Cougar's Roar

by Jim Mohr

  “I am sorry, I cannot stay long. We are still notifying everyone for the meeting on January 3rd.”

  Owl nods. “We know, listen, Pigeon, we are looking for Calista Reed; Calico. If you don’t know where she is at, we will take the location of Wolf instead.”

  The Pigeon’s eyes grow large. “Oh, we cannot search for Wolf anymore. Not since he threatened our Lord. The Wolves are hidden.”

  I touch the young woman’s hand as I blink at her. “What do you mean, the Wolf threatened Lion? What happened?”

  “The Wolf said: “We are the Wolves. We are here for one purpose. You have been searching for us, to ask us to pay homage, loyalty, or some other foolish thing. I will tell you this once, and once only. We do not bow to you, we do not serve you, you are not our king. We held power before you were even in puberty, cat. We are the originals, the experiment. Us, Tiger, Taipan, and others. Cease your searching for us, or we will kill you, your minions, and your pride. Your Pigeons will all die and you will be left to deal with Eagle on your own. Understand something Lion. You are only the king because you put yourself there. You may not always be the most powerful Psychokinetic. If we hear of any trouble from you against the dogs, we reserve our right to claim your throne. We will crush you. You have been forewarned.” The words of Pigeon sound as if many voices are speaking all at once, the hive reciting the words verbatim.

  Owl smiles. “I think I like Wolf.”

  Pigeon looks at Owl, then to me. “They’re a pair, the Wolves. It is more than just the man; his mate is just as powerful.”

  Owl nods. “Okay, so, where are they?”

  Pigeon closes her eyes. “We do not know where the Wolves are.” Her eyes open as she looks at Owl. “We are all birds, however. We suspect he’s with a pack of wolves. That would mean Colorado, the northern US, or Canada.”

  Owl looks at me and smiles. “Well, at least she narrowed it down.”

  I roll my eyes at Owl. She is my friend and I love her as a sister. “Pigeon, where is Calico?”

  Pigeon again closes her eyes. “We do not know where the Calico, mother of Cougar is. We only know that she is alive.” Her eyes open. “We suspect she is having premonitions. If she stays away, it is best to leave her.”

  Owl chuckles. “Great, we want to help Cougar and we get a whole bunch of ‘don’t do this, stay away’. Thanks, Pigeon.”

  The Pigeon nods slightly to Owl. “We want to warn you both, Lion is angry at you for attacking Falcon. Please, both of you be warned for the meeting.”

  “May we bring our animals?” Asks Owl.

  Pigeon shakes her head. “No, only family heads can bring their companions.”

  “Damn!” Exclaims Owl.

  Pigeon reaches for Owl’s hand and grasps it gently. “We Pigeons fear Lion. We fear for you both. Us birds need to guard ourselves against the cats.” She stands. “I must leave.”

  I stand. “One more question, who haven’t you found yet?”

  Pigeon smiles at me. “We are seeking Saint Bernard. If a fight happens, he will be needed. We think he is in England, we think he is trying to hide. Like you, lovely Dove, he cannot hide. His healing power is too great. We will find him.”

  Owl chuckles. “Healing? How does that give you away?”

  The Pigeon tears up. “Owl, we think he heals terminally ill children. He is hiding while keeping his power active. He’s a cunning dog.”

  I understand my powers now. I heal souls, St. Bernard heals bodies. German Shepherd protects, the cats fight… Just like in the wild.

  Chapter 52

  Cougar—Wisconsin Illinois Base

  Friday, Jan 2nd

  The dark nightmare fades as I sit upright in bed. Carries’ soft breathing calms me, though the fear of the dream still lingers. Our room is dark, I slide out of bed, careful not to disturb her. I have memorized the layout of our residence. My journey to the bathroom is stealthy as a predator.

  The tile on the bathroom floor is cold. Even on the upper floors, the bitter Wisconsin winter seems to creep into the inner sections of the base. I slowly, silently, close the bathroom door and turn on the light. My eyes burn as the fluorescent light floods my vision.

  As my pupils adjust, I shuffle to the sink. My eyes open and I am staring into the mirror, into my own eyes. My senses are peaked, my defensive power is up, what is wrong?

