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Chapter -16- United Hearts

Thursday, December 2 Atlantic Ocean ...

Evan Balmoral placed a hand on Cybil's shoulder, guiding him forward."I wish I could help you relax."

Cybil grimaced. "I get why you're doing this, but you're introducing too many variables for failure. I'm nervous, but I think I've earned the right to be." Cybil peered over his shoulder at Evan, "But I didn't cuss that time."

"You're doing great, man," Evan said with a smile of encouragement. He lowered his hands, walking behind the oracle. Handcuffs rattled between his wrists. "Almost there."

The two continued up a set of steps, at gunpoint. They followed a soldier onto the bridge of a large shipping vessel. The skipper and some of the crew were at gunpoint, near the port bulkhead.

A man by the controls turned around, facing Evan and Cybil. "Long time no see, Evan."

Evan deadpanned. "Wilhelm."

Wilhelm Snipes nodded with a smile. "You look a lot happier since last I've seen you." He approached Evan and Cybil. "You led us right to the last living oracle on Earth. Well done, kid."

Cybil scoffed. "Even I'm not dumb enough to shit for that fall. You want me to distrust Evan by making it sound like he's in on it, and you're, ngh, not convincing me."

"Oh it doesn't matter, because you'll be dead in a moment." Wilhelm lifted his weapon, thumbed the safety and fired it.

Sand blasted from the barrel, harmlessly blasting granular discharge against Cybil's chest. Powalski looked down at the sand on his shirt. "Mr. Snipes, with all due respect, even I saw that one coming. And I'm broken."

Wilhelm narrowed his gaze. "Define 'broken,' old man."

"You're older than me. Not by much, but you are." Cybil twitched, creating a birdlike sound. "Bitch," he muttered, immediately adding, "I see an alternative timeline where the quake never happened. Red Sox won the world series, and the Steelers and Patriots look good this year. Everyone wants to know if Boston's team can pull off a series and a super bowl." Cybil cleared his throat twice. "Dickhead." He turned to Evan, adding, "I meant to cuss that time, too. Sorry, not sorry."

Wilhelm turned to Evan. He drew a radio from his belt and spoke into it. "Un-holster your weapons." He released his thumb form the side of the radio. "Evan, I just gave the order for my men to draw their weapons on your wife and daughter."

"You are not that big of a coward," Evan said. "It's obviously a trick. I've known you for years. You're here because you believe in the work Falcon is doing. My wife is important to the work that you believe in."

"Let me kill the oracle, and you can see her alive again. Just like it was before."

Evan grimaced. "Is this man really the last oracle in the world?"

"Yes," said Wilhelm.

"Yes," said Cybil, mocking Wilhelm's tone. He turned to Evan, adding, "Yes, I really am, actually."

Evan shrugged and held his handcuffs up. "Let me out, or I'll let myself out and you won't like what happens next."

Wilhelm laughed. Some of his armed men chuckled. Wilhelm spoke into his radio again. "Disengage your safeties." He released his thumb from the radio. "You're testing my patience. You're testing _your_Patience, too, kid. What's it going to be? Some crazy old man who can't even predict the proper future, or your family?"

Evan grimaced. "I've just lost all respect for you. Not that you care, but if you make the order, you're not walking out of here alive."

"You live by a code, kid. You won't lift a finger to me."

"You want to call my bluff? If I feel you're truly a danger to my family, I will do what it takes to make sure you can never hurt them. I would rather grieve over my choice to take your life, than to grieve over their death."

Wilhelm locked his eyes with Evan's gaze. The man spoke into his radio. "Target the daughter, wait for my command."

"You really don't want to test my resolve," Evan said calmly.

"Ngh, French fried fucks," Cybil said, followed by a grunt, "He's lying, Evan. Don't do something you'll regret. Call his bluff. Be cleverer."

"I need to know if he's capable of killing before I..."

"He tried to shoot me," Cybil reminded. "But that doesn't mean it's okay to kill him. Don't go down that path."

"You should listen to him," Wilhelm said. "Once you go down that road, you can't come back from it, kid."

Evan shifted his wrists, causing the handcuffs to rattle. "Remove them, now. If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'stand down' over your radio, I will do whatever it takes to ensure the protection of my family. Because whether or not this is a trick today, I'll consider you a threat to them. I've seen the people you work with, like Joe Pendleton. Your allies will stop at nothing to kill people. So make your choice, so that I can make mine."

Wilhelm held up the key to the handcuffs. He dropped the key on the deck and kicked it. The key skittered across the bridge. Wilhelm brought the radio back to his lips. "Kill them both - I repeat, no survivors."

