Ferdie and The Seven: Book three: Fractals

by Larry Buenafe

  “I don’t think so. If the right question is asked, there are small reactions that will tip me off, and there’s no way they could avoid it. Like when the doctor hits your knee with that little hammer, your leg just automatically swings forward. It’s the same kind of thing. I’ll be able to tell.”

  “Ok, but dude, you remember that old sci fi movie, The Thing? The scene where they’re trying to figure out which one of their team is infected with the alien blood, and when they find him, he freaks out and eats the guy next to him? You get my point… if one of our supernaturals is the informant we may have a big fight on our hands. On your hands, really, because I’ll be in here. You’ll have to be really careful in how you do it. How about this: you go a little ways out into the desert, and take all the angels with you. Then, have two of them guard the one you’re… what do you call it? Probing? That sounds funny, like an old-school alien abduction scenario. Anyway, just rotate the three angels, two guarding while you probe. If you go through all three of them and none of them are it, then you go back and check Ling. She’s not really a big threat to the angels, so if it’s her they can handle it. If it’s not her, then Pasquale and Aunt Martha aren’t really a threat, so you probe them last. One thing we need to consider, though: what if it’s none of them?”

  Arnie ran his hand through his wavy brown hair and appeared for a moment to be meditating. “If it is none of us, then we must conclude that The Master may have some abilities that we are unable to defend against. Are there any other possibilities?”

  We ruminated quietly for a few moments. “You know what… I sure wish Gabriella was here. She’d know what to do…” For a moment I was unable to speak, and I did a few head taps, but I recovered pretty quickly. “I can’t think of anything, so let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it. I think it would make sense to do the alien mind probe thing before anything else. Come on, Arnie, like Aunt Martha says, let’s get out of this dump. Oh, sorry, no offense, Marsh. I mean Mr. Glowy.”

  “Ok, dude, get ready for some extreme haunting, Time-Flies-enhanced Marsh-dog style.”

  “Stop it, you’re scaring me. Marsh, I…” Suddenly I couldn’t say anything, and I began tapping my head in earnest.

  “I know, I know. Don’t worry about it, dude. One day we’ll be through with all this crap and then you’ll be complaining about being bored, reminiscing about the good old days when you did supernatural battle with evil wizards or whatever, and that will be totally good with me. See you later.”

  “Ok, I’m ready. Arnie, I still feel pretty weak, so I may need a little help.”

  Arnie smiled, took my hand, and we faded out of the in-between and into the sitting area just outside the door of our trusty RV.

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was no one outside the RV, and it was easy to see why. The sun was directly overhead, and the heat was unbearable; it had to be a hundred and fifteen degrees. I instantly felt woozy and had trouble catching my breath. Arnie noticed that I was struggling, and he rushed me into the air-conditioned RV. Inside at the kitchen table sat Ling, Denise, Aunt Martha, and Pasquale, all playing Gin Rummy as Rafael looked on, leaning against the kitchen sink. “Hey, are you guys having fun?” I croaked.

  They bolted to their feet, screaming, “FERDIE!” and rushed to get near. They stopped short when they realized that I was not in a condition for roughhousing, and instead used pats and rubs of my arms, face, and shoulders to express their surprise and joy.

  “Oh, Ferdie, our worry was large. Arnie, thank you for bringing him to us,” Ling choked out through tears.

  “Ferdie, take a seat, you look terrible. I mean, sorry, but you’ve been through quite a trial. Here, come on, sit down,” added Aunt Martha, as she guided me into a chair in the small living room of the RV.

  “We were afraid you weren’t going to make it,” murmured Denise, as she clutched my hand in both of hers. “I don’t know what we would have done, what I would have done. How do you feel?”

  I gave Denise and the rest of the group the best grin I could muster, and said, “I don’t feel too bad for being next to dead. Being in the in-between helped me recover, and Marsh and Arnie took good care of me, so I’m ready to go.”

