try reading his mind. Maybe we can figure out where that USB he mentioned is."
If Sam was willing to try reading Malcom's mind, they had to be able to get something useful, right? "How are we going to get down there, though?" Eric asked. "Charles mentioned they have cameras and guards in the cell block."
"The guards aren't posted twenty-four-seven, they just send someone to check on him every hour or so," Sam said. "And the cameras aren't being watched all the time, either. The monitor room is close enough for me to sense if it's empty, and we can leave if anyone shows up."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "You were paying closer attention than I was." The Newmans had thrown a lot of information at them during their first few days on the Fortuna. Eric doubted he retained most of it.
"I was already thinking we might want to try talking to him again," Sam admitted. "I know the Newmans are trying to protect us, but he's not going to try anything when he's stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean."
"Okay," Eric said, before his nerves could change his mind. "Let's do it."
His anxiety grew with every passing minute as they finished eating, but his desperation to learn something useful kept him from backing out. Besides, the sooner they defeated Scorpion, the sooner he could go back to a normal life.
Finally, the two left the cafeteria, and Sam led the way to the cell block, occasionally pausing to make sure there were no guards or crewmates nearby. After about five minutes, they found themselves in front of a metal door.
Sam lifted a hand, and the lock clicked. His hand met the handle. The door swung open.
Eric took a deep breath and followed Sam into the cell block.
"Well, well, well." Malcolm let go of the pull-up bar above his head and dropped to the ground. "Visitors."
Eric and Sam stared at him blankly. Eric had forgotten how intimidating he was. Even behind bars. It took him a moment to find his train of thought. "Geez, you're as bad as Adam." He threw a sideways glance at Sam. "I'm starting to feel bad that I don't even know where the gym is."
Sam let out a nervous chuckle. "You think Adam would keep up his workout regimen if he went to prison?"
"Ha. Adam would commit a crime and go to prison specifically to have more time to work out," Eric said.
"You done cracking jokes to put yourselves at ease?" Malcolm asked, a smirk touching his lips.
Sam's eyes narrowed. "You seem pretty confident, considering you're in a cell."
"Believe it or not, you aren't the first people to lock me up," Malcolm strolled toward the cell bars. God, he was tall.
"I'm actually not surprised to hear that."
"Well, it's a great way for me to get information." Malcolm flashed a smile.
Right. He was a spy. But was he actually getting something useful out of being locked up, or was he just trying to sound in control? Eric didn't see how Malcolm could be learning anything from down here, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the guy wasn't bluffing.
"Aren't you nineteen?" Eric asked. "How much of a spy could you actually be?"
"It's surprising, the things you can accomplish when you start young," Malcolm replied. "I also speak ten languages."
"Now he's just bragging," Sam muttered.
"Yeah, right, no way you're fluent in all of them," Eric said. He'd tried to learn Spanish in middle school and failed spectacularly. He couldn't even begin to imagine keeping so many words in his head.
Malcolm shrugged. "It varies."
"Well, how has it been down here?" Sarcasm crept into Eric's voice. "Is it everything you hoped for?"
"Not so bad, actually. It was nice of the Newmans to give me books."
Eric glanced at Sam. He hadn't given much thought to what they should actually say to Malcolm. He really hoped Sam had some specific questions in mind.
"Enough small talk," Malcolm said before either of them could speak. He rested his arms on the bar cutting horizontally across the front of the cell and leaned forward. "You two aren't supposed to be here, are you?"
Without thinking, Eric took a small step back.
"What makes you say that?" Sam asked.
"You waited until a few minutes after a guard came by to check on me, to maximize the amount of time you'd have," Malcolm replied. "And if the Newmans did let you speak to me, one of them would certainly be close by." His grin widened. "Don't worry, I won't snitch. I'm guessing you want to know more about the information I have on you."
Sam's arms folded. "Are you actually going to talk to us, or should we go before we waste more time?"
Eric felt like Sam was doing a pretty good job, all things considered. Had he tried reading Malcolm's mind yet?
"I'll tell you what I can, but like I said weeks ago, I didn't have a chance to go through all of the information I found at SCI," Malcolm said.
