The Intangibles

by Alexander Astremsky

  Stinger didn’t answer and kept his head down.

  “Well, that idiot did.” Zet chuckled. “He set fire to a spider! Can you imagine? But he really had to make it happen! And the moron saw the spider crawling across the floor, ran and got his matches or lighter or whatever it was… And he set fire to the freaking spider!” Zet threw up his hands but then quickly returned the gun to Stinger’s temple. “What was he thinking? Perhaps when the spider caught on fire, he thought he’d handled the problem. And how astonished he got when the huge flaming wolf spider jumped onto the bed. And the bed also caught on fire. I can see it now; the goggle-eyed idiot rushing to the bed, trying to put out the flame. What could he do? Stamp out the fire? Blanket it out? But the spider didn’t want to sell his life cheap, did he?” Zet now moved really close to Stinger and shouted. “The hero jumped again! And wolf spiders do know how to jump, don’t they, brother? So, it jumped back to the floor, ran a few feet, and got into the curtain. Totally unpredicted, really dangerous! Who would know that the female wolf spider on fire would be capable of such heroism? Nobody! Because there are very few morons on Earth who would set spiders on fire. Our sinner hadn’t thought that the spider would climb up the curtain. Because these idiots aren’t capable of thinking with their head unless it’s a dickhead. Their thinking stops right there. So… it occurred to him to set the spider on fire. And now, his bed was in flames, the burning wolf spider climbed up the curtain, leaving a burning trail behind, and all our moron could do was stand there and stare. And then the fire got onto the battle-scarred sofa, blocking the door. The rest of the story we know from the news. Fire alarm triggered, but it was all too late. Several apartments scorched, people evacuated, and the guy paid for everything with interest: they took him to hospital with severe burns. But the plan was different, right?”

  He paused again and waited for his brother to answer. But Stinger didn’t say a word. Only his uneven breathing and growling indicated that he was conscious and able to hear everything.

  Zet leaned to his ear and pressed the gun harder into his head. “Today you’ve set the spider on fire, brother,” he whispered. “Though I thought you were smarter.”

  He shot a glance at Linda, who blushed while still holding the dagger against Eddie’s neck.

  “So, let’s make our exchange?”

  Linda’s eyes filled with tears.

  “You know well that I don’t lose anything,” said Zet. “If I get rid of him, I only win. I have almost won already…”

  “Nobody’s won yet,” Max interfered.

  “Buahaha,” uttered Zet theatrically. “It’s so touchy, considering that the man who said it has a gun to his head and is dying of poison!” He turned to Linda and repeated, “So, do we exchange?”

  Linda hesitated a second and shoved Eddie toward Zet as if he was a piece of junk. Eddie stumbled and nearly crashed to the floor. But Zet caught him and redirected him to his assistant.

  “Take it, Sam!”

  Sam grabbed Eddie, dragged him into the corner and pointed his gun at him.

  “Thank you, brother Zet…” Eddie whined.

  “Shut up!” snapped Zet. He hid Stinger’s gun in his cloak and turned to Linda with a satisfied look. “The true queen!” He motioned his head at the dagger in her hand and added, “You won’t need this thing anymore.”

  She clenched her teeth and with glare, threw the dagger out the window.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Familiar Look

  “No! This isn’t possible!” exclaimed Athena. “What do we do now, Osiris?”

  They had materialized at Max’s place.

  Osiris didn’t answer and rubbed his forehead. He just saw how a seemingly regular person had brilliantly used his weapon; the weapon which hadn’t existed on Earth for thousands of years and wouldn’t exist in the next hundred years for sure. That man could only be a member of his team. And he knew who it was.

  “I must go back there and find a solution,” he said. “I don’t see any other option.”

  “You mean us?”

  “No, just me.” He got up, ready to set up the Switch.

  “I have a feeling that this has already happened once,” said Athena.

  Osiris took her hands in his.

  “Like, we had to part but swore to each other that we’d meet again and complete the mission…” she whispered. She was speaking slowly; the words didn’t come easy. She looked Osiris in the eyes, as if trying to find there the missing pieces of her puzzle.

