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Chapter -3- Precious Moments

June 2, 1999 - New York City Hospital...

" Ah, yes, well I won't waste your time with pleasantries, Mr. Vei. Allow me to get straight to the point of your visit. Our John Doe came out of his coma last night, but he hasn't regained consciousness just yet." The doctor, Aris Sokolov, spoke with a tone that was smooth but with a bite, like aged whiskey poured from fine oak barrels.

The hospital room was typical for a New York hospital. The window had a nice view of the World Trade Center's beautiful twin towers.

The second man, identified as Darius Vei said, "I came as quickly as I could, Dr. Sokolov. Forgive my ignorance," said Vei, "but how do we know the boy is out of his coma if he has yet to wake? I need details so that my report to the council members is accurate."

The teenager knew he was the topic of conversation.

The first man, Doctor Sokolov, leaned against the doorframe and slid his hands into pockets on his lab coat. "Mister Vei, our 'John Doe' began mumbling aloud in the coma ward. We ran an MRI and a CAT scan, and we see significant brain activity."

"Correct me if I am mistaken, but this boy was injured from a car accident a few months ago?"

"Yes, Mr. Vei. When he was admitted, his body was not responsive. He required several life-saving surgeries. His file claims he lost teeth and had broken ribs. We also discovered that he had cancer at the time he was initially admitted."

Vei cleared his throat. "The boy ' had' cancer?"

"The boy is in remission, it was detected early on. I believe he warrants further study."

Darius Vai cleared his throat softly. "How so, Dr. Sokolov?"

"I believe he is manifesting several abilities."

"More than one?" Vei asked.

"Yes," said Sokolov. "I reviewed a blood sample and noticed something interesting. His telomeres appear to remain nearly the same during mitosis. Either he ages slowly, or his aging process is slowing. Immortality is possible."

_"What else?" asked Vei. _

"Even without solid food and protein, let alone exercise, the patient appears to have healthy muscle mass, despite having been in a coma for several months. He should be walking in a day or two. The pain of walking should end in a few weeks."

"Go on, Doctor."

Sokolov continued. "The boy lost three teeth in the car accident that brought him here, but new teeth grew in sometime around the third month of his coma. Also, he appears to have a high metabolism."

"What else can you tell me?"

Dr. Sokolov scoffed. "Without mapping his genome? Not as much as I would like. Let me have him, Mr. Vei. Let me run his blood through a super computer."

Silence.

Dr. Sokolov added, "I am on to something that will help my studies of specials. If I can study him, it will benefit the Esoteric Community."

"Council rules - no one is allowed to study specials, Dr. Sokolov."

"This one is different."

"Is that why you called the council for an audience?"

Sokolov smiled. "Mr. Vei, a nurse in the coma ward reported that he began singing in his sleep."

"Yes, well..."

Sokolov added, "It was a song stuck in her head for two days, now. When I was called in to meet the boy, he began vocalizing my thoughts out loud."

Darius Vei grew quiet. After a moment to consider his options, Darius said, "You think this boy is telepathic? They are extremely rare. What else do you know about him so far?"

"I know he needs to be studied," said Sokolov. "Please...?"

"Telepathy is a forbidden ability amongst our kind, Dr. Sokolov. Letting you study this boy means keeping him alive against the rules of my people."

_"Mr. Vei, will you consider simply asking the council?" _

"You said he has a high metabolism?"

Sokolov replied in a firm tone. "Considering he was in a coma, living on liquids ... yes. His metabolic rate is not normal. He maintains a fairly healthy muscle tone, regardless of not using his body for months, not to mention the lack of protein intake and solid foods necessary for..."

Vei interrupted. "If his metabolic rate is higher than normal, then you need to sedate him heavily as soon as possible. We can't risk him waking up. When can you dose him?"

Sokolov sighed in frustration. "I will place an order with the hospital pharmacy. I should have the boy sedated within thirty minutes."

"Half an hour? Very well. Thank you, Aris. Take care."

The teenager saw the second man standing in the doorway outside the hospital room. Darius Vei wore a vest, tie and fashionable eyeglasses. Darius stood near the doorway. He shook hands with the doctor, and then walked away.

_The doctor withdrew a pen from his breast pocket and wrote something on a chart hanging on the wall near the doorframe. _

Aris Sokolov was tall, but he looked otherwise normal - he wore a lab coat, had tongue depressors in his breast pocket, and a stethoscope hung from his neck.

Sokolov reached for the door to the boy's room and pulled it shut.

Silence.

_The grogginess began to fade. The youth pondered some of the words he heard. _

_Cancer? Telomeres? Immortality? _

_The teenager's mind raced. He looked down at his left hand and noticed his nails were a little bit longer than they needed to be. _

He opened and closed his fist, and then he blinked his eyes several times.

