PuristLove
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2000
- Messages
- 1,694
Moderators: ) Please delete my two previous chapters so I don't take up too much server space. I'm posting this entire chapter. It is quite long, but I'm really proud of some of the stuff at the end, and it wouldn't make any sense if I clipped any of it. Enjoy!!!!
Chapter 3
"We're being pursued," Z's voice was urgent, "Listen carefully. I've tried to encode this, hopefully they can't hear anything. They spotted us getting into my car and we won't be able to come pick you up. You'll never find the leaving place on your own so go to Doper's Park and meet us at the big fountain. The one near the parking garage.
In my room you'll find a box under my bed. Take the credit stick and ID out of it. Use those for the Metro. Get there as quickly as you can. You have no time to lose."
The screen went blank. David was stunned for a moment but already on his feet. The box wasn't under the bed in Z's room.
"Crystal? Where is this box he was talking about?"
"Right here Master David," A panel of the wall flashed brightly, lit by some source of light hidden behind it. "He moved it the last time he got drunk."
David went over to it. The panel slid away from the wall easily. Inside the box there was a credit stick which he placed in his pocket. The ID was fashioned to look identical to the official ones, however, it was designed to be removable. Only on close inspection would it be possible to tell the difference. David hoped it would scan correctly.
He put on the hat that Z had given him, tucking his hair into it. His long, black hair was one of his more noticeable features.
David was lucky. There was no one on the lift. That rarely happened, but it was late at night. People went inside much earlier in the worse neighborhoods. He lit a cigarette as he waited on the Metro. Glancing inside his pack, he realized that there were only two left after he finished this one. He didn't have any credits to purchase more with, and realized he had to be conservative. Although nicotine had been outlawed, the herbal blend was still moderately addictive.
A Metro came and left. It wasn't the one he was waiting for. David looked up and cursed. The buildings security guard was making his way over.
"Got a smoke I could borrow from you?" The guard asked when he got within about ten yards.
David turned his back. He couldn't let the guard see his face. "Sure," he fumbled inside his pack, "Here you go." He reached behind him with the cigarette.
"Hey, be careful out there buddy. They say there's some kind of fugitive running around. Killed some people in the SkyLounge or something."
"I hadn't heard that he had killed anybody," David couldn't believe how fast the rumors had already become outright lies.
"Yeah. The police came for him and he just went psychotic up there. Pulled out a gun and just started shooting the place up."
"Well I'll watch my back then. Thanks for the warning," David's hoped he would go away.
"No problem," said the guard, "Thanks for the smoke."
"No problem."
The guard ambled away. A Metro approached. David read its destination sign and stepped forward to board.
The guard turned around to say something else. David was forced to partially face him in order to get on.
The guard paused a moment and then recognized him. He froze, then shouted, "Hey! Hey stop! Your him!"
David stepped onto the Metro. He shoved the credit-stick in the computer's scanner. The guard began running to catch up.
The scanner's light turned green. David made his way to a seat. The guard ran alongside the Metro, "Somebody stop him, that's the fugitive," he shouted but no one heard.
"Damn, I must have forgotten my lighter," David said loudly in case anyone had noticed the guard.
David waited on the next stop and then exited the Metro. The guard would have notified the police by now. David wanted to be out in the open so he could run.
He didn't recognize the building they stopped in. It was some kind of office. Glancing at the nametag on a woman's shirt, he realized he was inside the Atlantic Service Building. They programmed the computers that most people had to run their homes. He was about eight blocks from the park, but on the right side of the city.
When he got out to the sidewalk he began to jog lightly. His wind disappeared in less than a minute because of the heavy pollution. He began to feel lightheaded and hoped he could make it to the fountain.
David was afraid to stop running. He wasn't sure how far they were behind him, but he knew they were back there somewhere. The police responded very fast. Especially to calls informing them of the location of a fugitive from justice.
He made it two streets up and got stuck at a traffic light. He hoped that whoever was behind him was stuck at one also. The instant the light changed to "Cross" David took off. He was sprinting now. There was a yearly marathon held in Canada called "Running For Freedom". David gave new meaning to those words as he raced down the street.
He had entered the largest shopping district of the city and had to slow down now. It was crowded even at this late time of night. The flow of people walking was in the opposite direction now and he was pushed backward. He struggled against them. Shoving a woman aside earned him a dirty look. A large man accompanying her seized him by the back of his shirt, "In a hurry asshole?"
"Sorry," David could barely breath.
"Yeah you are sorry. Learn some manners," he let David go.
David was glad they hadn't gotten a good look at his face. Another block went by and the people began to thin out a little.
From the crowd he heard, "David Bethel, freeze. You are under arrest."
He didn't turn around to see who was calling. Picking up the pace was difficult but he managed to run a little faster.
Coming to a red "Don't Cross" light forced David to stop. He turned around, the cop behind him was getting closer, followed by a large mob. He looked into the oncoming traffic. There was no way he could get across without getting hit. He ran anyway.
The sound of squealing brakes overcame the shouts of the people behind him. The first car managed to stop in time and got slammed from behind. The car in the second lane flew by and David ran through the gap between it and the next car. The third lane was surprisingly empty. As he stepped into it he looked over his shoulder and saw the cop, tentatively making his way into the street.
The next lane was traffic moving in the other direction and David hesitated. A car sped toward him in the lane he was standing in and David ran forward. The space between the cars in this lane was miniscule but somehow David managed to squeeze through without being crushed.
He leapt into the next row of cars blindly. He looked directly into the eyes of a driver who wore an expression of absolute terror as she tried to stop in time. The car behind her hit her, sending her fishtailing into the next lane. The mass of cars, four now, swept across the street towards him. More cars got caught up in the accident as David leapt to the sidewalk.
The officer wasn't fast enough and David heard his scream and glanced back to see him pulled underneath the vehicles.
David felt sorry for the man. He had just been doing his job.
The crowd on the other side was waiting for him. They grabbed at his clothing but when David struggled they grew afraid and let him go. There would be reports later that he had been armed.
He got close enough to see the fountain and recognized Z's car. David had no idea how his friend had managed to escape the police, but he hadn't had any doubts. Z did what needed to be done.
The sound of police sirens in the distance was chilling. Before these recent events, David had thought of the police as an annoyance. They were something you grudgingly put up with in order to be protected. Now they were they enemy, and they terrified him. As he dashed the last one hundred yards to the car, with an angry mob chasing behind at a safe distance, he wondered whether the police had ever offered anyone any protection at all.
His fingers grasped the handle of the door. Faith was in the front seat with Z. "Hurry up," Z hissed at him, losing his calm.
He jumped into the back seat and there she was. "Kaylie," he embraced her and the tears began to fall.
"Will you two be quiet back there, you're distracting me?" Z was already pulling away from the curb. The mob had surrounded his car but as he eased onto the gas they began to run away. Mob mentality was proving to be below average.
"David, I've been so terrified. I've never been a needy person, but I need you," she squeezed him more tightly, as if to make sure he was solid and not some specter.
"I've needed you too Kaylie," he whispered softly in her ear. Letting the fears fall away in the form of water rolling down his face. They were sticky but he couldn't let her go to wipe them away.
There was a long moment that needed no words. A police helijet interrupted it. Hovering about twenty feet in the air above their car, the noise was deafening. Faith screamed.
"Don't worry, the Interway is close. If we can make it into the tunnels they can't follow," Z shouted to be heard. Recollecting himself and everyone else, he thought ahead clearly, "We're gonna abandon the car inside. David and Kaylie, as soon as we get out of the vehicle your going to have to remove me and Faith's I.D.s and shoulder-chips. They've identified both of us, I guess we are going with you."
"Identified you how?" David shouted.
"Well all they had to do was a scan of the car from their helijet to get my identification, and I'm sure they have read the information from both mine and Faith's I.D.s by now. I always wanted to see another part of the world, I just didn't think I 'd be travelling as a fugitive."
"I'm glad that I won't have to miss you after all. But I'm sorry. If you hadn't been helping me you wouldn't be in this mess now."
"Oh cut out the emotional stuff. You owe me so bad. You have no idea how bad," Z feigned tough guy, "But seriously. David, I would do it all over again. You’re the only friend I've ever had who wasn't just a business associate."
David had never heard Z speak like that before and it took him back. "Thanks," was all he could manage to get out.
The helijet sounded like it was getting lower to the ground. The loud humming sound of its propellers and the thunderous roar of its engine increased until the flying machine had to be only feet above them.
They cringed in fear, Z driving as fast as he could for the Interway. Once inside the helijet would have lost them. It was only several hundred yards away.
The tense silence in the car was broken by a heavy thump. The roof was dented in slightly. Kaylie jumped, throwing herself into David's arms.
The car came to a stop, and then was very slowly lifted from the ground. Inch by inch, it appeared that a giant had picked them up by its fingers.
"A magnet," Z hit the steering wheel with his fist, "They are lifting us with a magnet."
Faith swore under her breath.
"We have to jump before we get to high," David had been relying on instinct and instruction from his friends for several days. Suddenly his thinking became clear and he took charge.
The car was already about three feet off of the ground. David opened his put his hand on the door handle. "When I say go, open your doors and jump out. Fan out a little but come back together at the entrance to the Interway."
He glanced at the ground, now five feet below them and getting further away with every passing second. "Go! Now! Jump!"
Three of them were on the ground and running before they realized that Kaylie had hesitated. "Kaylie, jump!" David shouted back at her.
She had opened her door but sat there, her legs swinging like a child too small for her chair. "David, I don't think I can."
"Kaylie, you're scared but just do it. You have to do it." He had stopped running and turned around to face her. Z and Faith ran on. Then turned around and ran back to David. Any advantage they had was gone now.
Kaylie sat for just a few seconds more, watching the distance between her and the ground grow larger. Something made a loud noise above her and snapped her out of the trance she was in. The paralysis that imprisoned her let go and Kaylie leapt to the earth, tumbling to her knees. Jumping up she ran to David. He waited for her and then grabbed her hand. Lying on the concrete was a large tranquilizer dart, they were shooting at them from the helijet now.
Z and Faith veered to the left, and David dragged Kaylie to the right. Her hesitation had cost them valuable time and she ran as fast as she could in order to keep from slowing them more. The air was thick with darts and it wouldn't be long before the random spray hit one of them.
Kaylie had an idea and scooped up a handful of broken pavement. Turning every few seconds, she flung the pieces at the helijet. They bounced off the view-screen she was hoping to crack, causing no damage. The last rock went off course and hit a small box on top of the helijet. A loud crackling sound overcame the deafening roar of the helijet's engine.
Kaylie felt something strike her hand but she never saw the dart that hit her. David had her in his arms before she ever touched the ground. He carried her and was no longer able to run. The spray of darts went wild now, apparently the box had been its guidance system.
