“Just follow the directions.” Maggie was working overtime. I reached in my wallet and pulled out three hundred dollars and dropped it in the front seat. “That’s if you get a speeding ticket.” The cab accelerated.
We got to the annex gate house and I was immediately confronted by a captain. “Mr. Timmins?”. I confirmed. “I am Captain Treavers, I have been tasked to get you to LAX as quickly as possible. The generals transport is fueled and waiting. The FAA has authorized a priority flight plan and the tower has cleared our departure. Follow me sir.” He took off at a jog and I followed. A sleek corporate jet with Air Force insignia was warming up waiting for us to arrive. I was plopped into the seat and buckled down. The wheels were already moving before Treavers was buckled in.
I was rather shocked by the quickness that this was all put together. “Does this happen a lot Captain?”
“No Sir, never seen it before. I was just informed that you are a priority and my bars depend on the success of the mission.” I thanked him. What else could I do?
On the flight I recognized a concerted attempt to break my micro links. Someone would drop and I had to find others to replace those that were lost. I spent almost the whole flight replacing my losses and maintaining my feed. I landed and was surprised when a police car was waiting for me. Lights blaring, I was at the hospital in no time.
Someone at the front desk asked if I was alright. My forehead was sweating pretty badly. The strain was beginning to show. I sensed Rebecca on the second floor and headed for the stairs without answering. I felt her crushed spirit and sped to the office where I knew she was. She felt me coming and met me at the door.
“They say she’s gone Robert. I can still feel her but they say she’s gone.” Rebecca, my angel, I looked her in the eye and feed her strength I couldn’t afford.
“I caught her. She’s still here.” I was getting a headache. The strain was becoming worse. Rebecca held me and cried into my shoulder. I looked past her to two doctors, one behind a desk and another standing to the side.
“Mr. Timmins, I am Dr. Lemen the neurosurgeon on call when Ms. Jones was brought in.” He looked a little uncomfortable. I could tell he had bad news. “As I regretfully told Ms. Jones,” he was pointing at Rebecca, “her sister has a large tumor on the right side of her brain. If we had found it a year ago, we may have been able to remove it. Today the tumor is so large I am not sure it would be ethical to operate. We would have to remove too much of the good tissue. Frankly, we don’t even understand how she is holding on.”
I looked at the doctor behind the desk. Obviously an administrator. “Get me another doctor. Cost is not an issue.” I wasn’t settling for defeatism.
“Dr. Lemen is the best neurosurgeon in the city. Probably the country. I don’t think…” I didn’t let him finish. Someone else entered the room. I ignored him.
“Who’s the best in the World.” I wasn’t going to spend time arguing. Solutions are the only thing I was interested in. Dr. Lemen answered.
“That would be Dr. Tuluoi. He is in France. I can get him to consult but, I don’t think he could get here before Ms. Jones expires.” A voice behind me spoke up.
It was Thornbird. “Dr. Tuluoi has cleared his scheduled. He is awaiting your call Dr. Lemen.” Thank god someone was moving faster than me. “If you like your job Thompson, an operating room better be being prepared for Dr. Lemen.”
“Of course Mr. Thornbird.” Obviously the administrator has dealt with Tom before. “Dr. Lemen, operating room two. Put together the best team you can in two hours.” The doctor left the office quickly with his new mission in mind. Thompson made an excuse and left the office for our privacy.
Tom looked at Rebecca, “Mother is on the way and she is going to try and stop this.” Rebecca looked torn and Tom looked back at me. “This may not end well but, if she has her way it is guaranteed to be worst case. For us at least.”
“Why would their mother try to stop this?” I was exhausted but, I knew sleep would be the end of Samantha.
“Not the girls mother, The Mother. You’ve lit up the whole network Robert. How many people are you linked with?” What the fuck is the network.
“Two maybe three hundred. I don’t know, but I am going to need more soon. I running out of steam.” I hope I didn’t sound as bad as I felt.
“Dear God man. Your girls are exceptional and they can at most handle five. Mother maybe ten. How are you doing this?” Rebecca open herself to me and released blocks that I never had the heart to break. Everything became clear. I also realised I needed Mother.
