Hitman…Chapter 26 (Brian, here’s chapter 26)Sorry, but Brian couldn’t find this chapter so, this is for him. :)

“Wow!” said James.  “You just killed it, like it was nothing.”

“Don’t worry about it,” sighed Terry.  “They’re hard to kill.  Give it a minute.”

Sally stood over the Angel, eating a mayo, cheese and potato chip sandwich.  “So, it’s not dead?”

“I don’t think so.  I could probably take its head and that would do the trick,” said Terry, pulling a knife out of its sheath.

“Maybe we should hear what it has to say,” said James, looking down at the Angel.  “Where’s all the blood?”

“They aren’t human,” said Terry.  “They don’t bleed the way we do.”

“How do you know that?”

“This isn’t my first Angel.”

Sally smiled at him and leaned against his arm.  “You might want to explain that a little.”

Terry sighed.  “I’ve killed them before.”

“Why?” asked James.

“Not sure,” said Terry.  “Just remembering, that’s all.”

The Angel suddenly sat up and looked around.  “That was totally uncalled for.”

“Says you,” snarked Terry.

“How was I supposed to know anyone would track me?”

Sally held out her half eaten sandwich.  “Hungry?”

“Yes, thank you,” said the Angel, taking a big bite.  “This is true heaven.  I mean I can’t really taste it, but it has texture and crunch and I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“That’s pathetic,” said James, going back to his computer.

“Fade just let me know the wards are back up.”

“How do you communicate with him?” asked Sally.

Terry shrugged.  “We grew up together.  I can hear him in my head.”

“Even when he’s in a coma?”

“Especially then.”

The cat woke up, walked past the Angel and bit it in the ankle.

“Give me a gender.  I don’t like calling you an it,” said Terry.  “You’re not really an inanimate object.”

“I choose male, because they have all the power in your culture.”

“Fine,” he said.  “Now tell me why you’re here, or I’ll kill you for real.”

“I told you.  I’m here to help in whatever way I can and…I can call others to help as well.  You can’t possibly imagine how horrible our lives are.  All that harp music, the robes, the sandals and the curly hair.  It’s like being tortured every second.”

“Why don’t Angels have genders?” asked Sally.

“Obviously it would be too much fun.  You can’t really have a relationship when everyone is exactly like everyone else now, can you,” he sighed.  “Imagine that no one existed but more of yourself.”

“I wouldn’t like that,” she said.

“I can guarantee that you wouldn’t like that,” said the Angel.  “Whoever made us need to be torn to shreds…”

“And put into a little box forever?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I think he’s okay, even if he is a sexist jerk,” said Sally, going back to the food table.

“How can she be physically perfect when she never stops eating?” asked James.

Terry watched her make another sandwich.  “She runs hot.  Uses up a lot of energy and has a high metabolism. ”

“That and she has a little demon in her,” said the Angel.  “Not that it matters.  I’m not prejudice in any way at all.”

“Demon?” asked James.

The Angel nodded and licked his lips.  “Can you make me able to taste things?”

“I don’t know how to do that,” said James.

“I long to taste your French Fries and pasta.”

“Hey, Sally.  Did you know you have a little demon in you?” yelled Terry.

“Don’t care,” she said, taking a bite out of a dill pickle.  “I am who I am.  Take it or leave it.”

“She has a great attitude,” said the Angel, just as the wall behind him blew up.

Hitman…Chapter 29

“We’re dealing with intelligent energy,” said James, “not a person, or thing.  it’s a complex, able to learn, free form energy, that keeps changing, as it plays.”

“How do we kill it?” asked Terry.

“We can’t kill it.  Energy can’t be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred from one form to another.  That’s why there was never nothing. The scientists were wrong. The so called, Big Bang, didn’t appear from nothing.  The energy that had always been there, just woke up.”

“So, how do we change its form?”

James swiveled his chair around and said, “Here’s what I think.  I think, that energy has always existed.  There never was a time when there was nothing. There never was a big bang that came from nothing.  Even scientists say energy can’t be created or destroyed, so that energy has always been here. Always.  Think about that.

After more years than we can imagine, the energy started dreaming.  After a time, it began making its dreams real.  When it did that, it woke up.  We have no idea what lies outside our tiny and limited sphere of knowledge.  But look at the things the energy made right here.  A planet made of diamond, gas planets, water worlds, Black Holes, and all the rest.  It’s as if it made one thing after another, trying this and that.  I’m sure there are universes and weird things everywhere.  Everywhere, being more than our brains can grasp.  Never ending, everywhere.  Not everywhere we know of, but EVERYWHERE. we can’t begin to fathom.

Once the energy was awake, it started making things.  It’s like dark matter.  We can’t see Dark Matter, we have no idea what it is, or what it’s for, but it makes up twenty-seven percent of our universe.  The energy I’m talking about makes up Dark Matter.  The energy I’m talking about is everything.

The energy is literally PLAYING.  It’s playing, because it can. It has no rules.  No one is in charge, it’s just CREATION doing its thing, creating one thing after another, without a sense of right or wrong, consequences or anything else.  There is no grand design, or plan.  The energy made it possible for us to evolve, without knowing it did so.  It didn’t know we would exist, and it doesn’t care, one way or the other.  It doesn’t understand things like that, it just keeps expanding its knowledge and making things.  We are that energy, everything is that energy.  But here’s the things, each one of us, took the energy we are, and made ourselves into individuals. Being part of the energy, we made ourselves. That’s why even though we are made of the same stuff, we’re all different.  We each used the energy differently.  We ARE the energy, awake and creating.  What we are creating is often terrible, but it’s what we’re doing.

