*HF* Relativity
By Mufasa
Relativity
Chapter One:
It was bound to happen sooner or later. The stunning looks of Claudia Sandubal couldn't do it to him… The thug mentality of Gabriel Strong never did it either… The all-encompassing wisdom of Gomurr? Never! Grover's nobility? Not on his life. Casey Jones' long-winded speeches? Nope… not that either… The scare tactics of Kraus Mahler? Ssshyeah, right. It takes more than all of that combined to make Khalid Hunter visually agitated.
Running his hand nervously over his dark brown hair, Khalid Hunter found himself tip-toeing ever-so gently as he paced back and forth across the glistening wooden floor of his living room… He had to be EXTRA sure to choose his words carefully. He had to be sure not to appear agitated. Granted, the person to whom he was speaking with over the phone was not known for being oversensitive, but he always hated to upset her. What person could POSSIBLY have such an effect on him that he would go out of his way to tread so lightly?
"Yes, Mom… I already had the truck checked out. The guy I have working on it is the best. He used to be one of my students…" said Khalid as he tugged at his goatee. He found that recently he had to go out of his way to placate his mother. The woman worried about him, it seemed, all the time. Ever since her visit three months ago (Lethal Legacy), she was calling him consistently, worrying about him. He could never convince her to explain why she had come in the first place, although he had a general idea… Philippe had told him a few weeks ago that she was having trouble sleeping… Khalid KNEW what that meant…
"I'm worried about you, son. I know that you've been having grisly nightmares and it concerns me that you are taking such a long trip by yourself."
YOUCH! Khalid's gut tightened in response to that last one. These days, he never did know what his mom knew and didn't know. The woman had always had second-sight since she was a child. For the most part, it was limited to small things such as knowing who in town was sick or who was going to run off and get married. With her family, though, it seems that her "flashes" are stronger… especially the negative ones. Khalid was not supposed to know, but she had foreseen when he nearly got killed in high school (Starting Over)… or at least that something terrible was going to happen to him. For whatever reason that night, she had opted at the last minute not to visit Uncle Zeke… "Mom… Trust me, I'm going to be fine."
"It's a long trip. I just want to make sure that you'll be okay."
Khalid shook his head with a laugh as he dropped down on his indigo sofa. "Mom… I'll be fine! You know I will… I'm 23 years old. I have my own house and I've already been on a world tour. I've gone blind… I've got my eyesight back… I've been nearly beaten to death (Starting Over), robbed at gunpoint (Only Human), stalked twice (A Vengeful Spirit and Only Human), had vase slammed over my head (Lethal Legacy), nearly stung by Scorpion (Dark Light), and that is just the stuff that you know."
"You never told me you had an Egyptian vase slammed over your head!"
Khalid jumped to his feet as he heard that last comment from his mother. Uh oh… I'm in it deep, now… Then, all of a sudden his eyebrow raised. Wait a minute… "Hold on… How did you know it was Egyptian?!"
"I'm your mother! I'm SUPPOSED to know these things!" On the other end of the line, Shani Hunter burst out laughing…
Khalid smirked as he bit his laugh back. She knew she had stuck her foot in her mouth on that one. "Mom… If I can't handle a simple road trip from upstate New York to Southern Indiana by now, then I'm REALLY out of shape."
"Tater… I just want you to be safe."
"Mom, I'm going to be okay. The truck is going to be fine… Just relax. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the sights… I should arrive, at the latest, tomorrow afternoon… and stop calling me Tater!"
"You know I worry about you… I worry about ALL my children. Stefan has already come home. Dante and Dwayne ran into trouble with the magazine and probably won't be coming for Thanksgiving… Rhonda and… Gerald…" Khalid bit back the laugh as he heard his mother speak that name with disgust… It was the classic case of the new son-in-law trying too much to get accepted... and coming off as fake. Shani continued after the pause. "…should be in by Wednesday. Have you spoken with Michael?"
Khalid finally did chuckle… Yeah… Michael Breslin… who Mom just up and "adopted" out of the blue! (Lethal Legacy) He still found it damn hilarious that Michael Breslin… the stereotypical "bad boy" of the Black Hellfire Court, complete with leather jacket and motorcycle… the man who held the title of Black WARlord, of all things… found himself charmed, hi-jacked, and adopted before he knew it. Granted, his mother took it very seriously, making sure that Michael was part of the family, but to Khalid it was unexpected, although it shouldn't have been. He would have never thought that Michael, the DEFINITION of the word "rogue" would join the family without a second thought or any resistance. Although he found it amusing, he just hoped that his mother was not setting herself up for a disappointment… "Yes… In fact, he left early this morning. He should be arriving in a few hours."
"He's not riding the motorcycle that long a distance, is he? He'll catch a cold!"
"Mom! Relax… Although he refuses to admit it, he does have some common sense… He'll dress appropriately. The weather has not closed yet, so I don't see him coming down with anything."
"You're right, I guess… This winter is going to be a nasty one, but I don't think it is going to hit for a few weeks… You know I know these things. So, promise me you'll be careful… Okay?"
Again, Khalid shook his head in disbelief, his eyes rolling at his mother's apparent paranoia. "I'll be careful! I promise. Take care, Mom."
"You too, Tater... and don't you roll your eyes at me!"
Khalid burst out laughing… At 23, he should have known better. "Mom… I'll be there soon… and don't call me Tater!"
"Drive safely."
After setting the phone back on his oak coffee table, Khalid casually strolled from the couch to the front door, still lost in thought over his conversation with his mother. Having picked up his suitcase and his winter coat, he stepped outside into the cool fall air immediately making his way toward the truck. "All right, Justin. How's it looking?"
The man with his head beneath the polished blue hood of the truck stood for a minute, totally engrossed in something overridingly minute. With a sudden change in temperament, he shouted in achievement, taking his hand out of the motor. "AHA! GOT IT!" Justin Mills spun around on his feet, scratching his damp black hair. "I thought that button was lost forever!"
Khalid's eyebrows raised as he briefly reconsidered his decision to have DarkWolf working on his car. He had heard that the kid did wonders for engines, but he wondered if it was all talk… After all, he HAD seen DarkWolf in other social situations. The kid was not renowned for his concentration. "Um… Justin?"
Justin Mills' face jerked as he finally looked toward Khalid. "Oh… Sorry… Didn't notice you there!"
This kid is supposed to be a merc?! "How's my truck doing?"
"Oh yeah… the truck…" Casually, Justin tapped the front bumper with his heel, not watching the hood drop shut. Just as quickly as he found it, he dropped the button on the driveway, watching as it rolled under the hood of the car. "Like all Fords look on the inside."
"But... it's a Chevy…"
"Well… you have problems, then! Don't you know that Ford's suck?"
"Are you bull-shitting me?"
"You tell me… You're the one who grew up on the farm!"
"Yeah… but we didn't have any bulls. We do have a few cows and a some horses, but no bulls." Realizing that he had allowed himself to fall into Justin's train of thought, Khalid slapped his forehead. "WHAT THE… Why am I talking to you about bulls?! Is my truck going to work?!"
With a hearty laugh, Justin slapped his hands together, loosening up the grime on them. "Yeah… sure will. I took all those bad whatchamacallits out and replaced them… I think I'm going to make a sculpture out of them… or make a kitty-litter box for Phantom… or…" He bent down, about to wipe his hands against his black jeans, when Khalid tapped him on the shoulder.
Khalid handed him a rag, trying not to laugh. If those bullshit education courses he took in college told him a damn thing, it was that every person has a distinct personality. DarkWolf was an eccentric person in his own right. One thing about him was that it did not take much to distract him. Khalid had remembered when DarkWolf would get his days mixed up and start singing in the middle of orchestra rehearsal. (Justin was not exactly the most focused person in the world.) "Wipe your hands… Thanks for looking at my truck. I appreciate it. Lord knows, I would not have had time for it… not that I've taken the time to learn. Especially with these two big concerts coming up. I'm looking at one in Deernight Lake, Ontario… and even one in some country named Bhutan."
"Is that where all the Butane comes from? Cool! I never thought about that…"
"Justin…"
"I'm kidding! I really am… So, you go have yourself a good Thanksgiving… in that hick town in Indiana… with your family… and the cows… and the food… and…"
As Justin went on with his list, Khalid allowed himself to get lost in thought… He had remembered hearing from someone - Rhiannon, he thinks - that Justin had been kicked out of his parent's home shortly after he became a teenager… Another victim of anti-mutant hysteria. For Khalid, it was almost a foreign concept. He could not see how ANY parent could disown their child over something he couldn't control… over something genetic that he inherited from one or both of THEM!
"…Dan Quayle… and Rosie O'Donnel… and Regis… and Arsenio Hall… and Pamela Lee… and…"
Khalid's own parents were not surprised to learn he was a mutant. Hell… He had been talking to animals his entire life! To him, it was just natural. It never occurred to him until he was older that the rest of his siblings or anyone else couldn't do it. Hell… Knowing his mother's "intuition", she probably knew he was going to be a mutant before he was even born!
"…and Pickachu… and Squirtle… and Scooby… and Daphne… and Vincent van Ghoul… and Optimus Pr…"
Khalid took a deep breath as he came back to earth… not understanding how Justin had managed to start listing Cartoo-- nope… now he's on basketball players… "Hey, Justin… What are you doing for the holiday?"
"Ava Gardner… Lucy…" Suddenly, Justin's head snapped up as his train of thought changed. His pupils raising up, he pondered over his plan… "Let's see… I'm going back to Texas… Make sure my business isn't being run into the ground… eat Tex Mex with a bunch of Yankees and watch them trot back and forth to the bathroom with indigestion… and then sell them Pepsid AC at $50.00 a capsule… and…"
Khalid's hand snapped up, hoping to cut him off. For some reason, just hearing him describing it was enough to make him sick. "Er… How about a week down on the farm with my family? Yeah… Dad will expect you to help out on the farm… and Mom will stuff you full with food… but I think it might be good for you. I think you'll have a great time. I don't know how well you get along with Mike, but…"
Without missing a beat, Justin casually tossed Khalid back the oil-stained rag. With ease, he flicked his finger lightly across the trunk of his nearby Pontiac, watching the cover fly up. Khalid's head craned to the side and his eyes widened as he put two and two together… Wait a minute… He didn't…
After withdrawing the suitcase from inside, he tapped his heel against the bumper walking away as the trunk closed. Then, he opened the gate to Khalid's truck, throwing both his and Khalid's luggage in the back before closing it. With a single brush of his hand, he fastened the tarp down over the gate and faced Khalid with a smile on his face. "All right! Does your Mom make a good pumpkin pie? I LOVE pumpkin pie!"
