The Journey of Rick Heiden - Chapters 13 and 14
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This novel contains 50 CHAPTERS, and every post will have 2 chapters each.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The previous evening, we made plans to visit the college to check on the device, and did so, on the morning of the fourth day. Laurel and her team looked tired but pleased with themselves. The device was more substantial than I expected. Our end of it had the appearance of a smartphone, a design both portable and unobtrusive, but to have an energy field powerful enough to read the chip at a distance required a larger device. So, they broke it into two main pieces, the look-a-like smartphone and an aerial drone that could cloak itself. When folded for travel, it reminded me of three enlarged Attendants stacked together. Once unfolded into a triangle of three circles, it produced bursts of a dynamic field of energy strong enough to pass through buildings, and at lower altitudes, down into the ground. Once it read a chip within its range, it split into three parts using triangulation to find the exact location of the ring. It then sent a map to the smartphone look-alike for us to follow. It had robust energy sources that would last, but in the unlikely event that it needed to recharge itself, it could hover near a high-power electrical line and soak up the ambient energy.
"If the ring is in London, this device should make short work of finding it," said Laurel, "but I have one more thing for you. Inside the drone, we used an older version of Iris. She won't control the drone, but she feeds data to the remote, and will allow the three of you to communicate with one another while many miles apart, just like you do here."
Quite impressive, Laurel and her team went well out of their way on it, and given the importance of the mission, I supposed that shouldn't have surprised me.
Aiden helped with the design earlier, but Laurel asked him to stay the day so that she could go over it with him. I reminded him that if he wanted clothes to wear on the mission, he had to get scanned. He told Laurel that he would take care of that and return immediately to the lab.
Only a couple of people browsed the shop when we entered, and Svend needed someone on whom to cater.
"Welcome back, gentlemen," Svend said with exuberance. I noticed his infectious excitement and enthusiasm made him well suited to customer service. I understood why his shop had existed for a few hundred jears. He also readily remembered names and faces, making me wonder if he had enhanced his memory. "I'm glad you came early, David," Svend said, "We must have time to get your uniform ready. Will the three of you let me scan you?"
"Indeed, we will," I said. "We each need two suits of clothing for the mission." It felt odd to mention it, but no state secrets existed on Jiyu.
"Oh, the mission! I will prioritize your order. You must have something to wear. One question, what season is it?" he asked, gesturing with his hand.
"Only a day will have passed, so late October," I said.
"I'm not much into clothes," David said to me, "so whatever you get, I'll have a set like it too."
"And look like a 1980s gum commercial?"
David shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What's wrong with wearing the same clothing?"
"Well, for starters, we're not twins. However, I'll agree on one condition; you get them another color."
"Agreed, but you pick the color," David said.
"The same goes for me, Rick," Aiden said, "I really need to get scanned and get back to the lab. I promise to wear whatever you think appropriate. I trust you. So, what will you two do today while I'm at the lab?"
"I can show Rick around some more," said David.
"The theater, maybe?" I asked.
David nodded. "Sure."
Svend scanned me last, I stood naked in a metallic cylinder with a glass screen in front of me, depicting the various poses to hold for the scans. I didn't expect that much involvement. It must have scanned every nook and cranny.
Since I found the choice entirely tossed into my lap, I used Svend's equipment to craft each of us a stylish ensemble that would work for our needs. I settled on pants that looked like chinos. I could have chosen them with a zipper, buttons, or codpiece, which I found tempting as David said they provided a considerable amount of comfort. But we would wear them on Earth, and I saw no reason to draw that kind of attention, so I settled with buttons. Not knowing how long the mission would take, I ordered jackets for us with removable liners brown, navy, and black, respectively, including all the accouterments that one needed, including a pistol holder. At the cobblers, I acquired each of us a pair of calf-high boots so comfortable they felt pre-broken-in.
After a day of visiting the theater and many other places David felt I would enjoy --and with Aiden still at the lab-- David and I ate alone for fifth meal at his favorite diner where he enjoyed the decor. They styled it after a traditional British gentlemen's club, with lots of wood paneling, leather-like wall coverings, sumptuous chairs, and elegant finishes. David showed me around, and he seemed keen on the style, which gave me an idea that I took care of just before we left for the mission.
I brought up my thoughts about Maggie. "I want to give her one last chance to join us."
