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Act XV: CHESS Versus PSI

Gideon was stifling a chuckle as I had placed Krystal on the spot, instead of him. Krystal was not very happy about how easily I had found out her past. But that was behind us now. We were currently in my Chess issue sports car driving across the city to the meeting location that the kidnappers had specified in the ransom note. I knew we were going to arrive early, but the kidnappers were not dealing with Chess or PSI now; they were dealing with a Tanner.

We arrived at the location and I parked my car in a restaurant's parking lot. We then walked into the alleyway where the meeting was to take place and assumed positions around the alleyway. I was the only one in the open. I wanted Gideon there as necessary backup for me, just in case. Krystal, I brought along because she'd have followed us if I had tried to leave her behind. Where she was now, was anyone's guess. As long as she didn't screw up this meeting, I didn't care where she was.

I soon checked my watch, then glanced up. I tried not to show surprise.

The kidnappers had arrived. They were dark in coloration and wore masks to conceal their identities.

"Did you bring the money?"

I nodded my head and hefted the briefcase to my chest, patting it.

"It's right here. Where's the kid?"

They didn't move. Was it my imagination or did they seem agitated?

"Open the briefcase."

I deftly opened the briefcase revealing the money. They seemed to relax a notch.

"No kid. No money. Bring the kid forth."

Their tenseness returned. One of them went back the way they had come, and returned with another of their gang and the young were panther wearing a muzzle harness.

"Here's the kid."

I didn't budge.

"How do I know that this is Quillan Rhoades and not another were-panther or some kid in a clever costume?"

They seemed upset that I was questioning their integrity. However, their leader had the were-panther kid brought closer.

"Tell him who you are. And tell the truth this time."

The young male were-panther lifted his eyes at me and sniffed me. I was pleased when a look of recognition appeared in his eyes. I evidently still had enough of Adonis' scent on me to let Quillan know that I was with his brother.

"I am Quillan Rhoades."

They pulled him back at that point.

"The money, if you please..."

I nodded my head and secured the briefcase once again.

"At the same time... you get the briefcase and I get Quillan."

I stepped halfway forward and set the briefcase on the ground, then, I backed up to where I had been standing before. I had purposely set the briefcase with the handle facing me. It was then their turn. The leader escorted Quillan to the halfway point, then shoved Quillan at me and grabbed the handle on the briefcase. I caught Quillan in a dive behind some trash cans as I pushed a button on my watch. The briefcase exploded in a flash of blinding light, paralysis gas, and shrapnel in the form of sharpened metal jacks.

The gang had been taken off guard and many were hurt, though a few pulled their guns and were firing blindly. Gideon took this as a signal to join the firefight against the kidnappers. Then, Krystal, who had been on a building top watching the whole scene, fired a PSI-issue steel net canister down on the kidnappers. When it struck, it too exploded, entwining itself around every kidnapper, causing them all to fall down to the ground. The firefight had ended.

I finished cutting the harness off of Quillan's muzzle, as I also helped him to his foot pads. He smiled and licked my face.

"Thank you, sir. My brother chose a good man."

I grinned.

"Adonis is worried about you. Let's get you home."

Quillan glanced to the others.

"What about them?"

I glanced at them, as Gideon and Krystal were cleaning up the scene. Krystal glanced my way and smiled.

"Get the 'moon-touched' boy out of here. It'd be hard enough to explain his appearance once the local police show up."

I turned and escorted Quillan back to my car. I hated leaving Gideon like that, but he was a professional and could handle the local police. Quillan and I got into my car and we drove off, heading back to Adonis' apartment.

After I had dropped off Quillan into Adonis' thankful arms and had received a reward that I felt wasn't necessary, I returned to my hotel room to make preparations towards heading back to my Chess base. I was surprised to see Gideon and Krystal waiting on me at my hotel room's door.

"What are you guys doing here? It's over with. You can go home now."

Krystal looked at me and shook her head.

"Gideon needs to pick up his police equipment you made him leave in your apartment. As for me, you and I have unfinished business."

I shrugged my shoulders and let them both into my room. Gideon collected his belongings, while I packed up my gear. Krystal stood there watching me.