  Rafael chuckled, and in his deep, booming voice, said, “That’s the spirit, Mr. Ferdie. The flesh may be weak at the moment, but the mind is more than willing, eh?” and he patted me gently on the head. That’s as good a lead-in as any to the alien mind probe discussion…

  “Ok, so I know I’m not looking too good, but The Others don’t care about that. They’re not going to wait for me to recover before they make their next move, so we have to get going. Arnie, Marsh and I have been talking, and I need you to hear me out. It’s no secret that The Master always seems to know what we’re going to do before we do it, and please, don’t take offense, but I think it has to be that one of us is informing him. I know you’re all going to say you would never do that, you’d die first. It could be that he’s using you and you don’t know it, or that you can’t resist it. Either way, I know how we can find out for sure, but it’s going to take your cooperation. I won’t make you do it, but if you let me go into your mind, I’ll be able to tell if it’s you. I’m sorry, guys, but we have to figure this out or he’s going to pick us all off one by one until no one is left, and then there’ll be no one to stop him, and even if he doesn’t succeed in his crazy plan to rule the universes, he will succeed in killing everyone. You see why we have to do this, don’t you? Do any of you have any other ideas that we could use instead?”

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to tell, friend Ferdie? Is there the chance that you could do it wrong?” asked Pasquale.

  “I guess there’s a chance, but I’m pretty confident it will work. And we don’t really have anything else to try at this point, unless one of you has come up with a different idea.”

  That brought on a few moments of quiet musing. “I don’t know, Ferdie, I think you have to do it, but I’m sure scared. Suppose it’s me? What happens then? Or whoever it is… what do we do?” asked Aunt Martha.

  “Well, here’s the plan: I take the three angels a little ways out into the desert. Two stand guard as I check the third. That way, if the one I’m checking turns out to be it and freaks out, the rest of us will be able to control that one. If it’s not the first one, we rotate until we get through all three. If it’s none of the angels, then we come back and check Ling. If it’s not Ling, we check Pasquale and Aunt Martha. I’m sorry, guys, I hope it’s none of you, even if it means we don’t find the answer we’re looking for, but I think we have to try. Are you in?”

  All their hands rose in unison. I knew I could count on them… they’re willing to sacrifice themselves if they have to… I need to make sure and let them know how I feel about them one of these days… still, this is totally scary… I need to do my best to hide how nervous I am… no head tapping, that would be a dead giveaway… if it’s one of the angels, and they decide to freak out, they could do a lot of damage… I need to be ready to project a force field to protect the rest of us just in case… wait, can I still do that? I haven’t tried since the Time Flies fixed my brain… I sure hope I can…

  “Ok, we might as well get started so we can handle what comes next. Let’s take two chairs so I can sit, because I don’t think I can stand that long, and one for whoever is on the hot seat. Ready?”

  We began walking due east into the scorching sand. We walked for about a quarter of a mile, by now sweating freely, and I didn’t think I could walk any further, so we stopped in the paltry shade of a Joshua tree. “So, who wants to go first?” I asked as I eased myself into one of the chairs, motioning for Arnie to place the other about ten yards away.

  “I’ll go first,” Arnie offered. “It’s not me, I can tell you that, but you have to check me too so that things are on the up-and-up, so this shouldn’t take long.”

  “Sounds good. Denise, you get on one side of Arnie, facing his profile, and Raffy, you get on th
e opposite side. Be ready to take him down if he makes any moves. Sorry Arnie, we have to be sure, right?”

  “Absolutely right. Let’s go.”

  Denise and Rafael adopted ready stances, and I went down the hall in my mind, finding Arnie’s door. “I’m going to peek into your mind, and when I do I’m going to ask you one simple question. The reaction I see will tell me what I need to know. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  “Denise, Raffy, ready?”

  They each nodded resolutely.

  “Ok, Arnie. Tell me why you have been helping The Others by reporting all our plans to them.”