So we aren’t being played, we are simply energy that’s learning, growing, and playing. There’s no evil intent.  There’s no intent at all.  We are just one possibility that happened.  The energy IS creation itself, without any stops, conscious intent, emotions, or beliefs.   There is no creator, there’s only creation itself.  There is no enemy, no one to attack, or kill.  Everything is made of the same energy, manifesting in different ways.  That creative energy is EVERYWHERE and it’s EVERYTHING.  It’s places we can’t even imagine in our wildest dreams, because we can’t imagine anything without edges, tops and bottoms.  To think of falling FOREVER, is too much for our simple brains to understand, but that’s what the energy is.  It’s literally ENDLESS, and it’s EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE.”

“Not what I expected,” said Sally, flatly.  “Hard to be mad at energy.”

“Agree,” said Terry.  “Especially energy without intent.”

“So, this is all on us?” said Li Li.  “This violent world, full of war and disease, full of prejudice and hate…we made that?”

“Yes, said James.  “This is what WE MADE, and are making, with the energy.  And when scientists say that in the end, when there is no light, no warmth, just dead rocks hanging in space in darkness so dense we have no idea how to think about it, the energy will still exist and something will be there to stop the rocks from falling forever.”

“I don’t want to change that energy,” said the Angel.

“Neither do I,” said Sally.

“We can’t change the energy.  We ARE the energy.  we aren’t strong enough to change anything, we can’t even change ourselves,” said James.

“What about the experiments?” asked Terry.

“All human hatefulness,” said James.  “All the energy did was give us a chance, even if it had no idea it was doing so.  It was simply playing with molecules, atoms, etc., and whatever else it found within itself, or created.  It laid down the foundation and it took millions of years for the energy to manipulate itself and become us.”

“We can’t blame anyone for this mess, but ourselves,” said Sally.  “So the experiments, the things that were done to us, all of that, was done by greedy, heartless humans.”

“Yes,” said James.  “The energy isn’t good or bad, it just is.”

“I don’t like it,” said Li Li.  “I was ready to kill something.  Now I have to tell those I brought with me, that they can go home without a fight.”

“I think we need to go after the bad humans,” said James.

“Like The Big Shot,” said Sally.

“I killed him before I came here,” said Li Li, matter-of-factly.  “Killed some of the others as well, freed the prisoners, or should I say, captive experiments.  Got them help.”

“Good to know,” said James.  “So who is left for us to kill?”

“Li Li shrugged.  “I’ll try and find someone.”

“What about the people who are trying to kill you James,” said Seven.

“We can stay,” said Four.  “We can be your bodyguards.”

“No,” said James.  “Thank you.  It was a pleasure meeting you.  I’m sorry Li Li convinced you to…”

“Hey,” said Li Li, hitting him on the arm.  “All those years they kept you safe, and they were working.  I paid them.”

“She did,” said Seven.

“Keep in touch,” said Terry.

The Dragons laughed.  “We’ll try.”

Li Li told her crew to go home, until further notice.

Terry, Sally, James and Li Li, sat together and tried to figure out who wanted to kill them, and why.  All they had was a theory.  Li Li said that the men who made the children what they were, found out that the forgetting spells that were put on them, had a shelf life.

“They are afraid you will start to remember who you killed, and who told you to do it,” said, Li Li.

“Can you help us remember, Li?” asked Terry.

“Yes, but you won’t be happy with what you find out.  Lots of dead bodies.  Both of you, but the men who did it to you never covered their faces.  They were sure you wouldn’t be able to identify them, since you wouldn’t remember,” she said, smiling at them.  “If I show you, will you go after them?”

Sally and Terry looked at each other, then turned to Li Li and said, “Absolutely.”

“Okay,” snickered Li Li.  “We might not be able to change the Creative Energy itself, but we can start changing the form of some of it.  When you kill them, they’ll simply become something else.”

The cat walked by them and muttered,  “You people are the dumbest things anywhere.  It was all there, right in front of you from the start.  Dumb as a bricks.  I don’t know why we put up with you humans.”

The End

 

Thank you so much for reading Hitman.
I appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hitman…Chapter 28

“You’re an expert tracer,” said Li Li.  “The number one hacker anywhere.  Use your skills to go backward to the source.”

“I’m working on it…” mumbled James, typing furiously.

“Let’s leave him alone for awhile,” said Li Li, walking over to a chair and sitting down.

“Li,” said Terry.  “Who are you?  Better yet, what are you?”

She inhaled deeply.  “You always did ask a lot of questions.  Even as a boy.”

“You never answered any of them,” he said.

“Sit down, Sally.  You, Terry, get me more potato salad and I’ll tell you a story.”

“I really like you Li Li,” said Sally, smiling.

“I like you too.  But you hurt him and you won’t like me anymore.”

Sally burst out laughing.  “Okay.”

Terry handed Li Li a plate loaded with potato salad.

“It’s good,” she, digging in.  “Fade took care of things.”

“Wait,” said Terry.  “You’re in touch with Fade?”

“Stupid boy, how do you think you can hear him?  I set that up.  He was always a strange one.  Life was too much for him.  He was happy, once he tried the coma.  He stops by when he’s awake.  He brings me tea.  You,” she said, looking at Terry, “bring me nothing but trouble.”

“You know that’s not true,” he said. “I bring you lots of things.”

She nodded.  “I’m hard on you, so you’re tough.  Life is hard, you need to be strong and not a big baby, like so many people today.”

“Tell us the story Li Li,” said Sally.

“James, you come over here too.”

She watched him pull himself away from his computer.

“Hurts, doesn’t it,” she said to him. “Your heart is with the machines.”

James grinned at her.  “Yes, it hurts.”

“Okay, listen up, cuz I’m not repeating anything, so pay attention.  I don’t know where I was born, or where I came from.  One day, I was just a little girl standing on a sidewalk.  A lady found me and took me home.  She fed me and gave me clothes.  She had a parakeet named Billy.  He was blue and white and the door to his cage was never closed.  He flew around the house, because the lady believed in freedom.  She knew if she let him go, he would die, so she kept him safe, inside.  Billy was happy because he didn’t know what true freedom was.  He had never been out of the house.  He thought the world was made up of five rooms.  Humans are all like Billy.  They have never been free.  They think what they know is all there is.  That’s a lie, just like it was for Billy.