"I see no purpose for unfinished business, Krystal. You both helped me with a non Chess related issue and it's been handled. I am heading back to my base now."

Krystal didn't budge.

"You, a Chess agent, are in the United States. This is PSI's territory. Therefore, we have unfinished business."

I turned to gaze at Krystal.

"Are you saying that PSI has a monopoly on being the only supernatural agents allowed to operate in the United States? Because if you are suggesting that, I'll simply blow the lid off of the whole privately funded supernatural agents thing and tell the Pentagon all about the whole world-wide deal. In other words, Krystal. Never threaten a Tanner. I will operate where ever I choose to operate and PSI nor CHESS is going to tell me otherwise. I -am- an American born citizen of the United States, after all. My being in Chess is an extra."

Krystal blinked her eyes, as Gideon chuckled aloud.

"I could have warned you not to try a Tanner's patience, Ms. Silverly. Jansen is not the sort of person to just stand aside when -he- has been assigned to check something out."

Krystal twisted her lips a little.

"I am not saying you cannot operate here. However, I am PSI's best agent; I am just sort of curious..."

That got my attention. Krystal was evidently wanting to test her skills against a Chess agent.

"You're proposing a special challenge. You and me to do some sort of task and the first to succeed at the task is the winner. But to make it fair, we should allow a best two out of three. I don't want to see you get totally humiliated while trying to best me."

I had baited Krystal good. My sister Jocelyn would be proud. Krystal pounced on the bait immediately.

"You have a deal. I am going to enjoy totally rubbing this in Chess' face. I won't lose."

I grinned.

"I'll choose the first task. You'll choose the second task. Gideon will come up with the final task. Gideon is a neutral party in this and likely, will be able to think of something really hard for us to do. Now... our first target is in San Francisco, California. A simple ribbon from Kara Foo-Ching's personal quarters. She has custom made oriental white silk printed ribbons. We only need one each. What is the second task?"

Krystal nodded her head and hummed.

"Our second target is in Pine Meadow, Connecticut. One of a set of custom made cookie cutters in the shape of a ski lift chair. They are owned by a Mrs. Nancy Carmichael. She never lends them out to anyone. And even suggesting that you need them will get you beat up. She's a very strict woman. What is the final task, Gideon?"

Gideon had been thinking all this time. He smiled as he thought of something.

"Final task... you'll both go to Black Mesa. It's the highest point in Oklahoma. Once you are there, you'll tell the native American shaman in the base camp that you're there to take the warrior's challenge. He'll give you an item to take up to the cave of testing. Enter the cave, complete the test and emerge with your lives. Then, before you descend the mountain, walk along the northern trail to a smaller cave, and retrieve one of the fragile egg rocks. They are all shaped like an eagle's eggs. Take only one and do not smash the rest. Smashing the rest will get the native American spirits mad at you. I am sure you don't want to be cursed. Return to my office in Phoenix, Arizona, with all three task items. The first to arrive with all their task items will be the winner."

I glanced at Krystal, then nodded to the door.

"Ladies first..."

Krystal grinned and headed out of the room into the hotel hallway and was gone. I just grinned, then finished packing and escorted Gideon out to the lobby. After I saw him off, I got into my car, and buckled my seat belt.

"Here goes nothing..."

I grasped the wheel of my car hard and activated the wolf pack transport power that the Baron had given me. I was pleased to have my car make the transport trip with me directly into a parking spot near the Foo-Ching Martial Arts Studio. I got out of my car and quickly headed inside to speak with Kara.

It didn't take me long to explain why I needed one of her special ribbons. Pocketing my prize, I returned to my car, got in and drove off to the airport. While I was in my car, I phoned Danath Gaul to let him know what was going on and where I was going. Danath just laughed, then told me to trounce those PSI people, but good. I think it pleased him that PSI was dealing with me. I drove my car into the cargo bay of the private Chess jet, then after securing the car in place, I was airborne and on my way to Hartford, Connecticut.

A few hours later, my jet landed in Hartford, and I drove my car out of the airport and up north towards Pine Meadow. When I arrived, I inquired around about Mrs. Carmichael, and eventually arrived at her home. I got out of the car and approached the house. I rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened, and a beautiful teen aged girl allowed me entry into the house. I was soon seated in the kitchen speaking to Nancy, who was making cookies.

