I glanced over at Denise, and I could tell that we were on the same wavelength. We really do have a special connection… partly due to Gabriella sharing her connection to me, and partly just because…
“It would be our great honor and privilege to have you join us. Sorry, I just sounded like I was in the military or something. Anyway, of course you can come with us. You’ll even get to go through the in-between. It’ll make you sick, but you‘ll get over it. You might even be paralyzed for a little bit, but it’ll pass before too long. Happens to everyone the first time.”
Dr. Reyes looked down, took off his glasses, and wiped his hands across his face. “I’m sorry, I’m not an emotional person, but this is an unusual situation, to put it mildly. Thank you, Ferdie, Denise. Now, let’s go and find that last member of The Seven.”
Chapter Twenty Six
Dr. Reyes led us to the computer lab at his usual faster-than-fast pace. His long, gray ponytail swished animatedly as he hustled down the halls, and in no time we were entering the main lab, then going through into the real computer lab, the one with a connection to the supercomputer at Cal Tech. “Ok, as I said the last time we did this, I have determined Marshall’s methods and I can now duplicate the process without needing for him to push the keys supernaturally. Oh, that sounds strange to hear coming out of my mouth, but I will get used to it. At any rate, give me a moment to make a quick call for access, and we can begin.”
He went through a door at the back of the lab, and returned a few minutes later. “Ok, all set. My contact at Cal Tech says things are shutting down over there as well, so we contacted him just in time. This whole thing is really unbelievable. Of course the breakdown of society was always a possibility, but to see it actually playing out… sorry, I was ruminating. Let’s get this done before it’s too late.”
After about ten minutes and a baffling series of keyboard maneuvers, the program ran. Strings of numbers filled the screen, scrolling rapidly, and once again I was struck by a kind of strange beauty in the math. After another fifteen minutes, a name, longitude, and latitude appeared:
Nixya Matapang
Latitude: 8° 00' 0.00" N
Longitude: 125° 00' 0.00" E
“Whoa, you did it! That seemed a lot easier than the last time,” I raved.
“Yes, we had additional points from which to extrapolate, so it was somewhat simpler. Still extremely complex, though. Let’s see if we can gather a little more information without risking a trip, shall we?”
Some more high-speed keyboarding ensued, and soon we had the information we needed on the screen. “Manalao, Philippines? I’ve never heard of that before… Nixya Matapang is… a five year old girl! There’s no way she would have any idea of her powers yet… we want to get a five year old girl involved in any of this, do we?”
Denise shook her head emphatically. “No way. It’s a bummer that we didn’t find someone who could help, but now we know. We just need to leave her alone, don’t even contact her angel. We don’t need to drag them into this. If she was adult, that would be different.”
“Totally. It’s disappointing that we didn’t get what we want, but now we don’t have to go looking anymore, all the players who could be involved in this war are already involved. That’s good information either way. Thanks Dr. Reyes, that was a huge help. Now we just have to get out of here.”
Dr. Reyes cleared his throat and said, “I have a suggestion. From your story I gleaned that your only mode of transport is a rather immense recreational vehicle. You could use another way to get around that is more rootless, peripatetic, yes?”
I looked at Denise and she returned my glance with a shrug of her shoulders that said to me ‘I don’t know what he’s saying either.’ “Uhh, Dr. Reyes, I love words, I truly do, but I don’t know that one.”
He expelled a barking laugh, and said, “Easier to get around in. I know you indicated that we could return to your spot in the desert through this nebulous construct called the in-between, after which I would be ailing and perhaps even in a fleeting form of paralysis. Although I would relish the experience of traveling in this way, I do not take pleasure in the thought of the illness it would cause, and I fear that, at least short-term, I would be a burden rather than of some utility to your, or I should say our, mission. Look, come with me, I’ll show you what I mean. Grab that box there, and those two over there. That’s all I really need. Shall we?”
