"Do you think that he was able to influence the Mayor?" Gavin demanded as he walked toward Xenia.
"Certainly not to the extent that you imagine," Xenia assured. "He was still in custody when the Mayor made his first statement renouncing Karis and Diz."
"Then how did he get out?" Cacy questioned. "Didn't you have control of him?"
"I was just able to pull some strings," Xenia explained, "but I was not able to detain him beyond your one meeting."
"So what do we do now?" Gavin asked with a harsh tone. "We can't just go underground and let him have free reign of the city. I won’t accept that."
"That would never do," Xenia agreed. "We must work out a plan, and a way to remove Hypnose from exposure to the citizens of the city."
"That's going to be a tall order," Cacy grumbled.
"Yes," Xenia agreed, "a very tall order."
Chapter 40
The nation-wide ban on communications from New York City continues today. Ever since Mayor Branigan declared war on the heroes known as Karis and the Diz, the city has been filled with violence and mayhem. The man known as Hypnose continues to send messages to the citizens of that city and each message sends the people into frenzy. Sources within the city talk of violent beatings of anyone who shows any similarity in appearance to the duo and there have been several people who have been air lifted out of the city in order to gain medical care that has been denied to most of the people in the city because everyone seems so focused on finding the heroes. Mayor Branigan has not responded to requests for comments on the situation, and my sources cannot locate him at this time.
This reporter can only hope that Karis and the Diz either reveal themselves or figure out a way to deal with this situation soon.
* * *
"That does it," Diz shouted as he headed towards the door. "I'm not waiting here any longer."
"We still don't have a plan," Karis said as she touched his shoulder.
"I don't need a plan," Diz demanded. "When have we ever had a plan?"
"I'd like to think that we knew what we were doing," Karis responded as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"If only we knew where to find him," Diz muttered, "I could take him out before anyone knew what was happening."
"You searched the whole city," Karis reminded him, "twice."
"So how do we draw him out?" Diz wondered.
"I have an idea," Karis revealed. "Just be ready when the time comes."
Karis flew over the city at a slow speed trying to get the attention of the people on the streets below her. At first, there wasn't a response, but as soon as one person spotted her, the whole city was turning her way. She was thankful again for her invulnerability as several shots were fired into the air, and a few of them actually hit the mark.
Crowds of people were chasing below her and traffic came to a halt as people got out of their cars to follow her trail. She flew to the Mayor's office and knocked on his window, but there was no response. Knocking on the secretary's window did get an answer.
"Young lady," the secretary chided as she pushed her rectangular glasses back on her face, "this is most unusual. It is not appropriate to be flying around outside of the Mayor's window. I shall have to call the police."
"I would appreciate it more if you could help me contact Hypnose," Karis replied calmly. "I need to talk with him about the situation in the city."
"Oh my!" the secretary shouted stepping away from the window and tripping over her heels, "You're that Karis woman. Don't hurt me. I can get a message to Mr. Hypnose for you."
"I'm not here to hurt you," Karis assured her, "but I do need to meet with Hypnose. Where can I find him?"
"I don't know," the secretary insisted as she moved back to the desk and picked up the phone and started dialing. "I can call his direct line for you though."
"Yes, that would be very helpful," Karis agreed as she reached her arm in the window. "Dial the number and then bring me the phone, please."
The secretary punched a few more buttons and stumbled over to the window. Karis then pointed to the chair the secretary had been inhabiting and the secretary made her way back to the desk and sat quietly. Karis waited while the phone rang four times.
"This is the office of Hypnose, this is Mayor Branigan. How may I direct your call?" came the Mayor's voice all bright and cheery.
"Mayor Branigan," Karis shouted, "what are you doing?"
"Is this Karis?" he asked loudly. "What are you doing at my office?"
"I came to talk to you about Hypnose," she explained, "but you weren't in your office."
"I've been busy helping Hypnose," the Mayor explained. "There is so much to do around here."
"What exactly have you two been planning?" Karis asked.
"I'm afraid that I can't tell you that," the Mayor said trying to suppress a laugh. "I think you will enjoy the surprise."
"I hear that you have been looking for us," Karis prodded.
"Ever since the explosion at your building," the Mayor chuckled. "It was a shame to lose that building."'
"You weren't sorry to lose us?" Karis wondered.
"A couple of vigilantes?" he snorted. "The city would have been better off without the both of you. I only agreed to work with Hypnose because he promised he could deal with the two of you."
"He didn't have much luck before," she reminded the Mayor. "Besides, it sounds like you're working for him now."
"I don't know where you would get that idea," the Mayor insisted. "I'm just helping Hypnose get settled. Once he has everything figured out, I'll be back at my office in no time."
"Is Hypnose there right now?" Karis snapped.
"As a matter of fact," he replied, "Hypnose is on his way to my office. If you want to see him, you should just stay put where you are."
"Thanks," Karis said as she threw the phone in the direction of the secretary. "Tell the man in the funny helmet that I'll be waiting for him on the roof just like last time."
