Guise, p.26
Guise, page 26
“Okay,” said Darwin.
Patience looked at him doubtfully.
“Scouts honor,” he said lightly, raising his hand.
“You were never a scout,” said Patience.
“True,” said Darwin seriously. “I promise to stay inside. I want to hear your plan to save Yoki. That is what matters to me.”
“Okay,” said Patience.
--- o ---
“What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” asked the Herald. “Don’t you have someone watching him?”
“Yes,” replied the nervous man standing across Yoki Benally’s desk.
“Perhaps you should elaborate,” suggested the Herald.
“The team we have watching Darwin, followed him to his residence after he left the library. The man on watch noted the agent waiting for Darwin outside his home. The two entered and no one left.
“When there was a shift change, the person coming on did a routine verification of status. She found Darwin’s car parked per the log. However, the agent’s vehicle was missing. Scans of Darwin’s place showed no signs of anyone being home. Having orders not to engage, the person contacted their headquarters and reported the situation.
“The team dispatched someone to see if the agent had returned to her home. They located her vehicle in the parking garage. However, they could not verify where she was or if Darwin was with her.
“At this point, an interrogation of the man watching Darwin before revealed that he had broken his surveillance earlier to get something to eat. This explains how the agent was able to get to her car and drive it to her home.”
“This is all very fascinating,” said the Herald in frosty tones. “What does it have to do with Darwin’s location?”
The nervous man licked dry lips and hurried on.
“At this point, the team decided that they needed to verify the location of their target. They went to Darwin’s residence posed as a delivery person with a package. There was no response from repeated knocking. The individual was getting ready to break in when Darwin’s neighbor across the landing informed him that she had seen him leaving earlier with the agent.
“The man informed his headquarters who dispatched another person to utilize the same ruse at the agent’s home. One of the agent’s associates informed them that she wasn’t there and that they hadn’t seen her since the beginning of the week.
“At this point, we had Ken conduct an astral search for Darwin. He has found no trace.”
“Fire the surveillance company,” ordered the Herald.
“Already done,” replied the man enthusiastically. “Additionally, we’ve mobilized all of our resources to try and locate either Darwin or the agent. We found video showing Darwin leaving with her from his condo. They had packages and bags. We managed to follow the car until it entered the parking garage. From there, nothing.”
“Are you telling me that they have vanished?”
“I am telling you that the last place we know they were was in her car, and that car is currently parked in the parking garage attached to her apartment with two of our people watching it. Ken is scouring the building, but so far has found neither of them. We are bringing in another person to help, but they will not be here for another hour.”
The Herald sat frowning, lacquered nails beating a tattoo on her desk. After a couple of minutes, the click-clack of the nails stopped.
“I need pictures of these people,” said the Herald, telepathically sending a list of names to the man before him. “The pictures need to be no more than an hour old. Send them to Yoki Benally’s phone.”
“Yes ma’am,” said the man. “It will be difficult to get some of these.” At an angry look from the Herald, the man continued, “But it will be done.”
“I will need modifications made to the site,” continued the Herald. “See that they are finished by the morning of the ceremony.”
Again, the man received telepathic information. His head throbbed and he felt blood vessels in his left eye burst. He ignored the pain and frantically typed commands into the tablet he held in his sweating hands.
“Use the emergency account for financing if you must,” said the Herald, addressing one of the concerns raised in the man’s mind. “Local labor is fine. I will personally see to their not remembering.”
“Very good,” said the man, wincing as the pain in his head got worse.
“I want one of our people watching Bodacious Olivia Nguyen. Should the worst come to pass, she will prove an adequate temporary vessel for our Liege until we can secure him a proper host.
“No, not Caroline Rebecca Winterstorm,” said the Herald. “Select another.”
The man thought of a different name. When there was no response, he typed it into his tablet.
“Obviously, Patience Anastasia Isis Niazi has taken Darwin Angus Mendelson to a location that she believes to be secure from us. At the moment, she may be correct, however, she cannot keep him hidden away forever. When he does reveal himself, we need to be ready.”
“What if she waits until after the time of the ceremony?” asked the man hesitantly.
Crippling pain made him cry out and fall to his knees.
“Let us hope, for everyone’s sake, that is not the case,” said the Herald.
The man let out a sob as the pain left him.
“However,” continued the Herald. “I am certain that is exactly what she plans, but Darwin Angus Mendelson will not allow that to happen. He will contact us.”
“And then?” asked the man, staggering to his feet.
“Once we have his agreement, we prepare for his arrival and that of Patience Anastasia Isis Niazi. She will not sit idly by and allow him to join us. In fact, it will most likely become necessary to shield Darwin Angus Mendelson from her.”
“Very good. Anything else?” asked the man.
The Herald thought for a moment before answering.
“No.”
The man left Yoki’s office in a rush.