The lady was nice to me. I had my own room and she gave me books.  She was also a witch.  She taught me many things.  She took me to Coven meetings and each of the other twelve women took me for a year, and taught me what they knew.  The last one, had more to offer.  She had been a dark witch, but decided to give that up, so she joined the coven and they helped keep her honest.  I grew up practicing magic.  I lived in the forest for a time.  I learned from the animals.  I was sent to magic makers in China and Japan.  My world and vision expanded.  My education grew.  I learned many things, from many practitioners.  I learned the old ways from ancient women who hid what they were.  I learned from warlocks, under the supervision of witches.  I studied and I practiced.  I practiced constantly.  And then, one day, the lady who had taken me in told me that she was meant to find me.  It had been predicted.  She said to drink the liquid in the tiny bottle she held out to me, and I would become immortal, or as close to it as possible.  She said it was her time to cross over.  She had given me everything she could.  She said she loved me like a daughter.  I kneeled before her and took her hand.  I told her to drink the potion.  She refused.  She said it was for me.  Her job was done.  I begged her to drink it and stay, but she pushed it to my lips and I drank.  Almost immediately, she began to disappear.  She smiled, as she was leaving.  I told her I loved her and that I would miss her.  And then she was gone.

I notified the Coven members and they took me to a lawyer, who said I was to inherit everything.  The Coven had a party to celebrate her life and her magic.  And then, I took some of the money and opened the tattoo shop.  The rest I gave to the Coven.”

No one spoke, they just stared at her.

“You must be one of the most powerful people on earth,” said the Angel.

“No, stupid Angel” she hissed.  “I am THE most powerful person on earth.”

“What a life you’ve had, Li,” whispered Terry.  “Why did you ever bother with me?”

“Bother?  With You?  I saw you standing on the street.  I saw your heart.  I saw what had been done to you.  How could I leave you to them?  I didn’t bother with you, I took you into myself.”

Sally got up and went over to Li Li and said, “Let me get you more food.”

Li Li smiled at her and touched her hand.  “I can teach you some things.”

“I would love that,” said Sally.

“The Angel held up his hand.

“What?” asked Li Li.

“If James puts a virus in the game and we disappear, the meek won’t be able to inherit the earth.”

“Stupid, stupid Angel,” spat Li Li, shaking her head.  “The meek will never inherit anything, even if this reality lasts forever.  It’s one more lie you and your kind tell people to shut them up, and give them false hope.  The meek want to be silent and it’s easier for them, if they think their reward will come later.  There is no reward.  There never was.  There never will be.  This is a Killing Game, filled with violence and lies.  Your kind always promises things that will be better LATER.  Big surprise.  There is no later.”

The cat jumped onto Li Li’s lap and started purring.

“Stupid cat,” she said, petting Whisper’s back.

“I think I know what’s going on,” said James, softly.  “In fact, I’m sure I know what’s going on

“It’s about time,” said Li Li.

They all turned toward James and Sally started eating the food she brought over for Li Li.  Li Li, grinned at her, then turned to James.

 

Hitman…Chapter 27

James tried to cover as much equipment as he could with his body.   Sally shoved the last bits of her sandwich into her mouth and pulled out a gun and a blade, Terry had already started shooting and the Angel just stood there glowing, because that’s what angels are supposed to do.

“Put down your gun you stupid boy,” said Li Li, climbing over the rubble.

“I thought you were in hiding,” said Terry, lowering his weapon.  “I was worried about you.”

“Sweet, but not useful,” she said, looking into his eyes.  “You should drink more juice.”

“Can you tell us what’s going on?” asked James.

“Yes and no,” she said, going directly to the food.  “Good thing the everything’s covered.  I hate eating dusty food.”

She made herself a sandwich, took some potato salad and a few cookies then turned to James.  “No ice cream?”

“No.  No ice cream,” said James.

“Pathetic,” she said, eating a fork full of potato salad.

“Why did you blow up the wall?”

“I like to make an entrance,” said Li Li.  “These are the people who will help us,” she waved at those behind her.

“Can we eat?” they asked, as one.

“Sure,” said, Li Li.  “Help yourself.”

The men and women moved to the food table and started talking and eating.

“So, you know about the Dragons, then.”

“The Dragons are helping us.”

Li Li looked at Seven and Four.  “The rubies were worth your service.  I’m grateful.  You help keep this boy safe, or I’ll be very angry.”

The Dragons flicked their tails back and forth and nodded.

“You,” she said, staring at James.  “Let me guess.  You’re looking for a way to insert a virus into the program, am I right?”

“I think I know a way, but I’m finding a lot of other things as well,” he said, his voice tapering off.  Things that say maybe that’s not a good idea.  Lots of interesting stuff going on.”

“If you do the virus, we’ll all disappear.  Everything will be gone.  The planet, the universe, everything.  Is that what you want?”

“If all of it is part of the lie, then why not,” said James, squinting at the screen.  “But I’m not so sure that’s what needs to happen. I  need a little more…time.”

“YOU,” said Li Li, waving at her small army.  “Sleep.  You’ll need to be at your best, soon.”

They all saluted Li Li and went off to find a corner to drop into.

“They don’t need beds,” said Li Li.  “They’re tough, like me, and what’s with the Angel?”

“He’s here to help,” said Sally.  “He can’t taste anything and he wants to be human.”

“How do you know he’s a he?”

“I chose that gender,” said the Angel.  “And she’s right.  I want to be human.”

Li Li nodded.  “You mess with my boy and I’ll kill you.  Won’t even have to take your head, I’ll kill you so bad.”

