DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.



John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 2: Mantle Of Aries
Chapter 5

John got out of the bathroom and walked over to his bed. He lay 
down on it and stared at the ceiling. He was disappointed at the 
quality of the sunrise. Buildings blocked the sky to the east. The 
colors of dawn were overwhelmed by the air pollution. He couldn't 
make his offering because there wasn't any soil in the room. Not a 
single potted plant was to be found. 

He looked over at Ed knowing that Ed wouldn't wake for another 
half an hour. He wondered what his reaction would be this 
morning to the activities of last night. His thoughts were 
interrupted by Ed, "Hey, sleepy head. Wake up."

John looked over at Ed in surprise, "You're up early this morning."

"I'm hungry. Dinner was kind of small and all that exercise last 
night burned up the little bit that I ate."

John laughed, "It did at that."

"Why don't I shower first and then while I'm shaving you can 
shower. We can probably be done in time to get to the breakfast 
buffet before it gets cold and dried out."

John nodded, "Yeah, I don't really need to shave."

"I know, you only do it once in a lifetime."

John laughed. Ed had asked him when he had last shaved. When 
John told him that he had done it once that he could remember, Ed 
had stared incredulous at him. Since that time, it had become 
another one of the private jokes they shared. 

The men were the first at the buffet. In fact, they were still setting 
out the food when the men arrived. The two men heaped their 
plates with food and sat down to eat. They didn't talk much as they 
ate. They did receive looks from other restaurant patrons who felt 
that a cowboy, hippie and a cougar seated at a table was a strange 
sight. Individually, each of them attracted the attention of others. 
Together, they tended to draw a crowd of onlookers.

Both men finished eating and sat back enjoying the feeling that 
comes after consuming a hearty meal. John looked up, "So what 
are you going to be doing while I'm at the office?"

Ed smiled, "I thought I might do a little shopping."

John looked surprised, "Shopping?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah, I thought I would buy some presents for Beth 
and Kelly. You know, I thought I would get some lingerie for them 
to wear. I thought that I might find a sex store and buy them some 
toys."

John looked skeptical, "I think it's going to be hard to find one of 
those kinds of stores in this town. This is Salt Lake City."

Ed smiled, "I beg to differ. Don't you know this is the only way 
that country folk can get these things? There are too many eyes 
locally that know you and will know what you are doing if you do 
mail order. You have to get to the big city occasionally. This town 
is surrounded by a lot of countryside."

John shrugged, "You may be right. I hadn't thought about it."

Ed smiled, "I was wondering if I could use the car."

"Of course, I was going to walk to work today anyway. I've got 
this urge to be out there on the street this morning."

Ed shook his head, "Take care of yourself. Do you want me to 
walk there with you? Might not be a bad idea to have someone 
watching your back."

"No. It will be okay." John stood up and stretched. He adjusted his 
cloak and grabbed the walking stick. Rover stood up and stretched 
lazily. "By the way, can you buy ten pounds of hamburger for 
Rover?"

"Sure."

John nodded, "Well, I'm heading out now."

Ed looked puzzled, "You've got an hour yet. You're going to be 
way early."

"Oh, I expect to be delayed between here and there."

"Alright, see you this evening. Let's eat somewhere else. Another 
bite of french-fries here and my whole body will dry up."

John laughed and waved bye as he stepped out of the restaurant 
into the hotel lobby. At the hotel door to the outside, he held the 
door open for Rover and then shut it after the cat exited the 
building. The cat ran off around the corner as John walked behind. 
At the small patch of grass around the hotel, he stopped. He drew a 
drop of blood from two different fingers. Flicking the fingers to 
throw the blood to the ground, he stated, "For the God and the 
Goddess."

He walked to the rear of the building and waited for Rover. He 
knew where Rover had gone. He was in the sandbox they had set 
up behind the hotel so the cat would have a place to relieve 
himself. John hadn't realized how difficult it was to travel with a 
large cat until the first trip. The cat returned walking much more 
relaxed.

