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Chapter -2- Smushy

Monday, September 6 - Nightfall Cairo, Egypt ...

Karla and Sinopa exchanged glances then gazed back to the wall of police surrounding a mosque. Karla shrugged. "At least it's not one of those hardcore men-only churches." Her eyes shifted to a road paving crew working just beyond the police barricade. "She can't teleport out of there. Do you think we should let her do her thing and watch? We can approach her after there are no more bullets."

Sinopa frowned. Her eyes lowered for a moment then lifted to the mosque in the distance. "While that would be a safe route, she will kill innocent Muslim men over this 'Caliph' hunt."

"I thought it was called a Caliphate?"

Sinopa shook her head. "Caliph is the title. Caliphate is more of the..." She paused to think of an over-simplified way to explain. "It's the Islamic state ruled by the man holding the title of Caliph. Karla, when is the last time you've eaten?"

"Last night, why?"

"You told me your active abilities of telekinesis and teleportation are tied into your body's metabolic rate."

The succubus shrugged. "It's not like I have time to snag some carbs. Why? Did you want me to see if anyone sells pasta in the area before we fight for our lives to save a bunch of terrorists?"

Sinopa deadpanned. "They're not terrorists. A small percentage of extremists exist among every religious group."

Karla rolled her eyes. "People who are willing to die for rivers of milk and honey are insanely faithful, Sinopa. That's why the internet claimed this chick killed half the extremists groups left in Egypt. She honed in on them." The succubus panned her gaze over to the road construction crew a block up from the police barricade. "I like getting my milk and honey from a store, personally. And seventy-two virgins would be dreadfully boring." Her tone changed, jumping topics. "Why didn't the cops move the roadwork guys away from this area? I mean, look at them, they're laying fresh asphalt like it's no big deal that there's a huge standoff just a block away."

"Focus, Karla-san."

"It's just weird, that's all." Karla pushed a lock of canary blond over her left shoulder. She reached down into her handbag and rubbed her pink-painted fingernails behind Kuda's ear. His warm, fluffy body was calming to the touch. "I can eat after we save the town or whatever."

"What is your problem with Muslims, Karla-san?"

"Me? Nothing. Big fan of the Kurdish folks. Those guys are great. No drama, polite, educated - shame they don't have a proper country to call their own. They deserve it."

"Focus, kudasai." Sinopa looked over the edge from the one-story restaurant, cast her gaze at the construction crew again, and then she looked back over the wall of police, towards the mosque. "We need to get closer. We need to be inside the mosque."

"Great. Okay. Just gotta find a good LZ first, then we can drop down from the trees like some sorta freaking Viet Cong or something."

"Trees...?"

"From above. Christ, Red. Don't take everything so literally."

"Your humor is quite ... dated, Karla."

The succubus grinned. "Yeah, but you got it. How do you count the passing of time, anyhow? In tails? You could be, like, 'Dang, Karla, Vietnam was SO one-point-five tails ago!'"

Without warning, the police began shooting at a figure in the doorway.

Karla threw her hands up with a huff of defeat. "She couldn't wait two more minutes?!" Karla reached her hands towards the line of police down on the street.

"No, wait! This is far too public, Karla-san. We must respect the laws of..."

"The freaking EC barely has a hold on America. They don't even exist in the Middle East. I say we go down there and show'em we're gods. Then we talk to Sekhmet and have her spare the 'mere mortals,' and walk away peacefully. I'll deflect the rounds with a telekinetic shell." Karla squinted, adding, "If I could actually see her from here, I could just teleport her butt, er ... _tail_up here."

"Karla, you want us to be so brazen? The rules apply everywhere, not just where the Esoteric Council is within..."

"Okay, okay - chill. As soon as I can see her, I'll teleport her."

"We need to intervene. Teleport us within the mosque, Karla-san. Quickly!"

"Geeze, okay, damn. You don't have to get so alpha animal on me." The succubus grinned and clenched her hand into a fist. The women disappeared.

X

X

Meanwhile, In the city of New Atlantis ...

Aris Falcon draped his lab coat over his chair and sat down on the edge of his desk.

He watched Steven Milford pace his office. The man was unremarkably unremarkable. Light olive skin and short, combed brown hair. A simple white dress shirt and black blazer did little for his normal features. But today, Steven's scowl became the most notable thing about the man's face.

Falcon folded his hands, resting them over his left knee. "I did not authorize a surface operation, Steven. If your friend is missing, he will eventually turn up. If someone killed him, proof will surface."

Steven walked to a window on the wall. The highest window in the city, it was close to the top of the glass dome over New Atlantis, allowing a view into the Atlantic Ocean, above. He stared up at the ocean sky. "Aris, do you remember October, 2014?"

"Are you referring to the Ebola scare? Or the Baltic Sea?"

