“I must say, your reputation is well-deserved. Your invention is truly groundbreaking.” Archer said as they walked down the hospital corridor together on their way to the coffee lounge. They’d been working for hours and needed a break.
“Thank you.” Rachel said. “I can’t wait to see it in action in an actual surgery.”
“Stand back!” Archer suddenly threw his arm out to block Rachel from stepping around the corner into the next corridor. Seconds later a gurney went rolling past, pushed quickly by two running paramedics. If she had taken one more step, she’d have been run over by them.
“Wow! I’m lucky you knew they were coming.” Rachel said with relief, then turned to face Archer, saying, “It’s like you could see through that wall.”
Ignoring her comment, Archer watched as the paramedics loaded the gurney onto the elevator at the end of the hall, and the doors closed behind them. He said, “That man needs immediate heart surgery. This could be just the patient to test out your invention on. I’ll tell the Chief I want to perform the operation. Would you like to watch?”
“Yes!” Rachel said, her eyes beaming. As she watched Archer scrub his hands in preparation for the surgery, she began to feel guilty. She said to him, “Don’t use my invention if it’s not necessary for the operation. I didn’t mean to put pressure on you to use it if you don’t think it’s the right time.”
“Don’t worry; I’m not the kind of doctor who caters to outside influences like that. I do what I know is right for the people I’m trying to save. In this case, I think your invention is going to be the right tool for the job.”
“How can you tell? You haven’t even examined the patient yet.” Rachel marveled.
Archer hesitated for a moment, then said lamely, “Oh, I’ve seen him before and I’m familiar with his chart.”
“Okay.” Rachel said just to ease his mind, but it seemed odd to her that he could know so much so fast. She went to the observation room where she could watch him perform the surgery from a bird’s eye view. It was incredible. He moved with such speed and agility, she wondered how many years he must have practiced to have gotten so good. He could see things no other surgeon would have been able to detect with their bare eyes and repaired them in record time. Seeing her new invention in his hands used with such expertise and fluid of motion made her heart swell with pride and brought tears of joy to her eyes. She fluttered her eyelashes, trying to keep her tears from spilling over onto her cheeks, but it was no use. Embarrassed by her unprofessional display of emotion, she dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her lab coat and left out the back door of the hospital before anyone could see her.
Chapter Three
“You should have seen him! He was like an angel, the way he saved that man’s life!” Rachel gushed for the hundredth time that evening. “He really was amazing.”
Everyone at the dinner table groaned and sighed with mock annoyance. Rachel and Lynxar were having a dinner party with their friends; a sort of unofficial league of super heroes and their spouses. There was Lynxonna (a woman from Flonar) and her husband Mike McIntyre, who was the mayor of Colossal City; and there was billionaire Bryan Hillman (known as “the Ghost” for his ability to turn invisible) and his wife Vicky Campbell, who was a news anchor. Over the years, the six of them had all become really close friends and even in times of peace enjoyed getting together socially.
Rachel held up her hands in a position of surrender. Teasingly, she said “I know, I’ve been going on about Dr. Speedlight too much this evening. I’m sorry, I just can’t help it. You should have seen the speed and agility he had in diagnosing patients. It was like he could see directly inside them without even using equipment. He really was…”
“AMAZING” everyone at the table said in unison and Rachel couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
“Okay, I get the hint. No more talk about Dr. Speedlight or work of any kind. I think I’d better go into the kitchen and get dessert ready.” Rachel said, and excused herself from the table to hide her embarrassment.
“I’ve got to commend you, Lynxar,” Mike McIntyre complimented his friend as he slapped him jovially on the shoulder. “In the past, you would have been wild with jealousy to hear your wife talking about another man like that. You’ve come a long way!”
“Thanks. I’m glad to hear you say that. Now, what can you find out about him for me?” Lynxar said, speaking to the Mayor in a low voice and looking over his shoulder to make sure Rachel couldn’t overhear.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked, feeling taken aback. “I don’t work in the hospital.”