“You have my word, that I’m only here to help,” said the Angel, bowing to her.  “Can you make it so I can taste food?”

“Yes.”

“Will you do that for me?  Please.”

“I will, just so I can take it away if you mess with us.”

She mumbled a few words, close her eyes and snapped her fingers.  The Angel ran to the food table and began eating and making small animal noises of delight.

“Well, that’s him sorted out for the moment,” said James.

“So, here’s the thing,” said Li Li.  “I knew James would do what he’s doing.  And, admittedly, we need that exit strategy.  But I think he should continue with his research.  I have a feeling…”

“We don’t know who, or what, designed the game,” said Sally.  “If we knew that, maybe we could take over running the thing.”

“I like her Terry,” said Li LI.  “She’s smart, and now that you two are bonded, we should keep her.”

“Excuse me?” said Sally.  “Keep me?”

“Ignore her, Sally,” said Terry.  “Li LI’s old fashioned and doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  She means I’m lucky to have you.”

“That’s what I said,” said Li Li, glaring at him.  “That’s exactly what I said, Isn’t that just what I said, James?”

“I’m not part of this conversation,” he mumbled, and didn’t look up from his computer.

“We find who is behind this game, get rid of them, and run the game ourselves.  We make life better for everyone and we make Pluto a planet again.”

“See, I think that was unfair as well,” said the Angel.  “Pluto is a lovely little planet.”

“Do you have a clue where to find those in charge?”

“No,” said Li Li, “but James does.”

“I do?” said James.

“You do,” said Li Li, smiling at him.

“Oh yeah,” smiled James.  “I  actually think I do.”

Hitman…Chapter 25

“I have to find Li,” said Terry, standing up.

“Let us do it,” said the Dragons.  “She obviously paid for our services.  Let us do our job,” said Seven.

“Besides,” said Four, “we can do it a million times faster than you can.”

‘Okay,” conceded Terry.  “Thank you.”

The Dragons misted out of sight.

“They’re right, you know,” said Sally.  “They can do it a million times faster than you can.”

“We have to find out what’s controlling our reality,” he said.

“Well, Mr. Big Shot doesn’t know, that’s for sure.  He’s an errand boy at best,” mused Sally.  “I think those running the game are untouchable.  Cat’s paws and…”

“We found her,” said Four.  “She’s safe.  I think she’s inside a veil of some kind.   Smoke and mirrors, if you ask me.  But I don’t think anyone can get to her.  At least not right now.”

“Did she see you?”

“I don’t know,” said Seven.

“I’ll go to her.”

“You’d just get her killed.  I think you should leave her alone and start plotting.”

“Seven’s right,” said James. I think I know where to start.”

“Do tell, said Sally.

“If we’re in a video game, all we have to do is insert a virus.”

“Can you do it?” asked Terry.

“What will happen to this reality if you can do it?” asked Sally.

“I’m pretty sure…I can do it,” he said, grinning at the computer screen in front of him.  I suppose we could disappear, or turn into something else,” said James.  “Reality, as we know it, could simply vanish, and us along with it, of course.  My best guess would be that we’ll no longer exist, like when you stop playing one of your games and turn it off.  But I’ve never done it before, so I can’t say for sure.”

“This is like Matrix,” said Terry.  “The population is unaware that their reality isn’t real and those who know the truth live in a sub.”

“It’s only kind of like that,” said Sally.  It’s true about the masses, but those who know the truth live in their reality as well.  Mind blowing…expansive and…”

An Angel materialize through the ceiling, fell, and hit the floor.  Everyone, including the Dragons, stared at it.  The Angel rolled over and opened its blue eyes.  “That hurt.”

“Who are you?  Why are you here, and what do you want?” asked Terry, his gun aimed at the Angel’s head.

“A little help up,” said the Angel, holding up its arm.

“Don’t help it,” said Sally.  “Those who believe in religious things believe in suffering, so let it suffer.  It’s their thing.”

They all watched the Angel roll to its knees, grunt a few times, then work to stand up.”

“Jeez,” said James, “how far did you fall?”

“I don’t know, exactly.  From the sky,” it said, pointing toward the ceiling.

“That’s a long fall,” said James.

“Tell me about it,” said the Angel, stretching his back.

The cat walked up to the Angel, sniffed him a couple of times, hissed, then walked over to the cot Terry had been laying on, jumped up and curled up into a ball.

“It’s not a good sign when a cat doesn’t like you,” said Terry.

“I’m allergic,” said the Angel.

“Angels have allergies?” asked James, totally surprised.

“What can I say?  You should see me during Hay Fever season. I hardly ever come here when that’s raging.”

“Can we PLEASE cut to the chase,” said Terry.  “WHY ARE YOU HERE AND WHAT DO YOU WANT.  Tell me or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

Everyone looked at him.  “You’re just going to shoot it?” said Four.

“If it doesn’t answer me.  YES.  I’M GOING TO SHOOT IT.”

“I realize you’re stressed,” said the Angel.  “You can put the gun away.  I’m here because I just found out that our reality isn’t real, and that everything is made up.  The players add idiotic beliefs, wars, hatred…everything.  None of it’s real, it’s all for the delight of the moronic players.”

“Do you know about the experiments?” asked James.

“You mean where they put our things, into human bodies?  Yes, I know about that.”

“Things?” asked Sally.  “What things?”

“It’s like human DNA but it’s more like Angel things, not exactly DNA, but similar, I guess.”

“That was informative,” said James.  “Not.”

“Look,” said the Angel.  “You have no idea what it’s like to be an Angel.  It’s horrible.  That’s why so many of them left.  We are genderless, bored to distraction, and our food is disgusting.  They lied about the war between heaven and hell.  Angels left because everything was elevator music.  Most just wanted to escape, or die, which isn’t really possible.  At least I don’t think it is.  We eat the same thing every day, we can’t touch each other and feel it.  We…”

“Blah, blah, blah,” said Terry.  “What do you want?”