"...so you see, Krystal's task item she chose was your special cookie cutters. And I decided that instead of trying to trick you into giving me one of them, I'd just tell you the truth about why they are needed and let you judge for yourself."

Nancy Carmichael looked at me while holding those very cookie cutters in her hands.

"And you say that sweet Krystal is going to show up here to get one of my cookie cutters for this scavenger hunt? I just can't lend them out. They are very dear and special to me. My late husband created them for me before he died. They are very sentimental."

I hummed.

"Why did Krystal name an item that is obviously valuable to a caring and dear young lady like yourself, Mrs. Carmichael?"

She smiled, obviously liking to be called a 'young lady'. Then, she finished cutting the cookies and turned to me again.

"How do I know that I'll get them back?"

I stood up and patted her hands.

"The only way you can be sure is to accompany the items to Phoenix, Arizona, and seek out Chief Detective Gideon Langston. He will politely entertain you until Krystal and I arrive. That way, the cookie cutters never leave your hands. Ever been to Phoenix, Mrs. Carmichael?"

She smiled and the two of us baked the cookies and made several more batches. Then, I helped her pack a few bags, and drove her back to the Hartford airport where we boarded the private jet, and treated her, allowing her to sit in the co-pilot's seat next to the pilot. She seemed to enjoy that. I grinned, sitting in my own area, and enjoyed the flight back to Phoenix. After we arrived in Phoenix, I personally escorted Mrs. Carmichael to Gideon's office and left her with him. I then set off in my car towards Black Mesa in the Oklahoma panhandle.

I wasn't sure how far ahead of Krystal that I was. I hadn't seen her since Las Vegas and I was sure she'd be cursing my name after having dealt with the Foo-Ching family. And I knew Krystal would be upset at seeing Mrs. Carmichael and the cookie cutters missing. I was not taking any pleasure in this game anymore. Krystal had deliberately named an item of personal value. Now she was dealing with a determined Tanner. I had that set state of mind that my father often obtained when pissed off at authoritative figures. This wasn't about CHESS nor PSI now; this was about greed and stupidity. I soon arrived at the Black Mesa State Park.

When I spoke to the shaman, he told me that the young lady had arrived and left hours ago. He verified that she was impatient and rude to him. Now I knew that Krystal was tackling the items in the reverse order. She was cheating. Yet, I was a Tanner. And I knew the shaman from a previous visit. Unbeknown to Gideon, my cousin and I had already taken the warrior's test and succeeded. All I needed was the egg rock and the mark of the warrior to prove I had been here. I fetched the egg rock first. When I returned, I showed the egg rock to the shaman, a man everyone referred to as Grandfather and he applied the warrior's mark to my forehead.

I drove back to Phoenix upset that Krystal was cheating and being insensitive in order to succeed in her goals. I phoned ahead to Gideon and told him how Krystal was behaving. I asked him to contact Krystal's superiors and report her behavior to them. I would have done it myself, but I didn't think they'd believe a Chess agent. Though they were more likely to believe a civilian or three. Just before I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, I stopped the car. In the center of the road was a desert hare. He wasn't dead, but he'd been winged by a passing motorist. I put the stupid scavenger hunt on hold, and got out my medical gear. After I had treated the hare, I carried him out to what appeared to be a rabbit hole, where I released him into the hole. I returned to my car and continued the drive into Phoenix.

I had just barely entered Gideon's office as Krystal arrived at the same time. She looked frazzled! Her hair was a mess and she had a black eye. The only thing she lacked was the warrior's mark. I set my items on Gideon's desk, then glared at Krystal. I was in no way as marred as she looked to be. I couldn't wait to hear her story.

Krystal hadn't seen Nancy, who was sitting in the next room listening, as yet. Krystal set her items down, then started into a prefabricated story about how the Foo-Chings had tried to kill her, then how Nancy's dogs had almost caused her to break her neck as she was sneaking into the back of the house, then finally, how the native Americans had followed her up the mountain and attacked her in the testing cave. She finished by saying that she was lucky to return at all.

I glanced to Gideon, then back at Krystal.