"The latter," Steven said. "You were searching for the Sampo, an artifact that was supposed to be in Finland. But you couldn't find it. Before long, you were in Stockholm. You were combing shallow coastal waters for this mythological object. And do you remember what came of it?"

Aris nodded in remembrance. "Prime Minister Stefan Lofven began an investigation. The region was on edge because they thought Russia had submarines in the area."

"Yes. They were tracking you, Aris. And you never found the silly object. I told you then, same as I'm telling you now - it was make-believe. Just an object from local lore."

"Why are you bringing up the past, Steven?"

"Because, Aris, you've always had the audacity to charge in and take what you want, even if it was a fool's errand. And you lack the ability to be subtle. When the US Government found New Atlantis under construction in 2022, you threw money at the problem so they would look the other way. You are not capable of stealth or subtlety. You relied on muddled obfuscation at best."

Aris tilted his head. "It's not like you to beat around the bush, Steven. Say what's on your mind."

"I know you're behind the death of Methos. You cannot hide it from me. You're incapable of doing anything quietly. The fact is, you always leave a breadcrumb in your wake, because deep down, Aris, you want to be caught. You subconsciously want to brag about your grand schemes. And that sort of trail will lead to your undoing."

"You seriously think I murdered Lance Patterson?"

Milford furrowed his brows. "I_know_ you did. A sample of his DNA was entered into your digital library. The entry was edited to appear as though it's always been there. It seems you've forgotten that I built the computers you use, here. I wrote the operating system. I designed the software applications, the virus countermeasures, the algorithms used to make this city autonomous - all of it. So do not_posture to _me."

"Steven..."

"Aris, in October 2014, you nearly started a Cold War. Stockholm and Moscow were pointing figures and making accusations. You see, I brought that up because you have this ... way of waltzing into an area - instability and distrust follows in your wake. Now you're lying to me about murdering Methos. Do you want a Cold War between us, Aris? You can practice détente by being forthwith."

"Have you ever known me to be completely honest about anything, Steven?"

"No. So how do you expect me to trust you now?"

Falcon slid off his desk and approached Steven by the window. "I know you packed a single bag after concluding your investigation. Where would you go?"

"To the surface, Aris. You've undermined me for the last time. Do you remember when I told you to leave the power core in its place, on the twenty-third of August, 2011?"

"That was a long time ago, Steven."

"Yes, I suppose. You didn't listen, Aris. You sent Krys Monroe to take it from the cradle, which triggered an explosion. The quake was felt throughout Virginia and Washington DC. Why didn't you listen to me? You never listen. Twelve hours earlier, you did the same stunt in Denver. You never learn from your mistakes."

"Who discovered the Capital city of the First Age?" Falcon crossed his arms. "Me. Without your help."

"Someone was bound to find it eventually, Aris. I've dreamed of returning home for a very, very long time. But not with you. I no longer wish to have anything to do with your operation. I'm leaving."

"Why, Steven?"

"Because anyone who works with you will wind up dead. I've helped you. I stole from my friend for you."

"You tricked Lance Patterson's errand girl. She was no threat, nor was she of any use to us, Steven. I don't even remember her name. She was worthless."

"Her name was Samantha."

Aris narrowed his eyes. "I thought Lance Patterson was your enemy? Why are you so upset over his death??"

Steven shook his head. "He was my student for a time. We had different beliefs - I wish to return to my home; he felt it should stay buried beneath the Atlantic forever. I felt the subjugation of humanity was for the best. It worked before, it would work again. Humanity needs clearly defined leadership. Meanwhile, Methos felt that humans evolved to the point where their minds were on par with our own. He wanted to see them as equals."

"Mm, you see? I was right. The two of you were..."

Steven interrupted Falcon, adding, "But our differences did not make us enemies."

"You once waged a war, twenty-five hundred years ago, Steven. You led opposing armies into battle over your beliefs." Aris sighed. "Why do you care about your antithesis?"

"We are ... were the two oldest beings left alive. We have a great deal in common. Each time we laid down our arms, we broke bread together."

Falcon crossed his arms.

"You call an ancient battle and opposing armies a 'war' between one another. However, I saw it as a game of chess with human pawns. At the end of a game, chess players stand up and shake hands. And that is what we did every time."

Aris narrowed his gaze. "Did you love Lance Patterson?"

"After so long, what else would you call it? Why did you murder him?"

Aris walked away from the window, moved around behind his desk and sat down on the soft leather chair. "Steven, he was leading our enemies. He kept them alive and one step ahead of the extermination squads. He inserted himself on my chessboard as the opposing king. I drove his pawns to become stuck behind my pieces, so that they were immobilized. Then I went after the enemy king - him. I eliminated a threat."

"I told you that man was off limits, Aris!"

"I had to cut the head off of the resistance. Steven, I will bring him back. I filed his DNA. We can..."