We walked down the stairs, out the rear of the building, and into an underground parking structure. “I didn’t even know this was here,” Denise whispered as we descended.
“Not too many people do. It’s meant for professors with special clearance. Ah, here we go.”
We turned a corner and walked up to… a Tesla model X, the impressive falcon-wing doors opening as we approached. “It’s fully charged, plenty to get us from here to your spot in the desert,” he continued. “It’s not the largest SUV on the market, but it is likely the quickest, and unquestionably the quietest. So what do you think?”
“Well, I think it’s awesome! We could definitely use another way to travel. What will you do when the charge runs out, though?”
He gazed at me, a satisfied grin on his face. “I am rather resourceful, as you know. This is a marvelous piece of machinery, but the batteries, while excellent, are a limitation. Some colleagues and I have been working on a little side project, one involving graphene as a battery component. We have had some success in this endeavor, and I have replaced the battery pack with one of our design, and added additional batteries. The net result is that this vehicle will travel at freeway speeds for six hundred miles before needing a recharge. I also helped design and build a compact solar array using a foldable material, and when the car is at rest, I cover it with the material. The radiation from the sun is collected in this manner. On a sunny day, I can recharge it fully in forty five minutes, or to eighty percent in fifteen. We should be ok.”
Denise and I again stared at one another, dumbfounded. “Dr. Reyes, is there anything else you want to tell us?” asked Denise.
“Oh, just one other thing. Please, call me Terry. Let’s go.”
We didn’t have to be told twice. Denise hopped in the front and I climbed into the back, and the falcon-wing doors closed silently. Terry put the car in gear, and it leapt forward almost without a sound; we were pinned back in our seats as he sped up the exit ramp.
We were in for a wild ride. Terry stopped by his house to pick up some clothes, which mainly consisted of gym shorts and band t-shirts, some toiletries. Soon we were blasting down the freeway toward Tehachapi, and on into the Mojave Desert.
“Hey, Dr. Terry, there are some solar panels on top of the RV, it keeps the air conditioning working during the day. It’s pretty cool,” I offered.
“Yes, functional, but old tech. Did you know those same solar panels, the ones you see on homes now, was developed for NASA by Bell Laboratories in the nineteen fifties, and we’re still using essentially the same materials? Doesn’t that seem a bit old to you? There are better methods; the industries just won’t let them out because they are making too much money with the old. Unconscionable if you ask me. If we have enough time, I can make some improvements on the system while we’re out there.”
Denise turned and glanced back at me. “I sure hope we have enough time for that, but there’s a pretty good chance we won’t, right?”
“Aww, who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky. We got lucky with Dr. Terry, didn’t we?”
“Just Terry, Ferdie. I prefer that.”
“Ok, Dr… I mean Terry.”
We spent the rest of the ride talking about our next moves, and Terry had ideas we hadn’t thought of, so we had plenty to discuss. We seemed to arrive at the AstroBurger much faster than when we were in Ling’s little car. “Ahh, the AstroBurger. I love this place!” Terry gushed.
“You know the AstroBurger? It’s in the middle of nowhere.”
“Anyone who travels from Bakersfield to Las Vegas m
ust pass the AstroBurger, and I have made that trip more than a few times. Shall we stop?”
Denise and I waited in the car while Terry went in. He quickly returned with… three vanilla shakes.
We sped north until we reached the point where we turn into the desert. After bounding down the dirt path for about five miles, we came to our little hill to find that we had arrived ahead of the RV. It was midday, so we got out, Terry set up his solar cover, and we sat in the scanty shade of the Joshua trees. Although it was viciously hot, it felt good to just sit, to hold still for a while and clear my mind, and I think Terry and Denise were feeling it too. All of us knew that the pace would pick up considerably before too long.