The police did not take long to respond. A heavy crash followed by a loud explosion caused both David and Z to turn around. "My car," Z screamed at no one in particular. A burning metal skeleton was all that was left of it.
"Keep running," David shouted back. They were less than a hundred yards from the Interway, but with the helijet no longer weighed down by Z's car David knew they would never make it.
Nathan, who had been silent since David got Z's message, interrupted the feeling of dread David felt as the helijet closed in on them. "Finally, I'm in," his robotic voice was exuberant.
David glanced behind him and realized the helijet was hovering in one place now. Slowly it turned to the right, as if being forced against its will.
"Keep running Master David. I'm in the helijet's operating system but that doesn't mean they can't send more," Nathan's reason propelled David who was consumed by disbelief.
"Nathan, your wonderful," Faith told him as her and Z ran over to David.
"I know, but you can thank me later. Get inside the Interway."
Faith and Z each grabbed one of Kaylie's legs to help David carry her. He was glad, because despite her slenderness she was fairly heavy. They made it to the tunnel and found a dark corner to collapse in.
"David your going to have to cut out our shoulder-chips. Do you have anything sharp? Everything we brought for Kaylie was in the car," Z, who had panicked earlier, regained his natural poise.
He searched his pockets a second. "Nothing."
Faith began searching the ground. Crawling on her hands and knees. "Got something," she handed David a bottle.
"What am I supposed to do with some whino's discarded bottle?" He asked her, a little sarcastic from the stress.
"Break it on the ground and cut this thing out of me. This thing that has me marked for any to find." Her disgust at the chip was evident.
"Won't that get infected?" David was squeamish about cutting anything out of his friends.
"Just do it," she told him a little forcefully.
"I'm just trying to be careful."
"Listen to her David. We've got no choice. Do you have a lighter? Maybe we can sterilize it or something," Z wanted to get this done and get moving.
"Master David, If you heat the glass some and then spray it with AntiB it should be all right," Nathan's opinion was the final vote needed. David shattered the bottle on the concrete and searched for a jagged piece. He took the lighter and small bottle out of his pockets. He heated the glass carefully, so as not to burn his fingers and then sprayed it with the strong anti-bacterial liquid.
"Brace yourself," He reached out for Z first. Z grimaced. The pain was exquisite. A few seconds and the chip lay on the ground. David then cut the cord that held Z's I.D. on and cast both the chip and disc away.
He was tentative about hurting Faith and he hesitated. She grabbed his hand and plunged the glass into her own shoulder. "Do it now," she told him through gritted teeth. He cut the chip out of her shoulder, and then removed her I.D. After he had disposed of them he sprayed both Faith and Z's shoulder's with AntiB.
"I think that shit hurts worse than you cutting me up did," Z pushed David's hand away.
Kaylie stirred a little.
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" He hadn't had time to think about it earlier, but now David began to worry.
"No way," Z told him, "I tried one of those darts once to see what it felt like. I was out for over an hour."
"Well then let's pick her up. We need to get going. Don't we have to meet Emmanuel at a certain time?"
"I don't think I can help you carry her right now. My shoulder hurts," Z wasn't whining, just being honest.
"Do you think we could tie her on my back somehow? It would make her easier for me to carry."
"What do you want to tie her on with? I don't have any rope or anything."
"Well hand me that piece of glass. I'll cut my shirt into strips and we can use those."
A few minutes later and Kaylie was secured to David's back.
"Nathan do you think you could help us navigate down here? I bet you've got some maps of these tunnels stored away somewhere." Z didn't want to admit it but without his car he was lost.
"I don't have anything stored away Master Z," with the immediate danger of the helijet removed; Nathan's bite was back, "I have instant access to all my information. I can guide you down here. Just walk and I'll tell you where to go."
"I hope I'm not sorry I asked," Z chuckled to himself. He told Nathan where they needed to go and the computer began giving directions.
The long walk in the dark was a silent one. It was nearly two hours before they emerged into the misty pre-dawn twilight of the very early morning.
"What time is it?" David whispered, unsure of where they were. The fog meandered with the pollution creating an impenetrable barrier.
"Its nearly four," Nathan informed him.
"Where are we?" Faith was lost as well.
"We're in the shipping yards of one of the nation's biggest exporters of plasticite," Z told them, "Emmanuel's uncle was the inventor of it. Emmanuel has taken over the company to provide a front for his main business- smuggling drugs. The plasticite is one of the few substance that the satellite's can't seem to scan through."
"Don't go telling everybody my secrets Z," a voice behind them caused them all to jump. It was gruff and had an accent though David couldn't place it. A large man with curly dark hair stepped up beside them. "If you people weren't all criminals yourselves I would have to kill you now."
"Don't be so damn melodramatic Emmanuel. Just get us out of here," Z told him.
"Get you out of here? You're nearly two hours late. I had to send the shipment. Did you think it would wait for you?" Emmanuel looked down at Z, over an enormous stomach.
"I'm paying you a lot of good credits to get us out of here and you sent the shipment because we were running late?" Z's angry hand gestures were comical when directed at the big man.
"I'd have lost a lot more credits than you could afford to pay me if the shipment had been late. And what's this about getting 'us' out of here? I thought I was sending your two friends."
"Change of plans. The cops spotted us. They have to know I'm involved now," Z tried to explain quickly.
"The cops spotted you and you came here anyways. Get out of here. Get out of here now," Emmanuel appeared to be angry.
"They didn't follow us. Don't worry. Just get us to India. I'll pay you extra for the two additional passengers."
"Oh you will pay me extra all right. Forty thousand credits per passenger. Five thousand credits for running late and twenty thousand credits for coming here under pursuit."
"Thirty thousand credits per passenger. Four thousand for running late and nothing for being pursued, you knew this was a criminal venture." Z loved to haggle.
"One hundred forty thousand credits total. Final offer."
"Deal," Z shook hands with Emmanuel and pulled the paper credits out of his pocket. After they had been handed over the atmosphere lightened.
"Come with me," Emmanuel began to walk and waved for them to follow, "We have a few hours before the next shipment. Come have a drink."
A few minutes later and they were all sitting inside a comfortable office, drinking hot coffee and rum. Despite all the chemical advancements, this drink was still the best thing for getting warm when you were cold and tired.
David sat talking with Kaylie, telling her everything that had happened. She shared with him her experience only when he prodded.
"Well I thought you were dead at first. I was ready to follow you out that window. Then they said that you were on that ledge and the one cop went down to get you. I was worried but I had hope because I knew you were still alive."
"There was a lot of running around after that and I wasn't sure what had happened. During all the chaos I probably could have left, but I was still in shock. And I didn't want to leave without finding out what had happened to you."
"Eventually, after you had escaped and the cop you ran away from outside came back, they realized I had been there with you and they began questioning me. When I wouldn't tell them where I thought you would go they took me to the county prison."
"They couldn't put me in a cell so they just locked me in an interrogation room with a pillow. I tried to pick the lock on the door but it was no use."
"Those bastards didn't hurt you did they?" David interrupted.
"No. They had a female officer do the search on me. She was a little bit rough when she took off my wrist-computer but other than that I'm fine. You look pretty beat up though."
"I'll be alright." He smiled at her and pulled her close to him. The kiss she gave him sent fire rushing all over his body. His problems melted away and bright colors exploded behind his closed eyelids. It felt like he was merging with her, sharing her body.
"Get up lovebirds," Emmanuel's accented voice broke into his world like a bomb going off. "Sorry to interrupt," he laughed, "but Z and I were listening to the police bands and they were talking about shutting off all shipping until the two of you were found. You're gonna have to leave now."
"Not that I care about you," he added, "But I need to get as much dope out of the country as I can before they stop all exports."
He led them out of the office and across the shipping yard. A large shuttle was being loaded with enormous crates. Men scurried about, operating machinery. One old man shouted orders and the people cringed every time his mouth opened.
"That's it. Go ahead and walk up the ramp. Just stay out of the way until I come," Emmanuel walked away. A loud crash halted the steady hum of busy work.
"Who the hell dropped that?" Emmanuel appeared livid. "Who is operating the crane?"
A small man climbed down from the crane's operating tower, shaking with fright.
Emmanuel walked to him, glanced at his eyes and then spit in his face, "How could you disrespect me by showing up to work like that? What are you on anyways? Erase? Orgasm? Crystal Explosion? What is it?"
"Its alcohol sir," the drunken man whispered, still trembling with fear. "My wife died last week and I've been drinking a lot."
"There are no excuses. Go home right now. Any damage you've done will be deducted from your paycheck. Come back to work when you've sobered up, I don't care how long it takes."
David walked up to Emmanuel. "You aren't going to fire him? Most companies fire an employee when he shows up intoxicated don't they?"
"He's a good worker most of the time. Besides, if I fire him, how can he pay me back for all the damage he has done?" Emmanuel turned to the men who were still standing around, "Well? What are you looking at? Get this cleaned up and get this shipment loaded now!"
The men hustled about again, picking up the broken crate. David and the others went up the ramp and into the transport's cargo hold. It was filled with large boxes of all sizes. Each was marked clearly "plasticite".
Z sat down on top of a crate, swinging legs that were too short to touch the ground. "I wish they would hurry up and get done. I'm ready to be off."
David jumped up beside his friend, "If I didn't know better, I would think you were excited about going."
"Excited?" Z asked. David nodded. "I suppose so. Life had gotten too easy. I was beginning to grow bored of getting high all the time. But mostly I'm just anxious to be off. It worries me that they are actually going to shut down all shipping. That has never been done before. They want you badly my friend."
"Why?" Kaylie looked at Z eagerly. "What has David done that is so terrible? He did some drugs. So what, I'd wager that half of the population is on drugs. The other half is wired into a computer half the day. What could differentiate his crime so greatly that they would hunt him like this?"
"You ask good questions Kaylie, but your asking the wrong man," Z shrugged his shoulders. "I've been plagued by similar thoughts."
As they talked men came and went, filling the cargo hold with plasticite.
"They want Master David because he frightens them," Nathan had an eerie way of being silent for long periods of time and suddenly speaking.
"Why do you say that Nathan?" Faith had never been around a computer like Nathan before and was fascinated by him.
"It's just a deduction Mistress Faith. The historical purpose of law and punishment has always been to stop bad behavior, and to try to rehabilitate the criminal. But in the past, when the consequences have so far exceeded the crime, as in Master David's case, it has been because the criminal was feared."
"Thank you Nathan. But what about me could they fear?"
"I think it must be your ugliness." He said this in a perfectly even tone, and it took a minute for everyone to understand he was joking.
"Ah, but Nathan if ugliness was a crime they would have deleted you a long time ago," David kidded back.
"But Master David, my ugliness dies with me. Theoretically you can have children, and contaminate their entire society. Though what poor female would bear your child I do not pretend to know," Nathan said.
