by Nat Kozinn
“I’m not suggesting we see a judge,” I reply.
“You’re serious? What, we’re supposed to kidnap him? Haven’t you broken enough laws already? Have you lost your mind?” Maria asks.
“I have to admit, I agree with Maria—not because I care about the law, of course,” Ben interrupts. “Let’s say you can make it into the Governor’s mansion, probably a safe assumption considering your newfound abilities. You bust through the guards and kidnap Khan. That doesn’t mean he will talk. I’m guessing he’s more of the die-rather-than-talk type. If he’s willing to throw his whole life away to fund these attacks, he’s got the resolve to withstand whatever pain you can inflict on him, even with your anatomical expertise and new imposing form,” Ben says.
“We don’t have any better ideas. And time is wasting,” I argue.
“True enough,” Ben agrees with a nod.
“This counts as a good idea? You’re talking about attacking a Governor! Even if you pull it off, every cop in the Metro Area is going to be after you, even more than they already are. The National Guard won’t be too far behind. Do you even have any evidence to link Governor Khan and William Jefferson? The cold, hard, present before a judge kind? Not just the word of a single Big Brain Different,” Maria says.
“I looked through his records. Trust me. It’s true,” Ben says.
“I don’t trust you; I just met you. And even if Gavin does, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re talking about a capital offense. I want to help, but there has to be a better way than committing borderline treason. Even if you get Khan to talk, you won’t even be able to do anything with the information because you’ll be too busy running for your lives,” Maria says, her face growing red with anger.
“There isn’t any other way, Maria. We can’t wait around and hope for more clues. Who knows how many more people will die before William leaves a trail?” I say.
“No. I’m an officer of the law. I can’t be a part of this,” Maria says and stands up from her chair.
“Since when do you care about rules? You’ve been defying orders ever since I met you,” I plead.
“Ignoring my commander is different. It’s an infraction. I didn’t swear an oath to be obedient. I did swear to uphold the law. If we beat a confession out of Khan, we won’t be able to use it in court. He won’t ever pay for his crimes.”
“Who cares about the law? We’re talking about saving lives. Billy is going to kill again, he has explosives and Governor Khan is the only one who knows how to find him,” I implore. I stand up to keep the conversation going. Linda and Ben have realized they aren’t really involved anymore.
“I wasn’t tracking Billy down to kill him, I was tracking him to arrest him. Is that what you’re doing? You don’t get to dole out justice. That’s for the courts. You’re losing perspective here Gavin, and frankly I’m a little afraid. How did you get your new abilities? Linda told me you took The Beast’s hand? You mangled and tortured another human being because you wanted his abilities?”
“He’s a monster,” I reply without hesitation.
“So what? There are plenty of monsters in every prison in the country. Maybe we should start doing experiments on them. After all, who cares? They don’t matter. Linda also told me you were trying to find The Beast before you came here. It wasn’t enough to mutilate him, you needed to be his executioner too?” Maria takes a breath and her accusations continue. “You’re so strong now you can execute all the criminals, and we can be safe and sound living under your iron fist.”
“I’m not talking about taking over the whole city. I’m talking about stopping a killer and a terrorist,” I reply. I don’t understand why she’s being so obstinate. This isn’t any different from what we’ve already been doing. We broke the law the entire time we were hunting Billy the Kid.
“You’re talking about assaulting the Governor. You and Big Brain might be convinced that you’re infallible, but I’m not. You want a police officer’s help, then you do it the police officer way. I was investigating the killings long before you showed up Gavin, and I’m going to keep doing it my way without resorting to committing my own crimes,” Maria says.
“She’s not going to be convinced, Gavin,” Ben says to me, reaching up from his seat to put his hand on my shoulder.
Maria waits for me to say something, but I have nothing else to say.
“I thought you were a good man. Enjoy your prison cell, Vigilante,” Maria says with vitriol and heads to the door.
We sit in silence until we hear Maria slam the door shut.
“She isn’t wrong. It’s going to be hard to act on whatever information Khan gives us with the entire police force in pursuit,” I say.
“I can help you get in without causing a commotion,” Linda says.
“Do you really want to get involved, Linda? When it’s over, you’ll have to go on the run with us,” I say.
“I know the danger. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to catch Martin’s killer.”
“I can help too,” Ben offers. “I can jam up think.Net so if things go wrong, it’ll at least take a long time for the police to respond. You see, I’m capable of maintaining multiple streams of consciousness, that’s what all the Librarians do. If I have each of these streams make a call, which I can because I have tons of dummy accounts, it’ll overload the area Telepath, making it impossible for anyone in Khan’s compound to make a call…Thanks for letting me explain.”
“Sounds like a plan, Ben. Let’s go break some laws.”
#
“Ben took the think.Net node down. We should make our move,” Linda says.
“If we climb up to that roof over there, I should be able to jump across onto the top of the mansion, even with you on my back,” I tell her and point to the roof a nearby building.
“You should be able to make an eighty foot jump? That’s great for you, since you’ll survive the fall if you should miss. Maybe not me though. I can get us in without risking any breaks to these old bones,” Linda smiles slyly. “Follow me.”