The woman at the desk stammered and stuttered, but she wasn't able to make any coherent sounds. Karis gave up on getting a response and flew to the roof.
* * *
"You have two choices," Hypnose declared as he burst through the emergency exit door on the roof. "Either you can bow to my superior powers now, or you can die."
Karis stood up and stretched after a lengthy wait. It had been almost an hour since she had flown to the roof to wait for him to appear, and she felt a little stiff.
"Did you hear me?" Hypnose demanded as he strode towards her.
"Something about death," Karis muttered as she wandered over towards him. "I wasn't paying attention. Maybe you need to talk to Mornigan or the Mayor or somebody about a way to get around the city faster."
"Of all the insolent comments," Hypnose shouted, pointing at Karis.
"You really want all of them?" Karis asked as she pointed back. "I'm just not sure how much time you have."
"I will not stand for this!" Hypnose shouted.
"Then sit down," Karis suggested as she pushed his chest.
"You do not seem to be affected by my powers anymore," Hypnose observed as he turned away from Karis.
"I guess you aren't as mesmerizing as you thought," Karis replied.
Hypnose pulled out a revolver and started firing at Karis. It was obvious he wasn't used to shooting since most of the bullets flew past her. One bullet did bounce off of her right arm though.
"Didn't you do any research?" Karis chided as she grabbed the gun from his hand. "I'm pretty much invulnerable here."
"You still won't win," Hypnose insisted with a maniacal laugh. "This entire city follows my commands. There is no hope for you to free them."
"So you've got it all figured out?" Karis prodded. "There's no way we could ever defeat you?"
"My control is absolute and unbreakable," Hypnose bragged with raised arms.
"You don't control me right now," Karis pointed out, "and I was able to break your control a while back. I
expect it can be done again."
"That was a fluke," Hypnose demanded. "The rest of the city is under my influence."
"What does that gain you?" Karis laughed. "It will never give you what you desire."
"What do you know of my desires? You know nothing about me," Hypnose insisted.
"What is there to know?" Karis laughed. "You're name is Dave. You're a terrible waiter. The only way you can impress a girl is by hypnotizing her."
"All lies!" Hypnose shouted as he stabbed his finger in her face. "I am Hypnose; I will no longer answer to any other name."
"How do you expect to control the entire city, when you can't even control yourself? You can't even take a joke," Karis scolded, tapping on his helmet. "I bet I could even get you to say, 'I free the entire city of my control.'"
"That makes no sense," Hypnose replied as he turned away and stomped in a circle. "Why would I ever say, 'I free the entire city of my control?’ It would never happen."
“I suppose you are right,” Karis muttered as she hung her head. “You are just too smart for me. I should just give up now.”
“Do you mean that?” Hypnose asked as he moved closer to Karis.
“Of course not,” she replied and she started laughing.
“Do not toy with me,” he demanded. “You will not be able to resist me much longer.”
“I almost feel sorry for you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Karis replied. "Did you get it?"
"We got it," Diz reported as he appeared behind Hypnose, "and it's already playing on all the major networks. This mess should be cleared up soon."
"There's still one thing I need," Karis insisted as she strode over to Hypnose.
"What are you two talking about?" he demanded. "I am in control of the city."
"You were in control of the city," Diz explained. "I had a small camera recording your conversation with my partner. When you made the statement about freeing the entire city, I grabbed the camera and started it playing on every station. Once I had some of the television people freed of your influence, they moved the process along nicely."
"That isn't possible," Hypnose bellowed. "I control this city. You must obey me or terrible things will happen to the people."
"That also isn't true," Karis explained. "Your power is broken, and I doubt that anyone will listen to you again."
"I have the helmet,” he demanded as he tapped on the helmet on his head. “That makes all the difference."
"Thanks for the reminder," Karis replied as she unstrapped the helmet from his head.
"What are you doing?" he screamed.
Karis didn't bother giving an answer. She took the helmet from his head and flew away. She pondered her options. She could lift up near the edge of the atmosphere and chuck the metal noggin cover into space, but she was thought about Mornigan on his space ship. She was tempted to sink it to the bottom of the sea, but that left open the possibility that someone would dive and find it some day. She was just about to take off when she remembered something that she had to do first.
She flew back with the helmet to the roof where Diz was still standing with Hypnose with a confused look on his face. She landed behind Hypnose and tapped him on the left shoulder. When he turned she slugged him in the jaw.
"Any ideas where I can find an active volcano," she asked Diz.
"I guess you could check in Hawaii," he shrugged.
"I'll meet you back home later, unless you want to spend some time on the beach," Karis suggested with a wink.
"I don't think we'll enjoy the sun as much as you think we will," Diz replied. "Let's meet back home."
Karis took off again and flew south west and across the country. She set her elevation far above the cloud level to avoid planes and sped through the skies at top speed. Several hours later she was flying over the island of Kilauea. She floated over the island’s volcano and enjoyed the view of the helmet melting into the magma.
Come down she felt Diz speak into her mind.
