The Spatial Shard
Chapter Three: Genie Takes Her Turn at Playing Alice

“Ow!” Imogene screamed as she reached up to her forehead. She was bleeding, and there was something in her skin, something hard. The number of her pursuers had grown from four to seven, but none of them wanted anything to do with the adult who was now part of the picture. They scurried to the side to see and not readily be seen.

Seth lay there, looking at the pieces that were just out of reach of his outstretched hand. Already the bright and brilliant colors were fading from the glass. They normally held a pink, purple or violet hue. But each of the pieces were turning gray, losing their slender shaping and becoming more like raw gems.

“What have you done?” he cried as he slowly turned to look at Imogene. “Stupid girl, what have you done?!”

“Mister, I’m sorry,” she stuttered as Seth grabbed her jacket.

“I should kill you for what you’ve done!” he screamed just before a mop handle cracked down on his wrists.

“Leave my sister alone!” Gordon screamed, swinging again and catching the strange man in the face. He looked up the alley and he could see the boys from the park. They had seen enough and knew the adult was not going to help the two American children. They were ready to finish what had been started. Imogene was still on the ground and somewhat tangled up with the man who was now grabbing his face in pain. Flight was no longer an option. Gordon yelled as he swung the business end of the mop against the wall of the alley. The mop head came off and Gordon then screamed, bringing the pole down across his knee, snapping it in half.

“Gordon?” Imogene gasped as her brother went into a fanfare with his street-made escrima sticks. He ran toward the boys who were quick to try and surround him, with the largest giving some ground, still smiling. It was as if Gordon was wading into a trap. The largest boy moved forward and it looked, for a moment, as if he too knew something of the martial arts. But his kick was quickly blocked with one stick, his shin hammered with the other, and before he could recoil his leg, Gordon had landed four good strikes all over the body of his opponent who fell to the ground, grabbing his arms and legs. Gordon had been careful not to hit him in the face. He extended the same courtesy to the next two he faced. All three were soon lying in the middle of the alley, not knowing which wound to grab first or next. The other boys decided to retreat, leaving their injured friends to the mercy of Gordon. But Imogene’s little brother was not concerned with them. As the last of the boys ran, Gordon turned and threw a stick. Imogene ducked as she thought he was throwing it at her. But it flew right by her and struck Seth in the face. The man fell back on his glasses and they shattered under his weight.

“No one said you could move,” Gordon barked.

“At ease, Gordo!” Imogene commanded as she slowly got up. “We fight the ones trying to fight us.” She turned and started picking up the diamonds that were sprinkled all over the place. “Help me get these up!”

“Of all the people I have to run into, I get a diamond merchant,” she thought. “Or even worse, a freakin’ smuggler!” Imogene looked at the man as he tried to recover from his wounds. “Nah, he is so not the Han Solo type. Maybe a Malcolm Reynolds, but that’s pushing it.”

“Sir, do you know how many of these you had?” she asked in a direct and yet apologetic voice. “I’ve got fifteen diamonds here.”

“Diamonds?” both Seth and Gordon said simultaneously.

“I’ve got rocks here, sis,” Gordon reported as he came forward with a handful. “They may be quartz, but that’s it!” He reached over to deposit his dingy gray splinters into Imogene’s hand but only diamonds fell into her waiting capture. “Hey, how did you do that?” Gordon gasped.

“I have no idea, bruh!” Imogene replied. “Here!” she insisted, nearly throwing the gems at Seth. He collected them, awestruck by what he saw, but not so taken aback that he did not see the wound on the girl’s head. And there, within the bleeding gash, he saw it, the chromatic signature of the Shard.

“I don’t believe it,” he thought. His eyes widened, but only for a moment. At the end of the alley, the end from which Seth had just come, he could see the one that was now giving him chase. It was as ominous now as it was when he first laid eyes on it.

Seth had been zipping up the last of his luggage when the door to his room flew open. It was Bonita Turner, one of the operatives from Weiss’ team. Her long coat was slightly tattered, her body armor and combat webbing were showing. She did not look as if she cared. That was not a good sign.

McEmbree’s hand was already high over his head, on the verge of throwing something; Bonita gave the appropriate safe sign. Seth relaxed and placed the small tube into his jacket pocket. He kept the other small vial hidden in his other hand.

“Dr. McEmbree, we’ve got to get you moving and I mean now!”

“I am ready, Ms. Turner,” he said in a calm voice.

“Good, we each take one bag and get you to a secondary extraction point.” Seth did not like the idea of leaving behind some of his luggage, but the money he had already picked up would be able to sustain him for a time, even with the unexpected extra expense. He tossed his tool bag to Turner and picked up his computer. As Turner moved for the door, she saw him pick up a shoulder bag.