"It isn't the same, Aris. And, do you really believe his people will roll over and die without him? With Methos dead, his significant other will awaken - Natalia Kincade. She is quite clever and knows how to effectively lead a campaign. She may not have the life experiences of Methos, but Natalia is every bit as dangerous. And now, she will be angry because you murdered her second husband."

"She's in hibernation, Steven. And she has no idea I took Lance Patterson's life."

Steven turned away from the window, eyes narrow. "When her first husband, Niall Kincade, keeled over and died in 1908, Natalia Kincade took over the war and led her party to victory. She ended the civil war of the Esoteric Community. With the help of Nathanial Carrington and Methos, she restored peace. She is quite capable."

Aris slammed his fist on his desk. "She has no army! She has a ragtag group of survivors who constantly bicker with one another. Lance Patterson could not fully unite them. Natalia Kincade will not become an issue. We are still moving forward. Why are you leaving, Steven?"

"I'm finished with helping you. I told you that Methos had to stay alive. I told you this when I joined your operation in 1999. It was one of my three conditions. I told you Methos needed to stay alive. I told you not to kill all the supernaturals because we would need enough left in the world for Methos to lead into battle should the Celestial Deities attempt a return to Earth. Finally, I told you my ultimate goal was to return home. You broke the first condition, Aris. You are on the brink of breaking the second condition. We're through."

"Deities." Falcon scoffed. "I've seen a handful of demigods, but they're no more powerful than a typical supernatural human. When I studied Sinopa Crevan's DNA, I noticed it was not human. But it was similar enough for her to carry human children to term. I don't care where her kind come from, they are not gods, Steven."

"You are a blind fool, Aris. This brings us back to square one - I'm leaving. You can let me leave, or I can render your countermeasures inert, leave your city defenseless, and force it to break the ocean surface for all to see."

"Where will you go?"

"To find Fox Parker's son." Steven shifted his weight, half expecting to be attacked at any moment.

Aris came from around his desk and approached Steven Milford. He offered his hand. "I will awaken Fox Parker and have him interface with the computer systems you've designed. He will make enough changes to the computer system that you will no longer have access should you leave."

"You expect him to comply?"

"I'll give him what he wants - Vincent and Topaz. I have leverage. I prepared for the worst. I installed a capsule in each of them. It will kill them if they attempt to cause trouble. And if that is not enough of an incentive, Carmen Nevada has one in her head as well. So ... the Parkers can have their happy little family with Vincent so long as they do what I ask, and live quietly. Fox will ensure you no longer have control over the computer systems you designed."

Steven walked to the office door. He glanced back over his shoulder and said, "When I return with Conner Parker, I'll want my city back. You will not be invited, Aris."

"You're used to playing chess with Lance Patterson. And perhaps the two of you really did shake hands after your wars. And perhaps you did love him. But, Steven, playing against me won't be the same. If I win, the city is mine. And you know I won't hesitate to kill the last First Age immortal left on this planet. So please, be careful with your threats."

Milford narrowed his gaze. "I know why you're letting me leave. You think I'll bring Conner Parker right to your door, then you'll kill me and take him for yourself. You seem to be forgetting one thing, Aris. I helped to create the supernatural humans to protect ourselves from the deities."

"I am the greatest geneticist who ever lived, Steven. I was born a human. I imbued myself with immortality, stolen from your DNA. I gave myself abilities that far overshadow those of the survivors left on the surface. Leaving is foolish, Steven. You'll be surrounded by half-wits like the werewolf, Rufus; the half-cocked succubus, Karla. You cannot control them, let alone lead them. This is your last chance to stay."

"Rufus' son is prophesied to achieve greatness. And Karla?" Steven scoffed. "She's my creation. I made her, and her father. If she wants answers, she'll do as I ask. If she wants her father back from your trophy vault, she'll follow my lead. Let's face it, Aris, you should not have killed Methos."

Aris gestured to the door. "Then leave. I look forward to when you return with Conner Parker."

"Till then, Aris." Steven Milford left the office and shut the door behind himself.

Falcon walked back to the large window, overlooking the city. He gazed up at the ceiling of the dome, then down over the expanse of New Atlantis.

After a moment to contemplate, he walked back to his desk, picked up his lab coat in one hand, and, with his other, reached for the phone on his desk.

The doctor pressed a call button, waited a moment for a voice to answer, then said, "It is time to wake up Fox Parker. Also, send Topaz and Vincent Nevada to my office in one hour. Do_not_ send them with an armed escort. I want them to feel comfortable. They're my new friends, are we clear? Treat them as such."

"Right away, Dr. Falcon. Will you be out of your office before your appointment with the Nevada couple?"

