Petrichor

by R J Johnson

  She had no idea what she was going to do when she found Charles Halprin. The man had kidnapped her husband and she was going to kill him.

  Lorelei stared up at the expansive estate the Charles Halprin owned. It was huge, and sat up against the side of a mountain. She looked at it, fascinated by the excess. What possible use could a man have for thirty bedrooms?

  The place was a fortress. A remodeled twelfth century Austrian castle, Charles had modernized it into a palatial estate.

  Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the front lawn of the mansion. Lorelei shielded her eyes to see the man she’d battled in Berlin. The strange man strode confidently up the cement walk when he turned, sniffing the pre-dawn air.

  Lorelei crouched behind the boulder she was using for cover. Her stone told her that the man wouldn’t see her. The Earth would protect her.

  A pair of ATVs roared up and over a hill, approaching the man standing on the lawn. The security guards aimed a pair of rifles at him, calling out to Kline in Austrian.

  “Oh come on now…” Kline shouted into the wind. “Is it really so difficult to recognize your new God?”

  The man waved his arms and the rifles flew out of the bewildered security guard’s hands and landed a hundred yards away. Kline snapped his fingers again and the pistols ripped themselves free of their holsters flying far from the security guard’s reach.

  “I’m here for Halprin!” the man shouted. “Tell him Kline wishes to see him.”

  The security guard on the right raised a trembling hand slowly to the radio strapped to his shoulder. He nervously spoke into the receiver. A voice sounded back through the radio.

  “Mr. Halprin is on the estate but we are unable to reach him at the moment,” the guard called back weakly to Kline. “He doesn’t take any calls while hunting.”

  “Where?” Kline demanded.

  The security guard shrugged, “The last report we have say he was heading for the Lonely Peaks…”

  Kline smiled and Lorelei shuddered. Even from here Kline made him feel ill.

  “Which way?” Kline hissed. The security guard shrugged and vaguely pointed to one of the peaks above.

  Kline disappeared in a flash.

  Lorelei watched the security guards react to Kline’s sudden disappearance.

  She sat back and tried to think through what to do next.

  This man had abilities just like her – only different, and more powerful. Lorelei retrieved the stone she’d found in Iceland from her pocket and rubbed it with her thumb. She carefully considered what she’d been able to do with it so far.

  She’d been able to manipulate anything solid, she was even able to move through the earth with no more trouble than she would have swimming in her pool at home. What else was her stone capable of? She remembered how easy it’d been to summon the boulder over Kline’s head. She hadn’t even thought twice, it had been like a natural reflex, like the stone was helping her.

  Lorelei closed her eyes and embraced the feeling of total power it granted her. She breathed in and out, allowing the stone to show her the world as it was.

  She could sense every bit of matter around her and gasped in alarm. It was ALIVE. The earth was speaking to her in a language her puny human mind had no frame of reference for. But still, somehow she understood the possibilities and the potential around her. If she so choose, she could rip apart entire continents, build new valleys and mountains that reached the skies.

  She was beginning to understand the stone she’d found in Iceland and why the man in Berlin had been so keen to take it away. The more she practiced and the harder she tried, the more she was able to do. Everything up until this moment using this stone had been on instinct. But, now, he could feel the incredible power of the weapon he now held in his hands.

  But how could she use that power against a man with impossible strength and the ability to teleport at will? Plus, who knew what other tricks this man had up his sleeve?

  No, Lorelei decided. She needed to play this smart. Her priority was rescuing her husband. And if the documents she’d stolen from MARS Security Corp were any indication, Charles Halprin was the man responsible for her husband’s captivity. Right now, all that matter was Johan’s safety. Whatever business this strange man had with her would have to wait.

  Lorelei fingered the stone that granted her so much power. She began moving quickly through the brush. She may not have a stone that let her teleport wherever she needed, but she was still in good shape and could hike all night with a fifty pound rucksack if needed.

  All she had was the drive to see her husband again. And she knew that was far more powerful than any possible magic this Kline might have.

  At least, she hoped so.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Their flight to San Francisco had been delayed by a mechanical malfunction, so Emily and Christina were still sitting in the terminal waiting for the crew to get the all clear. Ash was busy screaming at the maintenance people on the phone. Emily lamented the fact that they’d spent so little time in Maui. It seemed almost a waste.

  But, after reading Alex’s black file and watching Scott rampaging his way through Los Angeles and Downtown San Francisco on CNN, it was clear the Government would need all the help they could get.

  All Emily wanted was for the killing to end. There’d been too many corpses stacking up around a man who could supposedly heal any injury with his stone. It was time for Alex to give up the stones and let someone with authority handle them.

  Perhaps then they might actually be able to do something about Kline.

  Christina slide into the seat next to her. She hadn’t been the biggest fan of Ash so far and had no reservations about voicing her displeasure with the idea of going along with him.

  “It’s not too late you know…” Christina whispered. “We could say that we couldn’t reach Alex, or that he ignored your request to meet…”

  “Chris, what else are we supposed to do?” Emily whispered back frantically. “You saw what Kline did to that building in Berlin. You saw what Scott did. These stones are far too powerful for any one man to hold, and that includes Alex!”