  I could tell all three of the angels were briefly startled by my question. Now let’s see what happens… if I assume guilt and am only asking for clarification, it will cause a bit of a jolt to the mind, and I’ll see a little blue tint if there is even a moment of guiltiness, or remorse or shame… it’s a good thing I paid attention when Arnie had us do all those ride-alongs when he was a detective, and it’s a good thing I listened to everything Dr. Saresh ever told me… let’s see… no, he reacted, but there is a very slight green shade, not blue… it’s not him, that’s for sure, although I already knew that…

  A slow grin spread across Arnie’s face. “Very clever, Ferdie. You get a bigger reaction if there is an assumption of culpability, making it easier for you to tell a guilty reaction. So what did you see?”

  “Just exactly what I expected to see. Let’s change spots… Denise, you go next, ok?”

  Denise gazed in my direction, snapped with both hands, and said, “You got it, boss.”

  She lowered herself into the chair, and Arnie took up his position on her right side. “Ok, you guys know Denise is really strong, so if it’s her you better be ready.”

  “Never fear, Mr. Ferdie. We stand ready, willing, and able,” Rafael grunted, sweat pouring from his brow in the searing heat. Man, I’m glad I’m sitting down… starting to feel woozy… feels like we’re inside a microwave or something… we better get this over with before I pass out… the Time Flies must have done a good job, otherwise I would have passed out all ready…

  I went down the familiar hall in my mind once again, found Denise’s door, and cracked it open. “Ok, Denise, are you ready?”

  Denise snapped her fingers again and said, “Bring it on, Ferd.”

  She seems awful confident… either it’s definitely not her, or she is trying to disarm me… I hate to be so suspicious, I guess that’s the hypervigilance talking… there’s no way it’s her… is there? Just ask the question and get it over with…

  “Denise, have you been with The Master and The Others your whole life, or just more recently?”

  Whoa, she wasn’t ready for that… she thought I was going to give her the same question I gave Arnie… a bolt of orange color, but no blue at all… she’s clean, I knew she would be…

  “Not bad, Ferdie. Way to change it up. Did you see anything interesting in there?”

  “Not much, just some butterflies and birdies flying in a circle.”

  “Oh, very funny. I’ll pay you back for that one of these days.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Ok, how about you, Raffy?”

  He beamed broadly and in his booming, Caribbean-accented voice said, “At your service, Mr. Ferdie.”

  Denise took up Rafael’s spot, leaning forward slightly in anticipation. Does she know or suspect something, or does she just want to tackle someone? Hard to tell… Rafael settled into the seat, looking forward expectantly. This is so weird… I wish I didn’t have to do this… I wish none of this had ever happened… I shouldn’t be in this position, I’m not strong enough or smart enough… I know Gabriella would say to use creativity as my strength, and I don’t think anyone else is going to take my position, so I just have to trust her and keep going… somehow things will work out… I hope… ok, snap out of it, you’ve got a job to do…

  “Ready, Raffy?”

  “Of course, Mr….” at that moment, we heard shouting coming from the direction of the RV.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We turned in surprise, and in the distance we heard Ling and Aunt Martha calling for us to return. “Arnie, Raffy, go!” I barked, and they sprinted off toward the RV. “Denise, could you stay and help me get back? I’m not sure I can make it right now.”

  Denise hesitated, and it seemed clear that she wanted to run toward the RV along with the others. “Here, hop on!” she roared, pointing at her back.

  “I’m too big for you to carry piggyback!”

  She stared at me for a moment, with a ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ look, and said, “I’m an angel, remember? Come on!”

  “Ok, if you say so.” I climbed on her back, and she bolted toward the RV at a speed that I couldn’t have matched on my best day. “I bet we’re getting another message from The Master,” I whispered in her ear as she galloped.

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” she grunted.

  As we approached, we didn’t see any of the rest of the group, so we rushed inside. In the little bedroom at the rear of the RV, Arnie was holding Pasquale down as he thrashed about. Not again… poor Pasquale, we’ve got to get him out of here… The Master’s going to kill him eventually if we don’t…

  As I entered the room Pasquale stopped thrashing and turned to look me in the eye. “Ok, everyone, you can back away. He wants me.” As the rest of the group took a few steps back I shuffled forward, feeling faint from the exertion of the heat and my ongoing recovery, and sat on the bed next to Pasquale.