"Rick, I know you want her here, but we cannot make the time to deal with it. The time either manifests on its own, or it doesn't happen."
"I understand the problems involved," I said, "and I accept that. I've given it some thought. We know Maggie's reasons, and we can help with that. If she has no reason to stay on Earth, she might come with us."
"I'll make a deal with you, as leader of the mission," said David. "I'll agree to your bringing what you need, say four hundred, one-quarter ounce blank gold rounds to make that happen, with a few conditions. If you agree to this, then I'm fine with it. We do it only if we have time --I make no guarantees of that, and you must carry the responsibility for the gold you bring. If you agree to that, then I'll agree."
"I would expect nothing less," I said. "I agree to your terms."
That evening, after David and I watched the shadow pass across the city, he left to shower, so I remained on the balcony to contact Venn.
"May I help you with something?" he asked.
"Yes, will the Forge produce anything?"
"It cannot produce some things --food, for example. What do you need?"
"I have a friend on Earth named Maggie. She would do well here. To make that happen, I need four hundred, one-quarter ounce solid gold rounds so I can help her. Is that too much to ask? I feel uncomfortable asking for it."
"I see no problem with the request," said Venn, "but it would require more time than you have if you leave in less than two days. I require at least six days for that much gold. With our current stock, we have a great supply of gold alloy, but only enough pure gold for fifty-two, one-quarter ounce solid gold rounds. More rounds would require more gold, which means further excavation and refinement. We have that work currently underway, but it takes time. If you had contacted me three days ago, I would have had enough to fulfill your needs. Your mate David, however, requested that same number of rounds, and it depleted our stock. Might you have duplicated a request for the same need?"
"I see," I said. "Yes, I probably have --my mistake. I didn't know David had made that request. Thank you for letting me know."
"May I help you with anything else?"
"No, thank you, you've been quite helpful. Goodnight, Venn."
"Goodnight, Rick."
That wonderful little shit. David made me agree to his conditions and go through that whole conversation when he had already decided to do what I had proposed at least three days prior, how I loved that man. It reminded me of what David said on the way to Facility3 that Monday morning. I knew his endeavor to express how much he loved me would bring me joy for ages to come, and I made it my purpose to remain worthy of his effort.
He hadn't left the shower, so I joined him. I sat there on our stool, sucking David's big-headed cock. If he didn't have it in my ass, I wanted it stuffed into my mouth to give him as much pleasure as he would me. I wouldn't have wanted him to always do all the work. Our shower had the bars just like the one in the temple's shower. He stood there holding himself up while I serviced him with an exceptional suck job, the warm rain showered down upon us. He held back a long time, so we could both enjoy it. I tasted the steady trickle of precum that I gladly swallowed down, and when he finally came, he stood there holding my head with his cock shoved into my mouth. I didn't move, I merely waited. After a few minutes, I began again...
They held David's ceremony on the morning of day five. It took place at dawn in the most massive building on Jiyu, known as the Arena. I mistakenly expected it to take place at the temple. I underestimated the importance of the ceremony. The Arena resides on the opposite side of the mountain near tunnel five. They had drilled several shafts through the mountain, but number 5, the second-largest one, became the most utilized route for pedestrians and bicyclists.
When we awoke that morning, I learned of my mistake and asked David about it. He told me the Arena had standing room for masses of people and dwarfed the most prominent arena on Earth.
David looked handsome in his new uniform, which arrived at the last minute. The latest creation by Svend consisted of a tailored, waist-length jacket of jeather. It kept its shape, especially the half collar and the front, which had no lapels. It had modified raglan sleeves, and Svend hid vents beneath the arms and in various places to keep the body from overheating. Svend built the jacket so that the sword scabbard magnetically attached to the back. He broke from the traditional Prussian Blue and began a new era of uniforms in all charcoal with royal blue accents on the jacket. With little need for anything more formal, Aiden and I wore our suits from Earth for the ceremony.
Venn said he had the privilege of driving us to the Arena. Aiden carried David's beautiful jacket, and Magnar would meet us at the Arena's floor entrance.
We exited tunnel number one just before dawn. From David's description, I figured the building would impress, but no word exists to describe a structure that size. Even in the predawn light, I could see it resembled Rome's Colosseum except far more massive and more ornate. The retractable roof covered the building that morning. A reflector in the middle would direct the sun's rays onto the central platform where the ceremony took place.
