Chapter twenty-two: a long time ago

"Walk into my room. Stand beside the chair. Do it quickly. They are coming."

It was One, on the private secure line. AJ did as he was told. As he touched the chair a wall opened and he was pulled in to the other side.

"One, what is going on? Who is coming? Are you in trouble?"

"They are Hector and Mary. They are coming. They've read Kal. I can feel it. Yes, in trouble. Deep trouble. AJ, Mary is not who you think she is. She is not Hector's wife. She is your mom. And the other person who contacted you. That is your brother."

"I don't have a brother One. And Mary isn't my mom. I haven't seen her really but I'm pretty sure she is not my mom."

"The woman who was raising you was not your mother. Mary is. She had twins. They were separated for safety reasons. Your brother was raised by another family.  And trust me. He is your brother. Twin. Identical twin. He is here. But he is not allowed out. He is pretty much imprisoned in a room in this complex. His name is Tim Riddle. Your name is Terry Riddle. You were raised as Hank. Do you remember that name?"

"Yes. Hank. Goodbye. The paper. I can't visualize my mom. How can this be? And why did my brother and I get separated for safety reasons. Safety for what reason? I have a brother? Twin? I cannot believe it. That is nuts."

"You and your brother were born to Mary. Mary is a special person with special powers and she was a threat to the big eight. Her children were a secret. If they found out about you two you'd be killed. So the forces decided to split you up and send you in different directions. And when you get to a certain age she'd come to collect you. For Tim it was a few months ago. For you a few days ago. The experiment on your brother went terribly wrong. And now he has been put away, locked up.

There's more. Tim believes Hector and Mary are not the good guys. Here's why: to start..." One's words faded out and she dropped to the ground with a thud. Her mouth wide open and her eyes tightly shut. AJ fell to his knees and cradled One's head in his hands.

"Let her go! Now! Or I will stop using my powers. Do it now."

One's eyes flickered open. "Hey AJ where are we? I must have fallen asleep. Tired now. Can you show me to my room. I need some rest." One winked at AJ. "Sure. This way..."

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