"The Catalyst" Series

"Racing The Clock"

Chapter 04: A Long Day in Memphis

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The next morning Alex woke feeling disoriented, he wasn't used to only a couple of girls in his bed. Glancing around he noticed two girls clutching him, but there was still another spooned up against him and he instantly knew it was Cate, his sister. Alex's relationship with his sister was complex. It went back years, with him always protecting and taking care of her, but it turns out it was more complex than that. Without being aware of it, Cate had long been absorbing his energy. She'd turn to him whenever she was upset, unhappy or sick as a little girl. After unwittingly absorbing his energy, she'd always feel better, raring to go and ready for anything. When the family had traveled to New Orleans, where Alex's abilities first became apparent, Cate slept in the spare bed in his hotel room, where he entertained an ever growing cast of followers, each anxious to have sex with him. She quickly started to associate him with a variety of sexual impulses; however she resisted acting on them.

It was only when she returned home one night to find out that her other sister, Melinda, had almost seduced him in her absence that the situation dramatically changed. Cate blew up at that. She insisted that no one was going to take advantage of Alex before she did. Cate was actually angrier because Melinda had always been somewhat distant before that, and she felt she had only swooped in now that everyone recognized what a catch Alex was, whereas Cate had been by his side since they were children.

It took a long time for the two sisters to reconcile, and Cate had done a lot of thinking about their relationship during that time. She'd decided that she wouldn't forgive her sister until she demonstrated that she was serious about Alex and about what Alex now represented, and that she wasn't just using him for her own benefit. Melinda had eventually done that when she went out of her way arranging to start a sorority at her school specifically designed to attract potential followers of her brother. What's more, she worked on the whole project in secret with the help of Becky, their eldest sister.

What was really strange about the entire thing, though, is that Cate had never felt jealous of the attention showered on Alex by his many followers, girlfriends and schoolmates. Instead, she felt confident enough of his love for her, and drew enough comfort from absorbing his energy, that she never felt threatened. What's more, once they finally made love with each other, following a romantic date Alex took her on in Carbondale, Alex managed to trigger a new ability within Cate that never knew she had. After their night together she was able to feel Alex's energy in other people. As a result, she could literally feel both Alex's love for his girls, and their love for him. Since she felt it so strongly she internalized it, feeling the same love for those very same women. She'd already had bisexual leanings, but feeling his love for each of these women turned the tide for her, even though she had only made love with a few of them.

Thus Cate and Alex's relationship was, in a word, complex.

The night before, after Alex, Tina and Amy had exhausted themselves, Cate had quietly slipped in amongst them and curled up naked behind her brother, the same way she'd been sleeping with him for the last several weeks. It had gotten to where she was almost addicted to his energy, unable to be away from it for very long. She hadn't thought about it much, but she was afraid she'd be unable to function once they had to separate. That moment was approaching. For one, Alex had a very short timetable hanging over him. From what Cate had been able to determine, it appeared the energy coursing through Alex was killing him. It wasn't apparent, since the selfsame energy also healed anything wrong with him, but the sheer volume of energy coursing through him was straining his body too much for it to manage.

Beyond that, Cate arranged to alternate taking care of Alex on this road trip with her other sisters. They had specifically asked to accompany him for part of the trip, afraid he may not live long enough for them to spend much time with him. Now that Cate and Melinda had reconciled, they were anxious to taste what Cate was already enjoying a steady diet of, not only sex with Alex, but simply the chance to spend time with him and appreciate what this new version of their younger brother was.

However, Cate was scared that once she separated from Alex, she may be unable to cope without the daily dosage of the energy she drew from him. But she also knew she'd have to learn to cope without it. That was the reason she'd agreed to alternate with her sisters. If she couldn't deal with a short separation from him now, she'd never survive the long term separation that his death would cause. The very thought of it made her shiver in fear.

Cate's mini-terror got Alex's attention, and he turned and pulled Cate even tighter to him than she was already clutching him. The movement also got Tina and Amy moving as well.

"Good morning, Alex," Amy said, smiling cheerfully but sleepily. "Oh, good morning too, Cate," she responded in surprise.

"Hi," Tina told them both. "Couldn't sleep on your own?" she asked. They'd both suspected something was going on between Alex and his sister, but neither was forward enough to ask. Besides, they'd also been told the story of how Cate had been quietly absorbing his energy over time, and they were both familiar with just how sexy it was feeling his energy flow through them, tingling their senses and making them feel more alive than they'd ever felt in the past. Thus it was only a short leap to assume she'd at least sleep with him regularly, even if they didn't regularly create the beast with two backs, as Plato had called it.

'It's about time you got up,' Alex heard Gail's voice in his head.

'You been waiting?' he silently asked her.

"Yeah, I been sitting here watching the four of you sleeping," she replied out loud, surprising each of the naked foursome. They turned and saw her sitting on the desk chair, which she'd dragged past them so she could sit between them and the door. "It's very reassuring to see you so relaxed and comfortable with each other, despite the threats you constantly face. I think that just watching you can fill someone with calm, confidence and energy. As I keep saying, if I could bottle a little bit of you, I'd be a very rich woman.

"Anyway, it's time we all got up and got moving. There are several people that are expecting to meet with us for breakfast, and you've got a full day of trolling for new followers today," Gail concluded.

"All right, I'm up," Alex complained, as he moved to the end of the bed, trying not to disturb the girls on either side of him. "Do we have enough time for a communal shower?"

"Ha, not if you have to be somewhere. If we have anything to do about it, you'll be busy in there for quite some time," Tina assured him.

"All right," Alex conceded. "It wasn't overly hot yesterday, and I freshened up last night. I'll skip a shower this morning and just do a quick wash up. Let's get moving. The rest of you can take your time and meet us downstairs if you want. I'm anxious to get down there early so we can watch for anyone who entered the hotel looking for me last night or this morning."

The girls protested they could get ready quickly if necessary, but Alex assured them it wasn't necessary as he'd be fine with Gail to protect him. So Gail and Alex headed downstairs, leaving the other three to finish their morning preparations, and probably get to know one another a little better as well.

As soon as the door closed, Tina and Amy started pestering Cate to tell them more about what Alex was like. When she started in with some generalities they interrupted her, asking for specifics about what he was like in bed with her.

"It's got to be different than it is with us, and I'm sure it's different with the Seers as well," Tina said. "Is it different for everyone, or is it as wonderful for everyone?"

Cate blushed, and after a hesitant start she finally relaxed enough after they goaded her to give them the more personal details they were after. They each finished dressing and prepping as they listened to her description of her and her brother's relationship, and her details of how he related to the many others he fooled around with. They'd suspected she knew a fair amount of all of his sexual encounters, so they also asked her about his two girlfriends and what they were like.

Cate told them they were both wonderful, and as dedicated to him as any of the other women, despite the lack of any biochemical inducements. Surprisingly, they were both pleased by that. Although it was nice to focus on their own private community, they wanted Alex to be able to enjoy some normal moments of life, and they were glad that he got to achieve his share of normality.

Despite the initial shock, Cate found she wasn't disturbed at being 'found out', since she considered Tina and Amy part of Alex's stable of girls from back home, but she told herself she'd be even more careful about revealing things in the future. The women that Alex would be meeting in the future would think the world of him, and it wouldn't do for them to think his sister was a sex starved slut. No, she realized that everything she did reflected on Alex. It was important, despite her still young age, for her to act like the scientist and advisor she played the role of for Alex. He depended on her for her advice, and she couldn't embarrass him because of her actions on the side. If she had to do without getting any attention from him for several weeks, it was simply something she'd have to put up with. But even as she said it, she realized she couldn't keep from spending time with him, or from sleeping with him at night. The well-being he filled her with whenever they slept skin-to-skin at night was simply too much to surrender. But she could at least put a better cover over it.

Yes, that was it. She'd stick to the story that she absorbed his energy, but not let on to anyone that there was any more to it than that. That should be enough to keep from embarrassing him in front of his new followers. After all, she didn't mind sharing her brother, but she wasn't about to give him up entirely either.

The conversation continued as they finished dressing and all the way down to the dining room, and covered many other topics as well, as they asked about his attitudes on many things. They both seemed fascinated with how he approached life and how he decided things. They were appreciative that he seemed to take in everyone's opinion, but impressed that his decisions were always final. They were also touched that he was so nervous about making mistakes, and always asked for honest advice since he had so little experience with a lot of things.