"Yes. I'll be in my lab for a bit. Make sure the Nevadas' are on time for the appointment. They're going to want to hear what I have to tell them." Aris ended the call, donned his lab coat and walked out the rear entrance, behind his desk. He stretched with a sigh and headed back down to his lab.

X

X

At that moment, Cairo, Egypt ...

Karla clenched her hand into a fist. "How did she get out?"

"I do not know." Sinopa turned back to the bodies at the heart of the Mosque and sighed. "This bloodshed should have been avoided. It is unnecessary."

"This goddess chick sounds like a loose cannon, Red. Maybe we should cut our losses and find help elsewhere."

"By giving up on her, we would be giving up on helping her future victims. We must find her and talk her into focusing her fight towards Aris Falcon, not towards innocents who refuse to convert their religion to the old deities."

"Muslims are guilty of the same tactics," Karla argued, adding, "Back when I was as young as I look, it was the Ottoman Empire. Now it's all-sorts of divided up, but it's still the same. Convert or slay the infidels. Islam is a religion of peace towards itself. The only way it would be peaceful is if everyone was practicing Islam. Else, it clearly states to behead those who do not convert. How can you feel bad for a religion that tells its followers to..."

"Enough!" Sinopa turned to Karla, eyes narrow. "I do not begrudge humans for not practicing Shinto. I only show appreciation towards those that do. She is a very, very old goddess, and we must do our best to convince her to adapt to the modern times."

"Yeah, well, it's probably her inability to adapt that has caused her to fall out of the..."

"She still has followers. If she were forgotten, she would cease to exist, Karla-san. It is best we do not bicker. We should work quickly to find her and resolve this issue. She will be a powerful ally. As Hathor, she watches over women, and will empower our quest to stop Aris Falcon. Yours and mine."

"Our quest? Seriously, Red? Alright, what's the next move, then?"

"Take us across the street, Karla-san. When the police decide to breech this Mosque, they will assume we are responsible for the deaths of these worshippers."

Karla replied with a sour face. "Good point." In the blink of an eye, both women stood on the rooftop of a small restaurant across the street. The succubus dipped her hand into her handbag and drew out Kuda, gently brushing her nails behind his ears. "I have a little mission for you, Kuda." Karla glanced at Sinopa with a smirk, then back to Kuda, adding, "I'm going to send you on a 'quest.'" She drew the animal from her bag and held him aloft, looking into his small amber eyes.

"You are mocking me."

"Yup." Karla grinned. She shook her head, and then told Kuda, "I want you to find the goddess who rescued your owner from the Celestial Realm. Can you do that for me? There's a bowl of jerky in it for you, if you can do this for me."

"Karla-san, he only understands words whispered to him by his owner. There is a link between..."

"Sinopa, he's the pet of a demigod. He has a brain capable of following commands. He's been on Earth long enough to learn English and Japanese. Watch this." Karla removed her smartwatch and fastened it around Kuda's torso. "Go find Sekhmet."

Kuda leapt from Karla's arms, dashed along the edge of the rooftop and made his way down a drainage pipe.

Karla leaned over the side and waited. A moment later, a lump of detritus pushed out of the bottom of the pipe, followed by Kuda, wearing the smartwatch. He darted into an alley and scampered up the block, out of view.

"How do you propose we find him?" asked Sinopa.

"GPS." A smile tugged at the corner of her pink-painted lips. "That watch is fully charged. It'll last a few days. My phone will ping it and locate it wherever it goes. That's a little trick your son taught me."

"Ah. Yes, Fox was always very good with electronic devices."

"Well let's get moving." Karla pulled out her phone and opened a 'find my device' application. She put in a pin-code on the screen and, after a moment to triangulate, the phone showed a map with their location comparative to Kuda's location. The succubus scoffed with a grin. "A 'quest.' Tch."

X

X

Early Evening, San Francisco, California ...

Kalen Kincade narrowed his gaze , watching the image of a news anchor. The woman's upper torso floated above an emitter, with crisp, clear detail. Kalen's eyes, however, were on the words beneath the woman's shoulders.

"The CDC announced another case of advanced Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation brought about by the previously unnamed strand of Septicemic Plague. However, with four dead in the past twenty-four hours, fears of the public has become what some call 'obsessive'. What we know, so far, is that once a person has this plague, they become symptomatic in around twenty-four hours. Only nine hours after the first symptoms show, the infected person's blood coagulates to the point that death occurs. The CDC still has no comment on where they think this disease came from, as the four who have died so far have nothing in common with one another. However, 'autopsies have suggested that the plague was spread in a fashion similar to that of a cold,' says a person familiar with the CDC's information on the strain."

Kalen shook his head. "I thought the Septicemic Plague was spread by bug bites. Fleas or some such." He glanced at his watch then back up at the holo-vision image.