“You’re going to use a cool Telepath mind trick aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am, but I need to concentrate. Pushing thoughts into an unreceptive mind is a lot more complicated than having a mental conversation with someone. And remember, if this goes south, the guards are just doing their jobs. They didn’t have anything to do with killing Victor, or your friends at the lab, or Martin. They don’t deserve to die.”
“I’m an expert in human anatomy. If anybody knows how to take someone out without doing any permanent damage, it’s me.”
“Let’s try to avoid putting your arrogance to the test,” she says dryly.
We approach the stately mansion. The building is the size of forty normal apartments, and the grounds are covered by trees and bushes, which cost a fortune to maintain. The entire compound is surrounded by a stone wall with a massive wrought iron gate. I’ve always wondered why we Americans give our leaders such ornate houses like this mansion or the White House. I thought we fought for independence to end the era of kings, and there’s something downright royal about giving them “castles” to live in.
We approach the front gate. The hunched-over officer perks himself up when he sees us coming. He shakes the cobwebs out of his head and steps out of the small guard shack. I can’t blame him for zoning out. It’s late.
“Can I help you?” the bald guard asks.
“We have an appointment to see the Governor,” Linda says.
“I don’t think so. The Governor doesn’t have guests at 4AM, especially not middle-aged women and their giant, hairless pets.”
“Would you check the schedule, please?” Linda asks politely.
The guard goes into the shack and comes out with a clipboard.
“What do you know, here you are! And might I add that you look radiant ma’am, and not a day over thirty. Let me escort you to the Governor,” the guard says and leads us into the courtyard.
“Why are you havin
g him lead us?” I whisper.
“People will see him with us and assume everything is okay,” Linda replies.
As we walk through the courtyard, a bunch of young men in suits rush by us. One of them stares, then he sees our officer escort, shrugs and moves on. Linda knows what she’s talking about. I’m getting the impression that she had an exciting life in her younger days.
We head into the entrance of the mansion. There we see Roger, the assistant to the Governor. The young men in suits surround him and everyone looks upset.
“I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t have any control over think.Net. I have no idea why it’s down,’’ Roger pleads.
“The Governor has that speech at the Frobash Society tomorrow, and I had all my notes stored there. What am I supposed to do now?” one of the panicked young men asks.
Roger ignores further pleas from the suited men and turns his attention to us.
“Hey George, what’s up?” he asks our escort.
“I’ve got the Governor’s four o’clock here. I’m taking them up.”
“Go ahead,” Roger says, waving his hand towards a giant marble staircase behind him.
We make it halfway up the stairs before Roger finally thought about what was happening.
“George, wait!” he says and charges up the stairs towards us. “Did you say you were taking these two to see the Governor? It’s four o’clock in the morning!”
Linda waves her hand in front of her face and says, “These are not the droids you’re looking for.”
“These are not the droids I’m looking for,” Roger repeats and heads back down the stairs.
“That was awesome! Extra points for sneaking in the Star Wars reference,” I say.
“I couldn’t resist. I’m a big fan. I made a damn fine Princess Leia Halloween 1981. You know, they were supposed to make a third one before the Plagues screwed everything up.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”
We follow our original guard up the rest of the stairs and down a long hallway. We’re lucky it’s so late. Linda would have had to Jedi mind trick many more individuals if it were during the day. We finally arrive at the door that I presume leads to a sleeping Governor Khan.
“Here we are. I’m sure Governor Khan is waiting inside for your meeting. I’ll go back downstairs,” the guard says.
“Thank you,” I call after him.
“You should be thanking me,” Linda says.
“Thank you. Are you ready for this?”
“Remember that if you kill the Governor, no matter how much he deserves it, you aren’t going to be able to track down Billy the Kid because you’ll be too busy running from the army.”
“Understood.”
We push open the door and step into Governor Khan’s bedroom. It is adorned with antique wood dressers and wardrobes that survived the Plagues. The walls are covered in expensive-looking paintings of grassy landscapes. There is a giant old wooden bed against the wall. I can hear Governor Khan snoring. It sounds like he suffers from sleep apnea.
I turn the dial on a WormLight hanging from the wall, which releases Manna into the Pho-Plastic tube, which in turn activates the bioluminescent bacteria within.
The sudden influx of light wakes Governor Khan from his slumber. He sits up in his bed and looks us over. I watch his brain struggle to process what’s happening.
“What’s going on? Who are you people?” he demands.
“We are your reckoning, Governor Khan,” I tell him.
His eyes hone in on my face but it still is takes him a moment to recognize me. “The Beast Slayer?”
“That’s right. I’m here to ask you some questions, and if you tell the truth, you might live,” I say.
“I’m in your head. I can tell you want to scream for the guards, but you don’t want to do that anymore, do you?” Linda asks. I can see sweat forming on her brow. It’s probably been a long time since she used her abilities so heavily in one night.
“No, I don’t. I can handle you two on my own,” Governor Khan says.