When Alex and Gail reached the dining room they found Jenny and Emma holding a table large enough for everyone. They greeted each other and ordered breakfast just as the Otts came down. As Kelly headed for the seat besides Alex, Henry squeezed in between them, which Alex didn't think was a good sign. However Kelly just waved it off and sat across from him. Jenny sat next to her mother, but as close as she could get to Alex.

"So, we've been talking," Henry began.

"Henry, let me handle this," Kelly told him. "Alex, as much as I'm thankful for what you've done for me, I feel I'm too tempted to flirt with you. I don't think it's very healthy, and I think I'd better keep my distance, so we're going to return home a little early."

Alex was surprised, since this was the first time a woman he'd activated hadn't thrown her current life out the window and followed him home. "Are you sure? You don't have to do anything, in fact after breakfast we're going to head over to the Emporium Shopping Center. We figure we'd encounter more people there, since it's downtown and between the ballpark and the FedEx Forum. I won't even be around. I'd hate to mess up your trip."

"No, if you're that close I'll be able to feel you nearby. I'd be distracted and Henry and the kids would notice."

"Well, if you feel it's necessary, but you should still stop by New Orleans. I'll be there for a few days, but I'll probably be pretty distracted, what's more I'll be gone by..., how long are we scheduled to stay in New Orleans, Gail?"

"You'll have to ask Cate. I'm not really sure. I think we're scheduled to stay for three days, though."

"There, so you'll be free to travel to New Orleans in another several days, and it should be completely safe after a week."

"I don't know, from what Cate said last night there are people talking about you all over there. I'm not sure that would be any better."

"Look, anyone with these abilities is going to be familiar with me by definition. They only got their abilities because of me. You can't ignore who you are just because you're uncomfortable with me. I'll tell you what, forget me, forget New Orleans, but take the number for the Angel Vision Foundation. Give them a call and talk to some of the people there. Tell them I told you to call to make sure you talk to the right people. They'll tell you everything you need to know about what being a member of the community involves."

"All right, I'll do that much. But my family is everything to me, and I'm not about to abandon them just because you breezed into my life."

"That's fair, Kelly, and I believe in family, so I think you should do whatever you're comfortable with. Just be aware I probably won't be around if you change your mind," he warned her.

"Oh come on, you're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?" Henry scoffed, giving him a dirty look. It looked like he thought this was just a come-on line by Alex.

"Actually it's true," Cate said, coming up behind him. "Sorry, but I just overhead the last of the conversation, but Alex is sick and only has a short amount of time left. Like everything about Alex, what he's suffering from is as new as the rest of this is, so we have no idea how long he has. That's why this trip is so important. We're trying to reach as many people as we can."

All the girls, including the two that just came down with Cate, started oohing and aahing, but Henry looked unconvinced.

"Come on. You've got to be kidding me. You're young, you look healthy, you have women all over you, and it looks like you're used to getting your way all the time. It's a little extreme to pull a fake sympathy card to get your way. Personally, I resent how manipulative you are about this whole thing. Maybe what you told Kelly and Jenny is true, but the way you're taking advantage of it is practically criminal."

Alex just looked at him for a moment, taking his measure. Everyone else froze, they weren't used to people telling Alex off, although Gail was prepared to throw herself between the two if it proved to be necessary. Kelly looked especially ill at ease, and Jenny looked even more upset than her mother, looking like she was ready to cry. But she was biting her lip, trying to prevent it.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Henry. I'm not after your wife, but I suspect you're going to feel paranoid about me even after I'm gone. I'll do you a favor and promise I won't contact your wife, but I don't think that's going to make you any happier. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid I may have broken up just what you are trying to preserve by leaving. I'm sorry to have done that. In retrospect I guess it was a mistake being honest with you. I guess I'll chalk that up to experience. But I'll tell you what, we'll pay the bill. Tell the waiter we're sorry but we couldn't stay. We'll leave so you won't be distracted as you pack. I'm really sorry we couldn't have gotten along since it doesn't hurt me, but it will impact Kelly and Jenny."

With that Alex stood up, waited for each of the girls to stand as well, and escorted them out as Gail hurriedly laid out enough cash to cover the expense of breakfast. She then hurried to catch up with Alex and the girls. She heard Jenny crying behind her as she left the dining room.

When Gail caught up to Alex and the girls, he was angrily stalking away. As much as he claimed it didn't, it still bothered him when one of his girls couldn't learn what she needed to because a guy in her life took exception to him. He knew it was likely to occur, but it remained hard to deal with personally. He also recognized that he wasn't used to rejection and wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He knew he was overreacting, but he had trouble putting it aside. He was afraid he'd hurt both Kelly and her daughter because of his inability to deal with males once again. Thus much of his anger was directed internally, though that wasn't immediately apparent to those around him.

Cate was busy trying to console him, while the other girls followed along behind him. Gail reached Sarah and pulled her aside, asking her to watch the lobby for new followers while Gail escorted Alex to their room to get whatever they needed to leave the hotel. Alex overheard her, and walked back, telling her he didn't want to stay long enough to affect Kelly negatively.

"I'll head over to the Emporium," he told her, turning to the other girls. "The rest of you can catch up when you're ready. I think each of you can find me easily enough, but I think it's important for me to leave the hotel as soon as possible."

They all assured him that they were ready to leave then as well, so they headed out of the hotel. Gail had wanted to alert the hotel staff to keep an eye out for anyone who looked like they were searching for someone, but didn't have time if she wanted to keep up with Alex. As always, her first priority was watching out for Alex. Whatever else might need to be done, his security was paramount, and he wasn't particularly good at staying out of trouble, as the encounter in the dining room just proved.

The short walk to the shopping center was quick, since Alex appeared to be walking off his anger and frustration. Gail thought that was best, as it allowed him to get it out of his system so he'd be more collected by the time he met anyone. The girls had to hurry to keep up with him. Gail's long legs and good physical condition allowed her to do so easily. She continued to scan ahead of Alex, though, always on the lookout for trouble. Her years of being a cop had ingrained habits that took over, even when she wasn't aware of it, but that she found especially useful now that she was protecting the most important person she'd ever been responsible for.

Entering the Emporium, Alex pulled up short and tried to regain his emotional bearing as he took in his environment. He saw a directory so he headed over to figure out what was nearby. The girls caught up to them as he was choosing the best location for them to hang out, trying to figure out traffic patterns, ease of access, and anything else that needed to be taken into account. Gail continued watching for trouble. Alex found a nearby coffee shop near the South end of the center, close to some of the biggest and most popular shops. He situated himself and began to calm down a little more. Cate, being familiar with his tastes, walked to the counter to order them all coffees. She was well aware their little encounter had cost them their breakfasts, so she made sure to order something to eat as well. She knew that Alex ate like a horse due to his body processing the energy he generated. It was one of the things that had alerted her to the fact that he was actually much sicker than he appeared to be.

Sarah came up to help her carry her booty. They'd only had a couple croissants, so she'd gotten some banana bread and some biscotti's as well. It wasn't much of a breakfast, but hopefully it would carry them until they could find something more substantial. The food court was nearby, but Cate knew that Alex had picked the most visible and accessible place in the shopping center, and it would be hard getting him to move. He knew he drew people to him, so he liked to remain in one place so they would have time to find him.

When they got back and handed out the drinks and snacks, Cate turned to Alex.

"You know, I think that's the first girl that's ever said no to you."

"What do you mean? There have been lots who have. Why, it took me forever before..." Alex started to argue.

"Yes, we're all familiar with how much of a loner you were before. But since New Orleans you've had women seeking you out. Between the Seers, the Watchers, and all the girls at school, you've never been rejected. Now, not only has someone refused to sleep with you, but she doesn't even want to have anything to do with you. I don't want to make this personal or make a big deal out of the rejection, but I think it's significant because it may finally put the whole mind control nonsense to bed.

"If you were controlling anyone, they wouldn't refuse you. What's more, it would impact people more or less equally. Instead you have people who want to thank you for what you've done for them, and the only way they can think of doing it is to make love to you. That isn't mind control, Alex. I think Kelly's actions, just like Sarah and Michael Grant's yesterday, prove that all these women are perfectly capable of making their own decisions."

"You know, you make a good point. The girls at home certainly were never in a hurry to agree with me," Alex said, considering the idea while he sipped his steaming latte.

