by Karl Morgan
"That's funny. I have a NEM acquaintance who believes the bionics are leading us to the end of the world by war."
She replied, "You know, I hadn't thought of that before, but it does make some sense."
"Is your family here to help you, Ms. Cambridge?"
"No, they live in the Southeast Region where elective bionics are prohibited. When I told them I wanted to come here, they told me I was a fool. I can't even tell them about this. They would freak out if they found I was going to be enhanced, even if it is the only way to stay alive. They'd say, "Have faith, Shirley. God will protect you. But where is He now?"
There was a knock at the door and the nurse stuck her head in and said, "Ms. Cambridge, there's a Mr. Carpenter here to see you when this gentlemen is finished."
"I don't know any Carpenters."
"Is his name Josh Carpenter?" Ted asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Ms. Cambridge, he's the NEM I mentioned."
"Why would he want to see me?"
Ted put his tablet back in his pocket and said, "I think I'll let you rest for now, Ms. Cambridge. I'll go ask Josh why he's here. You can talk to him though. He's just an ordinary guy." Ted followed the nurse out of the room and down the hallway to a small waiting room where Josh sat quietly, thumbing through a magazine.
"What the hell are you doing here, Josh?" Ted asked.
"I want to meet her, Ted."
"Why? To compare notes on how horrible bionics are? Maybe give her your secrets for beating them up?"
"Not at all. I think she and I are on a mission. She has the connections and I have something else."
"Speaking of that, how did you disable the bionics on those men? I spoke to their doctors and was told their microprocessors were fried."
"But did they tell you the injuries were localized? Both men had artificial hearts, but they were not affected. Those bastards almost killed that woman. All I did was stop them from attacking me. A couple new processors and they'll be their old thug selves again."
"Honestly, I think you're a nut, Josh. I'm going to scrap the story about you. You don't deserve your fifteen minutes of fame."
Josh laughed and replied, "That's fine. After the incident in the park, I don't need you for support. Now I have Shirley, and she's a hell of a lot better. Not to mention that the entire episode at Starbucks is up on LIFE now, getting thousands of views an hour."
"Go to hell, Josh," Ted said as he turned and walked away.
"Can I go in now?" he asked the nurse, who rose and led him back to Shirley's room.
She opened the door and Josh stepped inside. "Ms. Cambridge, I'm Josh Carpenter. Can I have a few minutes of your time?"
"The other man said you were a NEM, but you're enhanced."
Josh walked over to a small sink and withdrew his contacts and put them in their case. Then he walked over to the bedside. "I wear contacts to keep people from freaking out about my real eyes."
"He also said you told him the world was coming to an end. Is that true?"
"I think that's a definite possibility, Ms. Cambridge."
"Please call me Shirley."
"Thank you, and I'm Josh." He shook her hand and she cringed. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No, it's okay. Most of my bones are broken along with my major organs. They are going to start a series of surgeries tomorrow to fix me though."
"Let me cut to the chase, Shirley. Is augmentation what you really want?"
"Are you suggesting I let myself die?"
"No, of course not."
"The doctors say if they don't do the surgery, I'll be dead in three or four days. What choice do I have, Josh?"
"Let me try to heal you."
She laughed and her laugh touched Josh's heart. "Shirley, I am a believer and I have some unique gifts. If you check out Starbucks video on LIFE, you'll see what I mean. First, I swear I would never hurt you. All I want to do is move my hands from your head to your toes and pray for your healing. I promise I won't actually touch you."
"You're insane," she laughed.
"You have nothing to lose if I try. The sensation might make you pass out, but nothing more than that. In the morning, if you are still as you are now, you can go for surgery. But if there is any chance we are meant to be a team to stop the war, isn't it worth this chance?"
"You swear you're not going to rape me or kill me yourself."
"I swear to God I will never hurt you, Shirley."
