Chapter 7

Posted: August 29, 2006 - 09:55:01 pm

It was another weekend, and I was again at Ben and Courtney's place. I drove to a county library, and parked my car there. Tom was waiting for me, and he transported us to his place after checking to make sure I was clean. My car was definitely monitored. We could not afford to have HS or anyone tumble onto the fact he was still alive and well.

We were in his backyard sparing, and he was good. I had developed a set of combat reflexes courtesy of that training school in the alternate reality he had sent me to. I always lost, but this time I had a trick. I had found a reference to an old move and had practiced it for a couple weeks now. Hopefully he had not run across it and I would actually take him down for a change.

Lets just say it didn't work. Damn, but he was good.

"Nice move there, Scott," Ben said afterwards.

"Well, it didn't work, so it couldn't have been that good," I said dejectedly.

"It would have, but I had a master pull it on me a few years ago. It's a very advanced move. Where did you see it, if you don't mind my asking?" he asked curiously.

"Believe it or not, in the HS library self defense section. It was in an old book, printed in the 60's," I replied.

"Old?" Ben said, laughing. "Old is if it's a hundred or more years old. Forty some odd years means nothing in the life of a book," he added in a superior tone.

We went back into the house and he offered me the use of the guest shower. I took him up on it, and let the warm water beat over my muscles. It felt really good. I spent a good twenty minutes letting the warm water soothe my aching body.

I finally turned off the water, dried, and got dressed. I went to the living room. Courtney was gone, and Ben was not around. While I wasn't worried, usually, someone was in the living room.

I went into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of fresh coffee. I almost dropped it, when Ben popped out of nowhere, as he often does.

"Damn it! I spilled coffee! Shit that's hot," I glared at him.

He grinned, obviously not contrite.

"Towels are in the drawer there, try not to leave a mess, or Courtney will give you what for," he responded with an evil chuckle.

I snorted.

"Not if I tell her you did it," I laughed at him.

"Let me pour a cup of coffee, also. I will meet you in the living room. Just one more stop to make, and I will fill you in on an exciting possibility," he said, and popped off to nowhere (nowhen?), again.

After cleaning up my spill, and topping my coffee, I went into the living room. I sat sipping my coffee, and Ben came in about a minute later.

"Ok," he said, and sat down in a wingback chair. "Scott, I have been searching for other 'talents' for some time now. Our world has driven me nuts with its absence of 'talented' people. For example, the world I had you trained in, is not loaded with 'talents'. They have enough of them, though, to know how to train them. And, they are familiar with them.

"So it is not surprising that when our government discoveries one of us, they want to clamp down on us, and control us. It's a reaction of fear, mostly. They fear that you will use your talent against them. So they treated you and I the way they did, out of a 'perceived probable' worst-case scenario. Ergo, our involuntary enlistment into government service," Ben said, and went silent for a moment.

"Uh, I know all this. What set you off?" I asked curiously.

"I think I found someone who has a 'talent', and a damned good one, too!" Ben said excitedly.

"Really? What is it?" I was really curious now.

"First you have to let me set it up for you. Computer, run Florida Strike, for Scott," Ben said a bit loudly.

"Working... from the AP News Service. 'While issuing a speeding ticket to a young college student studying Botany, Florida highway patrol officer, Paul Kenner's cruiser was struck by lightning. While no one was hurt, the cruiser suffered approximately 5,000 dollars worth of damage. There was no rain, and no clouds were in the sky at the time. Curiosity collectors have bid on the cruiser, offering as much as 60,000 dollars. Neither the officer nor the young lady were available for comment.' End story," the computer said.

"So? Freak things happen all the time. What's so different about this one?" I asked.

"Does it help if I tell you that this is not the first time something strange has happened around this girl? I went back and followed her through time, and the list of what happens coincidentally in her vicinity, is impressive," Ben responded.

I thought for a moment. Well, coincidence was one thing, but a series of them could mean something else.

"How many strange things we talking about?" I asked cautiously.

"Until she was about 12, none. Then the things started happening. It averages out to one a year. It is usually more if she gets upset," he stated.

I was stunned. Another 'talent', and it was a she!

"So, what do you know about her?" I asked eagerly?

"I'm so glad you asked. She is 22, and is finishing her last undergraduate year of Botany. She was down in Florida visiting her grandmother, when the incident occurred. I followed her life for several years, and the things that happen around her are definitely real.

"Most of it seems independent of conscious thought. It's more likely a natural act of self-preservation, rather than deliberate control. As for the apparent control, that is iffy to tell you the truth. I am starting to think she does it all by instinct, rather than from a deliberate act," Ben paused and looked thoughtful.

