by Agster, Joe
“Okay. We need to draw her out,” Fisher explains.
“Why? I can just jump in there and grab her, and return her here. You two don’t even need to leave,” Friend retorts.
Fisher sighs as if to admit defeat in being upstaged in his plan. He forgot about the teleporting. “Very well. Go get her then.”
Without waiting, Friend disappears. He reanimates in her office to discover it is dark. Turning on the lights, he is not surprised that the office is empty. But as he peeks out the tiny window from the door through the drawn shades, he discovers the entire mahjong parlor is also dark. He opens the door to an empty room, the tables are folded up and lined up against the wall. The bar is completely cleared of any beverage canisters and bottles. It’s completely clear to Friend at this moment, they knew he was coming back. And there’s only one person who could have tipped them off: the Other.
Friend returns to the safe house condo to explain what he saw, to the disbelief of Fisher. Gauging Fisher’s facial expressions, Friend is more content to show him proof. Grabbing his arm, they are whisked away into the office. Fisher studies the dark room and the vast emptiness of the parlor just outside. Friend recreates the scene that had transpired between them, showing him where his body lied, and where the henchmen tried to assassinate Cassie. Disappointed, they return to the safe house.
“The Other tipped them off,” Friend explains. “I have little doubt now that he is working with the mastermind of this whole plot. When we were there the last time she said she’d ‘call the boss.’”
Cassie wonders, “Friend, is it possible that your Other’s existence is altering the past? You have already told me how my father’s visions changed as we became linked. Your Other could be linked to this mastermind.”
“Yes. If that were true that would be even worse,” Friend speaks in worry. “But for that to happen the mastermind would need to be tuned into his sixth sense. Not everyone can see the future like your father. But, if this mastermind is seeing visions of me disrupting their plans in the future, then they can take steps to prepare, before the Other and I enter the picture.”
“This is a race for sure. If we don’t find this mastermind soon they could outduel us, back us into a corner,” she replies, with amplified preoccupation, “You’re going to need to confront this Other.”
“I know,” he admits. Friend is starting to notice that Cassie is instinctively tuned into his plight, that through linking, she knows things that she wouldn’t otherwise know unless he explained it to her first. This gives him pause; he needs her help but must protect her at all costs.
As Friend and Cassie continue their conversation, Fisher has just ended his phone conversation. He interjects, “I got a tip that some Huludao executives and government officials are spending their last night in Hong Kong, celebrating at the Dragon X nightclub. You guys might want to check it out.”
“What about you?” Friend asks.
“I have to, ahem, meet a contact.” Fisher explains in a mysterious tone. Friend and Cassie say their goodbyes, then disappear.
22:05 HKT
Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong Island
Friend and Cassie make a quick stop to change their clothing into more of a nightlife attire. Then they reappear back into Hong Kong Island, where the amalgamation of nightclubs is located.
They emerge from the dark, lonely stairwell where they reappeared, then take to the busy street below. It’s filled with street vendors and party goers alike, and as it is later in the evening, the magnitude of the crowds has only swelled.
A short walk through the main corridor, where thousands of pedestrians walk back and forth looking for their next drinking stop, they finally stumble upon the Dragon X. A large holographic red dragon continuously animates in a loop, referencing its endless drinking specials, seemingly targeting toward females. Friend stares sternly, slightly disgusted. What manner of gimmick is this?
“For a society that strives for equality, why is there gender-based price fixing? Do women require more ethanol-based drinks?”
Cassie laughs hysterically at the amusing question, attempting to explain. “Yes they do. It’s more fun when women are drunk. Come on.”
They stand in a short line where a large bodyguard waves it a few people at a time. After only a few minutes Friend’s patience wears thin at this obstruction, knowing that they need to enter inside soon. He signals to Cassie to wait for a moment, then he slows down time to a crawl, slips by all of the doormen, finds a secluded location inside, then returns to her. In all, about a hundredth of a second had transpired. He grabs her hand as they exit the line, finding a hiding spot then teleporting inside.