"Okay, let’s play along with your game, Josh. I am supposed to have faith, so I might as well trust you, Josh. But if anything nasty happens, I'll put your ass in prison forever."
Josh took her right hand and kissed it very softly. "That's a deal. Now close your eyes and try to relax." He rubbed his hands together and looked up. Then he placed them on either side of her head and started moving them down. A look of agony distorted her face and she passed out. Her body was twitching slightly and he could see muscle, bone, and sinew moving under her bandages. He never looked up, but the readings on the panels above her head moved wildly as his hands progressed.
Alarms sounded in the nurse's station and three nurses jumped to their feet and rushed toward her room. The in-charge nurse called for on-duty doctor. Inside, Josh could hear them coming. He pushed his right hand back toward the door, and the edges welded to the doorframe. The nurses were pushing and pounding on the door, but Josh ignored them. His hands were over her waist now. As his hands progressed down to her thighs, he could sense the bones moving and knitting themselves together under her skin.
Now the police were at the door, pounding away desperately and screaming for him to open the door. Sweat was pouring from his skin as his hands reached her ankles, where her feet were at odd angles after the joints had been smashed. He could hear the cartilage crackling under her skin as the feet moved into the correct position. When he was finished, he wiped the sweat from his face with a corner of her sheet and walked over to the door. He traced the welded space between the door and its frame with a finger until the weld was gone. The door flew open, knocking him to the ground. Two officers were on top of him, cuffing his hands behind his back. They pulled him to his feet. One screamed, "What did you do to that woman?"
"Nothing, I swear I would never hurt her," he said.
"Let's get this piece of shit out of here, Sam," the officer said as they carried him away.
"Doctor!" a nurse shouted.
The man turned to glare at her, "What is it, Nurse Jackson?"
"Look at the panels, Dr. Smith. All of her readings are normal."
"What just happened here? I want a full examination of this woman STAT."
"She appears to be in REM sleep, Doctor."
"There must be something wrong with the equipment. That isn’t possible."
“Do you want me to wake her?”
“No, on second thought, Ms. Cambridge has been through enough already today. The least we can do is let her sleep.”
Chapter 3
After being booked into jail, Josh was put into a cell with two other men, both of whom were sound asleep after being picked up for public intoxication. He thought about his encounter with Shirley Cambridge and smiled. When he had walked into her room, he had no idea what he was going to say or do. The thought of a spiritual healing had just come to him as he stood there wondering how he could help the poor woman. He did not know whether he had done her any good or perhaps just exacerbated her injuries. He wondered how his life would change either way. “All I know is I don’t want to spend the rest of my life here,” he sighed out loud. He lay down on the cot and closed his eyes. Soon he was asleep.
Almost immediately, he was awakened by the cell door opening. As he sat up, a man in a dark suit and red tie walked into the cell. He grabbed the small metal chair and put it next to Josh’s cot and sat down. “Are you my attorney?”
The man smiled and replied in a French accent, “No, Joshua, I am not an attorney. I hope you and I can become friends.”
&n
bsp; “Something about you seems very familiar,” Josh said.
“Perhaps we met in a dream.”
“A dream? That doesn’t make any sense. Who are you?”
“My name is Armand Sattu, and we met each other long ago. But actually, this is only a dream.”
“I’m dreaming?”
“Obviously you are dreaming, Joshua. The police do not allow visitors in the middle of the night, and they certainly don’t let people visit prisoners in their cells.”
“Huh?”
Armand smiled and touched Josh on the knee. “It is alright. I understand it is difficult to hold a conversation while one party is asleep. So let me tell you why I’m here with you again.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Why did you go to the Cambridge woman?”
“I wanted to help her. Do you know what that mob did to her?” In less than the blink of an eye, Josh and Armand were in a large, well decorated room. Josh was sitting on a golden throne and Armand was kneeling before him. “Whoa! This really is a dream.” Dozens of finely dressed couples were waltzing about the room just in front of them.