Khalid covered his gaping mouth with his hand, unable to believe what he had just seen… Justin had intended on going from the very beginning. I don't believe it… THAT kid… a regular Fonzarelli. "Sure does… but you better put your seat belt on… and behave!"
Justin grinned ear to ear as he climbed into the truck. "Let's go!"
End Chapter One
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Chapter Two
"Well! Well! Young man, I have heard so much about you! It's not everyday I learn from my wife that I have a brand new son… especially one that is fully grown, has blonde hair, blue eyes, a leather coat, and a motorcycle. Welcome." Malik Hunter cheerfully extended his hand toward Michael Breslin, giving it a firm, strong shake. Despite his modest height of five foot seven, Malik was a big man… REALLY big… and all muscle.
Considering Khalid's height, Michael had expected Khalid's father to be huge, but did not expect anything like this. The man was WAAAY shorter than he expected… although, no less intimidating. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hunter."
"None of that nonsense! My name is Malik… Let me show you round the house." Malik picked up Mike's duffel bag and carried it in behind him. "Since the twins aren't going to be home, I don't think they'll mind if you and the kid -- Justin, I think? -- take their old rooms. As you can see, we have quite a big house here… Needed one. Nothing elaborate like you New Englanders like, but big and simple. Not a single guest room with the number of children we have, of course… Shani and Philippe went to the grocery store to pick up some more food…"
Mike could not help but smile as Malik gave him a tour of the family farmhouse. No, it was not lavishly decorated like many of the houses he had been in, but it was cozy… it was warm. He often wondered what he might have been like had he been raised in an environment like this… out in the middle of nowhere… rather than beneath the streets, living as a street rat. The eagerness in which Malik accepted him into his home made him feel extremely welcome… Not even five minutes inside and already Malik was going on like Havok was a lost-long son of his. "Couple things to warn you about… Don't eat your food too fast… because the wife will just put more on your plate. We get up bright and early to work on the farm, so you might want to consider taking an afternoon nap. Other than that… I think you are going to have a good time. Eat PLENTY of food… Shani always cooks too much anyway…"
"Keep that up, son-in-law, and you'll scare off my 'grandson'." His boots clicking on the stairs, Robert Cougar came down, reaching his hand out to shake Mike's. "Welcome to the family, boy… Don't let Malik scare you over there… I never did approve of him, anyway!"
"Now you WATCH it, Old Man… I'll clock you to next Tuesday!"
"Bring it on, whipper-snapper! Time for you to learn not to disrespect your elders!"
Mike chuckled as he watched the teasing banter between the two men. Although Cougar was much older than his son-in-law, he did not play the "old man" bit. Mike remembered in Chicago that the "old man" had handled himself like a pro. (Dark Light.) It gave further credence to the saying "Looks can be deceiving." It was this kind of atmosphere that he longed for so often while growing up… A big family… togetherness… He began to envy Khalid, but then he snapped out of it.
"What's all this yelling going on in here? No WONDER Mom left me behind to baby-sit…" With Leo the cat draped over his shoulder, Stefan stepped through the kitchen door. Although he was six feet tall like his grandfather, he was much thinner. A freshman at Pentway University, he went out of his away to appear everything that Khalid was not, keeping his hair cut close to his scalp… clean-shaven… even going as far as to change his major after he arrived. "You must be Michael… Khalid didn't tell me a thing about you."
Mike shook his hand, keeping the smile on his face. "Good… He probably would have told it wrong, anyway! Besides… you don't want to hear so much about me…"
Malik interrupted. "Nonsense! Trust me… With a family as large as ours, we've just about seen it all. Of course, if you don't want to talk…"
For a second, Mike considered it… Strangely enough, he felt really comfortable. He could tell them probably anything… Well… maybe except for the stuff they didn't need to know… "Okay… The Michael Breslin story… Censored, of course…"
Malik chuckled as he looked Stefan in the eye. "Good… ESPECIALLY with children in the room…"
"DAD!"
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"I NEVER KNEW THE CHARM OF SPRING! NEVER MET IT FACE TO FACE! I NEVER KNEW MY HEART COULD SING! NEVER MISSED A WARM EMBRACE… TILL… APRIL IN PARIS…"
Khalid clenched his teeth. Nope… never again… He couldn't take it… What the HELL was he thinking? This had to have been the LONGEST drive he has ever taken. All these hours and where was he? At a packed rest area on I-70 in Ohio… trying to relieve his bladder… while the man standing in front of the next urinal sang jazz standards as absurdly loud as possible. This is worse than reading over Impy's lesson plans… Oh well… at least he uses good diaphragmatic support…
"WHOM CAN I RUN TO? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO… "
"JUSTIN!" Khalid zipped up his pants and grabbed Justin by the back of the shirt. "You are driving me INSANE!"
"Whoa! Hold on… I'm not done… I got just a little left… MY HEARRRRRRRRR--- ACK!"
Khalid jerked him away from the urinal by the collar. "You're done…"
"Hey! At least let me zip up… WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU GRABBED MY COLLAR?!"
Khalid let go hastily as he approached the sink, trying futilely to keep his red, embarrassed face from being seen by the other rest area patrons. Washing and rinsing his hands, he dried them off and then turned back to Justin. "Come on…"
"CIGARETTE HOLDER… WHICH WIGS ME…"
Khalid cringed as he dragged DarkWolf back toward the truck. "That's it… I'm turning to the instrumental station… No more vocalists for you!"
"OVER HER SHOULDER… SHE DIGS ME…"
"Though, I have to admit… I am dying of hunger…"
"OUT CATTIN' THAT SATIN DOLL! Hey! Ever think that song was written about Rhiannon? You know her and her cats…"
Khalid winced again. I bet Billy Strayhorn is rolling in his grave right now… "That song was written over twenty-five years before Rhiannon was born."
"Well… Maybe the guy was a psychic?"
Khalid shoved Justin into the truck. "Whatever… Come on… I'm going to find some fast-food place to drive through." Khalid yawned… "Though, I am tempted to sit here and rest a while…"
"Hey! Why don't you let me drive! I got the directions, here… It's just five hours…"
"I don't know… I'm not sure if I can…"
"Hey! Relax… I'm good!"
"All right… you drive as far as the Indiana state line… In Richmond, you take the FIRST exit off… You hear me?"
"Okay… okay… Geesh… I get the feeling you don't trust me."
"Nah… It's not that I don't trust you… I just know how easily you get distracted. Now… I know how these Ohio State Highway Patrol are… Do not go anymore than 70 miles per hour. Understand?"
"Geesh, Khalid… It's not like I've never driven in Ohio before…"
"All right, then… Be careful. Unlike you, I'm neither invulnerable, 400-some pounds, or superstrong."
"Yeah… But I like you anyway."
Khalid rolled his eyes as he got into the passenger side… He was tired… That, he had to admit. Buckling his seat belt, he leaned back in the seat getting as comfortable as possible… and fell asleep the instant Justin started up the truck…
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For all of Grover's riches… all of Grover's fame… all of Grover's power, he was not a happy man. He was one of the few people that knew that life was more than about being the most sought-after man in New York… or being rich in his own right… or even being White King of the Hellfire Club. Despite being the "Golden Boy" of the Hellfire Club, he knew something was missing from his life. Especially come Thanksgiving… Christmas… or Easter. What was it? My son… My family.
To Grover, that was the one constant in the world… his family always being cruelly taken away from him. As a neonate, not even a week old, he had been in a car when a "stray" blast destroyed it… (As told in Ascension) Saved by the invisible telekinetic aura that was his mutant power, it would not be until he was a teenager that he would learn that it was nothing but a senseless act. Jack Silver, Sr. slew his family for nothing more than sport… just to do it.
So… Once Grover found out the horrible truth, he fought back… (Ascension) He confronted Jack Silver Sr. himself… and killed him. That act cost him his family again… this time it was the ancient mage known as Gomurr… the one who rescued him from the smoldering car… The man who was for all intents and purposes, his father.
A few years later, a cosmic entity named Entropy threatened New York. In a moment of desperation, Grover threw himself in the way of a blast meant for Rachel Ferguson, who was at the time one of the original Hellions as well. He died. Unwittingly, it was not until a year later after being resurrected that he learned that he lost his family yet again. His girlfriend had given birth while he was dead… and married a Greek businessman… a Greek businessman who adopted his son… HIS son… (As told in Phantom Nails.)
Eventually, he had made his peace with Gomurr… twice, now… only for their friendship to be compromised yet again. Although he was reluctant, he had understood the first time. Gomurr was willing to do anything he could to save Grover. This second time, Gomurr made it worse… Gomurr had taken a sliver of the Gauntlets of Excalibur… and bonded it to Khalid Hunter (Lethal Legacy).
Although Khalid would never have to undergo the suffering Grover did (the reason to be told in Phantom Nails…), he was still subjected to the influence of the metal… more than he even suspected. It was ironic in a way… Khalid's previous incarnation, King Mufasa of Kemet, spent his life battling Mjimbe (Dark Light)… the man who had first used the space metal to augment his powers… which ultimately ended up corrupting him. Now, the sliver of metal lining his tattoos prevented an extradimensional demon from getting a foothold in this realm… or more locally his body!
There had to have been another way… there SHOULD have been another way… There… "Er?! What's this?" Grover's fingers tapped lightly against the keyboard as he read through his e-mail log. Normally it wasn't his habit to browse through the personal e-mail of his subordinates, however this one had been automatically forwarded to his e-mail box when Khalid left town. (Well… when Khalid planted a photon blade in his computer after reading Ryan's memo about the staff meetings during Thanksgiving and Christmas! (Only Human))
Dear Khalid,
Look... I'm not exactly sure what is going on. My brother's started acting weird ever since you and your friends left (Lethal Legacy), mumbling something about the blood of the purified or something... I'm concerned about him. Harry just left without warning or anything...