The two of them headed towards the Federal Building. It was a 
simple walk of six blocks. However, along the way, John stopped 
and talked to people. He told a man that it would be nice if he 
helped a certain young lady carry one of her boxes. He watched as 
the couple walked off chatting amiably.  He was accosted by an 
animal rights activist, who stated that he was abusing the animal by 
keeping it as a pet. John tried to explain to the person that the cat 
had adopted him, but his arguments were ignored. Rover ended the 
discussion by growling at the person, thereby scaring off the very 
confused activist.

As they neared the Federal Building, John had an urge to enter a 
bank. He and Rover entered and stopped near the entrance. The 
guard turned to John in an attempt to explain that animals were not 
allowed. At that moment, one of the customers pulled a gun and 
shouted, "Everyone down on the ground!"

As the gunman spoke, one of the customers grabbed his heart and 
collapsed on the floor. John took advantage of the distraction to 
take a couple of steps towards the gunman. He noticed and pointed 
the gun at John. John raised his arms before asking, "Does that 
include the cat?"

The gunman looked down at Rover in confusion. Rover was 
making a low growling noise. As the gun moved towards Rover, 
John's walking stick swung upwards striking the gun with a loud 
crack and sending it into the air. John swung the walking stick 
around and hit the gunman in the stomach. The gunman collapsed 
trying to regain his breath. Rover jumped on the guy flattening him 
on the ground. The guard came over and took charge of the man. 

John went over to the customer and started treating him for his 
heart attack. Without looking up, he shouted, "Get an ambulance."

The customer was still breathing and the heart was beating, but the 
heartbeat was very erratic. John checked the pockets to see if there 
was any nitroglycerin pills. He couldn't find any. He carefully 
monitored the man's condition. After a minute, the man stiffened, 
moaned, and then collapsed. He gave one final exhale of breath. 
John checked the pulse and found the heart had stopped. He 
proceeded to administer CPR. 

Rover sat next to the gunman who was stretched out on the floor. 
There was the stench of bowels that had released in fear. Each time 
the man attempted to move, Rover let loose with a low growl. The 
gunman would freeze. Sweat was running off his brow. The bank 
guard enjoyed the sight and made no move towards the cat. 

For John, it seemed like forever before the police arrived. When 
they entered, the bank guard pointed them to the gunman. Rover 
looked up at the police and moved over to where John was 
working. The bank guard smiled at Rover, he had enjoyed the help 
that the cat had given. 

The police were quickly followed by an ambulance. When the 
medical personnel entered the bank, they quickly assessed the 
situation. The female member of the team took over for John. John 
sat back relieved. No matter how many times he had done that, he 
always worried that he had done something wrong. The woman 
spoke without looking up, "You didn't break the ribcage. Very 
good."

"I've done this a couple dozen times before."

One of the policemen came over to John. "What's your name?"

John reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID. He opened both 
of them with a flip. He really enjoyed doing that as it looked like 
something out of a bad cop movie. He stated, "Special Agents John 
Carter and Rover of the FBI."

The policeman took a moment to look at John. He recognized him 
from the news the night before. "It looks like you've caught serial 
killers two days in a row. This guy has been robbing banks locally. 
He comes in, kills someone, grabs the money, and then gets out. 
We've been after him for a couple of months now."

John shrugged, "I'll let you guys take care of him. I'm late for my 
meeting already."

The policeman answered, "We'll be over to take your statement at 
your office in an hour or so."

"Okay," John agreed. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to 
get out of it. At least he would be comfortable. Of course, he didn't 
really have an office. 

John left the bank with Rover walking beside him. When he 
arrived at the Federal Building, it was very easy for them to pass 
through security. After a week of problems at the security gate, the 
building guards had given up on trying to keep Rover out of the 
building. 

