New Power, page 3
part #5 of FreeForm Series
Alp relaxed back in her seat as well. Her neck ached, and her eyes burned from straining so hard to see out the window into the blazing sunlight. “How much...” she started to say but stopped when James held up one hand, as a new voice came through their headsets. After a moment, he lowered his hand.
“What were you saying?”
“What was that all about?” Alp asked instead. “Did I hear him say something about a storm?”
“Yeah, that was a weather update,” he replied nonchalantly. “Might get interesting in a little bit.”
“Interesting?” Alp’s hackles raised by the comment. “What’s that mean?”
“That storm could be more powerful and move faster than it looks. Those clouds over there are just the front end of it," he said pointing out Alp's window. "Storms from that direction can be pretty violent out here in the ocean."
As Alp looked out the window at the broad expanse of ocean below, she groaned, but before she could say anything else, she heard another voice but not one coming from her headset. This one was coming from within her mind.
Where am I? Help, I can't move my arms.
I can’t move mine either, Tabitha. What’s going on?
Her sisters were awakening.
Denial
As the three of them entered Flip’s room, Lionel stared around in awe at the transformation that had taken place. Denise had made a sincere effort to maintain a warm, homey feel in what was an otherwise sterile, medical environment. Pictures of herself and the children that made up the Kindred were scattered around the room. All these lovely children have come from Flip generous sharing of his genetically altered seeds, Lionel thought. It amazed him to think how many people had been affected by that one small accident.
Today the room was changed even more. The medical equipment that had kept Flip alive during his coma—the monitoring unit, IV drip & stand, the crash unit—all had been pushed into one corner and then covered with a mass of flowers that extended around the room on every flat service including the floor.
Lionel’s jaw dropped as he gazed around the room.
“Too much?” Denise asked, noticing his look of astonishment.
“Ah, no, I wouldn’t say that,” Lionel answered. “Just wasn’t prepared for the change, that’s all.”
“Well, Bridgette and I wanted Flip to know how much he was missed. The flowers have cards from all his children. Okay, I know they didn't send them, and Flip probably knows it as well, but they would have sent them if..." Denise stopped not knowing how to finish the sentence, a pained expression marring her pretty face.
“I understand,” Lionel said as he reached out and squeezed her hand. “It’s lovely.”
“Well, hello, old friend,” Flip called from his hospital bed that had been cranked up, so he sat upright. “It’s about damn time you dropped in. What’s with the mitts?” He asked pointing to the bandages on Lionel’s hands.
“Just a bit of a barbecuing accident,” Lionel replied walking over to Flip’s bedside, winding his way through the pots of flowers. He didn’t want to get into describing how he’d been burned and how it was possible that Flip’s only son might have been killed in the same fire. He’d wait until his friend was stronger to discuss such delicate matters.
Denise and Bridgette joined him at Flip’s bedside, and Denise reached over and gave Flip a long hug and kiss. “It’s so good to have you back. I just can’t get over how well you look.”
“Well, for sure I’ve had my beauty sleep though looking in the mirror I don’t think it did me much good.”
Despite the apparent weight loss that showed both on Flip's face as well as on the gaunt frame below the covers, Lionel had to agree Flip looked amazingly well with an energetic glow of vitality. He'd heard a rumor that Alp had supposedly helped with Flip's recovery, but had doubted the story. Now seeing his old friend, he wondered if the story was true. For sure, much of his scientific-based belief system had been turned on its end since working with the Kindred and their unique powers.
The cracks in his scientific world had begun shortly after Flip had shown back up in his life, accidentally ruining his research and infusing his reproductive tract with the genetic template before running off to sleep with his collection of high power professional women. The cracks continued as it was discovered that Flip had impregnated each of them during his visits. They'd all become pregnant despite the fact that Flip had had a vasectomy years ago, and all the women had been on birth control. But that was only the beginning. The cracks turned into vast chasms of wonder and doubt when the women had been brought to Bio Vita Tech for further study by Chunk, the federal agent assigned to the case. There it was determined their pregnancies were progressing approximately four times faster than average.
Lionel had grown pretty used to such medical miracles when suddenly a whole new twist of impossibilities arrived in the form of Alp and Mel. The twins had been the product of Flip being seduced by his spiritual guide and fortune teller, Madame Sarrah. Lionel still had nightmares of Madame Sarrah’s torched carcass Chunk and he had found in her home. His scientific mind rejected Chunk’s suspicion that she’d been killed in such a manner by one of her children; that was until Mel had turned his powers on Chunk and later on him.
So, the idea that Alp might have extraordinary healing powers and that she’d used them to heal her father wasn’t such a stretch. In fact, as Lionel reflected on everything he’d witnessed in the past three years, he began to wonder just how powerful these young children were and what role Flip might play in all this.
They spent the next several minutes talking about everything but the missing children, having made an unspoken pact to avoid that subject while around Flip. After several minutes of polite conversation, one of the nurses stuck her head into the room.
“It’s time for our miracle boy here to get a little rest.”