"I think Cate makes sense," Gail said, as she joined their table to get some food. She'd been looking forward to breakfast when Alex had stormed out this morning. "The reason why everyone follows your directions isn't because they have to, but because you are the equivalent of a CEO. You are leading this movement of yours, and so your decision counts. You set everything in motion, it's your ideas that everyone follows. You give everything you can to others, but you also listen to each of them. They've got every reason to listen to you and they willingly follow your lead. You've got to stop being so paranoid about this."

"Yeah, Dad mentioned that mind control nonsense because he was teasing you," Cate explained, continuing this train of thought. "I don't think he ever expected you to take it so seriously. I suspect he didn't object to your subsequent ruminations simply because he was so surprised when you took them seriously. The fact that so many guys are jealous of you proves you have no mind control abilities, and the fact that everyone has such strong individual opinions shows that you hardly control everyone's thinking."

"I agree," Amy said, offering her opinion, even though she had never discussed the theory before. "Tina and I never felt compelled to make love with you, but with everything you've achieved, you are just one damn sexy hunk. What more could a girl want? You have power streaming from you, you have to fight off the women, you are leading a movement, you're decisive, attentive, and a good listener. Face it, girls like you just 'cause you're sexy."

As everyone around the table began agreeing, Alex found himself sinking lower behind the table. What started out as an object lesson was descending into a cheering session, and that was the last thing he needed, especially since he didn't want to attract attention or to intimidate anyone who may seek him out. However Cate recognized his distress and came to his rescue. She told everyone firmly that they'd made their point and that they should let it drop. She then started issuing marching orders, even though the others knew what to do. The fact they snapped to attention when told what to do, illustrated to Alex just how much everyone liked having a purpose and a specific role in the organization.

It wasn't long before the first couple of Watchers showed up. Cate, Tina and Amy were familiar with how to handle things, and Emma and Sarah watched so they'd know what to do in the future. Tina and Amy would circle around and approach them from behind, so that they wouldn't scare or intimidate them. After talking to them for a few minutes, they'd accompany them to the table where Alex and Cate would take over the discussion. Gail, as always, was standing off to the side so she could keep a watchful eye over the proceedings.

They managed to process a few Watchers, but not as many as they were hoping to encounter. After the initial discussion with each one they tended to gather around, anxious to talk to either Alex or one of the girls. Alex had to ride herd on everyone, telling them they couldn't cluster around his table because he had to appear open and approachable. Thus the new Watchers found side tables to sit and discuss their new lives, or they took advantage of the fact that the other girls weren't busy and took them aside to gossip about Alex.

They hadn't wanted to spend all day there, wanting to move around so they could reach more people. So they moved to the food court to discuss where they'd go next. They discussed several potential locations, including several shopping centers. Cate felt bad for her brother, here he was traveling the country, and about all he'd ever see was a string of hotels, coffee shops and shopping centers, because he didn't want anyone to miss him. Running from one attraction to another would leave many people trailing after him, not quite able to keep up. Thus he kept restricting his movements. For a potential final trip, this wasn't quite the kind of grand vacation anyone would expect a dying man to undertake.

They finally settled on the hospital complex, an area housing several hospitals near Southwest Tennessee Community College and Owen College, so they felt secure there'd be a nice potential collection of people. It also bordered routes 240 and 69. It may not be a comfortable place to hang around, but it was a likely place to find people.

While they were discussing moving, Cate reached up and grabbed Alex's arm. Alex looked up and she pointed behind them. Twisting around, Alex saw a woman in a red dress and a silk scarf around her head, down on the floor with her head pressed against the floor, shuffling towards them. Sighing heavily, Alex told Emma to get the woman so she didn't have to humiliate herself. They watched as Emma approached the woman, but she refused, while Emma glanced back in frustration. Glancing around, Alex noted the others in the food court watching agape at the scene unfolding before them. Wanting to avoid drawing more attention to themselves, Alex got up and walked to the woman himself.

The woman refused to look up as Alex approached, which Alex considered a good thing if she was a Seer. When Alex neared her, he could hear her mumbling, and she was slowly moving towards him with her forehead against the cold tile floor, her hands on either side of her head as she shuffled forward, almost like a ritualistic motion. Alex stopped near her and listened to her soft chanting, curious even though he was well aware they were being watched intently.

"I'm unworthy," she softly repeated. "I'm not worthy of your grace." Alex slowly knelt and grasped the woman's arm, lifting her up. However she kept her head bowed. Speaking louder, she told him "I beg your forgiveness for my faults, and ask you grace me with your presence and advice."

"Excuse me, miss, but I'm not a holy figure," Alex told her. "I'm just a young man who has something important to give you, and who needs to explain several things about your life. Now, I'm going to ask you to look up at me, but you're going to get a shock, so just prepare yourself." With that Alex placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face up until their eyes met. Her eyes widened and she stiffened somewhat, but that was the extent of her reaction as her eyes glazed. While she recovered Alex considered her.

Despite her strange behavior, she was very well dressed with a darker complexion. She was dressed nicely with thick black glasses and a black scarf covering her head, which contrasted with the red dress she wore. It was apparent she was both beautiful and that she took great care to look her best. Alex had no idea why she felt she was so unworthy.

Alex and Tina helped the woman to the nearby table, well aware they were still being carefully watched, though she was a bit unstable as she got used to her changed surroundings. They got her seated and Alex sat across from her.

"My name is Alex. I'm not a religious figure of any kind, so don't start with any angel this or reincarnated that. I'm simply a guy that has the ability to trigger some unique talents in others. A few others claim they think God works through me, although that implies that God himself isn't much interested in the religious establishment, since he chose an atheist to do his bidding. I'm doubtful myself, for obvious reasons, but it seems to make the girls feel better about what's going to happen to me if they think someone is guiding my actions."

Alex knew he was stalling, but he didn't think she was ready to speak quite yet, and he figured she must be religious, so talking about God acting through him, while not exactly a lie, would at least give her some comfort.

"My name is Sanaa Shenouda," she told him, finally indirectly glancing at him, "although here in the states I go by the name of Shanna. You must be sent from God, because you look just like an angel of legend, and I could feel your might from a long ways away."

"Well, Shanna, what you felt was an energy that surrounds all living things. For reasons we don't fully understand I seem to have more of it than most do. The reasons are complex, but they are related to what I did to you. I triggered your new vision, and I also enabled you to communicate telepathically to me. I'm going to try it now, so don't panic and think God is speaking to you, OK?" She meekly nodded her head while trying to look at him with great difficulty.

'Shanna, I know you can hear me, and if you try, you can communicate with me without speaking a word.'

'I can?' she asked.

'Yes, absolutely. Now, I'm going to introduce some more people. Say hello to Patricia, she's currently in New Orleans.' Alex then remained quiet as he let the women talk, hoping Patricia could calm the woman down. When Patricia slowed, Alex got Anh to speak to her as well.

"Now, Shanna, I think it's time you talked to me a little bit since I need to know who you are. Where are you from, what do you do, and why do you think you are so unworthy?"

"I'm sorry, I'm from a Coptic family that emigrated from Egypt. I fell away from my beliefs, not because I don't believe them, but simply because I didn't have time for them. When I saw you, I was sure you had descended to remind me of my position and my obligations," she explained.

"I don't think Angels typically descend to discuss family duties. That's not why I'm here," Alex told her with a smile.

"Well why did you?" she asked. "I didn't know why you chose me."

"Ah, but that's just it. I didn't choose you. You felt drawn to the energy that I have in me, but I have no control over that energy. I didn't choose it or my abilities. That's why I say this has nothing to do with religion. Now I have no idea if anyone or anything is guiding me, but I feel pretty certain that we are talking about some new phenomena that, while unexpected, can be explained by science. In fact, we're trying to document as much about it as we can."

Shanna simply nodded her head meekly. Alex once again reached over and lifted her chin, looking into her eyes, even though he knew she couldn't meet his gaze.

"Shanna, you look like an intelligent, capable woman. Why are you so afraid of yourself? You need to trust your instincts. The reason you felt attracted to me is that you already have the ability to sense people's moods and personalities. You can feel their intentions and what they plan. Now you also have the ability to see those things as well. I'll have some people discuss what these new visions mean, but it's just an extension of the abilities you already possess. It's necessary that you trust those instincts, since they are what led you to me."

She once again hesitantly nodded, then she seemed to come to a decision and she lifted her face to look at Alex, even though she couldn't look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've never trusted my intuition before, because it always caused me to question respected, trusted people. My family has deep religious roots, and there are many tales of what many petitioners did to renounce their sins over the years. That's what I was trying to do when you saw me," she explained.

