by Gene Curtis
Mr. Young said, “Looks like we should make the wearing of Magi armor mandatory whenever anyone is away from the school.”
Mark said, “Assign teams to each object and let’s see if we can find them first.
“Okay, priority three: strategy for future operations. Anyone want to discuss that?”
James began, “I think transportation is going to be their Achilles’ heel. Whatever they are doing is eventually going to involve moving large numbers of non-Magi and large amounts of material around. I think we should concentrate on disrupting their ability to do that.”
Cap’n Ben countered, “They’ll use a covert system of remanifesting to get around that. The biggest problem I see will be propaganda. Entertainment will be what they use for that.”
Jamal responded, “I disagree with the idea that entertainment will be their focus. It’ll more likely be through education and religion.”
Nick added, “The Internet is becoming more and more the prime media for influence.”
Salina added, “I know it’s a misinterpretation, but WWW in Hebrew is also 666. I thought that interesting. Maybe they’ll use that somehow. I’m just saying...”
Mark nodded, “It sounds like most everyone believes that they’ll begin with a campaign to win the hearts and minds of everyone. Our focus should be on how to counter that. Work up your plans for discussion at the next meeting.”
Mrs. Shadowitz opened her eyes and said, “The facility is completely underground with only one way in. Even the ventilation system is covered.” She pulled out the drawer that housed the keyboard and tapped a few keys. The screen showed open ground with one small building. “A direct assault will be impossible.”
Mark said, “It looks like it’s about time I learned the full power of Bands.” He removed Beauty from Aaron’s Grasp and handed it to Chenoa. “Your destiny was to go after this if LeOmi couldn’t; I have a feeling we’re going to need it. I’ll see you tonight in a Dream Cast. Maybe Raphael can give us a few pointers.”
High Elder Grob said, “No need to wait. I started research on your staff just after I met you. All indications are that it is used the same way Moses used his staff. Just hold it pointing to what you wish to affect and speak the words of what you wish to do. If that doesn’t work then ask God; he will tell you.”
Jamal asked, “Didn’t Moses hand his staff to Aaron to use?”
The High Elder smiled, “At first this was true. Moses had a speech impediment so we believe God let Aaron speak for him.”
* * *
Mark had brought Chenoa with him since she now carried Beauty. Mr. Rutherford, an eccentric old man that thrived on researching strange things, had said that Mark’s staff, Bands, and the staff named Beauty were supposed to work together. The man’s research had led him to some seemingly bizarre conclusions that were correct for the most part when it came to Magi, but they were conclusions that weren’t logical to most people.
Nick had been visibly upset at being ordered to stay behind. Two people strolling in the desert would probably not raise any suspicion, more likely would. Mrs. Shadowitz was monitoring and projecting her thoughts so everyone could see what was happening and more importantly when to remanifest in and seize the building. Nick had to be satisfied with that.
The medical research facility was located just outside the oasis community of Kharga, Egypt. The only indication that anything might be there was the small stone ventilation and entrance building that blended well with the sand of the open desert. It was practically invisible from three hundred yards away.
Mark stretched forth his staff toward the small structure and said, “Wind to blow the sand away.”
A light breeze began almost at once and began building. He felt small bits of sand pelt his face. He held his hand out to Chenoa and she took it. He remanifested them to the top of a dune about a mile away. They watched the wind kick up dust devils that danced around near where they had been. Some merged forming one large whirlwind. The sand was being sucked up and thrown all around. Fifteen minutes later the top of the underground structure was visible.
* * *
A young Arabic looking man wearing a turban opened the door to the room where LeOmi was being held and said, “We’re under attack.” His voice and demeanor were calm.
Ruby looked puzzled. “Under attack?”
“Tornados are removing the sand around us.”
“Tornadoes? We don’t get tornadoes here.” She thought for a moment. “Mark Young, it has to be him. How’d he find us? Never mind, use the tunnel. Get everyone out. Wipe the computers.”
“Yes ma’am.” He closed the door.
Ruby said to Dr. Heim, “Sedate her.”
The doctor filled a syringe and injected it into LeOmi’s IV and she fell asleep.
* * *
Mark waited another ten minutes before he held his staff out and said, “That’s enough.” Nothing happened. “Peace, be still.” The small tornado continued. He said to Chenoa, “You try.”
Chenoa raised Beauty and a rainbow followed its path. She grinned and exclaimed, “Look at that!” She waved the staff from side to side and a rainbow of color followed it wherever she moved it. They both looked back toward the tornado and it was gone.
Hundreds of Magi began appearing near the newly exposed building. A moment later, he saw a small explosion on the roof; he heard it a few seconds later. It was the planned entry method to bypass any security that might be there. Mark turned to Chenoa and said, “Let’s go get LeOmi.”
She took his hand and they grinned at each other. Their faces were close; before he could react, she kissed him. He was surprised and she said, “I’ve been a little jealous of Salina ever since she met you.”