Armand rose to his feet and bowed deeply. With a grand sweep of his arm, Armand said, “This is the life I have planned for you, Joshua. One day soon, I hope to see you as the supreme master of all humanity. What do you think about that?”
“Frankly, that seems pretty unlikely,” Josh replied. “What makes you think anyone would want me to rule them? And what does any of that have to do with Shirley Cambridge?”
“Great things rarely happen to people by public acclamation, Joshua. To rule the world, you must seize control and demand obedience. Ms. Cambridge’s world view will be an anchor in our grand ambition.”
“What do you mean by our ambition? I don’t think I ever said I wanted to rule the world, Armand.”
“Soon, terrorism and open warfare will envelop the globe. Millions, if not billions, will face horrible deaths. Mankind’s eternal hatred of one another will drive the world to the brink of destruction. If you do not rule, who then will stop it?”
“You’re just making that up. None of that could ever happen. Mankind had been around for a million years and we’re still here.”
“Soon you will see, Joshua. I only hope you see the light and make the correct choices. If not, the end of the world is near, and it will be your fault!” Armand and the other people disappeared as the room began to dissolve until Josh was alone is absolute darkness. Multicolored points of light appeared in the distance. Soon they had stretched into strings of light headed toward him at high speed. Then he was surrounded by the strings, twirling and spinning around him in a choreographed dance. Several strings began to wrap themselves tightly around him, making him feel warm and loved. Suddenly, Josh was a string of light, shooting through the cosmos along with the others.
He followed the strings as they flew past a dark blue planet and headed toward a bright star very far away. In seconds, they approached Saturn, its rings shining in the reflected light off the swirling bands of gas. They shot through a gap in the rings and accelerated again. Jupiter approached rapidly, and as quickly disappeared behind him. Josh was so happy to be out here, separated from his body and at one with the other strings. Earth lay just in front of him now, and he could feel himself slowly quickly. He shot down through the early morning sky toward San Diego Bay. He leveled off and headed toward the City Jail. An instant later, his string flew through a wall. A loud tone sounded and Josh opened his eyes, finding himself back in his cot.
§
An intense light shone on Shirley Cambridge's face. She felt as though she was floating, with no pain and a sense of calm she had not felt for a long time. In her mind, she knew she was dead. Either Josh had failed or her injuries were too severe. A sense of terror moved up her spine and she held her eyes tightly closed, afraid to see the reality on the other side of her eyelids. Other than the intensity of the light, she felt warm and safe, oddly at peace.
"Ms. Cambridge, good morning," a female voice said.
Shirley opened her eyes to the bright sunlight coming through the window in her hospital room. A woman in a white lab coat stood on the other side of the bed, checking the panels above her patient's bed. Shirley remembered this doctor, but the memory was faint. "Who are you?"
"I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. I'm Doctor Diane French, and I was the one who performed the exploratory surgery when you arrived here. How do you feel? How intense is your pain today?"
"I have no pain."
The doctor turned to look at her with a stunned expression. "Pardon me? That isn't possible."
"I feel wonderful, Doctor, really I do." She began to adjust her position so she could sit up.
"I wouldn't recommend moving too much. Your spine and pelvis are in very bad shape. Please just relax and lay quietly."
Shirley sat up and stretched out her arms, yawning. "What a beautiful day!" She twisted and stretched again. "Could you put down the railing so I can stand up, please?"
"Ms. Cambridge, both your legs have multiple fractures. Please calm down or I will have to restrain you so you don't injure yourself."
Shirley reached out her arms and put her hands on the doctor's shoulders. "Diane, it's okay. Both my arms and hands were broken too, and they are fine now."
"I don't understand. My eyes tell me one thing but that isn't possible."
"Diane, please put the railing down. I'm fine." Reluctantly, the doctor dropped the side rail and backed away from the bed. Shirley swung her legs over the side and gingerly stepped down onto the floor. She stretched her back and smiled. "See, all better. You must be one hell of a doctor, Diane!"