  BUZZING… My eyes go wide as the buzzing fills my mind. The buzzing makes me swoon and then pain rips through my jaw. I can taste blood. I have lost my balance and my face has slammed into the sink. Someone is reading my mind, someone extremely powerful. The buzzing…

  Carrie screams and I struggle to stand. Sparkles fill my vision and I reach for the door. My feet slide out from under me as I lurch forward. My blood is spilling onto the floor and I labor to breathe. I cannot get to my feet, something is holding me down…

  “Security detail 53B10, medics 53B10!” Carrie yells from the bedroom. I hear the com turn on and a local page is broadcast through the fifth floor, sector 3B.

  “Security 53B10, security 53B10. Medics to 53B10. Medics to 53B10.” The com goes silent.

  The power holding me then releases me. I lunge again at the door, this time I reach it. I open the door into our bedroom, the light goes on. Carrie is standing at the light switch. Her nightgown is soaked with blood below her waist, her eyes are glassy.

  I run to her and hold her. I open my healing power to her, it does not respond. “Carrie, are you okay?”

  The door to the apartment opens and two security guards enter, guns at the ready. “This is security!” They yell.

  “In here!” I respond.

  Carrie’s eyes switch back to a normal look as she smiles softly. Tears form in them; her lips are quivering in fear.

  “Our baby… There was pain, blood…” She looks down at her nightgown. Medics enter the room. “Cougar, he healed me! My God, I have never felt anything like that before.”

  I reach my mind into her womb, into my unborn son’s mind. Never has telepathy been like this… Sounds are muffled, Carries’ heartbeat pounds in my ears… Darkness… In my mind fear overwhelms me as his power recognizes me. I am forced out… As I leave, the last image I see is that of a Saber Tooth Tiger.

  ***

  Carrie Montclair

  The pain of the morning incident with my unborn son is long removed from my mind. I maintain the memory of it, the trauma, however, is gone. Cougar says it is empathic power. Whatever it is, I fear and love the baby inside of me.

  The exam is finished and everything appears normal. My ultrasound is normal, my bloodwork is normal. I now must wait for Doctor Ramos. Cougar has been asked to wait outside, this request is curious, to say the least.

  I finish getting dressed and sit in the plastic and steel chair next to the exam table, there is a soft knock on the door. It opens slowly, Doctor Ramos’ head pokes inside.

  “Sergeant Montclair, may I enter?”

  “Yes, sir, I’m dressed. I resigned from service, I’m just Carrie Montclair now.”

  The doctor enters quickly and closes the door. “How do you feel?”

  I touch my belly gently. “Great, no problems, no pain.”

  He nods. “I figured as much. Psychokinetics shouldn’t have power in utero. Typically, it doesn’t present itself until six to eight years old. Sometimes it shows during their mid-teen years. I’ve never heard of an unborn with power.”

  I smile as my eyes open wide. “Sir, I can assure you. He has power now.”

  “Yes, I suppose he does. He used telekinesis and telepathy on Cougar while healing and using empathy on you. All this at the same time… Incredible.”

  “Sir, why the pain? I was sleeping, and a searing pain ripped through my abdomen. I woke up and I heard Cougar struggling. I screamed. What caused the pain?”

  Doctor Ramos’s eyes lower.
He knows I can tell from his face. “Sergeant, Carrie, that is why I don’t want Cougar in here. I must tell you, but please, until Cougar is… calm, do not tell him.”

  I do not understand the secrecy. “What is this?” I again touch my belly. “Is our baby okay?”

  “Oh, him?! Hell yes! He’s a champ, tough as a horse. Carrie, originally, I theorized about Psychokinetics and Timere. This morning’s incident proved my theory. Carrie, Psychokinetics and Timere are the same. The hormone is the same, I mean. Their powers differ because of something else, their minds perhaps, I don’t know. Your son used the Timere power of harm on you.”

  My mind is a rush of thoughts as I stare at the doctor. “Why? Why would he harm me?”

