THE MOON STONE, (Part 3)
Michael was freaked out and Danielle knew it. She had told him all about Gab-el when she explained how she acquired the Moon Stone but it’s one thing to hear about an alien encounter and quite another to find one at the foot of your bed in the middle of the night.
Hoping to put her boyfriend at ease, Danielle tried introducing them. “Michael, this is Gab-el. You remember, he’s the alien I met in the forest about a week ago.”
Michael remembered but he was still nervous. Never having met a alien before he didn’t know what to do so he nodded and then raised his right hand to give Gab-el a Vulcan salute.
“Don’t be a nerd.” Danielle reproached her boyfriend. “Gab-el is a real alien, not one of those dorky Jet-eye things from your space war movies.”
“You’re thinking of Jedi Knights,” Michael timidly corrected her, “from the Star Wars movies. This is Mr. Spock’s greeting from the Star Trek series.”
Danielle gave Michael an astonished opened mouth stare. “I can’t believe you’re correcting me about that in front of Gab-el.”
Still very nervous, Michael looked at Gab-el and then back at Danielle. “Why does he keep looking at me? Ask him why he’s here.”
Danielle knew she didn’t have to ask. Gab-el could read their minds so she just quietly waited for her extra terrestrial friend to tell her the purpose of his visit.
“I’ve come to warn you.” Gab-el informed them telepathically. “As a result of the incident at the court house, the syndicate is now aware that the champion of the light has arrived. They are greatly distressed and desperate to find out who you are but because there were so many people in the courthouse, they don’t yet know who among them is holding the Moon Stone. However, they’ve been reviewing the security tapes and they’ve narrowed it down to just a few possible candidates.”
“And you’re here to tell me that I’m one of the people they suspect.” Danielle said with concern.
“No, they suspect Michael.”
“Me?” Michael protested. “How can they suspect me, I didn’t do anything.”
“Actually, you did.” Gab-el explained. “They saw you leading Danielle by the hand as you both ran from the courthouse. They saw her leaning against you as you guided her through the security checkpoint and they saw you hiding Danielle behind the truck when Barns was conducting the search. To them, it looked like you were both running but Michael was in-charge.”
“I wasn’t in-charge of anything.” Michael protested. “I was just trying to help Danielle.”
“Yes, and you were very helpful.” Danielle looked at her boyfriend with admiring eyes. “I never would have gotten out of that mess without you.”
“Fuck!” Michael thought to himself. “I knew going to that courthouse was a bad idea. All my life I’ve tried to avoid trouble but like an idiot I keep letting myself get involved in other peoples problems and it always comes back to bite me in the ass.”
“Don’t regret your kind and generous nature.” Gab-el responded to Michael’s thoughts. “Your thoughts and your deeds demonstrate that you have chosen the path of the light. That is a good thing. It is those that have chosen the path of the Beast that have much to regret.”
“What are you talking about?” Michael said with an annoyed tone. “Path of the light, path of the Beast? I’m not into all that spiritual mumbo jumbo. All I know is that yesterday I had a quiet and normal life as an assistant professor of anthropology and today I’m wanted by a criminal syndicate.”
“Don’t despair Michael.” Gab-el tried to reassure him. “The news is not all bad. After Barns announced that there was a terrorist attack, there were a lot of other people running and hiding so the Syndicate has several suspects and of all the possible candidates, they consider you the least likely.” Michael was visibly relived by what Gab-el told him. “The bad news,” Gab-el continued, “is that the Syndicate is extremely paranoid so they have hired several teams of assassins to interrogate all the suspects and kill those that have psychic powers.”
“What! Wait a minute,” Michael said as he began to process the information. “How is that not bad news? Thanks to that thing you gave Danielle, she now has psychic powers and we are royally screwed.”
After asking for complete silence, Michael feverishly paced around the room before announcing that he had come up with a brilliant solution. “Okay, this is what we have to do.” Turning to Danielle he said, “Get your stuff together while I go back to my apartment and pack. When I get back we’re getting the hell out of here.”
