He turned and ran towards the first copter. Brown, crouching half out of the door, watched as the helicopter with the Kindred hovered in the air. Chickowski was only about twenty yards away from him when Brown turned and looked in his direction.
"That's far enough," Brown yelled as he reached into the pocket of his grey trench coat and pulled out a handgun. "We thank you for being so helpful, dear Doctor, but I'm afraid we've no further use of your services."
Chickowski stopped in his tracks at the sight of the gun. Brown has to be joking. Surely he couldn't mean it. But even as he had the thought, he knew Brown was serious. He intends to leave me behind, just like I left Fred and Barry.
Brown's helicopter began to lift off the pavement. As it did so, Chickowski pulled his pistol out from his lab coat. He'd not be left behind. He had his experiments to finish. They couldn't be completed without him. No one could research as he could. And, no one would get the recognition that rightfully belonged to him.
Chickowski got the first shot off, surprising Brown. Unfortunately, Chickowski was a scientist and not a marksman. The bullet was wide of its mark by a yard. Brown smiled and waved. Then taking careful aim, he returned fire.
Even before he felt the searing pain in his left thigh, Chickowski knew he'd been shot. Nothing else could explain why he suddenly found himself collapsing on the chilly pavement. He twisted around to try to get another shot off, but the movement flung a black shroud of pain across his vision. By the time it cleared, Brown's copter was out of range.
As Alp ran down the stairs, conflicting thoughts and emotions blistered her mind. There was happiness to know for sure that Mel was alive, not only alive, but also well enough to...to do what? Well enough to take the children away, came the thought, but it wasn't hers. It came from Flip.
He wants to take the children away, Alp. You mustn't let him. He's evil, and he means to use you and your sisters for his own demented purposes. If you go with him, you will always be an outcast. You will be hunted and feared. Don't let him take your sisters! The anguish in the thought tore through Alp.
But Mel is my brother. He's always taken good care of me and protected me from Sarrah. He's not evil, she argued back at her father. You don't know him. Deep down, he cares. He really...
Alp, you know better than that. You've never looked deeply inside your brother. You've always been afraid of what you might find. Do that before you make up your mind. Look deep within—deep down to the core of his being. There, you will find the answer.
As Alp reached the first floor, she heard the gunshots. But all she could think about was that her sisters were in danger...from many different directions. She didn't know how, but she had to find a way to help them. As she ran down the hall to the rear parking lot, she heard someone else fall into step behind her. Without slowing down, she turned to see who was chasing her. It was Lionel. Would he help her save her sisters? He seemed to care for them a great deal. Could he be trusted?
Yes, little one. You can trust my friend. He will help you, came the reply to her question. But could she believe her father? Could she really trust anyone but herself? As she reached the door to the outside, Alp decided she had no choice. If she were going to save her sisters, she'd have to trust someone. It might as well be Lionel.
The two of them reached the parking lot side by side.
"Careful, Alp. We don't know where the gunfire is coming from." Lionel reached out and grasped her shoulder. "Let me go first. You follow right behind." At least he isn’t silly enough to think he can stop me from coming with him; she thought as she allowed him to go ahead of her.
Slowly, Lionel pushed the door open, being careful not to expose himself to possible gunfire on the other side. He peered out from the crack. The first thing he noticed was Chickowski stretched out on the ground; his revolver still clutched in his hand. Above him, hovered the helicopters. As Lionel watched, one of the copters drifted towards the Dupont Building next door. Its flight pattern was erratic, as though the pilot was uncertain as to the course to take.
The second copter veered off to the west, but when the other copter didn't follow, it began to circle back. "It looks like one of the helicopters was damaged or the pilot shot. It's drifting towards the building next door," Lionel yelled back to Alp.
Alp pushed her way to the front and looked out. "No, the copter is fine," she answered with certainty. "It's Mel. I saw him up on the roof. He's controlling it."