People packed the stadium beyond imagination. They must have begun arriving hours earlier. The scores of people who wanted to see David become a member of the Trust astounded me. No doubt, everyone we knew and had met, stood somewhere in the risers that wrapped around the arena, or among those crowding the floor around the raised platform in the middle. People respectfully left a path about three feet wide as an aisle from the lower door, where we stood looking in, to the platform. I saw what looked like millions of people there as we stood watching from the door.
"So many people...," said David, gripping the scabbard of his niobium blue sword.
"Is it always this crowded?" I asked Magnar.
"Not by half," he whispered and received David's jacket from Aiden.
The crowd stood chatting with one another, and when the sun broke the eastern horizon, a bright beam of sunlight illuminated the stage, and the masses went silent. The four of us walked the great distance to the platform. I intended for it to remain David's day alone, and while I wanted to keep close, I moved no farther than the top step. I refrained from stepping onto the stage, and Aiden stood by me.
Amare had never performed the ceremony without a translator. He stood there as he always did, his hands behind him and spine straight. Upon the pedestal beside him lay three objects glowing in the sunlight, a silvery handled sword, a ring, and a small solid gold cup like the one engraved upon the sword pommel.
Just as Amare went to speak, my connection to Iris activated, and I could hear him as if he stood right in front of me.
"We are here today," Amare began, "at dawn on the two hundred and eighth day of the jear three thousand one hundred and fifty-four to bring someone special into the Trust. The Trust comes with honor and responsibility, but with it an immense burden. It holds few benefits and the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice. We honor David as he honors us with his service, his loyalty, and his love. David, may I have the sword given to you as the student?" David gave him the sword, and Amare laid it on the pedestal. "It is my honor, and my duty, as Prime to determine when someone has demonstrated their worthiness. Having decided, I now bestow upon David the honor of the Trust." Magnar held David's jacket so that he could slip into it, and he did so. "David, you may consider yourself Trusted," Amare said. He picked up the new sword within its scabbard. "With this sword, we will know you as one who the people Trust to protect them whenever the necessity arises, and for the sake of us all, may that time never come." David swung the sword and scabbard over his head where it attached to the magnetic harness on his back. Amare picked up the ring and held it aloft. "And here, I give you the ring, which will further identify you." David took the ring and placed it upon his hand. "And finally, I present the opportunity for the Sharing." Amare held the cup and raised it. "If you choose to take it, you must do so freely. You have a choice. You may decline and join the sharing later if you wish. Do you wish to partake of the sharing?"
"I wish to wait," said David.
"So be it. You will always have the option," he said, placing the cup back upon the pedestal. "Good people of Jiyu, I present to you, David the Trusted."
The crowd bestowed upon David a cacophony of applause once it ended. I thought it was a short ceremony, but an important one. David had fulfilled his dream of joining the Trust. However, his decision to wait to partake of the Sharing made me curious. I knew how much it meant to him.
We exited as we entered before people left, and Venn waited to drive us to the penthouse. En route, Aiden congratulated David, shaking his hand, making a fuss over his accomplishment. When the three of us arrived home, however, I followed David into the bedroom, where I hugged him, kissed him, and told him how proud he made me, but I had to know why.
He lovingly held his cheek against mine and whispered to me. "I decided that the Sharing doesn't matter to me as much as it once did."
"Why?"
"I wanted it when I had no one. I guess I thought it would help end my loneliness, but now I have you." He rubbed his bearded cheek against mine, "and I don't want to share myself with anyone else."
David overwhelmed me sometimes. I cried as he held me, his passionate words had touched me deeply. We kissed for the longest time. In his full uniform, I removed David's codpiece, and he grew erect. I pushed him onto the bed, and he lay back. I removed my clothes but insisted he remained clothed. I climbed on top of him. His erection leaked precum, so I rubbed the head of his cock on my hole and sat down on him taking him inside me. I enjoyed the unusual experience of fucking with his uniform on, and it would not be our last if I had anything to do with it. I leaned forward, kissed him, then placed my hands on his chest. The sensation of being in control felt exhilarating. I rode David like I did the dildo I had in my flat in London. Except this gave pleasure to the man I loved, and his cock felt far more stimulating. I rode him like a bucking bull, and I lasted far longer than 8 seconds, and so did he. When I couldn't keep going, he came after he took control for a couple of minutes. I enjoyed having David's cum inside me. It came from David and that made it special.