I'm not sure why, but he tore a page out of my journal... the one with the sketches of your tattoos in it. All he left was a drawing of a pyramid with an eye peeking out the top... and...
The word "purified" was scribbled beneath it... in his blood... Khalid, please contact me. I'm worried about him. I'll be in New York a few days before Thanksgiving. You have my number in your file.
Akiko Tanaka
Akiko?! As in Akiko Tanaka? The cute petite anthropologist who saved Khalid in Egypt? Although her speculations on her jackass brother's sudden departure did not strike a chord in him, her report that Harry ripped the drawing of Khalid's tattoo out of her journal did. He was not sure why, but the word "purified" seemed to ring a bell too. Whatever the case, this was something he was going to have to see Khalid about…
Wound up by the message, Grover glanced quickly at the time on the monitor. He groaned. "It can't be that bad… just thousands more irrelevant files to sift through…"
End Chapter Two
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Chapter Three:
"Guys, I'm home!" Shani Hunter called out as she walked through the kitchen door. Setting the bags on the table, she smiled to herself as she saw the men talking in the living room. "Stefan… please be a dear and help your younger brother carry the rest of the groceries out of the car."
"Sure, Mom." After kissing her on the cheek, Stefan crept out the door.
Shani could not do anything but smile as she unwrapped her African print scarf from her barely-graying hair. She knew before she left that Malik and her father would not honor her request that Michael be allowed to rest… Still, she had to appear at least somewhat upset… Even if she was actually delighted! "Well! I'm glad to see you arrived here, safely… I was worried you'd catch cold! My husband and father haven't been pestering you about your life, have they?"
Malik's eyes widened as he hurriedly rose up from his reclining chair. He knew he was caught. "HEY! STEFAN! WAIT FOR ME!" Shani chuckled as her husband slipped out the door… apparently not wanting to hear his wife's reproach for learning more about his new "son."
"Dad… I told you to let him rest when he got here."
Mike held up his hands as he rose from the floral-printed couch. "No… don't worry. I was glad to talk. It was a meaningful conversation. Cougar was telling me about the estate in North Carolina…"
Shani beckoned Mike to sit back down as she stood beside her father. Even without her "sight", she knew that he was about to go help unload the car. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't doing anything until he rested. "Yes… There is some BEAUTIFUL country back home where I was raised. I haven't been back for years. Dad still lives there, but nowadays it just gets more difficult to go down there. Plus…" The tone of Shani's voice changed… dropping in pitch as if she were touching on a sore subject… "I always want to make sure Dad is home…"
Robert Cougar cleared his throat as he sat up. He had this talk with his daughter a LONG time ago… about why it was important for him to do what he did. Although they had come to an understanding, it didn't mean they had to like it! A long time ago, after she refused to allow him to teach Khalid, he had learned to let it go. He was her son… and he had to respect that… Just as he and Crystal made their decisions about their children, she had a right to do the same… "Perhaps one day you can see it, young man. Khalid's seen it himself, although he was young when he did..."
Shani's eyes dropped down slightly as she remembered what for her was one of the most painful times of her life. "Yes… After Malik Jr. died, I let Dad and Zeke look after the children for a while… during which time my husband and I rebuilt the house."
"That estate always remains in the family… as it had for hundreds of years. We've had to fight considerably to keep it out of other hands."
Shani nodded hastily. "He's right, Michael… My mother used to tell me stories on how the White men would come by with any and every paper trying to take the land away. Each time, she met them with her rifle."
"Your mother must have been a special woman to have got away with that."
"She was…" Shani brought her hand to her eyes and started wiping some tears away. "She was… Excuse me… I've better get started on dinner…" Crying, she walked toward the kitchen, pulling out groceries.
Mike was about to stand up to follow her, but Cougar held his hand out. "She'll be okay… Trust me. It was painful for both of us when her mother passed away a few years ago. Without her strength, I'm not sure I would have made it… Out of all my children, Shani and Zeke are the last ones."
Mike felt the blood leave his face. All of a sudden, his sympathy for his new "mother" had really grown. He knows exactly what it was like to be the last one left… and faced with starting something else with very little. "You had five children?"
Cougar met his eyes with something of a pained look on his face as he spoke. "Yes… My youngest child, Joni… She died very young… bit by a rattle-snake. I was away at the time… and then almost thirty years ago, my daughter Carolyn and her family were killed… in a car accident. Just two years ago, my oldest boy John died… cirrhosis of the liver."
That last part hit really close to Mike… He had remembered his own battle with the bottle… and that he was still fighting it. Khalid had mentioned some time ago shortly after joining the BHC that one of his uncles had drunk himself to death. Now, he understood. Khalid was wary about drinking… although he did admit to doing it every once in a while. Getting drunk was something he did rarely… one reason having come to light most recently… (Only Human.) "I see…"
Cougar leaned back with a pleasant look of nostalgia as he reminisced about his children… both the good times and the other times… "My boy Zeke… he was Malik's roommate in college. The two of them did everything together… got in trouble together. Best friends."
"So… you still have someone to carry on the family name?"
"I'm afraid not. I should have been more specific… His name is Father Thomas Ezekiel Elijah Cougar of Our Lady of Hope Church in Nashville, TN."
"Oh…"
"Nonsense! He makes me proud… It takes a special man to allow himself to such a calling… and walk way from everything he had going for him to do it. He's a man of his convictions, which is more than I can say about so many other people today. I respect him. Besides… To me, it isn't the name. Grandchildren are grandchildren no matter what wrapping they come in or their epithet. I cherish all my grandchildren, Breslin… Even the 'adopted' ones. In my seventy-eight years, I have had four of my grandchildren die on me… As long as I breathe, I will do my best to protect the rest of them… as I have tried to do throughout the years. I could not be around all the time, but I will try…"
"That is more than anyone can ask… Really."
Cougar grew quietly as he chided himself yet again. Anyone but himself… "Yes… Perhaps… but it does not mean it hurts any less."
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Khalid tried to keep it together… all the buzzing voices in his head speaking at once… They were mumbling something in some language he didn't understand… making sounds… whispering for him to do things he not dare… calling to his primal urges…
Then, he felt a wall of flame hit him… "What…."
Harry sneered as he spoke… but the words didn't belong to him… The words sounded awfully like something he had once said… something he had once THOUGHT. "We're coming for you. By your blood, he will be reborn."
"What?! Who?!"
"Oh, you'll know soon enough… and accept it for eternity!
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Justin Mills knew that the Indiana State line was coming up. At least, that is what the signs say. He had to admit… the Chevy was running like a dream. Of course it was… He fixed it. Just like he fixed that margarita the other night. Mmmmmm… that was good. Gummy bears… gummy bears… bouncy and juicy like gummy bears… Wait… That arch… What was that arch? Oh yeah… That was the Indiana State line. What was he supposed to do, again? Oh yeah… pull off at the rest area… but the nearest one wasn't for a few miles… Scooby Dooby Doo… Looking for you…
His lack of concentration was broken as the sleeping man sat up bolt right in his seat. Khalid's aura flared up yellow, instead of the usual red as he stared blankly... "Whoa… Khalid… must have been some wild dream! You have to be a little more careful with that thing… you might blind someone… or set something on fire… Hey, Khalid? Khalid? Lion-Boy… Rook-Guy… Music-Man… Khal… Hey! YOU!"
Khalid's eyes flashed brightly. Justin realized then that Khalid was in one of his trademark trances. Khalid's head slowly turned out the window looking at something outside… Justin tried to see what it was, but he didn't look. With him driving at 70 mph, that might not have been too wise… At the way things were going, he may as well count on driving the rest of the two hours to Lehigh. "Khalid? Khalid?!"
He didn't give an answer…
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The woman in the green cloak turned off the screen in frustration as she turned toward her superior… also, her lover. "We lost them…"
His green hair flying around him, Tendril stomped his foot on the floor of the aircraft, immediately pacing back and forth. Betraying his agitation, the ectoplasmic spindles that served as his power started flowing out of him. "What do you MEAN you lost them, Liz?! They were driving a big, blue, Chevy truck… on an interstate highway… One of them radiates a mutant signature the OTHER magic! HOW CAN YOU LOSE THEM??!! This is no time for games, girl… Obsydian already wants me gone!"
Lizard pulled her hood back, smoothing her short, auburn hair. Although she and Tendril were an item, he always did have a tendency to play up things… even though he wasn't right now. She never told him, but Obsydian would never have Tendril killed… at least that is what Obsydian told her in bed… "One minute, the signature was there… the next minute it disappeared… even disappearing from visual! I think he's on to us… I don't think we'll be able to find them again."
Tendril relaxed… somewhat. "No matter… I suppose I'm overreacting… We do know where they went… The Necromancer told us before we left. Lehigh, Indiana."
"Should we attempt to take him?"
"Only with the perfect opportunity. We don't want our 'friends' to learn anything about this… not yet, anyway… For now, they shall remain in the dark. For that purpose, none are to kill the family. That would be a dead giveaway. The Purified is to be taken alive and unharmed..."
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Justin saw it happen the second Khalid stepped out of the truck. A yellow wave of light left him, traveling all around the yard… hitting everything… even Justin himself. For a minute, Khalid's head jerked toward the woods as if he were surprised by something… then turned back toward center. Justin wasn't sure what he did… he certainly felt the same. "Khalid… are you okay? Khalid?"
The second the yellow aura dropped from around Khalid, he fell against the truck, leaning on it. "Damn… I feel tired… Don't even remember… stepping out of the truck… What the… We're home?!"
Justin came up beside Khalid, steadying him until he could get his bearings. "Let's get something straight… I'M the one who's supposed to do weird funky shit scaring people… then YOU are the one who is supposed to chide me on it… and what's the deal with the light show?!"
Khalid tried to keep steady and stand on his feet again. "Light show? What?!"
"We'll talk… What did you see over there? Toward the woods?"