"But how?" Lionel asked.
"He's suggesting the pilot do what Mel wants. The pilot is resisting but not very successfully. Mel can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be."
"You stay here until I take care of Chickowski. We've got to get the gun out of his hand and get across the parking lot before the people in the copters notice us." Lionel pushed the door open further and zigzagged across the parking lot, giving Chickowski as poor a target as possible.
He needn't have worried. Chickowski's attention was solely on the black shroud of pain emanating from his leg. By the time he noticed Lionel coming across the parking lot, it was too late.
Lionel came at Chickowski at full speed, kicking the revolver out of his hand like a football being held for an extra point. Unfortunately for Chickowski, Lionel got more of his hand than he did the pistol. With a yell of pain, Chickowski twisted out of the way. Lionel set himself up for another kick when he noticed that Chickowski was already damaged.
"You should get to know more about the people you keep company with." Lionel said with a wry smile. "It's hard to know who to trust these days."
As he spoke, he noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Alp, streaking across the lot towards the Dupont Building. "Why you little..." he decided to save his breath. It was apparent Alp had one thing on her mind—to save her sisters.
As he reached the Dupont Building only a few yards behind Alp, he glanced up in time to see the mechanical bird containing the Kindred disappear over the top of the building. Hell, it's going to land on the roof, he thought.
Meanwhile, the second chopper had changed course and was following a few hundred yards behind the first. Are they both going to land, he wondered? But no sooner did he think it than the second copter began to drift to the left, as though out of control.
"What's going on?" Lionel asked as he continued to stare up at the acrobatics.
"Mel only wants the helicopter with our sisters,” Alp yelled back at him. "He's doing something to the other one to drive it away."
It appeared she was right. As the two continued to watch, the second copter continued to veer off course, losing altitude and control as it did. Within seconds, it was clear what Mel intended.
"My God, it's going to crash!" Lionel exclaimed. He threw himself to the ground dragging Alp with him just as the helicopter smacked the ground and exploded.
The two of them laid on the ground, temporarily stunned by the blast. It was Alp who snapped out of it first. "We've got to get to the roof. Mel won't stay up there long. He has what he came for."
"I think there's an old fire escape on the other side. It's the only way I know he could have gotten up there. Follow me." Lionel jumped up and pulled Alp along to the rear of the building. The Dupont Building was one of the first structures built in the Triangle Park and was one of the few that still had a fire escape. Sure enough, as they circled the corner, they found the partially lowered steps of the fire escape.
Lionel jumped onto the first steps and felt them move begrudgingly beneath him, low enough for Alp to climb on without his help. He knew if he climbed at her pace, there would be no one to meet him at the top. He forged ahead, taking the steps three at a time.
"Go ahead but be careful. He'll stop at nothing, and he's very dangerous," Alp called after him, then felt silly for giving the warning. Lionel had just watched Mel cold-heartedly destroy a helicopter with everyone on board. Of course, he knows how dangerous Mel could be. But, did he know about Mel's torch ability?
Alp considered
yelling at him but couldn't find the breath to do so. Instead, she concentrated on the climb that looked to be at least five stories. As she glanced up, she was encouraged to see that Lionel was already more than halfway to the top. Would he make it in time? And if he did, what could he do to stop her brother?
Then she had a thought: maybe she could contact Mel telepathically and divert his attention for a few minutes. She decided to give it a try as she climbed. She thrust out her psychic energy in the direction of the roof and promptly, felt Mel's familiar power responding and just as quickly, felt his mental guard block her.
Mel, wait for me, she thought with all her might. I'm coming, Mel. Don't leave without me. She didn't know if her thoughts were reaching him, but she continued to repeat the message as she continued to make the arduous trek to the top.
Mel leaned against the short wall at the edge of the building and heaved a massive sigh of relief and exhaustion. He had his sisters and a means of escape sitting before him. All he had to do was find a last bit of energy to manipulate the pilot for a little longer, and he'd win.