“Doctor, I said one bag ea-” a fist came through the door and punched Bonita in the chest. Her body armor probably saved her life, but the impact from the blow and that of the wall behind her, when her body came to a tragic stop, robbed her of consciousness. The door opened and a large man-like figure walked into the room. Instantly Seth could tell it was not human, but man-made. It extended its arm toward the downed woman and fired a dart into her neck.

“Probably something to keep her down and make her forget,” Seth thought.

“Target acquired,” it reported aloud and Seth eased his hand into his jacket pocket.

“Seth, is that you?” a voice came out of the thing’s chest. It sounded too much like Samantha Vey for Seth to remain in the room any longer. His hand came out of his jacket pocket. “He’s got something in his hand,” she warned. “Stop him!” Though somewhat hulking in form, the device moved quickly and was halfway across the room before Seth had taken his hand out of his pocket. He threw the vial down at his feet and took in a deep breath. He stepped to his left as the smoke quickly filled the room. An instant later the smoke was at his chest. Seth ducked down and moved as far as he could to his right. He could hear the robot fire more darts, but they missed. The palmed vial was thrown next, against the far wall. There was more smoke and Seth charged the wall, going through it quite easily. He was out in the corridor which was also filling with smoke. The robot did not have any living back up, so the corridor was clear.

“Go to infrared and track him!” Seth could hear Samantha’s voice barking commands. He moved quickly, reaching into his back pocket from which he produced another hotel key card. He swiped the door of the room across the hall and it unlocked. He went inside, pulling taut a rope that hung just inside the door frame. He closed the door and moved toward the balcony. Not yet at the sliding glass door, Seth turned as the door was knocked off the hinges. He grabbed his shoulder bag and lifted it just as the robot fired three darts, each sinking deep into the side of the bag. Seth was surprised with the power at which they were fired, and he fell into the sliding glass door which did not give, even under his weight combined with the momentum of his body.

“Aim for his leg!” Samantha ordered as he spun away from the glass. Another dart was launched and shattered the glass. He smiled as he heard Samantha scream in frustration. He ran out on the balcony and jumped over the side. He could feel clumsy fingers grab at his legs, but he was moving too fast for them to get a good grip. He fell five stories into the open dumpster he had filled with foam and cardboard boxes. There was also a control box hanging down from the corner and Seth writhed about, looking as if he had hurt himself. He could hear Samantha’s voice but could not make out what she was saying. But as the robot came over the railing of the balcony, Seth smiled devilishly.

“Someone forgot who she was chasing!” he said, punching the big red button. A hydraulic press fired into action and quickly closed the top door of the dumpster. It nearly buckled under the tremendous weight of the robot. “Then again, maybe she does!” Seth said as he hit the big red button again. The robot was launched into the wall behind the dumpster and Seth did not dare to look to see if he had landed a telling blow on the machine. Instead he hit another button on the box which opened the side door.

Seth McEmbree was nearly at the end of the block when he dared to look back. He gasped and jumped through a store-front opening. The blur of the robot went by him and through the wall at the end of the street. It sounded as if the second floor collapsed on the first, but again Seth did not take any time to confirm. He picked up his computer, took the Shard out of the shoulder bag and ran. Samantha was getting too close. He would have preferred to take his chances in Five Pointes to remaining in this chapter of their cat-and-mouse game, but there were two very serious problems that had to be dealt with before any serious change in venue could be made.

Problem One: in order to keep the Shard from showing up on every screen Vey had access to, Seth had to keep the Shard weak and it would take time for it to charge to sufficient power to control the portalway. Sure, he could have made one, but he would have no control within it. Problem Two: there were too many people around him, and without control of the portalway, any and everyone around Seth McEmbree would be on a one-way trip to a place unimaginable… a place where Seth had to exercise discretion if at all possible.

The only possible solution was to extend the chase, gain time. The Shard would gain the necessary power and he would separate himself from the overwhelming population. The robot was at best unexpected. Vey was getting better at the chase, which meant continuing to engage in these games was eventually going to cost McEmbree. He would have to turn the tables and soon. Perhaps it was time to accelerate his timeline.

But such thoughts were quickly ushered to the dark places of Seth’s mind where they might be forgotten. Something had arrested his attention and changed more than his and/or Samantha Vey’s plans. In the middle of the game another player had been declared and it seemed that the game itself was the one who had brought the new player forward. Deep down, Seth knew it had been simple-minded arrogance to play the game without acknowledging the game itself was also a player. Now he had been made to pay for his insolence and oversight.

The robot was nowhere to be seen. McEmbree had time to plant a seed. “But Vey still doesn’t have it, and what a wrinkle this will give her search!” Seth realized and found reason to smile and draw himself out of his rage. What this girl needed was a friend.

“Nothing of what I am about to say is going to make sense,” Seth said as he took hold of the young girl. He could see the luminescence of the Shard glowing in her eyes. “But you have to trust me.