“But you do have access to police records and the hospital’s surveillance videos! What can you find out?”
“You can’t ask my husband to abuse his position of authority like that.” Lynxonna glared at Lynxar with her lavender eyes and gave Mike a supportive squeeze on the knee. Because she and Lynxar both came from the planet Flonar, she wasn’t intimidated by his abilities and had never been afraid to argue with him. Plus, they had a friendship that went way back before either of them had come to live on Earth.
Lynxar knew better than to debate with Lynxonna and turned to Bryan Hillman instead. He said to him excitedly, “What about you? You funded the hospital; doesn’t that give you access to the personnel files?”
Bryan shook his head and said, “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Just because I donate money to keep the hospital running doesn’t mean I can just ransack the employee’s files.”
Lynxar wasn’t ready to give up though, and said to Bryan, “Can you use your powers of invisibility to follow him around the hospital?”
Bryan stood up from the table and said “Forget it! You’re acting crazy! None of us are going to spy on some heart surgeon for you just because you get jealous of him seeing your wife!”
Lynxar’s face grew calm and he urged his friend to please sit down. He said, “This isn’t jealousy. I know Rachel loves me and would never cheat on me. This is something else. Haven’t you heard everything she’s been saying about this guy? I get the feeling he’s no ordinary doctor and I want to know if I’m right. If he is what I think he is, all of Colossal City might be in danger!”
Lynxar could read his friends minds and knew that they had all had their own suspicions about the doctor as Rachel had been telling her stories about him, only he was the first one willing to say it aloud. Slowly, each of them admitted that it did sound like he might have superhuman powers, and as the protectors of Colossal City, they had a responsibility to find out for sure. Quietly, they formed a plan.
“Hey! Look who woke up from bedtime just in time for dessert.” Rachel said as suddenly she came from the kitchen carrying a big chocolate cake in one hand, and little Lynxiennia’s hand in the other.
“There’s the two most beautiful girls in the world.” Lynxar smiled, and reached out to take his daughter’s hand from her mother’s. Then he said to Rachel, “We’re sorry we were teasing you before. I’d like to meet this new co-worker of yours. He sounds like an interesting guy.”
“I’m pleased to hear you sounding so mature.” Rachel grinned, as she passed out slices of cake. Looking at his little girl, Lynxar was more determined than ever to make sure that Colossal City was a safe place to live.
The following morning after they dropped their daughter off at school, Lynxar took Rachel to work where he had her introduce him to the famous Dr. Archer Speedlight. The two men seemed to shake hands for an extraordinarily long period of time, as if analyzing each other.
“How long have you been in town?” Lynxar asked Archer, still gripping his hand firmly.
“Not long.” Archer said cryptically, but with a charming smile.
“I see.” Lynxar said, refusing to release his grip. “Where did you live before?”
“Oh, I’ve lived just about everywhere. If you’ll excuse me, I have patients to see.”
“Certainly.” Lynxar said, and finally released his handshake.
As Archer
left the room, Rachel turned to look at Lynxar with a happy expression on her face. She said cheerily, “Isn’t he nice? There’s something about him I just really like.”
She kissed Lynxar goodbye and left to go work in her office, never realizing that Bryan Hillman, as the Ghost, stood invisibly next to her husband.
“So that’s the guy you want me to follow?” The Ghost whispered in Lynxar’s ear.
“Yeah, that’s him. I tried to read his mind as we were shaking hands and I couldn’t sense a thing.” Lynxar whispered back.
“Well, that’s good, right?” The Ghost asked, hopefully. “It means you didn’t sense any evil or treacherous thoughts.”
Lynxar shook his head grimly and said, “It means I didn’t sense anything; good or bad. Who else but a super natural being could block my mind reading powers? He’s definitely not from around here and he’s definitely up to something. We’ve got to find out what it is before it’s too late. Follow him and see what you can learn about him. I’ll meet with the others and see what they’ve been able to find out. We’ll get together at my house tonight at eight o’clock.”