“You’re underestimating the syndicate.” Gab-el calmly advised Michael. “They’ve already been to your apartment and not having found you they questioned your neighbors. After they uncovered that you had a girlfriend it didn’t take them long to tracked down her address and they are on their way here as we speak.”
When Michael heard that, his mouth fell open and his eyes glazed over. If it hadn’t been because Danielle was there to catch him, he probably would have fallen down.
“There’s no time to waste.” Gab-el said with a sense of urgency. “We have to get you out of here right away.
“Yes, yes…” Michael said, the anxiety in his voice betraying his fear. “We’ve got to get out of here right away.”
“No, not you,” Gab-el said, “but Danielle has to go.”
“Danielle?” Michael shouted, not quite believing what he was hearing. “I thought you said they were after me.”
“Yes, but they must not find Danielle when they come for you. These assassins are trained to seek out and find psychic energy. Danielle has used the Moon Stone enough to have a residual charge. Once they detected that, they won’t think twice about killing you both.”
“But won’t the Moon Stone protect her?” Michael protested. “And you, won’t you protect her too?”
“Like Barns, these assassins have only limited psychic powers. They are no match for the power of the Moon Stone, but they are also trained mercenaries and they are heavily armed. Even with the Moon Stone, Danielle is not yet ready to take on that much brute force. As for me, I could easily defeat them but I am not allowed to directly interfere. That means that I can’t fight her battles for her. The only things I’m allowed to do is to advise and train her. That is why I am going to advise her to leave this place immediately and go to one of our training facilities.
“Can Michael come with me?” Danielle pleaded.
“No, he must stay and confront the assassins. Remember, they are not looking for you, they are looking for him. He is the one they suspect and he is the one they want to interrogate. If they don’t find him here tonight they will assume that he used his psychic abilities to elude them. Once they tag Michael as their target, the syndicate will never stop looking for him until they find him and kill him.”
“But I don’t have any psychic powers.” Michael said almost in tears.
“That is a point in your favor.” Gab-el said with a triumphant tone in his telepathic voice. “Once they’ve tested you and determined that you don’t have psychic powers, they’ll probably let you go and not kill you.”
“Probably?” Michael asked, his voice charged with tension and fear.
“I don’t believe they will,” Gab-el replied. “Not if you pass the test.”
“And what’s the test?” Michael asked, regretting having asked the question even while he was asking.
“They will beat you mercilessly, thinking that if you do have any psychic abilities that you will use them to avoid the beating. When they see that you really don’t have the power to fight back, they’ll know you are not the one they are looking for.”
Michael thought about that for a moment and then promptly announced, “I don’t want to take that test.”
“Michael’s right,” Danielle said as she took her boyfriend by the hand. I can’t let him face those killers alone. I’m staying with him and we’ll fight those bastards together.”
“Don’t worry.” Gab-el assured Danielle. “I’ll stay behind and protect him.” And upon saying those words, he took Danielle’s arm and lead her a few paces away. Waving his hand is a circular motion he created a whirling vortex of pure white light. “This is a portal through time and space.” He told Danielle. “It will take you to a place where you will meet human masters of the light. They will teach you and train you until you know everything you need to defend yourself against physical attacks.”
Danielle turned to look at Michael. He smiled but she could see the fear and worry in his eyes. Then with a determined voice she addressed Gab-el, “I can’t go. This is my battle and I can’t leave Michael behind.”
“I promise you,” Gab-el said, “I won’t let him come to any real harm.”
“But didn’t you say you couldn’t fight our battles for us.” Danielle questioned Gab-el’s assurance.
“That is true, but I’m a prince of the light and the power of the assassins is nothing compared to mine. I can protect Michael without fighting. But there is no more time for talking.” Gab-el told Danielle. “You must hurry and step into the portal now before the assassins arrive.”