  Doctor Ramos’s eyebrows raise as he continues. “My guess is it was an accident. My guess is, that after he harmed you, he realized something was wrong. Again, I’m speculating… Your baby used everything in his arsenal to repair what he had done.” Doctor Ramos sits on the metal stool. He pulls it close and grabs my hand. His hands are warm. “Carrie, do not tell Cougar this. He’s on a crusade, and this information would further upset him. Let’s wait until he’s done visiting Atlanta, then we’ll see how he is, and go from there. Is that okay?”

  I smile softly. I hate keeping things from Cougar. “Yes, I suppose it’s all right.”

  Doctor Ramos nods. “Good, take care of your baby and your family. Us humans are being put in difficult positions as the Psychokinetics and Timere propagate. I’m here if you need anything.”

  ***

  Cougar

  I holster my Kalashnikov as the scoreboard above me reads “100.” I am angry, I do not know why. A human is approaching me, I think it is one of my troops, Sergeant Klingmeyer perhaps.

  I clear my thoughts as the door opens, it is in fact Klingmeyer. “Hey, sir!” He looks up at my score. “Fuck! 100?! Son of a bitch…”

  “What is it, Sergeant?” I reply.

  “Since I am the defacto leader of Alpha team, you know, no Lieutenant yet and I’m the highest-ranking NCO. I’d like to do some teambuilding tomorrow.”

  “I’m waiting for your Lieutenant to accept her invitation. She’s from London base. I’ve also got your team Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Peblo. He’s at Dallas base and is arriving sometime next week, hopefully.”

  Klingmeyer nods. “Good, good… So, tomorrow I’d like Alpha team to maybe do some obstacle course work at Camp Douglas.”

  I stare at Klingmeyer, my anger is not subsiding. “You do realize that it’s going to be below freezing tomorrow right?”

  “Yes, sir. My concern will be for the units’ safety and health. When you recruited me, I was under the assumption that we may be working in hostile environments.”

  “You’re right, Jack. Go ahead, take them.”

  “Are you all right, Sir? Are you concerned about your trip tomorrow?”

  “I’m all right. I’m concerned for Carrie, fuck the trip,” I reply.

  “Do you want some of us to accompany you? You’re an Alliance officer, soon to be a Captain. You should have a detail with you.”

  “No, Jack. Take Alpha team to Camp Douglas. Clear it through O4, make sure everyone has the proper gear.” I pull my Kalashnikov from the holster and pull the empty magazine from it. It is still warm.

  “Sir, I have your back.”

  I look up at the human. “What?”

  “I’m with you.” He extends his hand to shake. I grab it, his strength is as obvious to me as his loyalty is. “I’m with you sir, all of CAT is with you.”

  I release his hand. “Thank you, Klinker.”

  “One more thing, sir. When you go to get that Sergeant Androse at Cairns detention, I’d like to go with you.”

  I nod. “I’d figured you would Jack, thanks.” My anger is subsiding though I sense a dark cloud on the horizon. If it is Lion, I’ll shoot the fucker.

  ***

  Cougar—Room 53B10

  The computer search for Malcolm Davante returns what I already knew: his father; Demetri Devante, invented the Davante nuclear engine. His mother, Caroline, is the daughter of an affluent family. The entire Devante estate is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Malcolm is homeschooled by a miss Tina Johansson, Falcon. Shortly after Falcon’s hiring, Lion began actively recruiting Psychokinetics for some unknown reason. The young man is a recluse, living off his family’s wealth. Demetri sold his share of the company and has since disappeared from the public scene.

  I close the computer search screen as I sense Carrie approaching the door to our apartment. The door lock clicks after she enters her code. It opens and instantly my apprehension and anger leave me.

  “Hello honey, how are you doing?” I ask as the computer rises back into the ceiling.

  She gracefully walks and hugs me around my neck, kissing my cheek and lips. “I’m great, you look tired.”

  I pat her rear as I shift in my seat to face her. “I am, tomorrow has me worried.”

  “Because Hyena and Falcon are going to be there?”

  “Yes, partly. I’m concerned about the whole thing. I’m not swearing fealty to anyone, least of all some asshole living off daddy’s money. It could turn ugly.”

  Carrie releases me as she pulls a chair up next to me. “Lieutenant Smith will be there, right? Owl and Dove also, correct?”