"I would bear his beautiful children gladly," Kaylie jumped into David's lap as if to demonstrate her affection for him. None of them noticed the sad look on Faith's face.
"I pity you then," Nathan told her. He was about to say more when Emmanuel stepped into the cargo chamber.
"Ok start emptying some of those crates out," he told them.
"What for?" Kaylie asked.
"Well pretty girl, you're going to be riding in them. Didn't Z tell you?" He winked at Z as he said this.
Faith beat on Z's chest with her fists, "You knew that we were going to be riding in BOXES and you didn't tell us?"
"I… umm… its really the only way. The transport could get searched at any point in United States air space. The plasticite can't be scanned through by any device that they have." He clutched her wrists gently to stop her from hitting him.
Grudgingly they all began to empty the crates of the thick slabs of waxy plastic. Emmanuel joined in, working twice as quickly as the rest of them. "You are two slow. We must hurry. They could free exportations at any moment."
When the crates were empty they each climbed inside one. David paused to give Kaylie a kiss, "See you in India beautiful."
"I'll go anywhere you lead me handsome."
David had never seen this submissive side of Kaylie before and wasn't sure how he felt about it. Their spicy arguments were one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place.
Emmanuel closed the lid on the crate. "Pleasure doing business with you," he said and left David seated in the dark.
It would be a long lonely ride, and David desperately wanted a chance to talk to Kaylie.
"So what are your plans once you get to India Master David?" Nathan shocked David out of his thoughts.
"I really hadn't thought that far ahead." He told him once he had collected himself.
"Well, its October so it will be Diwali over there," Nathan informed him.
"What's Diwali?" David asked.
"Diwali is the Hindu New Year. It means 'an array of lamps'. They celebrate the return of Rama. There will be much celebrating, and it should be easy to get lost in the crowd. Getting any kind of help may be a little bit more difficult."
David sat in silence a while, thinking about what he would do when he got over there. He needed to find the temple he had seen. He felt a pull to it stronger than anything, except his attraction to Kaylie.
David realized suddenly how very desperate his situation was. He would be in a strange country where he did not know anyone. He didn't have any money and he didn't speak their language. On top of that, he had three friends that he had a responsibility to.
Frantically he began to search his pockets. He had a sudden need to see what he had left in the way of possessions. A credit-stick that was worthless. A half-empty can of AntiB. Keys to a car that he would never drive again. And a small disc. What was the disc?
He remembered, it was the priest's email address. He had never gotten around to writing him.
"Nathan, I need to write an email, can you take dictation for me."
"Master David, I am not your secretary. I am far above taking dictation."
"But Nathan, my dictation program is on the main computer at the house. Unless you feel safe accessing the house's system for me I need you to do this for me."
"Your right Master David, after the prison and the helijet I'm sure they have Sentry programs watching for me everywhere. I'll take your dictation, do you have the address?"
"Right here," David slid the small plastic disc into the computer on his wrist.
"Go ahead whenever your ready," Nathan said it with strong distaste.
"Dear Sir," David began tentatively, "You asked me to contact you several days ago. We sat next to each other on the Metro. I apologize for taking so long to get in touch with you but my circumstances have been somewhat difficult.
You asked me if I 'had found it', and at first I wasn't certain what you meant. That night a couple of experiences I had, led me to believe that I did. I felt like I had experienced God in some way and that somehow my life had new purpose.
A romantic interest of mine had developed in an incredible way, and I was very happy about that. It caused me to begin to wonder about how I might effect a positive change on the world, so that others could experience the deep happiness I had found.
Two days later, police attempted to arrest me in a restaurant. You've probably seen it on the Video. Apparently, I'm a very wanted man. I did not kill anyone, so don't worry. An officer who attempted to chase me across the street did get run over. For that I am deeply remorseful. I have come to strongly dislike the institution he represents but he was simply a man doing his job.
I had hoped for a chance to talk to you about what you meant. And to ask you some questions about God. I have a lot more questions now, but I am leaving the country and we will probably never get a chance to sit down and have a conversation.
I hope you will rest assured in that I am going to try to find the answers somehow.
Sincerely,
David Bethel"
"Nathan can you get that to him without getting traced?" David asked his computer.
"Of course Master David. I'm sending it right now."
David sat back, leaning his head against the plasticite left behind him in the box. He wondered how long it would take to get to India. The smooth motion of the transport was a disadvantage because he could not tell at what point they had left the ground. It was so silent that they could still be sitting in the shipping yard. He hoped not because his legs were already beginning to grow cramped.
He tried to sleep but there was too much on his mind. It was several long hours before the lid was pulled off of the box.
********************
"Howz it goin with em down thar?" the fat man grunted behind his desk.
The other man, dressed in blue uniform, stood before him, looking at a point on the wall so as not to stare too obviously at the fat man's disfiguration. Ten years of service and it still disgusted him. "It's going good. It always goes good. You should know that by now. Only five haven't broken yet."
"Five?" He drawled from his ugly face. "Dats a bit high ain't it? Why you've usually got it down to one or two atter a whole day wit em. Wuz the problem, Lootenaunt?" He stretched out the last word, making it overly disgraceful.
"No problem sir. These five are just going to take a little longer, that's all. Where is the Bethel-boy? You promised him to me. You haven't given him to Larkin or Hart have you?" He deserved to get to break Bethel. His record was exquisite. In all his years of service, there had only been twelve that he couldn't break, a record number.
"Why, you'uns haven't heard? Daevid Beethel has given us the sleep. I wurned em to send a lot of men, to take preecautions. But they warn't listenin. They sent two men up thar to fetch em, and he got plumb away."
"Well sir, his scores were the highest we've ever seen. What did they expect?"
"I do not know dat, Lootenaunt. But I reckon we'uns is gonna hafta send Hunter."
"When Hunter catches him will I still get to break him?"
"Naww. I'm just gonna tell em to go erhead and kill em. Cain't risk hit. Cain't risk hit at all. Damn shame though, boy dat smart, could of gotten reel far in da service. You hain't haf as smart and look how well you've done." He chuckled through his fat, ugly face. His fat ugly face covered in pockmarks, with only two nostrils where a nose should have been.
"Yes sir. It is a damn shame. I was so looking forward to breaking him."
"Well, you'uns jes need to cawncentrait on brangin those five around. You do your job and you send me Hunter so he cain go ahead and do his."
The lieutenant stood there for a moment.
"Good Day Lootenaunt. Good Day."
The lieutenant turned sharply on his heels, drawing on every ounce of strength in his body not to turn around and kill him.
********************
The streets of India were filled with people. David wasn't sure, but it seemed like none of them spoke the same languages either. This was the night of "small Diwali" and people were celebrating everywhere. Tomorrow would be the big festival, but tonight there was much merry-making.
Colorful lights lined the street. On the corner performers were entertaining with classical instruments. Hand beaten drums, some sort of wooden pipe and an acoustic guitar were played by old men with white hair and gray streaked beards.
A small boy approached David. "Firecracker?" He asked.
"No thank you," David shook his head and pressed on. Kaylie clung to his hand, trying not to lose him in the crowd.
The little boy walked faster to keep up with him, having difficulty due to shorter legs. "Firecracker," he persisted, "You need firecracker…Diwali." It was obvious that he did not speak many words in English. He was probably trying to earn a little extra holiday money by selling fireworks to tourists.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any credits," David wished he had some money to give him.
"It ok," said the boy, "Here. Free," he placed a small tube into David's hand.
David was shocked. He had never been given anything for free before. The small tube had some writing on it and a string coming out of one end.
David pointed it into the air and pulled the string. There was a loud bang, and confetti shot into the air, sailing high for a minute before gently descending on the people around him like colorful snowflakes.
Kaylie giggled when one of the pieces of paper landed on her nose. David smiled at her and wished he had more.
"Ok, lets keep moving. I want to get to the hotel and take a bath," Z grumbled behind them. He'd been in a bad mood ever since they had gotten out of their crates. David thought that perhaps he was a little scared.
"I want to get there and get some food, I'm starving," David hoped to lighten the mood some. When nobody said anything he realized that he had failed.
The festivities around him quickly reabsorbed his attention. There was something noticeably different about India. Something he had never experienced before. It wasn't the lack of pollution, although David found it quite pleasant to breathe the fresh air. It wasn't the obvious ethnic differences, like language and clothing. He thought about it for a long time before he realized that it was the smiling people. The happy people who did not speak harsh words when you bumped into them were something new to David. Observing the friendly people that laughed and talked amongst themselves was an experience so unique for David that he found himself caught up in their mirth.
Crowds in America were generally miserable.
They did not find the hotel quickly, and everyone but David gradually became more tired and grouchy.
"My feet hurt," Kaylie informed no one in particular.
"I'm about to fall asleep standing up," Z grumbled to himself.
"Will you guys lighten up? We've got to be getting close. Emmanuel's contact over here said it wouldn't take us more than half an hour to get there. So maybe he underestimated a little. We should be there any minute," David was feeling freed of a great burden and didn't want to be dragged down.
"Have you considered the possibility that we might be lost? We've been walking for an hour. Let's see if we can find somebody who speaks English and ask them where the hotel is," Faith had known they were lost for half an hour but had waited to say anything because she didn't want to insult David's pride. He had been leading them like he knew where they were going.
"No need to find an English speaking person Mistress Faith, I can translate," Nathan volunteered his help without a single sarcastic remark.
They approached a woman who stood on the corner, holding a small boy by the wrist. "Ma'am?" David asked and Nathan did the necessary translation.
When the woman realized the voice was coming from his wrist she seemed surprised, as if unaccustomed to computers. After she recognized what it was she calmed down.
"Yes?" She replied in Hindi. Nathan translated.
"We are lost. We are looking for the Hotel of Pleasant Sleeping," David had found the name odd.
"Happy to help you," she told him, "If you will turn around and walk the other way down this street, you will come to a much larger road. You have probably already crossed over it once. Take a left on that road and the hotel will be on your right, no more than three blocks."
"We thank you very much," David told her.
"My pleasure," she said. The child she had been holding managed to get free and run into the road. "Ananda," she yelled after him. "Ananda, you come back here."
The little boy looked at her and grinned. Some young people in a car sped around the corner. The boy looked up to see the car barreling down on him and froze. Seeing that he was about hit the child, the driver of the car slammed on the brakes.
David reacted without thinking. Leaping into the street he grabbed the boy up into his arms and jumped out of the way. The car came to a stop. Judging from its position, it would not have made the stop in time.
The child's mother, with tears streaming down her face, walked up to the car and threw open the door. Though David and the others could not understand her language, they knew from her tone that she was berating the young man.
When she was done she took the young boy from David's arms. She held him and cried for a little while. After she had calmed down she looked at David, "Thank you so much. I am your servant. You saved my son."