Evan sighed. "I turned the interior of the radio to glass. It hasn't worked since before your order to target Haley - that never went through."

"Clever. So it was a test, huh?"

"One you failed," Evan said. His handcuffs dissolved to silica powder. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you have the chance to give that order in the future. I had to give you the chance to make the right choice, but now I see you value your job over your life, which means they're in danger so long as you're alive."

"Evan," Cybil said, "Don't stoop to their level."

"It's all they understand," Evan said. He swallowed. "If they're allowed to live, they will pose a threat to my wife and child."

Wilhelm tilted his head, seeing the clam look in Evan's eyes. "Evan..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Snipes. I can't believe a word you say, now."

"It was a trick, Evan, we don't have your family a gunpoint."

"I wish I believed you." Evan closed his hands into fists. "I really wish I did. But I've seen your people, and how they operate. They dropped a building on innocent people in downtown Chicago. You're a leader up here. It's people like you making those calls. I can't let you make any more calls like that one."

"I didn't make that call, the gig in Chicago was sanctioned by Falcon's allies, but not by Falcon."

"It doesn't negate the fact you made the order to end the lives of my family." Evan glanced at Cybil. The oracle's handcuffs dissolved. Ashy powder residue flaked away.

"Evan, that was just psychology."

"Are you begging for your life?"

Wilhelm narrowed his eyes. "No, I suppose I wouldn't allow myself to do that. I've played my hand, Evan. It's time to play yours."

"You've played your hand twice," Evan said. "First you tried to shoot another man while I watched. If I didn't act, I would have been responsible for his death. If I don't act to kill you, I would be responsible for the deaths of Haley and Patience. If I kill you, then I'm responsible for yours. No matter what, I've resigned myself to the fact that someone dies today, and it's not going to be me."

"Giving your life for theirs would be the bravest way you could..."

"Shut up!" Evan roared. "I can't die yet, because it will cost the lives of millions!"

"How do you figure?" Wilhelm shouted back.

"I gave up peacefully last time! I let Aris Falcon live! And after an earthquake in 2025, millions-upon-millions of people died in the collapsing buildings from that quake, followed by tsunamis and floods! I will never lay down my arms and surrender! I cannot afford to let myself die, or it will happen again! I've already learned I have to shoulder the burden of millions of lives. What's one more!?"

"Evan!" Wilhelm shouted. "Calm down!"

"Any last words?" Evan asked in a chillingly calm tone.

Cybil turned to Evan. "Don't do this. You've never actively taken a life before. It's different than passively sitting idle while someone like Falcon killed people with a quake. You don't want to..."

"No, it's something I have to do," Evan said. "I'm sorry, Wilhelm. But you're the lesser evil."

Cybil snatched the radio from Wilhelm's hand. The casing was glass. He broke the radio over a nearby control panel. It shattered like a bottle, becoming jagged at the end.

"What the hell are you going to...?"

Cybil never let Wilhelm finish the sentence. He thrust the jagged remains of the glass radio into Wilhelm's throat.

The doctor's mark was swift and sure. Blood from Wilhelm's carotid artery gushed, spurting a sanguine mosaic across the bulkhead and nearby control panel.

Wilhelm flailed.

Several of his gunmen raised their guns and pulled the triggers but nothing happened.

Evan whirled around and threw his hands up. Everyone's weapon turned to silica powder.

The first soldier to approach Evan suddenly doubled over in excruciating pain. He cradled his hands together, where his fingernails turned to glassy shards, irritating the flesh of the attacker's hands.

Evan balled his hand into a fist and punched the man across the jaw, shattering the soldier's front teeth.

Another attacker dove at Evan from the side. He slammed into a glass barrier, which disappeared afterwards. Evan lifted his foot and stomped on the man, dislocating his shoulder.

"Stop!" shouted one of the soldiers. He drew back his jacket, showing that he wore a vest full of explosives.

Evan waved his hand dismissively. The jacket's detonator turned to white powder. He clenched his fist.

The solder's explosive packs became encased in glass, which changed shape, creating pointed ends, facing inward, poking the man's abs through the jacket.

The soldier screamed and worked furiously to open the buckles. The jacket fell to the floor, showing the jagged glass points.

Evan thrust his hand towards a group of attackers. Silica powder formed in the air, which turned to spiky glass shards. The soldiers shouted from the sharp glass bullets that cut into their skin.

Cybil looked around the bridge. As quickly as the battle began, it was over. Four crewmen were cowering, including the skipper. The commander was the only man left standing, too shocked to react.

Evan pushed his sleeves up. "Anyone else want some of this?"

