by Karl Morgan
She giggled softly. "So, are you still shacking up with the robot? You know, there are real women out in the world too."
"Like you?"
"Maybe, but I suppose that is really up to you."
Ted put his hand on her knee and said, "Sandi, you've never given me the time of day and now suddenly you're coming after me. Are you for real, or are you just trying to steal my story?"
She gently pulled his hand from her leg. "Ted, I don't think that's fair. You have to know this Carpenter guy is worth a lot of stories. Maybe we could be a team?"
"Let's just take this one step at a time, Sandi. If the chief decides we need to share him, well, so be it. For now, Josh Carpenter is mine." He winked. She stood and walked away.
His phone rang and he answered, "Ted Dixon."
"Mr. Dixon, this is Shirley Cambridge."
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel wonderful, Ted. Can I call you Ted?"
"Of course you can, Shirley. How can I help you?"
"I need to see Joshua Carpenter. He healed me and saved my life. I already saw your news story at the prison, Ted. Do you understand what is happening?"
"I'm going to win a Pulitzer?"
She laughed. "I take it you're not a believer then."
"What has that got to do with anything?"
"Please don't take offense, Ted. Joshua is an angel of God, sent to save the world!"
"No, he is not, Shirley. He is just a man. I met his parents at their house in Chula Vista."
"Please just tell me where to find him or give me his phone number. I owe him my life, Ted. Please let me see him again."
"He'll be at my house this evening. You can join us for dinner at seven. The address is 875 Market Street, Apartment 2017, but just you, not some mob of your followers."
"It will be just me, and thanks, Ted." The line disconnected.
"I'll see you at seven," a female voice said behind him. He spun around to see Sandi smiling at him.
§
The street in front of Ted's apartment building was packed with people. When Josh first looked out the window at five o’clock, he thought it was just normal folks coming home from work. At six o'clock, he looked again and saw several news flyers hovering right outside the twentieth floor, waiting for a picture or video of the miracle worker. Now, the street and sidewalk were blanketed with a few thousand people standing outside and calling his name and singing hymns. He sat on the floor in the small bedroom behind Stella's charging station with his knees drawn up to his chin, rocking back and forth. He knew it could come to this one day, and it had been his own fault. Looking back, he could not remember why he chose that venue to help Steve and Jack. They did nothing to deserve his healing, and now they probably helped the press link him to Ted's apartment.
Stella walked into the room and knelt next to him. "Josh, Ted is here with his boss, John Stanton and another reporter. They want to meet you."
"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Stella. Ted said he would hide me. Have you seen the mob out front?"
"It hardly looks like a mob. They seem to be singing and cheering. I think they love you."
"What do you think I should do, Stella?"
"You're asking my opinion? I don't think anyone has asked me what I think before. You remember that I'm a robot, right?"
"Stella, I told you before that I am no one to judge. Bones, muscle, organs, and skin do not define our humanity." He touched the left side of her chest for a second, and said, "It's what's in here that counts."
She sat on the floor next to him and draped her arm around his shoulders. "Josh, I think everything happens for a reason. You have this unique gift, the ability to emit EMPs at will. I think you must use your ability to help people."
"You know it's a lot more than that, Stella."
"I'm beginning to see that." She stood up and helped him to his feet. "Let's go have dinner, Josh. Your destiny is just on the other side of that door." They walked out of the bedroom hand in hand.
"Josh, let me introduce you to my editor, John Stanton, and our best reporter, Sandi Adams," Ted said as the group approached.
Josh shook their hands and said, "It's nice to meet you both."
"That's quite a fan club outside, young man," John replied.
"I've been meaning to ask Ted about that."
"Hey, Josh, I had nothing to do with that, and I'm sure no one at the Tribune did either."
"Ted is right," John continued. "We want to keep you under wraps. Now every news agency in the world will come looking for interviews, and our top story will fizzle out." The doorbell chimed and Stella went to answer it. "I'd like to sign you to an exclusive deal with us, Josh. I know others can give you more money, but I have to ask."
Stella returned followed by Shirley Cambridge. When Shirley caught sight of Josh, she rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. "Oh my God, Josh, thank you so much for helping me. You saved my humanity!"
"You're welcome, Shirley," he blushed as she stepped back.
"Did you tell those people where Josh was?" Ted asked.
"No. I wouldn't do that, Ted," Shirley complained. "You have to know there are no secrets anymore."
"She's right," Sandi noted. "Everything is recorded and we are all watched all the time. Even taxi rides are monitored so the government knows who is with whom and when."
"What are you going to do, Josh?" Shirley asked.
"Let's have dinner and Josh can think about that," Ted replied. Stella went to the kitchen to get dinner. "I'll get us some drinks. What will everyone have?"