"If you didn't trust them, then it's because they weren't trustworthy," Alex said, ignoring her history lesson and focusing on what he thought she needed to know at the moment. "Your intuition is more reliable than what anyone else says. If there is anything from God, it is the ability he gave you to evaluate individuals. People are not always what they claim to be. You have the ability to detect lies, motivations and ill intent. I need you to accept these things with more certainty so that you can help others who can't detect such things. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alex, I understand," she replied, and he could see her backbone grow three sizes, paraphrasing Dr. Seuss. Once again Alex was reminded that his women each needed their own tasks. It gave them a purpose and allowed them to feel they were a part of his own mission, even if he wasn't sure he had a mission aside from activating as many women as he could. Already Emma, Sarah, Tina and Amy were excitedly working hard, because they too had their own assigned tasks that allowed them to pitch in. It was the fact they were doing it all for him that he didn't like. He thought there was more than a grain of truth to what Henry Ott had accused him of.

"So, I really don't know much about the Coptics," Alex said, trying to get Shanna to participate a bit more. However she surprised him, speaking clearly and eagerly now.

"The Coptics are a Christian group in the predominantly Muslim country of Egypt, so we've become fairly adept at trying to avoid trouble, while still preserving our religious traditions. Although they were formed early, they were one of the first Christian groups outside of the Catholic church, many argue it is made up of the remnants of the ancient Egyptians, though personally I think it's mainly because outsiders favored them when they controlled the area, and thus they got access to more of the ancient possessions and properties than anyone else."

Alex sat back, a bit surprised by the turnaround in her. "Why, Shanna, you are even more beautiful when you speak up for yourself. I didn't think you could possibly become any more beautiful than you already were." She blushed profusely at his remark, but it was clear she was pleased by the comment, and she sat up even more as a result.

They proceeded to tell her what she needed to know, with Tina and Amy helping out adding their own information to the mix, but what caught Shanna's attention near the end surprised Alex.

"Wait, you mean you're traveling across the country, meeting and activating women, and they're all likely to travel to New Orleans, your headquarters in Carbondale, or both?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the general idea. There's a lot for them to learn, and we won't have time to tell them everything. What's more, we don't have the specific knowledge to teach them everything, plus we want them to get to know the others like them in the communities there," Alex explained.

"So all these women, all over the country, are going to set out on their own, traveling cross country for an area they've never been to before, to visit people they don't know?"

"Uh, I guess so. Are you getting to a point with these questions?"

"Yeah, I've been working in my family's business for years, and I've saved up a fair amount and I've been meaning to start my own business, but so far I haven't found anything I thought would be a reasonable option. I think I may have just found one. How about this, how about I set up a small travel agency? I'll call it Messianic Travel. I'll arrange travel, hotels, introductions, instructions and I'll respond to any problems any of them have?"

Alex just sat back, stunned that someone would jump from learning about their possessing inhuman abilities to offering to start a business dedicated to helping the people he was reaching out to.

"I think that's a great idea," Cate said, jumping on the concept. "How soon do you think you could get something like that started?"

"I'm not sure. I've been looking into starting a company for a while, so I know much of what it'll likely take to get setup, but I'll have to see what's involved. But this sounds like a readymade market. It shouldn't take much to start, just a small office, a phone, a computer and maybe a couple of employees."

"I think I've got problems with the name," Alex told her, finally recovering. "Calling it 'Messianic Travel' leaves no ability to avoid suspicion. As much as I dislike it, even 'Divine Travels' has a bit more subtlety to it. At least that has a more legitimate sound to it. But how long could you keep a business like that running?" Alex countered. Shanna just looked at him.

"Alex, each of the women you meet is going to want to visit both New Orleans and Carbondale. They'll probably want to spend a long time at both locations. You have no limit to the number of people you may eventually meet. As long as you keep moving I'll have a steady stream of business, and your new followers will have a much easier time adapting to their changing environment," Shanna answered with obvious enthusiasm.

"I think what Alex is trying to say," Cate said, saying what Alex didn't want to, "without broaching the subject, is that we suspect he may not be around long. It seems the energy that gives him much of this ability is slowly killing him, so he doesn't know how long he has to find additional followers."

"Oh, wow, that certainly changes things," Shanna responded, displaying a serious expression as she considered what that thought meant for several minutes, then started smiling again. "You know, as upsetting as it is, it really doesn't change anything. Anyone you find will want to travel to learn what they need to know. If you get sick, they'll all want to travel to visit you. If you die, there'll be a huge demand for a big memorial service. If you don't get sick, you'll need to travel to more than just the continental states. You'd need to try Europe, Japan, India, and many other countries and continents. Even with all of that, I'm sure once each girl makes the initial trip, they'll probably make a yearly pilgrimage just to renew friendships and learn everything everyone else has discovered. I can't see any downsides from a business perspective. Well, aside from your dying, of course."

Alex couldn't help himself, despite the talk of his imminent demise he liked how decisive and enthusiastic Shanna had become. Despite the obvious name of her new business, and how it might reflect attention on him, he was impressed how she'd managed to find a task she could fill in his organization, and she'd adapted quickly as a result. It showed just how important it was to involve everyone as fully as he could. Idle minds make for idle hands, he reminded himself. Still, there were other considerations. As if reading his mind, Cate spoke up.

"Could you operate such an organization from here in Memphis?" she asked.

"Oh good lord, no," Shanna answered. "I'll definitely have to move to New Orleans to start it. That seems like a logical place, since it's just a short trip by Amtrak or car to Carbondale. But part of the reason I was looking for a business to start was so I'd have an excuse to get away from my parents' business. The idea that I have a payroll and business concerns can excuse all kinds of behavior in my family's minds. This works on so many levels. I'm helping Alex, I'm providing a needed service, I can make money and employ several people, I can immerse myself in this new community of Watchers and Seers of yours, and I can get away from my overprotective family as well."

"Well how long would it take you to get started?" Alex asked. "We're leaving for New Orleans tomorrow. I have no idea how long we're supposed to stay, but I imagine at the very least you'll need to supply us with a phone number we can give anyone we meet."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can get a rush production on a bunch of business cards and I'll simply use my cell phone number. I figure anyone you give it to will be a 'preferred customer', so it shouldn't matter if they call my personal phone. Once you're on the road again I can concentrate on opening an office and getting it staffed and equipped. Besides manning a phone, I'll also have to find a few people to schedule and organize things. I guess if we're leaving tomorrow I'd better get home, pack a few things and make arrangements to be gone for some time. My parents won't like how soon I'm leaving, but once I tell them it's for business they'll be OK with it."

"We, Kemo Sabe?" Alex asked teasingly.

"Of course. I need to be in New Orleans to get started, and you'll need a bunch of business cards. I'll also need to speak to multiple people there. While we're there you can give me the numbers of everyone in Carbondale. Don't worry, though, I've got my own car, so I'll drive down separately, but I'll travel with you just so we can help each other out. You can show me around and introduce me and I'll help out any way that I can."

Alex simply held his hands up in the air in defeat. "Hey, you've convinced me. The sooner I can get someone to help me, the happier I am. Hurry home and make whatever arrangements you need to. Cate, give her your phone number as well as Patricia's, Darice's and the one for the foundation as well. We'll probably leave fairly early in the morning, so either meet us for breakfast in the hotel, or arrange to leave town when we do telepathically, and we should be able to schedule our movements pretty efficiently."

"Isn't that what Natalie is doing for you?" Cate asked nervously.

"Actually, no, Natalie is scheduling my travels, and they're more involved than this," Alex replied. "Besides, she's also more tied into the activities at the foundation. She would be a good resource for Shanna, though. They might be able to come to an arrangement between them."

So Shanna and Cate got together and traded numbers, leaving Alex feeling pretty good. He figured keeping people busy with tasks was a good thing, so he headed over to Emma and Sarah.

"Hey, I'm slowly learning that although I draw people to me they can't always find me in time. It seems I've been missing a lot of followers I never knew were attracted to me before. I think it's a good idea to leave someone here to talk to anyone who comes looking for me here after I've left. If the two of you could, I'd appreciate it if you could stick around for an hour or two. Talk to anyone that looks lost around here, and then come meet us later. Just bring anyone you meet along with you, or tell them to stop by the hotel tonight and we'll deal with them then. If you could do that it would really mean a lot to me."

"Sure, Alex," Emma replied. "We'd be happy to. It'll be exciting. It's almost being like spies, sneaking around looking for other spies. Besides, it'll give us a chance to tell whoever we meet everything we've learned about you."