The Ghost nodded his head, forgetting that Lynxar couldn’t see his expression, and headed toward Archer’s office. All day, he kept himself invisible and followed Archer around the hospital. The more he watched the cardiac surgeon, the more he knew that Lynxar was right about him. Whenever Archer was around other people, he was very careful to behave normally, but whenever he thought he was alone, he displayed powers that no normal human being could possibly have.
Archer always used the stairs instead of the elevator, traveling up and down the floors of the hospital with a speed the Ghost could barely keep up with. He displayed incredible strength, moving boxes, equipment, and even a 250 pound man entirely with just one hand. Most incredible of all, he seemed to have the special power to see things that no one else could possibly see. It went beyond seeing through walls or great distances. The Ghost began to suspect that Archer could even see things at a cellular or even microscopic level. He guessed correctly that was how Archer was able to diagnose and heal patients without the use of hospital equipment.
“He really is amazing!” the Ghost said to himself, marveling that Rachel’s adjective was really the best way to describe the man. He’d already helped more patients in just one day than most doctors could in a week.
A look at the clock in Archer’s office made the Ghost realize that the day was almost over. Soon, Archer would be going home for the day, and it would be time for him to turn from the Ghost back into Bryan Hillman and meet his friends at Lynxar’s house to tell them everything he had learned. He only hoped Rachel wouldn’t be too mad that he had been secretly spying on her friend all day.
The thing he wanted to tell them about the most was the strange things in Archer’s office. He had plenty of time to study the pictures, books, and knick-knacks that covered the doctor’s shelves during the day, and found some of them to be even more disturbing than his secret abilities.
The pictures didn’t concern him too much, as they just looked like very old black-and-white photographs, presumably of Archer’s great-grandparents. The knick-knacks were a bit stranger; crystals, an ancient-looking dagger, and jagged pieces of wood. The books, however, were what the Ghost found most concerning of all. The topics were on a variety of subjects, including coffins, vampires, graveyards, and unsolved murders. Most concerning of all was a map of Colossal City, where the doctor seemed to be marking off locations one by one. Clearly he was searching for something; the question was, what?
The Ghost felt relieved as he saw Archer put away the last of his patient files and grab his jacket, preparing to leave for the night. It had been a long day for both of them, and the Ghost was eager to tell Lynxar and the others about all the things he had learned during his spying. He slipped silently through the open door, leaving nothing more than a breeze as he went.
No sooner had he gone, than a young woman came into Archer’s office. She looked to be in her early twenties, with light brown hair that fell in loose curls to her shoulders and bright blue eyes full of worry.
“Sorry to disturb you, Doctor,” she said gently. “I was wondering if I could have just a moment of your time.”
“Actually, I was just leaving for the day, but I would be happy to talk to you tomorrow.” Archer said.
“I have a daughter who is very ill. They tell me her condition is inoperable, but then I heard that you might be able to help her.” the young woman said in a tearful voice. Archer looked at her then, and suddenly his eyes fell on a crystal pendant necklace the woman wore. He stared at it long and hard, it was as if he were mesmerized by it. His face went pale and he reached out his hand slowly, as if he were going to grab it right off her neck.
The young woman put her hand up protectively over the crystal pendant and Archer awoke from his trance. He fumbled awkwardly with his files for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. With a smile he said, “I’d be more than happy to see if I can help your daughter. Take me to her.”
Archer put his arm around the young woman’s shoulders and guided her outside his office. It appeared that his searching was finally over.
Chapter Four
Dawn Bright waited anxiously in the hospital waiting room while her young daughter, Aurora, was being operated on by the brilliant cardiac surgeon, Dr. Archer Speedlight. Dawn had just about given up hope, as every doctor she’d seen told her that Aurora’s condition was inoperable, when another parent she knew from Aurora’s school, Dr. Rachel Deering, told her about a surgeon who could perform miracles. It was almost too much to hope for, but Dawn couldn’t let her daughter die, so she bravely went to Hillman Research Hospital, found the famous surgeon, and asked for his help. To her overwhelming joy, he said that he thought he could save her. Now, all she could do was wait while he worked his magic on the operating table.