The three of us came together again at 14:45. We had an important task to perform. David wanted to teach us about the pistol that he used while on Earth.
David and I retrieved Aiden from the beach. The air felt warm, and the sun had risen to midday in the sky. The beach had many people, all sans clothing. Aiden had just left the water and planned to lay in the sun to dry himself. None of us had a towel.
"Dry off with your shirt," David said. "You don't have to wear a shirt if you don't want to. You won't make a social 'faux pas' or anything."
Aiden had a funny expression on his face at the notion of toweling off on his shirt, but he did it anyway. He donned his shorts and slipped into his shoes before getting into the transport. "I've been looking forward to this," Aiden said. "An energy weapon is fascinating."
"You will find them easy to use," said David, "but I wanted to give you both some experience with them before we leave in the morning."
When we arrived at the armory, David sat us down and gave us a bit of a lecture, and rightfully so, they weren't toys. "As a member of the Trust, my position places upon me a greater responsibility. My pistol remains unlocked, but yours will have the kill settings locked out. However, I will give you the usual lecture as if I had left yours unlocked because you still need the information."
He went into detail about the What, Where, and Why in the use of the weapon. I found it tiresome, but I accepted it. He showed us every aspect of how they functioned, and their design had a simple elegance to it. Aiden and I appreciated that ours had the kill setting locked out. As non-members of the Trust, it only made sense. I knew it would take time to hone our skills to make appropriate quick decisions for whatever circumstance might come along. When we fired at targets, Aiden and I didn't have difficulty when given time to aim, but without that time, we had widely different results. David impressed me when it came to rapid aiming. Out of the twenty-five targets, he missed two. Despite the ten-year absence of practice, it seemed his skills hadn't rusted.
After our time at the armory, we had a satisfying meal at a diner down by the beach. Aiden wished to return to his swim, which he thought to do instead of the gym exercise that day. We left him to his own devices.
When we arrived home that evening from the gym, we discovered that Svend had finished our clothing. We found them and our boots from the cobbler, waiting for us in our rooms. When I saw them, it told me that the time was winding down, and before we knew it, we would stand on the portal with our eyes shut.
As David held me, we watched the shadow pass over the city from the balcony, and I couldn't help but feel a touch of poignancy. It felt like a marvelous dream that would dissolve upon waking into the devastating reality of life on Earth. I didn't want those times in David's arms as we chatted by the pool to end. I tried to remain confident, but I will admit that I worried.
We didn't know what time Aiden came home. He contacted us after sunset telling us that he had met a group of people at the beach. He said he would return home late, but not so late that he couldn't get enough sleep. David and I were pleased he had made friends.
The next morning, before the dawn of the sixth day, we awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as the saying goes. We had first meal, showered, and prepared ourselves for the possibility of having to go without such amenities for some time. David and Aiden approved of their clothes, and they fit as I expected them to. Once Venn arrived, he transported us to the lift, and we met Magnar at the Temple door.
"David, your parents are here," Magnar whispered in his husky voice.
"Thanks for the warning," David said to him.
Many people came, well-wishers and those attached to the creation of the device. David's parents stood in front. Their expression seemed different somehow. David's father came forward and unexpectedly hugged him.
"I'm so proud of you, son," said Liander and whispered into David's ear. Once he backed away, David looked at him in alarm. "Don't worry," he said to David, "it's okay."
That's when the last thing I expected to happen happened. Liander hugged me, and he whispered into my ear. "Thank you for what you said. I don't know if you would understand how, but you've given me my son back, and for that, I will always be grateful. Come to our home at any time. Please, don't feel you can't. You will see a difference, I promise."
We walked a gauntlet of hugs, handshakes, and well-wishing that took twenty minutes to get through. Then we stepped into the white room with the portal, I saw the device there in its case, ready to go.
We donned our pistol harnesses and coats. Magnar gave Aiden the cell phone look-alike portion of the device, and each of us a pistol, ensuring to provide David with the one left unlocked. David and Aiden hugged Magnar, and when my turn came, before embracing him, I whispered into his ear for a moment.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked.
"It's for David," I said. "Could you take care of that for me by the time we get back? At least, get it started."
"Yes, indeed, I know just the person for the job. It will be my pleasure," he said, and he made a little bow.