  “Well, well, well, I must say I am most surprised,” The Master began. “I really thought we had you this time, but I should have known better. How did you survive?”

  “What, that little tussle? I didn’t even get hurt. I thought you were stronger than that, but I guess I was wrong.”

  The Master’s laugh was low and guttural. “Really, Ferdie, you are a caution. I could listen to your cheekiness forever. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to join with me? We could make quite a team, you know. Unstoppable, that’s what we would be. Tell me truly, if you don’t mind, why aren’t you dead? Sorry, I realize that sounds a bit rude, but I ask it with all due respect.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “Ok, you got me pretty good, but it wasn’t you alone, was it? You had Lucky and Aida blasting me at the same time, and you still couldn’t kill me. It was a good trick, I’ll give you that much. Aida was a good actor. And I do mean was.”

  “Why, Ferdie, how do you know my pet name for my associate, the one you like to call The Coward?”

  “Aida told me. She told me a few other things too, and I know she was telling the truth. For example, she told me where you’re from. I knew you had an accent that was unusual, and it’s because I never met anyone from Iceland before. She also told me that you keep your group on the move, never staying anywhere long, because you don’t want me to locate you. That makes it sound like you’re scared, doesn’t it? No wonder you made such a desperate attempt on me.”

  “Oh my, it does appear that my former partner had loose lips. But really, resorting to insults? That is beneath you, Ferdie. And speaking of her, you should not have killed her. That is not proper behavior for the ultimate altruist, the boy who would save the world. She was useful in her way, but obviously expendable; otherwise I wouldn’t have sent her after you. And, backing up just a bit, you lost your most trusted ally, did you not? Poor Gabriella, and shame on you for putting her in that position. Your foolish gambit was the cause of her death; you certainly must admit that. Do you intend to kill your whole team by putting them in these dangerous positions? Oh, you pretend to care, you “love” your friends, and yet you put them out there to die painfully. I see through you, Ferdie, even if they don’t. Really, I know I am repeating myself here, but wouldn’t it be easier just to kill yourself? All your pain, all your suffering, all the killing, it would be over, but you just won’t do it, will you? That’s very selfish of you, I must say
. Well, be that as it may, let’s get back to Aida Fernandez… you have made a martyr out of her, I’ll have you know, and we are planning a little tribute to her soon. I’ll fill you in on the details when I know it will be too late for you to do anything about it. Sorry, that’s a dirty trick but let’s face it, we are in a bit of a war, and I, to be rather crass, am a dirty fellow. Nevertheless, I do feel I must apologize for underestimating you. I have to admit, regardless of your bravado, I don’t see how you are still standing. Please be assured, the next time we face one another, I will not make the same mistake. So, Ferdie, are you not going to make any attempts on me this time? You managed to get through to me during one of our previous conversations, although to little effect. Not up to it this time?”

  Relax, Ferdie… he took several shots at goading you into losing it… don’t take the bait…

  “Nah, I haven’t had lunch yet, and I don’t like to attack on an empty stomach. Hey, you know, I was wondering… did something bad happen to you when you were a little kid? I mean, I know you want to rule the universe, but you could do it without being cruel. You could just kill everyone quick and clean and have it done, but you like to see them suffer. I don’t know, it’s like most of all you enjoy forcing other people to kill. That seems like a mental illness… I bet you were abused or something, right?”

  The Master paused for a moment. Aah, struck a nerve! Following his brief hesitation, he chuckled. “Takes one to know one, eh? It would be interesting to compare notes, but I fear we will never have that chance. I suppose it’s just as well… run along and eat your lunch now, you need your strength. I’ll be killing you soon… oh, sorry, that just slipped out. I’ll be speaking with you soon. Oh, and Ferdie, do please stop that tapping on your head, it’s quite unbecoming.” And just like that, he was gone.