He still felt loopy and questioned if he heard the conversation properly. He felt himself beginning to wake up, and reached for a remote control to the hospital television set.

He also felt the presence of a young woman in his room. He felt her at the back of his mind and didn't consider her just yet. But she was there.

_The television came to life, showing information on a plane crash. The girl spoke. "I used to love flying..." _

Chance sat up in bed. He rubbed sweat from his forehead. "Cliché," he groused. "This isn't a movie or a TV show, why am I sweating like this?" He slid out of bed and stretched.

The room was a cool, comfortable - there was absolutely no reason he should have been sweating. "God. Was that what happened before she showed up that day?"

Karla was in her room, sleeping in the middle of her bed in the nude with her door wide open. Chance grimaced and shut the door. "Jesus," he whispered.

He made his way to the bathroom to take a shower.

X

X

June 15, 1999, 3pm (About two weeks later) San Leandro, California Karla's Condo ...

"Turn that crap off," said Karla in a scolding tone. "Seriously, the news is depressing anymore, Chance."

"Yeah ... they were talking about that crash from two weeks ago. They said someone else passed away in the hospital or something. That's eleven total. And you're right - it is depressing. But it's not all about death and destruction."

"Yeah right. Name two things that you saw in today's news that isn't about death or destruction, seriously." Karla folded her arms with a chuckle.

"Uh, let's see. The Governor of Texas is going to run for President and, uh, South Africa got a new president - I wasn't paying attention when they announced their names."

She smirked with a grin.

"Karla, I'm not saying you're wrong either. They're also talking about Kosovo and the gas line explosion in Washington." He paused and offered her a weak smile. "Yeah. Guess you're right, the news is depressing."

"Politics is depressing, too," said Karla with a grin. "Listen, I'm you're guardian right now. I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight until further notice while you practice your mental mojo."

"Yeah, I get that. And I appreciate you letting me crash at your apartment."

She sat down on the sofa with him and rubbed his knee with her palm. "I have something I have to do in three weeks. I need to... God this is going to sound lame..."

"I won't judge."

"It looks like you'll be with me for a while. It's possible you'll still be with me in a few weeks, and I'll have to take you on a job with me."

"When you say 'a job,' are you talking about something akin to traveling to New York and rescuing me?"

"That's what I do, sometimes. It pays the bills."

"So what happens in three weeks? Are we going to Las Vegas or something?"

She smiled. "Funny how you keep doubting that your ability is real. And then you blurt out something like 'Las Vegas' before I do."

"Wait, you didn't say that? I thought you said it."

"Nope. The job is simple. I need to rescue an artifact from a private collector in Las Vegas because it's apparently supposed to be hidden away from people. The gig happens in three weeks, on the 8th of July. YiaYia, our resident oracle, has said I should pack an umbrella on that day. On a side note, she makes amazing Greek food."

"Uhm. Okay. This is all random and confusing. So I guess I'm just along for the ride then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, Chance. Anyway, you'll meet some of the people I know who are unaffiliated with the umbrella of the Esoteric Council and the community that they oversee."

"People with abilities that are independent of this ... community of special people? Does your council know about them?"

Karla shrugged with a smile. "Yeah, but it's all a matter of détente right now."

"How do you fall into all this?"

Her smile broadened somewhat. "Guess I'm a bit of a rebel. My attachment is to Methos, not the governing body of supernaturals. The EC has given me reasons not to trust them in the past. It was a long time ago but I hold a grudge."

Chance frowned thoughtfully and folded his hands. "Uhm ... okay. So, uh, July 8th. What're you asking of me?"

"You'll have to come with me."

"Ah, gotcha. I'm just your ward because you have two jobs that are overlapping. So, you have to babysit me, and take some object from a private collector?"

Karla nodded in a matter-of-fact way. "Sorry, sweetheart. It is what it is. I'm not sure what the plan is just yet. I'm still figuring things out and waiting for instructions. But a lot can happen in three weeks. I just wanted to give you a heads up that you may have to come with me. Everything is complicated right now."

"I mean, Jesus ... I don't know what I'm getting myself into. You want me to help you steal from someone?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." Chance drew in a calming breath and sighed. "I'm not sure why I trust you so much. I feel like this sort of thing should bother me way more than it does."

"Maybe you sense my intentions? Or maybe your mood is affected by mine, and you're being accepting of this situation because I'm that way, hmm? I promise you, I'm one of the good guys. If my people are telling me to steal this object, there's a rhyme and a reason. Maybe it's dangerous, you know?"