Mark met Salina when she walked up and planted one on him. Salina was being flippant when she had done that, but he knew Chenoa was absolutely serious. He pulled her close and whispered, “I do love you, but we have a job to do. Maybe when this thing is over we’ll get together, but not now.” He had said that to her before and she knew what was at stake. None of them could afford to be distracted, especially him.
Chenoa pushed away, wiped a tear from her eye and said, “I know, but when this thing is over I am going to marry you.”
The building was void of any people. There was a tunnel near the bottom level that led toward the town. It had been blown shut about a mile in. Teams searched Kharga for clues as to where they might have taken LeOmi, but to no avail. Ruby had gotten away with her again. Next time they’d need to cover all possible escape routes.
* * *
Ruby sat at the head of the conference table while the security footage from the research facility played. When it finished she said, “That is definitely Mark, and I’m fairly certain that’s Chenoa with him. I want to capture him. He has shown that he’s a pretty good escape artist and he can evidently pass through solid stone.”
Antwone, the man that had recently lost his hand to Mark Young’s sword, interrupted, “He may not be able to pass through stone. My people checked that cave again and found a small chimney right above where he was secured. It’s quite likely that he remanifested.”
“Who chose that cave?”
“Ziegenfuss, ma’am.”
“He’s dead, so of course he’s the one that chose it. Never mind. Capturing Mark will be easy enough. Where to hold him is the question.”
Antwone said, “Erewhon is where I would suggest.”
“What, put him with LeOmi?”
“If he’s with her he won’t be looking for her. He won’t be able to use Spirit Sight or Dream Casting. I don’t think there is a better place to isolate him.”
Ruby nodded slowly while she thought about it. “When we get him seal him in a stone room for three days, no food or water. If he doesn’t get out then release him into Erewhon. If he does get out then we’ll have to come up with something else. LeOmi will be the bait; let her get a message out to him.”
* * *
When LeOmi
opened her eyes again, she was in a regular bed with a sheet drawn up over her. She wasn’t strapped down, no IV in her arm and no wires hooked to her head. She pulled the sheet off and saw she was still in a hospital gown. Her feet were no longer bandaged and they were curled into balls. There was a wheelchair between the wall and the bed. A pair of crutches was leaning against the wall in the small room. She noticed a white tunic set neatly folded on a very small table at the head of the bed. She sat up and tested her weight on her heels. No pain, that was good at least, but she couldn’t balance herself.
It was obvious that her sister was serious about keeping her from escaping, but losing the bones in her feet only limited her mobility and her ability to fight. She wondered if healing oil would restore the bones, probably. She didn’t have hers any longer. It had been in her pants pocket. Her sister must have taken it.
Mark had evidently found her location before they’d moved her here. How’d he do that? She felt a bit of relief knowing for a fact that he was looking for her and a little ashamed for thinking he might not be able to find her. She had to send him another clue about where she was and she didn’t have one to send.
She tried Spirit Sight and couldn’t do it. Something was blocking her. She didn’t feel dizzy like she did back at the other place. That meant they probably weren’t scrambling her brainwaves any longer; they were using something else, possibly a dream stone. She looked around, Where did she hide it?
She used the wheelchair to steady herself and checked the door. It was locked. There were no windows so she couldn’t remanifest. There was a tiny television at the foot of the bed. She decided to turn it on to see what language was being spoken. It tuned three world news channels only and all of them used English, with no consistent accent. The local weather reports were just graphics with no location identification information either. It was no help in giving her an idea where she might be.
She heard the door lock disengage. She turned and saw a lady enter. The lady smiled and said with an Australian sounding accent, “Cracker, you’re about.” She looked to be in her sixties and was wearing a pale green tunic. She closed the door and LeOmi heard someone lock it from the outside. “I’m here to give you the tiki tour.”
“Tiki tour?”
“Show you about, love. You’ll at least want to know where the dunny is and where to get tucker.”
It sounded like the lady expected her to be here for a while. LeOmi didn’t intend to stay here any longer than she had to. She planned to escape as soon as she could. This situation was so much out of context from what she expected. Before, she had been tied down, drugged and tortured; she expected pretty much the same treatment here. The lady was wearing a light green tunic and the tunic they had left in the room was white; were they holding her in a mental hospital now? What were they planning? What was Ruby up too?
LeOmi stood and leaned on the wheelchair. “Where am I?”
“You’re in Erewhon, love. Now get changed up,” she pointed to the tunic on the table, “and hop in that baderbus,” she pointed to the wheelchair, “and we’ll be home and hosed before you know it. I’ll be back in two shakes.”
She knocked twice on the door and it opened. Before she left LeOmi said, “Erewhon? Never heard of it.”
“New Zealand, love.”
LeOmi was dressed and ready when she came back. The lady pushed the wheelchair out the door and said, “Dunny’s at the end of the hall. Your shower time is between six in the morning and six-ten. She pushed LeOmi past an elevator and into the lobby.
LeOmi asked, “Is this a hotel? I thought it was a hospital.”
“It’s a flat for ones on the dole. Not many stay here; it’s too easy to get work.”