But at the moment, he was exhausted from his efforts and the painful throbbing in his leg. Controlling both pilots had taken more out of him than he'd ever imagined. Mind control at this level, particularly with the second pilot who'd been fighting his survival instinct, was more tiring than anything Mel had yet experienced.
Even now as he watched the pilot a few yards away trying to regain control, Mel was uncertain whether he'd be able to hold him in control much longer. If he didn't need the pilot so much, he'd simply torch him, which required much less effort, and be done with him. But the pilot's talents were essential for his escape. To gain a little time and strength, Mel found it easier to scramble the pilot's thoughts instead—a task that kept him immobile and still allowed Mel to rest.
He was still resting when he heard someone climbing up the fire escape. Now what? He thought. It took only a few seconds for him to have his answer as Lionel completed the climb to the top.
"Ah no, not you again," Mel said as he took a painful step towards the fire escape. "I thought I got rid of you in Danville."
Lionel leaned against the rusty railing of the platform hunched over to catch his breath. He raised his head and held out his hand. "Mel, it's over. Do you hear? It's over," he repeated between gasps.
"No, not yet. It's not over; not for me," Mel replied. "But it's over for you, my friend. Or, it soon will be." He took a couple of steps towards Lionel. As he did, he relaxed his control on the pilot and redirected his energy to Lionel.
The force caught Lionel unprepared and sent him stumbling back a couple of steps toward the edge of the platform. Mel stepped forward again and thought Lionel further back. "It's time you took a flying leap. Let's see if you can fly."
Lionel fought the suggestion with all his might but found himself edging toward the end of the platform anyway. As he approached the end, he tried not to look down at the ground below but found he could not help himself.
"Climb the railing, my friend," Mel whispered the thought, as he directed it to Lionel. Sweat ran down his forehead and into his eyes from the effort. Just a little further, a little further, and he'd be rid of this nuisance once and for all, and then, he could relax. He watched as Lionel took the last step and grasped the railing. In slow motion, he placed his other hand on the rail.
Now the foot, Mel thought. Swing the foot over the top. He watched as the command was obeyed. Now just a little further. Swing the other leg up.
"Mel! No!" Alp screamed at her brother as she reached the top of the roof and realized what he was doing. She jumped at her brother and Lionel and screamed again. "I said NO!" She stood with her hands on her hips and threw both the words and the thoughts like daggers at her brother.
Mel had never felt such psychic energy or such hate and contempt before. It threw him back a couple of steps. "Ease up, sis. Hey, we're on the same side. Ease up."
"No, Mel. We aren't on the same side. You're on no one's side but your own. And, it's evil — you're evil. I won't let you hurt anyone else."
Mel stared at her, a confused, worried look on his face. "But sis, I'm just helping our sisters, our Kindred."
"You're helping yourself. That's all you're doing. You've gone far enough," Alp replied. As she did, Lionel was finally released from Mel's control and fell back on the platform, knocking the small girl off her feet.
As the two fell into a pile, Mel turned and ran for the door that led into the building. As he opened the door, he paused for a second and looked back in his sister's direction. Then shaking his head, he disappeared down the stairs.
Lionel shook his head to clear the cobwebs. Glancing around, he saw Mel was gone, then, noticed the helicopter pilot beginning to regain his equilibrium. In a half-crawl, half-run, Lionel stumbled towards the copter. The pilot was still busy fiddling with his control and didn't notice the intruder until it was too late.
Lionel flung the door of the chopper open and in the same motion, threw himself at the pilot, landing a haymaker of a punch on the pilot's jaw. The pilot's head snapped back, crashing against the heavy glass of the cockpit. Then, the pilot slumped over the controls.
Lionel righted himself and glanced around the cockpit. In the rear of the copter, were the seven precious packages, each one sleeping quietly. A couple of them looked as though they were in the process of waking up from their drugged slumber. Thank God, Lionel thought. Everyone appears to be okay.