Danielle stood at the threshold of the illuminated disk but she hesitated. Turning again to Michael, she smiled. Then, in a brilliant flash of light the portal was gone and so was Gab-el. Only Danielle remained in the room. Walking to Michael’s side, she slipped her hand into his and said, “Don’t worry; I will be with you.”
Seeing that Danielle decided to stay, Michael was heartened but very concerned for her safety. Turning to her he was about to ask why she decided to stay when a load crashing sound filled the room with flying bits of glass and wood. When the dust cleared, three men dressed in black and armed with automatic weapons stood in a triangle formation where Danielle’s French doors had once been.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Danielle screamed while she clung to Michael’s arm.
The man at the leading point of the formation stepped forward and looked right at the huddled couple. With a booming voice he announced, “Michael Gates and Danielle Davis, we have come for you.”
“Look, we don’t have much money,” Danielle said, “but there’s a case full of photo equipment sitting there next to the door. Take it and take my wallet and my car keys. Just don’t hurt us.”
“Does your woman do all your talking for you Mr. Gates?” The lead assassin asked. “What do you have to say?”
Michael stepped forward and pointed to a chair with a neatly folded pair of pants. “You’ll find my wallet and the keys to my motorcycle in the pocket of my pants.”
The lead assassin looked over his shoulder at his companions and asked, “Have you picked up any traces of psychic energy from him?” Both men nodded that they didn’t. “I guess we’ll have to apply a little pressure and see what we can get out of Mr. Gates.”
“You leave him alone.” Danielle stepped up to defend her boyfriend.
The three men moved forward in unison and the lead assassin back-handed Danielle so hard that her body was lifted off the ground and thrown into Michael’s arms. The force knocked them both to the ground and Michael quickly examined Danielle to assess the damage. She looked dazed and there was a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth but she said she was alright.
“ANIMALS!” Michael shouted as he recklessly charged the lead assassin. Unfortunately he only got to within arms length of the gunmen before he was stopped dead in his tracks. Holding Michael by the throat, the assassin choked and then fan-slapped the would-be defender. When he was done, the assassin tossed Danielle’s hero to the floor.
Laying in a heap next to his girlfriend, Michael moaned as tried to clear his head. His face was bruised and swollen and there was blood flowing from his mouth and nose. Danielle put her hand on his chest and told him to stay down but Michael pushed her away and pulled himself up to one knee.
One of the assassins looked at Danielle and laughed. “Nerds don’t make good heroes, do they little girl?
“He’s twice the man you are.” Danielle retorted with obvious contempt.
“You think so?” The assassin responded. “Let’s see if that’s true.” He said as he stepped forward while tugging at the belt that held up his pants.
As the man approached, Michael sprang to his feet and tackled the assailant before he could reach Danielle. The attack caught the gunman by surprise and he was pushed back by the force of Michael’s assault. However, it didn’t take him long to recover his balance and countered by knocking Michael to the floor with the butt of his automatic rifle.
“What’s the matter? Did you want some of this?” The man smirked as he took hold of the bulge in his crotch. “There’s no need to rush. You’ll get your turn as soon as I’m finished with her.”
“If you touch her I’ll kill you.” Michael warned the assassin. “I’ll kill you all.”
Having spotted Michael’s weakness, the lead assassin pressed his advantage. “You think you can stop us from hurting your little girlfriend?” All his men laughed. “How ya gonna do that professor? Are you going to bore us to death with one of your lectures?” Again his men broke out in laughter. “No? Okay then, show me what else you got.”
When Michael didn’t reply the man continued his threats. “I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna take turns fucking your little sweetheart and we’re going to make you watch.” At that point the lead assassin nodded to his men and each took hold of one of Michael’s arms. Putting him into a double arm lock they forced him to kneel next to Danielle and held his head by the scalp to make sure he couldn’t turn away.
The lead assassin unzipped his pants and fell to his knees at Danielle’s feet. When he reached for her, she screamed and kicked at him but her resistance was in vain. The man was five or six times stronger than her so he was easily able to drag her towards him and rip off her nightgown. Then he threw the torn garments in Michael’s face and laughed.