Cybil looked around. He turned to Evan. "That sounded as badass as you intended. At least it did to me." He knelt besides Wilfred, withdrew the chunk of glass and placed his hands against the man's throat to stop the bleeding. "You can help him. I don't know how, but I see that you could help him."

"Is that the future?" asked Evan.

"No, that's my limited telepathic power brought about by the aneurism. I know you're thinking about it."

Evan knelt besides Snipes. "I could kill you by coagulating the blood from that nicked artery. Or I could glass the nick in the artery, so that you'd stop bleeding out. But if I let you live, I would doom my family to death."

"Evan, don't do this."

Evan looked to Cybil and frowned. "I appreciate you trying to kill him for me. But I have the power to save him. But doing nothing, it's the same as killing him. It's still on me, no matter what. It's my choice."

"Evan," Wilhelm pleaded in a whisper. "You can't save the world. Not like you think. Certain people have to die for billions to survive what's coming."

Evan turned to Cybil. "Is he telling the truth?"

The oracle frowned. "That was what Falcon told this man before the quake in 2025. Those were the millions who had to die to save billions. So, if you ask me, the billions are already safe because the millions were already shitted. I mean, sacrificed, ngh."

Evan swallowed. He looked down at Wilhelm and lowered further, coming face to face with the dying man. "I'm only sorry that you weren't capable of redemption. But at least now my family is safe from your threats. If there really is a Hell, I'll see you there."

Wilhelm drew his last breath.

Cybil drew his hands back from the bloody gash on the man's throat. "You won't go to Hell."

"God only wrote ten rules in His own hand. And one of them was 'Thou shalt not kill.' I killed this man on purpose. I'm guilty of that."

"God knows the difference between murder and war," said Cybil. "And this was war. Besides, you didn't commit the act. You simply refused to save him." Cybil narrowed his eyes, looking up at Evan. "I'm the one who broke the commandment and the Hippocratic oath." He cleared his throat twice, coughed forcibly, twitched and muttered a cussword.

Evan stood up and turned to the others left on the bridge. "Maintain original course and destination. I'm not making threats, I'm just saying we need to restore order and continuity or ... whatever."

Evan walked to the door and stepped off the bridge. "Petty Officer Taylor, you don't answer to Wilhelm Snipes. And if your commanding officer told you to answer to him, well, he's dead now. And you've got people in there who are seriously wounded, none of which are US Coast Guard. So you're in command, provided you don't do anything stupid."

Hank Taylor peered in through the door. He saw the blood and the people doubled over in crippling pain. His eyes paused on the bomb vest, lying on the deck. He turned back to Evan. "They were going to try and blow up the bridge?"

"Yup. Now assume command, or we'll have a problem. Are we clear, guardsman?"

Hank blinked. "Did you just threaten me?"

"It took a long time for me to learn the only way to get through to bullies is to show them I'm not afraid. So get in there, assume command, clean up that bridge, and do as you're told. Or you can sit in a makeshift brig. You've got your orders. Now get in there and get to work."

Hank peered into the bridge again at the carnage.

Evan added, "When I get to West New York state, you do whatever you want. But until we get there, I'm in command and you're doing as you're told. Are we clear? You're the skipper, I'm the freaking Admiral."

Hank grimaced. "Fine." He passed Evan, and stepped onto the bridge.

X

X

Meanwhile Courthouse near Syracuse Airport ...

Tamae and Conner hugged. She kissed her new husband softly on his lips. Tamae wrapped her arms around him, holding a small bouquet of flowers in her left hand.

Conner took her hand and guided her away from the clerk's desk. He offered a smile to Karla and Reno on the right. Conner turned and nodded to James Parker on the left, and Wilfred Greg and Steven Milford on the far, far left. "I now present to you, my wife, Tamae Parker. I promise to have a more traditional wedding and reception to celebrate our first anniversary a year from today and you're all invited. We just have to plan it out and, you know ... survive that long. I know this was sudden - Tamae and I agreed to do this less than twenty-four hours ago. Thank you all for coming."

Rachel Razin, wearing a traditional Japanese kimono, came up the hallway, clapping softly. She looked around and asked, "Tamamo wasn't here for this?"

James turned to his fiancée, delighted to see that she made it. "Rachel!" They embraced.

Conner and Tamae approached James and Rachel. "It's a long story," said Conner. "But welcome back to the cool kids club. Uncle James really missed you."

Rachel wrapped her arms around James and said, "I bet you did, didn't you Jaye?"

"God, yeah. Tamamo is the one who told them to get married. And then she bowed out for a while." James nodded towards his nephew, adding, "Like Conner said, it's a long story."