  “You can’t trust these G-men…” Christina said disdainfully.

  “Listen to you. You sound like a bad fifties serial,” Emily’s voice became a nasally high pitch, “‘Gonna get the bad guys, see?’ G-Men will never take me alive, see?’”

  It was Christina’s turn to roll her eyes, “Knock it off. You know what I mean…” she lowered her voice as Ash squeezed down the aisle heading for the pilot’s cabin. “Plus, that guy gives me the creeps…”

  “Everyone gives you the creeps,” Emily said, dismissing her friend’s concerns. She knew that this whole situation was getting out of control and no matter how many good intentions Alex had with his stones, it was time to hand them over to someone else.

  “Crew’s doing their final checks on our aircraft,” Ash called over to them. “Any luck on getting ahold of Alex yet?”

  “Not yet…” Emily called back. “But we didn’t exactly set up a time exactly when to call.” She fingered the iPhone that Alex had given her back at the airport and wondered exactly what he was doing at that moment.

  But there was no way to know. She’d left a dozen messages on the phone he’d bought as a companion to hers, but her phone had remained frustratingly silent. There’d been nothing to do but wait.

  She sat there, asking herself if Christina really was right. Alex had become so powerful over the last few days – it seemed hard to believe that Ash’s plan would go off without a hitch. The man from the government had assured her that the people he worked with were professionals and would be able to take Alex into custody without hurting him or damaging the stone.

  Christina shook her head, “I’ve got an idea…”

  “Oh great,” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “I can’t wait.”

  “Look,” Christina said. “You may trust this guy, and want to help him. But I don’t have to.”r />
  Emily felt her stomach drop. Of course. What right did she have to ask Christina to stay on this crazy ride? Especially after she just got done telling Alex the exact same thing.

  “Chris…”

  Christina held up a hand. “Relax. I just think it’s still a good idea to have someone down here looking for whatever star about to go supernova on us. We stick to the plan, it may pay off for us yet.”

  Emily frowned, and then nodded her head. “Makes sense.”

  Her friend nodded, her almond eyes, filling with tears. “I…”

  “You don’t have to say anything…” Emily said quickly. She moved forward to hug her friend. “Look, you were always better on the scope than I ever was anyway.”

  Christina wiped away the tears forming in her eye and smiled ruefully. “You’re just saying that.”

  “Probably…” Emily agreed. “But, I do think you’ve got a great point. We didn’t accomplish our mission. Find that star.”

  “Will do boss,” Christina said sitting up. “If it’s the last thing I do.”

  Emily shuddered. “That’s that kind of creepy shit someone says before they die.”

  “Let’s hope I don’t then…” Christina said, her left eyebrow arching up.

  Ash hung up the phone and Emily shot him a look. Ash began moving over to the pair as Emily turned back to her friend.

  “Go,” she urged. “I’ll handle Captain America over there.”

  Christina nodded, stood and started making her way down the short hallway where the entrance was located.

  “Where’s she going?” Ash asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “She’s going to stay behind and keep looking for that star we were telling you about.” Emily said. “Doesn’t seem fair to ask her to keep risking her life.”

  Ash’s face remained blank as he watched Christina head out the double doors and hail a cab.

  “She says anything…”

  “They’ll think she’s insane,” Emily said firmly. “Don’t worry about Christina. Once she has a project, that’s the only thing she cares about. Besides, we’re used to keeping our mouths shut. With all the work the ATA does with the DoD, we’re required to get Top Secret clearance. She’s someone you can trust. Our flight ready?” she asked this last question in the hopes of distracting the Colonel.

  Ash watched the cab pull away from the curb and spoke without looking at Emily. “We’re good to go. Waiting on us.”

  “Then let’s not waste any more time,” Emily said. “There’s no telling what kind of trouble they’re facing.”

  Ash turned and held out an arm, indicating after her. She moved to the Jetstream aircraft waiting for them out on the tarmac and wondered if she could really convince Alex to give up the stones to the Government.

  She hoped so. It might be the only thing that kept him alive.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  The afternoon fog had rolled in over the city which made it simple for them to retreat into the thick clouds covering the city. Scott had transformed Alex into an eagle and he’d taken his now customary parrot form as they flew over the bay, heading for Alcatraz. They needed to disappear and regroup after what happened and Alex could think of nowhere more appropriate than the prison on the water.

  They landed on the seawall separating the bay from the island. Scott and Alex transformed back into their human form.

  “Mind giving me a beard and sunglasses?” Alex requested. “Apparently my face is the number one story everywhere.”

  Scott waved his hand and Alex felt a scratchy beard erupt over his face. Dark aviator glasses covered his face. Alex removed them and looked at his reflection in the glasses. He nodded approvingly.

  “Not bad for a guy who’s only had the stone for a day and a half,” Alex commented. He held out his hand.

  Scott reluctantly dropped the stone into his friend’s hands shaking his head.

  “I swear to God Alex,” Scott said stammered, “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt…”

  “Other than JT Halprin…” Alex replied softly.