Alex groaned at the thought, since he hated the idea of dealing with people's presuppositions. But it would take care of anyone they might miss, and that would help a lot. So he thanked them as he, his sister, Gail and the other two girls all prepared to head off to the next location.

---

They traveled to the Regional Medical Center, hardly a typical tourist destination, but it was the most central location amongst five nearby hospitals, Owen College, Southwest Tennessee Community College and a couple of shopping centers and residential neighborhoods. While not a likely place to spend the day, it was certainly near a large number of people, especially since it bordered Route 240, which bisected the city.

Before he entered the hospital itself, Alex divided the girls, telling them to spread out between the other neighboring hospitals. They were to keep a watch out for anyone glancing anxiously in Alex's direction, since they'd likely be potential followers feeling his energy from afar. If they didn't find anyone, they could come back and meet him in the hospital dining room, where he'd patiently wait. Gail, of course, would accompany him just because that was her chosen task, and she took it just as seriously as everyone around Alex took their assigned tasks. The girls quickly dispersed, Alex entered the building, while Gail trailed behind him, watching how everyone reacted to him while keeping unobtrusively in the shadows.

It didn't take long before Alex's new cell phone began to trill. He'd gotten it as a birthday present just three weeks ago in anticipation of his traveling needs. Unfortunately, Cate had gotten a hold of it and programmed the ring tone to play "Angel" by Madonna. Not only that, but she'd programmed a different angel song for each phone number in his contact list. She had ones by Shaggy, Jimi Hendrix and Sarah McLachlan, including a bunch of hymns, Gregorian chants and even the original sound track to "Ben Hur" and the movie "Moses". He'd have changed them, but he could barely figure out most of the functions on the device as it was. However the song that was playing was the default tune, telling him it was probably one of the girls.

"Hello?"

"Hello, handsome," Amy answered. "I found two here at the Children's hospital, plus one little girl in a wheelchair she insisted her mother wheel her down in. How do you want to handle it?"

Geez, nothing was ever simple, was it, Alex thought to himself. "Are the others free for the next 20 minutes, or are they working there?"

"One's a visitor and one works in, what was it, oh, yeah, accounts receivables."

"OK, tell the visitor to excuse herself and send her over. Tell the accounts receivables girl to come over once her shift is over. Tell her we'll be here for quite a while. I'll have to decide what to do about the girl in the wheelchair. I guess I'll have to come over there and see her. Get her phone number so I can call when I'm coming over. I'll also bring Gail with me, so maybe we can do something for her when we come visiting."

"Yeah, like you could keep Gail from following you anywhere you go," Amy laughed before speaking off-line for a moment. "OK, boss man, one on the way, one coming over after 6:00, and the other will wait for you in her room, although her mother is very curious who you are and what you want with her daughter."

"Again, get her phone number and tell her I'll explain everything when I come over. Tell her it's easier to explain it in person. Over the phone she won't believe a word of it. At least in person she can look in my eyes to see if I'm lying."

"I think I'll leave all those details off," Amy said, laughing again. "I'll just tell her you'll stop by in a while. So, should I stick around or head back?"

"Stick around for a little longer. Very often people are working and can't get away, or someone might be a patient and may not be mobile. If you stay there you may still encounter them. If no one shows up in the next hour come on back."

"Will do, boss man. Sub-Angel out," she said, laughing, as she hung up.

The phone rang again with a tune Alex recognized as Cate's number, so he answered it quickly. The ringtone was Celine Dion's "I'm Your Angel", which Cate thought was a clever reversal of their roles. "Yeah, Cate?" he answered.

"Hey, Alex. I'm in a park across the street called 'Forrest Park', between the hospital and the campus of the local community college. It's also between the hospital and Owen College, so I figured it was a good place to waylay anyone showing an interest in you. So far I have one. There will probably be more, but Watchers move slowly since they are never sure what it is they are following, and I figure some have a distance to travel."

"Sounds good, Cate, send her over. Good job. You may need to hang around there for a while, so enjoy the sun. I'm stuck soaking up the fluorescent glare. I figure you'll need to hang around for the next hour or two, so get comfortable."

"I will, Alex, and don't worry about me, I'll be fine. If you need to, send anyone needing any information to meet me in the park."

"Will do, Cate, talk to you later." He hung up after that. He figured he'd hear from Tina soon as well, but she went over to the Veterans Center, which was farther away, so he figured it would take a short while before he heard from her.

Gail brought him a large soda, an apple and a sandwich. "You'll likely be here for a while. Eat up. You know how you burn through energy. Cate would kill me if you died on my watch," she told him.

It wasn't long before the first person showed up. She popped in the door and looked around, looking like she'd run the entire way, so Alex assumed she must have been one from the Children's Hospital, since the park wasn't that far away. He waved her over, and Gail got up and moved a few tables away so she could watch over them.

Alex started to speak to her; she was a Watcher, a mother who was taking her son for a checkup when she felt Alex's presence. She said she left her son behind with his father, saying she'd be back when she left the room, only to meet Amy in the lobby. Alex just shook his head at the strange circumstances everyone always found themselves in whenever he showed up, just as his phone rang again.

"Excuse me," he told his guest, "I'll keep this short."

"Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Hey, Alex," Tina replied. "I've been wandering around trying to figure out where everything is, but I've found the wife of a Vietnam Vet and a Pharmacist's assistant that look like prime candidates."

"Good, if they can get away, tell them to come to the dining room over here. If not, tell them I'll be here for a while. If they can't get over here then just take their phone numbers for later. Anything more I'll have to deal with later. I'm interviewing someone at the moment."

"Yeah, I like the way you interview," Tina giggled. "I'll talk to you later."

So Alex got back to speaking with his guest. It seems they really needed to send people out to herd the Watchers in, since they felt so self conscious approaching on their own. That told him a lot about how to approach this in the future. But for now they'd stumbled into a workable system. It also explained why waiting in a coffee shop hadn't produced as many followers; it seems many likely Watchers observed anxiously from outside the building, too nervous to approach. Hopefully they'd make up for that here.

So Alex had a steady stream of Watchers coming to him in the dining room. So many, in fact, that they stationed one by the door, while they moved away from the center of the dining room to avoid obstructing traffic or drawing undue attention. Since Cate was unable to get away, trying to catch wayward students, Alex directed Amy to take her place when she returned so Cate could help with the explanations. Things finally started slowing down, the girls had returned, Emma and Sarah called to say they'd arrive soon, and everyone was starting to relax when a doctor suddenly appeared in the door of the hospital cafeteria, still wearing her scrubs with scattered bloodstains, showing she must have come directly from a procedure without changing. Alex instantly knew what was going to happen so he turned away.

"Cate, grab that doctor and bring her over here. I don't want to make eye contact until we're out from under everyone's eyes. I'm heading over to the table in the corner. I've told Gail to position herself to cut off any hospital personnel that come looking for the doctor." People started moving as Alex stood up and walked away from the very person looking for him.

Sitting down at a table in the corner, Alex stared at the wall waiting for everyone to arrive. Amy stood behind him, trying to shield him from the view of passersby. It took a few minutes, but he soon heard Cate clear her throat.

"Alex, this is Dr. Liv Bisla, she's here to..."

"I know what she's here for. Did you tell her what to expect?"

"Yes, I told her to steady herself, but I didn't give her any particulars."

"Fair enough," Alex replied and turned towards them, making eye contact with the doctor. She was tall and thin, with long dark hair and a dark complexion similar to Shanna's. As soon as their eyes connected she stiffened and her knees partially collapsed under her, but she managed to stabilize herself against a nearby table. A couple of people said something to her, apparently asking if she needed help, but she ignored them as she continued to watch Alex even as she took in her new surroundings. Cate gently steered her to sit down across from Alex and sat down beside her.

Alex knew it always took people time to adapt to the changes he triggered in them, but he didn't think it would impact their other brain functions.

"What you're undergoing are spontaneous adaptations to your brain that I triggered. I've got no conscious control over it, so don't ask for specifics, but we have a fair understanding of what's involved. What you'll be seeing in a minute is the glow from the energy that surrounds all living things. For reasons we won't get into yet, I'm inundated with a tremendous amount of it. Luckily I've been able to utilize it for other uses as well, but we'll discuss that later."

She nodded as her eyes slowly cleared, then she glanced around.