"It's ok ma'am, I couldn't have just stood and watched. I'm just happy that he is safe. If you're all right we'll be on our way now. We are very tired and hungry."
"You cannot stay in the hotel. You must come home with me. Celebrate little Diwali with us, and tomorrow you must eat Diwali feast with our neighborhood. The women will cook. There will be games and dancing. Please, you must let me do this for you," even with Nathan translating her insistence was evident.
David looked to the others for an indication of what he should say. Their faces had brightened considerably, and they nodded. "We accept your invitation with much gratitude."
It was a short walk to the lady's house, whom they learned was named Mati. She introduced them to her husband, who asked to be called George. He spoke English without difficulty. She had two daughters and one more son.
The interior of the apartment was decorated beautifully, with representations of the Hindu gods all over the house. It was devoid of many things which were taken for granted in America, although they did have a nice Video system built into one of the walls.
The table was laid out with many foods, most of which David had never seen before. They looked delicious, but something seemed to be missing.
George and the boys sat at the table, and indicated for David and his friends to do likewise.
"We weren't expecting guests but Mati and my daughters will bring you plates and silverware," George told them.
They were soon given eating utensils, and David realized what was missing. "Have you forgotten to bring out the meat?" He asked.
"We do not eat meat," George stated simply.
"But you're all so healthy and thin. Surely a little meat wouldn't hurt you," David told him.
George frowned but explained, "We do not eat meat because it could be our ancestors. When we are born again, sometimes we come back as animals."
David was confused. He started to say that surely they couldn’t believe that, but decided it would be rude.
"I did not know that," he said simply.
"It is all right. We do not expect Americans to understand our customs. All we ask is that you respect them. Why don't you try the curry?" He passed a large bowl of rice to David. It had an orange-brown color to it.
David piled a large heaping of it on his plate. "What's in this?" He asked.
"Rice and spices," Mati told him after Nathan translated.
"Be careful," George warned, "It is very hot. Have some bread handy to quench your mouth with."
David served himself a slice of buttered bread and then took a tentative bite of the curry. It didn't seem hot, and was very tasty so he began to shovel the rice into his mouth. He was incredibly hungry.
The heating effects of the spice were cumulative and came on David gradually. All at once he realized that he was sweating and his mouth was on fire. He grasped about the table for his glass of water.
As he brought it to his lips George shouted at him, "Don't drink it." But George was too late. The water soother him for a second, but then it spread the heat around his mouth and down his throat.
"Eat the bread. The water will just make it worse," George told him.
At this point Kaylie and the others were laughing at David. After he had eaten some bread and calmed down, Z asked him, "So tell us, how is it?"
"Its very good. Why don't you try some?"
Z laughed again, but politely declined.
When they had all finished eating George asked them why they were in India. "So you've come for Diwali? Is that it? Tourists usually don't visit our part of town."
David trusted these people, and didn't want to lie to them. He wasn't quite comfortable sharing the entire story with them either. He tried to tell it without giving away too many details but ended up spilling the entire thing, like a cup full of water that suddenly tips.
"But what you did was such a small thing?" Mati asked as Nathan and George helped to translate.
"Yes, very small. Surely they are using a lot of effort to catch one druggie when there are so many in America," George had seen a documentary about American drug use on the Video.
"I don't understand it either," David held up his hands in exasperation, "All I know is that I have come here to start a new life, with my friends and the woman I love."
"India will be a good place for that. Now enough talk, you look tired. Off to bed and we can talk more in the morning while the women prepare Diwali," George told them. They all smiled at him wearily. It had been an extremely long day.
On the way down the hall David paused in front of a small shrine. There was a statue of a blue woman with six arms. She was naked and was posed as if she were dancing. Something about her seemed incredibly familiar to him, though at the moment he could not remember why.
"Who is that?" he asked George humbly.
"That is the Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's Wife and the goddess of prosperity," George spoke in reverent tones.
David was overcome by a feeling he had forgotten. The same deep sense of connection and awe that he had experienced at the party washed through him again. He remembered where he had seen her before, in his vision while being given the light show.
"I've seen her once, in a dream," he told George.
"I envy you that. If she visited you then you will have good fortune. Would you like to burn some incense to her?" George reached into a sandalwood box and pulled out a small brown cone.
"Yes, very much so," he took the cone, "Thank you."
"Place it here, in the bowl in front of her," George indicated with his finger.
David put the incense there and produced his lighter from his pocket.
"No, not with that. With this," he reached into a smaller box and produced a small black rock, the size of a grain of rice. "Just set this beside the cone."
David lay the rock alongside the incense. For a moment nothing happened, and then a small wisp of dark smoke arose from the cone's base.
"The charcoal reacts with the incense and causes it to burn. Lakshmi will be pleased. Come now, time for you to get into bed. Maybe she will visit you again tonight."
David thought he saw the small idol smile as George gently dragged him away from the altar.
********************
Hunter walked down the long hallway. His color was the blue of the empty space between the stars, the dark blue that is almost black, the dark blue that will swallow you up and never give you back.
He hated going to see the Ghost. He hated the Ghost. "Maybe we should kill him?"
Something stirred behind one of the many doors that lined the halls. Stirred and groaned. Hunter flinched and crouched low to the floor. When it was quiet again he edged forward, his knuckles dragging the ground.
"Kill him for making us walk down the blue hallway. The dark blue hallway that swallows us up. Swallows us up and never lets us go."
There was a light at the end of the hallway. Hunter couldn't see that well, but he knew the Ghost would be waiting down there. The ugly Ghost, with his faceless face and his fat, disgusting body.
"Kill him for making us look at him. At his face, which we dreams of and his body which makes us vomit. Kill him."
"Hurry on down heah boy and stained up like a man. Even though you ain't one. Stained up I said," the Ghost spoke to him.
Hunter straightened and walked down the hall a little faster. He could make out the Ghost now, sitting behind his desk, his body filling up the chair and flowing out of it. Flowing out into the rest of the room.
He stepped into the light. It hurt his eyes; they did not adjust quickly. He covered them, more to avoid looking at the Ghost than to shield them from the light.
"Kill him. Before he speaks to us. Kill him. Before he hurts us. Kill him so we don't have to see him anymore. Kill him so we don't have to dream him anymore."
"They ain't been givin you your medicashiun have they boy?" The Ghost asked him, taunting.
"Need medicine," Hunter growled. It was a strain to speak outloud. "Need medicine. Voices."
"Yes boy, I cain see dat. Wheel, thar is somethin I need you to do, an if you can do heat, wheel see bout gittin you some more medicashiun," The Ghost spoke quietly, irritatingly soft.
"Kill him, shut him up."
"I can do it," Hunter was straining. He wanted his medicine. He wanted the voices to go away. He wanted the buzzing to stop. It was getting worse, he couldn't think. He needed to think. He needed to plan. He had a plan.
"Wheel than boy, thar is someone I need you to find for mah. Someone I need you to kill for mah. His name is David Bethel, and here is his picture," He reached out and handed the picture to Hunter.
Hunter's hand stretched out to take it.
"Kill him. Strangle him. Just grab his throat and squeeze it."
He took the picture. He needed his medicine.
"We last saw heem at the SkyLounge. But we traicked him to this har address," He slid a piece of paper across the desk.
Hunter looked at the writing on the paper. He couldn't read it. His head was buzzing too hard.
"Now don't worry boy, we'll give you a leetle bit of medicashiun now. A leetle, and than you can have some mur aifter you'se keel em."
"Medicine. Please." Hunter pleaded with him.
"Not yet boy, you an I ain't dun talkin yet."
"Just kill him. End his life. Drive him out. Make him leave us alone. We don't want to kill some David and we don't want his filthy medication. We just want to kill him and run away. Run away. Kill him." It grew louder. More insistent. Harder to ignore.
Hunter grabbed the Ghost by the arm. Both of his hands clutched at it and still didn't meet around the middle. It was an enormous arm. "Medicine. Please?" His growl was a whine.
"Git yur stinkin, filthy paws off of me BOY!"
"Kill him. He yells. He hurts our ears. Choke him. Hit him. Strangle him. Kick him. Bites him. Hurt him. Kill him."
"Sorry. Just… medicine?" Tears rolled down his face. He pleaded.
"All right. I'll call the nurse an while she cums up har me an you wheel finish our talk." He punched a button on his desk, "Nurse?"
"Yes sir?" A voice came through the speakers in the wall. Hunter jumped.
"Grab the heavy thing and hit him with it. Kill him now. He isn't paying attention. Kill him. We don't want to talk to him."
"Brang the boy's medicashiun. Not too much."
"I'll have it transported right up sir."
"No, you'll brang it yurself."
"Yes sir."
The Ghost smiled as he envisioned her shudder. None of the people who worked in the building liked coming to see him.
"Now boy, Whare was we? Oh yeah, we was havin a talk. They had a hard time breakin you din't they?"
"Yes," Hunter told him. He was proud of that. Proud of how hard it was for them to break him.
"They had a hard time breakin me too. You see I have what's called a gene-itic disordar. Its why I have no nose or lips, and why mah body is so fucking fat." He jiggled his stomach with his hands as if to make his point. "And this diseese I have. Thees gene-itic disordar. It don't leet me feel any pain. My narves just don't carry it to mah brain. Light me on far an I wouldn't feel a thang. But I gave in eventually boy. We all give in."
"Kill him. We don't want to hear about his diseases. We just want to kill him. Kill him now."
"Now it seems to me, like you haven't given in yet. Now you do what we want you to do. You do hit because I've got yur medicashiun. But you haven't givin in completely yet boy. Now boy, if you don't give in, one day the medicashiun is just gonna stop. We'll just leave you to the voices."
"Shut him up. Kill his fat face. His fat faceless disgusting fat face. Kill him."
"Medicine? Don't stop medicine. Don't…Don't like voices. Medicine. Please?"
"Oh yur gittin some medicashiun soon boy. Real, real soon. Cuz we need you to keel this one. But one day, we won't need you anymore, and if you don't give in, then we are just gonna lock you up without any and leave you to your voices."
Hunter was an affront to the Ghost's pride. Ten thousand had come through while he was in charge, and only this one. Just Hunter. Hadn't broken.
"I'll give in. Be very good. Kill Davids. Kill anybody. Medicine?"
"I believe you boy. Now you jes go kill this un and you be thinkin about givin in. Think about what it means to give in. Here comes tha nurse with your medicashiun now."
"Kill him. Kill his fat, stinking mouth. Kill him. Blood. Kill him. Kill the nurse. Damn their medicine. Smash it. Break it. Kill it."
His color was red. Not the dark red of blood but the bright angry red of confusion. The red of anger. The red of hatred. The red of Hell.
The nurse stepped into the light. "20 mgs sir?"
"Yes 20 mgs wheel be jes fahn."
The nurse stuck the needle into him and the syringe automatically injected its contents.