They nightclub is dark, with lots of illuminated red dragons situated along the walls. The main floor contains a large dance floor in the middle, where two upper levels contain lounges and other seating areas. Regardless of location the spirited beats thump from all angles. They find a small table on the second floor upper deck, and watch the dance floor and bar and lounge area below.
“It’s weird, but I’ve known you for less than a day, but if feels like I’ve known you my whole life. So this is what linking does?” she asks him with heightened curiosity.
“You know Cassie, I wish I knew the feeling. I’ve tried to figure out who I am for so long I stopped caring,” he tells her.
“Let’s go get a drink, actually I’ll go get two for both of us. I’ll be right back,” she declares, getting up from the table, her captivating beauty forcing him to lock in on her backside as she disappears out of view.
Already he senses a slightly different Cassie from the last iteration. The last time she seemed a bit colder, more reserved, more sentimental. This Cassie seems more fun loving and adventurous. Perhaps it’s the product of her environment, as certain occurrences taking place evoke certain sides of her. In any case, when you couple that with linking, it seems to dictate her mood for the rest of the iteration. She seems unusually free spirited, and he gets the feeling she wants to join in and dance and party.
Within minutes she returns with two inverted triangular shaped classes with a narrow stem, a clear drink of some sort garnished with an olive.
“Drink it, and don’t complain!” she playfully barks at him with a smile.
He laughs at her as he takes a sip of this silly drink, not really appealing to his tastes, but enjoying it somewhat nonetheless. They spend time talking, as he explains how they flew here on a suborbital flight, and filling her in on other details from the last iteration. Meanwhile he sees no clue indicating anyone in the crowd would be connected to Huludao. Despite the numbing effect on his wits by the alcohol, he keeps himself attuned to his intuition, knowing that someone somehow will eventually stick out.
She grabs his hand and drags him to his feet from the table, demanding they go dance. Somewhat hesitant as he doesn’t want to get wrapped up in a passionate world with her, he nonetheless feels the sequence of events will prove fruitful. Besides, her stunning, sexy red dress is too much for him to ignore.
As she pulls him onto the shiny black floor, they move rhythmically to the throbbing, high octane music. As the minutes pass and the songs get more energetic, she becomes increasingly seductive, moving her body closer to his, eventually brushing her curvy frame up to his front side. He thinks back to that night in the bunker when they did the same, before he got too drunk to remember.
As the energy of the room continues to pulsate, she wraps her arms around his neck, her hair messed up from her titillating movements and her body moving to the beat and leading his movements. She moves her face closer to his, rubbing her forehead to his, and she holds there, locking her eyes to his just a centimeter apart. His heart races as he knows where this is going, but at this point in their mission, is too principled to let this happen. He wants to kiss her so badly, but simply cannot allow this to happen. No judgment-altering drinks are going to change that. He smiles as he pulls his face away from hers, releasing the grip of her hand from his, before
drifting away as the song unwinds.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispers, leaving her to read his lips as he leaves her alone on the dance floor.
The bathroom seems to be more of an extension of the club. The black flooring, the glowing red lighting, the brown tiling along the walls that vibrate to the booming music make you feel you haven’t left the dance floor.
As Friend waits his turn for a stall, he notices a man at the wash counter, visibly upset and being consoled by another man, a friend or work partner perhaps. Both are wearing untucked collared shirts, in different shades of white, and appear to be of Asian descent, most likely Chinese. Through the loud music, Friend focuses all his sensory perceptions in their direction, causing him to be partially blinded and numb. A power he didn’t know he had until just now.
“It’s America’s problem now. We’ve got a job to do,” the comforting man says to the other.
“Then why are they all leaving tonight? She betrayed me, us, that’s all there is to it,” the upset man responds.