Chapter Twenty Seven
We rested and sweated for a few hours, but eventually heard a big rumbling coming toward us. Soon the RV pulled around the side of the little hill, followed by a billowing cloud of dust. Man, I’m sure glad they made it… I was getting anxious… I didn’t tap my head at all though; maybe I’m getting better… yeah, right…
Arnie was the first to jump out, followed quickly by the rest of the group. We greeted one another and introduced Dr. Reyes, and filled them in on our failed quest to get help from the last member of The Seven. “It is just the same, Mr. Ferdie. We have Mr. Terry here to assist us, and that will be to our advantage, yes?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Raffy. And just wait until you get a look at his car.”
Terry smiled and shuffled over to the car, removing the solar cover. The group approached, oohing and aahing enviously. When everyone was done fawning over the model X, Aunt Martha said, “Let’s get inside. It’s just a tad bit warm out here.”
As we hustled into the RV, Terry told Aunt Martha his idea of improving the solar system, and she was all ears. “Oh, do tell, Terry. I like your ponytail, by the way.”
Of course, the jovial mood could not last long. “Have you guys heard about the YouTube video?”
“Oh, yes, it’s been all over the radio. ‘Superhuman beings slaughter residents!’ and similar statements have been flying out of the speakers. It’s like the things you used to laugh at in the tabloids have come to life. The only thing that would have been more tabloid-y is if the massacre was done by Bigfoot and one of those aliens with the really big heads,” replied Aunt Martha.
“The Others are going to speed up their attacks now; they have no reason not to. Especially if they think we’re going to be running around the world trying to stop them as they pop up, partly because that will keep us too busy to focus on them, and partly because to the rest of the world it will continue to look like we’re causing the massacres.”
Terry raised his hand for attention. “Excuse me if this is rude, but don’t any of you have a smart phone? It seems like you’re relying on pretty low-tech ways of gathering information.”
Arnie offered an answer. “We determined that The Others were somehow able to track our movements through cell phone communications, so we turned them all off. I suppose we haven’t really thought of it since, and of course the fallacy is that they can, and have, been tracking us anyway.”
Ohh, that reminds me… I have to check Aunt Martha and Rafael before I do anything else… might as well check Dr… Terry while I’m at it… let’s get this over with…
“Umm… speaking of that, you guys remember that I was checking all of you to make sure it wasn’t you who was relaying info to The Master. We managed to clear him out of Pasquale’s head, but I never did check you, Aunt Martha and Raffy. He could have set more than one of us up to gather info, so I still need to check you, and we need to get this done fast so that we can move on to the next step. Sorry, but we have to do it, and since Terry is here, I should check him too.”
There were murmurs of consent, and we quickly took a couple of chairs outside and marched about a hundred yards out into the desert, Aunt Martha volunteering to go first. She sat in one chair, and I sat facing her, Arnie on her left and Denise on her right. “I know it’s not you, but we have to be fair and check everyone. Are you ready?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
I went down the hall in my mind, found her door, and peeked in. “Ok, Aunt Martha. Tell me where The Master is when you report our movements to him.”
Like the others, there was a momentary jolt of confusion, and in her mind I could see a pale tint of… I guess it would be called lavender, and there was no hint of blue at all. “I knew we wouldn’t find anything. You’re clean.”
“Well of course I am, I bathe regularly. Shall I send out the next victim, I mean subject?”
You are the coolest aunt who ever lived… I’ll tell you that one of these days… “That would be perfect. Thanks, Aunt Martha.”
She scurried off, and Terry soon arrived. We repeated the process, again with no result. “I didn’t think there would be anything there, but we just have to be sure,” I explained.
“Oh, it’s quite alright. I hold you blameless. Plus, the process was fascinating. I could feel you in there… it was very slight, and perhaps it was partly the power of suggestion… I’ll need to think on it.”
He headed back to the RV, and a moment later, there was Rafael. He’s the last one… I hope it’s not him… if it is, we may have a fight on our hands… I better be ready to control him, and protect myself…
“I’m going to go into your mind and check you out. This will be a new experience for you, since no one else can do it. At least, as far as we know. Any questions?”