"Kill them. Kill them." Fading. Gone.
Hunter's world was the green of grass.
------------------
Intelligence is not best measured by the answers you have but by the questions that you ask
Chapter 3
"We're being pursued," Z's voice was urgent, "Listen carefully. I've tried to encode this, hopefully they can't hear anything. They spotted us getting into my car and we won't be able to come pick you up. You'll never find the leaving place on your own so go to Doper's Park and meet us at the big fountain. The one near the parking garage.
In my room you'll find a box under my bed. Take the credit stick and ID out of it. Use those for the Metro. Get there as quickly as you can. You have no time to lose."
The screen went blank. David was stunned for a moment but already on his feet. The box wasn't under the bed in Z's room.
"Crystal? Where is this box he was talking about?"
"Right here Master David," A panel of the wall flashed brightly, lit by some source of light hidden behind it. "He moved it the last time he got drunk."
David went over to it. The panel slid away from the wall easily. Inside the box there was a credit stick which he placed in his pocket. The ID was fashioned to look identical to the official ones, however, it was designed to be removable. Only on close inspection would it be possible to tell the difference. David hoped it would scan correctly.
He put on the hat that Z had given him, tucking his hair into it. His long, black hair was one of his more noticeable features.
David was lucky. There was no one on the lift. That rarely happened, but it was late at night. People went inside much earlier in the worse neighborhoods. He lit a cigarette as he waited on the Metro. Glancing inside his pack, he realized that there were only two left after he finished this one. He didn't have any credits to purchase more with, and realized he had to be conservative. Although nicotine had been outlawed, the herbal blend was still moderately addictive.
A Metro came and left. It wasn't the one he was waiting for. David looked up and cursed. The buildings security guard was making his way over.
"Got a smoke I could borrow from you?" The guard asked when he got within about ten yards.
David turned his back. He couldn't let the guard see his face. "Sure," he fumbled inside his pack, "Here you go." He reached behind him with the cigarette.
"Hey, be careful out there buddy. They say there's some kind of fugitive running around. Killed some people in the SkyLounge or something."
"I hadn't heard that he had killed anybody," David couldn't believe how fast the rumors had already become outright lies.
"Yeah. The police came for him and he just went psychotic up there. Pulled out a gun and just started shooting the place up."
"Well I'll watch my back then. Thanks for the warning," David's hoped he would go away.
"No problem," said the guard, "Thanks for the smoke."
"No problem."
The guard ambled away. A Metro approached. David read its destination sign and stepped forward to board.
The guard turned around to say something else. David was forced to partially face him in order to get on.
The guard paused a moment and then recognized him. He froze, then shouted, "Hey! Hey stop! Your him!"
David stepped onto the Metro. He shoved the credit-stick in the computer's scanner. The guard began running to catch up.
The scanner's light turned green. David made his way to a seat. The guard ran alongside the Metro, "Somebody stop him, that's the fugitive," he shouted but no one heard.
"Damn, I must have forgotten my lighter," David said loudly in case anyone had noticed the guard.
David waited on the next stop and then exited the Metro. The guard would have notified the police by now. David wanted to be out in the open so he could run.
He didn't recognize the building they stopped in. It was some kind of office. Glancing at the nametag on a woman's shirt, he realized he was inside the Atlantic Service Building. They programmed the computers that most people had to run their homes. He was about eight blocks from the park, but on the right side of the city.
When he got out to the sidewalk he began to jog lightly. His wind disappeared in less than a minute because of the heavy pollution. He began to feel lightheaded and hoped he could make it to the fountain.
David was afraid to stop running. He wasn't sure how far they were behind him, but he knew they were back there somewhere. The police responded very fast. Especially to calls informing them of the location of a fugitive from justice.
He made it two streets up and got stuck at a traffic light. He hoped that whoever was behind him was stuck at one also. The instant the light changed to "Cross" David took off. He was sprinting now. There was a yearly marathon held in Canada called "Running For Freedom". David gave new meaning to those words as he raced down the street.
He had entered the largest shopping district of the city and had to slow down now. It was crowded even at this late time of night. The flow of people walking was in the opposite direction now and he was pushed backward. He struggled against them. Shoving a woman aside earned him a dirty look. A large man accompanying her seized him by the back of his shirt, "In a hurry asshole?"
"Sorry," David could barely breath.
"Yeah you are sorry. Learn some manners," he let David go.
David was glad they hadn't gotten a good look at his face. Another block went by and the people began to thin out a little.
From the crowd he heard, "David Bethel, freeze. You are under arrest."
He didn't turn around to see who was calling. Picking up the pace was difficult but he managed to run a little faster.
Coming to a red "Don't Cross" light forced David to stop. He turned around, the cop behind him was getting closer, followed by a large mob. He looked into the oncoming traffic. There was no way he could get across without getting hit. He ran anyway.
The sound of squealing brakes overcame the shouts of the people behind him. The first car managed to stop in time and got slammed from behind. The car in the second lane flew by and David ran through the gap between it and the next car. The third lane was surprisingly empty. As he stepped into it he looked over his shoulder and saw the cop, tentatively making his way into the street.
The next lane was traffic moving in the other direction and David hesitated. A car sped toward him in the lane he was standing in and David ran forward. The space between the cars in this lane was miniscule but somehow David managed to squeeze through without being crushed.
He leapt into the next row of cars blindly. He looked directly into the eyes of a driver who wore an expression of absolute terror as she tried to stop in time. The car behind her hit her, sending her fishtailing into the next lane. The mass of cars, four now, swept across the street towards him. More cars got caught up in the accident as David leapt to the sidewalk.
The officer wasn't fast enough and David heard his scream and glanced back to see him pulled underneath the vehicles.
David felt sorry for the man. He had just been doing his job.
The crowd on the other side was waiting for him. They grabbed at his clothing but when David struggled they grew afraid and let him go. There would be reports later that he had been armed.
He got close enough to see the fountain and recognized Z's car. David had no idea how his friend had managed to escape the police, but he hadn't had any doubts. Z did what needed to be done.
The sound of police sirens in the distance was chilling. Before these recent events, David had thought of the police as an annoyance. They were something you grudgingly put up with in order to be protected. Now they were they enemy, and they terrified him. As he dashed the last one hundred yards to the car, with an angry mob chasing behind at a safe distance, he wondered whether the police had ever offered anyone any protection at all.
His fingers grasped the handle of the door. Faith was in the front seat with Z. "Hurry up," Z hissed at him, losing his calm.
He jumped into the back seat and there she was. "Kaylie," he embraced her and the tears began to fall.
"Will you two be quiet back there, you're distracting me?" Z was already pulling away from the curb. The mob had surrounded his car but as he eased onto the gas they began to run away. Mob mentality was proving to be below average.
"David, I've been so terrified. I've never been a needy person, but I need you," she squeezed him more tightly, as if to make sure he was solid and not some specter.
"I've needed you too Kaylie," he whispered softly in her ear. Letting the fears fall away in the form of water rolling down his face. They were sticky but he couldn't let her go to wipe them away.
There was a long moment that needed no words. A police helijet interrupted it. Hovering about twenty feet in the air above their car, the noise was deafening. Faith screamed.
"Don't worry, the Interway is close. If we can make it into the tunnels they can't follow," Z shouted to be heard. Recollecting himself and everyone else, he thought ahead clearly, "We're gonna abandon the car inside. David and Kaylie, as soon as we get out of the vehicle your going to have to remove me and Faith's I.D.s and shoulder-chips. They've identified both of us, I guess we are going with you."
"Identified you how?" David shouted.
"Well all they had to do was a scan of the car from their helijet to get my identification, and I'm sure they have read the information from both mine and Faith's I.D.s by now. I always wanted to see another part of the world, I just didn't think I 'd be travelling as a fugitive."
"I'm glad that I won't have to miss you after all. But I'm sorry. If you hadn't been helping me you wouldn't be in this mess now."
"Oh cut out the emotional stuff. You owe me so bad. You have no idea how bad," Z feigned tough guy, "But seriously. David, I would do it all over again. You’re the only friend I've ever had who wasn't just a business associate."
David had never heard Z speak like that before and it took him back. "Thanks," was all he could manage to get out.
The helijet sounded like it was getting lower to the ground. The loud humming sound of its propellers and the thunderous roar of its engine increased until the flying machine had to be only feet above them.
They cringed in fear, Z driving as fast as he could for the Interway. Once inside the helijet would have lost them. It was only several hundred yards away.
The tense silence in the car was broken by a heavy thump. The roof was dented in slightly. Kaylie jumped, throwing herself into David's arms.
The car came to a stop, and then was very slowly lifted from the ground. Inch by inch, it appeared that a giant had picked them up by its fingers.
"A magnet," Z hit the steering wheel with his fist, "They are lifting us with a magnet."
Faith swore under her breath.
"We have to jump before we get to high," David had been relying on instinct and instruction from his friends for several days. Suddenly his thinking became clear and he took charge.
The car was already about three feet off of the ground. David opened his put his hand on the door handle. "When I say go, open your doors and jump out. Fan out a little but come back together at the entrance to the Interway."
He glanced at the ground, now five feet below them and getting further away with every passing second. "Go! Now! Jump!"
Three of them were on the ground and running before they realized that Kaylie had hesitated. "Kaylie, jump!" David shouted back at her.
She had opened her door but sat there, her legs swinging like a child too small for her chair. "David, I don't think I can."
"Kaylie, you're scared but just do it. You have to do it." He had stopped running and turned around to face her. Z and Faith ran on. Then turned around and ran back to David. Any advantage they had was gone now.
Kaylie sat for just a few seconds more, watching the distance between her and the ground grow larger. Something made a loud noise above her and snapped her out of the trance she was in. The paralysis that imprisoned her let go and Kaylie leapt to the earth, tumbling to her knees. Jumping up she ran to David. He waited for her and then grabbed her hand. Lying on the concrete was a large tranquilizer dart, they were shooting at them from the helijet now.
Z and Faith veered to the left, and David dragged Kaylie to the right. Her hesitation had cost them valuable time and she ran as fast as she could in order to keep from slowing them more. The air was thick with darts and it wouldn't be long before the random spray hit one of them.
Kaylie had an idea and scooped up a handful of broken pavement. Turning every few seconds, she flung the pieces at the helijet. They bounced off the view-screen she was hoping to crack, causing no damage. The last rock went off course and hit a small box on top of the helijet. A loud crackling sound overcame the deafening roar of the helijet's engine.
Kaylie felt something strike her hand but she never saw the dart that hit her. David had her in his arms before she ever touched the ground. He carried her and was no longer able to run. The spray of darts went wild now, apparently the box had been its guidance system.
The police did not take long to respond. A heavy crash followed by a loud explosion caused both David and Z to turn around. "My car," Z screamed at no one in particular. A burning metal skeleton was all that was left of it.
