RB 01 Through Flesh & Bone

by Frederick S dela Cruz

  Crystal gave her permission. “As you wish. As long as we continue to get what we need, you can have your entertainment. What’s important is that I open up that rift for a long enough time, and that it’s large enough, and far enough, to let the Essence through, once their side is victorious in their realm.”

  From the shadows, the hooded man replied, “And so, you will have it.”

  Crystal turned and faced him. She watched him. Even though he stood in the darkness, she was able to read the slightest body movement, and the slightest facial gesture he made. She searched for anything that could reveal any possible thought or intent contrary to her designs.

  The silence was noticeably protracted.

  But her subject was unwavering, saying in his thoughts, I am as a mirror reflecting only her eyes.

  Finding nothing, Crystal turned away and asked curiously, “This bargain you have with the dark entity, are you pleased with what you receive in return for the bodies - the blood - you give me?”

  The hooded man answered softly, “For many years, in return for the deeds I perform for it, the entity has provided opportunities for me to wield control, manipulation, and…” he paused to savor the meaning of the next word, “…deception over humans, over my prey. That is what I seek, and such is what I desire. I have not lacked for anything.”

  However, there was one thing he withheld from her: long ago he had sought to be released from this bargain. But he had grown such a need for controlling others, through manipulation and deception, that it became sustenance to his spirit and essential to his existence. It had become a craving far stronger, and far more compelling, than his will to break their long-standing agreement. Thus, the bargain remained. But now, he sought a different way to end the bargain. Thinking to himself, he said, My ruse for the dark entity is in its initial stages, and it is a paramount goal for me. I must do it in order to be ultimately released from this bargain. Because both the entity and my twisted heart will not let me simply break it.

  After hearing both his calm heart and his eased breathing, she responded, “Then, enjoy this sport you wish to have from the fourth one.” Satisfied, Crystal turned and walked toward the spinning sphere. With each step, her form began to diffuse.

  Tiny particles of her body separated away, shimmering like diamond crystals. They floated in the air and wafted into a circular path, around the sphere. Soon, she was completely transformed into a gentle wave of small glittering crystals that wrapped around the spinning object.

  A moment later, the three entities were combined as one large glowing spinning sphere, communing with one another, as they hovered above the dusty, wooden floor.

  A stronger glow began to come from the sphere, and it extended throughout the fifth floor. As the brightness reached the hooded man, he tilted his head to shield his face from the light. Just as his face hid in darkness, so too were his thoughts hidden. She is not difficult to read, he said to himself, See, she is wavering in her trust - in her confidence in you. Take care to stay on the razor-thin path of your plans. Especially now that you have just deceived her - you have forced her to hunt.

  * * * * * * *

  Returning from the Montreme Hotel, the longhaired goateed man parked at the rear parking lot of his own D.C. hotel.

  He got out of the car, rounded back to its trunk, and examined the damaged area. The right corner was completely crunched in, exposing part of the rear wheel. The whole trunk collapsed and folded in, close to the rear seats.

  He shook his head, saying, “Wow. Poor rental.”

  Taking a moment to look around, he saw a couple walking away from him, hand in hand, about to turn the corner of the hotel, and head to the front entrance. Soon, he was completely alone.

  Quickly, he concentrated on the whole rear of the car. And just as quickly, it was made completely new.

  Turning to walk to the hotel, he smiled and nodded, “Who needs insurance when you’ve got the mojo?”

  He stopped and looked up to where his room was, on the ninth floor. Then, he thought, “If I was able to move that falling lady out of the air and onto that chair - alive, mind you - then can I do that to myself? Move myself around?”

  He began to walk again, and thinking out loud, he said, “But where do I go when I disappear? I was able to get her back because I was still here to get her back. Who’s gonna get me back? Do I get myself back? Maybe it’s instantaneous: I unmake myself, then remake myself - no delay.”

  After walking a few more steps, he continued, “Maybe I’ll try it. Take baby steps. Don’t go all-out at once, not like from down here to all the way up to the room. Baby steps, like moving a couple feet.” He warned himself, “But, gotta be careful, there’s a chance you could take yourself out for good.”

  A few minutes later, he entered his hotel room.

  Sitting down on a corner of the bed, he took a few deep breaths. Then, needing a rest, he made himself collapse down on it, and closed his eyes for several minutes, with his feet hanging off the edge of the bed.

  The markings on the woman’s wrists flashed in his mind. They were just like his.

  He didn’t know what to think about it, and certainly, it was no coincidence when seen in light of the events of the woman falling, the symbol burned into his left wrist, and him being led to save this woman. He said to himself, To what end are they? And why do they want me as a piece in this puzzle - in this thing the hooded guy called an epic game?

  While in his thoughts, he remained silent and still.

  But, then he shook his head. Not pleased with the situation he found himself within, he thought, I don’t think I wanna play this game for very long. I gotta start looking for my exit.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw something fluttering just above him. It circled and circled, and he could hear a low humming buzz coming from its translucent wings.

  He said out loud, “Hey, where have you been? You missed all the excitement.”