Khalid finally felt his strength returning. "I don't know what you are talking about. Hell… If I went into a trance, I usually don't remember anything." Khalid did glance back toward the woods over at the outer edge of the property. Only a few acres, he and his siblings had spent considerable time playing in it when they were younger. At the very edge was a small creek that had some fish in it… not very many. Although now that you mention it, I do have a feeling that something is out in the woods…
Their attention was diverted by the creak of the front door and the light on the porch. "About TIME you arrived… You had us all worried!" Shani Hunter walked out of the house, her arms crossed. Although her words were admonishing, her face radiated happiness. More than anything else, she wanted her children home.
Malik came up beside her, letting himself get adjusted to the crisp fall air. Yeah… There was going to be a little frost tonight. The two of them walked toward the truck, both glad to see their son. "I should say that you had HER worried… Everyone else was thinking 'More pumpkin pie for us!'"
"Malik!" Shani jokingly punched him in the stomach. "Forgive my husband… I think his senses vacated him."
Behind them, everyone else started filing out of the house. Philippe, as expected, was the first one out the door. Although he was already fourteen years old, he played the youngest part to the hilt. When he was younger, he was already seeing his older siblings leave the house. Khalid was one of the few to hang around until at least after he turned 9. Then, it was just him and Stefan. They didn't get to talk much, but in some ways, he felt closer to Khalid than anyone else. "All right! I was wondering when you'd get here… I mean… I haven't seen you in two years!"
"Geesh, Philippe… have you been sneaking in supplements of Human Growth Hormone? You weren't 5' 11" last time I saw you!"
"Hey… Now you WATCH it… I'm not the one who was nicknamed Tater!"
Khalid tossed his suitcase toward Philippe, watching him grunt as he caught it. Although Philippe was tall, he had not filled out, yet. "Don't make me come kick your aaaa---"
Shani jerked her head toward her fifth child. "Khalid Robert Eze…"
Khalid's eyes opened wide. Uh oh… "---aaaaaaaaCHOOO!!!!!! Sorry… sudden sneeze… Geesh, Mom! What'd you think I was going to say? ATTitude… You know I know better!" Then, he glared back toward Philippe, keeping his voice low. "…and don't you call me Tater again… Twig!"
Shani shook her head in disbelief as she tried not to laugh at their antics. Khalid and Philippe were both famous for skirting just around the edge… Her children… Her eyes light with joy, she faced Justin bidding him to set his suitcase on the driveway. "So, you must be Justin! Welcome to my home… I trust that Khalid wasn't too much of a bore in the car."
"HEY!"
Justin hugged her and stepped back a little. "No… We did have a little incident where he got too rowdy at a rest area, but I set him straight."
Khalid craned his head toward Justin, not believing what he just heard. "Now hold on, there… Jive turkey!"
Malik laughed at the two of them as he extended his hand to Justin and shook it firmly. "Hey! This one has a strong grip… I think I like you. You oughtta fit in fine around here. And Zeke, about TIME you made it back here…" He shook his son's hand, somewhat noticing that it felt different. "Hey! You forget how to eat right up there? You lost some weight! You don't seem NEARLY strong enough! Maybe I need to get you some vitamins…"
"Dad…. I'm fine."
Stefan sneered down at him, keeping his distance from the porch. Although everyone else had eagerly approached the car, he hung back. "Even with that guy stalking you? (John Gardino from "Only Human") I mean… I thought you just got done dealing with ANOTHER stalker…" (He means Mjimbe from "A Vengeful Spirit")
Khalid gritted his teeth at his brother's jibes. Stefan had not been too pleased when Khalid dragged him to the airport and threw him on the first plane out of New York… and of course, Khalid refused to tell him anything that was going on. He was not sure how, but he smelled something abrewing with Stefan. That kid always seemed to have one problem or another with Khalid…. Khalid remembered those few days Stefan was at his old apartment… the kid barely spoke to him! "Hey… Some of the 'perks' of the life, if you know what I mean."
Philippe ran his hands along the warm hood of the truck. "Whoa! When'd you buy this rascal?!"
"Just a month ago… Be good and I might give it to you for a graduation present."
"Cool! I was trying to convince Mom that I needed one, but I can't find the right time… She's been having those dreams again…"
Khalid stumbled a little as he heard that last comment from his younger brother. Unlike Stefan, the kid wasn't starting anything… he was warning him of trouble on the horizon.
"Uh oh… Like Grandpop said, you get a bad dream, watch out." Finally. Khalid met the eyes of his grandfather, Robert Cougar. As of late, their relationship has been somewhat strained. Cougar had known for years that Khalid had latent magic… magic that just recently made itself manifest… and did not tell him at all. Just a few months ago, that magic got him possessed by a demon from Hell… "Grandpop."
"Khalid… Nice to see you. I thought I was going to have to go to New York and drag you here."
"No… of course you weren't! You know better…"
Shani knew that the two of them had stuff to talk about… stuff that she would rather not know. "Philippe, pick up Justin's suitcase… Let's go in, everyone. If I stand out in this cold much longer, I'm going to catch pneumonia!"
Malik looked toward her incredulously. "Hey… Is that a statement or did your…" Shani grabbed him by the ear and dragged him. Laughing, everyone else started walking inside. Khalid was about to follow, but he saw the look in his grandfather's eyes. The guy wanted to talk.
He also caught another look… this time from Stefan, who was the last person to go in the house. The kid glared angrily at Khalid, a silent warning that unlike everyone else, he was not falling all over himself to make Khalid feel at home. Khalid met his glare, with one as venomous as his. Khalid was not one to start shit, however he would not let anyone roll over him… especially, his brother. Put simply, he knew that the kid was stirring something up…
The silent communication between them did not go unnoticed by Cougar. Between the two of them, it was and would never be a contest. Khalid was taller, heavier, faster, and had a higher tolerance for pain… He would win a fight even blindfolded. With a glare from Cougar, Stefan closed the door. (and locked it, so he noticed…) "Khalid… Let's talk." Grabbing Khalid by the shoulder, Cougar pushed him so that they were heading toward the now-harvested cornfield. "Khalid… I sensed you cast a spell when you stepped out of the truck… You hit everyone."
Khalid looked toward the ground as he walked out. Although the full moon lit up the ground more than enough to see, he always was careful how when he walked out here. The last time he was out in a cornfield, he had nearly been beaten to death… (Starting Over) "Justin mentioned something about it… Though I don't remember any of it… Or hardly anything. You have no idea how frustrating it can be."
"You're right… I don't. I have to admit… I should have told you earlier about your powers… maybe even helped them along. Your mother was only looking out for your best interests when she stopped me. She knew what kind of path it would lead to…"
"Grandpop… I've told you about the 'animal', right?"
"Yes… I remember. To be honest, I think I knew about it before. I suspected that was why you took so well when I taught you to track. From your aura, I see that it is something carried over from your previous life."
"Prince Mufasa…" At that moment a very disturbing thought crossed his mind… a prominent thing that played out in his dreams was that he had given voice to these animal urges just as Mufasa had… Grandpop had told him a long time ago that Mufasa was already returning. (Dark Light) For some reason, Khalid briefly wondered if it perhaps wasn't something a little worse than that…
"Exactly. Khalid… Do you know what you did when you stepped out of the truck?"
"No… Justin told me that I pulled some sort of light show… and you told me that I just cast a spell…"
At that moment, Cougar stopped in his tracks. Although he knew that Khalid had only mastered… or even bothered with small uses of the magic, such as talking to animals and occasionally plants, this visibly bothered him. He knew Khalid had exorcised a demon out of someone (Hell Hath No Fury)… and at one point forced a spirit bond with Grover (Lethal Legacy)… "It was a cloaking spell… hiding everything living from detection. Quite an advanced spell… One I can only use on myself. Khalid… is there something going on?"
"I don't know… I just felt…"
"Khalid…"
"I don't know what is going on. For some reason, I just feel that everything is spiraling out of control… I don't know. My life was just coming together… and now I feel like I'm being confronted with everything at once."
"Khalid… I think that it is best that we discuss these trances of yours. That is not a normal effect of the magic… and it concerns me to see you casting advanced spells without training… and not remembering it."
Khalid looked upward toward the November sky, looking at the thick cloud front that was now rolling in from the west. Until he moved to his new house in Pridesville, he had all but forgotten just how fresh… how clear it was. He had long missed it, having practically locked himself away with the Hellions… the very Hellions that now hated his guts. Yeah… It's strange… I bet I could be the most powerful mutant on Earth… Yeah… with the uncanny mutant power to make anyone and everyone hate my guts! "Grandpop, I… I really do not feel up to discussing it… or much of anything along those lines. Forgive me, but my nerves are somewhat on edge. Just not now. Please."
Robert Cougar took a deep look at his grandson… the grandson who was very much like him in more ways than he would admit. On the other hand, he knew that there was something different. Although Khalid for the most part keeps his feelings to himself, he really did feel secure with himself as a person. He didn't feel secure with his place in the world, though. He knew where he wanted to be… and he knew where he was. Was it about power, fame, or riches? No… Not at all. He performed because he enjoyed it… because it meant something to him. Like his own son Zeke, Cougar had to respect a man dedicated to a calling… something he enjoyed… dedicated to having a positive effect on other people. (Although Khalid would never admit it.) "Fine… I will respect your wishes, then. Just remember, should you decide to discuss it, you can always speak to me."
With that, Cougar turned to go back into the house. For a moment, Khalid stood on the edge of the cornfield staring into the sky… A single tear formed in his eye, rolling down his cheek. As for why, he didn't know. Khalid just had an overwhelming feeling of despair wash over him. He started toward his house, again, his eye catching on the woods. Again, he was sure… Something was in those woods. He couldn't explain it, but he had the distinct feeling that something was out there… not an immediate threat. Without bothering to check what it was, Khalid went inside.
