Chosen Mate Ch. 12

--Help him, Lori thought frantically. Gerry picked up the Formorian robber, retrieving the gun from the floor, and moved toward the basement, issuing instructions rapidly.

--Leo nar di, call 911 and report the shooting, the robber left out the back door; if anyone asks, the surveillance cameras have no recording devices. Lori, you were upstairs and saw nothing; now cover yourself! She pulled her illusion tight about herself again. Sirens sounded, growing closer to the cafe'.

***

Sandra watched from a bench in the park where Harry and Oldman drank and argued on the banks of the river. It looked strange, if you could not hear the conversation that raged in the thoughts of the distraught pair. She worried a little about the police coming by and seeing the drunken man arguing with himself and checked with Leon needlessly. If there were any intrusion he would let her know.

At last, they became silent, sat, and merely drank, Harry from his right hand and Oldman from the left. They watched the river as it flowed to the south; the many comparisons made about its ponderous hypnotic movement did not do it justice. Harry felt the beginning of another endless, monotonous, dialogue developing in Oldman's thoughts.

--Consider this... Oldman began. Harry took a drink and waited to assimilate the impending lecture. ...We have to be somewhere when the door opens to the shining paths of nowhere. Is it possible that when you trip over one of those paths that nowhere and somewhere meet and share a common environment? Harry took a breath to speak, then was silent as he contemplated the thought.

"Okay, fine, go ahead; give it to me. You want environment, here it is. Break out your calculator and we'll run the numbers right here." He jumped to his feet and stomped up and down, ejecting the words again in a long exasperated voice, "Right here!" Dust swirled around his feet in disturbance as he raised his arms out and let his awareness rush away, striving to find the end of the shining paths that had no end. Purple strands of light sprang out, writhing away from the clouds of dust and outward, far outward. He sent his questing awareness with them, at last stopping and weaving on his feet.

"Is this far enough for you?" Oldman looked about.

--Do you want me to label this for you?

"Be my guest; but, know that this is one of the symbols in your unknown equation."

--But were not there yet, and never will be. What are we going to call it?

--oo. How's this? Harry asked. Oldman struggled to focus on the symbol for infinity floating in their mind.

--But we're not there yet. This is like that damn bunny; it just keeps going and going. He trailed off, looking into the distance of the paths.

"I could keep going too; but, it wouldn't make a difference, Harry said tiredly."

--I'll concede the point. Let's label this infinity. He caught Harry's intent as he fell away from the symbol, contracting his perception down toward the microscopic center of his awareness. It was still shrinking away as a bubbled doorway sprang into existence with its own strands of fiery, radiant, and crackling light playing about its sheen.

"Do you want me to keep going here too?" Harry asked, frustration strained his thought.

--No, we will call this one zero, maybe. Oldman sighed in resignation, staring off into nothing.

"So, what do you call. ...Right Here!" Harry jumped up and down in the bubbled doorway raising the clouds of dust again. He let his awareness fall away to mere presence and wavered in the swirling dust. "...and what do we call here," he said with hopelessness and collapsed to the ground, staring at the river.

Sandra got up, walking behind them to sit in the dirt and cradle them in her arms. Oldman rolled over in their minds; a soft snore escaped him. She copied Harry's methods, sending her awareness out to search the shining paths.

--Patrol car coming, Leon interrupted her examination. ...Three or four minutes to your location, advise.

--Bring a car, she said. ...If they are stopped here park in front of them; it eases their paranoia. Get out of the car and keep your hands in sight. If they say anything to you do what they say. I will handle things here.

The police officers pulled to a stop and lit the couple with the spotlight. The beautiful woman turned her head back over her shoulder as it fell on her. An officer came up with his own light, shining it on them and the partial bottle of Jack beside them.

"Is everything okay here? Have you folks been drinking?

"He has been celebrating his last night in Memphis. We leave tomorrow. We will miss it. It's nice here." Sandra smiled brightly to him.

"Do you need a ride? We can have a cab called."

"No, thank you though. I have called our driver. He'll come pick us up." The Escalade pulled up then, parking in front of the patrol car. Leon got out.

"STAND IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, SIR," the amplified voice called from the black and white. The spotlight shined on Leon as he moved to the front of the Cadillac.