I hugged him. "You're a good friend, Magnar."
The three of us with the drone climbed the steps and stood upon the portal.
Magnar wished us luck.
The energy sphere swirled and churned as it surrounded us. David grabbed my hand, and when the brightness forced me to squeeze my eyes shut, I covered them with the other. The odd sensation of fainting came, and we had left my new home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We stood on the portal, the sphere surrounded us, and its light shone like the sun. I had that thought as we arrived back on Earth. I then realized the writer of that ancient text on Jiyu hadn't referred to the sun; they meant the sphere of swirling plasma that the portal created. Perhaps, they believed that Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, had transported them to her realm in a loving embrace. But then again, it could have just reminded them of the sun, and the name stuck. Whatever their thought, it probably didn't take long to discover the portal went both ways. And they must have known it did; they had a reluctance to leave freedom (Jiyu) and abandoned the portal in search of food. They said it followed them. How could that have happened?
We arrived at night, an event both good and bad. It may have allowed us to move about in darkness, but the portal, when in use, would show more brilliant than the brightest beacon humanity had ever created. While David's ring lay within the portal's field, it would sit there visible for the world to see. We bolted away from it as fast as we could so it would phase out.
The lighter gravity kept us off balance as we leapt from the steps, and our eyes had no chance to grow accustomed to the light level. It astonished me that we made it into the woods without hitting a tree. Aiden activated the drone, it cloaked itself and flew off into the night sky searching for the ring.
I whispered, "Why wouldn't it just lock onto David's ring?"
"I asked Laurel the same thing. They encoded each chip with a number. So, the drone knows which ring to search for."
"We need to leave this park," David said.
We walked to the exit in the chilly air, pleased we brought jackets, and apart from us, the park was empty.
"I wish we knew the time," I said.
"I'm working on that," said Aiden. "It's 4:41 a.m. the Wednesday after we left."
"Aiden!" David whispered in as much of a yell as he dared. "They will monitor our mobiles. Turn that off!"
"Relax," said Aiden, "I think I've mentioned this before, but I do have an MScs in telecommunications. I do know how mobiles work. I told you before; they can't track this one. It has the VPN I built, and while you two toured the city the other day, I further secured it with Laurel's help. So, trust me, it's safe."
"Yes, yes. I apologize," David said.
"You altered it again?" I asked. "Can you still make calls with it?"
"Unfortunately, it won't make calls now, but we have internet access."
"Wait a minute," I said. "It's 4:41 a.m., Wednesday. That's many hours later than we figured."
"And now you see why it's hard to calculate," David said. "We think the anomaly fluctuates somehow, and that affects the differential."
We passed beneath the brick-walled entrance and into the Café's parking lot, which held one vehicle lit by a single security light.
"Ah, fellas...isn't that our abandoned van?"
There the grey van sat in the same spot we left it. I thought someone would have it towed by then. Had fortune smiled upon us, or something closer to Greeks bearing gifts?
"It's too good to be true, isn't it?" Aiden asked, scrutinizing it.
"I admit, it's tempting," said David, walking around the vehicle. "I left the keys beneath the front seat. Aiden, would you happen to have brought the bug finder with you?"
"Tech is my job; I brought it."
"Can it detect a GPS signal?"
"That, and more."
"Why would they bother to bug it?" I asked. "They have no reason to think we'll come back. We left them believing we accepted their explanations."
"We can't take that chance," said David. "Go ahead, Aiden."
David cautiously opened the door and found the keys where he left them. He looked at the undercarriage, beneath the hood, and under the dash. Aiden swept it for anything electronic but found nothing. David asked us to back away as a precaution before turning over the engine and moving the vehicle. Despite his fears, no one had tampered with it. He motioned for us to get in; we trusted to luck and headed toward London.
"How's the drone?" I asked.
"Well, and almost to London," Aiden said.
"Good," said David. "Okay, I'm making a just-in-case rule. We know what we're looking for, but no one else will. Let's keep it that way. In case someone has bugged our location, we never mention the thing we seek. We call the thing 'it'. Sound reasonable?"
After our previous experience, we wouldn't argue.
The early hour made the journey to London smooth and easy. The light traffic grew denser the closer we came to Knightsbridge. Parking in London presented the usual nightmare, so we parked in my unused designated parking space in the garage.
"Let's find someplace to sit and have tea while I check my blog," said David.