"Are they all right?" A small out-of-breath voice asked from behind him.
Lionel backed out of the compartment and helped Alp take his place.
"They seem fine. I'm going to let you meet your sisters and free them from their bonds while I go round up your brother. Chunk should be along shortly to give you a hand." So saying, Lionel gave Alp a little pat on the cheek. "Take good care of them, Alp."
"Oh, I will, I will." She smiled back at him and added. "Thanks for everything."
Lionel ran to the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. Had Mel left it that way to make it easier for him to follow? Was he running into a trap? It hardly mattered. He had to try to stop the boy before he hurt someone else. Mel had a head start on him, but he wouldn't be moving very fast with that gimpy leg. He'd be able to catch the boy, although he felt a little like a dog chasing a car. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do once he did catch him.
He ran down the stairs using the railing on either side to catch most of his weight so that he could take four and five steps at a time. Which floor would Mel take? Would he try to get all the way to the bottom? Lionel doubted it. The boy was hampered too much by his injury, plus that would only take him farther from his sisters. No, Mel wouldn't give up that easily. As Lionel reached the next floor, he noticed the hydraulic apparatus was still closing the door slowly.
This must be where the kid went, Lionel thought. He pushed the door open and peered into the hall. No sign of Mel. He eased into the hall and began the search. Most of the doors along the hall were closed and locked, making the search easier, but there were still plenty of places in which a small boy could hide.
What if he had been clever enough to open the door to this floor but then, had continued down? I could be looking on the wrong floor, Lionel thought. Nothing I can do but search each floor in turn.
He'd almost made a complete circuit when he found a door to one of the labs ajar. This must be the one, he thought. Careful now. This boy is still very dangerous, and he's scared. Mustn't spook him.
Lionel decided to try talking to him.
"Mel, I know you're in there, and I know you're tired and hurt. I want to help you. I'm not here to hurt you."
There was no answer on the other side of the door, but he thought he heard a scuffling sound. He pushed the door open a few more inches.
"Mel, your sisters are all fine. Why don't you come out so we can talk?"
Lionel eased his way into the dimly lit room. It appeared to be a biology lab. Down the mid
dle of the room, ran a long counter stacked with instruments and assorted bottles of reagents. At the end of the counter were a couple of stainless steel tray stands, like those used for surgical instruments in an operating room.
Lionel picked up the nearest tray. It ought to serve nicely for a diversion, he thought. He crept down the left-hand aisle, occasionally stopping to listen, but the only sound he heard was the faint hum coming from a couple of the instruments.
I'll just toss this tray over there in the corner and see what I scare up, he thought. Just a couple more steps. He was preparing to follow through with his plan when he heard a soft rustle off to his right. He glanced in the direction of the sound, and there stood Mel on the other side of the counter, watching him.
Lionel tried sounding as nonchalant as possible. "Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if I'd picked the wrong room."
"You did," Mel replied with a sneer. "You would have done a lot better staying on the roof. I'm through playing with you. You're all that stands between my little sisters and me."
"Well, not exactly. There's also the United States government for starters. You see, Mel, they're not going to let you just fly off with your sisters to some desert island. All of you are too important for that. So why don't you just give up this crazy notion of taking your sisters away, and come back with me."
As Lionel spoke, he took a couple of steps toward the end of the counter. If he could get to the end, he might be able to rush Mel before he had a chance to retaliate.
"I've had it with you, man. You're not taking me back. As far as I'm concerned, you can burn in hell."
Lionel wasn't sure what it was that warned him. Maybe it was Mel's last sentence about burning. Perhaps he'd noticed a faint blue glow coming from Mel's eyes. Whatever it was, it came just a split second before Mel turned his heat on. Instinctively, Lionel threw the stainless steel tray up in front of him and saved his life.
New Birth Page 27