While the gunman was taunting Michael, Danielle tucked her knees close to her chest and called the lead assassin a pig. When he turned to she launched both feet towards his face. Catching him by surprise, the blow forced him back and left him stunned.
It only took the gunman a few seconds to recover. Running his tongue along the rim of his mouth he tasted blood. “This one has a lot of fight in her.” He said to his companions. Then he sucked on his cut lip and spit the wad of blood and saliva into Danielle’s face.
“Let’s not do that again.” He warned Danielle, and then he punched her in the head knocking her unconscious.
“You son of a bitch.” Michael shouted. His rage so intense that it distorted the features of his face. Struggling to tear himself from the grip of the other two gunmen, the veins in his brow and neck bulged and beads of white foam accumulated at the corners of his mouth.
“That’s it, fight.” The lead assassin continued to taunt his captive. “Use that anger to make me stop. Push me away before I ravage your girlfriend right here in front of you.” The assassin carefully watched every move that Michael made as he struggled and strained to free himself while he ranted and raved about how he was going to kill them all.
“It’s up to you. You can stop me if you want, but you’ll never be able to do it with just your words or the strength in those puny arms. You’re going to have to use your mind to save her! Go ahead; use your psychic powers before it’s too late. Once I get started on her I’m not going to stop until I’m done. Then my associates will get their turn. We’ll rape her in every conceivable way, and keep doing it until you make us stop or she’s dead.”
Exhausted and disheartened, Michael stopped struggling and began to cry. “I don’t have any psychic powers.” He said between sobs. “If I did I’d kill you bastards’ right here and now.” Then he looked up with tears streaming from his eyes. “Please don’t hurt her. Do anything you want to me but leave her alone.”
The lead assassin considered Michael’s words. Sensing that Michael couldn’t possibly have any psychic powers, he decided that this had gone on long enough. He pulled out his cell phone and pressed number 1. A few seconds later he stated to talk. “I just had a long talk with Mr. Gates.” He listened for a few seconds and then said, “No, this guy’s got nothing. If he did he would have used it by now.” There was another few seconds of silence. “Na, I’ll just give him the standard deal and meet-up with ya at the courthouse parking lot in ten.”
The lead assassin folded his cell phone, got to his feet and zipped-up his pants. Then he called off his boys by announcing that it was time to go. Without any further discussion they all walked towards the shattered door and disappeared into the night. Only the lead assassin remained behind. Looking directly at Michael, he reached into his pocket he pulled out a roll of hundred dollar bills.
“My bosses aren’t too fond of calling unnecessary attention to our activities so I’m authorized to make you this one time offer. If you agree to keep this little misunderstanding our secret, you can have what’s behind door number one.” Pulling the rubber band off the roll of bills he tossed it in Michael’s direction and ten thousand dollars scattered all over the floor. “That’ll pay for the damage to the door and buy some ointment for your faces.”
Then the assassin pulled a pistol that was strapped under his arm and pointed it at Danielle. “If you don’t want that deal,” the assassin said as he coked his gun, “She can have what’s behind door number two.” After a few seconds of silence the assassin waved the gun at Michael and demanded an answer. “Hurry up hero, tell me what’s it gonna be?”
Michael looked at the gunman, then he’s eyes went to the money scattered on the floor and back to the gunman. “Good choice,” The assassin assured him. Then with a chuckle he added, “Nobody ever takes door number two.”
As soon as the gunman was gone, Michael got a damp washcloth from the bathroom. Putting her head on his lap he began to gently wipe the blood from her face while he silently said a prayer. When she opened her eyes he smiled and asked, “How are you feeling baby?”
“I’m perfectly fine Michael.” She replied, “But I heard you praying. I thought you didn’t believe in all that spiritual mumbo jumbo.”
