Petrichor

by R J Johnson

  The water became cloudy and he lost sight of her.

  Lorelei swam up above Kline looking down on him realizing that as magical as this man had appeared to be at first, he couldn’t breathe underwater. Kline figured this out as well and he appeared outside the water drop, gasping for air.

  The bubble of water fell apart and Lorelei stood in the middle, staring at Kline.

  “You little bitch!” Kline hissed.

  She waved her hand and nodded, smiling at his feet. He glanced down. Instead of a bubble of water protecting her, the water was beginning to gather around his feet. He looked back up and realized what she was doing. He screamed, trying to disappear away from the water gathering around his body.

  But every time he phased out, the water phased out with him. He was touching it and everything he touched teleported along with him.

  Including the water that was now drowning him slowly.

  He fell to his knees as he involuntarily swallowed a huge gulp of water. He thrashed around fruitlessly on the ground trying to escape this damned trap. He was dying. All his power, all the stones he held were useless.

  Or were they?

  Kline desperately felt for the new stone he’d confiscated from the woman’s husband. Throwing stones at her hadn’t worked, but what if he used it another way? She had been able to turn a man into stone from afar, why couldn’t he?

  He concentrated on the woman laughing at him outside the water bubble he was stuck in. His brow furrowed as he reached out, aiming his will toward the woman’s feet.

  Slowly, but surely, the woman’s foot changed into stone. Lorelei felt her feet begin to harden and she screamed. The granite was beginning to crawl its way up her calves and into her body and felt like the worst muscle cramp she’d ever experienced.

  She concentrated harder on the amount of water she summoned to surround the billionaire killing her. It was a race. Someone had to win.

  But the longer she stood watching the shaking hand of Rupert Kline as he drowned within her trap, the faster the granite infection was spreading around her body.

  Lorelei thought about what the Old Man had shown her. She wondered if the planet would still die without her or if there would be someone else to take up the mantle.

  She certainly hoped so.

  She thought about her husband and the first time they met. How his smile had literally melted her into a puddle of useless words. And how happy they had been. How little time they’d actually had. How even when she was mad at him, she still impossibly in love with the man.

  And how she’d miss their time together.

  That was the last thought that went through her mind as Kline’s sorcery finished its job and her entire body turned to stone.

  The water bubble coalescing around Kline collapsed and hundreds of thousands of gallons began flooding the green lawn on the Austrian estate.

  Kline stood, trying to get his footing while the estate flooded, gasping for air. He crawled toward the woman on his hands and knees, puking up water and coughing.

  He leaned against the new gargoyle he’d created as he rested for a moment. Looking up, he saw a stone hand holding the water stone out as if it were a pistol she were aiming at his heart.

  Kline heaved himself up and broke the woman’s granite fingers off that still clutched the stone. As he broke away the extra pieces of granite finger away from his new prize, he looked at the woman’s face. It was serene, peaceful even and her gaze was directed down not at where Kline nearly died, but rather where her husband had fallen trying to save her life.

  He rose to his feet, and in a flash disappeared, leaving the pair in peace.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Alex sat in the small interrogation room staring at the white desk. He was handcuffed and for the first time in a week, without the precious healing stone his father had given him. He’d never felt so exposed and vulnerable in his life.

  And now to be confronted by Ash, just when he was about to save the world – it all felt like the last week or so of his life had all been for nothing.

  The door to his room opened and Ash stood in the doorway for a moment examining him. Alex didn’t look up. He knew who was there.

  “You look good for a dead man,” Ash commented finally as he stepped into the room. “At least you finally shaved that gawdawful goatee.”

  “You still look like shit,” Alex replied, still refusing to look at Ash.

  Ash reached up and disconnected the camera monitoring the room. “There, now we can speak with a little privacy.”

  Ash settled into the seat across from Alex and sat there staring at him for a moment.

  “You know,” Ash said finally. “For the longest time, I was mad at you for stealing our money.” Ash paused, examining the cheap painting on the wall for a moment. His eyes settled back on Alex, “But I had to respect the audacity of it. That was when I knew the student had become the teacher.”

  “If you think I’m going to reveal where I’ve hidden the money, you’ve got another thing coming. That money belongs to the people, to the vets of that war. Not some private contractor that paid you off.” Alex said firmly.

  Ash chuckled, “You think I care about that money anymore?” he shrugged. “Maybe once upon a time I would’ve flayed you alive to get it back. Now…”

  He pulled out Alex’s necklace and threw it on the table between them. It lay just out of reach of Alex’s hands.

  “It’s amazing,” Ash commented. “Of all the people in the world, you had to be the one to find a stone? I should be surprised, but for some reason I’m not.”

  He paused, spinning the stone around on the table in front of them. “Despite twenty years of unofficial searching by the US government and well over a billion dollars in secret funding, you had the stone the whole time.”

  Alex refused to look up or be baited by the man. He’d seen Ash pull this nice guy act more than once. He wasn’t about to buy it.