"Do people still blog?" I asked.
"Is this really the time for blogging?" Aiden asked.
"It's not what you think. I created it several years ago and posted a few inane musings on it. Our people use the comment section at the bottom as a network to communicate for emergencies when they can't reach my mobile."
The sky grew brighter before dawn, and a coffee shop around the corner opened early. Fortunately, we all thought to bring our cash and wallets, so we settled down for some warm scones, tea, and a little surf over to David's blog.
Pearce, our Envoy to the United States, had posted an encoded comment on the blog the previous day. We believed that Senator Jackson Scott had him captured and only released him after David threatened him. Pearce had come to London, desperate to go home, but as a non-Trust member, he had no ring. David replied to the comment telling him that while in town, he should consider a visit to St. Alphage Garden. His coded message told him we would meet him at 9:00 a.m. We relaxed and enjoyed the tea, as we had time to kill before the meeting, and all the while, the drone set about its meticulous scan of the entire six hundred square miles of the city, sector by sector.
"We have a practical matter to settle sometime today," I said. "Have we any ideas for sleeping arrangements? If we don't find 'it' today, we will need some. Could we not sneak into the penthouse?"
"I suspect they're surveilling the penthouse," said David, "and if they've ransacked it, I'm probably persona non grata there at this point. We can't take the chance to discover otherwise, and the same goes for your flat."
"We could always try the moldy old hovel," Aiden said. "It has two beds."
David looked at him. "I can imagine their expressions of glee as they turned over your place, with all the electronic goodies you kept there."
Aiden sighed, musing, "Mmm...I did have some nice gear."
"Would you go back?" I asked him.
"You mean give up life on Jiyu with the two of you?" Aiden asked. "You're the truest friends I've ever had, and I feel like my life has value and purpose for once. If you want shot of me, you'll have to work harder."
The time to go came upon us, so we made sure to use the loo. Aiden and I went first while David watched our things. The men's room had a couple of stalls and two urinals, above which they had placed a long mirror, Aiden took one, and me, the other. As we stood there peeing, I found myself looking at the top of Aiden's head in the mirror, then the top of mine, then back to Aiden, and so forth.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"The cobbler didn't make your boots any higher than ours," I said, "are you taller?"
"I'm probably a little taller." Aiden smiled.
My eyebrows rose in shock. Aiden enhanced his height. "Wow, so how tall will you get?"
He had a smug expression on his face as he buttoned up and leaned toward my ear. "Seven," he whispered and went to wash his hands.
He had me speechless. Aiden readily embraced rapid change. I couldn't imagine what gave him the desire to be seven feet tall, but he surely had a reason.
I went to the sink. "Well, I wish I had your pants fit into our boots. You might need the leeway."
"I don't want to outgrow my clothes here," he said, drying his hands. "I may have just a few months before it's finished. We need to do this and go home."
"Well, don't worry, that's my plan too."
It took us longer to reach the garden than we realized and arrived only a few minutes early. I wouldn't call it elaborate or impressive as gardens go, but it contained a section of the old Londinium Wall built by the Romans as late as the early Third Century, and that part seemed impressive. We waited on the benches before it. David kept a furtive eye on our surroundings, and for Pearce. I brought up my thoughts about the texts I read in the Archive.
"I think I know why they abandoned the sun," I said.
He continued to keep watch, "What? Oh, well, we know why. They needed food."
"Yes, but the sun is not the sun."
"What is it then?"
"We should have realized, but I'll give you a hint. It begins with 'P' and rhymes with 'chortle'."
He looked at me, a bit confused. "Didn't it say it followed them?" To which I could only shrug.
"What's this?" Aiden asked.
I told him about the writings and had just finished when a man wearing khakis and a blueish green button-up under a brown jacket, came into the garden. Pearce had received David's message. The forty-year-old had my height and brown hair; he reminded me of a cousin on my father's side. Physically though, Pearce had not looked good. I wondered what they had done to him.
When David saw him, he embraced him. Pearce began to cry, and while venting his suffering, he had difficulty stopping. As childhood friends, I could see David's presence made Pearce feel safe, and a little closer to home. The overwhelmingly emotive moment took less than a minute before I found myself crying. I could hear the agony inside the man pouring out like a downburst, and David didn't stop him. He stood there holding him, waiting for it to pass. It took ten minutes before he calmed down enough even to sit.
