The Thought Pushers (Mind Dimensions #2)(2)
Speaking of work, doesn’t Caleb understand that normal people have jobs they need to be at on a Wednesday morning? I don’t, but that’s beside the point. I’m even more annoyed now. Then again, it’s early, and this thing could potentially be over before the workday begins.
“You better have an important reason to get me out of bed this early.” I open the door to Caleb’s car.
“Good morning to you too, Darren.” Ignoring my scowl, he starts the car as soon as I get in and pulls out. “Look, kid, I didn’t want to wake up so f*cking early, either, but Jacob took the red-eye, and he demanded to see you before your workday, so you’re not inconvenienced too much. So here I am.”
Jacob, the leader of the Reader community, wants to see me? Shit. Maybe Mira did tell everybody about my Pushing, and it got all the way to the top. Then again, Caleb doesn’t seem overly hostile, so maybe I’m wrong.
As Caleb navigates a handful of streets, my nervousness over the possible reasons for Jacob’s request is quickly superseded by the fear induced by Caleb’s driving. I didn’t blame him for driving like a maniac when we had to save Mira, but there’s no reason to do so now.
“I don’t need to be back for work, so please don’t kill us,” I say. Caleb ignores that statement, so I ask, “What does Jacob want?”
“What he wants is between you and him.” Caleb honks at a guy who stopped at a red light, like that’s a mistake or something. “I’m trying to make up for the time you took getting ready. We have an extra errand before I take you to Jacob.” The light changes, and we surge ahead.
“What extra errand?” As I sip my drink, I realize he didn’t make fun of it. Most people at least ask about it. In my experience, in mainstream America, pea-green morning drinks are looked on with either suspicion or ridicule.
“We’re going to have some fun,” he says in an apparent attempt to cheer me up. “A guy in Brooklyn is our first target.”
“Our target?” I’m confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Our deal,” he says, scowling at me. I really wish he’d keep his eyes on the road. “I thought of someone.”
Our deal. Crap. I’d hoped he’d forget I promised to help him Read deeper into some fighter’s memories than he can do on his own—something other Readers refuse to do for him. I was hoping to learn more about why they refuse, even though it’s too late—I already agreed to do it in exchange for him helping save Mira.
“What can you tell me about this thing we’re about to do?” I ask. All of a sudden, his driving isn’t my biggest concern.
“Truth be told, not that much,” he says contemplatively, looking at the road ahead. “When I did it before, it was with someone who’s only a little more powerful than myself. The woman I did it with could only spend a day in the Mind Dimension. The length of time people can collectively spend in the Mind Dimension determines how strongly the minds Join, I believe.”
“You believe?” Great. Any confidence I had in Caleb’s understanding of this thing goes up in smoke. I wonder if he knows any more than I do.
“It’s hard to describe, Darren. All I can say is, let’s just agree to stay out of each other’s heads.”
That’s when it hits me: he’ll have access to my head. He’ll have access to my thoughts in a way I still don’t quite understand. If it’s anything like Reading, he could theoretically find out what happened yesterday. He could find out I Pushed someone, if he doesn’t know already. I have a feeling I’d be in deep trouble if that happened. More than anything, I want to ask him how he feels about Pushers, but that could just get him thinking about it, which could increase the odds of him snooping in my mind.
“The more I hear, the more I don’t really want to do this, Caleb.”
“Yeah, I’m a little hesitant myself,” he says, and I begin to have hope. Then my hope is dashed as he adds, “But it’s not like I get a chance like this every day. Who knows if I’ll ever get another one like it. As for you—a deal’s a deal.”
“What do you mean, you might never get another chance like this? I’ll totally do it some other day; you just caught me off-guard. I wasn’t expecting you today. I’m not ready, psychologically. I’d like to give it a little thought before I just dive in.” It sounds reasonable to me, but Caleb isn’t sold.
“Oh, I’m not worried about collecting the debt you owe me.” I can’t tell if he’s joking or threatening. “The chance I’m talking about has more to do with our target.”
“Oh, and who’s that? And why is it such a rare treat?” Curiosity starts to win out over dread, by a very slim margin.
“His name is Haim. I only found out he was in town when I pinged my contacts about capable people I could actually learn something from. He could leave at any time, given the nature of his work. That’s why I want to get to him now.”
I absorb this information as we get off the highway in what I think is one of the Heights parts of Brooklyn, an area known for Manhattan skyline views and old brownstone buildings.
Coincidently, we double-park next to one such home, a three-story brick townhouse. It’s quaint if you like older architecture, which I don’t. I can just imagine how musty it is inside.