She settled down on the beach and found Diz waiting there for her.
"What are you doing here?" Karis asked as she took his hand.
"I got thinking that a stroll on the beach might be nice." Diz replied as he started leading her down the beach.
"What happened with Dave?"
"The police took him away, so hopefully we won't be hearing from him for a while,” he answered as they walked hand in hand.
"I'm glad to hear that," Karis commented. "He won't have that helmet to help him next time."
"Sounds like a good way to end the day."
"Do you think we should invite Gavin and Cacy to join us?"
"Maybe later."
Chapter 41
Sure Karis and the Diz were responsible for ending the influence of the man known as Hypnose, but again I ask you, where did this man come from? Surely there has to be some connection between all of the strange things that have been happening in the city. Doesn't it seem likely that these supposed heroes are a bigger threat than the enemies that they face? Is it just me, or are some of the thoughts from Hypnose starting to make a bit more sense?
I don't know what we can do about those two, but someone needs to come up with a plan, otherwise, we won't be ready when things start to go wrong. Someone out there needs to start working on a way to defend everyone. Maybe I'm the only one thinking about these things. Maybe everyone is thinking this way.
I know that even though he is freed from the influence of Hypnose, our fine Mayor still hasn't changed his position on Karis and the Diz. Perhaps his statements were not completely influenced by the metal-headed lunatic. Perhaps there will be something coming in the future that will give me and perhaps all of us a little piece of mind.
* * *
Gavin opened his eyes in a white, blank space that seemed familiar. He looked around for any landmarks, but he couldn't find anything besides the white that surrounded him. After searching for several minutes, he noticed a point off in the distance. It grew larger until it became a flying woman. As she got even closer, Gavin realized that it was Karis. She landed in front of him and took his hand.
"Sorry to interrupt your dreams," she said. "I thought it would be a good idea for us to talk."
"What's on your mind?" Gavin asked.
"I'm worried about the future. We just don't know enough about our situation."
"I feel the same way," he agreed. "So what are we supposed to do about it?"
"We need to talk to Xenia and find out what she's holding back from us. We also need to find Mornigan. I owe him for what he's tried to do to me."
"I won't argue with you on that count," Gavin replied. "We may not be the same person, but I remember that fall."
"It's just a good thing more people don't know about it," Karis mused. "I can hear all of the lame pick up attempts with the 'fell from heaven' line."
"We need to talk to Cacy and Diz about this too," Gavin insisted.
“I suppose you’re right,” Karis admitted. “Do you agree with me though?”
“We’re started as the same person,” Gavin explained, “and we experience the same things, but we are different beings now.”
The white shifted to black and then that black shifted to a moonlit beach. It was the same Hawaiian beach they had been walking on earlier that day, and they were there holding hands.
“I’m glad we shared this with you,” Karis sighed.
“I’m glad too,” Gavin answered. “Cacy and I had a great time.”
“I wish the four of us could spend time together,” Karis suggested as they continued to walk.
“Well, there is this place,” Gavin replied, gesturing at the world around them. “Who’s that ahead of us?”
Two figures were approaching down the beach in the opposite direction. They were also holding hands as they walked on the sand. Gavin thought that they were looking into a mirror before he realized that it was actually Cacy and Diz.
; “So you kids couldn’t resist interrupting our midnight stroll along the beach?” Diz joked.
“I believe that we were here first,” Karis insisted.
“We need to talk,” Gavin insisted ignoring the banter between Karis and Diz. “We need to know more.”
“We need to know what is going on with Xenia and Mornigan,” Cacy added.
“I want to know what’s got the Mayor on our case,” Diz joined. “Something is fishy about that guy, or I’m a turtle.”
“We still don’t know how to find Mornigan,” Karis answered, “and the Mayor may have to wait for a while, but there’s no reason we can’t talk to Xenia tomorrow morning.”
“There has to be more going on than she is telling us,” Diz insisted.
They were all about to suggest a bit of Dreamland adventure, but Gavin collapsed. His body convulsed twice and then his body became rigid. The other three gathered around him trying various methods to rouse him.
“The time has come,” Gavin intoned as his eyes opened.
“What time?” Cacy pleaded. “What is going on?”
“The time has come,” Gavin repeated as he closed his eyes and his body relaxed.
“Why are you all standing around me?” Gavin muttered as he rolled to his side and opened his eyes.
“You don’t remember falling down and mutturing a moment ago?” Diz asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gavin insisted as he forced himself to sit up.
“You fell to the ground and said something about ‘the time has come,’ a couple of times.” Cacy answered as she helped him to his feet. “What did that mean?”
“Let’s add it to our list of questions,” Karis suggested. “How are you feeling, Gavin?”
Chapter 42
Karis flew in the most random pattern that she could, but that didn’t help her to avoid every bullet that was fired at her from the ground. It seemed like every police officer in the city was below her sending a barrage of bullets in a futile attempt to bring her down from the sky. It was more of an annoyance than anything else since Karis was only trying to help the window washer that was about to fall due to a system malfunction.
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