He ran his hands over his black designer dress shirt and walked through the living area to a hallway at the back of the stylish manor. Kalen passed line of books on the walls approaching a door leading to the master bedroom. He subconsciously rubbed at his neckline and cleared his throat.

The vampire inwardly flinched at a brief flashback. He cleared his throat again and pushed opened the double doors.

At the center of the room was an altar-like bed. Natalia Kincade laid still upon the cushion-topped marble block. An IV of blood filtered into her body. Not into her veins but into her body, directly, filling her limbs and torso, and saturating the muscles and organs within.

Kalen brought his right forearm to his lips, used a fang to open the flesh of his wrist, and placed the wound against her lips. His vampire vitae drizzled down her throat, slowly, until her mouth was full.

All at once, her pale hands came up, latching onto his arm. She bit down on either side of the wound and began to suck, eyes wide and bloodshot.

Kalen feigned a wince but kept his composure. "Slow, Mistress. Slowly, please."

As the initial hunger urges passed, she calmed and released the tense grip around his forearm. After another moment, she drew her head back and licked the last vestiges of blood from her lips. Natalia brought her right hand up and withdrew the needle from her throat, bit through the plastic tube behind the needle and suckled on it like a straw until the blood bag IV was empty.

Kalen healed the puncture wounds on his wrist and sat down adjacent to her. "Welcome back. The year is 2049. Today is Monday, the sixth of September. I am sorry to awaken you prematurely but Methos is missing and presumed to have been murdered. The current assumption is that Dr. Aris Falcon or someone powerful, who works for Aris, caused this. You may remember Aris' surname as Sokolov."

Natalia nodded, casting her gaze to the floor. "I ... I understand. I was foolish to sleep. Perhaps if I had not been so selfish, my latest husband would still be alive."

"Or, the both of you would have been murdered. Please do not concern yourself with what cannot be changed."

Natalia cut a sidelong gaze towards Kalen. Her bloodshot eyes began to clear and a weak smile found her lips. "Always the optimist, my child. Why was Methos a target?"

"He was leading the surviving supernaturals into regrouping so that they would rise up and stop Aris from obtaining something from the capital of the First Age."

"It is a myth."

"No, we have no information - it has been located. However, Aris cannot enter the inner sanctum at the heart of the city. Yet. But when he does, nothing will stop him."

"I recall Methos changed his name to Lance Patterson now. I trust funeral arrangements have been made?"

"There is no body. The investigation is still open. We're holding out hope. But we need you to lead us."

Natalia nodded in silence. After a moment she reached over and placed her hand on Kalen's knee. "It is time, then, to extend our family. We require childer to protect our home whilst our attention will be on the remainder of the Esoteric Community. Who acts as the leader, currently?"

"The succubus, Karla."

A delicate frown marred the vampire's porcelain visage. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed. "The errant girl. Is she as wayward as I last recall?"

"She's had two children, both of whom were abducted by Aris. I feel as though the children may have domesticated Karla to some degree. However, now that they are missing, she is extremely focused on finding them, or serving revenge to Aris if necessary. It is her charisma that has pulled people together once again."

Natalia tilted her head. "Karla Howard has matured?"

"She married. Her husband was Eric Loupe but he is missing and presumed to have been killed recently."

Natalia's brows arched up. "She married into my brother's family?"

"Yes."

"Married with children," Natalia pondered aloud. "Perhaps that was what the unruly girl needed in her life. Motherhood has a way of taming a spirited girl's behavior. Very well. Do we still have possession of the mirror?"

Kalen nodded to the west wall of the bedroom. An opulent reflective surface adorned the wall. It was framed by a dark colored material with intricate carvings on each side.

However, it's normal luster seemed somehow less magnificent than Natalia remembered. A moue of disgust touched her lips. "Why does it not glow?"

"Rumor has it that the Celestial Realm has fallen to attackers. It has been sealed off and is now darkened. This mirror is the only way to enter the realm, now, but because it is dangerous, and because the other end of that portal is well hidden, it no longer glows the way it once did in the past. Also, rumor has it that several gods have made their way to Earth. An Egyptian deity is said to be wondering Egypt, killing Muslims and demanding humans to worship Ra. The region has since become destabilized."

Natalia slid off the altar. She turned about and placed her hands on it and stretched, arching her back. "In consideration of all that has transpired, it is wise of you to have awaken me."

Kalen sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mistress." Again, he subconsciously rubbed at his neckline.

Natalia approached the mirror and gazed into its polished surface. She brought her left hand up and rubbed at her stiff shoulder. Her reflection was hazy and appeared distorted, yet she gazed at it as though it was normal. "Mm, I wonder how our little errant girl is doing right this moment."

X

X

An hour later, Hotel in Cairo ...

Karla threw her hands up in frustration. "...And how the hell did she get out of the mosque right under our noses? Did she use the frickin' Stargate? ...man, I should have said that earlier. It would have been funnier then."