When he finally got to the FBI office, he was greeted with cheers. 
John raised his hands and stated, "All of the credit should really go 
to Agent Fredricks."

Agent Fredricks just shook his head. The crowd disappeared after a 
few minutes until only the agents that had actually participated in 
the operation were left. He stated, "You're late."

"There was a bank robbery down the street. The local police will 
be coming here in a little while to get my statement."

One of the agents frowned, "It wasn't the Serious Robber, was it?"

John stated, "I don't know. They told me I had caught another 
serial killer."

Another agent stated, "Un-fucking-believable. They've been after 
him for months. Do you mean to say that you just walked up and 
captured him?"

"Something like that. Of course, Rover helped." John looked at all 
of the people that were on the team. He knew most of them by 
name. He had not been introduced to all of them. He stated, "I'm 
hoping to get back home tomorrow, so maybe we should start the 
meeting now."

The group moved into a conference room and settled themselves in 
the chairs around a very large table. Rover followed them in and 
settled himself behind John's chair. The agents covered the 
evidence that they had located in the house. This included body 
parts, videos, and the apparatus that the killer used to perform the 
amputations. Throughout the discussion, John was getting sicker 
and sicker. 

When it was suggested that they watch the videos, John had 
enough. He interrupted the discussion, "I'm sorry ladies and 
gentleman, but I don't like this kind of stuff. That's why I work to 
capture them. I'll testify as to what my role was in the capture. 
There is no reason for me to know all of the grisly details."

Agent Fredricks interrupted, "You aren't interested in knowing 
how the case is structured?"

John replied, "All I need to know is that a case sufficient to convict 
the guy can be built. Can it?"

"Of course, we've got him nailed."

"Are there any legal problems with the evidence that was 
collected?"

"No."

John nodded, "Good, then you don't need me anymore. The case is 
officially yours Agent Fredricks. It has been since yesterday when 
I said that to you earlier. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be in another 
room waiting for the police to interview me about the robbery."

 Agent Fredricks stated, "Agent Carter, don't you know that this is 
part of being an FBI agent?"

"Not for me."

"If you don't contribute as part of the team in wrapping up this 
case, I'm going to have to suspend you without pay."

John got a very serious expression, "Agent Fredricks, you have no 
idea what a hollow threat that is."

"What?"

John dialed a number on the conference phone. It was answered on 
the first ring by the same lady that always answered. John stated, 
"Hello. This is John Carter. Is Mike available?"

"Oh, hello Dr. Carter. He's in a meeting with a Senator. Let me 
check and see if he'll take the call."

The room was silent except for the elevator music playing on the 
conference phone. Every eye in the place was on John, staring in 
disbelief. The elevator music halted and Mike stated, "Hello, John. 
Good job yesterday."

All of the agents in the room were now sitting there with open 
mouths. This guy could pull the director out of a meeting with a 
senator. John, oblivious to the reactions, stated, "Thanks, Mike. By 
the way, I'm on conference phone with the entire team."

"I would like to congratulate all of you on a job well done.”

“They really deserve a lot of credit. Backed me to the hilt. I’m 
handing it over to them now.”

“I'm sure that they can carry on now that your role is finished."

Agent Fredricks asked, "His role is finished? That's not how an 
FBI employee acts. You don't make a capture like that and then 
walk away."

Mike stated, "He's an FBI volunteer with an expertise that we need. 
He does the job he volunteered to do. Once he hands it off to you, 
then he's free to go home."

"Isn't this highly unusual?"

"Would you have caught Buckman yesterday without him?"

"No sir," replied the agent. 

"It may be highly unusual, but it is also effective and legal."

John spoke up, "Thanks, Mike. I only called because there was 
some confusion about my responsibilities."

"No problem, John. How's Rover?"

John laughed, "Rover's fine. He had a two thousand dollar steak 
dinner last night."

"I heard. Send me a bill."