“That’s better,” Linda turns to me, “but speaking of guards, it’s a matter of time until the thoughts I put the guard’s head get replaced by new thoughts about how crazy it is for the Governor to have a meeting at four in the morning. We need to do this quickly so we can get out before this place goes on high alert. And to be safe, you should barricade the door, Gavin.”
I do as she says and push one of the giant wooden dressers in front of the bedroom door. The dresser must weigh close to five hundred pounds, but I move it like it’s made of cardboard. I’m loving these new muscles. I pile another wardrobe and a dresser in front of the door for good measure.
“Good job, Gavin. Now ask the Governor your questions. I’ll make sure he tells the truth,” Linda says.
“Okay, Governor Khan. To start, have you been taking bribes from Ultracorps?” I ask.
“Yes, I have,” Khan answers without hesitation. Linda is good.
“In exchange for what?”
“I approved the water contract, which former Governor Hayes had voided, and promised continued support for Ultracorps projects.”
“What did you do with the money?”
“Several things. I bought my niece a Mighty Rover. I bought a necklace for a young woman I was seeing. I bought—”
“Did you give some of the money to William Jefferson?” I interrupt.
“Yes, I gave him $35,000 of the money I received from Ultracorps.”
“Is that all the money you’ve given him?”
“No, I’ve been funding his efforts for the last seven months. All told, I have given him $48,600.”
“Why did you give him that money?”
“To buy food and other necessities and to purchase equipment so he can kill Differents.”
“Well at least now we know we aren’t committing felonies for no reason. That’s a relief, huh, Linda?”
“Keep asking him questions. People are starting to congregate downstairs. I can feel more minds. The guards might be realizing what’s happened,” Linda says, her face now dripping with sweat. She doesn’t want to tell me, but I can see that the strain is wearing on her.
“Okay Governor, did you have anything to do with the bomb that blew up the Ultracorps lab?”
“Yes, I purchased the material used in the bomb, and plotted with William, who placed the bomb.”
“I knew it wasn’t P-Dub. What about Arnold Chapman, Stephen Grange, Robert White, and Stacey Rothschild? Did you have anything to do with their violent outbursts?”
“I don’t know who those people are.”
“Those are the names of the Speedster, Acid-Flinger, Heater, and Regenerator who committed ‘terrorist’ acts recently and who mostly wound up dead.”
“Yes, I was heavily involved. I provided the narcotics that made the Speedster, Acid-Flinger, and Heater violent. I also used my access to classified documents to identify and target the Regenerator. I ordered William, who in turn ordered Detective Rose, to kidnap her family.”
“You’re making this too easy, Linda. The cops should use Telepaths all the time. You could solve every murder in the Metro Area,” I say.
There’s a loud banging on the door.
“Governor Khan, are you okay? Do you need assistance?” Roger asks through the door.
Linda signals for me to be quiet and then stares at Governor Khan.
“Everything is fine, Roger. Please leave me alone,” Governor Khan says.
I hear the doorknob twist back and forth.
“Governor Khan. I’m sorry, but will you please open the door? I have to confirm you are unharmed. I am concerned that there was a security breach,” Roger calls.
“I told you. I’m fine. Now unless you want to be demoted to taking care of my dog, I recommended you leave me alone and let me get some sleep,” Khan replies, but his voice doesn’t carry the anger it should. Linda can only do so much.
“I’m sorry sir, I can’t do that
. Okay boys, move in,” Roger orders.
There’s a loud smash on the door. It sounds like they’re trying to force it open. Unless someone out there is as strong as Hercules, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Linda, can’t you make them all think they’re chickens or something?” I ask.
“There are five people out there, and that’s more minds than I can influence. You need to hurry up and get the information out of Khan before they break that door down.”
On cue, bodies start flying at the door in rapid pace. It doesn’t matter how many guards there are though. That door isn’t going to budge.
“Do you know where we can find William, Governor?”
“He has a compound on Washington and National. He spends his time there preparing when he is not out hunting down Differents.”
“Okay Gavin, we got what we came for. Let’s get out of here,” Linda urges.
“Not yet. Tell me, why you did all of this, Governor?”
“It’s simple. Differents were sent here by the Devil to test mankind’s faith. Satan made you as false Gods for us to worship in order to steer us away from the one true Lord. It is the duty of every person to fight Differents, as it is the duty of every righteous man to fight the Devil. It is a struggle as old as time. I am simply trying to do my part.”
“Great, he’s a Sapienist. I’m fighting religious nut jobs again,” I say.
“William is no true believer,” Khan adds. “He simply arrived at the same conclusion as me even without having faith. He understands that it is only a matter of time until a Different is born who threatens the entire—”
I don’t hear Khan say “world” because a loud explosion drowns out his words. A hole is blown in the wall next to the door, and men rush in with their guns drawn.
“Don’t move a muscle!” George the guard yells as he points his handgun at Linda.
Linda reacts on instinct and dives for the floor. This spooks George, who squeezes his trigger. I move like the wind, leaping between Linda and the gun. The bullet hits me in the chest. I feel it tear into my skin, but my muscles are so thick it doesn’t go very deep. It feels like I got stabbed with a sewing needle.