The man in the woods sneered as he watched the young man enter the farmhouse… feeling safe and secure… apparently knowing none the wiser. How easy he had intruded on his domain. Should he wish, he could have already been in the house and wiped out everyone who slept and talked inside. Yet, that was not the reason he came. He had come to do nothing but observe… to watch… to learn…
He had to admit, though, that he felt left out… Incredibly left out. He did not know why he felt that way. He had never been one to celebrate American holidays. What was the point when he had no family? No friends? Still, though, one tormented soul stayed and watched… feeling that it was his place. Strangely enough, though, the minute when Khalid Hunter arrived at his house… and performed that light show, he had felt his bloodlust subdued… taken away. Patrick Walsh sank in the shadows of the night, knowing that for now, there was nothing more to see from the family he didn't know…
End Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
This time of year, Akiko Tanaka wanted nothing more than to be with her family for the holiday. This year, she just could not do it. She cannot go to her mother and explain that Harry, her twin brother, started acting crazy and disappeared. That is just not something you go and tell your mother two weeks before Hanukkah. She had never really got along well with her father over in Britain…
So, this year she arranged to give a lecture at the Manhattan Anthropology Convention. Shortly before she left Egypt, she had heard some discussion among the archaeology circles that someone was close to finding the legendary scrolls of some ancient Kemetian alchemist named Akim. She was not interested in ancient artifacts, however. She was only concerned with understanding people.
Harry was the archeologist… dedicated to a life of traipsing through the mud looking for ancient artifacts. Granted, Akiko had made the more important discoveries, however she had gracefully credited her brother with all of them. He had let his feelings of inadequacy and of jealousy cause him to occasionally do the most stupid things. Case in point, when he translated Khalid's tattoo on his right arm and released a demon into the world (Lethal Legacy). Granted, he had no idea that Khalid's body had been a bargaining chip in a demonic transaction hundreds of years ago, but common sense would say "If a demon tries to kill you on the first try, leave him the hell alone." He had seen the effect before when they had started… It didn't make sense to do it again.
Although she is slated to speak at the Egyptology discussion, Akiko Tanaka came to the United States for one reason only… out of concern for her twin brother. Harry had been acting strangely ever since Khalid and his friends had left. She knew that there were problems when he stole the page out of her journal with Khalid's tattoo traced on it. She had meant to burn it herself after everything went down, but just plain forgot. Now, somewhere out there a crazed Harry Tanaka was running around… with something that was too dangerous to comprehend. If anyone had the resources to find Harry before he did something crazy, it was the Hellfire Club. However, there was only one man she trusted in the Hellfire Club… Khalid Hunter…
Digging through her beige purse, Akiko finally found the electronic keycard to her suite. One advantage to being solicited by the Manhattan Anthropologist's Association is that they pay to the hilt. A limousine to drive her around… three meals a day… a luxury suite at the Hilton. A few years ago, she would have killed for an opportunity like this. Now, it was hollow… She'd give it all back. She just plain didn't care…
"Ms. Tanaka…"
Akiko jumped in place, her heart skipping loudly. The yellow-glowing pair of eyes leapt out at her from the darkness of her hotel room. But… Khalid's eyes flashed red… and although it was close, it is not the right shade of yellow for a trance… not to mention the voice… Turning the light switch, she came the rest of the way into her guest room, taking a sigh of relief when she saw the man who owned them. "Grover?! You shocked me… I have to admit that I was not expecting you…"
Calmly, Grover sat at the table next to the wide-screen television, with his ankle resting against his knee. "I'm sorry to scare you. I felt that this should probably be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. I hope you didn't mind me letting myself in."
Placing her purse on the closet shelf, Akiko slipped out of her trench coat hanging it on the hanger. "No… no… Considering what I've seen in the past few months, I think I'm ready for everything… Where is Khalid? I thought…"
"Akiko, Khalid has not received your e-mail yet… There was an unfortunate… um… accident with his computer before he went on vacation (Lethal Legacy). It was routed to my mailbox. I didn’t notice it until I was clearing it out yesterday. Granted, I am not Khalid, but…"
Silently, she walked toward the couch in her guest suite, opening a shiny black cookbook that had been laid on the glass coffee table. "I thought that I could only tell this to Khalid, but I think I can trust you. Before he left Cairo, he told me that he trusted you like family…"
Yeah… he said that AFTER he was bonded to the gauntlets… after he was bonded to me! Does he have the faintest clue what Gomurr did to us? "What I read in the e-mail sounded pretty serious. What can you tell me?"
Akiko reached inside the open cook book and taking out a folded piece of paper, obviously originally from her field journal. "You know what I know." Just as the e-mail said, Harry Tanaka had drawn a pyramid with an eye peeking out the top. Beneath it, he had scribbled the word "purified" in blood. What was that about? Grover wasn't sure why, but that word stuck in his head… For some reason, he was sure that it had something to do with that vision an entranced Khalid forced in his mind in Egypt… the one with Khalid's pregnant mother soaking wet running out of a thunderstorm into a church to pray. (Lethal Legacy) Might Khalid have an idea what it means? Or… might Khalid's mother?
Neither Khalid nor Cougar seemed to be surprised that she rushed on a plane to New York around the same time Estophalum possessed Khalid. Khalid had once joked that when he was younger, he would sometimes get into trouble for doing something before he even did it. Maybe he wasn't joking… For some reason, it did not really seem all to foreign to him that she was in that church because she knew she NEEDED to be in that church that night that moment.
Akiko's voice called from the couch, breaking Grover's train of thought. "Do you think you are going to be able to find Harry? I mean… You should have seen him before he left… He's always been strange, like his gorgeous fashion-model, anthropologist twin sister, but the way he was acting before he left… It was disturbing. I'm worried about him."
Grover slowly folded the paper up and slipped it into his pocket. "Akiko, I'm not sure. People are hard to find, even with resources as advanced as the Hellfire Club's. If I am able to find him, it will be because of something in this message. I'll do my best, but I'm not going to lull you into a false sense of security by telling you that finding Harry will be easy. This does not look good… especially given what else you have told me. And, of course, the Hellfire Club is not exactly renowned for working positive change."
Akiko leaned back against the couch, her hand on her chin. "I know… I'm just going to say that I trust you because I trust Khalid. If you don't find anything, then I will not say that it is for want of trying. Just… Please…"
"I'll try. Take care, Akiko."
"You too."
With that, Grover flew out the window.
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"God DAMN it! Damn tractor… I can NEVER get it to work… always messing on me." Justin Mills saw the diminutive Malik Hunter launch into a fit of curses as he tried to get it started. It was a funny sight, in a way… "I've practically taken this apart several hundred times trying to figure out what is wrong with it. For over ten years, it has done this exact same thing on these cold mornings… refused to start. I keep on trying to buy a new one, but NOOO… Shani keeps on saying to me…" Justin bit back the laugh as Malik's voice slipped into a falsetto imitation of his wife's voice. "'Nonsense, Malik… It is in perfect working order… One of these days, you'll find out that it is something ridiculously small…' Bah! Sometimes I think that her flashes of 'insight' are nothing… She may be correct a lot of the time, but she is not without error. This damn thing NEVER wants to act right…"
Justin Mills craned his head. "Try it again. Let me hear it."
"I don't know why, son… It just doesn't want to until the temperature warms up a little, but here it goes." Malik cranked the engine again. Just like every morning for ten years, it tried to crank up, but each time before it got started, it backed down. "Just like every time."
"Sounds like a fueling problem… Let me take a look." Watching him get off the tractor, Justin placed two rocks firmly in the ground behind the wheels and tipped the tractor up. Reaching up from beneath, he felt around. "Nope… nope… nope…"
Malik watched the scene with his eyes wide open. That kid picked up the tractor like it was nothing. "Are you…"
"Found it. Some bent thingamajig… I fixed it back into place." Finally, he set it down, brushing his hand across the hood. With that, he reached over and turned the key. It started up silent as a kitten… quieter than it has ever.
How?! I don't get it… anyone else would have popped the hood and… I… I… Before Malik could check anything else out, Philippe poked his head into the garage. The youngest of the Hunter children, he just started high school. In a way, he was everything at once… comedian… academic… athlete… but, he still had his moments. "Hey Dad… Mom told me to tell you that she told you so."
Malik grumbled… Snapping his head back toward Philippe, he watched his son quickly dart back inside. Climbing into the seat on the tractor, he backed it out of the garage. He hated it when his wife was proved right yet again…
End Chapter Four
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Chapter Five
"Let me get this straight… You've never had to clean out the stables?"
Khalid shook his head emphatically back and forth as he raised his hands. "Nope… hardly ever. The horses and the cows do all their business outside. Go take a look."
Michael Breslin almost ran into the stables. This he HAD to see… One thing about stables was that they ALWAYS had to be cleaned out. He just could not buy Khalid's assertion that horses and cows do their business outside. The second he got in, he was surprised. Khalid was right… Khalid was absolutely right. "What the… No smell… not a dook anywhere!"
Khalid walked in behind him, leaning his back against the door frame. "Damn right, there isn't. I got sick of cleaning up that shit when I was young, so I told the horses and cows to do their business outside. It makes it much easier to gather it for manure."
"WHAT?! You don't house-train horses and cows… I mean… It just isn't done."
Khalid's eyebrows raised as he let out a small chuckle. "Really? Bert… Jenny… come on over here. He doesn't believe me."
At that moment, Michael felt a nudge in the back of the neck. Spinning around, he saw a rather large silky ebony horse neighing directly in his face. "Gaaah…"
"No, Bert. I consider him my friend."
Michael turned back toward Khalid, somewhat stunned at what he just saw. He had remembered hearing that Khalid had been doing that since he was a child, but he had never seen it. "I forgot you did that…"
Khalid walked over petting Bert's nose. "You have to admit… It is not exactly a skill that comes in useful in the big city… or as people around the HFC's seem to be concerned with, the heat of battle." The horse neighed again. "Yeah… You're right about that. Don't worry… He's safe. I mean… she's a big girl. You are going to have to relax." Khalid handed Michael a saddle. "Sorry about Bert over here… He's always pulling the overprotective father bit…"
Jenny neighed as she came up beside Michael. "She says that you can ride her."
"Whoa… wait a minute, here… I'm not exactly comfortable with riding a horse." As if she were responding to what he said, Jenny neighed again.