Tamae waited until the reunited couple relinquished their embrace. She took Rachel's hands and said, "I feel like I already know you better than anyone else here. I feel like we're sisters and ... goodness, I don't want to come off as awkward. I was so distant to you, when I hosted Tamamo, during our time together on the family island. But I'm nothing like Tamamo. I want to catch up with you."

Rachel looked around at everyone gathered. Her eyes came to Tamae last. "I'll do my best to get along with you. I harbor quite a bit of resentment towards Tamamo, and no offense but you remind me of her after half-a-year together on the island. But I know you're not her. And I appreciate you and Sinopa coming to visit me while I was living under Usagi's care in Japan."

Conner frowned and approached Rachel and Tamae. "Rachel, I'm sorry I made all these problems for you. I am sorry I dumped her into your body. Looking back, I understand I was completely out of line. I'm really sorry."

"I don't blame you anymore," said Rachel. "You were a scared teenaged boy. Tamamo manipulated you, and has lived damn-well long enough to know better." Rachel grimaced, adding, "I learned something about myself - I apparently harbor grudges."

Tamae gently drew Rachel into a hug. "Tamamo is no longer apart of this group. She has been banned for the time being, due in part to her behavior towards members of the group."

"Probably for the best," Rachel said. "She doesn't mean to be a bad person, but even with the best of intentions, poison is still poison."

James nodded in agreement to his fiancée's words.

Rachel sighed and smoothed her kimono with her palms. "No matter how hard Tamamo tries to be a good person, she'll continue to be poisonous to the group until she learns how to communicate with her peers _before_making decisions." Rachel moved away from the Parkers. "Excuse me."

James watched his fiancée walk over to Karla, the succubus. He remained silent.

Rachel reached for Karla's hand. "I wasn't in my right state of mind that night."

Karla gave Rachel's hand a squeeze. "Let's treat it like you were drunk, hon."

Rachel shrugged. "That would be a convenient excuse, huh? And if I were drunk, you probably wouldn't have taken advantage would you?"

"No, I wouldn't have." Karla looked down. "I knew these two guys, Ethan and Gerald. They were married. And one night, Gerald was drunk. We had sex. It's one of my deepest, darkest regrets. I hurt a lot of people. It ultimately led to the loss of two lives." Karla fidgeted, rubbing her right thumbnail along the bottom of her middle finger. "If I knew you weren't in the right state of mind, I swear I would have never..."

Rachel gave Karla's left hand a squeeze. "There's no way you could have known you were doing something I ultimately didn't want."

"In my defense," Karla said softly, "at the time, you did want it, and you were completely sober. Do I feel bad you regret what happened? Yes. Absolutely. I regret hurting you. But do I regret that I shared something nice with you? No. I enjoyed it and, at the time, you did too."

"That's kind of what I'm trying to say," Rachel replied. "We both wanted it. We were adults. We should stay adult about it."

Karla nodded, feigning a smile. "Are we cool?"

"We're cool," said Rachel. "I don't regret that it happened."

"You don't?"

"What would be the point of regret? No one died, James has been understanding, and my head is clear, now."

Karla's smile broadened. "That's big of you. You're a good person, Rachel."

Rachel offered a weak laugh to deflect Karla's compliment. "I chalk it up to a 'crazy college experience,' you know? I tried it once ... and now I'm not that person anymore."

Karla nodded. "That's an open-minded way of looking at it. So, does this make us friends?"

"It was a one night stand, Karla." Rachel released Karla's left hand. "What I mean to say is, based on our current past..." Rachel trailed off, looking for the right words.

Karla said, "If we become friends, you would rather base it on hanging out or girling-out over a movie."

Rachel nodded emphatically. "Exactly. I could teach you how to use a plastic business card to smooth thermal paste on a CPU before applying a heat-sink. You could show me how to be a little more girly or ... something."

Karla grinned. "In 1999, I got my first _PCMCIA_wifi card and router. It was a Sony VAIO, and it used 802.11b wireless. See? I can hang with the PC-Master Race."

Rachel returned the grin. "PC Master Race, huh? Be careful with that meme, Karla, it's an antique."

Karla shook her head with a sheepish smile. "I like you more already."

"I had no idea you even knew how to turn on a desktop." Rachel reached up and fixed a lock of Karla's blond hair. "And here you are, proving you know all about legacy hardware."

"Babe, I was always a technology enthusiast. I'm a progressive girl. I just keep it to myself because the average man's intellectual ego is very fragile, and I don't want my feed to feel awkward until after I'm done with him."

Rachel laughed nervously. "Right, I got you. Okay then. We'll catch up on the chit-chat later on." She offered her hand to Karla.

Karla pulled her into a gentle hug. "Welcome back to the team, babe. The Parker boys want to sit down with you and Tamae and start training with bamboo swords. Just be ready."