  Ash stared at him for a moment and shook his head, “We’ve been friends…”

  “We’re not friends,” Alex replied instantly, finally looking up at Ash.

  “We’ve been friends,” Ash continued as if Alex hadn’t interrupted him, “for nearly ten years now and to be honest, I never figured on things ending this way. Hell, you were supposed to be by my side for the whole thing. But now…” Ash stood. “Now there will be no trial and no hope for you. You are heading for the deepest hole in Guantanamo my friend. But don’t despair, your friends Emily, Christina and when we find him, Scott will be joining you as well.”

  Ash stood up straight and smiled, the light in the room creating a dark shadow falling across his face. “It’s been good catching up. I’d say we’d have to do this again soon, but, I’m betting you won’t ever see daylight again in your life.”

  He exited and closed the door behind him leaving Alex to scream in frustration.

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  The organization Colonel Ash apparently worked for was incredibly efficient. As soon as Emily got on the flight with the Colonel, Christina had received word that she had been given the authority to take over the entire telescope.

  Her plans made for the next week, she decided to take the night to celebrate. After all, how many opportunities would she have for a quiet drink to herself after tonight? When, or if, she found something, or the government captured Alex, that would likely open up a can of worms unlike anything seen before on the planet.

  There had been too much media coverage of the incidents in Downtown San Diego, Los Angeles. People were going to want answers and Christina would be one of the few who had any. Christina watched with disinterest as the news crawl on the hotel bar reported that Scott’s dragon had been spotted once again above the skies of San Francisco.

  Alex’s hijinks over the last few days was just too much for the government to cover up. Sooner or later, they’d have to admit these stones had come from an alien world and granted those who held them powers straight out of a c
omic book.

  Fortunately for Christina, she still had a few moments to herself. The bar she found herself in was nearly empty. Midnight on a Sunday did not do big business for them apparently.

  She sidled up to the bar, and crossed her legs, letting the long black dress fall naturally across her legs. She tossed her dark hair behind her ear and ordered a chardonnay. After being on the run for the last few days, the opportunity to take a long relaxing shower had been too tempting to pass up. That and a nice drink or two at the hotel bar would also go a long way toward helping her forget she’d been through the wringer.

  “On holiday?” A tall brunette man with a solid chest and broad shoulders asked. She glanced up at him.

  “What a guess…” she said sarcastically. Christina turned her attention back to her drink. The man chuckled and tried again.

  “Sorry, you’ll have to forgive my lack of game. It’s late and…”

  “You’re looking for someone dumb enough to say yes,” Christina finished for him. All she wanted was to drink her drink in peace.

  “I’d like to think if I were after something like that, I could find a better place to troll for women than this hotel bar,” the man said indicating the rest of the patrons. One was an elderly man staring into his drink and the other was a woman who was furiously chain smoking and screaming at a soccer match on TV. “Hard to find a beautiful woman to talk to around here.”

  “I can’t imagine we’re all that rare on this island,” she answered.

  “Well, that’s the best line I had… you’re not going to judge me for that are you?” he asked with a confident smile.

  It’d been awhile since Christina had even thought about dating. Growing up in high school, dating hadn’t been a priority. That attitude had continued through college, grad school and her career. It wasn’t as if she didn’t go on dates – quite the opposite. She’d just never been much for picking up guys in bars.

  But, if the world was truly coming to an end, then one sweaty night shouldn’t make a difference.

  “It isn’t as if I had any better offers incoming,” she responded, allowing a flirty edge appear in her voice.

  He took the hint and sat down next to her, extending a hand out to her, “John.”

  “Christina…” The name was out of her mouth before she had a chance to correct herself. But, then again, what did it matter? They had the Feds backing them up now. She hadn’t broken any laws. What did it matter if she gave the man her real name?

  “It’s nice to meet you Christina,” John said. His hand was warm, and the grip was strong. He radiated confidence and there was no doubt there was an attraction. His accent had a bit of southern hospitality to it and she shrugged. He seemed harmless enough.

  “Please,” she indicated that he take the bar stool next to her. She picked up her glass with her left hand making sure her ring finger was prominently displayed for the stranger lest he have any other ideas about their encounter. Depending on the type of interaction, she’d resort to more direct methods to let him know she interested in him like that.

  “You’re not married, huh?” he asked with a slightly embarrassed grin on his face.

  “Oh,” she said. “No, this is my camouflage to see if the creeps will still hit on me.”

  He looked embarrassed and she grinned. “If I wanted you gone, you’d be gone. Besides, by the looks of this room, it ain’t exactly as if we have a lot of options.”

  “I think I’d prefer a bit of stimulating conversation with a pretty lady and no hope of romance over secondhand cancer or a bleak look into my future.”

  She smiled and nodded. He pulled a stool out from the bar and kept a respectable distance from her. The bartender approached him looking for an order.

  “Do you have any Rakia?” the man asked. The bartender nodded and retrieved a bottle. Pouring the drink, he set it in front of the man and retreated. Lorelei look on with mild interest at the man’s drink.

  “What’d you get?”