Suddenly, Dr. Speedlight emerged from the operating room. Dawn felt her breath catch in her throat and could feel her heart pounding and then she saw the smile spread across his face and instantly a huge weight was lifted from her chest.
“The surgery was a success.” Archer said and Dawn leapt into his arms and hugged him while tears of joy streaked down her cheeks. “Your daughter is going to be just fine. They’ve moved her into a recovery room. Come with me; I’ll take you to her.”
Archer placed a comforting arm around Dawn’s shoulder and led her down the hall to her daughter’s room. Aurora lay sleeping peacefully on a bed, already looking healthier. Her curly hair was the same light brown shade as her mother’s and it was easy to see that when she grew up she would possess her same beauty. Her eyes were closed and her chest moved up and down in the rhythmic pattern of deep sleep.
“When will she wake up?” Dawn asked, sitting on a chair by her bedside and delicately caressing her hand.
“Oh, it will take a few hours.” Archer explained. “Why don’t you go home and rest? I’ll call you when she wakes up.”
Dawn shook her head. “No, I’ll just wait here. I have no reason to go home; Aurora is all I have in this world.”
Archer nodded his head in understanding. “My shift here is over. I’ll wait with you and keep you company.”
“Thank you. I didn’t want to be alone.” Dawn smiled. She patted the seat next to her, inviting the handsome doctor to sit beside her. As the long hours passed, waiting for Aurora to wake up, they talked about their lives. She didn’t know why, but for some reason Dawn felt like she could really trust Archer and wanted to tell him her story. She explained how she had gotten married when she was barely eighteen, and how her husband had died in a terrible car accident when Aurora was just a baby. Ever since then, she’d been struggling to raise her daughter entirely on her own. At times it was difficult and scary, and she often wondered what would happen to Aurora if anything ever happened to her.
Her hand rose to the crystal pendant on a gold chain around her neck, and she fondled it with her fi
ngers. Archer said, “That’s a beautiful necklace. Was it a gift from your husband?”
Dawn shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s an old family heirloom from my great-grandmother. It’s been passed down between the women of my family for three hundred years, with each woman eventually giving it to her daughter.”
Archer leaned very close, staring at the crystal with an intensity that Dawn had never seen before. He said in a soft, low voice, “I know. I’ve been searching for this crystal and you for a long time. I see you aren’t even aware of the power that it holds, but I will teach you. At last, both our destinies will be fulfilled.”
Terrified by his words, Dawn knew she had to escape. She grabbed the fire extinguisher off a nearby wall and sprayed it right in Archer’s face, blinding him. Then, as quickly as she could, she picked up Aurora into her arms and ran.
Archer wiped the fire retardant out of his stinging eyes, groaning in pain. It took a moment for his vision to clear, and then he was able to easily see through the walls of hospital until he spotted Dawn. She was running down the back exit into the alley behind the hospital, still holding her daughter in her arms. He then saw something else in the alley and he knew he had to act quickly. With his superior speed, Archer ran down the stairs and cut her off in the alleyway.
“Stop!” he cried out and Dawn froze in her tracks. The look of fear in her eyes was combined with a serious determination to protect her daughter. Archer held his hands out in a friendly gesture, trying to show he wasn’t a threat to her. He said, “I’m sorry I frightened you. I’m not here to harm you. The crystal holds great power and I was entrusted to be your guardian and protect you from those who would steal it.”
“Too bad you’re too late.” Another voice cried out and Dawn looked to see a terrifying figure emerge from the shadows of the alley. He was incredibly tall, with a muscular build, red eyes, and skin that was white as death. He had jagged pointy teeth and a look so evil that Dawn instinctively stepped away from him.
Lynxar Series - The Vampire King: Books 7-13 (7-Book Bundle) Page 2