“I want to be human.   But that’s probably one of those things that’s not going to happen, right?  I also want to find the beings, or whatever they are, who are playing with us and end them. Big time.  I’m here to help and do whatever I can.”

“Can I see your wings?” asked Sally.

The Angel smiled and wings suddenly filled half the warehouse.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Everyone loves the wings,” said the Angel.  “Humans long to fly.”

“I’m going to inject a virus into the program,” said James.

“Won’t we all die?” asked the Angel.

“Maybe,” said James nodding.  “But will that be a bad thing?  I mean we aren’t actually here anyway.”

“I feel as if I’m here,” said Sally.

“But you aren’t.”

“Circular argument,” she said, getting up and walking over to the food table.

Terry stood up.  “Fade said the wards on the building are being attacked.  They found us.  He said someone came in from outside and they picked up the energy marker.  Angel.”

“Oops,” said the Angel.  “Sorry about that.”

Terry pulled the trigger and the Angel hit the concrete, with a soft thud.

 

 

Hitman…Chapter 24

“What kind of cheese is this?” asked James, holding up a slice and looking at it.

“What do you mean?” said Sally.  “Cheese is cheese.”

James looked at Terry and said, “Is she serious?”

“She is,” he answered.  To her food is food.”

“Are you going to let James do you?” asked Sally.

“Excuse me?” said Terry, his eyes wide.  “Do me?”

“Hypnotize you.”

“Oh. No. I think we found out everything we need to know from you.”

“You might have different info,” said James.  “I think we should do it.”

“We think so too,” said Seven, nodding to Four.  “See if you can learn anything about us.  Dragons don’t usual speak with humans.  Something must have been done to us and we’d like to know what, if that’s possible.”

“Fine,” sighed Terry, but don’t all of you stand around staring at me.”

“Hey tough guy,” said Sally.  “I did it in a car, squashed in with all of you, so don’t start whining.”

“She’s right,” said James.

Terry rubbed his hands over his face and sighed.

“Lay on the cot and close your eyes,” said James.  “Tell me when you’re comfortable.”

“It’s a cot, how comfortable can I get?”

“Just be quiet and listen to my voice.”

“Like I have a choice.”

“Everyone has choices, Terry.”

The cat jumped onto Terry’s chest and curled up.

“I’m ready.”

James took him down, his voice soft and soothing.  “Tell me where you are.”

“Lab, I think.  A lot of activity.  Someone just died,” he said. “Noise and people running around.”

“What do you see?”

“I’m walking down a hallway, but a bunch of people in white coats are coming toward me, so I’m ducking into a room.  Oh, crap, Li Li’s in here.  She’s right in front of me.  She doesn’t seem to see me.”

“You’re not there physically, but she might be able to feel your energy,” said James, “so be careful and stay as far from her as possible.  Don’t go flitting around.”

“He’s a good boy,” said Li Li.  “I don’t like lying to him.”

“It’s your job.  You’re getting paid to lie to him,” said the man, behind the desk.

“What will happen to him?”

“That’s none of your business.  Your business is to tattoo him and make sure the Kill Shot is in place.”

Li Li paced back and forth.  “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t care what you like.”

Li Li’s eyes became small and she stared at him over his big desk.  “I don’t think you understand, Mr. Big Shot.  I’m not just some employee you can boss around.  I can make you wish you’d never been born, so don’t think you can push me around,” she said, turning his left hand into a rabbit’s foot.

“Are you finished?  Can I have my hand back now?”

“No, you can’t,” said Li Li.  “Who do you work for?”

“That’s privileged information,” he said, shuffling papers around with one hand and a paw.

“You have no idea who’s running the show, do you,” she snickered.  “None at all.”

“The boy is your responsibility.  He has been genetically modified and it’s up to you to do the ink work, add the chips and…”

“I know what my job is,” she said, and turned to walk out.  She paused and looked directly where Terry’s essence was standing.  Then she shook her head and left the office.

I’m at Li Li’s now,” said Terry.  “In the chair.  She’s telling me a story about Dragons, while she’s tattooing me.  She’s saying that Dragons are good.  I think I’m ten or eleven. She’s telling me that Dragons are the protectors of the young and innocent.  We should love them, she said.  Be grateful for their generosity.  Just don’t touch their stash, she warned. Their gems belong to them alone.  You never steal from a Dragon.  I’m telling her I understand.  She’s telling me that I better understand.

Now she’s saying that sometimes we forget what we see.  It’s okay to do that, she said.  It’s safer that way.  If you can’t remember what you did, it’s fine to just let it go.  No big deal.  Everyone does it.  That’s what she’s telling me.  You’re a good boy, she’s saying, patting my shoulder.  You get into trouble and you come to Li Li right away and I’ll help you.  I told her I would and now she’s asking about my homework.

It’s been awhile, said Terry  I must have fallen asleep but Li Li is waving her hands around, there’s a candle and she’s calling…she’s calling Dragons.  She’s pulling thick smoke out of the air and…she’s putting it into the ink.  She knows I’m awake.  She said she’s almost finished with the tattoo and that I’ve been good to sit so long in one spot.  She’s chanting and the smoke and ink are going into my side.  Now she’s bending over me, whispering something in my ear.  She’s telling me things aren’t always what they seem to be.  To be strong and careful, to trust no one.

Now I’m in the Big Shot’s office again but time has passed.  He’s almost bald, gained a lot of weight.  Telling someone on the phone that all the test subjects will die at thirty-five, if they aren’t killed sooner.  The Angel experiment failed.  The Demon experiment was mildly successful but he said there are so many evil human beings, it was difficult to tell if there was any difference between the test subjects and the normal population.  He said his hand was fine and would probably be back to normal soon.