"That's okay. Rover deserved it. I appreciate the thought though."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then," replied Mike. He added, "I've got 
a Senator here that's beginning to look a little impatient." 

"Sure thing," replied John. He smiled as Mike disconnected. 
Turning to the others in the room, he asked, "Does that clear things 
up?"

Agent Fredricks replied, "Not really. I have more questions now 
than I had before. However, I guess that you can go now."

John stood up and walked to the door. He turned to face the people 
in the room. "It really has been a pleasure working with you ladies 
and gentlemen. You have been very professional. You are able to 
work with such ugliness without being turned into something ugly. 
I find that remarkable."

John left the room. Rover followed a few steps behind him. Behind 
him, the room exploded in excited discussion about the telephone 
call. Agent Fredricks admitted that he had been warned to treat 
John Carter with great care. His friend Ann Moore had stated that 
John Carter had very powerful friends. He hadn't understood until 
this moment just how special John Carter should have been treated. 
The fact is, he had treated John poorly. He hadn't even assigned 
him a temporary office. 

The weird thing was that the guy was always polite, never argued, 
and never complained. John Carter was just a nice guy. He had 
made only one threat in the entire time he had been here. He 
wanted to make sure the two girls from the day before never knew 
just how close they had come to having limbs amputated by 
Buckman. Even the discussion with Mike Holden was done in such 
a way as to avoid getting him in trouble. John could easily have 
told the director that Agent Fredricks was acting like a jerk.

John and Rover went to the receptionist's desk. John asked, "Have 
the police come here to get my statement yet?"

"No, Agent Carter."

"Oh, I guess I'll wait in one of the chairs in the waiting area until 
they show up."

John sat down in the waiting area and thought about his problems. 
A claw pressing against his leg interrupted his thoughts. John 
looked down at Rover. Rover immediately retracted his claw and 
sat back down. John looked up and saw the policewoman. He 
exclaimed, "Please excuse me. I was lost in thought. I didn't mean 
to be rude."

The policewoman smiled, "No problem. I just came to get your 
statement."

John pointed to one of the chairs, "Please sit down officer..."

"Conway. Terry Conway."

"Nice to meet you officer Conway. So how is the guy with the 
heart attack doing?"

"Oh, Mr. Dalton is doing well," replied the woman. She had 
observed him when he was deep in thought. Now that he was 
talking with her, she was amazed at the focused attention he paid 
her. His eyes never strayed from her face. She was used to men's 
eyes flicking down to her breasts or legs.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I'm sure. You don't get to save the Deputy Director of the DOE 
every day."

"Oh, is that who he was. I'm just glad that he's okay." John had 
done the same for homeless men on the street on more than one 
occasion in Austin.  

Officer Conway looked at him for a second, "You really don't care 
how important he is, do you?"

"Not at all. The important thing is that he may be a husband, a 
brother, a father, or a friend to people that care about him."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She changed the subject, "Can 
you tell me about the events in the bank?"

John told her in detail exactly what happened at the bank. It was 
actually a very simple story and didn't take long at all to tell. When 
he had finished, he checked to see if the officer had any questions. 
She didn't. She stood up, "Thank you very much Agent Carter. The 
district attorney will contact you if you are to testify at the trail."

 "Thank you, Officer Conway. I appreciate you coming here to talk 
to me like this. I know it's not normal procedure. Please extend my 
thanks to the other officers that allowed me to make my meeting."

Officer Conway crooked her head, "It's a common courtesy 
between members of law enforcement."

"Well, thank you again."

She stood there for a moment looking at him. He hadn't treated her 
like a local yokel that was the common treatment that FBI gave 
city police. She pulled a card out of her purse. She smiled, "You're 
quite welcome. If you have any questions, here's my card."

John put the card in his pocket and watched her go to the elevator. 
He reached down and scratched Rover behind the ears. He stood 
up to leave. As he did, Agent Fredricks called out, "Agent Carter, 
may I talk to you for a moment in my office?"