Friend restores the balance in his senses. His intuition points to them being connected to Huludao somehow. He follows them from the bathroom, watching at a distance as they return to a lounge area near the bar. He stands by the bar within audible range, tuning in again with his sensory power. He listens as the first man discusses going to work tomorrow anyway, hoping to uncover the bunker location. The second man notes that their boss has left town, that it is too late. They begin to speak in a mix of Cantonese and English, making it difficult to learn more. He needs Cassie.
She is sitting alone near their original spot, lonely and upset. He approaches from behind, putting his arms on her shoulders hoping to cheer her up.
“Hey Cassie,” she says gleefully with a smile. “There are two Huludao employees over there discussing a plot. From what I gathered they were left out after word was leaked at some of the top executives are taking shelter in a bunker, including their boss. I think they were on to me as they switched to speaking Cantonese.”
She still is upset, and but she looks slowly over the balcony. She sees the men, engaged in conversation, with pale looks on their faces, but she resumes her indifferent posture, avoiding eye contact with Friend.
“Can you go over there?” he asks. “Maybe use your sex appeal to find out more?”
“Sex appeal?” she snaps back, still looking away. He continues to stare at her with a blank look, unsure of her unusually sensitive emotional state. He realizes he left her on the dance floor, but they are involved with something more important than her feelings. As his eyes are fixed on her, he extends his hand. She relents, laughing at him, suddenly amused at his serious nature. Perhaps she was being a bit too playful, and got caught up in her attraction to him. She shakes off her displeasure as she stands up.
“Stay here. Let me join them for a drink. I’ll get flirty with them using my ‘sex appeal,’ and see what they are up to.” The sarcastically tone echoes in his mind as she walks away toward the stairs and to the floor below.
He is amused at her sudden sassiness. Whatever it takes to get the info they need, he surmises. He follows behind by a few minutes, and finds she is already engaged in a conversation. She appears to be hanging on their words, laughing with them, even throwing her hair back all to accentuate her attractive femininity. Boy she was not joking about being flirtatious, as they appear to have opened up to her and they continue to glance at all her curves, specifically her pushed out breasts, albeit discreetly.
As the minutes pass the conversation continues without end. The taller, more confident man holds out his device as she holds out hers, Friend wondering what that is all about. She looks intently at the screen, as he appears to be showing off features. More indiscriminant conversation takes place, before she suddenly looks uneasy and distant. Things appear to turn a bit heated, as she stands up abruptly walking away. She walks directly toward Friend and as he sees this, he walks ahead, toward the exit, away from their view. She finally catches up to him.
“Let’s go. I got what we need,” she commands, grabbing his arm to exit the club. They walk about a block down the busy street, and she stops behind a food vendor cart, as hundreds of people seem to walk by every minute. The crowd noises are enough to mask their conversation.
She continues, “They are upset that their boss is heading to a bunker. They were lead to believe that they would be saved too, before being betrayed by their boss. I got the woman’s name: Mara Liang. I asked where to find her and they said she already went to the bunker. But I found out she has an apartment in Macau. From what I understand she hides there before leaving for the bunker.”
“That’s great. Where is the Macau place? Is it close?” he wonders.
“Yes, just an hour ferry ride away.” she responds.
“Let’s wait until the news breaks, when they have all retreated,” Friend suggests. “By then, no one will bother us.”
They leave the club, the time nearing midnight. She puts her black jacket over her red dress to protect herself from the mild chill, then grabs his arm as they pace swiftly down the street. Just then he feels it, like a knife just stabbed him in the heart then withdrew in a nanosecond, leaving no damage. He is here… somewhere nearby.
He briefly considers teleporting, but he cannot bring himself to do it. As Mason taught him, he cannot acquiesce to fear. But he could be putting Cassie in danger and that troubles him deeply. This dilemma is tearing him up inside, and she remains blissfully unaware, tugging his arm as she studies the nighttime skyline of the city across the water. As they momentarily pass a stairwell wedged between two buildings, the feeling is too strong to ignore. He understands that the time is now.