Pearce hadn't wanted to talk about the details of what they'd done to him; there was no sense reliving it. But he had intimated that they had done unspeakable things. He had used the word 'experiments'.
"How did they find out about you?" David asked.
"How does the American government know about anything?" Pearce asked. "If it happens over electronics, they know." His voice sounded stuffy from crying.
David introduced us and told him of our critical mission, and that we couldn't talk about it. Pearce understood, but I thought I could see the horrified disappointment in his face when David told him we couldn't leave yet. In my estimation, Pearce hadn't the strength to help us, but we had no solution but to take him with us.
"I won't leave you," David told Pearce. "Do you think you have the strength to keep up? The quicker we do what we came here for, the quicker we go home, okay?"
Pearce nodded.
"According to the weather forecast, it will begin raining around midday," Aiden said, "and we have no umbrellas or anywhere permanent to go."
"Great," I said, "loitering in the rain, my favorite pastime."
"I hoped to find it the first day here," said David, "but we haven't a clue how long this will take. We will need money."
"David," I said, "may I speak to you for a moment?" We stepped a few yards away from Pearce and Aiden, who tried to strike up a conversation with Pearce. "I foresee difficulty ahead. If it isn't here, we may have to go to America to find it. In Pearce's fragile state, he cannot go back there."
"Agreed," said David, eyeing Pearce over my shoulder. "It saddens me to see him like this. He's different. We'll have to send him home before we leave, should it come to that."
"How long did Laurel think it would take to scan the city?" I asked.
"About two days. The object is tiny, and London is enormous."
We availed ourselves of an exchange northwest of our location, receiving a fair price for the five ounces of gold we sold them, leaving us five thousand British pounds at our disposal.
On our way to the exchange, and afterward, something felt wrong, then I realized it, a man was following us. I kept a surreptitious eye on what lay behind us, but I knew how these things worked, a team of people may pursue us. If we caught one person following, they would allow another team member to take over, making us think we imagined it.
I doubted the British government expected us back, but the Americans knew, no doubt. They had Pearce, and we didn't know what he told them. David threatened them into letting Pearce go, but they may no longer have needed him. So, they released him as a ruse, letting him go merely to follow him. Could it have meant that both the ring and Cadmar's body were in England? If the Americans had had them, and the location of the portal, as we expected they would, what reason would they have to track us down through Pearce? They wanted something.
Among the sizable number of pedestrians, I spotted him quickly. He looked about forty-five years old with straight brown hair and wore a grey suit. I made sure we stopped several times for various reasons, and when we stopped, he stopped. A team hadn't followed us that I could see, it was just him, and the man lacked proficiency at tailing anyone. I told David and described him.
"Why have we stopped a fifth time to window shop?" asked Aiden.
"Don't look, but Rick says a man has followed us," David said.
"Oh no," Pearce said, "I'm sorry, David. They must have followed me."
"Don't blame yourself, Pearce," David said, "someone would discover our presence at some point."
"Shall we run?" Aiden asked.
That's when David took it upon himself to do something. He intended to confront the man directly. The man didn't expect that and tried to flee. David had gotten a good start when the guy ran into three men. The two dressed in uniforms apprehended him. It caused a bit of a scene, but it ended quickly.
David spoke with the man who followed us, but he refused to say anything and was taken away by the uniformed officers. The third man's thick French accent punctuated his wavy, swept mane and trendy casual clothing. I would have taken him for an impressionist painter, but he introduced himself as Monsieur Julien Le Gal and worked as a detective inspector at Interpol. We asked for his credentials. The five of us looked for someplace private to talk. Having no base of operations caused a bit of difficulty, and we ended up semi-private at Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, huddled around the grave of Daniel Defoe.
Inspector Le Gal told us he believed the Americans hired the man to find us through Pearce. They watched him follow Pearce from Heathrow. He explained it as a symptom of a more significant problem, of which we knew nothing. Much had happened the previous few weeks internationally. The scans Aiden sent to the Americans had become the proverbial shot heard round the world. The scans fell into the hands of person after person and one nation after the next on the dark web. The duplicity of the people in government was astounding. State secrets changed hands like gossip; there were few real secrets.
Aiden felt guilty about what he had done, but he didn't know that would happen, and at the time, he knew nothing of Jiyu or its people.