John replied, "Is it official?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you before you left."

John nodded, "How about I buy you lunch and we talk there 
instead of in your office? That is, if you have the time to spare."

The FBI agent wanted to kick himself in the ass. He should have 
thought of taking John out to lunch. He cleared his throat, "Sure, 
that would be fine."

John smiled, "I would like a nice quiet place to eat, but I'll eat 
anything. Is there any place you suggest?"

The agent nodded, "I know exactly the place."

John followed him a block down the street to a little family 
restaurant. They entered the place. The owner greeted the agent 
and led them to a private table in the back of the restaurant. This 
table was reserved for use by the FBI for business lunches. It was 
private enough that they could talk and open enough that the staff 
could provide good service. The staff was very well trained, not 
one of them even mentioned the cat sitting next to the table.

The men spent a couple of minutes examining the menu. When 
John set down the menu, the waiter showed up to take their orders. 
After ordering John initiated the conversation, "So, Agent 
Fredricks. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Please call me Joe."

"Ah, I had wondered what the J stood for."

"You mean you didn't know my first name?

John thought back, "No, you never told me."

Joe really wanted to kick himself. He apologized, "I'm sorry. I 
really haven't been a very good host. You came out here to help us. 
I haven't given you a single break. The only thing that I overlooked 
was your appearance and that was because I thought you might 
need to keep it for undercover work."

John looked puzzled, "I hadn't noticed. I just figured that with a 
case like this, everyone would be a little tense."

"Well, actually I never believed that you had solved the case until 
those two girls were let out of the back of the car." He muscles in 
his jaw tightened for a moment. He didn't want to admit how little 
he had believed John. "I looked at your record and saw that you 
had saved many people, but you hadn't done any criminal 
investigative work. I only went along with you because Ann 
Moore said that I should. "

John laughed, "I knew you didn't believe me. I didn't have any 
evidence or proof for you to look at. There was no way that you 
could believe me. That's why I brought Ed along. I knew he would 
back me up if it came down to the three of us. To tell the truth, I 
was surprised when the van showed up."

Joe shook his head, "It didn't bother you that I didn't believe you?"

"Not really. I'm a scientist by training. We are taught to be very 
critical of things. I know that law enforcement is the same way."

The food was delivered to the table. John admired his Chicken 
Caesar Salad. He asked the waiter to bring a small bowl of ice 
cream for the cat. He emphasized small as too much ice cream 
gave the cat the runs. The waiter went off shaking his head, but 
returned with a small bowl of ice cream. 

The men chatted while eating their meal. The topics covered were 
the typical small talk that one engages in at a business lunch. By 
the end of lunch, Agent Joe Fredricks was feeling very relaxed. 

John suddenly changed the subject, "The next time I'm on a case 
somewhere, can I use you as a reference. You've had a chance to 
see me at work and that could help ease the way for my next case."

Joe sat back and thought about it. "Sure, I'll tell them that you 
produce results."

"Thanks."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Joe wondered how to bring up the subject of John's appearance. 
Finally, he blurted out, "Why the weird hair and beard?"

John smiled, "Religious reasons. I serve a God and a Goddess, they 
gave me this appearance and I will not change it."

"Oh." Joe didn't know what to say. The guy sounded like some sort 
of religious nut talking about serving Gods and Goddesses. 

"Don't worry. I'm not a nut." John looked down at Rover. He 
added, "Rover was a gift from them. He's a completely wild 
animal. I woke up one morning and there he was. He followed me 
out of the woods."

"You mean you didn't raise him?"

"Nope. He was full grown when he adopted me."

"Damn." Joe was stunned. He had seen Rover take down a calf. He 
had assumed that Rover was raised around people. Now he 
realized he was seated next to a wild animal that could easily kill 
him. 

Joe picked up the tab for lunch. John went back to the hotel and 
met Ed there. Rover enjoyed the hamburger. The next day, the 
three of them returned home. 