Rachel returned Karla's light hug. She nodded towards Reno. "So, uh, do I still call you Nathanial?"

"In public," Reno said with a nod. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks." Rachel approached Tamae. They bowed to one another. "Anyway, as I was saying before, thank you for visiting me with Sinopa a few weeks ago. I didn't realize how much I appreciated it until you guys left. I just wanted to thank you again."

"I am honored and moved to know it meant so much to you." Tamae looked Rachel over and smiled. "Your kimono is lovely. Do you feel comfortable wearing it?"

"I know I've worn jeans and t-shirts way longer, but I still kind of remember wearing kimonos for longer. Both are comfortable." Rachel feigned a smile. "But I don't have any of my personal belongings with me, so Dr. Usagi's wife gave this to me before I left Tokyo."

Tamae nodded in understanding. "How was your flight?"

"Ungodly long," Rachel admitted. "But I can't complain. It was quiet, I had fast Wi-Fi on the plane; I was able to catch up with everything in the news. I met a Japanese history professor during my layover, and she was delighted by how cultured and well-learned I was for a gaijin."

Tamae laughed in a good natured away. "Sinopa was often greeted with the same response from Japanese people when I visited home at her side."

Rachel grinned. "Yeah, because she don't look Asian. I completely understand."

"Hai, exactly."

"Where_is_ Sinopa? I thought she would be here for something like this. I flew in as soon as I got the news."

Tamae shook her head. "She is on a very personal ... shall we say, 'mission.' Conner can explain better when we're not in public."

Rachel nodded firmly. "I promise you and I will catch up on personal chitchat soon." Rachel stepped back as if to include James and Conner into the conversation. "I'm sorry I couldn't find a faster taxi to the courthouse, everyone. I'm glad I got here just in time to see the kiss. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Parker. I'm sorry for stealing your thunder with my entrance. Today is your day."

Conner smiled. "No, no, you're fine. Everyone is happy. I'm married, you're back in the gang, everyone is safe ... I'm just glad you made it."

Tamae offered Rachel a smile. She turned away and tossed a small bouquet of flowers over her shoulder, directly at Rachel.

Rachel caught them unexpectedly. "Oh God, what?" Rachel laughed softly. "You're too much."

James grinned at his fiancée. "I'm not complaining."

Rachel looked down at the flowers and chuckled. "Geeze. So now what?"

Karla moved towards the rest of the group. "We have a brief reception on the yacht, we have a few drinks - except for Conner. He can have sparkling grape juice, heh. Tomorrow, we pair off and start saving the world."

Rachel moved to James' right arm and put her head on his shoulder. She tucked the flowers beneath her arm placed her right hand on his chest and her left hand into his back pocket. "It seems a little sad, doesn't it?"

Conner tilted his head. "How so?"

Rachel shrugged. "You just got married, and I'm finally reunited with my man. And tomorrow, it seems like everyone is going in a different direction. We're all finally together, but Karla and Reno are going off to track down Loki."

Conner tilted his head.

Karla said, "She means that we finally got everyone back together, but it will only going to last a single night. After that, we go separate ways again."

James rested his chin on Rachel's head. "It won't be long. Then we'll regroup. Maybe Conner can help you finish your training. Karla and Reno will pair up and ... well, I'm getting ahead of myself. We'll all be back together again soon."

Rachel shrugged with a weak grin. "Yeah, I know. I've just really missed you. I've got my head on straight, now."

Conner gave Tamae's hand a squeeze, secretly moved by how Rachel and James clicked so well.

"Let's get moving," Karla told the group. "I chartered a limo to take us back to the marina. It should be out front by now."

The group began walking together. As they did, Reno fell to the back of the line, near Steven and Wilfred. "You two have been really quiet the whole time. Everything okay you guys?"

Wilfred grinned at Reno. "The rest of you are all so young. I don't know how to socialize with my own peer group, let alone a younger crowd."

Reno gave Wilf a pat on the back. "You're surrounded by geeks. Conner and Rachel are computer wizards. Karla has been around computers since they've been on the open market. Just open your mouth, and then start a dialogue."

Wilfred chuckled. "How about we go for a drive in your car."

Reno shrugged. "I would but it's still in San Francisco."

Wilfred grinned. "Not anymore. I was going to surprise you but ... well, surprise. It's in a warehouse in Binghamton, West New York. Steven and I had it over here for ten days, while we upgraded it."

Reno blinked. "Upgrades? Holy crap, it's like you only show up to outdo yourself as a friend, then you disappear again."