  “Rakia,” he held it out for her to inspect. “It’s fermented from fruit like plums and cherries.”

  She sniffed it cautiously and pulled her head back nodding. “It’s sweet.”

  He sipped it carefully and nodded. “I picked up a taste for it when I was traveling through the Balkans.”

  “A worldly man,” she said. “What were you doing there?”

  “I’m in computer chips. We were looking into opening a new factory there,” he shrugged. “Turns out the only thing I got out of that trip was a new favorite brand of drink.”

  “Sounds well worth it then.”

  He grinned and toasted her. She clinked her glass against his and she sipped, studying the man sitting opposite.

  He had an ease about him but there was something off about his attitude. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it felt like he was playing at being nonchalant. He was on edge, but she shrugged it off. She was a beautiful woman. Plenty of men had been intimidated by her in the past.

  “What do you do?” he asked, taking another sip of his liquor.

  “I’m working with the university on the telescope on Haleakulah. We look for signs of life around the universe.”

  He snorted, “That’s still a thing?”

  She was used to this reaction. People didn’t like to think about how the rest of the world wasn’t as civilized as they were used to. There was still plenty of wrongs left in the world. But people also had their own problems to worry about. They didn’t have much time to think about the stars above. How could that pay their bills?

  “Very much so,” she said, looking at him directly in the eye. It wasn’t confrontational. It was more of ‘This is who I am. Take it or leave it.’

  “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to…”

  She waved his apology off. “It’s all right. Most people don’t really think of aliens as anything other than the bad guys in the latest Hollywood blockbuster.”

  “And your organization spends money listening to static why exactly…?”

  Christina took another sip of her chardonnay, “It’s better than digging ditches.”

  “Sounds like a boring job.”

  “You have no idea,” she said, thinking about the last few days. It was then she felt incredibly tired. Maybe tonight was not the night for a hookup. She checked her watch. It was late and she had an early start. If she was going to find that star that was going to rain death down upon them, she had a lot of sky to look at.

  “Your organization must be fairly well off if you can stay at a place like this,” he said. His piercing blue eyes had stopped roaming the room and were now fixed upon her. She swallowed and looked around. Everyone else in the bad had disappeared.

  “Privileges of being a trust fund baby,” she finished her drink and grabbed her purse, putting her phone back in. “It’s been nice, but I have an early start…”

  “Ahh, what a shame. And here we were, just getting to know each other,” the man said gently. He made no move to get up, but his eyes followed her.

  She stood and felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over her. The man stood and grasped her arm tightly. So tight that she nearly cried out.

  “What are you doing…?” she began, her words falling out of her mouth stupidly.

  “Are you all right ma’am?” he said in a loud voice. She shook her head and tried to move, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “Let’s get you back to your room Miss…” he said once again and pulled her tight into him.

  Unable to resist, she felt her mind slowly shutting down as the images around her swirled into confusion. She tried to concentrate on what was happening, but she found it impossible.

  The gentle man who’d introduced himself at the bar was not so gently now pulling her with him and she found herself unable to resist as he pushed her into a waiting cab. Her head was swimming and the street lamps were a blurry mess. Her vision wasn’t cooperating. She nearly managed to pull herself back out of the cab, but at the l
ast second she heard the door close and lock. Then, Christina felt a sharp pinch just above her elbow and she cried out in alarm.

  The man withdrew a needle from her arm and watched her slump over in the luxurious leather seat.

  The man stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him. He moved to the driver’s seat, opening it and getting inside quickly. Closing the door behind him, he glanced back at his cargo who was sleeping peacefully, slumped over. She would be out for the next six hours at least. The sedative was a powerful one and had never let him down before.

  He looked at Christina’s clutch and pulled out her cell phone. Pulling the SIM card out, he turned the phone completely off and threw it into the gutter. It clattered against the cobblestones and fell into a nearby sewer.

  He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the display, sending a text message. As he waited for a reply, he watched the street for anyone who might have seen him exit with Christina. Seeing no one, he felt a bit better about this operation. The mysterious bundle of fifty thousand dollars was far more than he was used to getting for his pickups. This woman was apparently a special case and would fetch top dollar.

  His phone beeped and he looked at the address where to drop her off. It wasn’t far. There, he’d leave the car, lock the doors and pick up his payment. Less than an hour from now he was scheduled to depart Maui for India where he would run a similar con for another client. Unfortunately, the next job wouldn’t pay as much as this one, but this new employer promised him plenty of work. If he played his cards right, he might retire from a little earlier than expected.

  Putting the car into gear, he pulled away from the five star hotel, certain he’d left no witnesses behind.

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Scott hadn’t expected to ever hold the shapeshifting stone ever again after stealing it from Alex, but once his friend had pushed it back into his hand and told him to keep it safe, he knew he had regained some of his friend’s trust. From there, it was easy enough to shift into an innocent looking ten year old boy. The FBI agents who had been searching every tourist on the island barely even gave Scott a second glance when they waved him through to get back on the ferry.