"Even if that were the case, everyone in the world is acting on what they think is the right thing to do in his or her own mind. You're doing the same. Just answer me this: Why do you have to keep me safe? Darius Vei hasn't made a move on me since that day in the hospital two weeks ago."

"Chance, some people know they're in the wrong whether or not they act on their impulses, wants or needs."

"Don't change the subject," he murmured.

Karla turned to him and kissed the side of his face. "You're so naïve and optimistic. I like that about you. And I didn't change the subject, dear-heart. I was replying to what you said before you asked your question. Maybe you're right, hon. And so far as me keeping you safe, the Esoteric Council has strict rules about telepathy. It's been decades since anyone has heard of someone with your abilities. They were lobotomized in a loony bin. I'm not letting that happen to you."

"So you and your friends quietly undermine the governing body of your community?"

"Only when it needs to be done. Some governments forget that they shouldn't govern without consent of the governed. They should serve the people's interests, not the other way around. Every now and then, it takes someone to put them in their place so they remember their job."

Chance stared at her. "Oh. That's ... heavy."

Karla afforded him a slight grin. "I'd like you to think about joining us. Methos said he wants you to master your ability and consider helping us expose corruption. There was a civil war in 1908. Times are different. A war, now, would not go unnoticed. There are satellites that take images of everything around the globe."

"God, what am I getting myself into?"

Karla continued. "So Methos has to be careful in how he challenges the Council of the Unified Sects. It boils down to We The People taking personal responsibility by keeping our politicians honest. Does that make sense?"

"I guess. All this stuff is a lot to take all at once. I'm glad you saved my life at gunpoint. But how can I get behind a cause when I don't even know what's going on, and hardly believe half this stuff is real?"

"I understand, hon. If you like, we can talk about all this stuff later. Instead, let's talk about today. What're you in the mood to do?"

"I'm still having a hard time believing in supernatural people and super powers, just for the record."

Karla furrowed her brows. "After two weeks with me, you still think I'm putting on an act? I teleported us out of the line of fire, and into a car. I stopped a bullet from Darius' gun."

"Yeah, I saw all of that. But nobody can stop a bullet. It moves too fast. How could you possibly stop a bullet? It moves faster than the human mind can perceive."

"I'm not sure. There's a lot of questions I have about myself." She straightened her skirt, smoothing the fabric with her hands.

"Like what?"

Karla showed him her blank, normal looking palms and said, "Have you seen my hands when I use my abilities?"

"With all due respect, Karla, this is a little too science fiction for me to follow ... so," he looked her over with a tilt of his head, "You're talking about that weird pink glow, right?"

"Yes. My palms glow. Methos says it looks like some sort of muted glyph, but he doesn't recognize the pattern as any specific symbol. If I strain really hard, my wrists and arms glow a little, too. The design snakes around my arms, down my shoulders and coils at the top of my breast. But I really have to strain for the glow to go beyond my hands. I've not heard of any other supernatural telegraphing their ability with flashlights under their skin. It's not fair."

He eyed her for a moment. "Do you have other questions about yourself?"

"Yeah. There are a few dozen sexual demons around the globe. They typically live between a hundred twenty-five to a hundred fifty years. And none of them have active supernatural abilities."

"None of them?"

Karla shook her head. "None. Not even my own sister. She died in early 1906. Remember when I mentioned Nathanial? They were married. He would have told me if he saw my sister use a power. So that begs the question - why am I different?"

"Wait, I thought ... so, succubae and incubi are not immortal?"

"Nope. We don't appear to age so long as we have sex often. Eventually our bodies stop absorbing whatever it is we get out of sexual secretions. Then we age rapidly in a short time, and we die. But it never happened to me."

"I don't really understand any of this, Karla. Being ageless? Having sex to stay immortal? It's all really over the top. Do they all look as young as you?"

She shrugged. "The females stop physically aging during their teenage years. Maybe that's how we've evolved, I dunno. Up until recently, culture deemed it normal for females to be married off around fifteen to sixteen years old. For hundreds of years, girls were considered to be prime breeding age, and expected to have a family ... all that jazz. I don't know if I'm right, but it's my theory."

"And, uh, the men of your ... kind?"

"The average incubus ages to his early-to-mid thirties. Again, if it's how my kind have evolved, then I can only assume it's because a sexually active woman doesn't want a boy in her bed; she wants a man. But at some point, after the average sex demon has been around for a little over a hundred years or so, sexual feeding no longer sustains the body of my kind. Then we age rapidly. Genuine immortality is rare."

"How rare are we talking?"

"As in, less than two hundred people worldwide are blessed with true immortality - so the question is ... why me? Why am I living so far beyond my expectancy?"

Chance rubbed his chin and looked her over again. "How ... old, uh, sorry, I know it is considered taboo to ask a woman her age, but how old, uh..."