He grinned broadly, and in his deep, booming voice, said, “My only question, Mr. Ferdie, is how did you amass these unprecedented abilities? It really is a mystery. Well, no time like the present, yes?”
I peeked in, and asked, “Rafael, when did you first begin reporting on us to The Master?”
Unlike all the others, he laughed uproariously at that. “What a great strategy! Act as if it is true, and if it is, you will know instantly; very good, Mr. Ferdie. I feel you in there, by the way. Quite a strange sensation. What do you see?”
Red. Bright, startling red. No one else had such a saturation of color… maybe because he’s laughing… no blue, though, that’s for sure… it would be obvious if there was…
“Thanks, Raffy. We’re good, and we’re done.”
“Oh, no, thank you, Mr. Ferdie. Perhaps you could tell my fortune next?” Then he guffawed heartily, slapping himself on the knee.
“Let’s get out of this heat. Back to the RV.”
We trudged back, and found the remainder of the group looking totally downcast. “There has been another attack. We have known they would to be more fast, and now it has begin… no, begun,” Ling croaked, a tear falling down her cheek.
“Oh no… what happened?”
Terry held up his cell phone. “Normally I probably couldn’t get service out here, but I set up an antenna with a small booster that pulls in signals almost anywhere. Look at this.”
The scene was totally reminiscent of Artesia, only this time… there were no superhumans there to stop them as they slaughtered one another. “Oh, turn it off, please. Where is this?” I asked, tapping my head furiously.
“It’s Panama. From reports, it appears to be throughout the country, thousands of people.”
Oh, crap… what am I going to do? We could go there, but this pattern is just going to continue… I have to go talk to Marsh…
“I’ll be right back,” I managed to choke out, and bolted into the in-between.
‘Dude, it’s going down now. You can’t wait any more; you got to call him out, right now. If you don’t do it soon, there won’t be any method to communicate, because even now the TV stations are shutting down in some places, and it won’t be long before the rest of them follow. You did a good thing, bringing Dr. Reyes here. He might have some contacts who can help. He knows people everywhere, and lots of them owe him favors. He’s in deeper than it might seem. That’s your best bet right now. If you do get in front of the cameras, don’t hold back. Get him to come out he
re in the desert, on our turf. He’ll do it; he won’t be able to resist the public challenge. Get going!”
I wiped my face with my sleeve, and said, “This is it, right?”
“You got that right. This is it. Time to make him pay.”
Chapter Twenty Eight
As I slipped back out of the in-between, Terry said, “Ferdie, I have an idea. I think this could help you accomplish your goal of communicating with both The Master and the rest of the world.”
Whoa, right on cue… it’s almost as if he was listening to Marsh-dog and me… maybe it’s just like that old saying, ‘great minds think alike’…
“I was just going to ask you if you had any way to help. What can you do?”
“Don’t tell anyone this, but I have a few friends who are rather skilled at hacking. I am as well, but before now I couldn’t risk it due to my legitimate position as a college professor. Still, I maintain contact with these hackers; we were college friends and fellow über-nerds, you might say. It may be possible for them to hack into the major networks and get us a couple of minutes before we get shut down. You can even use my iPhone as a camera, it should do nicely. It’s the latest model. Very nice, although I have made a few small improvements. I would suggest that you go to a major hub of communications to do it, though… the impact will be greater, and you will be more likely to get the attention of others with cameras. Do something supernatural while you’re there to get their attention. The whole world will know in short order.”
“Wow. Thanks, Dr… I mean Terry. I didn’t know how I was going to do any of that. I figured I would just go somewhere with lots of people and make a big ruckus until they came out with the TV cameras.”
“Well, I suppose that would work too. I think my method might be faster, though. Give me a few minutes to make some calls, and we’ll get this going.”
Ferdie and The Seven: Book three: Fractals Page 19