Comes Great Responsibility
Page 14
“We were given the understanding that the healer could fix the mental problems of Warriors,” Hernandez said.
“Vala told me that she healed her, but it did not make any difference. Vala believed that The Destroyer was a zealot what believed that all enhanced humans were abominations and that it was her duty to eliminate them all,” the Warrior said.
“But, isn't The Destroyer an enhanced human?” Hernandez said.
“It is like a fictional vampire who hunts other vampire,” I said.
“And what happens when all the other vampires are gone?” Hernandez said.
For a moment, I felt very afraid and then said,“She will go looking for more.”
“And that's us,” Hernandez said.
“What do you believe Vala Grein would be doing here?” Hernandez continued.
“If she listened to my advice, she would have hid as quietly as possible. However, given her guilt over so many she did not help, I feel she would try to heal people,” Malko said.
Hernandez nodded and said,”Thank you for your time. You can leave.”
Malko stood up and left room.
“He was telling the truth, or at least what he believes to be the truth,” Hernandez said.
“We have already sent an Agency team to the city where you came through the portal. There are no records of a healer that appeared five years ago in the area. Of course, that was just in the aftermath of the Cleveland Disaster. The Agency resources were concentrated on the aftermath.” Hernandez said.
“She could have left India,” I said.
“True, but someone with out any money and with no identification would have problems just surviving. Our best bet is that she is still in the area. If not, we will widen the net,” Hernandez said.
Chapter 22, Thursday, July 29, Noon Mountain Daylight Time
After our release from isolation, I took Malko with me to the headquarters' control room. Mandisa asked to see Abilola,who was still in confinement. One section of the wall display showed a satellite image of the city of Nagpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, overlaid by a road map. I could not keep from glancing at the image in the center display. It was of Fort Greely base from an Agency camera on one of the mountains that overlooked the base. It showed normal activity as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Malko had explained that the healer's companion had studied the city through the portal. He could speak both English and Hindi. Being able to be understood would help them, but that did not make up for not having any money or ID.
“If someone started to heal people there would have been some evidence. There were no reports. The two of them just vanished,” Hernandez said.
“Which either means they are dead or had help vanishing,” I said.
I looked at Malko and said,” Is there anything you would like to add?”
'I do not know what you mean?” he said.
“Isn't it true that radio transmissions can go both ways through a viewing portal,” I said.
“You think that the healer was in communications with someone in the city?” Hernandez said.
“I know nothing of that,” Malko said.
“Once they knew that it might be possible to have a multi-use transit portal, the leader at the research center seemed very interested in the possibility of exchanges between our worlds. Perhaps, they had initiated information exchanges,” I said.
“Could they have been helped by a clandestine powered group?” I said.
The conspiracy of supremacists super-powered groups that lead to the Cleveland Disaster was not a united front. It was made of several large and many small terrorists groups around the world. The public was told that the Agency and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies had, eventually, shut down all the groups. Baha'ullah's group hunted them down, which made him a hero to some. A hero who killed.
“That is possible. I'll check out our contacts with the underground powered community,” Hernandez said.
“What about Saifullah? He helped us,” I said.
“I suspect the Director would rather not involve him,” Hernandez said.
I did not care what the Director wanted. Many in the powered, and even the non-powered, communities looked up to the Iraqi. I was sure that even if the the healer was not involved directly with his group, if she was helped by another group, Saifullah might be able to find out. I had to contact him. Unfortunately, I found that would not to be easy.
After the attack on the Agency headquarters, John told the Director that he had a means to contact Saifullah. He would send out faint radio message on an AM frequency not used in the American South West. Saifullah would reply on the same frequency. He had never used it. I did and we got the reply that I was to go to a location in the Mohave Desert. Once there, I found nothing but a huge boulder. I “looked” at it and found a latitude and longitude carved faintly under it.
Six hours later, I landed in the Cantankerous region of the Sahara Desert. As Saifullah had requested, I had turned off my suit's comm system and flew in stealth mode. The desolate plain was lit by the light of the full Moon. There were no sounds or wind. All I could smell nothing but sand. Virtually nothing grew here and any water was in the aquifer a thousand feed below me. It had cooled off from the over forty Celsius of the day. It was a place from hell. I “looked” around for miles and there was no sign of human activity. A earth observation satellite over head might pick up my heat signature, but anyone who saw it would wonder why anyone would be in such an God awful place.
I half expected to find another boulder, but I felt a disturbance behind me and “saw” Saifullah and another man. I turned and looked at both of them. This was the first time that I had seen Saifullah in person. He was as handsome in person as he was in pictures or video. He was over six foot tall and wore a white, skin tight suit that showed off his toned body, as well as something a bit too erect. His companion was short with pale skin. He wore jeans and white tee shirt. He looked tired.