"Is the USB you had somewhere—safe?" Sam asked.
"You could say that. But you would never be able to find it without me."
"But you had to have seen something in the data," Sam said. "You came after us first. And you said you had information." He hesitated. "You knew my name."
"I also got a copy of the list of the altered weeks before you did. I did my research." Malcolm thought for a moment. "I'll admit, I was interested in you specifically. Mainly because you were the only person listed with your abilities. Could be because you got the highest dose of Serum-A."
Eric frowned. "Serum-A?"
"Wait, is that what the dosage column on the altered list means?" Sam asked.
"Ah, that's right. You don't know the details of the accident." Malcolm chuckled. "All right, I'll be nice and tell you this: the Delta Labs scientists were attempting to synthesize the metal alterium. In addition to the reaction being explosive, it emitted a strange type of energy that killed people beyond the physical blast radius."
He waved a hand lazily as he continued. "Delta's researchers came up with a serum that modified the subject's DNA in a way that allowed their cells to survive contact with the energy. But in high enough doses, the reaction with the energy resulted in superpowers. Hence, you altered."
"But—" Eric started.
"Yes, that means the serum was given to you as children," Malcolm cut Eric off. "And yes, it's absurd that they did that. Based on their final lab reports, they seemed to have been mentally influenced by the energy being emitted by the artifact in their basement."
It took Eric a few seconds to realize what Malcolm was talking about.
Sam understood a moment before he did. "The pyramid fragment made them act weird?" he asked.
"It's a very simple way of putting it, but essentially yes," Malcolm replied. "And as for the serum testing, you all received different dosage levels. They kept track. There's a strong correlation between amount and ability type. Many scientists took very small doses themselves and didn't receive any abilities." After a moment, he added, "And it seems some children who got small doses didn't get powers, either."
"So, Adam and I have the same power because we received the same dose, not because we're related?" Eric asked.
Malcolm laughed. "I'm not answering that. There's a far more interesting story there. Of course, even I don't know all the details, so there's not much I could tell you anyway."
What was that supposed to mean? "Tell me what you do know," Eric demanded, momentarily forgetting his fear.
"Not right now." Malcolm smirked.
Eric glared at him.
Malcolm laughed again and lifted an eyebrow. "I said I'd give you information if you let me out. I already told you more than I planned."
Sam sighed. "It's not up to us."
Eric glanced at him, unable to hide his surprise. "You think we should convince the Newmans to let him out?"
"I don't know."
"There is one more thing I can say about you, Eric," Malcolm said. "I have some files from Scorpion, too, and your name is in them. Your kidnapping when you were young? That was Scorpion."
"But why?" Eric asked. "And why would they take me back home?"
Malcolm shrugged. "I didn't get around to reading all the details. I assume whatever they wanted with you didn't work out."
"But I have powers. Why wouldn't they use me in their army?"
"Good question. I'm just as curious as you are." Malcolm tipped his head to the right. "Might have something to do with that drowning nightmare of yours."
Eric's blood went cold in his veins. "Huh?"
"Oh, you know. That out-of-place memory, deep-seated fear you can't quite explain." Malcolm gestured with his hand as he spoke.
"How do you know about that?" Eric tried to sound demanding, but he could hear the tremor in his own voice.
"I picked up on it when I put you to sleep," Malcolm said plainly.
"But you never—"
"I only need a second to get a read on someone. A heartbeat," Malcolm said. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. "So quick you wouldn't even notice."
Eric's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Sam, eyes wide. Sam looked equally unnerved. Had Malcolm put him to sleep when they came in? Or was it back when they were moving him to the ship?
"If I had more time in your head, I could tell you more about that memory," Malcolm continued. His gaze moved to Sam. "You were a lot harder to read, even when I had you under for a few minutes at that motel. In fact, I think there are some things you've forgotten entirely."
Sam didn't respond. His eyes narrowed as he stared Malcolm down.
Eric cleared his throat. "Wait, you think there's something more to my drowning memory? Because I always thought I fell in a pool when I was a kid."