  “Yes, my love, that’s what happened,” he squeezed her hands. “And we’ll do it… but not now.”

  He stepped back and resumed setting up the Switch.

  “I’m going with you,” asserted Athena.

  “No way!”

  “But why?”

  “Because we won’t be able to locate each other fast enough while in the intangible state. You must stay here.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. Stay here. This way, if I need your help, I will know where to find you.”

  * * *

  The living room at Stinger’s place looked more like a slaughterhouse. Three dead bodies lay in a pool of blood by the doorway, covered with black cloaks. To the door’s right lay the guard in an unnatural position; he had been the first to find his death in an attempt to save the boss. Two of Zet’s burly assistants were holding Max and Eddie at gunpoint. The owner of the house was lying by the fireplace, bleeding and writhing in pain. And one more person in a cloak stood closer to the doorway, watching them all.

  Once Linda had thrown her dagger outside, Zet lifted his brother and shoved him in her direction. Stinger crawled to her, leaving a scarlet trail on the floor. His hand, pressed to his chest, was covered in blood, just like his clothes. Linda sat down and carefully lay his head on her lap.

  “Here we go,” Zet rubbed his hands. “This is much better. Check them, Martin.”

  Martin suspiciously looked at Max, who was lying on the floor beside him.

  “Don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere,” Zet assured him.

  Martin approached Linda, who didn’t pay any attention to him. She sat on the floor supporting Stinger, with her head down and her shoulders jumping as she sobbed.

  Martin crouched and searched her. Linda didn’t move. He switched to Stinger. First, he checked the pants, and as he moved further and touched the shirt, all soaked in blood, he recoiled in disgust. “It’s all good.” He walked away and wiped his hands on his cloak.

  Zet gave an approving nod and Martin returned his gun to Max’s head.

  “Well, let’s start,” said Zet. “As I understand, this scientist here invented some special gadget, right?”

  The question was addressed to Max, who was lying on the floor and not saying anything.

  Zet nodded and moved toward Stinger and Linda. “And then, somehow, most likely illegally, since I know my brother well…” Zet chuckled and pointed at Stinger. “Nobody knows how it happened, but this gadget ended up in bad, very dirty hands.” Zet stopped in the corner. He resembled a preacher addressing his parish. There he could see all and be seen by all. “Many of you know well who I am and what I am doing here. My mission is and has been for the last millennia…” Zet paused. “My mission is to find and punish the worst sinners, to police the morals of and help mankind survive in this world by purifying it of evil.”

  He went silent.

  Eddie was shaking. He lay on the floor in the fetal position, embracing his knees and hiding his face.

  Max scrutinized Zet’s face, though it was hard to call the indifferent and cold mask a face, and the fanatical glare in his eyes resembled hellfire. But not only that: the look in those eyes seemed rather familiar. Max had a feeling that he had already seen it, and quite recently. He’d seen it in the eyes of…

  Max shuffled through the faces that he’d seen lately, but he couldn’t quite remember which one it was.

  And then it dawned upon him! Osiris! Yes, Osiris! Knowledge and wisdom
were in those eyes. As well as calm and certainty. He hadn’t seen such eyes in the past. Only when he looked at Osiris. As if he knew everything about everyone. And now he saw similar “enlightenment” in the eyes of this other man: Zet. But it was the opposite, the dark side of that light.

  I’ll be damned… Is that him? Max got cold at the thought.

  “So, here and now I observe non-optimal events,” Zet resumed his speech. “Serious evil is being done. And it is my duty to restore the balance and contain the evil… Thus I cannot let the devil’s weapon end up in such treacherous hands…” He approached Stinger, bent over him, and said loudly. “Yours!”

  Linda’s eyes were burning with rage. She looked up at Zet, and he recoiled. His face contorted for a split second and he looked away, addressing Max and Eddie.

  “To make a long story short, I need your gadget. And I will take it. And one of you will show me how it works.”