“A teleporter,” I said.
“Yes. Why did you want to talk with me? The Destroyer that worries you so much is not yet here.” Saifullah said in a English accent. He had been born into a wealthy Sunni family and had graduated from Cambridge. That was before he turned extremist.
“First, isn't this a bit extreme caution?” I asked.
“I have found that trust is a rare commodity. My sources indicate that the loyalty of some of your associates may no lie with your Agency,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“Sometimes one's national identity is more important than their employment,” he said.
That was always a possibility in inter-national organizations like the Agency. There might be people, especially in the headquarters, who might find their loyalty to America to be more important than their loyalty to the Agency.
“We can deal with that later. Now, we need your help. A woman named Villa Grein disappeared five years ago in India. She was a healer from an alternate timeline. Apollo has lost his extreme powers. We need her to restore them,” I said.
“I may know of her, but I, also, know she does not want to be found,” he said.
I had no desire to be diplomatic, but I had no choice. We needed to find the healer, not only to heal the both of us, but to use as leverage to free John. I suspected that he knew both of those reasons.
“The Destroyer will be here soon. We will need all our resources to stop her. I saw what she did on her world. Cities lay in ruins and millions upon millions lay dead,” I said.
“I have been told that the healer has helped many sick and injured who had no one else to turn to. Her current associates will not want to loose access to her talents,” he said.
“Once Apollo and is returned to his full powers, we will be free to do what she wishes,” I said.
Saifullah laughed and said,” You expect me to believe that both your Agency and the United States government would give her such a choice. You think I am a fool.”
“With our full powers restored, and after The Destroyer is dealt with, Apollo and I can be very persuasive. Besides, she my want to return to her world,” I said.
He smiled and said,” Ultimately, the implied threat of the use of his powers has always been Apollo's trump card. However, what if he does not agree with you. He has changed much since you left him five years ago.”
That was true. John was harder, less trusting. I always knew that he would put the greater good first. I just was not sure if we would agree on what the greater good was.
“I will make him understand,” I said.
He shook his head and said,” You rely too much on his good will. But, the threat to the world is too great. I will contact those who guard the healer and have them give her your message.”
“I need to see her myself,” I said.
“You do not trust me?” he said.
“Actually, I do trust you. I just don't trust whoever is guarding the healer,” I said.
I looked into his eyes and said,”Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask anything. I will decide what to answer,” he said.
“Why do you keep murdering people?” I said.
He smiled and said,” I prefer to think of them as executions.”
“What gives you the right?” I said.
“Because I have the power. Let me tell you a story. I come from a powered family. Under the previous government in Iraq any of with powers were drafted into the military, sometimes very young. My older brother and I had such powers. I more than my brother. We kept the secret. My brother became angry and joined an extremist group and eventually ended up at the Cleveland Disaster. He died there. My mother was inconsolable. She did not blame the heroes, she blamed those who recruited him. Those who turned him into a terrorist. My younger sister told me that I should have stopped him. I was the stronger one. When I told her that I could not change his mind, she told me what use were my powers,” he said.
“You sought revenge,” I said.
“I did. First, I helped free my people for the corrupt government who enslaved our country. Then I sought out those who among us who used their powers to hurt, kill or enslave others. A few were misguided and were willing to listen to reason and change. Most were not. They died to save others from their evil,” he said.
“I disagree, however, at the moment, we need you,” I said.
“Our methods my be different, but our goals are the same, to protect the innocent,” he said.”
“So, you are judge, jury and executioner. Who gave you that right?”
“Allah gave me this power. What I do is His will,” he said.
Saifullah was a zealot. There was not anything I could say to dissuade him. Unfortunately, we needed him.
I turned to the other man and said,”What is your story?”
He looked up to Saifullah and then said, in English in, what sounded like a Finnish accent,”I serve Saifullah because I believe he is right. You may call me Onion.”
“Have you ever heard of teleportation between alternate timelines?” I asked.
“Until now, I thought such things were stuff of science fiction. I would not even know how,” he said.
“Think about it,” I said.
“I will contact you when I know something,” Saifullah said.
“Please do, as soon as possible,” I said.
Saifullah nodded and put his hand on the teleprompter's shoulder. The both blinked away.
I had hoped for more, but at least we had a lead. I wondered about the teleporter at Fort Greeley. She knew about the Other Earth. If not Jacobs, the black ops groups would have looked into the possibility of a teleporter being able to reach the Other Earth.
I turned back on my suit's comm system and said,” Control this is Tarlock.”
A few seconds later I heard of my comm link,” Roger, how did it go?”
“We got a lead. I am heading back,” I said.