  The mantis stopped circling and rested on top of the television. His eyes followed it. He wasn’t ready to sit up yet.

  The mantis turned its body to face him. It fluttered its wings, and then folded them into its torso. Its two front legs were bent up and under its head, touching each other at the ends.

  He closed his eyes for another moment.

  When he opened them, the mantis was no longer on top of the television. He sat up on the bed and looked around.

  It had positioned itself on the doorknob, fluttering its wings while looking at him. Then, it flew back on top of the TV, looked at him, and then flew back on the doorknob.

  He kept his eyes on it, as it once again flew to the TV, and then back to the doorknob.

  Finally, he said, “Uh, Lassie…is that your way of telling me to follow you? Huh, boy?”

  He thought for a moment. “Wasn’t Lassie a girl?” Shaking his head, he said, “Whatever. You seem like a dude anyway. Right, boy?”

  The mantis made another round trip.

  “Ok. Ok. Here we go. I’ve got some energy left.”

  Actually, he felt fatigued. The incident at the Montreme had left him drained, substantially more than the first night when he first discovered his ability, and even more than when he saved his teenaged neighbor Allen. Nevertheless, he was feeling quite satisfied from saving the woman, especially because he did it in a way he had never dreamed he could do.

  He stood up and went to the door. As he reached for the doorknob, the mantis flew off of it. When the door opened, it flew into the hallway.

  “Ok, Lassie, old boy. I’m right behind ya. Git along, little dawgy!”

  They made their way into the elevator, down to the hotel lobby, and outside. It flew just above and in front of him, as they made their way down several streets and across several intersections. Soon, he could see the Capitol building in front of them. The mantis made its best straight line for it.

  At the Capitol, groups of tourists were exiting from the northwest corner of it. It was late in the day and tours we
re coming to an end. He continued to follow until he reached several steps away from that corner of the building. Then, he stopped. The mantis continued to a door near where more tourists exited.

  In a strong whisper, he said, “Hey. Hey! Hey, Lassie, I can’t go in there.”

  The mantis circled back to him and fluttered in front of his face.

  He waited, and then looked around, until the tourists dispersed. Folding his arms, he tried to pretend that he was enjoying the view of the National Mall in front of the Capitol.

  From the corner of his mouth, he whispered, “I can’t go in there. Not without a person who works for a Congressman, like these other guys did. And there’s security, guns, and big burly men. They become angry, bad, scary men if you break the rules.”

  The green insect flew to the door of the building, then back to him.

  He whispered sternly, “No can do! Me no follow. Bang, bang, I’m gone. Got that?”

  The mantis seemed persistent. It flew back to the door and landed on it. His eyes followed it, as he shook his head. Suddenly, it disappeared. It reappeared a second later. Again, it disappeared, and then reappeared.

  “Huh. Where’s it going?”

  The mantis disappeared again. He decided to sense the inside of the building. He saw the mantis, in a bathroom, at the corner of the building on the second floor.

  This time, instead of reappearing outside on the door, the mantis appeared fluttering in front of him.

  “Ah, I know what you want me to do. I just haven’t done it myself yet. I don’t know if it’ll work.”

  The insect continued to fly in front of his face.

  “Give me a minute, will ya?”

  It glided down and landed on the top of his shoe.

  As he began to walk further away from the Capitol, it stayed on his shoe. He tried to hide himself behind a cluster of trees. Looking down at the mantis, he acquiesced, “Fine. So much for starting with baby steps. If this doesn’t work, you’re gonna have to find yourself another playmate, Lassie-boy.”

  He began to concentrate on himself, and then on the bathroom area, inside the Capitol. But he interrupted himself and said, glancing down, “Uh, excuse me.”

  The mantis flew off of his shoe.

  “Thanks.”

  Once again he concentrated.

  He thought, Let’s try to make this instantaneous. Here we go…instantaneous.

  He took a deep breath and held it, but wasn’t sure if he really needed to.

  He disappeared.

  Instantly, he reappeared inside the second floor bathroom of the building.

  “Whoa.” His whisper echoed in the empty bathroom.

  Without moving, he looked around, panning his eyes.

  “I’m here.”

  Then, he ran to a mirror and quickly looked at himself, touching his head, hair, face, arms, chest, and legs.

  “I’m here!”

  He raised his arms and shuffled his feet. Trying to keep a low voice, he celebrated, “I’m not dead - success! And the crowd roars! Yeaaaaaaah!”

  While he celebrated, he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in his head. His cheer transformed into a cry of pain, “Oouuuuuch!”

  Squeezing his head between his hands, he blurted, “Brain freeze!”

  He stomped around aimlessly in the bathroom.

  Finally, the pain subsided, and he thought, Whoa. I probably missed a few brain cells. That stinks…I’ve probably lost them for good - because ya don’t know what ya don’t know. I better watch that next time. Looking around, he didn’t find the mantis. Hurriedly, he ran to stick his head out of the bathroom door. He saw no one in the hall, but the mantis was on the ceiling.

  His eyes followed the green insect as it flew down the hall passing the offices of U.S. Representatives. It stopped halfway down, resting on the door of one particular office.