"That's our driver," Sandra said. The officer spoke into the mike on his shoulder and the spotlight went out. He waved Leon to them. He took one side of Harry, the officer took the other. Harry exhaled fumes of Jack on him as he tried to keep his face out of the alcoholic breath that escaped with his words.

"I love Memphis. Let me buy you a coffee and doughnuts."

"Sir, all police officers do not eat doughnuts." The distracted officer said as Harry breathed on him again.

"Okay," his head bobbed. "A turnover then, there may be some left over from lunch."

--Don't bet on it, Har ri na, replied Leon, buckling Harry's seat belt and shutting the door.

"Seven Charlie, 10-52, code 3 at 502 Magnolia. Ambulance is enroute.

"That's the address of the Cafe' we just opened," Sandra told the officer in surprise and concern sending unanswered inquiries to River Base.

"Follow us, stay on our bumper. Seven Charlie, responding." the officer answered into his mike, getting into the passenger's side of the patrol car.

At one point, as they followed the racing police car, Leon slammed on the brakes, narrowly missing the cruiser as it slowed unexpectedly for a turn; the driver screamed away toward downtown as the Escalades headlights grew large in the rearview mirror. Leon followed the sirens call to the street in front of the cafe'.

***

Gerry lowered the Formorian to the floor of the command burrow under the Fringe. The body struggled to heal itself using the lessons of healing learned long ago from the Fay. The neck moved as if desperate mice ran under the skin, repairing broken bones and injured spine.

Gerry squated down, watching the eyes that did not stare back, but darted about the room gathering information. He dropped his illusion, stretching his bright blue aura to its full extension. The black eyes whipped to his face.

"Now that I've got your attention, I have a few questions. Were you sent here?" The eyes stared back. The ambulance arrived, causing his ear to twitch at Leonard's report. "I've got to leave soon, but don't worry, I'll be back." He said, searching the Formorian. Wallet, cell phone, and pocket cash lay on the floor when he found the knife.

"Let's see if you have any feelings left in your body." The lungs still drew air. Gerry used the point of the knife to pierce portions of the Formorians anatomy; eyes widened as the palm of the hand was touched. "Oh good, let's try that question again; blink once for yes, twice for no." Gerry broke the little finger at the knuckle. The eyes shut; tears streamed from the closed trembling lids. The eyes opened and closed again. "Was that a yes?" they blinked again.

"Why?" Gerry said aloud and to himself, and then asked... "Did you know there were Fay here?" The eyes blinked yes after a short pause, but the more Jerry thought about it, the more he was sure it was a lie. "No, you're lying; there would be more here than you if that were true." He retrieved the gun from the floor; opening it, he examined the bullets; they were normal. He had a sudden insight as Leon arrived with Sandra and Harry. "You were sent to kill Harry; you thought Bob was Harry."

--Sandra, he called ...get Harry inside. Leon, Leonard, lockup the Café as soon as the police and ambulance are clear.

--The ambulance is leaving now; Lo ri na is going to the hospital with Robert. This is my fault, Leonard said. Gerry answered with a private thought.

--No son, it could have happened to any of us. I'm going to get my truck, meet me out front in 15 minutes. He turned back to the Formorian, frantically trying to heal its injuries.

"Let's slow you down a little while I'm gone." He reached to the twitching body where nerves connected again to limbs. Silent screams played in the Formorians eyes as Gerry broke the femurs and upper arm bones. He flew down the corridor to where the truck was parked at a river front wharf.

***

Sandra waved goodbye to the police officers. The driver was already munching from the bag of turnovers Harry pressed on them before she put him to bed. Gerry pulled up in the company truck.

--Groundhog, load up our equipment; pack everything going back to Home in the van, then park it out front. His eyes and thought turned to Sandra. ...We have things to do, Sister. He explained all that had occurred while she was gone.

When she passed below to River Base, the Formorian had one arm working; it scrabbled around the floor, seeking purchase for any that would help it. Gerry looked at her then took the hand, patting it, and said.

"Just a few more questions."

Hours later, Sandra brought a sleepy Harry down, watching him as he examined the broken body on the floor in horror and aversion. It still sought to heal itself despite many grievous injuries. Gerry handed a gleaming glassine sword of blue to Sandra; she held it up, letting the energy of her aura flow, imbuing it with red gold fire that played in purple lights on the blue weapon. Kissing the two handed haft, she handed it to Harry.