I lifted off and headed back to New Mexico. I was tired. The time zone switches had screwed me up. I had managed only to get a few hours of sleep since I had gotten back from the Other Earth. Once I made my reports, I was going to go to sleep.
Chapter 23, Friday, July 30, 5:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time
I was eating raw oysters in the deserted Agency headquarters's cafeteria, which was strange because I hated oysters, raw or cooked. I looked up from the table and saw a naked Saifullah standing in the cafeteria's entrance, very erect. Next, I was in my room at my parents, naked. He kissed me and I lay back on the bed. He kissed my neck and my very erect nipples. I spread legs and he got on top of me and I was wet waiting for him to ….
“Ms. Tarlock” I heard.
I woke up. I was wet and horny. I could not remember the last time I had such a vivid and erotic dream. I was embarrassed, but I did not know why. It was just a dream. When I was with Saifullah I did not feel any attraction. I must have been just very tired.
“Ms. Tarlock, are you there?” a male the voice over the intercom said.
“Sorry, I was sleeping,” I said.
I looked at the clock and it read 5:02 AM.
“We received word from Saifullah. He wants to meet you again,” the Control operator said.
“Did he say if it was about finding the healer?' I said.
“All the communication said was for you to meet him on the southern shore of Terra led Fuego Island as soon as you can,” he said.
“Where did the communication come from?” I asked.
It was left at the Agency's Singapore office. They sent it to us,” the operator said.
He gave me a specific location. It was a trap, not for me or Saifullah, but for someone else. Tierra Del Fuego was just isolated enough to convince someone that it was deemed a safe location, but not isolated enough to tell me that it was not. He made sure that Agency personnel knew about it. He believed that there was a leak in the Agency and he wanted to prove it. I just hoped that whatever his plan was, that it would work.
“Make sure Security Chief Hernandez and the Director know. I will be leaving shortly,” I said.
“Shouldn't you wait for authorization? Control asked.
“No time,” I said.
I used the bathroom and took a quick shower. As I toweled off, I realized that I felt better than I had in days. I really needed that sleep. I put on my uniform and left the headquarters. I left my comm link on and went sub-orbital towards the southern tip of South America. Forty-five minutes later, as I descended though the atmosphere, I saw that a winter storm along the coast. Saifullah and another man stood in the driving rain just beyond the crashing surf. Saifullah wore his white uniform and the other man wore a hooded black rain slicker. I “looked” at him and he was not the teleporter that was with Saifullah in the desert. He was dark skinned and “looked” like a non-powered person. I assumed that he had extra or extreme powers.
I landed behind them and was glad for my mask. It was not that the rain and sea spray on my face would hurt me, but it would be irritating. The two men turned and faced me. Saifullah nodded and I felt someone appear behind me and snap a nullifier collar around my neck. Fortunately, my mask blocked the initial effect. I reached up and grabbed each side of the collar and tore it off. Yet, I felt my bio-shield fade. I turned around and saw a short, thin, light skinned woman who stood behind me. She was dressed in skin tight black leather pants, knee high black boots and a leather biker jacket over a white blouse. Her long blonde hair steamed behind her blown by the wind and rain. Her gray eyes were wide in fear. I grabbed her wrist, reached behind me, took a wrist nullifier from my belt pouch and slappe
d it on her other wrist. As soon as the nullifier was active, I felt my powers return. She looked down at the nullifier, reached up to her head and screamed. I “looked” into her skull and saw an implant just under under the skull above her right ear. I “sensed” that had just about to explode. I froze it and stopped most of the explosion. Her face dropped. She was still alive, but I did not know how long. I scanned her and fried her ear plug and a comm unit in her pocket.
I shouted to Saifullah,” She needs immediate medical attention.”
“And we need to leave”, he shouted as he grabbed the other man and took off into the sky.
I sensed a static charge around me and lifted off with the woman, just before a lightning bolt hit the beach where I just stood.
“Control, this is Tarlock. We were attacked by a teleporter and a lightning wielder. The teleporter is in custody, but injured. Going off line,” I said.
I turned off my comm link. I did not want to be tracked by our attacker. My touch TK field could protect the woman from air friction, but it would cut off her air if I went too fast. Saifullah seemed to have the same problem. We both limited our speed to less two hundred miles an hour. Saifullah gestured for me to follow him and after a out fifteen minutes he landed at a isolated building. I scanned it and there was only one person inside, Onni, the teleporter Saifullah had used in the Sahara Desert. We landed in front of the building and Onni stepped out of the building.
“Change of plans. You must take both of them,” he said as he pointed at me.
“You want to kill me!” Onni said.
“I know your limits. I have confidence in your abilities,” Saifullah said.
“I am glad you do,” Onoi replied.
Saifullah said,”I have called ahead and they will be waiting.”