"Keep running," David shouted back. They were less than a hundred yards from the Interway, but with the helijet no longer weighed down by Z's car David knew they would never make it.
Nathan, who had been silent since David got Z's message, interrupted the feeling of dread David felt as the helijet closed in on them. "Finally, I'm in," his robotic voice was exuberant.
David glanced behind him and realized the helijet was hovering in one place now. Slowly it turned to the right, as if being forced against its will.
"Keep running Master David. I'm in the helijet's operating system but that doesn't mean they can't send more," Nathan's reason propelled David who was consumed by disbelief.
"Nathan, your wonderful," Faith told him as her and Z ran over to David.
"I know, but you can thank me later. Get inside the Interway."
Faith and Z each grabbed one of Kaylie's legs to help David carry her. He was glad, because despite her slenderness she was fairly heavy. They made it to the tunnel and found a dark corner to collapse in.
"David your going to have to cut out our shoulder-chips. Do you have anything sharp? Everything we brought for Kaylie was in the car," Z, who had panicked earlier, regained his natural poise.
He searched his pockets a second. "Nothing."
Faith began searching the ground. Crawling on her hands and knees. "Got something," she handed David a bottle.
"What am I supposed to do with some whino's discarded bottle?" He asked her, a little sarcastic from the stress.
"Break it on the ground and cut this thing out of me. This thing that has me marked for any to find." Her disgust at the chip was evident.
"Won't that get infected?" David was squeamish about cutting anything out of his friends.
"Just do it," she told him a little forcefully.
"I'm just trying to be careful."
"Listen to her David. We've got no choice. Do you have a lighter? Maybe we can sterilize it or something," Z wanted to get this done and get moving.
"Master David, If you heat the glass some and then spray it with AntiB it should be all right," Nathan's opinion was the final vote needed. David shattered the bottle on the concrete and searched for a jagged piece. He took the lighter and small bottle out of his pockets. He heated the glass carefully, so as not to burn his fingers and then sprayed it with the strong anti-bacterial liquid.
"Brace yourself," He reached out for Z first. Z grimaced. The pain was exquisite. A few seconds and the chip lay on the ground. David then cut the cord that held Z's I.D. on and cast both the chip and disc away.
He was tentative about hurting Faith and he hesitated. She grabbed his hand and plunged the glass into her own shoulder. "Do it now," she told him through gritted teeth. He cut the chip out of her shoulder, and then removed her I.D. After he had disposed of them he sprayed both Faith and Z's shoulder's with AntiB.
"I think that shit hurts worse than you cutting me up did," Z pushed David's hand away.
Kaylie stirred a little.
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" He hadn't had time to think about it earlier, but now David began to worry.
"No way," Z told him, "I tried one of those darts once to see what it felt like. I was out for over an hour."
"Well then let's pick her up. We need to get going. Don't we have to meet Emmanuel at a certain time?"
"I don't think I can help you carry her right now. My shoulder hurts," Z wasn't whining, just being honest.
"Do you think we could tie her on my back somehow? It would make her easier for me to carry."
"What do you want to tie her on with? I don't have any rope or anything."
"Well hand me that piece of glass. I'll cut my shirt into strips and we can use those."
A few minutes later and Kaylie was secured to David's back.
"Nathan do you think you could help us navigate down here? I bet you've got some maps of these tunnels stored away somewhere." Z didn't want to admit it but without his car he was lost.
"I don't have anything stored away Master Z," with the immediate danger of the helijet removed; Nathan's bite was back, "I have instant access to all my information. I can guide you down here. Just walk and I'll tell you where to go."
"I hope I'm not sorry I asked," Z chuckled to himself. He told Nathan where they needed to go and the computer began giving directions.
The long walk in the dark was a silent one. It was nearly two hours before they emerged into the misty pre-dawn twilight of the very early morning.
"What time is it?" David whispered, unsure of where they were. The fog meandered with the pollution creating an impenetrable barrier.
"Its nearly four," Nathan informed him.
"Where are we?" Faith was lost as well.
"We're in the shipping yards of one of the nation's biggest exporters of plasticite," Z told them, "Emmanuel's uncle was the inventor of it. Emmanuel has taken over the company to provide a front for his main business- smuggling drugs. The plasticite is one of the few substance that the satellite's can't seem to scan through."
"Don't go telling everybody my secrets Z," a voice behind them caused them all to jump. It was gruff and had an accent though David couldn't place it. A large man with curly dark hair stepped up beside them. "If you people weren't all criminals yourselves I would have to kill you now."
"Don't be so damn melodramatic Emmanuel. Just get us out of here," Z told him.
"Get you out of here? You're nearly two hours late. I had to send the shipment. Did you think it would wait for you?" Emmanuel looked down at Z, over an enormous stomach.
"I'm paying you a lot of good credits to get us out of here and you sent the shipment because we were running late?" Z's angry hand gestures were comical when directed at the big man.
"I'd have lost a lot more credits than you could afford to pay me if the shipment had been late. And what's this about getting 'us' out of here? I thought I was sending your two friends."
"Change of plans. The cops spotted us. They have to know I'm involved now," Z tried to explain quickly.
"The cops spotted you and you came here anyways. Get out of here. Get out of here now," Emmanuel appeared to be angry.
"They didn't follow us. Don't worry. Just get us to India. I'll pay you extra for the two additional passengers."
"Oh you will pay me extra all right. Forty thousand credits per passenger. Five thousand credits for running late and twenty thousand credits for coming here under pursuit."
"Thirty thousand credits per passenger. Four thousand for running late and nothing for being pursued, you knew this was a criminal venture." Z loved to haggle.
"One hundred forty thousand credits total. Final offer."
"Deal," Z shook hands with Emmanuel and pulled the paper credits out of his pocket. After they had been handed over the atmosphere lightened.
"Come with me," Emmanuel began to walk and waved for them to follow, "We have a few hours before the next shipment. Come have a drink."
A few minutes later and they were all sitting inside a comfortable office, drinking hot coffee and rum. Despite all the chemical advancements, this drink was still the best thing for getting warm when you were cold and tired.
David sat talking with Kaylie, telling her everything that had happened. She shared with him her experience only when he prodded.
"Well I thought you were dead at first. I was ready to follow you out that window. Then they said that you were on that ledge and the one cop went down to get you. I was worried but I had hope because I knew you were still alive."
"There was a lot of running around after that and I wasn't sure what had happened. During all the chaos I probably could have left, but I was still in shock. And I didn't want to leave without finding out what had happened to you."
"Eventually, after you had escaped and the cop you ran away from outside came back, they realized I had been there with you and they began questioning me. When I wouldn't tell them where I thought you would go they took me to the county prison."
"They couldn't put me in a cell so they just locked me in an interrogation room with a pillow. I tried to pick the lock on the door but it was no use."
"Those bastards didn't hurt you did they?" David interrupted.
"No. They had a female officer do the search on me. She was a little bit rough when she took off my wrist-computer but other than that I'm fine. You look pretty beat up though."
"I'll be alright." He smiled at her and pulled her close to him. The kiss she gave him sent fire rushing all over his body. His problems melted away and bright colors exploded behind his closed eyelids. It felt like he was merging with her, sharing her body.
"Get up lovebirds," Emmanuel's accented voice broke into his world like a bomb going off. "Sorry to interrupt," he laughed, "but Z and I were listening to the police bands and they were talking about shutting off all shipping until the two of you were found. You're gonna have to leave now."
"Not that I care about you," he added, "But I need to get as much dope out of the country as I can before they stop all exports."
He led them out of the office and across the shipping yard. A large shuttle was being loaded with enormous crates. Men scurried about, operating machinery. One old man shouted orders and the people cringed every time his mouth opened.
"That's it. Go ahead and walk up the ramp. Just stay out of the way until I come," Emmanuel walked away. A loud crash halted the steady hum of busy work.
"Who the hell dropped that?" Emmanuel appeared livid. "Who is operating the crane?"
A small man climbed down from the crane's operating tower, shaking with fright.
Emmanuel walked to him, glanced at his eyes and then spit in his face, "How could you disrespect me by showing up to work like that? What are you on anyways? Erase? Orgasm? Crystal Explosion? What is it?"
"Its alcohol sir," the drunken man whispered, still trembling with fear. "My wife died last week and I've been drinking a lot."
"There are no excuses. Go home right now. Any damage you've done will be deducted from your paycheck. Come back to work when you've sobered up, I don't care how long it takes."
David walked up to Emmanuel. "You aren't going to fire him? Most companies fire an employee when he shows up intoxicated don't they?"
"He's a good worker most of the time. Besides, if I fire him, how can he pay me back for all the damage he has done?" Emmanuel turned to the men who were still standing around, "Well? What are you looking at? Get this cleaned up and get this shipment loaded now!"
The men hustled about again, picking up the broken crate. David and the others went up the ramp and into the transport's cargo hold. It was filled with large boxes of all sizes. Each was marked clearly "plasticite".
Z sat down on top of a crate, swinging legs that were too short to touch the ground. "I wish they would hurry up and get done. I'm ready to be off."
David jumped up beside his friend, "If I didn't know better, I would think you were excited about going."
"Excited?" Z asked. David nodded. "I suppose so. Life had gotten too easy. I was beginning to grow bored of getting high all the time. But mostly I'm just anxious to be off. It worries me that they are actually going to shut down all shipping. That has never been done before. They want you badly my friend."
"Why?" Kaylie looked at Z eagerly. "What has David done that is so terrible? He did some drugs. So what, I'd wager that half of the population is on drugs. The other half is wired into a computer half the day. What could differentiate his crime so greatly that they would hunt him like this?"
"You ask good questions Kaylie, but your asking the wrong man," Z shrugged his shoulders. "I've been plagued by similar thoughts."
As they talked men came and went, filling the cargo hold with plasticite.
"They want Master David because he frightens them," Nathan had an eerie way of being silent for long periods of time and suddenly speaking.
"Why do you say that Nathan?" Faith had never been around a computer like Nathan before and was fascinated by him.
"It's just a deduction Mistress Faith. The historical purpose of law and punishment has always been to stop bad behavior, and to try to rehabilitate the criminal. But in the past, when the consequences have so far exceeded the crime, as in Master David's case, it has been because the criminal was feared."
"Thank you Nathan. But what about me could they fear?"
"I think it must be your ugliness." He said this in a perfectly even tone, and it took a minute for everyone to understand he was joking.
"Ah, but Nathan if ugliness was a crime they would have deleted you a long time ago," David kidded back.
"But Master David, my ugliness dies with me. Theoretically you can have children, and contaminate their entire society. Though what poor female would bear your child I do not pretend to know," Nathan said.
"I would bear his beautiful children gladly," Kaylie jumped into David's lap as if to demonstrate her affection for him. None of them noticed the sad look on Faith's face.