  Max was lying on the floor, barely breathing. Eddie didn’t change his position, waggling left and right and babbling something.

  “As I can see, Max here is not feeling well.” Zet kicked him lightly and looked at Eddie. “And you? You’re his assistant, aren’t you?”

  Eddie couldn’t think straight at all. He just wanted to pass out. But the sharp pain of a heavy boot forced him to come around.

  He moaned. “No! You’re my brothers! Please! Don’t kill me! Please!” He started to cry like a baby.

  “Easy, easy! Nobody’s gonna kill you.” Zet crouched beside him with a smile and touched his hand. “You’re our parishioner, and therefore a friend.”

  Eddie stopped weeping at once. “You won’t kill me, will you? You… I am your parishioner, yes, and you…”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Zet interrupted him. “I just know you’re a good person and you’ll help me, right?”

  “Yes! Yes! Of course, I will help you,” blabbered Eddie.

  “You heard everything, didn’t you?”

  “Of course!” Eddie started to nod.

  “I’ll repeat anyway. I want your gadget, and I want to know how it works. That’s all. Once you show me how it works, you can go. You want that, right?”

  “Yes! I do! I will tell you! But… well, it…” Eddie hesitated.

  “What?”

  “Ehm… it doesn’t work.”

  “Is it broken?”

  “No. Max, he locked it, for twenty-four hours. But I think it’s over and now it can be unlocked.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “Only Max can do it! It requires his fingerprints.”

  Zet got up and walked up to Max. “We can’t help but bother you, my scientific friend.” He signaled his assistant to lift Max from the floor.

  Now Max faced Zet, slightly rocking and panting. The assistant held him upright, with the gun still chilling his temple.

  “He has the antidote!” Eddie pointed at Stinger.

  “Does he?” Zet moved closer to Max, lifting his head by the chin and looking him in the eyes. “I don’t think we need it yet.” Zet shifted his glance to the assistant. “Martin, take off the bracelet and hand it to me.”

  Martin complied with no delay. He crouched beside the bleeding Stinger and reached for the bracelet, but Stinger wasn’t going to easily part with his loot. His hand escaped Martin’s. Martin chuckled and put the gun to Stinger’s head.

  “Give it to him,” whispered Linda.

  Stinger looked away and groaned.

  Martin took off the bracelet and walked to his boss.

  Max didn’t want to believe it. But Zet put the bracelet on, and Max couldn’t do anything about that.

  * * *

  Athena clenched her fists and looked at the bracelet. She really wanted to get to Max. Blood was pumping in her head. She broke down, covered her face with her hands, and cried.

  Suddenly, there was a rustle behind.

  She didn’t have a chance to turn around as someone’s hand covered her mouth. After an unsuccessful attempt to escape, she was lifted from the armchair, and her arms were twisted behind her back. Cold steel on the wrists, a snapping sound, and her hands were in shackles.

  They pushed her in the back and she lost her balance. Falling, she noticed two men wearing long dark cloaks.

  She felt the gag in her mouth and smelled plastic.

  Strong arms squeezed her painfully, preventing any resistance. Someone put a sack over her head and it got dark. She felt herself being carried. Then the darkness lessened and she heard the sounds of the street. Then a slam and more pain. Athena felt herself being thrown somewhere.

  By the smell of rubber and gasoline she understood she was in a trunk. She jerked a few times, trying to remove the sack from the upper part of her body, but immediately got punched in the head. It knocked her out and she drowned in the darkness.

  The engine vibrated and the car started down the street.

  CHAPTER 20

  Flower and Dagger

  “So, it all goes well,” Zet smugly examined the Switch on his wrist. “Very well done to all of you! You’re excellent assistants and this is good. Because you participate in a good and useful proposition.” He scanned the room and looked at Max. “And we’re almost done here. As far as I understand, the gadget just needs to be unlocked.”

  Max turned away.

  “Come on, just do it, and you’re free to go. You can just leave and get on with your life.” Zet reached out with his left hand, the one with the bracelet.

  Max didn’t answer. He was frantically trying to come up with a solution.