§
It was 2:00 a.m. when Shirley and Josh walked out of the apartment building. The revelers were still on the street, although most were sleeping. As they moved through the crowd, Shirley was stunned when people began to move, forming an open path through the mass of humanity. Shirley carried Josh's backpack and his duffle bag was thrown over his shoulders. She looked at the faces of the people standing next to them. It seemed they were looking right past them, as though they were not there. She turned to ask Josh, but his head was down and he kept trudging forward. They turned the first corner and walked down the empty street. Shirley walked up to the deserted taxi kiosk, pressed the call button and said, "Intermediate." She turned to see Josh leaning up against the nearest wall, lost in thought. "What happened back there? Were we invisible or something?"
He chuckled and replied, "I don't think I can do that, Shirley. I just kept hoping they wouldn't notice us. Maybe they heard me somehow. I honestly thought they'd jump all over us." A taxi flyer settled down next to the kiosk and they climbed inside with Josh on one side with his bags and Shirley opposite him. "Where to?"
"Guadalupe Valley, Crown Residence Hotel," she said. The flyer lifted off, turned southward and flew away. "After dinner, I called and made a reservation. No one will know anything about you there."
Chapter 5
The sound of the shower running stirred Josh from his deep sleep. He looked at his phone and noticed it was ten o’clock. He stood up, stretched and walked over to the patio door, pulling the drapes open. The wide valley stretched out to the horizon, covered with vineyards, stone wineries, and tourist hotels. He opened the door, walked onto the balcony and felt the warmth of the morning sun on his face. He was about to sit on one of the chairs when he heard the doorbell chime. He walked back into the room and over to the door, pulling it open slightly. "Yes?"
"Buenos Dias, senor," the man said. "Your wife ordered coffee and pastries. May I come in?" Josh stepped aside and the man wheeled a tray into the room, went out on the patio and set the food down on the small table. Then he walked back to Josh and said, "I am Jorge, Mr. Cambridge. Just call the front desk if you need anything and I will bring it to you."
"Thank you, Jorge."
"De nada, senor." The man left the room, closing the door behind him.
He tapped lightly on the bathroom door and said, "The coffee's here, Shirley!"
Josh returned to the balcony and sat down, serving himself some coffee from the silver pot. He added cream and sweetener and took a sip. He took the lid from the plate of pastries and selected a croissant and took a bite. He set it down and looked at his phone. There was a new story from the Eastern Caliphate, so he tapped the screen.
An Asian reporter began to speak. "Following the slaughter of our troops near Dhaka yesterday, the army has been reorganized so only NEM troops will cross the border. Electronic weapons have been replaced with traditional gunpowder devices. President Han noted that a new force will respond if any further terrorist activity occurs, including likely use of nuclears."
"Oh boy, that sounds bad," Shirley said as she joined Josh on the balcony, sitting across the table and filling her own coffee cup. "The bathroom is free if you need it."
Josh set his phone down and said, "You told the front desk we were married?"
"I thought that would be better than to give your real name, Josh. News travels at light-speed. If anyone thought you were here, the crowds would come."
"You know, that waiter saw that both beds had been slept in. Will that blow my cover?"
"Are you asking to share my bed now, Josh?"
He blushed and stammered, "No, it's not that. I just thought it might be a conflict with your story."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, Josh. Frankly, I was a bit flattered, but room service waiters don't care about that kind of stuff. Now, if you would have healed him that might get some attention."
"What do we do now?"
"That's up to you. But there is plenty of time to decide. After we have our coffee, get cleaned up and we can go visit some wineries and have a relaxing day or two. When you're ready for the next steps, just tell me."
"What next steps?"
"Whatever you want, Josh."
"Shirley, I want us to be a team. You have the platform and I have my abilities. I've been having dreams for a long time about the end of the world. I think it might be our mission to stop that from happening."
Her face flashed stunned disbelief. "You honestly think the two of us can stop the end of the world, Josh? You might be overestimating my abilities and audience."
"Shirley, I want to try. Things are only going to get worse. Before long, the nuclears may fly, bringing a million years of death and winter. If there is any chance that we can reduce the risk of that, I think it's worth it."
"How do you know things will get worse? Right now, it's just the one action in Asia. That's not a global conflict. Diplomacy can fix that, don't you think?"
An alert tone sounded on Josh's phone, and he pressed the flashing red light. A male voice spoke: "This news is just now breaking. Coordinated terrorist bombings are occurring across the European Union and Asian Republic. At least twenty cities have been targeted so far. Also, a force of tanks and heavy artillery has crossed the border from the Western Caliphate into the African Empire. We will advise as more details become available." Josh tapped the device to silence it.
"You see what I mean?"
"But what can we do, Josh? We're just two people. No one is going to listen to either of us, even with your amazing talents."
"Shirley, I have faith that we will be where we need to be. What I did to you and to those men was not normal. I know I am being led to where I am needed, and I want you there with me."
"You really are an angel sent by God."
He smirked and replied, "I'm no angel, Shirley, but for some reason, I have some talents and I have to use them to help mankind while I'm here."
"While you're here? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Surely you realize that folks like you and me tend to get a lot of attention from the wrong kind of people. Remember the attack in the park two days ago. They hurt you because you are different and think they've done something wrong. Imagine what they'll do to me! People are always looking for someone to fix their problems for them. A bad person could imprison us and threaten you if I don't do things for them."