Michael didn’t respond, he just kept smiling and then began to laugh. After what just happened you’d think laughing was the last thing he’d want to do but he couldn’t help himself. Perhaps it was because he was so relieved that Danielle was okay, or maybe it was because everything that happened tonight was so crazy. In any case, Michael laughed and laughed until he heard a whirling sound coming from the middle of the room. When he looked up he saw a large illuminated disk appeared in mid-air.
“Gab-el, you son of a bitch,” he screamed at the disk. “Get your ass in here right now. You left us when we needed you most and look at what they did to Danielle.”
The disk flickered a few times and from the illuminated portal a figure emerged. The figure was wearing a form-fitted gay suit very much like the one Gab-el wore but it sure as hell wasn’t Gab-el. It was a woman. For a while she stood with her back to Michael while she looked around the room. Then she turned to face him and Michael stepped back in dismay. It seemed impossible but the mysterious figure was Danielle. Looking at the Danielle that was lying on the floor and then back at the Danielle that just emerged from the portal, Michael began to feel dizzy.
“Oh my God Michael,” The Danielle that stepped out of the portal said. “Your face is all swollen and bloodied. What happened to you?”
Michael wanted to answer but he couldn’t. It seemed like the floor was moving under his feet and the room began to spin. Then everything went dark and at long last his mind was at peace. Michael rested for a while, that is until he became aware of a flickering light and a soft voice that kept calling his name.
“Michael, Michael” Danielle repeated every time she saw his eyes fluttering. “I think he’s waking up Gab-el.” She announced with a voice that was filled with relief. Turning back to her boyfriend, Danielle tried to reassure him that everything was alright.
“Danielle?” Michael called out to his girlfriend as he raised his hand to touch her blurry face. “Is this is really you?” Danielle smiled, placed his hand on her cheek and nodded her head up and down. “Then who was with me when those men broke into the house?”
Danielle slowly turned her face towards Gab-el and Michael followed her lead. Gab-el answered Michael’s question by transforming his appearance. Before their eyes he became an identical duplicate of Danielle, including all the cuts and bruises she obtained during the attack. When the demonstration was over, Gab-el went back to his normal appearance.
“But why, why did you do that?” Michael wanted to know.
“Danielle couldn’t be here when the assassins arrived.” Gab-el told Michael. “Those men had sufficient psychic ability to detected Danielle’s energy as soon as they entered the room. On the other hand, they expected to find her with you and her absence would have made them suspicious. Since I can mask my energy and change my appearance, it was only logical that I stay in her place so as to fool them and protect you.”
“Protect me? What did you do to protect me?”
“I drew their ire and mentally suggested that they could get more of a reaction from you if they focused their abuse on me, or rather, on Danielle.”
“But why didn’t you tell me what you were planning to do?”
“You couldn’t be told.” Gab-el informed Michael. “These men wanted to be absolutely sure that you didn’t have any psychic powers so they came prepared to put you through the most extraordinary duress in the hope that you would crack under the strain and use the powers that believed you had. The only way you could pass their test was to convince them that your fear for Danielle’s life was genuine and your state of total helplessness was real. That never would have happened if you had known that I replaced Danielle and she was in no danger.”
“Gab-el kept me in the dark too.” Danielle told Michael as she stroked his face. “He knew I wouldn’t go if he told me what he was planning. The only thing he said was that after tonight the Syndicate would no longer consider us a threat and we’d be able to get on with our lives without having to fear that they would come after us again, or worst yet, that they would try to hurt the people we love.”
Michael looked at Danielle and then touched the cut on his lip and the bruises on his cheek and forehand. “Like what they did to me?”
When Michael said that, Gab-el stepped forward. He waved his hand over Michael’s face and all the cuts and bruises disappeared.
“Wohoo, that was so cool.” Danielle said in awe. “Can I do that too?”