  Scott swallowed and looked down at the ground. He didn’t have a response to that.

  “I told you why I did what I did,” Scott said softly. “I know I’ll have to live with his death for the rest of my life…” Scott turned to him earnestly, “But I believe what I did was right. There was no other way for justice to be served. Not unless I claimed it…”

  Alex sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t tell you the rest of my story Scott.”

  Scott looked up in shock. Hearing your friend confess to killing in cold blood was shocking enough, what could possibly top that?

  “It was the last mission before I came home,” Alex began. He’d gone back and forth on whether he’d confess to this part of his life, but after watching his friend go down the rabbit hole, he knew he’d have to let him know someone else had been there before and survived.

  “We were on the outskirts of the Pakistan border searching for another Al Queda number two. What I didn’t know was that this particular asshole was hiding inside an old school. We didn’t have any intel on where he was hiding other than he kept moving between a few villages back and forth between the borders. We were instructed to go in hot. I had other ideas…”

  Alex swallowed as he thought about the baking desert heat he’d been in while waiting for his scout to return with news. His lips were beyond dried and cracked, and the last fresh water he’d tasted was a week behind him.

  Ash tapped him on the back and he looked at his friend who was holding a spotter’s scope. He lowered it, looking grim.

  “See anything?” Alex whispered. He’d been doing this for too long to know they were gonna have an easy mission.

  “Nothing useful,” Ash said shaking his head. He raised the mic to his radio to his lips. “Sancho five, what do you see?”

  “Sancho five, target area clear of tangos. None of the people getting off the bus match our boy,” the voice over the radio sounded tinny and far away, but confident enough. Wherever their target was, it wasn’t within the village.

  The reports of violence in this town had been low. Alex suspected that the Al Queda militants in the area did that on purpose in order to keep the American presence in the region minimal. This way, they could freely move in and out of the town.

  Unfortunately for Al Queda, the tribal chiefs had sold them out to Ash’s patrons. Intel said that the new number two would arrive shortly before dawn. They only had a few minutes remaining to get into position.

  Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t spotted anything that indicated where the number two was currently hiding. Supposedly he was coming in on the morning bus, which they were currently eyeballing from several hundred yards away up on the nearby mountain.

  “Roger that. Stay frosty and keep watch. We’ll let you know when we need you.” Ash said clicking the mic off.

  “I’m so glad we’ve invested all this time and money into these operations,” Alex said sarcastically. “It’s totally gonna get us over the top.”

  “Hey that’s ten million dollars more we have that we didn’t yesterday if we plug this asshole. With that bounty complete, we ought to have enough to take a decently sized payment to our patrons. There’s no reason to be so pessimistic,” Ash gently ribbed him. “Just one more mission and we’re set.”

  “There’s always one more mission,” Alex grumbled. He was through believing Ash. It was easier to just do the job and think about what he was going to get drunk on later that night. There wasn’t a whole lot else to do these days.

  Ash stood, staying low behind their cover. “Let’s get a closer look, come on.” He moved quickly down the path toward the village. Alex groaned, gathered his equipment up and followed his friend down the path.

  They moved quietly, approaching the village from the east. Below, a few villagers were beginning their pre-dawn rituals as they milked their goats and stoke the fires that would get them through the rest of the day.

&n
bsp; Ash’s fist shot up, telling Alex to stay where he was. Alex instantly crouched, and put a hand to his earpiece in case Ash needed to communicate something to him over the radio. Whatever his friend had seen, he couldn’t tell if they were in any danger or not.

  “The Bus has left the station,” Ash whispered over the radio, “and it’s heading toward the school.”

  Ash pointed to a broken down shack that sat off to the side of the main drag. Alex didn’t think the ramshackle building could be called a school, even on its best day.

  The ancient bus moved slowly until it reached the school. Alex saw the driver get out and move slowly to the side of the bus. After checking to see if anyone was watching, the driver quickly unhooked the side panel of the bus, opening up a hidden compartment.

  Two men exited the smuggler’s hidey-hole and staggered their way into the school. Ash immediately clicked his mic, “Sancho Five, tell me you got a bead on the two men who just exited the bus and into the school?”

  “That’s an affirm. Getting confirmation on target ident now.”

  Alex sidled up next to Ash, “What do we do if it turns out it is him?”

  “Then we blow that fucker back to the Stone Age and go home to collect our reward,” Ash said grimly. “That’s the mission Alex. It never changes.”

  “I meant how are we gonna end those assholes?” Alex said, sounding annoyed. He was getting real tired of Ash always treating him as if he had no idea what he was doing out here. Sure, when he first started working mercenary projects with Ash, it’d been out of necessity. Now, he wasn’t so sure. Not that he cared.

  Alex was just getting tired of being far from everything he’d ever known in his life. His choice to sign up with Ash felt like another life. All he wanted was to retire on a beach somewhere tropical.

  “Sancho one, that’s a positive ID on our target,” Sancho Five’s voice sounded over the radio.

  “Roger that,” Ash said. He clicked the radio off and looked down at Alex.

  “We’re in business, that’s our man,” Ash said. “You got the C4 ready?”