"So by staying with you, I'm endangering myself."
"Yes and no. If I had never met you, you would be getting all bionic bones and organs right now. Everything you lived by would be over. So, meeting you was good for that reason. The future is unknown and there will likely be great danger, and if we fail, the war will come and surely most people will die horrible deaths."
"What you're telling me is that if I go with you, I will be in terrible danger. If I run away, the war may come anyway and I'll probably die. Neither of those options is very good, Josh."
He reached across the table and took her hands in his. "Shirley, let's just see where we are led. I'm not an angel, but I bet there are a few looking over us right now."
"I need a drink."
Josh waved his arm at the countryside and replied, "Well, we're in the right place for it."
§
Five men approached the entrance to Destiny, the hottest nightclub in Paris. Several thousand people packed the giant club each night, dancing in one of the ten venues and drinking and eating while looking out the window walls at the Eiffel Tower. They stood across the street looking at the long line of people eager to be seen inside. Several dozen LIFE cameras recorded all the action for others around the world to see. A tone sounded on the first man's phone and he pulled it from his pocket and listened. He pushed the device back in his pocket and nodded to the others. Three of the men picked up their backpacks and slung them over their shoulders. The last man pulled a machine gun from his pack. The first man opened his duffle bag and extracted a handheld missile launcher, being careful to keep his back to the club. He pressed the power button and watched as the line of red lights changed to yellow and then green. When the last light changed, he winked at his comrades and spun around, leveling the weapon at the entrance to the club. He pressed the trigger and a two foot long missile shot across the street and slammed into the building, exploding in a ball of fire and shattered bricks. He dropped the launcher and took his own machine gun and began firing at the crowd, which scattered in panic. The other man began to fire at the entrance as well, as dozens of security guards rushed to the entrance, only to be hit by the gunfire. The leader nodded and the three men with backpacks ran across the street and into the club. They separated and pushed their way through the panicking throng of people. One minute later, their backpacks exploded.
President Carmichael sat in the White House Situation Room with her head in her hands. The national security team surrounded her. "I just got off the phone with President Becker of the EU. At least one thousand are dead in Paris." She sighed and looked around the room at the somber faces. "What else do you have, Tom?"
National Security Advisor Thomas Williams cleared his throat. "I'm afraid there is nothing good to report, Madam President, although there is something very odd. The Western Caliphate army has arrived in city of Kano, in the Nigerian Region. According to reports from their media, the city is deserted. There are over five million people in that area, and they are just gone."
"Madam President, we also have an issue with the UASR," Phil Connelly, the defense secretary, noted. "Their takeover of the Panama region is not going over well with the citizens in that region. Governor Garcia reports that close to a million refugees have crossed the border into the Costa Rica region and are requesting asylum. Our satellites show the UASR is massing troops not far from our border."
"You don't think Marco would do such a thing, do you?"
"Alexis, we've known each other a long time," Phil continued. "I recommended against ceding that region to the Communists. They won't be happy until they take over the world."
"Madam President, I hate to pile on, but things aren't so great here either," Alice Armstrong, secretary of Homeland Security, reported. "There are hundreds of new leads about potential terror threats appearing on LIFE every hour. We're doing what we can, but we have to be prepared. One of these attempts will succeed. The EU has
state-of-the-art systems too, and we all know what happened in the center of Paris."
The red phone next to the President rang. Tom picked it up and said, "Hello." He held the receiver against his chest and said, "Madam President, it's Premier Andrade."
"Put it on speaker, Tom." After he set the phone down, she said, "Good day, Marco. How are you today? I have you on speaker with my national security team."
"Alexis, it is good to hear your voice. Things are wonderful in Santiago today. I just wanted to thank you again for the gift of the Panamanian territory. I am a bit concerned about the flight of people though. What is happening?"
"Marco, both our governments allow people to move freely. That is the hallmark of a free society. Perhaps they do not understand what it means to be a citizen of the UASR. Once things settle down there, I wouldn't be surprised if many of them returned."
"I hope you are correct. Some in my government are concerned there might be another motivation."
"I'm not sure what you mean, Marco."
"You surprise me, Alexis. Perhaps your intelligence services are not as good as mine. I assume you know the Western Caliphate moved into Kano a few hours ago."
"Yes, I heard that."
"My people tell me that a large nuclear was detonated in the city less than fifteen minutes ago. It was a trap for the invading army."
"I'll get on that, ma'am," Tom said as he stood and quickly left the room.
"Marco, I can assure you our situation is very different. You are not an invader. We ceded that land to you. We have no reason to attack you. According to my people, it is your government that is massing troops near our border."
"I will take your word, for now, Alexis. As you know, we will not be satisfied until all Latino lands are united under our umbrella. But we can speak of that another time. Perhaps we can discuss another interesting phenomenon. What can you tell me about this miracle worker, Joshua Carpenter?"
She pressed the mute button on the phone and asked, "Who the hell is he talking about?"