"Wow!" she marveled, blinking at what she was seeing. "Talk about rapid adaptive behaviors. It's amazing that much brain functioning can be added that rapidly. You'll have to tell me what you've learned about it."

"You have no problems believing what he's telling you?" Cate asked.

"I certainly don't understand it," Dr. Bisla told her, "but I'm assuming what he's saying it true because I'm seeing things that aren't otherwise possible, and I'm pretty sure I'm not hallucinating."

Alex noted that she spoke with an Indian accent, with that little higher pitched lilt to the voice. He assumed she was one of the many foreign doctors who did their residencies in US hospitals, who then go on to live in the US.

"There are a lot of unbelievable things about what you've just undergone," Alex told her.

'For instance, I'm now communicating to you telepathically. The telepathy is part of a portal I created in your brain that links our brains together. It's unaffected by distance, obstructions or interference. It's quite amazing actually. Your vision is tied to another portal created where your optic nerve enters your brain. It provides you with the same energy I give off, which promotes both health and growth. That energy allowed you to rapidly grow new brain tissue that allows your brain to process the visions, but that growth occurred outside of the brain. Normally I don't go into so much detail with someone just undergoing all of this, but I figure you'd appreciate it.'

'You're right, this is fascinating. What you are describing represents a giant leap in our understanding of the brain, physics, and the interaction between the two. Am I doing this telepathy thing correctly? Can you understand me?'

"Yes, you're doing it fine, although we should speak out loud so my sister doesn't feel ignored," Alex told her, speaking aloud again. "She serves as my science advisor, and she's helped me to understand most of this. So if you want to discuss the details, she's the one to discuss it with."

"You can count on me asking. Can I ask who you are?" the doctor asked. "I'm assuming your aren't a religious figure, since you're discussing underlying scientific principles with me. How did you..." she started to ask.

"It's not unknown for religious people to accept modern science. After all, most do. It's just the exceptions to the rule that you're thinking of, but I didn't select you, if that's your question. If anything, you chose me. You experience this because you've got a specific genetic anomaly that allows you to feel emotions in others. For some reason, I've got an ability to make changes to your brain due to a strange interdependent relationship between our specific abilities. When I activated you, I allowed your natural abilities that you may not have even been aware of, to reach a new level. Those that don't have the necessary genes, I don't have the same effect on. It's all automatic, and I have no real control over it. But because you can feel this energy, and since I have so much of it, you sought me out. Once we interacted the rest resulted without any conscious effort on my part."

"Wow, again. Let's slow down a bit. This is a lot to take in all at once. I think I'll need time to process this for a few minutes," she replied.

"That's fine," Alex replied. "Let's focus on the mundane. I'm Alex. This is my sister Cate, the science expert in the family. I'll introduce you to everyone else in a minute, but I get the impression you're supposed to be somewhere else at the moment."

"Oh, shit, I almost forgot. I felt you enter the hospital. I could literally feel where you were in the hospital despite all the intervening walls. I could feel you walking from one place to another. I was doing surgery at the time, lung surgery on someone who'd had a blood clot rupture, so I wasn't able to quit until I finished. But once I completed the surgery I told the other doctors to finish it up for me and I ran down here.

"You're right. I need to be getting back because they'll be wondering where I am. How long does the normal indoctrination take? I take it you've done this several times before."

"Yeah, he's done a few of these," Cate laughed. "You know, it's a lot more fun discussing this with someone who can understand all the intricate details."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex interrupted his sister. "As she said, she's in a hurry. Your visions reveal many things. Each of the colors represents something. The central colors show a person's core personality traits like greed, honesty, trustworthiness. The colors around the edges of a person show the changeable natures of a person, namely their emotions. Things like anger, lust, desire and confusion. The part you'll find interesting is the intensity of the light. That reflects the health of the tissue. Light equals health. If there's damage to any internal organs or tissue, it'll show as a dark spot. You'll find this very helpful in your profession.

"I'm going to go ahead and give you a specific mission because you are uniquely qualified to accomplish it, and I think you'll be enthusiastic to do it. I've been working with Doctor Ryan Moore at the Carbondale Memorial Hospital in Illinois. I want you to take a leave of absence. I assume you can think of a decent reason to justify getting away for a while. I want you to meet with someone by the name of Allison Livermore who works there. She's beginning an education in medicine and psychiatry, so she's the one who's done the most to identify the various things you see in these auras, as we call them for obvious reasons. You'll work with her for two weeks at the hospital. Ryan will give you free access. I'm also sure he'll offer you a job."

"You want me to take a job at the hospital?" she asked him.

"Oh, no, definitely not. I already have quite a few people living there at the moment. I don't believe in keeping all my eggs in one basket. If what we can do ever becomes public knowledge, we'll be in trouble. If we can spread our knowledge and resources across the country, then everyone benefits. I want you to return here and put the knowledge to use. Chances are you'll become an excellent diagnostician, since you'll be able to diagnose problems simply by looking at someone before any tests come back. You won't be able to heal anyone like I can, but your surgery will be much more precise because you'll be able to see precisely what you need to cut. I have no doubt you'll quickly become well known nationally in medical circles."

"You want me to use your knowledge and the benefits you gave me to benefit myself?" she asked, confused by his motivations.

"I want to foster a new people. Not that I think they're not human, but I feel they are going to require protection, resources and numbers in order to survive. In order to do that they need a community, they need education, and they need to be successful. In return, you'll further our knowledge about how to apply our knowledge medically. I may or may not get a chance to return. If I do, I'll visit and do some amazing healing. Unfortunately I don't share your abilities. I can apply the energy in me to help heal people, but I can't see it like you can, so I have no idea of what I'm doing. But I can do some amazing things. However we've been doing it in a very haphazard method. Some things I try work well, other things have no effect at all. We need to understand more about what this energy can do, and how to apply it.

"Now it's time you got back. When you get to your office, call me telepathically and I'll give you my room number at the hotel we're staying at. I'd like you to come by tonight and talk so that we can explain a little more about your new life and your abilities. But I think you better go before they start searching the hospital for you."

She sat there blinking, trying once again to process everything he'd told her, but she accepted it. She stood up, reached out and shook his hand.

"Thanks for this, Alex. I'll see if I can do as you ask. It's the very least I can do for what you've done for me, and I look forward to meeting you tonight. How long are you going to be here in the hospital?"

"We've been here for a while. There's a young girl in the Children's hospital next door that I need to see. I'll see if I can help her with whatever problem she has. Again, there's only a 50/50 chance I can do anything, but I'll try. After that we'll probably head back to the hotel for dinner. After spending the last several hours here I'm not anxious to eat dinner here."

"Ah, then I assume I'll meet you later at your hotel. I get off at 7. I'll see you then. It was also nice meeting you, Cate. Say hello to everyone else I didn't meet for me, will you," and she headed off, just as Alex observed someone in a hospital uniform hurrying toward them. Liv met them partway and they turned and headed back into the hospital.

"Wow, that was both fast and fascinating," Cate said. "She picked everything you said right off the bat."

"She's a surgeon. You've got be a quick study to succeed at that. I think she'll be a wonderful addition to my mission."

"You know, Alex, if you can't decide what your mission is, you've got to stop calling it that," Cate told him, smiling and snuggling up to his side. They both turned and regarded the other girls who congregated around them. Emma and Sarah had apparently arrived while Alex was speaking to Liv, but no one had wanted to disturb him.

"I think we're done here for now," Alex told them. "We've got a little girl to visit, and then we can head for some dinner. It's been a busy day so far."

---

They were heading across the parking lot on their way to the Children's hospital. Cate had gone for the car, while Tina and Sarah had gone for their cars as well. Gail was accompanying Alex, as usual, while he was busy with his new phone.

"Amy, room number, please?" Alex called out.

"314," she answered simply, and Alex began dialing the number.

"What's the girl and her mother's names?"

"Mary and Rachel Waters," she replied.

"Wait up!" they heard someone calling from behind them, followed by the sound of running feet. Turning, they saw a young woman in hospital smocks running toward them, her long hair billowing out behind her. Alex stopped to wait for her, so the others did too. While they were waiting for the newcomer to catch up, Alex's call was answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mary Waters?"

"It is. Is this the man who was supposed to call from earlier?"

"It is. Sorry Amy didn't tell you my name, but I guess she thought it might be safer if she didn't announce it. My name is Alex."

"Oh, good. She didn't mention your name, but she did mention hers. So now I know that it's really you. I really have no idea what this is about, but Rachel insisted that she just had to see you. In fact, she refused to undergo treatment unless I promised that I'd let you in as soon as you called."