I’m back to being a kid.  I’m with Li Li again, asking her where all the blood came from.  She’s telling me I just killed three men, but I won’t remember.  She said I did a good job.  I ask her who they were and she said they were bad people.  I don’t know why they were bad, so I ask her about it.  She gives me ice cream and cookies.  They she reads a story to me and I start to forget I came to her covered in blood.  By the time she’s finished with the book, I’ve already forgotten everything.  She kisses the top of my head and hands me a knife, as a gift.  Then she calls me her Dragon boy.

I’m bringing Sally to meet her.  She’s in the hospital.  She’s not happy to see Sally.  She tells me she’s not good for me, but I just smile at her.  She tells me the Dragons will eat me for dinner and I laugh.  Terrible Boy, she says, and I kiss her forehead, as she eats the chocolate ice cream James told me to bring.  She mutters about Sally’s Dragons and my Dragons and then she starts talking about Angels.  Some of the test subjects started sprouting wings, you know.  Terrible things happened to them.  Had to be put down.  Sad.  Dragons will protect you.  Gave them rubies to watch over you.  They like rubies.  That was their price.  I couldn’t let you get hurt.  Hocked everything to get the gems.  Worth it.  Would do it again. I asked her what she was talking about and she said she was making up stories, like she used to, but she asked what medication they were giving her, at the same time.  I think the meds are making her talk.  She suddenly looks at both of us and sighs.  Your dragons will love each other.  Two Dragon children, now grown up.  I didn’t know he would put them into you, girl.  I only spoke to him once and he said…this ice cream is all gone, she said, holding out the container, so I could see that it was empty.  Tell James thank you but I want more. Then she said bad things were coming and she needed to sleep.  I’m turning to leave but she grabbed my hand and said, “RUN.”

Terry jerked awake and sat up.  “She tried to warn me,” he said.  “They’ll kill her.”

 

Hitman…Chapter 23

“There’s something else,” she said, frowning, and sitting up.  “They’re afraid we’ll see that the world, as we know it, isn’t real.”

Everyone stared at Sally, even the Dragons.

“Explain,” said Terry.

“We’re in a video game, being played by others.  Others, who aren’t us.  Not humans, I mean.  They don’t want anyone to know, not that it would matter, because they realize how few would believe us if we told them.  Other than the mentally challenged, who often see more than we do.

Think of binoculars,” she said, not looking at anyone, but moving her hands.  You can change the vision from close up to far away and back again.  Everything is so much bigger than what we are ALLOWED to see.  There are no edges, no endings.  Things are huge and we are part of that enormity but we are being held captive…and…we mean as much to them as Mario Brothers means to us…it’s small here…and dark, dull and constricting, but it doesn’t have to be…it’s…being done to us for the pleasure of others.  They enjoy the conflict.

As for the angels, they’re in the same position we’re in.  They are made up and in assigned roles as well.  They were willing to donate their DNA, or whatever it was that they donated,  because they wanted to taste our food, and feel what we feel, if only secondhand, and for a little while.  Their lives are so boring and bland.  They eat nothing but mana, and they can’t feel things the way we do, or even think for themselves, she said.  They were made that way for the pleasure of the things that are playing with us.  Everything they make suffers because they like to watch things suffer.  They enjoy offering things, then taking them away, or never letting anyone have what’s being offered.  The designers are hateful and aggressive and they built that into this game we are locked into.

I’m hungry,” she said, her eyes focusing once again.  “I was in a weird place for a few moments, but could see everything clearly and something didn’t like that.  She smiled.  That’s the part I liked the most…making them them take a step back.  I mean, how many times hasn’t the monster turned on its maker?  I want to do that.  I want to be that monster. I want to tear whatever it is to shreds and put it in a tiny box it can never climb out of.  Food,” she said again.  “I want food.  Where’s my cat?”

“You aren’t going to eat the cat, are you?” asked Four, fearfully.

“Eat my cat?,” said Sally, horrified.  “Why would I ever do that? I love my cat.”

“Just checking,” said Four, cautiously dropping the cat into her waiting arms.

“I just heard from Fade,” said Terry.  ETA ten minutes.”

“What do we do when we get to the warehouse?”

“Hide the van, get some food, then plot.”

“I love it when you talk dirty,” sighed Sally.  “Plots and mayhem, food and more plots.”

“Is she okay?” asked Seven.  “She seems a little off.”

“She’s fine,” said Terry.  “She’s hungry, loves fighting, and enjoys planning and plotting.”

“If you say so,” said the Dragon.  “But I’d keep my eye on her, if I were you.”

“Always,” said Terry, smiling.  “Always.”

The door in the back of the warehouse rolled up, and Terry pulled in.  Everyone got our of the van and stretched, or walked around.  There were tables of food,  Cots, made up, ready for anyone who needed to sleep.

“I like it,” said Sally.  “It’s perfect.”

Hitman…Chapter 22

“What’s with the truck and who’s driving it?”

“A guy works for me on and off.  His name is Fade.  He’s in a self induced coma, because he said he can get more done that way.”

No one said anything.

“He’s not a ghost, if that’s what you’re thinking.  He’s just able to control his astral body and do physical things.  I know that’s not possible, but Fade can do it.  He got tired of having to drag his physical body around, day and night, so he does jobs from his hospital bed.  I got in touch with him yesterday and told him I might need him.  He said the van would be there and once I drove in, he would be in the driver’s seat, taking us to a warehouse where no one could find us, at least for awhile.  It’s warded.”

Still silence.

“What?” asked Terry.  “So I have friends with special abilities.  He wakes up a few times a year to keep in shape, so to speak, but he has no love for the physical world and its problems.  He makes a fortune, which pays for his constant care, and the machines he developed to make it safe to do what he’s doing.”

“I’ll go first,” said Sally, ignoring his comments and closing her eyes.  “Come on James, hypnotize me.”

James talked her down until she was wandering around in a deep blue forest.

“I’m in the woods, but the trees are white and everything else is blue,” she said.