Sinopa arched her brows but remained silent and contemplative.

"Oh! And why couldn't Kuda locate her? How did she just drop off the radar like that? Poor boy came back empty handed, er paw'ed, with his tail tucked. Poor little guy."

"I am unfamiliar with that term, 'Stargate'," said Sinopa in a disenchanted tone. "You forget, she is a goddess. She has abilities beyond our understanding. For all the research we have performed to better understand her, many of the tales written about her have been lost to time."

"The ones that exist should be the ones that define her."

"Our kind has become more than the sum of our stories and lore, Karla-san. We continue to evolve beyond what is created at our core by our worshippers."

"Um, so she could have, what, gone to AA and won't fall for us trying to get her drunk, now?"

Sinopa sighed, ignoring the succubus' trite humor. "We developed lives and evolved families beyond what is penned on paper or chiseled in stone. Flaws and merits can be added later, but very little can be taken away once facts have been established, even those which were lost to time."

"So," Karla began pacing in the hotel room. "If some famous writer, five thousand years ago, said that Sekhmet can fly, teleport, and breathe fire ... and everyone believed it ... but those stories were lost to time, and everyone forgot ... she would still have the ability to fly, teleport and breathe fire?"

"To be blunt - yes." Sinopa settled onto one of the two beds and folded her hands. Kuda came from Karla's purse, hopped across the gap between the beds, and settled on Sinopa's lap. "You wish attention now?"

Karla turned to face Sinopa, brows furrowed. "Sinopa, no. He sees that you're upset, so he came to snuggle. He's showing you empathy because he can tell you're feeling down."

Sinopa gently cradled the small animal in her lap and began to stroke his soft orange pelt. "Karla-san, how are you able to read others so well?"

"It's part of who I am. Being perceptive helps me find people, so I don't starve. So far as reading Kuda, it's not that hard. He came to you without looking for treats, without a purpose, at a time when you're emotionally distressed and frustrated beyond belief. He's a delivery boy, come to bring you smushy love just when you need it."

"Smushy ... love?"

"Yup. Smushy, mushy affection." Karla grinned. "Anyway, we'll find this chick. Just keep your chin up, Red."

"Hai. I appreciate your supportive optimism. Arigato."

"Not to change the subject but I thought those goobers would be back from the Parker Island by now."

"I agree, they are taking longer than expected." Sinopa paused then said, "And speaking of time ... a kitsune adds a tail roughly once every century; the war to which you referred in Vietnam took place approximately three-quarter-of-a-tail ago."

The succubus stared at her for a moment and then broke out into hysterics. She dropped onto the bed, stomping her feet on the mattress. A gleeful melody of giggles rang throughout the room. "My God, you made a funny, Master Splinter!"

Sinopa quirked her brows. "You should know that I did not take an interest in pop culture until the past few years. You seem to be stuck in a period somewhere between the 1970's and early 20's. I can never follow."

Karla slid off the bed, went back to the window and gazed out into the night sky then shook her head. "My best years before becoming a mom."

Sinopa frowned. "Your best years are ahead, when you rescue your loved ones."

"Maybe." The succubus reached into a pocket of her fashionable vest and drew out a bottle of pills. She opened the top and gazed down at them. There were roughly six or seven left. She had more at home but ... she put the cap back on and shoved the bottle into her vest pocket. "Get some rest. I'm going out."

"Where are you going?"

"To be a succubus again. It's been way too long."

"Is that wise?"

"To be myself? Of course it is. My husband is dead. My kids ... I don't even want to think about what they're going through. I'm hoping they're just sleeping through this the way Reno did. I need to get my mojo back. I need to get on top of my game ... literally. The sun is going down and we're in beautiful Cairo. You see that view?" she said, motioning to the window. "You can see the Nile. You can see the goddamn Pyramids in the distance. It's beautiful. And this is a party city if you know where to look. Well, I'm a perceptive girl - I'll find the party. And, I know this is more than you wanted to know, but I've seen a few Egyptian dudes in the buff before. And every-single-one I've met were hung. So. Why sit in here and sulk?"

"Because you stand out. A European blond girl walking through a Muslim city alone, wearing a short skirt and showing off her busty curves - you are making yourself a target."

Karla grinned. "You know I can protect myself."

"Hai. You are very capable, Karla-san."

The succubus approached Sinopa, gave her a hug, then leaned down and gave Kuda a bit of 'smushy love.' She whispered to him, "You stay put and I'll be back later, big guy." Then she picked up her handbag and headed for the door. She paused and glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "Don't wait up for me. Get some rest. Keep your cellphone on, just in case. I've got a full charge. I'll be back before sunrise."

X

X

Parker Island, out of temporal sync...