"Then I'm glad she's so stubborn and persistent. I'm on my way to see her and see if I can be of any assistance."

"I'm not sure what you can do. We're pretty used to this. We do it every two weeks like clockwork, so there really aren't any surprises. But she'll be glad to see you. She gets pretty bored just sitting around while they do this, so hopefully you can cheer her up."

"Fine, tell her I'll be there in about ten minutes." Alex hung up about the time the girl from the hospital came running up to them.

"Whew, I'm glad I caught you before you got away. I'm Erin. I'm a second year intern, and as an intern we follow orders, no matter how strange they are. Dr. Bisla told me I was to accompany you to the Children's Hospital and observe everything you do. Seems she wants to be kept apprised."

"That's fine, Erin. My name is Alex. This is Amy, this is Emma, and the silent one over there is Gail. Cate, Tina and Sarah will join us over there. We thought we'd get some exercise by walking."

"That's fine. A little exercise never hurt anyone," she replied. "So, just Alex? Doctors don't usually introduce themselves by their first names."

"Oh, I'm not a doctor," Alex informed her.

"Then what... Dr. Bisla told me I was to observe your treatment of a young patient," Erin tried to ask, but Alex had already begun walking, leaving a confused intern behind. As soon as Alex started walking the others did as well, moving as one. So after a moment Erin had to rush after them again.

"But if you're not a doctor, how can you treat anyone?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm not treating. I'm simply visiting a dear friend that I've never met before. However Liv is correct. She'll want to know what happens, so you should watch and tell her exactly what happens."

Erin looked up at Alex, trying to figure what he wasn't saying, but he appeared inscrutable, so she gave up and simply followed along.

"You're all pretty young. Well, except for Gail I guess. Do you have any medical training?" Erin asked, trying to kick start the conversation.

"Nope, not a lick. So we'll be relying on you to tell us what's going on," Alex replied, confusing her all the more. However, by then she figured out he wasn't going to give her any more information so she knew enough not to ask any more questions. You learn to do that as an intern, since doctors rarely want to answer any but the most direct questions. They preferred to simply tell you what you were supposed to learn.

They walked from the one hospital complex to the other, a short hike. When they neared the entrance of the Children's hospital they were joined by three other women, who Erin assumed were the aforementioned Cate, Tina and Sarah. Each silently fell into formation and they all walked into the hospital like they owned the place. Alex stopped, looking for an elevator, and everyone stopped and waited for him.

"Where are we going?" Erin asked, no longer able to contain her curiosity.

"Room 314," he answered without specifying anything else like what ward or which wing it was in.

"Oh, the elevators are over here. We'll start from there and work our way back," she said, leading the way. Alex and the others simply followed her.

'Shanna, this is Alex? Can you talk?'

'Oh, sure, Alex. What's up? Man, it's weird having someone suddenly speaking in your head when you're all alone in a locked apartment.'

'I can imagine it is, if not a little creepy. I just thought I'd mention that we're going to be going back to the hotel for dinner. I don't know if you have the time, but we'd love to have you join us for dinner. I'd also like to invite you to spend at least part of the night with me. I know it's a bit abrupt, but one of the things I didn't mention is...'

'It doesn't matter. The answer is yes to both.'

'Really? Just like that? What happened to packing?' he asked.

'It's nearly done, but it doesn't matter. When one's King asks for you, you come running with bells on. Even when you have no bells. If you want me there, I'll be there.'

'Really?' he asked again. 'Isn't that a little presumptuous? I was just asking...'

'Alex, you are hardly just an average Joe from off the street. If you want something, all you have to do is ask. It should take me about an hour and a half to get there. Is that OK?'

'That's fine. We still have some things to take care of, and we'll probably want to freshen up as well. We'll meet you there.'

By now they'd reached the third floor. They started marching down the hallway, checking room numbers along the way, but it wasn't clear which way they should go. Luckily Erin stopped someone and asked directions. She led them off again, and soon they passed a sign announcing they were entering the hematology clinic. There were a few kids in wheelchairs scattered around and they had to step around a couple, but they kept going. Finally Erin turned right and they entered a small room that held a couple of machines, and several people sitting or lying beside them. Alex observed a young girl connected to a large machine from which they could hear a pumping sound, with a young woman that Alex assumed was her mother. He recognized the machine as a kidney dialysis unit. He hadn't asked what Rachel suffered from, figuring it was better to find out on the fly, afraid he may have doubts if he knew beforehand.

"Rachel?" Alex asked. The girl turned around, but didn't respond. Instead another girl, not attached to a machine called out.

"You came!" she called as she got up and ran over to him.

Alex looked at the girl attached to the machine and back to who he assumed was actually Rachel. However he quickly adjusted.

"Of course I did," he replied, treating her as if she was a long lost friend, giving her a quick hug. "How could I leave someone as lovely as you sitting here all by herself?" She'd seen him looking at the girl currently undergoing dialysis.

"It's not my turn yet. I had the option to go sooner, but figured I'd be too weak if I did. The machines make you really tired. If you came in while I was being treated, I'd be too weak to even stand, so I chose to wait until I saw you first.

Rachel was cute, with long curly hair that framed her face, but her skin and her eyes had a yellow tinge to them, looking a bit jaundiced, even though Alex had never seen anyone with Jaundice before. Alex also noted that she looked a bit bloated as well, but he figured that was part of the reason she was here.

The place seemed quite dreary, despite the bright paint and pictures on the wall. The people seemed fairly morose, and there wasn't much besides the medical equipment and supplies in the room. Even Rachel seemed tired, despite her evident enthusiasm at seeing Alex.

"I take it you're Alex?" another woman asked, approaching him with her hand out. Alex assumed she must be Mary, Rachel's mother.

"Yep, that's me," Alex replied, standing and shaking her hand. "You have a beautiful daughter, but I can see where she gets it from."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she responded with a laugh. "I really have no idea why she was so anxious to meet you, but..."

"We'll get to that in a minute. Right now there's something I need to do." He turned to Erin. "Did Liv ask you to do something?" he asked. Erin jumped a little, then blushed and hurried out of the room.

"Where's she off to?" Cate asked.

"She's asking the nurse if she can see Rachel's records. I think you'll need to go along to authorize her access, Mrs. Waters. Don't worry, though. She's an intern we brought from the Regional Medical Center to give us an idea of what Rachel is suffering from."

"Oh, oh of course," Mary replied, getting up and following Erin without even asking why she should give Alex such sensitive information.

"Do you need to know..." Gail started to ask.

"Let's wait until Erin gets back. Part of this is for the effect," Alex explained to her. Gail simply nodded and said no more. The two women returned a minute later, trailing a nurse with a clipboard.

"I'm just here to check on my little patient," the nurse informed everyone. Mary sat down by her daughter again, and Erin returned to Alex's side.

"Now," Alex told Gail.

"The kidneys don't look very good, but they're still working. I'm guessing at about 30% for the left one and maybe 20% for the right one. She's got a dull look throughout her body, which I assume is the result of the impure blood. The blood being processed by the machine over there doesn't look much better. I'd say it's only cleaning a certain amount of the impurities."

"The dialysis filters damage the blood cells as they go through the osmosis tubes," Mary explained, having been through this process for quite a while.

Erin looked up at Gail in surprise, and seemed about ready to say something but caught herself and simply watched them both instead.

"Any idea what the source of the problem with her kidneys is?"

"Nope," Gail answered simply.

"I think we'll need a little help here, Erin. I can help, but I need to know what caused the problems with her kidneys if I'm not going to make things worse."

"But I thought," Erin started to ask before once again catching herself. "Oh, of course," she corrected herself. "It was a kidney infection."

"That's not good. I can definitely help her, but if she has an infection, then I'll probably just strengthen the infection as well, which could cause a lot of complications. We haven't actually..."

"No, no," Erin hurried to correct them, "the damage was caused by an undiagnosed kidney infection, but they've cleared that up. However the kidneys were already damaged, and now they are just trying to maintain her kidneys until she gets bad enough to warrant a kidney transplant." Mary was watching them through this whole conversation.

"Oh, I think I can work with that, then." Alex stood there for a moment, just watching Rachel, who was also watching him intently. The nurse had also quit fiddling and was watching them quietly as well. Finally Alex stepped forward.