She pushed the wheelchair out into the night. It looked like a midsize city. Most people were walking in groups; quite a few of them were carrying a cloth shopping bag. Almost everyone was wearing tunics of different colors. A few were dressed in regular clothes. It reminded her a little of the way people dressed at The Seventh Mountain. The streets were well lit and traffic was light. All the vehicles looked very much like auto-cars aside from having wheels.
The lady walked over to the closest lamppost, placed her palm on a flat panel and said, “I need a car, handicap.” She walked back to LeOmi and said, “Your sister left instructions that you could eat anywhere you like tonight, only tonight. Unless you get a job you’ll have to eat at the soup kitchen.” She indicated a small place across the street. “It’s okay tucker they say, but it’s always the same: bread, water and soup. So, would you prefer take-away or a proper sit down tea?”
“Sit down tea, like tea and biscuits?”
“Well, ain’t you the yank? Tea, love, is what I suppose you would call dinner.”
A car pulled up to the curb and stopped. The clear dome lifted and a short ramp slid out to accommodate LeOmi’s wheelchair. There was no driver and no seats in the back, just a lock down for the wheels on her chair. As she was being pushed into the car she said, “A sit down tea would be nice.” When the lady got in, she placed her palm on a flat panel and said something that sounded like, new ee kai.
Nuikai turned out to be a huge restaurant. There was no parking lot. The car stopped at the curb near the front door and left after they got out. LeOmi said, “That’s an unusual name for a restaurant. What’s it mean?”
The lady smiled. “It’s Maori and means big food.” She placed her palm on a flat panel mounted next to the door and said, “You need to palm in too.” She pushed the wheelchair close enough for LeOmi to reach it.
Inside was jam packed with customers, but no one was waiting to be seated. Every table she could see was completely full and she thought it was because she was famished that the smells were so wonderful. The hostess saw them as they came in, raised her arm and snapped her fingers twice. A waiter glided up to her and said, “Yes ma’am.”
“We have a special needs guest tonight. See to it that they are seated immediately.”
He bowed slightly and said, “Yes ma’am.”
He turned to them and LeOmi was shocked to see who it was. “Slone!”
“LeOmi?” He seemed surprised too. He looked at her feet. “What happened to you?”
She didn’t know how to feel about seeing him here. He’d been forced to leave The Seventh Mountain officially because of his lack of judgment in endangering others. It had been rumored that he had caused Mark to fall into the labyrinth on purpose and that the thrall he had created attacked her friends because he wanted them dead. She really didn’t want to talk to him. “It’s a long story.”
The hostess cleared her throat and Slone took the handles on the wheelchair, “Let’s get you guys seated.” They used an elevator that took them to the second level and Slone positioned them next to the balcony railing that allowed them to overlook the lower level.
“What would you like?”
“No menu?”
The lady said, “Order anything you like, love.”
Slone said, “It’s kind of like The Oasis that way.”
LeOmi said, “Salad with Balsamic vinaigrette, New York strip, medium well, baked potato with sour cream, chives and tomato slices, iced tea and pear cobbler with whipped cream for dessert.”
“My, that sounds good,” said the lady. “I’ll have the same ‘cept make mine rare and give me a kiwifruit cobbler instead.”
Slone held out a portable palm scanner for them, took their scans and left.
The lady held her hand out to LeOmi and said, “I’m Alice.”
LeOmi shook and said, “I’m LeOmi. This is kind of a strange city.”
“Experimental, everything is free as long as you work a shift. No worries about bills or a roof over your head or seeing a doctor. If you work then you can have anything you want for that day.”
“What about those that can’t work?”
“No such, everyone can do something that’s needed. Even if you choose not to work you still get minimum room and board, like yo
ur place.”
“What about kids and old people?”
“School counts as work ‘til age eight. Old folks mostly teach. It all works out; everybody works because they want to, not because they have to.”
“So you can leave anytime you please?”
“I suppose, never wanted to myself; never knew anyone that did and I’ve been here twenty-three years.”
Slone returned with their orders. “My shift ends in twenty minutes. Mind if I come back and join you for a chat?”
“Sure love,” said Alice. “Knock yourself out.”
Slone said, “LeOmi might mind, we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”
She was torn between wanting to put as much distance between him and her as she could and wanting a familiar face to tell her what kind of situation she was in. LeOmi nodded, “See you in twenty.”
They hadn’t finished eating when Slone returned. He sat down and said, “I’d really like to know what happened to you. Maybe I can help.”
She doubted that he was sincere but saw no harm in telling her story other than the fact that Alice would probably think she was crazy. “My sister, Ruby, is working for Benrah. She’s trying to keep me away from the staff called Beauty and she wants me to kill myself since I’m evidently the de-facto high priestess for the cult of Ishtar. Bottom line is that she’s holding me captive and torturing me whenever she can. My feet are like this because she had a doctor take the bones out. The last time I saw him he was wearing them as a necklace. Mark attacked the facility where I was in an attempt to rescue me. They sedated me before he could get to me and I woke up here.”
Alice exclaimed, “Blimey, love, ain’t you a bit of dag!”
Slone rebuffed her, “She isn’t trying to be funny.”
“Well spread it with vegemite and I might swallow it.”