"Ok, this tells me strange things happen when she's around. Now, tell me what some of these strange things are?" I asked, burning with curiosity.

"Ok. Apparently, this lightning strike in her vicinity is not an isolated instance. I counted seven different occasions when something happened that caused a strike, and each time she was distressed in some way. This was during a period from about age 13, to age 18 or 19.

"She might have some weather control. For example, twice that I know of, storms whipped up out of nowhere. They had not been on the weather radar of the area. Yet, a short time after she became furious about something, a storm occurred. We are talking contravening the natural weather patterns, here.

"Then, she has one of the greenest thumbs I have ever met. She seems to have a natural affinity for plants of any type. That's why it is unsurprising that she has chosen Botany as her life's course," he stopped and looked at me.

I nodded and thought about it. Someone who had some sort of direct ability to affect the weather! How many times have I wished it was a nicer day, or that it would snow, when I was a child? To have this talent, was a dream come true for millions, if not billions of people!

"So you think she has this ability?" I asked to be sure.

"I do. To many things happen around her for it to be unrelated," he said, nodding.

"Ok. So what do we do about her?" I wanted to know.

"We recruit her. She is doing an internship right now, at Shaw's Garden, down in St. Louis. She will be there for the remainder of this month, and all of next. I suggest you get busy and start getting her interested in you," grinned Ben.

"What do you mean I better get busy? How did this fall on me?" I asked.

"Think about it. You're single, I'm not. You are in position to start dating her," Ben said. "Feel her out. There are many things I could not pick up on, with my cursory surveillance. You're perfect for this mission. So, if I were you, I would go and start visiting Shaw's Garden. You need to get to know our target," Ben told me.

I muttered to myself, but Ben was already headed to the kitchen for whatever. Just as well he hadn't heard me. It wasn't complimentary, anyway.

I went down to St. Louis, and parked my car in Tower Grove Park. I walked through some of Tower Grove Park, and then crossed over Magnolia. I and found an entrance to Shaw's Garden. It was just a short walk along the outer stone wall that protected the Garden. The reason I parked in Tower Grove Park, was because I was still unsure of how to approach her.

I found my target, teaching how to make a terrarium. Class times were stated in the area where she was at, so I learned to make one. She was cute. Not a beauty like Courtney, but I think with a few more years, she would be lovely. Hell, she was lovely now. But being dressed in jeans and a shirt, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, was probably not her 'best look'.

The first thing I did was burn her into my brain, so that I could always find her again, no matter what. The second, was to pay attention and learn what she was teaching, so that I wouldn't look like a fool. The third, was to chat a bit with her during class, and try to establish a connection.

Her name was Brenda Vincenty. She was just a shade over 5 feet tall, and was a pleasant little package to look at. She had a complexion that most women would die for. I know, having heard my mother talk about this type of complexion, ceaselessly.

So began my calculated move on Ms. Vincenty. It took me two more visits to her class, and 'accidentally' running into her in the West End of St. Louis, to get her to agree to a date. Total elapsed time from start of mission to first date? One week.

She was totally oblivious to what I was doing. Our first date went fairly well. We went down to the Arch and rode the little trains to the top. Then we went to the zoo. I was careful to do fun things, and not try to be too pushy. She actually enjoyed herself. By our third date we had moved to kissing, and a bit of light petting.

The best part was getting to know the real her. She was a contrast of conflicting opinions. I do know her upbringing had been a little strict. She would not talk about her father much, just that he had died early in her childhood. Her mother had apparently clung to Brenda since she lost him. Of course, that drove Brenda to get as far away from her mother as possible, at her first opportunity.

Politically, she was a Democrat. I made the mistake of referring them to the 'nanny' government, and she went off on me. She scorned the Republicans as heartless people. I told her that I was a third party 'independent' person, myself. I said that I had not really paid too much attention as to who was running the country, until it impacted me directly. This did mollify her a bit, and we finished that date with minor kissing, and no petting. Ok, so don't talk politics, right now. I made a mental note.

Two more dates, and we were a couple. We just seemed to fall in place. She was going to have to go back to her regular school, soon; but we would face that, when the time came. She was very interested in Botany and horticulture. She said was working for an honors degree, and her goal was set on a masters in the near future. She was pretty determined for someone only 22.

She was 7 months older than me, but she was enjoying teasing me, saying she was the older woman dating the young boy. She has a good sense of humor, when she let it show.

By the end of the month we had moved onto heavy petting, and to giving the other person sexual relief by manual stimulation, and by rubbing our bodies against one another. All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience. It made me long for more, as my last steady girl had departed over two years ago.