Gab-el walked away and headed for the portal. “In time you will have the full power of the light and anything you can imagine you will be able to manifest. But first you must overcome the beast; not only the Beast that is in the world but the Beast that is within you. You are well on your way but you still have vestiges of your animal nature that must be overcome. As you free your mind of the limitations of the physical world, your powers will increase. This will take time but it will surely happen for it is your destiny to prevail.”
Stepping into the portal, Gab-el looked over his shoulder and said, “Michael is a worthy companion. Though he doesn’t know it, he has a brave heart and a noble soul. When he is ready we will provide him with the knowledge and skills that he will need to fight by your side.” Then the portal flashed and Gab-el was gone.
“Oh Michael, I’m so excited for you.” Danielle said as she leaped into his arms. “You’ll love the training. Using the Moon Stone they were able to teach me Kung-fu, Karate, Aikito and every other form of martial arts you can think of. I now have the combined knowledge and experience of the best Martial Arts Masters that ever lived.”
“They also taught me physics; geometry, calculus and forms of math I never even knew existed. Michael, I can instantly calculate distances, angles and trajectories in my head and I can predict the course of moving objects even before they are launched. And what’s most amazing is that they taught me all that is in just a few days.”
“A few days?” Michael questioned her sense of time. “You were only gone for ten or twelve minutes.”
“One of the first things you’ll learn is that time, speed and distance are all relative within the confines of curved space.”
Michael scratched his head. “I don’t understand. What does that have to do with anything?”
Danielle smiled and retrieved her favorite figurine. Giving it to Michael she asked him to throw it anywhere in the room and guaranteed that she would catch it before it hit the ground. Just to humor her, Michael tossed it over his shoulder knowing there was no way she could get to the doomed ornament in time. However, he was immediately astonished by how fast Danielle reacted. Diving into the air, she flipped over him, landed behind him in a split and snatched the falling statuette before it hit the ground.
“Well I’ll be damned.” Michael said in his best ghetto brogue. “Danielle’s got game.”
“Yeah, and you’ve got game too.” Danielle said with a look of admiration in her eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. Gab-el told me everything. He told me about how you stood up to those gunmen to protect me.”
“Sure, I beat their knuckles raw with my face.” Michael said making light of his failure to protect her. Then in a more serious tone he added, “Listen Danielle, I’m no hero. In fact, I’m not even much of a man. There was no way I could have protected you by defeating those thugs. The fact is that I was scared shitless. When I thought they were going to kill you, all I could do was cry like a baby.”
“And I love you for that.” Daniel said, still looking at him with admiring eyes. “I love that you stood up for me even when you knew there was no way you could win. I love that you didn’t stop trying and that you kept getting up every time they beat you down. And most of all, I love that you humbled yourself for me and begged for my life with the only thing you had left… your tears. There is no doubt in my mind that you are a man among men and a hero in every sense of the world.”
Michael thought about what she said. Then he answered in his typical self deprecating way. “Well, if they’re giving out medals for cry babies, then you’ve got yourself a hero.”
“Baby, that’s not all I got.” Danielle teased as she skillfully slithered across the floor, slid under his legs and climbed up his torso. Coiling her body around his she positioned herself so they were face to face. Then she made a very provocative announcement. “I also have the ability to control every muscle in my body, including some I didn’t even know I had.”
“And how are you going to demonstrate that? Michael asked with a sly look on his face.
Danielle smiled as she brought her opened mouth down on his. She pressed her body close and swirled her hips when she felt his manhood come alive in reaction to her skillfully undulating lips and tongue.
Michael had never experienced this degree of sexual aggressiveness from Danielle. There was definitely a change in her sexual attitude and he liked it. She seemed like a woman driven by a passion to prove her love so he carried her to their bed and dropped her onto the mattress.
“Oh Michael.” Danielle cooed as she rubbed the back of his neck while he kissed hers. “That feels so good but before this goes any further, there’s just one more thing I need to do before I can show you how much I love you.”
Almost afraid to pose the question, Michael asked, “What?” while continuing to kiss her neck.
