by Jason Nugent
Someone near him gasped. Another watcher said, “Look at that.”
A third said, “Is it an earthquake?”
“No, I think that man is doing it.”
With sudden realization that he was causing a scene, the very thing he wanted to avoid, Rhoden released the energy, stuck his hands in his trouser pockets, and with head down, walked swiftly away. He heard murmuring behind him, but closed his mind to the words, wanting to get as far from there as possible. It was a mistake, revealing his power to these strangers. He still had much to learn about them before allowing his true nature to be known.
Rhoden hurried on, now unsure where he was going. The link with the Seeker had been severed with the collision. He had to be more careful and must learn to keep his temper in check, at least until needed.
Twenty
RHODEN WALKED UNTIL the larger, newer buildings gave way to older more run down and mostly abandoned structures. He noted less people and the ones he did see dressed less fancy. He likened them to the low born back home. The poor and destitute that clogged the streets with their unclean bodies and ever extended palms.
With the paths less crowded, he stopped to reconnect with the Seeker. Once the connection was reestablished, he found the younger woman had gone and one of the metal beasts was missing.
“Show me where she went,” he commanded the Seeker.
It veered from the house and flew with amazing speed, over rooftops and paths. The woman was inside the beast, turning into grounds that held a long, massive building. She stopped in a row of other rides and exited. She wore strange garb. A short skirt of alternating green and white panels and a tight white top with a large green W on the front. She went through a door and was lost from view.
This was getting difficult. How could he find out if she was the lost princess if he couldn't catch up to her? He had to learn more about this world to get around it faster.
“Inform me when she leaves,” he said. The seeker made no reply. It had limited speech, most of which was a high-pitched series of screeches when excited.
Once the connection was broken, Rhoden scanned the area searching for someone or something from which he could extract information. He walked on with little idea of what to look for or to do. Then, a tall dark man stepped from a narrow path between two run down buildings. He stood eyeing Rhoden with a curious and somewhat unnerving gaze. Rhoden felt obligated to do the same.
“I think this dude's lost,” he said.
Rhoden had no idea what a dude was, but had the feeling it was him. He eyed the man with curiosity. The responding voice behind him took him by surprise. He jumped and whirled. Two more dark men stood behind him, both with wide grins. Whatever they thought was funny was not apparent to Rhoden.
The taller dark-skinned man behind him, said, “Well, maybe if he pays us we can direct him to where he wanna go.”
The man in front had hair knotted in rows on his head like some sort of crop. He said, “Now, there's a good idea. It benefits everyone. We get money and he gets where he wanna be. How's that sound to you, man?”
Rhoden realized he was about to be accosted. The thought made him smile. Good. Now he would have a chance to try out his skills against someone from this world. Having already experimented on the other two trips, Rhoden knew his magic worked on this world. In fact, if anything, his magic had more power. Although, the reason why escaped him.
“What is it you want?” he asked.
All three men laughed. The one in front said, “That is an interesting question. Let me think on that a moment.” He mocked thinking by putting a hand under his chin and glancing skyward. “Ah, I got it. We want your money.”
“Money?” Rhoden was unfamiliar with the word, but understood the meaning. They wanted gold and silver, which he had not brought with him. But a thought came to him. He had learned a new word and might be able to learn much more by engaging the men in conversation.
“ I carry no, ah, money, but I will pay you later in exchange for information.”
The man in front bobbed his head once and pulled back, giving Rhoden a look of disbelief. “Information? What? We look like a public library? What kinda information you want?”
“As much as you can give. I want to understand your, ah,” unsure of what to call it without giving away he was from elsewhere, he settled for, “this.” He spread his arms to indicate the surroundings.
“Well, sure. Sure. We can give you all the information you want, but like I said, we needs be paid. And first.”
“Like I said, I did not bring coin with me, but I will owe it to you on my next trip.”
“Oh, you gonna owe it to us? You gonna give us your handwritten IOU?” To the men behind Rhoden he said, “Now he think we a bank or something.”
The taller of the two men behind him, said, “I don't believe a man who dress in a suit don't carry no money. Let me see your wallet. No, screw that, I'll look for it myself.”
He stepped forward, grabbed Rhoden's jacket and thrust a hand into the inner pocket. Anger rushed through him. His face clouded, then contorted into a mask of rage. He snapped his arm down and out of the man's grip, then shoved him backward with both hands. The startled man gave a shout as he fell back on his butt.
For a few seconds, all three men stared in amazement. Then, one by one, angry eyes swung toward him. The man in front stomped toward him, fists clenched, ready to do damage. “Oh, you asking for it now.”
The upright man behind, helped his friend up. The assaulted man said, “You gonna pay for that, man.” He pulled out a knife, flicked his wrist and the dulled finish of a well used but uncared for blade popped open.
This time Rhoden was prepared for their attack. His hands moved in intricate patterns. He spoke long practiced phrases and extended his hands toward the first man. An unseen force flew from his hands striking the unsuspecting man and sending him flying twenty feet in the air before crashing into a blue metal box with a curved top. The collision knocked the wind from his lungs. He dropped stunned.