“Get out of here and don’t look back!” Seth said as he pushed Imogene toward her brother.

“You better listen to him, Genie,” a voice added. Imogene looked over to a toppled fruit stand and there she was again, in yellow robes and a gentle smile. Her eyes pleaded without having to say anything.

“My word!” Seth exclaimed as he looked at the woman whom he could tell was the young girl’s mother. But seeing the dead on this side of the portalway was indeed a first for him.

“What?” Imogene asked as the image of her mother smiled at the strange man. The same strange man that was looking at her mother! “You can see her?!”

Seth looked back at the girl and in his mind, he took a step back. Time was not something he could afford to waste, but perhaps only a certain flavor of haste was necessary. And he sighed, relieved and elated, looking upon the latest version of The Spatial Shard. What he had been told was indeed coming true, but the timing of the events left much to be desired.

“You did what you were supposed to do,” the woman said with an appreciative grin. “The Shard thanks you and so do I.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Seth said as he turned to face the robot that was walking fast but with a pronounced limp. Obviously it was not indestructible. It had done a pretty good job of destroying itself. “I’ve got something I need to take care of.”

“What is going on?” Imogene cried out to her mother.

“You can’t question the wave, baby. You have to ride it or paddle!”

“I’m not ready!”

“Then paddle,” she smiled. “Trust me, more waves are coming!”

“Gordo!” Imogene cried out, making sure not to look back like the man had said. She grabbed her brother by the arm, but the normal reaction did not occur. He was supposed to just turn and run, that had always been the plan. But Gordon was not moving. She looked at her brother, into his eyes, and she could not find her brother anywhere inside the awestruck gaze that had turned him into living stone.

“Gordon Daniel Schultz!” she cried, giving another sharp tug of his arm. Gordon jumped and blinked, looking at his sister.

“He’s right,” Gordon whispered as he took hold of his sister’s hand. “You don’t want to look. Come on!” he shouted and they started running. The normal procedure of following Gordon would not serve, and they ran side by side as Gordon strained to keep up with his sister.

It did not just seem as if hours had passed; Imogene could tell it was getting darker. The street lights were coming on, but that did not seem to slow the two down. Imogene had let Gordon choose the direction they would go after only a few turns. Having maps in his head and always knowing what direction he was going in was just another perk of having Gordon around. Imogene remembered her mother saying that Gordon, like his father, had a thing for earth like she and Imogene had for water. Water did not need to know directions, “It just keeps going until it hits a beach,” she once said. Imogene trusted that gift, but she silently questioned where he was going… until they reached the river. As they splashed in the waters for a while, Imogene thought it would be some time before the petulant Gordon would rear his ugly head. At least, that was the way it seemed. He was getting back to being the former version of Gordon she had become used to working with. Over-protective, fearless and he acted without hesitation. Once his body moved, one could be sure that Gordon Schultz had made up his mind. Even if he could not substantiate what he was thinking, that did not slow him down. What surprised her most was that neither of them said a word as they ran.

Gordon would not let his sister look back the entire time. He ran one step ahead and always on her left, constantly looking at her face to find where her eyes were. He could tell she was almost lost, but he knew exactly where they were and Gordon hoped he had not made a very bad decision.

“We’ve lost him,” Brewer said as he took his headset off. Samantha walked by him without saying a word.

Silent she may have been, but there was no mistaking her anger for anything else. She walked over to where the prisoners were being held. Weiss was the only one who had regained consciousness and Vey took some pride in being the one who had taken him down. She was no mercenary, but she was a very good shot and the sonic pulse rounds did not need to come too close to be effective. Three shots had stuck in his general vicinity and his equilibrium was turned upside down, inside out. Her hand taser had been enough to finish the job.

“We have a report on the hotel room,” Brewer announced. “It looks as if he synthesized an acid to melt the wall. It made a lot of smoke too.”

“Pre-arranged,” Samantha concluded as she looked down on Weiss. “He probably treated that wall days ago and all it needed was the reagent he had in that vial.”

“To say nothing of that dumpster he rigged!” Brewer added with perhaps too great a note of respect in his voice, as Samantha glared at him. Avery was not new to Optimum Horizons, and he knew what that look meant. He choked down the rest of his critique and walked away.

“Sounds like you’ve got a fan on your hands,” Weiss said as he checked the handcuffs that had been locked to his wrists. They were smaller than the mainstream format, but they held tightly.

“So this is all the good Catholic Church can afford to send Seth’s way?”

“For a woman who has her arm in a sling because of a bullet I put there, you have little room to talk.”

“Oh yes I do,” she argued. “My side won, even though we clearly both weren’t trying to kill anyone. You shot to wound, so did I. Seth planned for everything he knew I had in my possession. The robot kinda threw his plans for a loop, but even with that, he told you to have a man in position to go and get him just in case we managed to get through your little trap. You’re the only one who hasn’t been hit with our little insurance cocktail. It will knock you out and erase the last fifteen minutes of your memory. It is really important that anyone who saw the robot for what it is to either be dead or seriously unable to remember what they witnessed.” Samantha looked at her watch. “We landed twelve minutes ago, so you and I don’t have much time.