"I pity you then," Nathan told her. He was about to say more when Emmanuel stepped into the cargo chamber.
"Ok start emptying some of those crates out," he told them.
"What for?" Kaylie asked.
"Well pretty girl, you're going to be riding in them. Didn't Z tell you?" He winked at Z as he said this.
Faith beat on Z's chest with her fists, "You knew that we were going to be riding in BOXES and you didn't tell us?"
"I… umm… its really the only way. The transport could get searched at any point in United States air space. The plasticite can't be scanned through by any device that they have." He clutched her wrists gently to stop her from hitting him.
Grudgingly they all began to empty the crates of the thick slabs of waxy plastic. Emmanuel joined in, working twice as quickly as the rest of them. "You are two slow. We must hurry. They could free exportations at any moment."
When the crates were empty they each climbed inside one. David paused to give Kaylie a kiss, "See you in India beautiful."
"I'll go anywhere you lead me handsome."
David had never seen this submissive side of Kaylie before and wasn't sure how he felt about it. Their spicy arguments were one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place.
Emmanuel closed the lid on the crate. "Pleasure doing business with you," he said and left David seated in the dark.
It would be a long lonely ride, and David desperately wanted a chance to talk to Kaylie.
"So what are your plans once you get to India Master David?" Nathan shocked David out of his thoughts.
"I really hadn't thought that far ahead." He told him once he had collected himself.
"Well, its October so it will be Diwali over there," Nathan informed him.
"What's Diwali?" David asked.
"Diwali is the Hindu New Year. It means 'an array of lamps'. They celebrate the return of Rama. There will be much celebrating, and it should be easy to get lost in the crowd. Getting any kind of help may be a little bit more difficult."
David sat in silence a while, thinking about what he would do when he got over there. He needed to find the temple he had seen. He felt a pull to it stronger than anything, except his attraction to Kaylie.
David realized suddenly how very desperate his situation was. He would be in a strange country where he did not know anyone. He didn't have any money and he didn't speak their language. On top of that, he had three friends that he had a responsibility to.
Frantically he began to search his pockets. He had a sudden need to see what he had left in the way of possessions. A credit-stick that was worthless. A half-empty can of AntiB. Keys to a car that he would never drive again. And a small disc. What was the disc?
He remembered, it was the priest's email address. He had never gotten around to writing him.
"Nathan, I need to write an email, can you take dictation for me."
"Master David, I am not your secretary. I am far above taking dictation."
"But Nathan, my dictation program is on the main computer at the house. Unless you feel safe accessing the house's system for me I need you to do this for me."
"Your right Master David, after the prison and the helijet I'm sure they have Sentry programs watching for me everywhere. I'll take your dictation, do you have the address?"
"Right here," David slid the small plastic disc into the computer on his wrist.
"Go ahead whenever your ready," Nathan said it with strong distaste.
"Dear Sir," David began tentatively, "You asked me to contact you several days ago. We sat next to each other on the Metro. I apologize for taking so long to get in touch with you but my circumstances have been somewhat difficult.
You asked me if I 'had found it', and at first I wasn't certain what you meant. That night a couple of experiences I had, led me to believe that I did. I felt like I had experienced God in some way and that somehow my life had new purpose.
A romantic interest of mine had developed in an incredible way, and I was very happy about that. It caused me to begin to wonder about how I might effect a positive change on the world, so that others could experience the deep happiness I had found.
Two days later, police attempted to arrest me in a restaurant. You've probably seen it on the Video. Apparently, I'm a very wanted man. I did not kill anyone, so don't worry. An officer who attempted to chase me across the street did get run over. For that I am deeply remorseful. I have come to strongly dislike the institution he represents but he was simply a man doing his job.
I had hoped for a chance to talk to you about what you meant. And to ask you some questions about God. I have a lot more questions now, but I am leaving the country and we will probably never get a chance to sit down and have a conversation.
I hope you will rest assured in that I am going to try to find the answers somehow.
Sincerely,
David Bethel"
"Nathan can you get that to him without getting traced?" David asked his computer.
"Of course Master David. I'm sending it right now."
David sat back, leaning his head against the plasticite left behind him in the box. He wondered how long it would take to get to India. The smooth motion of the transport was a disadvantage because he could not tell at what point they had left the ground. It was so silent that they could still be sitting in the shipping yard. He hoped not because his legs were already beginning to grow cramped.
He tried to sleep but there was too much on his mind. It was several long hours before the lid was pulled off of the box.
********************
"Howz it goin with em down thar?" the fat man grunted behind his desk.
The other man, dressed in blue uniform, stood before him, looking at a point on the wall so as not to stare too obviously at the fat man's disfiguration. Ten years of service and it still disgusted him. "It's going good. It always goes good. You should know that by now. Only five haven't broken yet."
"Five?" He drawled from his ugly face. "Dats a bit high ain't it? Why you've usually got it down to one or two atter a whole day wit em. Wuz the problem, Lootenaunt?" He stretched out the last word, making it overly disgraceful.
"No problem sir. These five are just going to take a little longer, that's all. Where is the Bethel-boy? You promised him to me. You haven't given him to Larkin or Hart have you?" He deserved to get to break Bethel. His record was exquisite. In all his years of service, there had only been twelve that he couldn't break, a record number.
"Why, you'uns haven't heard? Daevid Beethel has given us the sleep. I wurned em to send a lot of men, to take preecautions. But they warn't listenin. They sent two men up thar to fetch em, and he got plumb away."
"Well sir, his scores were the highest we've ever seen. What did they expect?"
"I do not know dat, Lootenaunt. But I reckon we'uns is gonna hafta send Hunter."
"When Hunter catches him will I still get to break him?"
"Naww. I'm just gonna tell em to go erhead and kill em. Cain't risk hit. Cain't risk hit at all. Damn shame though, boy dat smart, could of gotten reel far in da service. You hain't haf as smart and look how well you've done." He chuckled through his fat, ugly face. His fat ugly face covered in pockmarks, with only two nostrils where a nose should have been.
"Yes sir. It is a damn shame. I was so looking forward to breaking him."
"Well, you'uns jes need to cawncentrait on brangin those five around. You do your job and you send me Hunter so he cain go ahead and do his."
The lieutenant stood there for a moment.
"Good Day Lootenaunt. Good Day."
The lieutenant turned sharply on his heels, drawing on every ounce of strength in his body not to turn around and kill him.
********************
The streets of India were filled with people. David wasn't sure, but it seemed like none of them spoke the same languages either. This was the night of "small Diwali" and people were celebrating everywhere. Tomorrow would be the big festival, but tonight there was much merry-making.
Colorful lights lined the street. On the corner performers were entertaining with classical instruments. Hand beaten drums, some sort of wooden pipe and an acoustic guitar were played by old men with white hair and gray streaked beards.
A small boy approached David. "Firecracker?" He asked.
"No thank you," David shook his head and pressed on. Kaylie clung to his hand, trying not to lose him in the crowd.
The little boy walked faster to keep up with him, having difficulty due to shorter legs. "Firecracker," he persisted, "You need firecracker…Diwali." It was obvious that he did not speak many words in English. He was probably trying to earn a little extra holiday money by selling fireworks to tourists.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any credits," David wished he had some money to give him.
"It ok," said the boy, "Here. Free," he placed a small tube into David's hand.
David was shocked. He had never been given anything for free before. The small tube had some writing on it and a string coming out of one end.
David pointed it into the air and pulled the string. There was a loud bang, and confetti shot into the air, sailing high for a minute before gently descending on the people around him like colorful snowflakes.
Kaylie giggled when one of the pieces of paper landed on her nose. David smiled at her and wished he had more.
"Ok, lets keep moving. I want to get to the hotel and take a bath," Z grumbled behind them. He'd been in a bad mood ever since they had gotten out of their crates. David thought that perhaps he was a little scared.
"I want to get there and get some food, I'm starving," David hoped to lighten the mood some. When nobody said anything he realized that he had failed.
The festivities around him quickly reabsorbed his attention. There was something noticeably different about India. Something he had never experienced before. It wasn't the lack of pollution, although David found it quite pleasant to breathe the fresh air. It wasn't the obvious ethnic differences, like language and clothing. He thought about it for a long time before he realized that it was the smiling people. The happy people who did not speak harsh words when you bumped into them were something new to David. Observing the friendly people that laughed and talked amongst themselves was an experience so unique for David that he found himself caught up in their mirth.
Crowds in America were generally miserable.
They did not find the hotel quickly, and everyone but David gradually became more tired and grouchy.
"My feet hurt," Kaylie informed no one in particular.
"I'm about to fall asleep standing up," Z grumbled to himself.
"Will you guys lighten up? We've got to be getting close. Emmanuel's contact over here said it wouldn't take us more than half an hour to get there. So maybe he underestimated a little. We should be there any minute," David was feeling freed of a great burden and didn't want to be dragged down.
"Have you considered the possibility that we might be lost? We've been walking for an hour. Let's see if we can find somebody who speaks English and ask them where the hotel is," Faith had known they were lost for half an hour but had waited to say anything because she didn't want to insult David's pride. He had been leading them like he knew where they were going.
"No need to find an English speaking person Mistress Faith, I can translate," Nathan volunteered his help without a single sarcastic remark.
They approached a woman who stood on the corner, holding a small boy by the wrist. "Ma'am?" David asked and Nathan did the necessary translation.
When the woman realized the voice was coming from his wrist she seemed surprised, as if unaccustomed to computers. After she recognized what it was she calmed down.
"Yes?" She replied in Hindi. Nathan translated.
"We are lost. We are looking for the Hotel of Pleasant Sleeping," David had found the name odd.
"Happy to help you," she told him, "If you will turn around and walk the other way down this street, you will come to a much larger road. You have probably already crossed over it once. Take a left on that road and the hotel will be on your right, no more than three blocks."
"We thank you very much," David told her.
"My pleasure," she said. The child she had been holding managed to get free and run into the road. "Ananda," she yelled after him. "Ananda, you come back here."
The little boy looked at her and grinned. Some young people in a car sped around the corner. The boy looked up to see the car barreling down on him and froze. Seeing that he was about hit the child, the driver of the car slammed on the brakes.
David reacted without thinking. Leaping into the street he grabbed the boy up into his arms and jumped out of the way. The car came to a stop. Judging from its position, it would not have made the stop in time.
The child's mother, with tears streaming down her face, walked up to the car and threw open the door. Though David and the others could not understand her language, they knew from her tone that she was berating the young man.
When she was done she took the young boy from David's arms. She held him and cried for a little while. After she had calmed down she looked at David, "Thank you so much. I am your servant. You saved my son."
"It's ok ma'am, I couldn't have just stood and watched. I'm just happy that he is safe. If you're all right we'll be on our way now. We are very tired and hungry."
