He expanded the shield as Stan increased the energy until the shield covered all of the Las Vegas area. As more energy came in Patty and I let the natural flow expand the size of the hose protecting all of our minds. It worked easily for one god’s worth of energy. Could we hold the containment for over six hundred gods’ energy, all directed at the same spot?
If not, there would be four very dead superheroes.
# # #
Stan jumped the four of us back to the front of what looked like a large auditorium floating high over Las Vegas. We were suddenly standing on a stage facing six hundred very powerful gods who stared at us like we were a bad stage act that was bombing.
The colors and styles of clothing in the room seem to not only cover every possible color in the rainbow, but almost every age of man. I didn’t recognize more than one or two of them. I could see the Bookkeeper’s bosses, the Gods of Mathmatics, in their heavy sweaters and large glasses, but beyond that I had no idea who the rest of the gods were. I was pretty certain I didn’t want to know.
Laverne, dressed still in her business suit and white blouse stepped up beside the four of us and started speaking to the crowd. “We have very little time if we are to avert a disaster of epic proportions. We have four superheroes here who need all of our help in solving this problem.”
She introduced the four of us and which area of the deities we each worked, then said, “Poker Boy, please tell us how we can help your team solve this problem.”
I took a deep breath, dug down deep into my calming poker face and manner that had gotten me through many a stressful tournament, and then with Patty’s hand barely touching my arm for support, I explained what we needed and why.
Around the room I could see heads nodding, clearly thinking our plan would work. Others sat perfectly still, expressionless.
When I finished Laverne stepped forward. “I will help focus the power and contain it as it moves through the four of them so that they will not die from the extreme energy being poured through them.”
I was very, very happy to hear Laverne say that.
She turned to me again. “Poker Boy, how long will we need to hold the shield?”
“Two seconds,” I said, “but it will take a few seconds for us to power up the shield as well, so if the energy can be brought up over the first three seconds, then held for two seconds, it should solve the problem.”
Lady Luck nodded, her expression deadly serious, then turned to the audience. “Thank you all for your help. Please be ready.”
Burt appeared next to Laverne and said, “Twenty seconds.”
“Screamer,” I said and he nodded. He stepped between me and Patty and The Smoke moved in behind him. Then The Smoke put both hands on Screamer’s shoulder while Patty and I took each of his hands.
Suddenly we were all together again.
Sure hope this works, the Screamer thought clearly.
Just hold us together no matter what happens, I thought back.
Burt and Laverne stepped in front of us and then turned sideways to the audience facing each other, leaving an opening between them from us to the audience.
“Ten seconds,” Burt said.
Screamer’s grip on my hand tightened.
Form the hose, I thought at Patty and we formed a very thick, very expandable imaginary hose.
“Five seconds,” Burt said.
“Start easy for the first second, then increase the energy,” Laverne said to the gods.
Not a sound could be heard in the huge room as every god sat forward, clearly focused on the task at hand.
Everything ounce of energy we have to keep this hose together, I thought to Patty. Keep the shield on frequency, I thought at The Smoke.
“Two, one, Now!” Burt said.
The impact of the first energy staggered both Laverne and Burt, but they both adjusted and the energy hit us, caught by the now-seemingly-huge imaginary hose in our minds.
Even though Patty and I were focusing all our energy on the hose and holding it in place against the flood of energy, I could see the shield expanding as the energy increased and increased.
Time seemed to slow down as the energy increased. As far as I was concerned, it felt like the hose was the size of a ten-lane interstate and growing, all inside our group minds.
I could feel Patty starting to weaken, so I dug as deep as I could and held. Then I felt her also dig deep and strengthen as well. She was the strongest human I had ever met.
Somehow we held that imaginary hose in our minds together, even as it continued to grow. Just one leak from that stream of energy and we would all be dead. And I wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to Patty.
I could sense a thought from The Smoke that the shield was full and holding.
I could feel energy coming from Screamer trying to help me and Patty as much as possible without losing the contact between us he was struggling to hold.
Time stretched and stretched and stretched.
I could feel myself and Patty starting to slip on our hold on the imaginary hose.
The strain was too much.
I couldn’t hold this much longer.
It wasn’t possible.
It’s done! The faint thought came from The Smoke. The radiation is blocked.
“Stop,” I said, hoping that was my out-loud voice.
The energy shut off instantly and all four of us slumped to the stage as one.
Screamer let our hands go and I had the sudden feeling of being alone.
Both Lady Luck and Burt staggered backward as well, then worked to catch their breath.
Slowly a sound filled the air and I looked at Patty, who was coming around and looking at me. It took me a moment to realize what the sound was, then I looked out at the mass of gods. They were all standing and applauding.
We were getting a standing ovation from a room full of gods! What a way to start a new year.
And then after a moment the sound stopped and they all vanished, leaving an empty room with only Stan and Laverne and Burt and the four of us.
Stan helped me to my feet and I helped Patty up. Screamer and The Smoke staggered up as well. My knees felt like they were held together by rubber bands, thin ones, but darned if I was going to fall down again in front of Lady Luck, so I braced my legs and Patty leaned against me and we held each other up somehow.
Laverne and Burt both looked tired as well, and there was actually a little sweat on her forehead that vanished after a moment.
Lady Luck actually could sweat. Who knew.
She thanked each of us for the great work, then looked directly at me. “Once again, Poker Boy, you and your team have saved us. All I can say is thank you yet again.”
She and Burt vanished, leaving a tired-looking-but-smiling Stan, the God of Poker. “How about we all go get something to eat? On me.”
“I’m not sure if Madge can handle us three times in one day,” I said. “Especially on the first day of the year.”
“I was thinking more about the buffet at the MGM Grand. Don’t you have some winnings to pick up?”
“I do,” I said, smiling, remembering how my year had actually started with my tradition.
Everyone was nodding at the idea so I said, “Perfect. And besides, I wanted to talk to The Smoke here, see if he might be interested in joining us on a few cases down the road?”
The Smoke smiled, again without showing his teeth, then said, “I would be honored.” Then he turned to Stan. “I hear the buffet at the MGM Grand has some great meet. Not cooked too much I hope.”
Stan laughed. “You know, you’re as weird as the rest of this bunch. You fit perfectly.”
“That he does,” I said smiling at the werewolf named The Smoke, the newest member of the team.
A moment later the five of us were standing in line for the Buffet. Even a god and four superheroes had to stand in line. Even after saving a lot of dogs.
---
This is the first publication of “The Smo
ke That Doesn’t Bark: A Poker Boy Story.”
Dean Wesley Smith is the international bestseller of over ninety novels and hundreds of short stories. He had also published a number of Poker Boy short stories and in the spring of 2011 WMG Publishing will bring out the first full Poker Boy novel The Slots of Saturn. You can find out more about Dean Wesley Smith at deanwesleysmith.com.
If you liked this story, you might also like these other Poker Boy stories:
The Old Girlfriend of Doom
Sighed the Snake
Luck Be a Lady
Dead Even.
Smoke That Doesn't Bark: A Poker Boy Story Page 3