"But I didn't do anything," Diane stuttered. "This is not possible. What's happening here?"
"It’s just a miracle, Diane, just a miracle."
The door opened and Doctor Adam Smith and Detective Carl Wilson entered and immediately froze in place. "What's going on here? Why are you out of bed and standing? Diane?" Adam asked. Diane smiled at the other doctor and shrugged her shoulders, unable to find words to say.
"Can I go home now, Doctors?" Shirley asked. "I'm fine and want to be released."
"We should run some tests," Adam mumbled.
"Excuse me, Ms. Cambridge; I'm Detective Carl Wilson of the SDPD. I heard you were on the verge of death, but you look fine to me."
She was overcome with joy and twirled and danced over to Carl and kissed him on the cheek. "Carl, I'm better than fine. Now I understand all about NEMs and bionics and the end of the world. It all makes sense now. Josh was right."
"I suppose you won't be filing charges against Mr. Carpenter then."
She laughed and twirled over to Diane, taking her hands and trying to get her to dance as well. The doctor was in no mood for frivolity and pulled her hands free. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Diane, but can't you understand why I feel this way? A few hours ago I was almost dead, and now, I'm healed!" She walked back over to the detective and said, "Carl, I will never file charges against Josh Carpenter. He's the one who came to help me and saved my life and my humanity."
Doctor Smith cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Cambridge, we need to run a number of tests that could take a day or so. I recommend you get back in bed."
"That isn't going to happen, doctor," she stated. "You can run one set of scans to check my condition. If everything looks fine, I'm leaving. You have one hour."
§
It was early afternoon when Ted Dixon walked into Memorial Hospital to follow up on his visit to Shirley Cambridge. He took the elevator to the floor where she had been and approached the nurse's station. "Hello, I'm Ted Dixon from the Lower California Tribune. I'm wondering if I could speak to Ms. Shirley Cambridge."
"I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Cambridge is no longer here."
"Oh no, did she die?"
"No sir, she checked out of the hospital a few hours ago."
"How that is possible? She was in terrible condition when
I saw her yesterday. Was she moved to another hospital?"
"Just hold on a minute, sir. Let me call the doctor on duty. I am not personally familiar with her case." The nurse walked to the back of the station and tapped a number onto the phone. She turned away so Ted could not hear her. A few seconds later, she returned and said, "Dr. French will be here in a moment to help you." She turned and went back to a desk and monitored the panels.
Ted walked over to the nearest window and looked out on the city. The twenty million residents of the San Diego environs were out there working, playing, or taking care of their families. He had just been reprimanded by his editor for dropping the story about the odd NEM. His job was only saved by the incident in the park and the heart-breaking story of Shirley Cambridge. Where was she? "Mr. Dixon, I'm Diane French. I understand you have questions about Ms. Cambridge," said a female voice behind him.
He spun around to see the beautiful young doctor smiling at him. Ted could feel himself blushing. "Doctor French, how do you do? I'm Ted Dixon from the Lower California Tribune. Where is Ms. Cambridge?"
"I released her a few hours ago. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I went to check on her this morning and she was completely healed. I thought I was having a hallucination or something."
"How could she heal from those injuries overnight? That isn't medically possible, is it?"
"I suppose it would be possible, but we didn't do anything. I performed an exploratory last night and was going to put together a team for her enhancement today. We didn't touch her and she's healed. We ran a series of scans and could find no broken bones or other damage. Mr. Dixon, she wanted to dance with me! Last night, her feet, ankles and legs were horribly broken. She danced around the room like a little girl. I thought I'd faint."
"I've got to talk to Josh."
"Shirley mentioned that name too. Who is Josh?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. French, but this story is hot and I have to get on it. Thanks for your help."
"Call me Diane, Ted. Please tell me something about Josh."