"I believe Methos - I think you're a manifesting telepathic. So why lie about my age, right?" With a smile, Karla told him, "I turn four hundred this fall. You should know that I'm a blunt girl. I speak my mind openly. I don't care if you ask my age or my weight. I hate tiptoeing through the tulips. I'd much rather bulldoze through the bullshit."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being open-minded and honest."

"Yeah. But I couldn't lie to you anyway. And honesty is refreshing. And I like that you don't judge me."

"So ... if you're the only immortal sex demon, what does that mean in the end? And how come you don't act like you're immortal?"

"In the end," she paused again. She abruptly threw her arms outwards. "It just means I'm awesome! I don't know!"

"So how do you get through life looking so young?"

Karla reached up and brushed her fingers beneath his chin, gently. "I need to fit in. I look like a kid. I've embraced it. Actually, there was a study on immortality amongst our kind, once. Not all immortals stop aging at the same age. Some grow to thirty, forty or even fifty and suddenly stay that way forever. It's been suggested that they continue to act their physical age from the point of time they stopped growing old. Not sure about that, though. Not every teenaged-looking succubus acts like a ditzy sixteen year old girl."

"Like ... you?"

"Exactly!"

"I still don't think you can stop bullets. Nobody can stop a bullet. It's faster than the mind can react."

She reached out and pinched her fingers above his head. Karla brought her hand down and opened it. "Ew," she muttered. A crushed housefly was on her fingertip. One of the insect's back legs flinched. "See? I've been told my reflexes are off the charts. Not sure why, though. But I'd like to find out. Hey, maybe we can both look for answers to all our questions together."

"Gross but that's an effective demonstration. In all seriousness, Karla, this is hard to wrap my head around."

"You're the one that can read thoughts!" She wiped her hand on his shirt to see how he'd react.

"I ... don't know that for sure." Chance casually brushed the backside of his hand over his chest then folded his arms. "I don't hear voices in my head. I might just be able to read people really well. I might just be really perceptive."

"Chance, honey, you've announced my thoughts out loud before I could voice the words."

He shrugged. "I feel like I know something based on how I perceive the person feels. If I'm on the same wavelength as them, it helps me figure out what they're about to announce. But I certainly don't hear someone's thoughts. This guy, Nikola Tesla, had a theory about being on the same wavelength as his mother. He claimed he knew when she died. That wasn't telepathy. That was science."

Karla smiled at his lack of reaction to the dead fly on his shirt. "Yeah? I knew Tesla. Yeah, he said that. He was close with Nathanial Carrington."

"I saw a documentary last night, after you went to bed."

Karla chuckled and shook her head. "What about Methos' trick where he swapped the cards and thought about them in the wrong hands, huh? Or what about that time I pictured myself naked and you damn-near swallowed your tongue? Remember? The day we met."

"I don't have any answers. This is all just really weird for me."

"I see. Well..." Karla folded her arms. "You want to play _Guess Who_again? I'm told that working your logical skills and your memory skills will help you remember stuff."

"Not right now. But I have some good news. Sorry I didn't mention it earlier. I had to make sure it wasn't a dream. I don't think it is, because I still remember the details, and I've been dreaming a lot lately..."

"Go on, hon."

Chance bit his lower lip with a wan smile. "I remember the face of the woman who pulled me from the car. Redhead lady. I remember looking up at her after the accident. You said she lives in San Francisco. I saw her in my dream last night. You think I could meet her and thank her?"

"Ah, yeah. JC's wife. Her name is Sinopa."

"Is she supernatural?"

"Sinopa is in a class all by herself. It's complicated. But yes, she's part of the cool-kids club. Unaffiliated Esoteric people, y'know? Sure, I suppose we could meet her. Although I thought I'd been told that she pulled you from the vehicle completely unconscious. Not sure how you could have seen her face."

"The only way I'll know if I'm remembering anything is if I see her face in person."

"I won't lie. I'm curious to know, Chance."

"What's she like?"

"She's a bit on the mysterious side, but she's very pleasant. I can't help but wonder what you're going to learn about her."

"Now I'm curious."

"Well, stow it for now," said Karla. "We'll meet her soon enough but not right now. She's in Rome with her husband this week. Something to do with the Spear of Longinus. So, anyway, let's go see a movie or something. I'll treat ... obviously." With an impish grin, Karla reached for her handbag.

"I uh ... sure. I still don't think I'm a mind reader, because I sure didn't see that one coming. What's out?"

"Dunno yet. We'll find out when we get there." Karla's smile broadened into a playful grin. She canted her head to the left and said, "Go run a brush through your hair before we go. There's one in on my dresser."

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