“Rest? Me, rest?” Flip replied good-naturedly. “I’ve had enough rest to last a lifetime. I want to visit with my friends.”
“They’ll be plenty of time for that later on,” the nurse replied. “You’re still weak. They can come back tomorrow.”
“She’s right,” Denise said before Flip could continue to argue. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
As the two women began to follow the nurse out, Lionel stayed standing next to Flip’s bed. “I’ll be with you in just a minute. I just have a question I need to ask Flip.”
After everyone else had left, and the door was closed, Lionel turned back to Flip.
“What's on your mind, old friend?" Flip asked as he adjusted himself to the bed.
Suddenly Lionel didn’t know how to broach the subject. He finally decided the straight-forward way was best.
“Flip, I’ve been wondering. Are you in touch with them?”
Flip sat up a little straighter in bed, a look of puzzlement on his face. “In touch with them? With whom? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“With the Kindred — with the children.” Lionel corrected himself.
“Ah, ol' boy, from what I understand, the children are gone." Flip replied, a hurt look growing on his face. "I know I don't know my children yet, having slept through their first two-plus years. It still seems a little callous of you to ask me about them while they've been kidnapped by one of their own, or by some other dark force we know nothing about."
“I’m sorry, Flip. You’re right,” Lionel replied. “The question wasn’t intended to bring up any bad memories; it’s just that...well...”
“Well, what?" Flip interrupted. "What are you trying to say?"
“Alp.”
“What about Alp? That’s the girl that’s supposed to have come from my liaison with Madame Sarrah, right? I’m sorry, but I don’t know her. We’ve not yet met.”
“Did she come to you? Did she heal you?”
“What?” Flip asked. “How would I know? Remember, Lionel, I’ve been asleep...in a coma.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Lionel face flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Flip. I didn’t mean to upset you. Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sure thing. It sounds like you could use a good night sleep as well."
As the door closed behind his old friend, Flip reached for the bed controls and began to lower himself down. “That was a close one,” he muttered as he closed his eyes.
“Oh no,” Alp exclaimed so vehemently that James glanced over at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s my sisters,” Alp said, remembering to use the radio this time. She craned her neck to look towards the rear of the helicopter. “Some of them are waking up.”
“Oh shit, you’re right; not the best timing in the world.”
Alp replied, “I’m going to go check on them.” But before she could do so, James blocked her path with his arm.
“Stay in your seat and stay buckled in. We’re about to run into turbulence. You could be thrown around in the aircraft and hurt yourself.”
“But I need to release them. They’re freaking out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but they were tied in securely before we left, and they need to stay tied for now. They’re much safer like that than if you untied them. You’ll just have to calm them down some other way.”
Alp nodded slowly. She hated to admit it, but James made sense. Besides, she wasn’t without her own means of being with her sisters.
Hello. This is Alp. I know that we haven't actually met before. I'm sorry you've awoken to such uncomfortable accommodations...”
You’re the other one that came with Mel, aren’t you?
Yes, how did you know?
I’m Tabitha. I’m the one that made contact with him first.
Something that she won’t let the rest of us forget. Another voice broke in.
And who are you? Alp asked.
I'm Kristin Phillips. Good to meet you.
A third voice chimed in, And I'm Mia. Pleased to meet you, Alp.
Enough with the niceties, Tabitha interrupted. Untie us. It's bloody awful here.
I’m sorry, I’m not able to do that just yet. Let me explain. You were all drugged and tied up by one of the doctors back at the lab, then placed on a helicopter which is where you are now.
Holy hell, Kristin shouted. Where are we being taken?
I’m not sure, Alp replied as calmly as possible. At the moment, we're over a large body of water called the Atlantic Ocean on the way to an island called Bermuda.
We know our geography. We’ve been in intensive classes for over a year, Tabitha remarked sarcastically. Bermuda is about 140 small islands.
That’s good to know, Alp thought, then realized she’d conveyed that to her sisters. Time to start practicing guarding her thoughts just in case.
So why the hell can't you untie us? Kristin asked.
Well, we’re trying to outrun a storm. Our pilot, James, is afraid it could get bumpy, and you might be injured.
This is ridiculous, Tabitha shouted. Who the hell is in charge here...you or James?
Alp didn't answer at first. She did have the gun, but despite that, it did feel like at the moment James knew more what to do so he'd taken charge.
Well, we both are. We’re trying to work together so everyone will be okay.
A stern voice Alp didn’t recognize suddenly came across the radio interrupting the conversation with her sisters.
“Unidentified aircraft flying in U.S. airspace heading one, three, zero degrees at, a thousand feet. This is Coast Guard cutter, Tuckahoe. You are instructed to break off your flight and to return to Cherry Point Marine Corp Air Station. If you do not comply, we will take aggressive actions.”
“Oh, shit,” James shouted loud enough to be heard without the radio.
“What’s going on?” Alp asked, her voice rising in pitch. “What did they mean?”
James didn’t answer. The helicopter dropped from the sky and made a violent turn to the right and left. James strained to look over his shoulder.