"Could be," Malcolm said, breaking Sam's gaze to study Eric again. "I might be able to get in your head and jog your memory. See if it's something more."
"How?" Eric asked.
"Shall we give it a try?" Malcolm laughed. Without waiting for an answer, he lifted a hand.
The world darkened.
Eric was sinking, unable to move. Or breathe. He lifted his gaze to follow the bubbles rising past him to the blinding light above. A dark silhouette passed over the water's surface. The figure stared down at him. Why weren't they helping him? Why weren't they pulling him out—?
Eric's eyes snapped open. He stumbled backwards. His back hit the cold wall opposite Malcolm's cell.
"You were only under for a moment," Malcolm said. "Fascinating, isn't it? How time and space work differently in the Dreamvoid?"
"Oh, shut up," Sam snapped, making Eric jump. "You don't want to help us, you want to show off."
Malcolm looked a little surprised, too. He raised an eyebrow. "I can do both."
Sam looked at Eric. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Eric told him, though his heart was still racing. He tightened his hands into fists, hoping to stop their shaking.
"Believe me, there's something more to that memory," Malcolm said. "You're going to have to face it if you want the truth."
Hesitation crossed Sam's face. "You said...you think I'm forgetting something, too?"
Malcolm's attention darted back to Sam. "I can't be sure until I try, but I might be able to dig something up." He traced a finger along the edge of one of the cell bars. "My abilities are technically connected to fears, but those are often tied together with our past. Whether or not we actually remember it."
"Sam," Eric said quietly. "We should go."
Malcolm straightened up abruptly. "You've been trying to read my mind this entire time," he said to Sam. "Found anything interesting yet?"
"How are you keeping me out?" Sam asked, frustration creeping into his tone.
"Oh, I think you could get in eventually," Malcolm said. "But you need practice. How long have you known you can read minds, anyway?"
"Long enough," Sam muttered.
"Something's holding you back."
Sam glanced at Eric. It must have been obvious that Eric was still shaken, because Sam's expression shifted back to concern. "Let's go."
The two started toward the cell block door.
"One last thing," Malcolm said.
Sam paused and glanced back. After a second's hesitation, Eric did the same.
"You really should reconsider letting me help you deal with Scorpion," Malcolm said. "I actually have a lot of inside information. My old boss was a man named Andrew Hale."
As he said the name, Eric got the feeling he was testing them. How were they supposed to react to that?
"Who's that?" Sam asked.
"Just as I thought," Malcolm said with a cold smile. "You have no idea. You don't stand a chance." He let out a short laugh. "Who is in charge of Scorpion these days? Claudia? I have to give her credit, she's good at keeping secrets."
"Who—?" Eric started.
Sam held out a hand. "Don't bother. He's not telling us anything else right now."
Eric swallowed and nodded.
"Feel free to come back if you change your mind!" Malcolm called as they reached the door. "I'm not exactly going anywhere."
As soon as the cell block door clicked shut, Eric turned to Sam. "Well, he did give us some information."
Sam nodded. "Might be interesting to take another look at the altered list, now that we know what the doses mean."
"Yeah," Eric agreed. He and the others had barely seen the list. Some members of the Newmans' tech team had been using it to locate altered, but there were a lot of names to go through.
Eric and Sam left the lower levels of the ship and made their way to the hall with their rooms.
"Should we tell the others about the Serum-A thing?" Eric asked.
"Then we'd have to tell them we talked to Malcolm," Sam pointed out. "Maybe we should wait. It's not like it's important for taking down Scorpion, anyway."
"Good point." Eric paused. "What about the stuff he said about us? Knowing why Scorpion kidnapped me might not help us defeat them, but we obviously don't know everything they have going on in their labs."
"I think Malcolm knows more about that than he let on," Sam said. "He just wanted to give us those hints to keep us interested."
"You think if we let him out, he'd tell us?"
Sam spoke slowly, his mind clearly racing. "I think he would give us information on how to defeat Scorpion. Maybe he'd tell us about our pasts, too, but I still don't think he'd give us the full story."
"We might need to take what we can get," Eric said.
Sam sighed. "Yeah. We might."