Wilfred shook his head with a smile. "We put a lot of work into it. Nothing you'll see right away, but most of it was suspension and undercarriage work. We also added a towing package. It's going to be really important later on, and don't worry, nobody knows where it's hidden."

"A towing package huh?" Reno grinned. "When do you want to take it for a drive?"

"Soon. Now that I think about it, it's better if we leave it where it's at until tomorrow. You and Karla will need it to get around the country while you're hunting for that bomb."

"You're a good guy, Wilf, you know that?"

"Yeah. And I'm old. So be careful when you slap me on the back. You might dislocate my shoulder ... or my ribcage. Heh."

Steven nodded to Reno. "Wilfred and I have amused ourselves. We are our own peer group. He's an overeducated underappreciated human being."

Reno nodded in reply. "Speaking of overeducated and underappreciated, where is that guy, Cybil? I thought he was with you, Dr. Milford. And, now that I think about it, where is Evan?"

Steven grinned. "Please, Reno. Simply 'Steven' is sufficient. Cybil and Evan are on their way to Syracuse. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, I have reason to believe my 'friend' is alive."

Reno lowered his voice. "Methos?"

"A man named Peter has stepped into the void left by Lance Patterson's death. He even took a pseudonym that only Karla Loupe would notice."

"How so?" Reno asked. He held the courthouse door open for Wilfred and Steven, and followed everyone out to the waiting limousine.

After everyone else was in the car, including Wilfred, Steven turned to Reno and spoke in a soft voice. "Let's just say he knew I'd leave Aris Falcon if I believed Falcon was responsible for his death."

"That's kind of manipulative. If it's legit, wouldn't you resent him for that?"

Steven smiled. "Our friendship transcends resentment. We're the last of our kind. If anyone else says anything, pretend as though it is the first time you've heard the theory." Steven slid into the limo with everyone else.

Reno went in last, pulled the door shut, and made his way over to Karla. There was nowhere to sit.

Karla eased off the seat, gestured to it, and then sat down on Reno's lap once he was situated.

The limo pulled away from the curb and headed for the local heliport.

X

X

Hours later West New York State ...

Evan and Cybil stepped out of the tinted Towncar. Evan stretched a bit and looked around the grounds of the secluded century-old home.

Sitting on the front porch was a surly looking man at a chessboard. He was in his fifties, but looked to be in good shape. Evan couldn't see the face of the second man, playing chess, just the man's long dark hair.

Cybil turned to Evan. "Wait here for just a minute before going in, would you?" He opened the front door and went inside.

Evan blinked and folded his arms.

The man whose face Evan could see at the chessboard leaned to the side a bit. "Looks like you're stuck out here with us for now. You want a beer?" The man was white with short peppered hair.

Evan couldn't tell if the man had dark circles under his eyes or if he was using makeup to conceal two black eyes. Evan shook his head. "That's okay. Thanks for the offer."

"Suit yerself. I'm Albert. I'm an asshole, and nobody here likes to talk to me, but they said I'll meet my daughter soon. So I'm sticking around to see if they're lying to me. Then again, most everyone I've ever met is a liar anyway, right?"

Evan frowned. "I would say 'nice to meet you, Albert, I'm Evan,' but I don't want to lie to you."

"Well, shit. That's refreshing." Albert cut his gaze back to the man between him and Evan. "You going to make your move, asshole?"

"Ayup." The man with the long dark hair reached across the board, set a piece down and said, "Checkmate, you grumpy old fart. Reset the board - it's my turn to play black. Be right back, I gotta catch up with'a friend." The man stood up and turned around with a confident, relaxed grin. "Evan friggin' Balmoral. How'n the hell are you?"

Evan's eyes widened, staring at the tan face of Rufus Darken. "Holy smokes! Rue!"

Rufus stepped away from the board and approached Evan. He opened his arms and drew Evan into a hug.

Evan laughed and hugged the man he'd not seen in twenty-five years. "You've hardly aged!"

Albert shook his head with an awkward laugh. "You don't see a lot of white and black people hugging these days."

"Don't listen to him," Rufus chuckled. "He thinks the world hates him, so he acts nasty. But underneath it all, he's just a big ole softy pretending to be judgmental. Smartest dumbass I ever met."

Evan laughed somewhat. "Oh, well, all right then." He gave Rufus a firm pat on the back then stepped back to look the man over. "Twenty-five years and you've only got one wrinkle on either side of your eyes."

"I age slow. The damn wrinkle is from hangin' around with this bozo, over here. He smokes cigarettes." Rufus hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to Albert. "I found out I got a son named Rama. Albert is the father of Aimee. Rama and Aimee are engaged to be married. Just one lil' snag - Albert and I ain't met our kids yet. We ain't even sure our kids know we exist, more or less."