"You are a despicable liar, Krystal. First of all, the Foo-Chings would never have tried to kill you unless you made a viable threat to them first. If you fought them and are still here, then they must have spared your worthless life instead of depositing your unconscious body into the hospital. Secondly, Mrs. Carmichael doesn't own any dogs. I saw several cats and a parrot, while I was there, as well as her granddaughter, but no dogs... unless you're saying that the granddaughter is a dog. And thirdly, the shaman who everyone calls Grandfather told me that you arrived and were rude to him and demanded to be allowed to take the test, which you have no way of proving you took, other than the egg rock you returned here with. Had you listened to his instructions, you would have known that to prove you had taken the test, you would need one of these."

I pointed to the painted mark on my forehead. Krystal started to complain that the old fart didn't give her any instructions. Then, Krystal smirked.

"We each only returned with two of the three items and we arrived at the same time, so I guess it's a draw."

Gideon turned to the side door, with a serious look on his face.

"You can come in now."

Krystal looked over at the door as Nancy walked through it. And let me tell you: Nancy looked extremely upset that Krystal had deliberately lied and had carried on like she had. Krystal's complexion drained immediately. Nancy walked over to stand beside me and placed both cookie cutters into my hands. I looked to Krystal very calmly.

"You lost, Krystal. And let me say further that only you lost; not PSI. How you acted on this hunt was your own doing. I cannot fault PSI for your actions."

I handed the cookie cutters back to Nancy.

"Thank you, Mrs. Carmichael. I'll have my jet escort you back to Pine Meadow and reimburse you for any embarrassment that you may have suffered through Krystal's actions."

Nancy thanked me, then she was escorted out of the room by Gideon. That left Krystal and I alone in the office. I stood there gazing at Krystal.

Then suddenly, her cellphone started ringing. She answered the phone and seemed to pale even further. It was her superiors. They weren't happy about this whole scavenger hunt and were even more upset at Krystal's actions. I patiently waited. Soon, she deactivated the cell phone and lifted her head towards me.

"I guess you check mated me. Having Gideon contact my superiors was a classy move. I have to congratulate you on besting me with your skills."

I quickly spoke up.

"Krystal... I didn't best you as a Chess agent. You bested yourself by trying to beat me by any means possible. You forgot what PSI taught you and stooped to a thug's level to win. But when you made the choice to do that and topped it off with a lie, you beat yourself. You didn't have a chance of winning once you went the low road. But for the record, you handled yourself with a lot of surety in Las Vegas. That was PSI in action then. And -that- Krystal earned my respect."

Krystal's complexion returned to normal as she heard me say that she had earned my respect.

"I... I'm sorry, Jansen. I guess I did forget what was important. Can we part as equals?"

I smiled and shook her hand.

"Next time we meet, I'll expect you to show me just how the real Krystal Silverly of PSI performs. But for now, you need to deal with your superiors and rise above it. Take whatever punishment you are given, then return to work with a vengeance. But before you go... I only ask that you return to Grandfather and apologize to him. As for me, this little vacation is over with now, and I need to check in to receive my next mission. This is another reason you didn't really face me as a Chess agent: I was on vacation."

I winked and grinned. Krystal also grinned. We then parted company and headed off in separate directions. I was kind of hoping to meet with Krystal again some day. I got in my car and did the wolf pack transport magic again, returning to San Francisco. I had to return Kara's ribbons to her. Both ribbons.

I was pleased to see that the Foo-Chings were not injured. The three of us had a meal, then did some shopping, and finally, watched a local Noh performance. I spent the night in San Francisco, then drove back north towards the Chess base.

---

She giggled as she read this section.

"That sounds exactly like what the Tanners would do to someone! And telling Krystal that he was on vacation was a humorous twist too. I'll bet he misses his family. Maybe something will happen where he can see them again."

She smiled and headed into the kitchen to make herself some hot cocoa. She noticed that it had started raining outside.

"I hope this doesn't spoil Saturday's activities. I wonder if anyone has asked Reverend Cross if he was going to be there or not? That's usually Sallee's job."

She returned to her computer chair, sat down, and sipped her hot cocoa. Then, she resumed reading Jansen's agent history.

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