  “Don’t do that, scientist,” a husky voice said quietly. “You know he won’t leave you alone…”

  Max and Zet simultaneously turned around.

  Stinger made an effort and sat up. Linda was supporting him by the shoulders.

  “Don’t do it,” the voice repeated insistently.

  Zet lowered his hand, slowly walked up to Martin, who was still pointing his gun at Max, took it from him, and without a single word aimed at Stinger and pulled the trigger.

  Despite the silencer on the gun, everyone jumped. Eddie yelped and covered his face with his hands.

  Stinger groaned and grabbed his thigh. It was fountaining with blood. Linda pulled her stockings off and started to twist it as an improvised tourniquet. Her hands were failing her and her body was shaking with silent sobs.

  Zet returned the gun to Martin and switched his attention back to Max. “Sorry for the inconvenience, I hope it’s not going to happen again.” He was irritated. “Shall we continue?”

  A wave of rage rolled up to Max’s face and burned his cheeks. Now he fully realized who this Zet was. His tone of voice, what he was saying and how he was saying it… He might be a messiah for the others, but Max knew Osiris’s story and he could see deeper. He saw the potential disaster in Zet. And he also realized that this man was the one to blame for the apocalypse Osiris had told them about.

  Zet reached out with his hand again. “Max, don’t do that,” the quiet voice whispered again. “He has no right to punish anyone for their sins… It’s a lie, a sham, a cover. He…”

  Zet snatched the gun out of Martin’s hands again. The following shot interrupted Stinger in mid-sentence. The bullet hit him in the chest and threw him back into Linda. She reflexively embraced his heavy body in an attempt to keep her balance.

  “He…is…a murderer.” His last words were uttered with little pulsing fountains of blood from his chest. Stinger groaned, turned to Linda, and went limp in her arms, staring at her face with glassy eyes.

  Linda bent over him and burst into tears as she closed his eyes. “You piece of shit…burn in hell!” she yelled.

  Zet paid no attention to her words. He returned the gun to Martin and approached Max again.

  “Well, now we won’t be interrupted for sure. Unlock this gizmo and we won’t see each other ever again. Frankly, I’m bored of all this drama.”

  His cold voice cut the air. There was no sarcasm o
r covert hostility in it. No theatrics or play. Mere nonchalance.

  Zet reached out for a third time and looked at Max questioningly.

  “No,” Max snapped.

  Zet raised an eyebrow. “You’re stubborn.” He lowered his hand. “Well, perhaps you will need an additional motivation.” He fetched a phone from his cloak. He dialed a number and put it on speaker so everyone could hear.

  They answered on the other end. Max could hear engine and street sounds.

  “Yes, Zet,” a male voice said.

  “Hello, Adrian! How are you?”

  Zet clearly uttered each word, looking directly at Max.

  “We got her,” said Adrian.

  “How did it go?”

  “She was at home… now she’s in the car with us. Safe and sound. We’re en route to you.”

  Max went pale. He realized who they were talking about. His heart skipped a few beats. Athena! His Athena! Had they taken her?

  Zet hung up and put the phone back inside his cloak.

  “I see you got it,” he said, still looking at Max. “In ten minutes, your sweetheart will be here. And then our conversation will slightly change. She might get hurt. You understand that your… heroism… isn’t worth a red cent. You’d better agree to the deal.” He paused, waiting for the answer.

  “How do I know you will let her go?” Max forced out the words.

  Suddenly, a childish voice came from outside. “Linda!”

  Zet froze. “Who is that?” He peeked through the curtain.

  “Some kid taking a selfie!”

  “It’s the daughter of my neighbors,” answered Linda.

  “Listen to me. If the kid comes in, she won’t leave the house. You get what I’m saying?”

  “Yes.”

  “Make sure she leaves!” Zet snapped, and pushed Linda toward the window.

  An eight-year-old girl was taking pictures of herself in the yard. “Hi, Angela, baby!” Linda shouted.

  “I left my doll here yesterday, can I come and get it?” the girl asked, picking a bright flower and taking another selfie with it.