  “Yes, I’ll have friends there. Still, I’m worried. Before, I didn’t have anything to lose. Now, I have you and my son.”

  She smiles as she touches my face. “And we’ll be here when you get home.”

  “I know, honey. Carrie, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me? Can we build a family?”

  Her face lights up as her smile grows, all of this as tears well up in her beautiful blue eyes. “Cougar, I would love nothing more than to marry you. I will, O God, I will marry you.”

  She grabs me in a tight hug and at once the buzzing begins in my head again. The power of the baby’s telepathy makes me dizzy. Several seconds pass and the buzzing subsides. A wave of calming warmth washes over me, my anxiety, fear, and apprehension are gone. The deep love for my fiancée and son remains. I am finally home.

  Chapter 53

  Cougar—Devante Estate: The Buckhead District, Atlanta, Georgia

  Saturday, Jan 3rd

  My flight from Wisconsin Illinois base to Atlanta base is smooth and without incident. Atlanta base has kindly issued me a vehicle for the drive to the district of Buckhead. The past several miles have been a continual stream of homes increasing in size, grandeur, and lavishness. The small bits of commercial real estate I have seen have confirmed this is not the neighborhood I grew up in. Atlanta has changed significantly from pictures and documentation of what it was in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

  I turn on to the cobblestone road to the Davante mansion. Either side of the road is lined with well-pruned trees and low bushes. I sense others like myself ahead. Their combined power is immense and it seems to magnify because of the sheer number of Psychokinetics.

  Ahead, a tall wall topped with copper and steel spikes warns me of impending doom. I am a visitor, a guest in this civilian world of wealth and majesty. I touch my Kalashnikov as it rests at my side. The front gate comes into view and I feel a sense of dread. This is feeling like my first day in the Timere class.

  Five men stand at the gate, there are four guards and another man who seems to try to hug one of the guards, he is a Psychokinetic.

  I stop the car and shut it off. The Psychokinetic looks at me. From this distance, I can see the man has the genetic condition: trisomy 21; Down syndrome. I can tell he has some power, enough to be attached to an animal.

  I exit the car and the Psychokinetic slowly walks toward me, a smile on his face. I calm my emotions as I approach the guards and the Psychokinetic.

  “I
am Lieutenant Cougar Reed. I am here at the request of Malcolm Davante,” I announce.

  The Psychokinetic brushes his pants, as if removing dirt. “Hello, Cougar, you seem like a nice man,” the Psychokinetic responds.

  The guards look at each other as one of them speaks. “We’ll open the gate, follow the drive and park by the other vehicles. Guards at the porte-cochere will give you further instructions.”

  The Psychokinetic looks back at the guards as he continues toward me, the smile still on his face. I look at the man and bow slightly. “You are attached to an animal, which one?”

  He stops his approach as the smile leaves his face, he is confused. “My name is Matt Hutchins, I am a great dog, a loyal friend, a loving man, I am Labrador.” Labrador looks at my uniform, focusing on my silver First Lieutenant bar. “Are you a General?”

  “No Labrador, I’m a Lieutenant. Would you like a ride to the house?” I motion toward the car.

  “Yes please, you are a nice man. What animal comes when you call?” He walks to my car and opens his door. He seems unimpressed by the power radiating from the estate beyond the lavish grounds.

  I open my door and sit in the driver’s seat. “I am Mountain Lion.” Labrador sits in the passenger seat as I start the car. The gate opens, and we enter the mansion grounds.

  I can tell these grounds were at one time pristine, and well cared for. Years of neglect have taken their toll on the entire yard. Flowering bushes have grown wild, trees are left unpruned, the grass is knee-high and full of insects. The Davante mansion is degrading under its current ownership. The white, federal colonial-style mansion is fading; its whites are now a dull cream with a tint of moldy green.

  Labrador looks out of the window at the grounds. “I hope Lion is a nice man.”

  The gravel driveway widens and I see the parking area ahead, behind it the white, marble porte-cochere. “Labrador, I don’t think he is,” I reply.

  The dog looks at me, his innocence is beyond even what I sense in Dove. “Have you met him?”