Conner Parker lifted his shirt and looked at the mark on his torso where his cane had gone clear through him a while back. He drew his shirt the rest of the way up and over his head, reached for his cane and walked out onto a workout mat. The cane tingled against the skin of his fingers.

"Uncle Reno, it wasn't your fault." He lifted his hand and examined the spider web markings on his palm, which extended down his wrist and wrapped around his forearm. "I've never been struck by lightning before. It was pretty wild. These marks are permanent. You gotta admit, they look badass."

"Your girlfriend had daggers in her eyes, kiddo. You're not the ones that pissed off a goddess." Reno shrugged, adding, "So, you have the ability to charge up your cane. But what if you do it in the future and it causes me to zap you again?"

James Parker cut in, saying, "That's why we're here, Reno. The three of us are going to figure this out. I asked everyone else to stay out of the gym because I don't want anyone else getting hurt while we test this."

Reno shook his head. "Jaye, you don't have to..."

"We're both his family. So let's just do this already." James approached his nephew and gave the boy a firm pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you wear gloves when you handle that thing? It'll help with the tingling sensation."

"I can only charge it when I have direct contact with the metal. It's always been that way."

James frowned. "Alright. Have you tried charging it since you were zapped?"

"Yeah. I can still do it." Conner held the cane up, gripping it firmly in his fist. The metal began to glow softly. "When I prompted that bolt from Uncle Reno, I was amped up more than I'd ever done in the past."

Jaye smirked. "Is that even proper english?"

Conner replied with a sour face. "What I mean is, I was trying to charge it more than I ever had before that point. See how bright it is right now? Call that, uh, 'level one.' By comparison, I was on level ten."

"Okay, charge it up slowly," said Reno. "I want to see how far you can go before I feel like there's something drawing energy off of me."

James approached Conner and wrapped a piece of metal around his waist then ran it to the far wall. He tied it off on a cast iron turnbuckle mounted on a support beam, which was used to hold the weight of the mountain around the inner sanctum. Jaye gave a tug on the metallic line. "Ready."

"Ready," said Reno.

"Alright, I'll charge it slowly. Here we go." Conner tensed up. The cane began to glow brighter. He approached a tennis ball sitting on the mat and swung the cane like a golf club. When the cane struck the ball, instead of launching it across the room, the ball instantly melted to the cane.

Conner continued to clench the staff, causing it to glow brighter. However, it wasn't a normal sort of incandescence, like a light bulb. It didn't bathe the walls or floor in illumination.

Instead, the energy put out by the metallic rod caused a dark luminescence. It was akin to a black light, glowing brighter in an eerie manner. The color of Conner's gym shoes reflected an odd hue.

The tennis ball, which appeared neon yellow on the hook, began to cook and melt away. "I have no idea how this works," Conner told his uncles. "I can melt things like this tennis ball, but it feels cool to the flesh. But if I discharge it rapidly, like when I swing it at someone, it will throw all that energy out through the upper half, and throw the person away. Surprised the hell out of me."

"And me," said James, "when I was launched clear across the room and into the wall last week. Glad I was wearing sparring gear. So, basically, it won't burn living beings, but it will burn inanimate objects? How does that even work?"

"Excitation of cells?" asked Conner. "I'm reaching here. It was Evan's theory." He continued to charge the cane. "This would be, like, level seven. Is it having any effect on you, Uncle Reno?"

"Don't feel a thing," Nevada said. "Let me test a theory. Keep it going." He turned away from James and Conner and directed a lightning bolt across the gym. The raw current struck a far wall, leaving a dark marking on the bulkhead. Reno turned back to them and shrugged. "I wanted to see if your cane would attracted my lightning bolt but it had no effect at all."

"What if that occurrence was a one-time fluke?" asked Conner.

"That's what I'm hoping," said Reno.

"That's what we're here to find out," James reminded them.

Conner tensed up his upper body. His abs formed over his stomach, and his arms flexed with the strain. The cane increased in intensity to the brightest he could manage it. "This is where I was before. And ... nothing?"

"Nothing," said Reno. "Let me try the lighting thing again." He held his hand away from the Parkers and unleashed another bolt into the wall across the gym. Same as before, the raw current discharged into the bulkhead, striking the same spot as before. "So what the hell was different before?"

"I need to know if this sort of thing will happen again," said Conner.

"How do you mean?" asked James.

Conner shrugged. "Uncle Reno, zap my cane. Low power, don't hit it with everything you've got, just a little zap."

"What?" Reno blinked. "No, out of the question."

"C'mon, do it. Just a little tazer-like zap."

Silence.

"A shock won't hurt him," James said with a shrug. "He'll be curious if you don't."

Reno rolled his eyes. He held his hand towards Conner, curled his fingers back, palm jutted forward, and released a thin stream of low-power current. It met with the top of the cane. Nothing happened.