Khalid put the saddle on Jenny first and then on Bert, being careful as he buckled them. "Oh… Don't worry. She says that she'll go easy on you…" At that moment, Michael saw Bert nudge Khalid in the nose, neighing loudly. Khalid's head jerked back as he brought his hand to his face, wiping the horse slobber off. "Geesh! No! It was not THAT kind of joke! I swear, Bert… You are getting just as bad as Shane over there." From inside the stable, another horse loudly called out its protest from the stable. "Now don't YOU start, you perv!"
Horses with dirty minds? That's a scary thought… Mike looked back and forth, not able to believe the banter Khalid had with these animals. It was as if they opened up to him. He just did it so calmly and easily that it was like second nature. "All right, Khalid… where are we headed?"
"I don't know, yet… I haven't been near the woods in a while. We might check that out."
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Angrily, Stefan glared out the window of the living room as he watched Khalid and his blonde-haired guest ride off toward the woods. It just really angered him that Khalid came back home… or that everyone just greeted him with open arms! He had to admit that he did not mind spending a few days in Khalid's apartment while in New York. For the most part, that worked out just fine. Khalid let him know early on that he probably could not get out of his gigs… as if Stefan gave a flying fuck about being around his brother. Stefan was more looking toward having the space to check out the surrounding businesses and check out Julliard.
What really did it was when, Khalid got that threatening and disturbing almost demonic message on his answering machine (A Vengeful Spirit). The first thing he did? Throw Stefan on a plane coming out of New York without any kind of explanation. Put simply, his brother's antics disgusted him. Time after time after time, he is having all of this stuff happening to him… whether it be getting the shit beat out of him by football players, beating the shit out of some gay robber, going on tour, getting performances busted up, allegedly going BLIND for months! (Stefan still had trouble believing that one.) It was just damn ridiculous. No one else he knows ever goes through that much shit.
He had a feeling that the family as a whole would just be better off if Khalid just dropped off the face of the Earth. With him, there was always something else going on. It was pathetic. Then, Mom might have a decent night's sleep without constantly worry about that jackass. It was maddening how everyone kept talking about Khalid this… Khalid that. How about who GIVES a damn?!
What his mother had failed to mention to Khalid was just how much he had managed to piss off his siblings. Dante and Dwayne both refused to come home specifically because Khalid was coming. Hell… that is why Rhonda called this morning. She agreed with them - Khalid just put their family through too much with all this shit happening to him. Like she had said, the first few times… fine. After a while, though, you just start to wonder whether or not he's actually CAUSING them! The odds were astronomical… Nothing could create odds like that. IT NEVER STOPS!
Put simply, the entire family was divided over him. Stefan, Dante, Dwayne, and Rhonda all have had enough of their brother's antics. Mom and Dad would never put their foot down on him. Philippe for the most part was too young to remember when this shit started happening… although he'd THINK that Philippe would wise up sooner or later. The only reason Malik Jr. didn't was because he was dead. Gerald didn’t count because he was just Rhonda's husband. Grandpop didn't really count because the old geezer spent all his time gallivanting around the world anyway. Grandpa Hunter rarely showed up.
Stefan just had one conclusion to make. This all stemmed from the fact that Khalid was a damned mutant. Whether he intended to or not, he was a beacon for trouble. They would all just be better off if Khalid just disappeared and didn’t come back. Last year was wonderful… Khalid was off in Sydney, Australia with that commie saxophonist's band and what's-his-name… that fag he went to school with. Everyone gathered except for Khalid… and they had a WONDERFUL time. Whenever Khalid's name was mentioned, it was just as quickly dropped and went on. Now, Khalid had come back… and everyone else didn't.
"Stefan… there you are." Cougar walked in through the kitchen, standing behind the sofa, very troubled by the expression on Stefan's face. He knew right after Khalid had arrived that the kid's attitude was trouble. He had remembered seeing something similar from his own brother when he first returned from the war. (Tortured Souls) "I was wondering about you… How come you are inside?"
"Sorry, Grandpop… I'm not feeling too well. It must have something to do with someon-- something in the air."
Cougar took a deep breath. Although neither Shani nor Malik would mention it, he had seen it developing before… especially after Khalid had gone to court over that robber (Only Human). Christmas last year had particularly disturbed him… especially when Stefan and the older children were discussing how they were GLAD Khalid was in Holland! "I think perhaps you are looking at it the wrong way. Everyone has a different path in life. Some are harder than others, but each has their virtue."
"I'm not even going to argue about it, Grandpop. With what he has put this family through, I don't see his 'path' being any different than any of ours… except that he intentionally chooses to walk it ass-backwards!"
"Hold on… You have not walked in his shoes, Stefan… Just as I have not walked in yours. You need to look at the core personality. Just like everyone else in the family, he has a good heart. Just like everyone else in the family, he will stop everything at the drop of a dime. That is what you need to look at. If you'll notice, since he left home, he has chosen NOT to keep you informed of his troubles…"
"That shit is still happening… and he could have stopped it!"
"Watch you language, Stefan… I am still your grandfather. You have no IDEA what he has been through in the last year. You only know what he's told you or you have seen on television. He keeps it that way because he DOESN'T want you to worry… Both times I have visited him, he has been in one type of situation or another… and he keeps coming back."
"Easy for you to stick up for him anyway… He was always your favorite!"
At that moment, Cougar's voice dropped low… and downright cold. As he spoke, he slowly closed the distance between him and his grandson, locking his eyes. With respect to Robert Cougar, he was a difficult man to read. That was partly what made him dangerous. Only people close to him can even hope to interpret him. Stefan knew by this glare that Cougar was angry… downright furious. While most people might have backed down, Stefan didn't. To him, his allegation had grounds. "Now, it is your jealousy speaking… I love each and every one of my grandchildren the same. In my lifetime, I have had to bury four grandchildren… and at each funeral, I have wept. I have traveled thousands of miles from the other side of the world at the drop of a dime to see your art shows… or your graduation… or for Rhonda's engagement party… or Dante and Dwayne's magazine publication… or Philippe's soccer games… or Malik Jr.'s recitals… perhaps in some futile attempt not to miss the better part of your growing up. However, I have NEVER seen Khalid perform… AT ALL… and he's been making a living at it since before he even moved out. Do not presume to speak to me of 'favorite grandchildren,' because they do not exist."
Stefan met his glare with one of his own. He did have to admit… Cougar did make sure to attend the biggest functions of his grandchildren's lives… and he never did see him at one of Khalid's concerts. Cougar had his moments with just about each member of the family… but for Stefan it more pissed him off that Cougar was standing up for Khalid. Shani was his daughter… He KNOWS the kind of nightmares she has. If anyone should be on their side, it should be him. "What was that about you teaching him to track? Huh? How come you never taught anyone else that?"
"Three reasons, Stefan. The first is that none of the older children WANTED to. The second is that by the time you were old enough to get started, your mother had expressed to me that she wanted me to stop. There is a third, but if you want to learn that reason, then I suggest that you go to Khalid and ask him yourself. I'm not telling."
Angrily, Stefan stormed out of the room, being careful to step around Cougar. Cougar sensed trouble coming out of him… and he didn't know how. Then again, Stefan is still awash in a sea of hormones from adolescence. He'll grow out of his hot-headedness…
Cougar looked out the window toward the woods… Khalid was looking at the woods yesterday… and now I find myself doing it, too. Something is out there…
End Chapter Five
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Chapter Six:
"So, Justin… Tell me about yourself. I'd try to shake something out of Khalid, but he never speaks."
As Justin sat on the patio swinging bench overlooking the farm, he just had to admit. He liked it, here. It was definitely a different place… has the cornfield over there… the smaller garden in the back… the woods away from the house… He even heard Khalid mention that not far from here was a lake. Justin wondered what it would be like living on a farm… with Rhiannon LeBeau in an apron… and 101 Telepathic Persians meowing at their feet… "Our own Persian Plantation…"
Shani and Malik Hunter jerked in their respective chairs and slowly glanced toward each other questioningly. Where that had come from, they really had no idea. Malik raised his grayish eyebrow and quietly called out to Justin, who was lost in thought. "Justin?"
"Oh! Um… what was the question?"
"Tell us about yourself… What you do… Your childhood… anything you want." Malik sat back in his chair resting his head against on his hand. Out of habit, he ran his other hand through his gray hair, scratching his scalp. "We just want to know a little about the people visiting our home."
"Well… Let's see… I'm a really super-strong mercenary with diamond-hard skin who makes his living going around and rescuing beautiful woman from oppressive, disgusting monsters… Weekends, I go to a castle in New York where I am supposed to be some kind of monster specialist, but I really hate magic… On my days off, I get the snot beat out of me by this really small, but super-strong, Black man from outer space. Hmmm… Also, I run a multimillion-dollar firm based out of Texas. That about describes my life. Oh yeah… and my undead girlfriend dyes her blonde hair blue, wears too much make-up, has a telepathic cat and a talking lion with the ability to turn invisible."
Shani and Malik again met each other's glances, trying to make sense of what Justin had told them. Malik had remembered Khalid telling him over the phone that Justin was not exactly the most focused person… and that he tended to get things mixed up… BADLY. Malik however also thought to himself, Well… he IS superstrong, lifting that trailer like it was nothing… but getting beat up by aliens? Undead girlfriend? Telepathic cats? BEING A MERC??!!
Slowly, Malik stood up, grabbing Justin firmly by the shoulder. "Son… have you considered help?"
Justin shook his head as he laughed. He pushed the swinging bench back and forth again, not even wondering to himself whether or not it could support his weight. "Nah… I can handle George the Lion. That lion really does have a mild personality. You better watch him around ice-cream, though… In a heartbeat, he will snap his mouth around your hand and not release go until you let go of the cone. I think he stole the idea from that Taco Bell dog… YIP! YIP! Yo quiero taco bell! GorDItas! GorDItas! Cornbread cradles three! Try Supreme toDAY! Then Santa Fe! Fiesta we love THEE! GorDITAS! Let's go get one now!"
Shani burst out laughing having seen Justin launch into his soliloquy. "Justin… Khalid was right. You are DEFINITELY one trip! I'd better finish grading those papers now. Malik… can you pick up a few things for me from the store?"