“How much would it take for you to file a false report?” she inquired, almost knowing what she was going to receive as an answer.

“How do you file a false report with God?” Weiss asked. He tested the bonds they had secured him with, but they kept him from reaching Samantha Vey. She was right, he was under strict orders not to kill anyone. If their situation was reversed, she would have still been alive after he was done, but not by much.

“I knew it! A fanatic,” Samantha said as she shot him with the tranquilizer pistol. “What’s the confirmation on McEmbree?”

“According to our spotters, he turned and made a move on the robot,” Brewer said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Two swings of a shovel and then the robot put him through a wall. Full scans came up negative. No sign of the Shard on his person and then we lost all signs of him.”

“Send the robot to the secondary pick-up point and dust off with a chopper to rendezvous with it,” Makeen ordered as he held his hand out for Samantha. He was ushering her to board the helicopter they had begun their assault in. “The authorities are on their way and we have nothing else here. We can review the robot’s data files back at the lab. Perhaps from that we can find a lead.”

“And if we get nothing from it?” Samantha asked.

“We will go to satellite sweeps,” Makeen replied. “If McEmbree does not have it, then it is in the hands of someone who has no idea what they are dealing with. We can leave a team here to respond quickly to whatever we might find. Not even the Shard can stay still for too long.” Samantha only nodded. It was a good plan, but she grew tired of the growing pile of frustration and she could not speak plainly, not yet. Once aboard her helicopter, she would be allowed her space and her time. Ownership had its perks.

Timothy Schultz waved goodbye to all of the workers, but none of them left without embracing their Team Lead who had just engaged with the investors and guaranteed them good-paying work for the next sixteen months. He was a hero, and none of the men were going to leave without showing their appreciation. He smiled and hugged every last one of them. They had worked hard, really giving him more than he had asked for or could have ever expected. He looked at the church they were working on. It would be done in a couple of months. After that, the city wanted him to work on three more buildings. He smiled at the church, giving it silent thanks.

“Eleanor, you’d be so proud of your Barney right about now,” Timothy whispered as he turned to collect his shoulder bag. Sitting in front of his bag was a basket that had to have been of local make. Inside there was a good mixture of fruit, some very colorful flowers and an unmarked bottle. “Well, that’s something I won’t be sharing with the kids!” he whispered as he picked up the basket and his bag. He had just placed everything in the jeep when he looked across the parking lot of the church and saw two familiar figures. He blinked and strained his eyes because he should not have been seeing them this far away from the house, especially at such a late hour.

“Guys?”

“Daddy!” Imogene gasped as she broke into a run. Timothy met her halfway and was quick to take her up into his arms. The way she was breathing, so fatigued! The way she held him, so tightly! Timothy looked in all directions to see if the source of the problem was nearby. But there was nothing to be seen that was cause for worry. When his legs were nearly taken out from underneath by his son, Timothy Schultz had to place his relief and happiness of his son’s first touch since the death of his wife on hold. He just put his hand on Gordon’s back and tried to let him know he was safe. Something was very, very wrong and Tim was not sure the claims his touches conveyed were altogether accurate. These were two kids who did not scare easy; that had been one of Eleanor’s greatest strengths, too. They could take care of themselves, they were incredibly resourceful. How many fights had Timothy caught them in where they were outnumbered and winning?! Imogene and Gordon had come across something their mother’s laid-back surfer attitude and master-level combative measures could not handle. Perhaps it was a good thing that he had made the beginnings of familial bonds with some of his workers. He might need some outside help on this one.

“Dad,” Imogene said, half-crying. “… it’s real important you listen to everything we have to say before you say or do anything.”

“You got it, Genie,” he answered at just above a whisper. He held her a little tighter; showing that the most important thing to him was the safety of his children.

Safe, that was what Imogene felt. The feeling of safety a loving parent always gives their children. No matter how badass the current heart-throb was, Daddy could take them. The boogeyman in the closet was always chased away and the creatures of a child’s worst nightmares fell short of Daddy’s fortitude. It was utter childish foolishness to some, love to others, but certainly a faith regardless of what descriptions or definitions were assigned. And within the perspective was a very powerful reality! Imogene was suddenly invulnerable, untouchable… immortal. It was a level of existence she did not bother to investigate. She took it for what it was and locked her arms around her father’s form and closed her eyes. The cold world grew warmer and the darkness now had to combat an unapproachable light! In an instant and only for an instant, Imogene Amanda Schultz was equal to the stars and in the presence of such a powerful focus, the Shard did was it was made to do and opened… a portalway!

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