“He shut Mother out. She tried to stop it earlier and he just blocked her and then blocked her from me. I only know Samantha through him now.” She was crying again. I pulled her close and sent my love flowing in. I now understood the network and why my angels didn’t want to tell me. It’s not that they didn’t trust me, they had to make sure thousands trusted me. I had knowledge and I needed power for my baby. I reached out now that I knew what I was looking for. I could have just pulled it in but, I asked for it to be pushed. I begged, I pleaded and thousands relented. I had power when Mother walked in the door.
“What are you doing here Thomas?” Mother looked ancient. She walked with confidence, unlike what her looks would suggest. She was a small woman dressed in an old brown tweed skirt suit. She continued into the room as if she owned the place.
“You know why I am here Mother. You also know why I won’t leave.” Never heard Thornbird explain himself to anyone. He was still reverent to her even though he was putting his foot down.
Rebecca released another block and I became aware that my girls were Thornbirds daughters borne of an ancient breeding program. I sent more love to Rebecca so that she knew that it didn’t change things between us.
“Rebecca, you need to get him to stop.” Mother was not addressing me directly. “Your sister is gone, we can’t change that. You will follow her down and take Robert with you.” I took my new strength fed some to Rebecca. Her head snapped up with confidence.
“We are going to save her.” She looked at me and stroked by soul. “We will never abandon Samantha.” That’s my girl. Mother finally turned to me.
“You’re going to kill Rebecca.” She didn’t mince words. “This is futile, you are powerful but, you can’t fix death.”
“I need your knowledge.” I wasn’t going to argue with the woman. She either helped or she should just get out of the way.
“I suppose you’ll just take it if I say no.” That was one hell of a bitchy assumption. One of my angels was dying and this woman was playing word games. I linked with her and busted through five blocks just to prove I could, then pulled myself back. She gasped. I can be an asshole too.
“If you won’t help us, you need to stay out of the way.” I needed her but, I wasn’t going to rape her mind to get it.
“Only the ancients knew what you want and we lost that during the purge. What healing I know costs. What you need will cost lives. Think of the hundreds you’re linked too, do you think they’re ready for that kind of sacrifice. Think how their pod will suffer when you rip one of them out.” She was no dummy so I increased her knowledge.
“I am linked to thousands now. I won’t risk anyone.” I heard Thornbird suck in his breath.
“The math doesn’t change. Nature is a zero sum game. Even if you can figure out how, how many souls are you willing to sacrifice to return her to you? Most likely you will fail and others will die anyway.” She was pleading with me now.
“Show me what you know.” I asked her again. She knew I could just take it but, I wouldn’t. I gave her all the cards.
“Please Mother.” Mother turned to Rebecca as she pleaded. Mother moved closer and lovingly placed her hands on the sides of Rebecca’s head.
“I am so sorry sweety. I loved Samantha too but, she’s gone. You have to show Robert how to break the link.” She was caressing her cheeks and pushing her disheveled hair back behind her shoulder.
“He broke the link on accident the second day after bonding. He .. we will go with her before we destroy the link again.” Rebecca was as resolute, “He is the link now. I feel her through him and I can feel the others helping.” Her face shifted to serious. “We are one or we are none.” Mother dropped her arms and staggered back. She was beginning to understand our determination and was shocked that Rebecca’s bond superseded the needs of the network.
I opened myself to Mother, I let her feel the power of the thousands I gathered. She sensed their willingness, all there of their own free will. She reached to Samantha through me and felt the structure of the fed that was holding her here. She saw that it was intuitive to me. She learned more in those few seconds than a lifetime of practice and she knew I needed more. When she saw my love for my angels tears filled her eyes and she sat heavily in a chair. Talking was futile, I would succeed or die trying. She sensed what I was. One of my power hadn’t existed for over five hundred years. She opened herself to me.
I learned. Most was history of the network going back hundreds of years. Her memories were mixed with those of hundreds before her, passed down from Mother to Mother. The memories were truncated at the great purge when we were known as Druids. We hid our ceremonies in the woods to hide from the growing christian power. In less than fifty years, we were almost wiped out before the network was taken underground. Most of the knowledge was lost.