The Herald sat back, steepling his fingers before him. He turned his attention inwards, to a small place deep in his mind. Within the prison, raged the remains of Yoki Benally’s consciousness.
“Now then,” he murmured. “Let us see what else you can tell me about Darwin Angus Mendelson.”
CHAPTER 36
Darwin cradled the cup of hot tea in his hands, breathing in the subtle jasmine scent. Usually, he drank coffee or soda, but there was something about hot tea and Asian food. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.
He took a sip of the tea and looked at Patience over the rim of his cup. She sat on the floor across from him, back to the green couch. Otaku lay stretched out atop the couch, paws dangling. Under other circumstances, the scene would have been very homey.
Darwin leaned back against the overstuffed loveseat behind him. He set his cup down on the coffee table holding the remains of their meal. Patience had not been lying, the dim sum had been incredible.
“Thank you,” said Darwin, stifling a yawn. “That was incredible.”
“The Buddha’s Garden can always be counted on to deliver a great meal,” said Patience, taking a sip from her own tea.
“So,” he said, sitting up straight. “How do we save Yoki?”
Patience set her cup down.
“There are two parts we need to work on,” said Patience. “I think I can modify a project I have been working on to make a projector for a heterodyne oscillating disruption field that can suppress the Invader’s life-processes without harming human energies.”
Darwin looked at her, uncomprehendingly.
“You’re going to build a ray gun to blast the Invaders?” he asked after a moment.
“Sure,” said Patience after a pause. “It will zap the aliens, but leave people unhurt.”
“Great. What’s the second part.”
“When the person is being hit with the Buck Rogers atomic pistol, someone needs to provide psychic support to bolster their damaged energy as well as give them something to metaphorically hold onto.”
“Like the Astronomican,” said Darwin, nodding his head.
“You do have a way with a phrase,” said Patience wryly. “Providing that support is your job.”
“And how do I do that?” asked Darwin.
“That is actually the more difficult of the two tasks,” she said with a sigh. “As I have mentioned, I can’t tell you how to do it. You have to figure that out on your own. In order to do that, you need to be trained. In order to do that,” she continued, giving him an impish grin. “You need to have your powers activated.”
“But I’ve already displayed all kinds of powers,” said Darwin nervously. “Sounds like I’m already turned on. I just need some training.”
“I don’t know about you being turned on,” said Patience, giving him a dazzling smile. “But your powers are not active.”
“They aren’t?”
“Sadly, no,” corrected Patience.
“Why not?” asked Darwin.
“Because while you may have displayed abilities, you have yet to consciously manifest them.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Do something psychic,” said Patience.
“Excuse me?” asked Darwin, confused.
“Display an ability,” instructed Patience. “Anything. Just manifest a psychic power.”
She sat waiting as Darwin stared at her. After a moment she continued.
“Your powers will be activated when you can consciously use them. Training allows you to refine your abilities, not just go along for the ride. Until you can call up psychic powers, you are still not activated.”
“So how do we jumpstart me?” asked Darwin.
“You do leave a girl with all kinds of openings,” said Patience, chuckling. “However, as I explained before, my catalyst power speeds up that natural process. And a more intimate association will enhance that further.”
“Oh,” said Darwin, embarrassed. “So, we …”
“Again, sadly no,” said Patience into the silence generated when Darwin trailed off. “As enjoyable as I imagine that would be, it would still take too long.”
“So, what do we do?” asked Darwin with a mixture of relief and disappointment.
“We are going to try a more dangerous way to kick-start your powers.”
“What way is that?” asked Darwin, dubious.
“Come with me,” said Patience, standing up. She moved to the kitchen and opened a door next to the pantry. Turning on a light, she started down a steep flight of wooden steps.
“We’re not going to the dungeon, are we?” joked Darwin.
“Nope,” answered Patience. “That’s a different staircase.”
At the bottom of the steps, Patience turned on a switch, lighting a bare bulb at the back of the basement. She headed over to what appeared to be an iron wall. As they neared it, Darwin could make out that it was a small iron room with a sealed door. An elaborate control panel with a small monitor screen was mounted next to the door.
“What is this?” he asked.
“It is basically a sensory deprivation tank,” said Patience, turning a wheel lock in the door. The door hissed as she opened it.
“Seems a little elaborate,” said Darwin, uneasily.
“Not when you consider what it has to do,” said Patience stepping into the metal room.
“And what is that?” asked Darwin, following her.
The interior of the room was cramped. There was a narrow locker in the corner by the door. A tiny bench was bolted to the wall next to it. The rest of the chamber consisted of a shallow, ceramic pool filled with a murky liquid. The room was hot.
“Remember I told you that the house was shielded? Well, this particular room can punch a conduit through that shielding, letting anyone inside psychically interact with the external world. At the same time, it provides masking for the person.”