“Cassie, please stay here. I need to face him.” He pleads with her before turning around to ascends up the steps.
The stairway leads to a courtyard square, bordered on all sized by the tall structures. It is tiled in an arrangement of red bricks, interlaced with patches of grass. It is meant to be a tranquil and meditative place, yet perfect for a confrontation… or an ambush.
As he predicted, he stands there, flanked by four bodyguards to each side. They brandish the blue and silver dragon tattoo, the same men who followed him from the airport. The Other has been carefully amassing an army, backed by some powerful friends. If, just maybe if, he can defeat him now, he can uncover the mastermind, and perhaps stop the asteroid in the past before its course is altered by the second asteroid.
“Welcome to my city, Friend. Hong Kong, it’s beautiful, serene and vibrant. A much more civilized and diverse place than your domicile of Las Vegas.”
Friend engages him closer, studying his differences in appearance. His hair is darker and slicker, wearing all black clothing, with pinches of red and silver. He sports a black Chinese traditional Kung Fu long sleeved shirt adorned with silver dragons. His skin tone and eyes are even a bit darker. For a moment he wonders if he can poke at his pride, in an attempt to give up the name of the man he is linked to.
“So who is the mastermind?” Friend asks him, standing about a half meter away.
The other laughs, the flanking henchmen also cracking a smile and the pointless question. Friend now realizes the key mistake he just made, giving up the knowledge of what he seeks, perhaps wasting what leverage he had.
“There is no mastermind. There’s just a group of committed individuals who just want natural events to take their course.”
As he finished his last words, more henchmen arrive, one thrusting Cassie into the square. Friend looks around and sees that all exits are now blocked. Seeing Cassie this way, trapped and in pain yet out of reach, he realizes he has no choice but to fight now.
“So what do you call yourself? Foe? Enemy?” Friend amuses himself for a moment, despite his predicament.
“Foenix!” The sound barely leaves his lips as the Other throws him a kick, forcing him several meters back and against the wall, almost in the same manner as their first encounter.
; Friend flips back up into position, regaining full awareness after stumbling for that split second. He performs a teleport punch attack but Foenix teleports away just in time, kicking him in the back of the head and into the opposite wall. As he peels his face from the wall he reminds himself: tranquility of mind and fluidity of movement.
He turns just in time to block a third kick, countering with a super strength charged one of his own. He immediately follows that up with a flurry to teleporting punches, bouncing around Foenix’s perimeter before Foenix teleports away. Just then, Friend throws a burst of energy in the direction of the goon that has Cassie captured, hoping to free her to teleport away. The goon falls to the ground, releasing her momentarily, as Friend grabs her arm. But before he can teleport, Foenix grabs his arm, preventing the jump through space.
“Going somewhere?” Foenix taunts. Friend is clearly amazed, giving his arm a concerned look and wondering why he cannot teleport.
Foenix immediately lets go simultaneous to a burst push, knocking he and Cassie back. Friend quickly checks to make sure she is okay before he begins a teleport attack. Foenix counters and they engage in hand to hand combat, cancelling out each other’s burst and power moves. Friend remembers his training, to be patient and not over commit his powers. Foenix attempts a random teleport attack, but just like Mason would show him, and at just the right moment, Friend lands a huge sucker punch, knocking Foenix upward about three meters and slamming him directly into the ground. As Foenix tries to ascend, Friend flips him over.
Seeing their comrade in trouble, the henchmen pull out their guns and prepare to fire. Friend senses the impending danger and instantly slows down time, teleporting over to Cassie, then out, just as the bullets start to fly.
9:20
The Mansion
They arrive safely at the mansion. Cassie is still flustered by the occurrence, while Friend is in a state of preoccupation.
“His powers have grown, just as I have feared.” Friend tells her, explaining, “We cannot go back there for a while. I need to meditate and refocus.”