"I could strengthen the remaining kidney tissue, but I think I want to try something new," he told Gail as he walked up to Rachel, while everyone in the room watched them carefully. "What I'm going to try is something we haven't tried before, so I want to be very precise in this. I want to apply about the same amount of energy each of you girls have coming into your brains, for a certain amount of time, though I don't know quite how long, so you'll have to guide me to the precise location, depth, and intensity. OK?"

Alex was acting out of character, going out of his way to reveal what he was capable of. He was aware of what he was doing, but he was effectively showing off for Mary and, indirectly, Liv as well. He was also mindful that if he impressed the medical personnel here, they may cut him some slack. Seeing him perform a miracle in front of them, they'd be more likely to give credence to what was likely to happen afterwards. They'd be likely to resist it, but doctors tended to respond to results. Especially in frustrating cases that they had little success with.

"Could you stand up for a minute, Rachel?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered, climbing rapidly to her feet.

"She's going to need to receive treatment in a little while," the nurse informed him. "I don't think..."

"That's OK," he answered her. "She won't be any worse, and hopefully she'll be much healthier when she undergoes her treatment."

"I'm not sure you should be doing whatever you're planning on doing," the nurse warned, though she could hardly protest too vehemently since she had no idea what he was planning.

Ignoring her, Alex walked around behind Rachel and knelt down behind her, Gail following along as he did so.

"I just want to do one at a time. I want this carefully controlled, so I think doing both at once would be too problematic," he informed her. Gail positioned his hands as Cate, Erin and the nurse each stepped behind him to watch what he was doing.

They didn't say anything, and Alex just held his hand against Rachel's back for several long moments.

"It's working, it's getting stronger," Gail announced.

"Let it keep working," Alex told her. "I'm going for more than just strengthening this time." Gail continued to watch him carefully, neither one saying a word.

"You'd better see if you can find a vending machine," Cate told Sarah. "Fruit, cookies or a coke would be best, but a candy bar will do if you can't find anything else. He'll need it when he's done." Sarah took off like a shot, and after a second Emma followed her out, figuring she might need help.

Alex and Gail remained like they were for several more long moments, until Gail shifted again. "You're doing it. There's new growth. Damn, don't that beat all," she announced.

"Shh, this takes concentration and I want to ensure I keep the flow constant. We'll talk later," he replied.

Rachel looked back over her shoulder. "Whatever you're doing, it feels amazing. I'm feeling a lot better already."

"I'm not sure you should be..." the nurse started to caution them.

"If you need to contact the doctor then do it," Erin informed the nurse. "But if you do, then also send an emergency notice to Dr. Bisla at Regional, as she's been asked to be kept informed, especially if there's any attempt to interfere." The nurse hesitated, seemingly undecided about which course of action to take, so she ended up remaining passive, watching whatever was happening unfold.

"I think that's about all you want to do now, Alex," Gail informed him. "Any more may be more than she can handle." With that Alex dropped both his hand and also his head, taking a deep breath.

"Hold on, Alex," Cate cautioned him. "Don't try anything else until we get something into you."

"Do you have anything handy?" he asked.

"Well, no, but..." Cate hesitantly replied.

"Then I'll continue until it arrives. Just make sure there's enough," he cautioned. Cate hesitated a second, then headed out the door as well. After she left, Alex tiredly lifted his hand to Rachel's left side and started whatever he did once again, although it didn't appear as if he was doing anything to anyone watching him.

"Uh, excuse me, but just what is he doing?" the mother of the young girl currently receiving dialysis asked, obviously more than just mildly curious. However everyone ignored her, since Alex didn't want to be disturbed. The others in the small semi-private room were looking on, also quite curious about what was happening.

For Alex, this whole episode was an experiment on his part. He hadn't known exactly what he could achieve. He'd intended to merely strengthen Rachel's kidneys, but he'd gotten the idea to go further once he'd started. He hadn't really considered what effect it would have on the other patients. However, now it was taking all his strength to focus on finishing, and he couldn't take his attention away to consider the others in the room.

"Alex, you're working up a sweat and your sister seems pretty worried about you," Tina warned him. "Are you sure this is smart?"

"It's necessary," he replied, sounding a little worn out, his voice a bit unsteady.

Alex was aware he was taking a huge chance here. What he was doing was fairly major, and he was doing it in front of a roomful of witnesses. However, he'd initially only meant to help Rachel out by giving her kidneys a boost, something that would only last a couple of weeks at the most. It was only after he started that he got the grand idea of trying something new, of actually trying to imitate the energy flow that allowed his girls to grow new brain tissue. He had no idea what this would accomplish, and his curiosity won out over his sense of self preservation.

But he was also mindful that for as much trouble as he was inviting on himself, he'd likely be protected by the attitude of the hospital's doctors. Doctors are infamous for thinking they are in charge of everything around them. If someone tells them about something they didn't personally engineer, they'd typically dismiss it of being of no importance. So he assumed they'd react to news of what he was doing with the same response. They'd say, "Oh, that's fascinating," while actually thinking it was anything but. Their own egos would shelter him from any undesired scrutiny. True, the nurse and the other patients would be upset, but he thought they'd be unlikely to cause too much trouble. Chances are he'd be finished before anyone really realized what was occurring. What's more, if the doctors didn't pay attention to their claims, no one else was likely to, and people had spontaneous recoveries all the time. All he had to do was make it out and he'd be in the clear.

No one said anything for a couple of minutes. Cate and the other girls came back with their hands full, but they stopped a ways back and didn't come any closer, Cate looking worriedly at her brother. Finally Gail announced, "That should be it, Alex. That's close to what you did to the other one. This one isn't responding quite as well."

Alex dropped his hand and seemed to sink into himself a little. Cate hurried to her brother's side and lifted a can of coke to his lips, then shoved an opened Snickers bar in his hand. He drank a little then began hungrily chewing the candy.

"Is that it?" Rachel asked, again looking over her shoulder. "I feel terrific. I haven't felt this good in a long time."

The nurse approached Rachel and started checking her vitals. The mother of the other girl started moving about, looking a bit excited.

"She's fine," Alex tiredly told her. "In fact, she's better than fine. You'll have to watch her, I can't be sure, but I'm willing to bet you can cancel her treatment. In fact, you can probably stop the dialysis indefinitely, though she should get checked frequently just to be sure it lasts."

"Wait a minute," the dialysis patient's mother asked, "you mean you just cured her by waving your hands of what I've been treating my daughter for years, spending a fortune for?" She seemed to be getting aggravated.

That was about all the nurse could take. "Young man, I'm not about to trust my patients care to some random stranger that walked in from off the street, no matter what some second year resident girlfriend says. Now I think it's about time you left. Better yet, maybe I should call security so they can ask you a few questions."

"No time," Alex responded, vaguely waving a hand at her. "Need food. We'll be in the cafeteria," he replied chewing as he spoke. He tried to stand but staggered, and everyone started when he did. Gail got in before anyone else and, wrapped an arm around him, literally lifting him to his feet.

"I think we may need a wheelchair," she told the nurse. The nurse wasn't sure what to do, as her mouth started working wordlessly.

"No time. Need to go, now," Alex responded with heavy gasps.

"Here, take mine," Rachel insisted, turning and stepping away from her own chair. "It's a bit small, but it's the least I can do, and while it may not fit it will be easier than having him walk when he's like that."

"We'll get it back to you right away," Tina insisted, stepping up and grabbing the chair, pulling it from behind Rachel.

"This is highly..." the nurse started to bluster.

Erin stepped up and quickly felt Alex pulse. "Geez, the guy's ready to pass out. Either get him in the chair now or I'm going to order a gurney for him. Are you sure you can make it downstairs?" she asked Alex. He weakly nodded as he collapsed sideways into the chair, since he couldn't fit into it normally. Gail immediately started pushing it as she hurried from the room, Cate running beside him, handing her brother broken cookie pieces. The other mother, leaving her own daughter behind on the machine, trailed after them.

"Wait, could you do something for my daughter. If I can get her off of dialysis I'd be willing to pay you good money for it."

The statement, spoken in the middle of a dialysis ward, caused quite a stir, and other people started trailing them as well.

"Damn it, Alex, I knew that was a bad idea," Cate insisted as they receded off down the hall, several people following them. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time? You know you need to take it easy."

Rachel, Mary and the nurse just looked at each other in the sudden quiet that settled into the room, in contrast to the various noises following Alex down the hall. However, a minute later Emma ran back into the room and handed Mary a slip of paper with a phone number on it.

"Call him in about two hours," she told her, before turning and hurrying off as well.

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