Malik walked toward the door, patting Justin on the shoulder as he went by. "Son… I like you. Don't ever change."
Justin looked down and sniffed his shirt. "Change? I don't know… after all that work this morning, I think maybe I need to! You know, the doctors say that you should change every day because that keeps the fungus from building up on your… skin…" He looked around, noticing that no one else was around. "And… I'm alone… um… this does not feel…"
Philippe walked up toward the patio followed by Kix the dog. "Hey, Justin… What's going on?"
"Hey…. Um… Philippe, right?"
Philippe extended his hand and shook it. Damn! This guy's strong! "Yep… Just got back from practice. I can't believe that they won't give us the three days before Thanksgiving. It's ridiculous! I'm glad I just got out of school today, but it was still a pain… not to mention practice afterwards… the joy of high school. Did they do that to you when you were in school?"
Justin was about to answer that, but he thought better of it. There were just some things that Philippe didn't need to know. "Schooling's been eccentric. Tell me about this place."
"Well… As you no doubt know from driving here, Lehigh is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and hills. That's kind of what I like about it. When my parents moved up here shortly after they got married, they were the only non-White people in the area. Needless to say, that they had trouble before they finally settled in. Everything has been up and down with them ever since. I really don't know what else to tell you. Mom teaches at the high school… Dad works on the farm… fixes computers on the side… We all usually help out when we can. Only recently has anything been stable. Thank God, Khalid snuck behind Dad's back and paid off the house after he started working for that stuffy school up in New York. I don't even remember what it was called…"
"Hey! I went to that stuffy school!"
Philippe winced as he heard that… Whoa boy… "Ooops! Sorry! Heheheh… I forgot! Um… er… Time for me to do my chores! Wanna help out?"
"Sure! Why not? I need to do something!"
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"Hey, Khalid… I'm going to head back over to the house, now. Your Mom told me that she was going to show me baby pictures of you with an afro!"
Khalid burst out laughing as he pulled his horse to a stop. He had never thought anyone would be so determined to find a photo taken over twenty years ago… Although, he had to admit… He was kind of put off by the possibility of his Mom showing Mike some photon he DIDN'T want Mike to see, but he'd get over it. It's better than being called Tater. "No problem. Have fun… I'm going to hang around here a little bit and search for walnuts. Just let Jenny drop you off in front of the house. She knows where to go next."
With that, Mike and Jenny trotted off toward the house. Glancing around briefly, Khalid slowly dismounted. He had not wanted to tell Mike this, but something was ringing in his head loud and clear that something was out here. He wanted to keep this as absolutely quiet as possible. "All right, Bert, you head back to the stables, too. I need to check something out…" The horse neighed. "Don't argue with me! Now go!" Slapping his hand across the horse's rear, Khalid watched as it trotted off toward the stables. "I better hurry up and get this done before Mike realizes that it is too late in the year to search for walnuts… The squirrels have them all." He started walking. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but something was out here… He was SURE of it… Scanning the ground for tracks or some kind of evidence, Khalid was almost ready to give up when something caught his attention.
Quietly, he approached the spot on the ground, crouching beside it. It was a shoe print in the mud. Slowly, he traced with his fingers, feeling the groves… checking how deep it was… trying to make some kind of judgment. "No… this isn't anyone from here… The shoe-print… it's too expensive… Like someone from…" Khalid's head jerked up, scanning the trees and brush around him. That footprint is from someone in the club… and there are very few people in the club who are 6 foot 3 and weigh well over 280 pounds… nearly 90 lbs of admantium alone. Ensuring that none of the family were around, Khalid flared up his red aura and formed a photon blade in his hand… "I know you're out here… you either wanted me to find you or you are getting sloppy in your old age!" Khalid slowly stepped back toward the center of the clearing. "Where are you, Maul? Don't make me have to shove this up your…"
Suddenly, the corner of his eye caught something out of the shadow just to his left. Before he could think or mount a defense, he was already pulled off his feet into the air and dangling dangerously by the strands of his blue overalls. "You think your pathetic threats me will work against me, Kinder? Nein…Not if you don’t want any harm done to the rest of the litter… or for that matter even bring attention to the fact that there is danger out here…”
Khalid cringed at Maul's words. He had a point. The LAST thing this situation needed was someone else coming out to see what was going on. It had been bad enough that Khalid did not have the skill to take Maul himself. He KNEW he didn't have enough to take him, much less protect anyone else before he got gutted. Maul played his cards well… He dropped the aura. "What do you want, Maul? I thought that you only played your games for Ryan… That IS what those earlier episodes were about, right?!" (Only Human)
“You underestimate me, Mein Freund…. Maul does not jump hoops for ANY man….even the man who saved my life. My interest in you is simply personal business.”
Personal business?!“Ryan saved your life?! Right… SUUUUURRRRE… The man cares for no one... and what business could you possibly want with me!? You want me flying around sucking peoples blood out and be a parasite just like you? Uh uh... NOOOOOOO thanks!”
The word “parasite” hit Maul dead-straight in the heart, what little he had left of it. The man did not want to become what he was. If he had it his way, he would be long-dead and buried with the rest of his kin. He clenched his fist angrily, unleashing his adamantium-laced claws, brought out through his full vampirism stage.
“You are not quite ready to hear my tale of how the Red King ruined my life, but somehow saved it. Nein... What you need is manners… and maybe it is time I taught you some!”
“Maul, around here, it’s my rules, my kingdom. Ryan, Grover, or even Impossible Man for that matter all have NO say around here. This is my family, and I’d like for you to go back to your little BAT cave you flew out of and leave us be. You were not invited to this shindig, NOR will you be included. Please leave the farm….NOW!”
Slowly, Maul lowered Khalid to the ground. Ah… the little boy has grown a backbone of sorts… thought Maul as he returned to his human form and sheathed his claws. “Maybe it is true…maybe you are ready… For now, Herr Hunter, know this…. This may be your farm, but this is MY world… and your living on it…. You’re still alive only because I choose so… Always remember that.”
“Like that’s supposed to scare me or something.!” Jerking his head for a moment, Khalid heard his grandfather calling for him in the background and for that instant lost Maul from his sight. Damn that asshole! As cryptic as ever.… He WANTED me to find him… but why?!
Before he turned toward the edge of the woods, Khalid looked through the bare trees to the sky, taking in all the nature around him briefly thinking that he did feel in his element. Calling out in response to his grandfather, Khalid made his way back, all the while hoping that his grandfather didn’t know Maul was out here.
In his eagerness, he passed by an oak tree, but did not notice there is writing in it. Freshly and deeply cut, it simply read “I’m home.”
-------------------------------
“Hey… can you get a copy of that for me? I know some people who would DIE if they knew about that!”
“I don’t see why. Remember, Michael, that during that time one of the ways you asserted your pride in your African heritage was by wearing an afro. Of course, that was not why Khalid wore one at all. He was just a toddler… and as I had four other little children to take care of during that time, I was not overly concerned about cutting my then-youngest’s hair… although having to pick it every morning did get on my nerves…”
As Michael Breslin waded through the pictures, he found another one. It was of three women standing next to each other at a wedding. The one in the wedding gown was Shani, whose smile radiated all the happiness felt on that day. On either side of her were bridesmaids… possibly even maids of honor. The stunning blue-eyed blonde smiling on the left HAD to be Shani's sister Carolyn, although she clearly had a different mother. Strange… I could swear I've I seen that smile before?
That particular thought was put out of his mind when he brought the picture closer to his eyes. That third one… Was it possible? No… it couldn't be… "Oh my god…" Michael snapped his head up, looking at Shani. Lost in the other photos, she hadn't noticed his reaction, yet. "My mother was your maid of honor?!"
Hearing that, Shani dropped the pictures in her hands. "You recognize her?! I thought…"
He picked up another picture with everyone who was in the ceremony. Sure enough, he found them. "The two of you knew my parents?! I…" As he started going through the pictures, he picked more and more of them up. "That is why you looked the way you did when you saw my face… Oh my god… I don't believe this…" His heart pounding as he looked through the photos, Michael just kept on finding more and more of them… "Why didn't Khalid tell me?! I…"
Shani's voice cracked as she spoke. "He didn't know… I mean… Just because someone has the name Breslin doesn't mean that he is who you think he is… Though I am glad…"
Flipping through the photos, Michael just really surged with joy. He had not been very old when he walked into his house to find his parents slain… everyone calling it a murder-suicide. (Ascension) He refused to believe it. These were photos… photos from over thirty years ago of his parents… his YOUNG parents… before children… before marriage… before life… before… "This is unreal. I would have never thought…"
Shani was about to speak, and then hesitated… "Michael… I was not sure. That's why I invited you here. I wanted to know for sure… I…" Her voice began to crack a little. "I…"
Mike kept flipping through the pictures until he saw his own parents' wedding picture. "I just can't believe it… I never thought…"
Finally, Shani saw the pictures Mike was looking at. She laughed a little, bringing her hand up to wipe her eyes. Her face turned a bright shade of red as she glanced toward the ground. "Oh my God… Now I really feel like a fool. You're Lyle's son…"
Mike brought his arm around her shoulder, shaking it a little. "You feel like a fool… Why? I mean… I never thought…" He picked up another photo… of what appeared to be his father kissing Carolyn. "What?! Dad used to date Carolyn?!"
Shani chuckled again, still wiping her tear-stained face. "No… That's not your father. That was his brother, Kyle… my brother-in-law. Now, I really do feel dumb… I'd have rather hoped that you might have been my…"
Mike pulled another picture up. It was of Carolyn in a hospital gown behind a pane of glass… holding a baby. Beneath it was another picture of the baby… with blonde hair and blue eyes… and a strikingly familiar smile. "Who is this?" Suddenly he put it together and saw the date… the picture was taken about 28 years ago… around the time Carolyn was… "My God… Shani…" He snapped his head up, looking directly at her. "I remember my father mentioning that his brother never got to see me, I never thought… Not for a minute that…" Again, he stopped… He could not take his eyes off the picture. "Hold on… this baby… did this baby um… was he… um…?"