“Look for a door,” said James softly.  “Behind the door are the answers you’re seeking.  When you open the door and step inside, your past will be there, waiting for you.”

“I see it,” she muttered. “It’s wooden with a lot of metal studs and hardware.  I’m pulling it open.  It’s a white room with a stainless steel table and two chairs.  Charts and graphs are on the wall.  It’s so bright.  Too bright.”

“Ask for a guide to help you.”

“It’s a woman in a white lab coat.  She knows me.  Said hello Sally.  I hope you’re well.  I’m going to ask her some…questions.”

“Okay,” said James.  “Tell me what she has to say.”

Everyone waited, while Sally had a conversation with the woman in the lab coat.

“We were all made in a lab.  She’s showing me charts and words in a language I don’t understand.  She said I can’t read it because it’s in Angel.  She said we have Angel DNA in us.  That was part of the experiment.  They wanted to see if humans could survive with angel DNA, inside them.  She said humans think Angels are good, but that’s not necessarily true, hence the ability of us to be killers.  They wanted to see how far they could go.  She said we were jar babies, started in petri dishes.  Genetic donors unknown in a blind study, but chosen for intelligence and strength.  No one knows who they were, except for the head person, and no one knows who that person is, if indeed it is a person.  She doesn’t seem as if she things the thing in charge is human.  The Angel donors agreed to the experiment because they wanted a physical experience and thought they might have one, through us.  However, they found out that human emotions, and will, are stronger than whatever Angels have to say about anything, so it didn’t turn out too well for them.  They increased the amount of Angel, but too much and the subjects died.  A little less and they survived, but were mentally unstable.   The other things were injected into us through the ink in our tattoos.  The tattoos themselves are drawn with runes and symbols to protect us and to shut us down.  Apparently, since it wasn’t done under exact scientific conditions, the artists who did the work, add some of their own things.  Like Dragons and Gorgons.

“t’s true, Terry and I weren’t supposed to meet.  She said our Dragons would be drawn to each other.  Once bonded, it would be hard to be apart.  She said…bonding gives us more power and the people in charge…are afraid…we will no longer obey orders…mostly they’re afraid they won’t be able to block our memories or shut us down.  They think we will come for them.  She’s showing me note cards and photographs.  She said Terry and I can be very powerful together, since we our tattoos match, except for a few tiny differences.  A tree just started growing in the corner and birds are singing.

They shut down the project for many reasons.  Partly because the Angels weren’t getting what they wanted, and partly because the demons wanted a chance at it.  That was out of the question, I guess, except for in a couple of instances.  The higher ups realized that they were making altered humans who were stronger than they were, which is the main reason for the end of the project.  She’s laughing.  She loves her work wants to take a blood sample.  I won’t let her.  She said the older we get the weaker the  Kill Shot gets.  She doesn’t feel they can turn us off any longer.  Might make us sick for awhile, but she doesn’t think it will kill us.  She wants to give me an injection to make me faster and…I’m pulling my arm away and don’t want to be here anymore.”

“One, two, three,” said James.  “Wake.”

Sally moved a little and sighed.  the she rubbed her eyes and said.  “You people are so strange.”

“Well,” said Four, now we know it was the artists who pulled us out of the energy stream and added us.  Dragons  and Angels?  What a mix.”

 

Hitman…Chapter 21

The Dragons misted in and out, unable to find comfort in what they had once known.

“Feels wrong,” said Terry’s Dragon.  “I’ve lived in him so long, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

“I feel the same way,” said Sally’s Dragon.  “I kind of miss her.  She just found peace and happiness with your person and now everything is different.”

“I don’t feel as if I belong in the energy stream any longer, not when I could be helping him.”

“Do you want to check on them?” asked Sally’s Dragon.

“I do.”

“Uh,” said James.  “I think something just landed on top of the car.”

“I heard it too,” said Sally.

A Dragon looked into the front window from the roof of the car.  Terry swerved a little, but he was used to strange things happening, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Can we come inside the car?” asked the Dragon.

“I don’t know,” said Terry.  “Can you?  It’s kind of small for a Dragon.”

“Two Dragons, but don’t worry, we’ll manage.”

And then they were misting inside.

“My name is D4,” said Sally’s Dragon.  “But you can all call me Four.  He’s D7, and you can call him…”

“Seven,” they all yelled.

“Yes,” laughed Four, “that’s right.  We came to help.  Apparently we aren’t ready to break our bond.  I mean, think about it.  We’ve been living inside you two for…”

“A long time,” said Terry.  “We missed you too, kind of.”

“Oh, good,” said Four.  “Then it’s settled.”

“What’s settled?” asked James.

“We’re going to kill all the bad guys.  I mean they enslaved us.  Took us right out of the ethereal stream.  Against our will.  We Dragons love revenge and these people crossed the line.”

“What Four is trying to say,” said Seven, is that we are going to fight alongside you.”

“That’s exactly what I said,” grumbled Four.

“No.  It’s not.”

“Is too.”

“So Dragons aren’t so different from humans, I guess,” said Terry.

“I like cats,” said Four.  “Can I hold her?”

Whisper was normally a pretty laid back cat, but she’d been through a lot, the last few days.  Missed quite a few naps and petting sessions, so she was feeling a bit cranky.  But when Four picked her up, in her misty hands, she felt a shot of power that made her feel a lot stronger and a lot bigger, so she settled in and let Four do whatever she wanted to do with her.

“She likes you,” said Sally.

“She likes power.”

Sally nodded.  “Who doesn’t.”

“I should probably tell you that we fried a bunch of people who were tailing you,” said Seven.  They went up fast and it was over in no time.  They really want to shut you two down.  Apparently they’re afraid you’ll start remembering things they blocked.  To them, that would be very bad.  And before you ask, I can hear what they’re thinking.”

“Good to know,” said Terry.  “And thank you.”