“I have to stop those assassins.” She replied while Michael tried to figure out how to remove the alien garment she was wearing.
“Why?” He asked as he turned her over looking for a zipper.
“They’re still looking for the Champion of the Light.” Danielle explained, “And they won’t stop until they’ve found what they’re looking for.”
“But they don’t know it’s you honey and after tonight we don’t have to worry. They’ve ruled us out so they won’t be coming after us again.”
“Yes, we’re safe but as long as they’re looking for me a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt and I can’t let that happen.”
Accepting that what he wanted wasn’t going to happen, Michael sighed and asked, “So, just how do you intend to stop them?”
“I’m going to take the fight to them.”
“You mean tonight?”
“Yes. Gab-el told me that they planed to rendezvous at the courthouse parking lot and they’ll be meeting up with members of the Syndicate. I want to be there too. After all, they’ve gone to all this trouble to find me and I don’t want to disappoint them.”
“But all the assassin teams will be there, you could get hurt.”
“Not by them.” Danielle said with an air of confidence. “This suit I’m wearing is made of the same material as Gab-el’s space suit. It’s as light as a feather but much stronger than Kevlar. It uses my body heat to generate a force field that repels anything coming towards me with an equal but opposite force. And look,” Danielle said pointing to her belt. “They imbedded the Moon Stone into my suit and now I can focus my thoughts to contact a single mind that’s a hundred yards away. Or I can broadcast to several minds within a ten yard radius.”
Then Danielle reached behind her neck and pulled forward some kind of hood that covered her whole head and face. It was form fitted and had two black portals just like the ones on Gab-el’s helmet.
“These portals look black to you,” Danielle explained, “but on this side they’re perfectly clear and actually enhance my vision. They combine my normal field of view with ultraviolet and inferred light. With these babies I can see in the dark, through fog and even behind some objects. Just the suit alone gives me an enormous advantage over those thugs. Add my newly acquired martial arts skills and the enhanced powers of the Moon Stone, and they don’t stand a chance.”
“How will you get there?”
“I was planning on borrowing your bike.”
Michael thought about that for a moment. It was no wonder that Gab-el chose her to be the champion of the light. She was fearless and dedicated. If he didn’t lend her his bike she’d have found another way to go so he said, “Okay, but only if you let me go with you.”
“You’ll have to let me drive.” Danielle explained as they walked towards the motorcycle. “With my augmented senses and ability to efficiently calculate time and distance, we’ll get to the courthouse a lot quicker.”
When Michael got on the back of his 250 cc dirt bike, he had no idea how serious Danielle was about getting to the courthouse ‘a lot quicker.’ He’d participated in many dirt bike races before so he thought he was ready for a fast ride down the lane, however nothing he ever experienced before prepared him for the gut wrenching ride Daniel was about to give him.
From the moment she engaged the gearbox and the bike leap onto the road, he had to hang on to stay on the bike. The reckless dash through the busy intersections and the sudden hairpin turns scared the hell out of him, but it was the off-road shortcuts through cluttered back yards, across busy parking lots and over highway dividers that literally took his breath away. Riding with Danielle was a near death experience and it was no wonder that when they neared the courthouse and she slowed down, that Michael leaped off the bike even before she came to a full stop.
“Stay here and keep out of sight.” Danielle instructed her boyfriend as she disconnected the bike’s lights. Then she sped towards a group of men gathered in the middle of the lot. There were 9 armed men and 2 men in business suits surrounded by a cluster of Humvees and a Limousine. Pulling the bike into a wheelie, she jumped over a hedge and landed between two of the Humvees where she came to a sliding stop. The startled mercenaries jumped back, cocked their weapons and surrounded the intruder.
Leisurely dismounting the bike, Danielle walked towards the men. Scanning the group she analyzed their positions and the angle at which they held their weapons. She could feel the tension in their arms and the uncertainty of their thoughts as she telepathically announced, “I believe you gentlemen are looking for me.”
END OF CHAPTER 3
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