"You cannot stay in the hotel. You must come home with me. Celebrate little Diwali with us, and tomorrow you must eat Diwali feast with our neighborhood. The women will cook. There will be games and dancing. Please, you must let me do this for you," even with Nathan translating her insistence was evident.
David looked to the others for an indication of what he should say. Their faces had brightened considerably, and they nodded. "We accept your invitation with much gratitude."
It was a short walk to the lady's house, whom they learned was named Mati. She introduced them to her husband, who asked to be called George. He spoke English without difficulty. She had two daughters and one more son.
The interior of the apartment was decorated beautifully, with representations of the Hindu gods all over the house. It was devoid of many things which were taken for granted in America, although they did have a nice Video system built into one of the walls.
The table was laid out with many foods, most of which David had never seen before. They looked delicious, but something seemed to be missing.
George and the boys sat at the table, and indicated for David and his friends to do likewise.
"We weren't expecting guests but Mati and my daughters will bring you plates and silverware," George told them.
They were soon given eating utensils, and David realized what was missing. "Have you forgotten to bring out the meat?" He asked.
"We do not eat meat," George stated simply.
"But you're all so healthy and thin. Surely a little meat wouldn't hurt you," David told him.
George frowned but explained, "We do not eat meat because it could be our ancestors. When we are born again, sometimes we come back as animals."
David was confused. He started to say that surely they couldn’t believe that, but decided it would be rude.
"I did not know that," he said simply.
"It is all right. We do not expect Americans to understand our customs. All we ask is that you respect them. Why don't you try the curry?" He passed a large bowl of rice to David. It had an orange-brown color to it.
David piled a large heaping of it on his plate. "What's in this?" He asked.
"Rice and spices," Mati told him after Nathan translated.
"Be careful," George warned, "It is very hot. Have some bread handy to quench your mouth with."
David served himself a slice of buttered bread and then took a tentative bite of the curry. It didn't seem hot, and was very tasty so he began to shovel the rice into his mouth. He was incredibly hungry.
The heating effects of the spice were cumulative and came on David gradually. All at once he realized that he was sweating and his mouth was on fire. He grasped about the table for his glass of water.
As he brought it to his lips George shouted at him, "Don't drink it." But George was too late. The water soother him for a second, but then it spread the heat around his mouth and down his throat.
"Eat the bread. The water will just make it worse," George told him.
At this point Kaylie and the others were laughing at David. After he had eaten some bread and calmed down, Z asked him, "So tell us, how is it?"
"Its very good. Why don't you try some?"
Z laughed again, but politely declined.
When they had all finished eating George asked them why they were in India. "So you've come for Diwali? Is that it? Tourists usually don't visit our part of town."
David trusted these people, and didn't want to lie to them. He wasn't quite comfortable sharing the entire story with them either. He tried to tell it without giving away too many details but ended up spilling the entire thing, like a cup full of water that suddenly tips.
"But what you did was such a small thing?" Mati asked as Nathan and George helped to translate.
"Yes, very small. Surely they are using a lot of effort to catch one druggie when there are so many in America," George had seen a documentary about American drug use on the Video.
"I don't understand it either," David held up his hands in exasperation, "All I know is that I have come here to start a new life, with my friends and the woman I love."
"India will be a good place for that. Now enough talk, you look tired. Off to bed and we can talk more in the morning while the women prepare Diwali," George told them. They all smiled at him wearily. It had been an extremely long day.
On the way down the hall David paused in front of a small shrine. There was a statue of a blue woman with six arms. She was naked and was posed as if she were dancing. Something about her seemed incredibly familiar to him, though at the moment he could not remember why.
"Who is that?" he asked George humbly.
"That is the Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's Wife and the goddess of prosperity," George spoke in reverent tones.
David was overcome by a feeling he had forgotten. The same deep sense of connection and awe that he had experienced at the party washed through him again. He remembered where he had seen her before, in his vision while being given the light show.
"I've seen her once, in a dream," he told George.
"I envy you that. If she visited you then you will have good fortune. Would you like to burn some incense to her?" George reached into a sandalwood box and pulled out a small brown cone.
"Yes, very much so," he took the cone, "Thank you."
"Place it here, in the bowl in front of her," George indicated with his finger.
David put the incense there and produced his lighter from his pocket.
"No, not with that. With this," he reached into a smaller box and produced a small black rock, the size of a grain of rice. "Just set this beside the cone."
David lay the rock alongside the incense. For a moment nothing happened, and then a small wisp of dark smoke arose from the cone's base.
"The charcoal reacts with the incense and causes it to burn. Lakshmi will be pleased. Come now, time for you to get into bed. Maybe she will visit you again tonight."
David thought he saw the small idol smile as George gently dragged him away from the altar.
********************
Hunter walked down the long hallway. His color was the blue of the empty space between the stars, the dark blue that is almost black, the dark blue that will swallow you up and never give you back.
He hated going to see the Ghost. He hated the Ghost. "Maybe we should kill him?"
Something stirred behind one of the many doors that lined the halls. Stirred and groaned. Hunter flinched and crouched low to the floor. When it was quiet again he edged forward, his knuckles dragging the ground.
"Kill him for making us walk down the blue hallway. The dark blue hallway that swallows us up. Swallows us up and never lets us go."
There was a light at the end of the hallway. Hunter couldn't see that well, but he knew the Ghost would be waiting down there. The ugly Ghost, with his faceless face and his fat, disgusting body.
"Kill him for making us look at him. At his face, which we dreams of and his body which makes us vomit. Kill him."
"Hurry on down heah boy and stained up like a man. Even though you ain't one. Stained up I said," the Ghost spoke to him.
Hunter straightened and walked down the hall a little faster. He could make out the Ghost now, sitting behind his desk, his body filling up the chair and flowing out of it. Flowing out into the rest of the room.
He stepped into the light. It hurt his eyes; they did not adjust quickly. He covered them, more to avoid looking at the Ghost than to shield them from the light.
"Kill him. Before he speaks to us. Kill him. Before he hurts us. Kill him so we don't have to see him anymore. Kill him so we don't have to dream him anymore."
"They ain't been givin you your medicashiun have they boy?" The Ghost asked him, taunting.
"Need medicine," Hunter growled. It was a strain to speak outloud. "Need medicine. Voices."
"Yes boy, I cain see dat. Wheel, thar is somethin I need you to do, an if you can do heat, wheel see bout gittin you some more medicashiun," The Ghost spoke quietly, irritatingly soft.
"Kill him, shut him up."
"I can do it," Hunter was straining. He wanted his medicine. He wanted the voices to go away. He wanted the buzzing to stop. It was getting worse, he couldn't think. He needed to think. He needed to plan. He had a plan.
"Wheel than boy, thar is someone I need you to find for mah. Someone I need you to kill for mah. His name is David Bethel, and here is his picture," He reached out and handed the picture to Hunter.
Hunter's hand stretched out to take it.
"Kill him. Strangle him. Just grab his throat and squeeze it."
He took the picture. He needed his medicine.
"We last saw heem at the SkyLounge. But we traicked him to this har address," He slid a piece of paper across the desk.
Hunter looked at the writing on the paper. He couldn't read it. His head was buzzing too hard.
"Now don't worry boy, we'll give you a leetle bit of medicashiun now. A leetle, and than you can have some mur aifter you'se keel em."
"Medicine. Please." Hunter pleaded with him.
"Not yet boy, you an I ain't dun talkin yet."
"Just kill him. End his life. Drive him out. Make him leave us alone. We don't want to kill some David and we don't want his filthy medication. We just want to kill him and run away. Run away. Kill him." It grew louder. More insistent. Harder to ignore.
Hunter grabbed the Ghost by the arm. Both of his hands clutched at it and still didn't meet around the middle. It was an enormous arm. "Medicine. Please?" His growl was a whine.
"Git yur stinkin, filthy paws off of me BOY!"
"Kill him. He yells. He hurts our ears. Choke him. Hit him. Strangle him. Kick him. Bites him. Hurt him. Kill him."
"Sorry. Just… medicine?" Tears rolled down his face. He pleaded.
"All right. I'll call the nurse an while she cums up har me an you wheel finish our talk." He punched a button on his desk, "Nurse?"
"Yes sir?" A voice came through the speakers in the wall. Hunter jumped.
"Grab the heavy thing and hit him with it. Kill him now. He isn't paying attention. Kill him. We don't want to talk to him."
"Brang the boy's medicashiun. Not too much."
"I'll have it transported right up sir."
"No, you'll brang it yurself."
"Yes sir."
The Ghost smiled as he envisioned her shudder. None of the people who worked in the building liked coming to see him.
"Now boy, Whare was we? Oh yeah, we was havin a talk. They had a hard time breakin you din't they?"
"Yes," Hunter told him. He was proud of that. Proud of how hard it was for them to break him.
"They had a hard time breakin me too. You see I have what's called a gene-itic disordar. Its why I have no nose or lips, and why mah body is so fucking fat." He jiggled his stomach with his hands as if to make his point. "And this diseese I have. Thees gene-itic disordar. It don't leet me feel any pain. My narves just don't carry it to mah brain. Light me on far an I wouldn't feel a thang. But I gave in eventually boy. We all give in."
"Kill him. We don't want to hear about his diseases. We just want to kill him. Kill him now."
"Now it seems to me, like you haven't given in yet. Now you do what we want you to do. You do hit because I've got yur medicashiun. But you haven't givin in completely yet boy. Now boy, if you don't give in, one day the medicashiun is just gonna stop. We'll just leave you to the voices."
"Shut him up. Kill his fat face. His fat faceless disgusting fat face. Kill him."
"Medicine? Don't stop medicine. Don't…Don't like voices. Medicine. Please?"
"Oh yur gittin some medicashiun soon boy. Real, real soon. Cuz we need you to keel this one. But one day, we won't need you anymore, and if you don't give in, then we are just gonna lock you up without any and leave you to your voices."
Hunter was an affront to the Ghost's pride. Ten thousand had come through while he was in charge, and only this one. Just Hunter. Hadn't broken.
"I'll give in. Be very good. Kill Davids. Kill anybody. Medicine?"
"I believe you boy. Now you jes go kill this un and you be thinkin about givin in. Think about what it means to give in. Here comes tha nurse with your medicashiun now."
"Kill him. Kill his fat, stinking mouth. Kill him. Blood. Kill him. Kill the nurse. Damn their medicine. Smash it. Break it. Kill it."
His color was red. Not the dark red of blood but the bright angry red of confusion. The red of anger. The red of hatred. The red of Hell.
The nurse stepped into the light. "20 mgs sir?"
"Yes 20 mgs wheel be jes fahn."
The nurse stuck the needle into him and the syringe automatically injected its contents.
"Kill them. Kill them." Fading. Gone.
Hunter's world was the green of grass.
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Intelligence is not best measured by the answers you have but by the questions that you ask