“A pleasure, I assure you,” said Seven.

“You two make a good couple,” said Seven.  “Your bond with Sally, has made our bond stronger.”

Sally smiled.  “That’s nice.”

“Someone is coming up on your left and you need to eliminate him immediately.”

Terry rolled down his window and shot the driver through the head.

“Nice shot,” said Four.

Seven stuck his head out of the window and set the car on fire.

“Nice fire,” said Terry.

“Where are we going?” asked James.  “I feel as if we’re driving in circles.”

“We’re almost there,” said Terry.

“What the hell is THAT?” asked James, looking out the front window.

“It’s an energy manifestation,” said Seven.

“Looks misty, but it can kill you,” said Four.  “And they have no imagination, as far as I’m concerned.  A T-Rex.  Really?  We’ll be right back.”

Seven and Four faded out of the car and flew in circles around the T-Rex .  Both of them were larger than it was.  The dinosaur roared, but having very short arms, couldn’t swat at them.  Apparently, if you breath enough fire on a T-Rex, you can have a huge BBQ and feed the neighborhood.

“I think they’re going to come at you from the air,” said Four, misting back in the car.

A empty moving van was parked at the curb, the ramp was down, and Terry drove into it.  The ramp went up, and the van started moving.

“Nice,” said James.  “I feel like we’re in a James Bond movie.”

“It’s lead lined,” said Terry.  “They won’t be able to find us.  I think it’s time you hypnotized us, James.”

“Who wants to go first?” he said, gleefully, closing his computer.

Hitman…Chapter 20

“Do you feel any different?” asked Sally.

“No,” said Terry, do you?”

“Mmmm, a little.”

“in what way?”

“Lighter, I think.”

“We need to get out of here, now.  Destroy your phones, then get Whisper and go someplace to plan our next move.”

“They’ll be waiting at our place,” said Sally.

“No cat left behind.  That’s the rule.”

She smiled, then kissed him.

“James, pack up what you can carry, destroy the rest.  Hurry.”

“Destroy all of this?”

“Or die.”

“Oh, well you put it that way,” he said, unplugging a things and pressing a DESTRUCT button.

“You actually have a DESTRUCT button?” asked Terry.

“How could I not?  Seriously, you don’t know how to have fun,” sighed James, tossing a couple of cords into a bag.  “Ready.”

They were two blocks away, when the building they just left, blew up.

“Think they’re trying to send a message?” asked James, snickering.

“Li Li’s not happy you told me that she’s not who we thought she was.”

“What if she’s the one running the show?” asked Sally.

James frowned.  “I….

“A possibility,” said Terry. “She’s been lying from the beginning.  We don’t know anything about her.  Not really.”

“She likes chocolate ice cream,” said James.

“She likes ice cream, period.  All of it.  Any color or flavor,” said Terry.

“Again,” groaned James.  “You are absolutely no fun at all.”

“I’m hungry,” said Sally.

“You just ate forty cheese sandwiches, chips and cookies,” said Terry, in amazement.

“I didn’t eat forty anything, and so what?  I can still be hungry.”

Terry pulled into a fast food place, ordered for everyone, then took off.

“Thank you,” she said, stuffing fries into her mouth.  “These are the best.”

The building they passed blew up.

“I think we’re being followed,” said James.  “I can cloak us if you like.”

“You can cloak us?” said Terry.  “Seriously?”

James opened the computer on his lap and in a few minutes said, “I’ve been playing with it for awhile and it doesn’t always work but…I don’t think they can see us, at least not all the time.”

“Can they still track us?” asked Sally.

“I doubt it, but I don’t know what tech they have, sooo….”

“How long have you known how to cloak?” asked Terry.

“Been working on it for a few years.  They did it in Star Trek, so why not us.  And I think I found out a little more about you two, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“Just tell us,” said Terry.

“It seems,” he said, pressing a few keys, that some of your memories, doing jobs for whoever it is, have been replaced with scenes from everyday daily life, so you don’t know what you’ve done.  It’s not as if you have blackouts, or missing time, your memories are simply revised, so that you have no recollection of what you did.  It’s happening to both of you.  It’s been that way since you were tattooed as kids.”

“That explains why, as a child, I would come home with blood all over me but I never had any cuts or wounds,” sighed Sally.  “Naturally, my parents never said anything, they just asked me if I had a nice day?”

“Can you find our real memories?” asked Terry, through clenched teeth.  “Any of them?”

“I can give it a shot.  Hypnosis might work, but I don’t know that for sure.”

Terry growled.  The cat patted him on the shoulder and he relaxed his hold on the steering wheel.

“I can’t do it while you’re driving, and this isn’t my thing.  But it might be fun, and I promise to give it my best shot, just remember, the chances are slim.”

“Where are we going?” asked Sally, looking out the window.

“Wisconsin,” said Terry, avoiding a car that was weaving back and forth.

“Let me out,” said Sally.  “Right now.  Pull over.”

“Why?” asked Terry, confused.

“It’s a red state.”

“She’s right,” said James.  “I don’t want to go there either.”

“Fine.  Chicago it is.”

Sally smiled.  “Maybe we can go to the Art Institute.”

“Am I the ONLY one who understands what’s going on?” said Terry, grinding his teeth.

“No,” said Sally.  “I’m simply trying to ease the tension, by distracting you.

“The cat won’t get off my keyboard,” said James.  “What should I do?”

Sally reached over the seat and grabbed Whisper.  “They knew we would picked up the cat.”

“I scanned her,” said James.  “Couldn’t find anything they might have put on her.”

“Did you look between her toes?”

“No.”

“That must be why you missed this tiny bug,” she said, tossing it out the window.

“Do you think we’ve been killing people all our lives?” asked Terry.

“Don’t know,” said Sally.  “But probably.”

“We need to disappear them,” she said, petting the cat.

“That’s the plan,” said Terry.