Evan didn't even know how to respond. "That's ... wow. I can't even..." he trailed off. "How old?"

"Twenty-six," said Rue. "To further complicate stuff, the two of us won't get to meet our kids until the day we gotta show up to save their lives."

"At least you'll get to see them," said Evan with a pained smile. "I may never see mine ever again."

Albert groaned. "Christ, suck it up you big baby. You're the lucky one here. Not us." He cleared his throat expectantly to Rufus. "The board is set, you redneck dog-fucker. I made my first move. It's your go."

Evan closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. "It was good to see you, Rufus."

Rue gave Evan a firm pat on the bicep. "Don't mind Albert. He already knows what's going to happen over the next hour. He's jus' jealous. Now, go get'cher butt inside that-there front door. You 'n I'll catch up soon, bud."

"Yeah," Albert said in a snarky tone. "Go and get everything handed to you on a silver platter, you goddamn liberal. Then take your scrawny ass to Africa."

Evan's eyes widened. He leaned to the left, peering over Rue's shoulder. "Dude. Black suffrage was over almost eighty-five years ago. We won, get over it."

"Don't 'dude' me. And don't talk to me about suffrage. For a long time, poor white people and non-land-owners couldn't vote either. In the 1800s, there were states that allowed free blacks to vote."

"Technicality at best," Evan argued. "There were still blacks who couldn't vote at the time."

Albert sneered. "Free black men were voting before some poor white men could vote. Poor whites, like me, would have not been allowed to vote at the time when free black men could. We both were treated like shit by this country during the 1800's. Besides, you're taking what I said completely wrong anyhow."

"Save the Republican rhetoric."

"You ignorant twerp," Albert said. "I'll kick your ass if you want it. It was the forward-thinking Republican party that nominated Fredrick Douglass, a black man, and Victoria Woodhull, a woman, to run for president in 1872. So shut up, go inside, be happy, then get your ass to Africa. How do you like that?" Albert folded his arms. "Your turn 'Rue,' now hurry it up."

Rufus sighed. "Chill out and have a beer, Al."

Albert smirked. "Don't mind if I do." He stood up and walked off the porch, and headed around back.

Rue grinned. "The cooler is out back. That gets him out of here for a minute. Anyhow, like I said, Al's the smartest dumbass I know. And he doesn't know how to keep things to himself."

"How so?"

Rue motioned to the front door. "You really will find happiness when you walk through there. And then, you really will go to Africa next."

"How do you mean?"

"There's something in Africa you're supposed to bring back. Some worldly relic or some such. And don't mind Albert, he's jealous of every-damn-thing he sees."

"That guy needs to stop quoting half-fact history. Frederick Douglass won a presidential nomination in 1848, and another presidential nomination in 1888. The thing that guy mentioned in 1872 was someone nominating Douglass without Douglass' permission. It was one vote, and if I'm not mistaken, Douglass later declined when he found out someone added his name to the ticket."

Rufus smiled. "Actually, those two presidential nominees were the times Douglass received one vote each." Rue leaned close and whispered, "Trust me, I'm older than I look, and I'm older than I tell people." He gave Evan a pat on the arm. "Now go on inside before Al gets back with his beer. He's drunk and belligerent, and he ain't allowed in the house right now."

Evan took Rue's hand and they shook. "I missed you, man. I just want you to know that Collobulous is still alive. Honest to God. He's in stasis and we're going to get him out."

Rue smiled. "You're a good man, Evan. You deserve all the good karma that you're about to cash in. Collobulous taught me how to read, 'ja know that?"

"Wow, really?"

"Ayup." Rufus opened the front door and held it for Evan. "Now in y'go. I gotta get back to babysitting."

"We'll catch up soon." Evan stepped in through the front door.

The foyer was immaculate and silent. Evan looked around the room at three hallways stretching out on the left and right, with another straight ahead.

"Hello?" His voice reverberated in the large room. He looked up at a chandelier above. "Nice."

"Evan?" A woman's voice caught his breath.

He looked back down at the sight of his wife, Patience, emerging from the hallway in front of him. "Patty!"

She approached him, raising her arms. She wore a colorful dress that came to the bottom of her knees. The dress had a print of a single gorgeous African violet, with a white outline trim on the petals. The rest of the dress was a swirl of beautiful earth tones, bringing out the bright purple coloration of the flower print.

Evan dashed towards her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her from just beneath her rump, and spun around. It felt like something that should have been in a movie. Their lips met.

"How did you escape?!"

She cupped his face and rested her forehead against his. "Do you remember Johann Foster? His brother, Charlie, is a telepath. Charlie found Jasper Cunningham and followed that man to our apartment. And then he stopped Cunningham from hurting us."