  Not wanting to risk his footsteps being heard, he decided to try to transport himself again. Preparing himself, he keenly concentrated on every molecule of his body, making sure he wouldn’t miss anything.

  He disappeared.

  Appearing in front of the door, he intentionally stopped and froze solid, waiting for any pain. None came, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, looking at a plaque on the wall, beside the door, he read the name of the Representative: Morton Barlon, who, yet unknown to him, was the House Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

  His mind sensed and read the office space behind the door. There was a small greeting area, plus three small offices that connected to each other. There were two men inside one of the offices; its door was closed. He put himself inside the greeting area just behind that closed door.

  His heart began to pump quickly, and adrenaline circulated rapidly throughout his body. All of this was very exciting and new to him. Into the moment, he enjoyed the “cloak and dagger” exhilaration.

  He sensed the office once more. The mantis was already inside and upside-down, at one corner of the ceiling. There was a desk opposite the door. One man sat behind the desk, wearing a suit, and two men in military uniforms sat directly across from him. To the left of the desk was a two-door closet. One door was open, and within it, hung two coat jackets and a set of golf clubs that leaned behind and against the closed door. There was enough room for him to crouch inside.

  He moved himself into the closet, curling up next to the golf clubs, and listening to the conversation of the three men.

  The first uniformed man spoke. “Yes, from the last communique from our two operatives,” he said, as he lifted his hand and laid it down on top of two small photographs, sitting on top of a dossier. “It has gotten more dangerous for them.” He slowly pushed the dossier and photos toward the Congressman, indicating that the Congressman could retain them.

  The man was Captain Reese, from one of the four commands of USSTRATCOM: the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR). He continued, “The cell has evolved into a cluster of highly specialized satellites and has become a compact, efficient network. The network’s leader, Ibn Khali Jalel, is questioning everyone’s loyalty. One of the operatives indicates his security may be compromised.”

  Inside the closet, the longhaired man’s legs began to feel uncomfortable. One of his bent knees began to constrict the flow of blood to his foot, and the foot began to tingle.

  Congressman Barlon spoke, “So then, I understand that there’s also activity from the Russians that concerns you?”

  “Movement in the Pacific and Atlantic,” General Parsin replied. He was Commander of USSTRATCOM: United State Strategic Command. “Captain Reese can convey the details. We should remain cautious and vigilant.”

  The Captain followed, “Our operatives stated that coordination exists between the network and Russian military. We’ve recently discovered that the Russians are moving nuclear submarines into certain areas of both the Atlantic and Pacific, including a number of battle ships. However, they are informing us that these movements are part of scheduled military exercises that they are conducting. Taken alone, what the Russians are doing would probably not overly concern us. However, considering other circumstances, our ears have perked up.”

  “Yes. Because, on another front,” the General added, “The tennation Caliphate is beginning to move a handful of warships up the Suez Canal and into the Strait of Hormuz. As you know, these are strategic oil corridors. Whoever controls them controls the engines of industry and economy of the world. We are intently watching that situation, and it has certainly caught the close scrutiny of our counterparts in Israel.”

  While inside the closet, his tightly crouched position continued to constrict the blood flow to his foot, and now the pin pricks on his skin came furiously alive.

  As the Congressman furrowed his brows, Captain Reese added, “Remember that there’s a nuclear alliance between Russia and the Caliphate. The Russians had supplied them with the nuclear fuel rods both for their nuclear power plants and for fur
ther enriching uranium for weaponized intent.”

  The Captain glanced at General Parsin, and then back at Congressman Barlon. He continued, “And no one is any longer hiding the fact that the spent fuel rods, from the nuclear power plants, are being diverted for further enrichment.”

  The longhaired man could no longer bear the intense tingling in his foot. As he moved to shift his position, he bumped into the golf bag and rattled some clubs.

  All three men sat up, when they heard the rattling metal from within the closet. Captain Reese stood and walked to it. The room fell completely silent. Holding the knob of the closet door, the Captain pulled it open. Suddenly, the bag and clubs fell to the floor, creating a rattle of solid metal-on-metal, as they hit the ground.

  The longhaired man had transported himself outside the room, behind its door. With his face grimacing, he quickly, and repeatedly, flexed and extended his knee and wagged his sleeping foot in the air. After a few seconds, he stopped and listened once more, with his ear pressed against the door.

  Inside the room, the Captain picked up the clubs and leaned them against the corner of the closet. He walked back to his chair.

  While the Captain sat down, General Parsin further gave reasons for their heightened concern, “Our two operatives in Pakistan’s Parachinar mountain area have informed us that their leader had been dispatched there with tacit approval from the Northern Africa-Middle East Caliphate.” The General paused for a moment. He glanced down at the two photos on top of the dossier, and then looked back up at the Congressman, adding, “And Morton, to run this closer to a finish line for you, our operatives say some of the enriched nuclear fuel are making their way to their underground base.”

  Congressman Barlon responded, “Other than the obvious, what other ways would they be use for? Dirty bombs maybe?”