Silence again. Reno furrowed his brows. "Nothing?"

"Don't even feel it," said Conner. "Try increasing the power."

"This is stupid and dangerous," Reno replied. Nevada kept the lightning bolt steady. It danced about between his palm and Donner's cane.

James looked Conner over. "Reno, he's grounded. One sec." James reached into his back pocket, having prepared, and placed a voltage meter's leads on the metal cord used to ground his nephew. The meter read 'zero'. "Wait, the current isn't being discharged into this line." He approached his nephew's cane and touched the leads to the orichalcum staff. The meter jumped up. The needle became buried at the end. "This thing is, like, from the early 2000's. I wish it was digital so we could get a numerical value, but, uh, the needle is buried."

Reno blinked. "I'm not even going full throttle. That's low power." He relinquished the bolt. It dissolved into nothing.

James tilted his head. "The meter is still buried. The electricity is being put out by the cane, not the lightning that you were just zapping it with."

"This is getting weirder by the minute," Conner said. "Hit it again, Uncle Reno. But give it more juice."

"This is really..."

"Noted!" Conner erupted. "Now hit it with something substantial!"

Reno shook his head and closed his eyes. "This is really stupid." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment then drew his hand back, as though he was about to throw a football then thrust it forward.

A large bolt of lightning met the cane. However, Conner appeared fine.

"Uncle James ... untie the grounding wire. I have to know."

James shook his head.

"Please. I'll do it myself but I'd rather keep both hands on the staff. Please."

"God." James approached the grounding wire and un-looped it from around Conner's waist by pulling on the tie. The knot became undone and it dropped to the floor.

Conner stepped away from it, taking the end of Reno's lightning bolt with him. "Jesus, this is unreal. I don't feel a thing. It's nothing like the other day."

"I can't explain it," James said. "Reno?"

"I have no clue."

"I have an idea," said Conner. He cleared his throat. "What if by charging the cane, I'm protecting myself? The cane is absorbing the lightning?"

"But I thought it caused the problem the other day?" asked Reno. "You were charging it, and the electricity raced out of my chest and struck your cane and threw you across the room."

"Yeah but I was just releasing the energy in the cane when it happened." Conner bit his lower lip. "I'm going to discharge my cane now and see if the staff will still protecting me from..." All at once, the cane was thrown from his grip. It went clear across the gym, struck the floor and rolled twice until the hook was facing down, with the arched end facing up. "FUCK that hurt!" He opened and closed his hand quickly. "Well we know why I got zapped. Thank God you were going low power, Uncle Reno."

"That was a little more than a tazer, kiddo. But it was nowhere near as high power as the bolt that hit you the other day."

Conner looked at his hand. "Well, there are no burn marks like last time. No blisters. I guess I'm okay. So when I charge the cane, I can absorb and protect myself against a bolt of freaking lightning. But when I discharge the cane, I'm not protected anymore."

Reno frowned. "Maybe you should try to charge it up to maximum, then abruptly discharge it again. Maybe that's what caused it last time."

"I'll hook you back up to the grounding line," said James. He knelt down, picked up the line and wrapped it around Conner's waist again. "Let me get your cane." Jaye fetched the staff and brought it back to his nephew. "Okay. You're grounded. Just ... don't ... I don't know, just be careful."

"Yeah. No worries. I'll use my other hand so I can get another cool marking."

"Jesus, boy. You're too much." James backed away.

Conner powered up his cane and ground his teeth, giving it all he had. The cane glowed bright again, but with the eerie coloration that somewhat resembled a black light. He swung it like a bat and discharged the energy all at once.

Reno shook his head. "Nothing. I didn't even feel like something was trying to pull energy from me."

"I'm satisfied I won't accidentally trigger you, Uncle Reno."

"I guess. I felt really bad you were electrocuted."

Conner shrugged and shifted the cane to his left hand. He tried twirling the cane off the back of his knuckles like a majorette. "So everyone you've zapped with a bolt of lightning will have this wild mark, right?" The metallic pole clattered to the floor and rolled along the ground. "Dammit," he muttered. "So much for supernatural grace, huh?"

James chuckled.

"I guess they would have some sort of mark if the bolt hit their skin," Reno said. "I'm still concerned about the other day. If we can't reproduce it, then what the hell caused that anomaly?"

Conner followed the cane across the floor, reaching for it. After the third rotation, it came to rest with the hooked end facing up, the arch touching the floor.

Upon extension of his hand towards the pole, it began to roll backwards. Conner blinked and jerked his head back up towards James and Reno. "Did you just see that?" He kept his hand extended towards the pole, which began to move towards him. "Holy shit."

The room grew silent.

Conner tensed up. The cane began to slide across the floor, slowly creeping towards his outstretched fingers, drawn to the teen by an unseen force. "No effing way," he whispered.

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/773770