Rhoden turned toward the remaining two. Both stood with jaws agape seeing their airborne friend. The man with the knife was first to recover. He lunged at Rhoden hoping to impale him, but the knife and his entire arm stopped moving as if the scene had been put on pause.
“What the . . .” the man said, as the blade turned upward and back, moving toward him. A great strain appeared on the man's face as the blade made slow but steady progress toward his own body. He placed his other hand over the first and with every bit of strength he possessed tried to divert the blade’s path, but with a sudden surge, it closed the gap and pounded into his chest. His eyes went wide, his mouth opened to emit a scream, but it seemed to catch in his throat. The third man, glanced from his friend to Rhoden, then turned and fled.
Rhoden reached out and with invisible fingers, lifted the man with the braided hair and flung him into the wall. He went limp, but Rhoden drove him into the wall once more. A sickening crack and wet smack followed and Rhoden released the body. It slid down the wall and landed in a bloody heap.
Across the path, a dark-skinned woman pointed a small rectangular shaped item at him. At first he feared it was a weapon, but when nothing happened, decided it was a personal defensive ward to protect her against Rhoden. Since she stayed on her side of the path and offered no threat against him he ignored her. She moved on, all the while keeping her ward held in front and between him and her.
The man he sent flying groaned, drawing his attention. He surveyed his handiwork with satisfaction, feeling more confident in his ability to survive and thrive in this world. Rhoden squatted in front of the still stunned man. He shook him gently, then harder when he didn't get an initial response. He moaned louder. His eyes opened in small increments, then shot open. “Nonono,” he said, trying to crawl away backward. He bumped into the metal box and with nowhere to go, held his hands up in front of him like a shield. “Okay. You win. No more flying.”
Rhoden was amused.
<
br /> “Now then, as I said, I need information and I think you are the perfect one to give it to me.”
“No problem. I'm your man. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Be happy to help.” The words rushed from his mouth like water from a collapsed dam.
“Yes, I'm quite sure you'll tell me everything.”
Twenty-One
RHODEN HAD BEEN RIGHT. The man, DeWayne, was a wealth of knowledge. So much so, he not only kept him alive, but offered to pay him for his service.
The things DeWayne told him left him dumbfounded. This world was more advanced than Chavalon. The metal creatures ridden on the hard paths were not creatures at all, but machines known as cars. Drivers controlled them and evidently, gave them the ability to move fast and go long distances in short times. After gathering as much information as his overwhelmed mind could hold, he reconnected with the Seeker and had DeWayne drive him to the location.
On the way, Rhoden studied his surroundings, taking in the structures, the people and the other vehicles on the road. He was surprised with the speed and agility of the car. “Why do you stop and sit. I need to be somewhere.”
“Ah, I have to stop. It's a red light.”
DeWayne gave him a funny look. “You do know what a red light is, don't ya?”
“Of course. It's that.” He pointed at the traffic signal. “But why do you stop?”
“It's the law.”
“Ah! The law of the land. Stop at red lights. That's annoying when you want to get someplace fast.”
“Yeah. It can be. But it also keeps you from getting into wrecks with other cars. The light controls who goes and who stops.”
“Who controls the lights?”
“They're automatic. You know, on timers. No one controls them. You set it, give it power and it works on its own.”
“Like magic?”
“Well, yeah, I guess it is sorta like that.”
He pointed at a massive building. “What is that?”
“That's a hospital?”
Rhoden had no idea what that meant.
DeWayne explained further. “It's where sick people go to get better.”
“You have healers?”
“Yes, we call them doctors.”
“Doctors,” Rhoden repeated. “But such a large building. Do you need it that big to accommodate all of your sick?”
“Yeah, and there's three more in the area about the same size.”
“Truly? You have that many sick people? Why doesn't your ruler just eliminate the all the sick? The buildings could be used for some other purpose. The sick only pass it on and perform no function. Best be rid of the sick and weak.”
DeWayne glanced at him with wide eyes and open mouth. “You're kidding me, right?”
“Kidding?”
“Never mind. I think I'd like living where it is you're from.”
“That which I seek is in that direction.”
DeWayne kept driving and Rhoden grew annoyed. “I said that way. Why didn't you turn and drive that way?”
“What, through those yards? We wouldn't get very far. A lot of them have fences. We'd never get through. Besides, someone would call the po-po. I have to stay on the streets. See, I'm turning here. At the corner.”
“What is po-po?”
“The po-leese.”
“Po-leese.”
“You know, coming from you I think it's better you just say police. That's the law. You hear their sirens or see the blinking lights, you best get your tail running.”
“Are they your ruler's army?”
“In a way, yeah. They uphold the law. You drive across someone's property and the police come and take you away.”
“Make a turn here. At this street.”
DeWayne followed the directions making several wrong turns because of Rhoden's lack of understanding on how to direct him.
“There,” Rhoden pointed. “That is where I need to go.”
DeWayne parked in a lot full of other cars.