"Most of the Interpol member nations saw the scans," said Le Gal, "and they came forward to ask us, as a non-political party, to investigate what the Americans and the British were doing for signs of criminality. The things we discovered were disconcerting. We and those nations have heard the surveillance recordings, and we wish to let you know that you have friends. In the international community, we have good people that want to help you, including Interpol and myself. A great discussion has occurred behind closed doors among them, and my superiors tasked me to relay their message to you. They understand why you hadn't come forward to announce your presence, and they appreciate the sensitive way your people have handled this world. They know the difficulty of keeping secrets, and it seems yours is out. The public will eventually find out, and while we would prefer a gradual process of communication with the public, recent events have made that no longer a viable option."
"What's happened?" David asked him.
Le Gal glanced at Pearce, and I think we all noticed it.
"They figured it out, didn't they?" I asked.
"The British and the Americans both did. They do not know what it will do completely, but we know they've already given their treatment to people, but we don't know how many."
"Who gave them the surveillance recordings?" Aiden asked.
"We don't know," Le Gal said. "We backtracked it to the United States, but before that, it's unknown."
"The other countries do need to know a few things," said David, "but how do we know we can trust them, or you for that matter?"
Le Gal shook his head. "I cannot hand you what you know must come through experience. I can only ask for the opportunity to demonstrate my honorable intentions. We come to you because, quite frankly, what they may do frightens us."
"Do you represent the countries who came forward?" Aiden asked.
"Currently, no one represents them for you," Le Gal said, "and certainly not me."
"David, may I speak to you for a moment?" I took him aside. "I can see how the Americans got what they wanted; they had Pearce, so they didn't need Cadmar for that. How could the British government figure out how it works and use it on anyone? If the British have Cadmar, isn't he dead?"
"I thought that too when he said it," David said. "If he's not lying or wrong about it, Cadmar must still be alive."
"So, they're giving people the Foundational Enhancement from Cadmar," I said. "What should we do?"
"Jiyu has no government," said David, "so we have no one else to ask about this. I would appreciate it if you and Aiden will help advise me, but I'm the only member of the Trust here. If what he says is true, I guess I am Jiyu's ambassador to Earth. I don't know that I trust him, though."
"Nor do I, but as Hemingway said, `the best way to know if you can trust somebody is to trust them,' but that's up to you. I'm here for you if you need me."
"I love you." David steeled himself, taking a long deep breath, and we returned to Le Gal.
"What do these nations want of us?" David asked.
"May I record you with my mobile so that I may send it on to the home office for distribution?" Le Gal asked.
"Please do, that way nothing gets misquoted. I agree to do this but make it short."
Le Gal began recording. "At the moment, those countries need information. What did they give them, and what will it do? Might we expect to see unstoppable soldiers invading other countries?"
"They're giving them a Jiyuvian, nano-based enhancement," David said. "We didn't intend it for people who live on Earth. The British and the Americans will like some of its effects, but if they want unstoppable soldiers, they will not achieve what they're seeking by it.
"I must warn you, though; they will destroy the economies of this world through a snowball effect. It will upend the social and political power structures that this world has relied upon, and chaos will reign. Unless --and I use this in a most literal and critical sense-- unless most of the people of this world become someone they're not, they will doom this world as you know it. I wouldn't call that bad, necessarily, from my point of view; in a broader, long-term sense, it allows you to become better off in many ways. However, due to the nature of the people here, there will be those who die from this. We couldn't just hand it to you for that precise reason. Despite your nature, we care deeply about all of you. You're our family."
"How long could we be in chaos?" asked Le Gal, his face stricken.
"For as long as the people here create it," David said. "Let's go, chaps." He began backing away, and Le Gal stood there preoccupied. When we almost reached the edge of the cemetery, he shouted to David shaking his head, "They won't change."
David turned to face him. "I know," David yelled back, "they're not ready, but change is coming." A furrow came upon David's brow. "Please, don't follow us." He turned, and we left.
I caught up with Aiden. "Did you catch what Le Gal said?"
"The implication that not only did Katheryn lie about sending Cadmar to America," he said, "but that he isn't dead? Oh yes. They had us well confused. As for your little aside with David, you left me out of the loop, and I understand why; someone must hold Pearce's hand. My heart goes out to him, but please don't make a habit of it. Okay? We have to stick together."
"I'm sorry, Aiden," I said. "I'll do my best to limit how often that happens."