Part 5
“I’m not going to therapy,” River said, not looking at his father.
“You hit a man with a baseball bat, River!” His father yelled, “You haven’t turned in any of your school assignments in four weeks, you’re teachers say you haven’t even shown up half of the time! Something is wrong, River, and we need to fix it!”
“Not everything can be fixed just because you want it to be, Dad,” River sighed, “Despite whatever you want to believe, you do not control the universe with your will.”
“Don’t get smart with me, young man!”
“Funny how you always wanted me to be smart before…”
“You are skating on thin ice!” His father bellowed and his face was bright red. River didn’t even look at him, just laid face down on his bed and stroked Janet who slept on his pillow, purring against his head.
“I’m not skating, Dad, I’m laying down.”
His dad let out a disgusted noise and hissed, “I don’t even know who you are anymore…” and slammed the door as he left the room.
River winced, “Did you ever?”
Slowly, his door creaked open, “Do you have to aggravate him like that?”
Parthenon. Now he had to deal with him, too.
“What do you want?” River didn’t even look at him, just buried his face in Janet’s fur and sighed.
Parth closed the door and moved to sit on the bed next to his younger brother, “Mom and Dad are just trying to help, you know,” he sighed, “Why can’t you just go see the therapist?”
“Because they’ll think I’m crazy,” River replied, “But I know what I know. And I know they won’t believe me and have me committed.”
“Mom and Dad are thinking of doing that anyway,” Parth sighed, “They’ve called a few facilities and they’re going to visit them after church on Sunday.”
“They’re going to church?” River scoffed, “They must be really lost. They only go to church on holidays…”
“Mom’s been popping Valium again.”
River rolled his eyes at his mother’s understated pill addiction.
“I hate how me not being perfect suddenly ruins their lives.” He smiled as Janet started liking his nose.
Another knock came at his door and he looked to see Naphtali enter the room.
“There’s some CIA guy here to talk to you. We told him what happened to the last ones and he just laughed and insisted that I come get you so get your ass downstairs.”
River rolled over and pulled his baseball bat out from under his bed as he stood to follow Naph downstairs and see this new visitor.
As he walked down the carpeted steps and saw the man at the bottom, he frowned. This man was different. He wore a black suit, but it was tailored and expensive looking. His hair was a rich brown and was styled in a messy way, the look that was popular. He looked at River was a grin on his face and chuckled.
“You are a colorful one, aren’t you?”
River tried not to growl. This man didn’t give him the queasy feeling the previous man had, but that did not mean he trusted him. There were two burly bald men behind him with ear pieces. River didn’t know what to make of all of this.
“Come. Sit.” He called River to follow him into the living room. River followed and when the man sat down on the cream love seat, River sat across from him in the floral print wingback chair.
“Talk,” River ordered, “The last ones ran out pretty fast so let’s not waste time and tell me why you’re here.”
“You are why I’m here, dear boy,” the man chuckled. “You screwed everything up for our lovely country and now our secret weapon won’t do what it’s told.”
The bald men had herded his family away so it was just him and the man across from him. This was very eerie. What had he gotten himself in to? River frowned, “You’ve got my interest. Now what the hell are you talking about?”
“Not possible. There isn’t enough time in the day”
“Then give me the short version.”
The man smiled, “I like you, River. I am known as Agent Cossack and I am in charge of a branch of the CIA. This branch does not have a name because it does not need one. No one knows about it except those who work there. We delegate over the less… savory acts of the CIA.”
“Cut to the chase. What does this have to do with me?” River’s patience was getting shorter and shorter these days and he didn’t want to have to deal with all of this bureaucratic crap.
“Tahk,” he said simply.
River bit back a whimper, “You know where he is?”
“I know everything about him,” he leered, “I know where he was born. I know who raised him. I know who put that chip in his skull.” River bolted upright, “I know why his blood is green.”
“Is he safe?” River said quietly.
“In a way,” chuckled Agent Cossack. “He is at a CIA holding station. You see, Tahk was our genius project. We created him, but then he disappeared. Now we’ve got him back and our ace in the hole refuses to cooperate. That’s where you come in.”
River frowned, “What do I have to do with this?”
“He refuses to do what we say without you. He wants you by his side at all times.”
River closed his eyes, “He was the one in the locker room?”
“Yes. He escaped for the day and found his way to you.”
River inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly exhaled through his mouth, “What did he mean? They will come for me?”
“He doesn’t want to do what we say. You were his condition. He told you not to come with us. He thought if you refused, he wouldn’t have to do what we say. Well, River, I have come to tell you exactly what you are going to do.” Agent Cossack’s face was hard and cold, “You are going to come with us and make him do everything we say or we are going to cut him into pieces and mail them to you one by one before we kill your entire family before finishing you off.
“He was going to escape and come get you then he planned on the two of you running away and us never finding you. Well, we are the CIA and we will find you where ever you go so don’t even think about it. Now you are going to agree, go get your things, and we are going to leave. You aren’t going to protest and that will be the end of it. Or shall I say beginning. Understand?”
River was silent. He couldn’t stand his family, but that didn’t mean he didn’t love them. And Tahk… He had already let Tahk down before. He wasn’t going to do it again. And if he went with this man he would be away from school, away from his parents, away from his brothers… and he would be with Tahk.
“Let me go get my things.” He turned to leave the room and go up the stairs.
“You won’t need any clothing. It will all be provided. Bring any important personal effects, but nothing too large.”
River frowned, “Can I bring my cat?”
“No.”
Running up to his room, River grabbed a few composition notebooks he’d written things in, a small photo album, his digital camera, his Rocky Horror DVD, the soundtrack, his CD player and a few other CDs before shoving it all in a backpack and went back downstairs. His family was all waiting.
He hugged his mother, “I’ll be fine. I promise. Be sure to take care of Janet for me,” He muttered then shook hands with his father who couldn’t even speak.
“Be careful,” said Parthenon. River nodded and whispered, “I will.”
Naphtali was next. He hugged River tightly and said, “Be safe.” River smiled and replied, “Am I ever?”
Last was Loire who whimpered, “Be happy,” and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. River smiled at him before he turned and left with the three black –suited men.