Alp felt her bottom try to leave the seat as her harness snap tight around her. Her stomach flipped-flopped. The violent turning of the helicopter threw her head against the back of the chair as her helmet flew forward on her head, throwing her into darkness. A few seconds later, as things settled down, she adjusted the helmet. She reached out with one foot and pressed the radio button.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“We've been tagged by the Coast Guard. I don't know if they have a visual or see us on the radar, but they know we're here."
Lionel glanced around Franklin’s office where they had decided to meet after leaving Flip’s room. He wondered how anyone could spend as much time in an office as Franklin had over the years without it reflecting more of his personality. He then realized that the sterile professional appearance of the room pretty much did reflect Franklin’s dry, non-artistic approach to work and life.
“I guess you all are wondering why I called you here,” he said with a chuckle and smile.
“Ah, Lionel, sweetie, we know exactly why we’re meeting,” Bridgette replied. “We’ve got to come up with a plan to find the children.”
“What did you find out from Flip?” Denise asked.
The two women sat next to each other on the black and tan houndstooth sofa, leaving two matching chairs from which to choose for Lionel. He sat in the one closest to Bridgette, basking in the warm feeling of her closeness. The pain meds the infirmary nurse had given him for his burned hands hadn't done nearly as much to relieve his discomfort as being close to Bridgette did.
“Unfortunately, not much,” Lionel replied to Denise’s question. “He denied knowing anything about Alp or being in touch with the children.”
“What did you expect him to say?” Bridgette asked.
“Well, we’ve pretty much established that one of the special powers of the children is their ability to communicate with each other psychically. And if that’s true, then I think it’s also possible that Flip might have a similar connection to them.”
The two women sat up straighter, a hopeful look growing on their face for the first time in hours.
“Then, he could be in touch with them, even as we speak,” Denise added.
“Well, yes, except he denied any such connection,” Lionel said, then added, “But I’m not sure he’s telling me the truth.”
“But why would he lie?” Bridgette asked. “I mean, you’re his best friend.”
“Yes, that's true, but Flip has always tended to keep his personal life private, even from me. I mean, I didn't know about the many ladies he had around the country until this whole mess happened."
“So, now what?” Denise asked.
“Well, I'll keep looking into this," Lionel said. "I remembered on the way down that Flip's room has been under video surveillance. If something did happen between Alp and him, it would show on the video."
“And I think we need to pull someone else in to help us find the kids,” Denise said as she stood up and stretched.
“Do you have someone in mind?” Bridgette asked, stifling a yawn herself.
“Yes, I have a college friend. We've lost touch over the years, but I know at one time she worked for a governmental agency in some top secret investigative work. Last I heard she'd gone out on her own as a private investigator in the Charlotte area. Her name is Pat Vogt."
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give her a call,” Lionel said. He could feel a thick blanket of fatigue begin to creep over him.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Denise replied,“since I’ve already placed a call to her office.”
“Maybe she could look into Mel’s disappearance as well,” Lionel added.
“Well, maybe, but priority is the girls,” Bridgette said. “Bad pennies tend to show up on their own.”
“True," Lionel said with a chuckle. "Okay, I guess that's settled. Let me know when you hear from her. Any word on Chickowski?" He asked though he didn't much care what happened to his former colleague.
“Yeah," Denise replied. "Chunk called from Duke where Chickowski was taken. He's in surgery now to have the bullet removed. Evidently, it was very close to severing his femoral artery but just missed. If it had, he would have bled to death out there in the parking lot. Even so, he lost a lot of blood. Chickowski's lucky to be alive."
“Yes, and he’ll have the added good fortune to spend the next several years in prison,” Lionel added.
“That’s true,” Denise said, “So, I guess he’s not so lucky after all.”
Chase
Flip laid in bed gazing out the window as the late afternoon sun retired from a warm glow to darkness. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath of flowery scented air. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed the many fragrances of this world. The flowers reminded him of women’s perfumes, those unique fragrances that marked each woman as they entered a room for the first time.
Not long after his friends had left, a new nurse came in with his evening meal. This one was much younger and more attractive than the first one. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun with a blue ribbon, revealing small studded earrings, and a butterfly tattoo on her neck. In another life, Flip knew she would have been a perfect candidate for some serious flirting, but now, with all that had passed in the last years, flirting seemed to be a waste of energy.
“Are you awake, Mr. MacDougal?” the nurse asked in a soft, melodic voice. “It’s time for your evening meal.”
“Yes, I’m awake,” he answered as he tried to sit up in bed, but found he was still too weak to make much progress. “Please, call me Flip. Mr. MacDougal just makes me feel old.”
“Okay, Flip it is.” The nurse placed the tray of food on the bedstand and walked over to the bed controls. She raised him up to a comfortable position for eating, then pushed the stand across his bed. “There you go. Is that comfy? Can you reach everything?”
“Yes, though I’m not all that hungry,” Flip replied. He hated the sterile, bland food served in hospitals and other institutions.