"Us? Haley is here too? Thank God!" Evan gently eased his wife back to her feet but kept his arms around her. "Good God, I've missed you so freaking much."

She wrapped her arms around Evan's neck, laughing and sobbing at the same time. "I had to play dead and hide here until the dust settled after our escape. This was the soonest I could see you. Everyone here has been so nice to us."

"Oh, good. Thank God. I just met a joker out front - some guy named Albert. I'm glad everyone's been nice to you."

Patty laughed again, sniffling away her tears of happiness. "Yeah, I punched him in his left eye two days ago for being rude to me, and I punched him in his right eye last night for being rude to Haley. He hasn't spoken to either of us since."

Evan erupted into laughter. "You punched his lights out?"

Patience grinned. "I'm quiet and shy, you know me. But when someone threatens me or my daughter, well, I'm quick to pull a weapon or a punch if I have to."

Evan nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Karla told me the first time you two met, you pulled a little revolver on her."

Patience grimaced with a weak laugh. "Yeah. That was ... I guess I haven't changed as much as I thought."

"No, you're just a better you. Patience version two-point-oh. Bigger life bar, higher stamina, and more mana points than ever before."

She laughed and shook her head. "And you are the same man I married, but with more swagger and confidence."

"So Haley is here? Where is she?"

"When that man, Mr. Powalski, came in through the front door ... I, uh, sent Charlie Foster to take her to help carry dinner takeout. They went out the side entrance. I know it's selfish, and I know you miss your daughter, Evan. But I just want thirty or forty minutes with my husband first."

Evan reached beneath her. He tensed his left arm and started to lift her legs off the ground.

To help him, Patience hopped off the floor, up into his arms. She put an arm around the back of his neck and leaned towards him so he could maintain his center of balance.

"Which way?" he asked.

"The hallway over there," she said, nodding to one of the side halls. "We don't have much time."

"Understood," he said. Evan carried his wife down the hall, refusing to put her down, regardless of struggling. His arms soon felt stiff. "You know how I used to do pushups and sit-ups while in the prison? I haven't exercised since I left New Atlantis."

"I'll get you back into shape, Poppa Bear."

Evan grinned. "I don't doubt that for a minute."

"This is the door," she said, nodding to one of four doors in the hallway. "I'll get it for you. Don't drop me."

"I won't. I promise." He leaned up against the doorframe, putting his foot against the wall. His knees supported her rump.

Patty reached her free hand back, behind herself, and fumbled with the door. "Got it."

Evan shifted and pivoted, carrying her in through the doorway, sideways. He turned about, and used wife's feet to push the door shut. He carried her through a bedroom illuminated only by sunshine coming in from around partially opened drapes.

Evan set her down on the bed with a sigh of relief. "Boy, I'm more out of shape than I realized. I should have kept working out on the Parker Island, when I had the chance." His lips met hers.

She slanted her lips against his, trailing her kisses to the corner of his mouth. "You'll have to tell me all about your adventures, some time."

"Yeah," he said, trailing his kisses down to her neck while they fumbled with one another's clothing. "Some time when we go to Africa together."

"How did you," she trailed off, lifting her chin to give him access to her smooth mocha neckline, "know about Africa?"

"Rufus told me," Evan said, kicking his shoes off. "It's been forever since I've seen you."

"Baby, it was hardly a few months," she said, pulling her shirt off, over her head and shoulders. "Boy, you really did miss me!" She grinned, kicking off her own shoes.

"It was five-or-six months longer for me. I was on this island for nearly half-a-year. It's a long story. I'll explain later," he said, pulling off his own shirt. "I promise. But let's not worry about that right now." He buried his face into her neckline again.

She groaned softly and reached down between their bodies to hike her dress. "I wore this for you. Easy access, Poppa Bear."

"You're even hotter in dresses," he said, shoving his pants down. He felt her foot move between his knees.

She pushed his pants down, past his ankles. They plopped onto the floor. "I rarely wear dresses anymore. I like it more than I remember. God I've missed you."

He spoke in muffled murmurs against her throat. "I've missed this Nubian neckline."

Patience laughed, pulling his shirt up over his head.

He drew his head back and his arms up, briefly, until the shirt was gone. He guided her further up onto the center of the mattress. "No time for foreplay, huh?"

She laughed again. "Like I said, we don't have a lot of time. But I hardly think we'll need to worry about that today." She lifted her legs and wrapped them around her husband's waist. "I love you, Poppa Bear. I've missed you so much, baby."

"I love you, Patty," he said, pinning her firmly to the mattress, followed by a firm thrust of his hips.

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/837152