--Here my Lord, end him; be careful, it's very sharp. The fragile looking weapon was lighter than he thought; the corona of light energy did not burn, but nevertheless produced an electrical tingling in his body. Sandra and Gerry moved back to the walls while he took a few practice swings. Oldman's sober thoughts shared his inspection.

--What are you waiting for? He would have killed you without pause. Harry pointed the sword at the Formorian, squeezing the haft.

--How do you make this thing work? He waved it at the writhing remains.

--You're going to have to do it the old fashioned way; besides, I don't think you would survive this close after releasing a blast like Edgar did. Shocked images flashed through Harry's mind. He looked to the Formorian and spoke.

"I stand before the second step again; you, foul creature, would destroy the Shining People; your kind enslaves my birth race in unknowing nets of deceit. I am Har ri na, Dreamer of dreams; he who stepped into service bareheaded holds a sword now." He held it high then struck, burying the blade deep in the stone under the severed neck in a flash of light.

--I'll take care of the rest of it, Gerry said wresting the sword from its stone sheath. Oldman began speaking of Arthurian legends as he did. Harry let him ramble on; blank eyes stared at the remains of the Formorian. He would never fear them again. Sandra took his hand and passed above.

***

Sandra was experimenting after she got Harry in bed again; she sent her awareness out as she had seen Harry do in his thoughts.

--Quick is still out there, Harry said from the bed. ...I had thought to find him where he plays in the swamps when we were finished here. Now I don't know when we will see him again.

--He will return when it is his time; do you feel him there? Sandra asked, as she quested with the far vision.

--I see the light of him, there. He pointed far past the wall of their room. Sandra turned the face of her thoughts, looking out of his mind and saw him, so far away. She heard the 'ding' of his greeting. She touched Quick with a mothers caressing love as he chimed out his hello, then moved on to play with the others in the swamps. She sent her love after him and his siblings.

--Just a 'quick' hi mom and back to play, Harry quipped in her mind. Her distracted thoughts returned to her own awareness that looked so far, far away.

--How can we see so far? She asked, gazing into the Gordian knot of the shining paths that vanished away into the void.

--How can we see so in? Harry said, looking into the abyss of nonexistence.

--And where the hell is here? Oldman finished, frustrated with his failure to label the third symbol in their unknown equation. There was silence then as they sat in the rooms, in the building, in the city beside the wide rolling river, long silence as they considered the problems and paths of the universe. She had a thought and spoke while she contemplated the endless paths that led away to the future and the past.

"Do you miss your old life, Harry?" He thought about it and answered.

"She was never unwanted or unloved, but she left. I expect she couldn't live with my difficulties even as I overlooked hers. It was one of the best and worst times of my life; but look where it has taken me."

--No, Harry, Sandra said life, not wife; look back to the years before you changed, Oldman said drawn to the miscommunication between them.

Harry thought back on all the years spent tossing retail freight, that for the most part were useless disposable trophies of excess, choking lives and futures; offerings to the Porcelain Altar of economy; but he had been happy doing that.

He held up his arms, still trembling from when he performed his service to the Shining People; pulling them tight against his chest, he willed them to relax. Taking a great sighing breath he looked to Sandra, near sleep, watching him; he smiled, answering into her half closed eyes.

"I did, for a long time; then, I was rescued by a beautiful Fairy Princess." Sandra dimpled sleepily and looked outward then; Harry returned to the unsounded depths of nothing. Oldman looked within.

--What are we going to do now? Oldman asked as dawn neared. Sandra was at the threshold of sleep as they talked in bed into the morning. Turning her ear, needlessly, to where Oldman's thought came from over her left shoulder; drowsy eyes looked where Harry pointed a finger at the ceiling. She waited to hear the answer.

"We'll just hunker down in Backwater while the Fay sell leather and turnovers to the rich folk here and wait for someone to ask us to open a store somewhere on The Fringe of civilization. Eventually someone will stumble over us like a stone that seeks the foot."

--That's your great plan, do nothing? Oldman jeered.

"Do you have a better one? I'd love to hear it."

--How about, they all lived happily ever after?

"I like your plan better than mine; are you hungry?"

Sandra drew her pillow about her head, attempting the impossible task of silencing their bickering, and lullabied the growing child within her.