“How many people live in this world?”
“Heck if I know,” DeWayne said, “but it's in the billions.”
“Billions?” Rhoden was unfamiliar with the word, but accepted that the number was great. “What is this place?”
“This is Whitford High School.”
“High school?”
“Man, where you from? Don't they have schools?”
“Yes.” He eyed the massive building. “I'm looking for a, ah, someone who went inside.”
“Then they're either a teacher or a student. Is this person old or young?”
“Young.”
“Then they a student.”
“Is entering permissible?”
“Yeah, but you have to go through security and the office and tell them why you're there and who you're looking for.”
That wouldn't do. “I wish to examine this school from the outside. Come.”
He got out. DeWayne hesitated, but followed. They walked toward the rear of the school where a large fenced area blocked their path. The grounds held a series of fields Rhoden took for training grounds. “Explain these.”
“You don't have sports where you from?”
Rhoden gave him an impatient look.
“Okay. Just asking. In front of us is a track, you know, where people run races. Over there, to the right are tennis courts. Next to that is a baseball diamond. I used to be pretty good at that and basketball. The big one to the left is the football field.”
As they watched, a bell rang throughout the school. Within seconds the doors were thrown open and a wild horde of young men and women poured out. Thinking he'd been discovered and about to be assaulted, Rhoden went into a series of hand gestures ready to meet the attack head on.
Twenty-Two
GRANT UNFOLDED HIS body from the passenger side and stepped onto the sidewalk. It had been Vega’s turn to drive. They alternated daily. He didn’t mind being the passenger, but Vega had a heavy foot at all times. On a call, he was a NASCAR driver, often taking chances where none were necessary. At those times, Grant often closed his eyes, praying they made it to the scene and didn’t become one of their own victims to investigate.
They got a call out when the bodies of two black males were found on a city street. It had been called in by a woman who stated she’d taken a recording of the assault. He expected the men would be the latest victims in the gangland violence saga the city had been in for the last decade. It got worse every year and the powers that be were at a loss as to how to solve the problem. However, when he got there, he discovered the men had not been shot by some drive-by opposition gang. Their bodies had been beaten to death. One man had his head crushed.
He stepped under the crime scene tape and held it up for Vega. The two men surveyed the grounds. The bodies had been covered. The crime scene team was not done with them yet. Grant turned to one of the officers, a veteran named Suarez. “You first on, Daniel?”
“Yes sir. My partner and I secured the scene. Reggie’s over their with the witness. Interesting viewing. Makes it pretty cut and dry, except for one thing.”
Grant waited, but Suarez made him ask. “Such as . . .?”
“Oh, no. Those words are not going to come out of my mouth. You go see for yourself.”
The comment piqued Grant’s curiosity. He gave Suarez a sideways glance and ducked back under the tape. Suarez’s partner, a rail thin black man named Reginald Pierce, was standing with a middle-aged black woman, next to a metal shopping basket. The perturbed look on her face told Grant she wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Detective Grant,” Reggie said, “this is Tanya Forest. She witnessed the assault and recorded it on her cell phone.”
“Hi, Ms. Forest, nice to meet you. Thank you for doing this. It will help us capture the killer of those two young men.”
“If I’d a known it was gonna take this much time I’d a never called in.”
“My apologies for the delay. Once I hear your statement, I’ll have offic
er Pierce take you to the market.”
“Oh, hell no! I can’t be seen getting out of a cop car in this neighborhood. I’ll be a marked woman. And don’t be talking ‘bout those two like they was saints. They was bad boys to be sure, but they didn’t deserve to die. That old white man tossed them around like they’s nothing. Never saw such a thing.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Oh, honey, I got much better than that.” She lifted her phone and tapped a button. A video came to life—one that showed three black men accosting an older man in a suit. It looked like a typical mugging until one of the black men went flying backward, smashing into a mailbox. What made that interesting was the mugger took flight apparently without contact with the muggee. But if that was strange, the next sequence was mind-boggling. The second mugger, now wielding a knife, had the knife turned back on him. It plunged deep into his chest, but the older man never touched him. It was as if the man drove the blade into his own chest.
The third man was lifted from the ground and slammed into the wall. The second contact was responsible for the damage to the man’s head. The blow that took his life.
The picture began shaking when the first man went flying. By the time the third man met his demise, the picture shook so bad it was hard to follow, but enough came through to understand the strangeness of the encounter. The woman hid at that point. She ducked behind a parked car. The picture was lost. However a minute later she got up the courage to lift the phone over the hood and continue filming. Only a portion of the scene was in view, but what could be seen, was interesting.
The older man had an extended conversation with the first victim, before walking off together. He could not see where they went, but had a face to work with. He sent the picture to his phone, then informed Ms. Forest her phone was to be held as evidence, which did not go well.
After another five minutes talking with the crime scene techs, the two detectives left. While Vega drove, Grant watched the video several more times. It reminded him of a live magic show he’d once seen. The more he watched the fight, the more he wondered if the entire thing hadn’t been staged. Well, except for the two bodies.