“The concept is that you enter the sensory deprivation pool. While there, you can focus all your mental energy on awakening your psychic self.”
“That seems pretty straightforward,” said Darwin.
“And in concept it is,” said Patience. “However, in order to maximize the awakening of any psychic powers, the circuitry built into the chamber does more than mask energy signatures from outside observers. It provides an artificial boost to nascent abilities.”
“Okay,” said Darwin slowly.
“That is partially where the danger comes in. Everyone manifests abilities at different rates. There is a chance that the booster can push someone too hard too fast. This can result in brain damage, malformation of their psychic ability, psychological shock or other unwanted things.”
“Also, while a person is manifesting their abilities for the first time, they are vulnerable to outside psychic forces. While the chamber provides masking, it isn’t a sure-fire defense. During the awakening process, the person can be attacked, resulting in the same consequences I just described.”
“Bottom line: this chamber is an artificial booster that could help activate your abilities or end up killing you, or worse.”
Darwin nodded.
“And,” pressed Patience, “because of your unique nature, the risks are greatly increased.”
“But this is our best shot at getting me activated?” asked Darwin.
“If we want it done quickly, yes.”
“Then I’ll do it,” stated Darwin. “How long will it take?”
“There is no way of knowing,” said Patience, tiredly. “Each person is different. We’ll try short sessions and build to longer ones as we go. However, even with this procedure, you may not manifest.”
“I will,” said Darwin. “I have to.”
“Okay,” said Patience. “Get undressed.”
“What!?”
“You don’t think you go into the pool with your clothes on do you?”
“I thought I would wear swim trunks,” said Darwin.
“And you packed those?” asked Patience.
“Well, no,” answered Darwin. “I didn’t think we’d be going swimming.”
“And we’re not,” she said, patting his arm. “You can use the locker over there to hang up your clothes. Once you are undressed, just step into the pool and lay on your back. You’ll float. The pool is not even a foot deep. The lights will turn off. Just relax and quiet your mind. After that, concentrate on exercising your psychic muscles.”
“I wish I could be more specific on that part, but it is different for everyone. For some, it is like moving in a dream. For others, it is like having someone else take control of their thoughts. For some, it is like opening their eyes fully for the first time. For some, it is an intense physical sensation while for others they feel very numb. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that you will know it when you feel it.”
“I will be monitoring you from outside the chamber, which will be sealed. It is sealed to provide environmental and psychic control. You’ll know when each session is over because the light will come on and there will be a soft chime.”
“If at any time you feel the need to get out, just hit the panic button,” she said, indicating a large red button set next to the door.
“The door will notify me and unlock. Any questions?”
“I don’t think so,” said Darwin.
“Okay then,” said Patience. “It’s kind of late. Do you want to try a session tonight or just wait until the morning?”
“Let’s do it,” he said.
“Before or after the session?” asked Patience, smiling impishly.
“I meant, let’s try a session,” said Darwin, blushing.
“Of course,” said Patience. “I’ll just leave you in here with your thoughts. Once I lock the door, you can get undressed. When you’re ready, hit the green button here,” she said, indicating a large button on the wall by the foot of the pool.
“Then, get into the pool, stretch out and relax. The lights will dim in a minute after you hit the button. The first session will be short to let you get used to how things work. There are sensors that will monitor your vital signs just in case.”
“What about a camera?” asked Darwin, looking around for it.
“The camera is in that corner,” said Patience, pointing at the corner opposite the locker. “It is there to record things along with the monitors.”
“Will you be watching?”
“For this first session, yes. During future sessions, I will rely on the system to inform me if there are any issues. Why?”
Darwin fidgeted.
“Seriously?” asked Patience.
“Can you turn the camera off?”
“No, it is tied into the monitoring system. However, I can turn off the display this one time if it will make you feel better.”
“I just feel weird undressing knowing that a camera is recording it,” said Darwin.
“So, I take it we’ll not find any sex tapes involving you on the internet.”
Darwin blushed and looked away.
“I’m not certain how to take that response,” said Patience wonderingly. “However, I think we’ll change the subject or you will never calm down enough for us to get started.”
“I will turn off the display. There is a microphone in the room. Just speak normally and I’ll hear.”
“Good luck,” she said, stepping from the room.
The door closed with a solid sounding thud. A muffled clack indicated the locks moving into place. After a moment, Darwin heard Patience voice emanating from a small speaker set over the center of the pool.
“Ready when you are.”
Darwin looked around the bare chamber. He glanced at the corner Patience had indicated held the camera. He couldn’t make anything out. He opened the locker. Turning his back on the camera, he got undressed.
Darwin closed the locker and looked at the pool. Covering himself with one hand, he stepped to the edge of the pool. He extended a toe into the liquid. It was warm and very thick. He stepped in as the liquid came up to his shins.