Taking a deep breath, Shani shook her head back and forth. "No… It doesn't make sense. According to the police report, Carolyn, Kyle, and their older children John and Joni, were all killed instantly in the car wreck after being run off the road. The baby wasn't in the car. I don't understand it… They were on their way to visit us… so Rhonda and Baby Malik could meet their cousins. Carolyn was always protective; she would NEVER leave the baby behind… and no one can even find him…" She brought her hand up to her eyes, wiping the tears. "I don't understand! She HAD the baby supplies with her. It just doesn't make sense! I mean… It leaves me hope… Somehow, I know my nephew is out there… I had thought that it was you and…"
"Look… I'm sorry… I wish I could have been… If you want, I'll…"
"No! Like I said before, you are apart of this family right now… None of us care whether or not you are blood or not… I just would have liked…"
With that, Michael allowed Shani Hunter to cry… Silently, he vowed to himself… If he can’t do anything else for this family, he will track down their nephew. He owed it to them… he owed it to HIMSELF to use whatever means he could to help this family who had just opened their home to him with little more than a thought.
End Chapter Six
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Chapter Seven
Justin Mills was in heaven. Before they got to the Pennsylvania State line, Khalid had mentioned that his mother was renowned throughout the state for her pumpkin pie. He was skeptical at first, but now he believed it… every word. NO ONE could make pumpkin pie like Shani Hunter… NO ONE! "We aren't going to get in trouble, are we?"
Philippe shook his head as he cut two more slices of pie and set the two blue-lined ceramic plates on the table. "Naaah… Mom plans on cooking more before tomorrow night, anyway. Knowing her, she probably made one last night because she knew we would be sitting in the kitchen about right now!"
Justin dug into his third slice. "Oh… Yeah… This is DELICIOUS… I used to cook… but they threw me out of Home Ec… Blow up one itty-bitty oven and they get all paranoid on you!"
Philippe raised his eyebrow questioningly and then shook his head back and forth. He was POSITIVE that he didn't even want to know. "Hey, Justin… I'm just wondering… Are you a mutant? You know, like Khalid? I saw you earlier lifting that tractor like it was an empty pie-plate."
Justin flipped the piece of pie into the air and was kind of miffed to have it land on his forehead. Not missing a beat, he scraped it off with his hand and licked it. No way am I wasting perfectly good pie! "Yep. Sure am. In a way, we even have similar powers… although he is not superstrong, invulnerable, or nearly as handsome as I am! How long did you know about Khalid? Was he…"
Before he could finish, Malik's voice cut in from his position in the hallway. "He was different from the beginning… Shani suspected before, but we knew for sure that something was different the instant he convinced the dog to fetch his baby bottles." As the two of them snapped in their chairs to start cleaning up, Malik waved his hand and cut himself a piece of pie as well. Although his voice had come off sounding booming and resonant, he had not intended on surprising them or chiding them. "There was also the matter that the plants in his room always managed to grow faster than the plants in the rest of the house. Looking back on it, we think he was talking to them or something. (For the real reason, check out Lethal Legacy.)"
"That l…"
"Don't misunderstand me, Justin… Zeke and I have been at odds at several times. In fact, I was downright against his going into a career in music. Don't let him fool you, the kid has a BRILLIANT mind. He had an uncanny talent early on for knowing the best things to do for the plants and animals. He could have been a farmer like me… a biologist or a doctor… He could have even been an engineer. He learns things quickly… but he wanted to go into music. I couldn't stop him… no matter how much I tried. He's my son, whether he be musician, poor, mutant, whatever. I don't care. He's my son… and I'm not giving up on him."
For a minute, Justin remained silent. He remembered how when he was younger his parents had thrown him out of their house for his mutancy. "That's good to hear… I know what it is like to have your father give up on you… Cut you loose without so much as a good luck or good-bye."
Malik sat down in the chair across from Justin, nodding toward his son Philippe. "I hate to say it, but me too. My biological father gave up on me for a different reason."
"He did? Why?"
"Too Black. To the man, having an affair with a Black woman was just fine… He was a single immigrant from Europe… She was a single immigrant from Jamaica. They met… they met… then they met some more… and after a few months, I was born. Having a Black girlfriend was fine, but having a Black son was NOT. He left Virginia for Canada shortly after I was born… Didn't tell my mom a word or send me a damn dime. Shortly after my first birthday, she married a Black doctor by the name of Charlie Hunter. He adopted me… raised me like his own. Hell… as far as I'm concerned, I AM his own."
"Did you ever meet…"
"Yes… about fifteen years ago, after my eldest boy died. I finally ran across the chicken-hearted son-of-a-bitch. Forgive my language, Philippe… Hope you mother didn't hear me… Seemed like all of a sudden he wanted to apologize for what he did. I had no idea who this guy was with the jagged scar down his chin, the almost-white hair, or the foreign accent from Hell. He managed to do well for himself in his northern rat hole… even married himself a prominent White woman out of a respected British family. Like he told me, though, I was his only son… and he was wrong to walk out of my life. He wanted to be apart of it… even help Shani and I rebuild the house."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that he could take his damn money and go to Hell. He HAS no sons, and it was his choice… One that he would have to live with now until the day he died. How DARE he come up to me… seek me out after the death of my eldest son… and everything else I owned destroyed in the fire?! He had no idea what had happened… or what I had been through. He was a big letdown."
For a moment, the air was absolutely silent. Philippe, having already heard this rant before, slid quietly out the door. Justin and Malik both met eyes. For a moment, each of the other could see the pain… the hurt in the other. Before Justin could speak, Malik interrupted him. "That was the biggest mistake of my life."
"What? I don't…"
"I pray that you never have to suffer what it is like to lose a child. There is no pain like it… ever. It is as if something you worked and toiled to provide for… something you cherish like nothing ELSE on the face of the Earth… something you would lie down and die for… had been cruelly ripped apart before your eyes. I was going through that pain… and trying to understand how I was going to pull through for the sake of my wife and other children… and the worst part was that I had spread my pain to this stranger. Without thinking, I had denied him what had been denied to me… and that is something I will regret for the rest of my life."
Normally, not even a freight train passing by him could make Justin Mills sit quietly and focus. Now, he found himself tongue-tied. "I don't know what to say… My father never…"
Malik never broke his gaze. "Don't wait for him. Try… and if he turns you back, then it will be on him."
"I will… but I can't do it right now. This just is not the best time…"
Before he could continue, Khalid burst into the kitchen. "All right! Enough of the 'father' story. Justin, I'm about to head over to the store and pick up a few things for tomorrow. The turkey is probably going to be in the oven all day tomorrow, but Mom likes to stir things up beforehand… Now, come on. Let's go… I think rain is about to blow in."
"Well, Khalid… I was just about to talk to your Dad about…"
Mike came in behind him. "I'll come along, Khalid."
Justin stood to get up. "Guys' night out, eh? Well… and I thought that there was nothing happening in this place! All right, I'm gam…"
Khalid blurted out almost shakingly. "NO!" He calmed himself down. "I mean… Look, I was rude to burst in on you and Dad like that… Just sit here and enjoy. Mike and I will be back in about an hour."
Justin was about to something about Khalid's crazy behavior, when he noticed that Khalid's eyes briefly flashed red. Suddenly, he understood… Khalid wanted him to stay behind and watch the family. "All right! I don't want to be out in that rain, anyway."
"Be back in a few, Dad." Without waiting to hear anything more, Khalid slipped out the kitchen door with Mike closely behind.
"What was that all about? What has you so spooked?"
Khalid spun around to face him, almost angrily. "Keep it down… Not here. Wait until we get into the truck."
--------------------------------
Maul could hear them… all six of them on the ground below… The man in the charge was the silent one with the green hair… who continues to proceed dragging green stringy wisps around him. Using them… What… To probe? To scan? For a brief minute one of the tendrils passed right by him… but neither detected him or the shadow he was standing in. Er?! Interesting…
The blonde Spaz scanned the woods with her psionic-based reality perception power. For the most part, it was only used to stun her enemies… or to make sex a little bit more interesting. Right now, though, she was using it to prevent their presence from being detected in a telemetric scan. "Are you sure this is the direction to the Purified's?"
Lizard's talent was more for mechanics. Every once in a while, her mutant power had its uses, but her claim to fame was her brain. It frustrated her to no end when the Purified just plain disappeared off her sensors. She wouldn't let anyone know her feelings, though… especially her lovers. "Yes… so the Necromancer says. Ironically, though… the sensors are still showing nothing. It is like this is a dead area or something."
Tendril spoke from the end, his voice softly, but projecting forward. "That should tell you that we are heading in the right direction. As I probe with my ectoplasmic spindles, I am detecting less and less… not even that the plants are alive. This is definitely the work of the Purified."
Liz spun around as the sensor light started flashing. "Along the road… a mile back… the Purified. It's his signal… and he's alone."
As the group started back, Maul had to smile from his treetop. These fools were not as experienced as they thought. When he read Ryan's secret stash of files, Maul learned that Khalid possessed a quite a few skills he was not even aware of. However, this "Purified" business was something that was definitely not in there. He was not sure what it was referring to, but he was positive that they were after Khalid. He not sure who this Necromancer was or what she wanted, but as far as Maul was concerned he was not allowing anyone to take any of HIS pack!
End Chapter Seven
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Chapter Eight
From inside the truck, Michael Breslin's eyes were trained on the entrance to the grocery store waiting for Khalid to come out. The guy seemed REALLY agitated… almost adamant that Justin stay home with his family. The way he drove here was paranoid… almost jumpy. Something bothered him. He wasn't sure what it was. He could tell, though.
He slowly reached toward the radio, to turn it on. The soft patter of the rain against the windshield was calming, but he really just needed some noise. Before he could touch it, he felt a strong hand touch him on the side of the face. He tried to move, but he felt locked into place. A wave of calming energy washed through him, even changing his vision to green. He lost complete motor control, unable to center on anything but the smooth enchanting voice he heard.
"Sleep… Do not wake until we have left the area. You will remember none of this."
Involuntarily, Michael felt all tension in his muscles give and his back fall into the seat. With nothing more, his eyes fell shut and he was already dreaming a pleasant dream, oblivious to the danger awaiting outside. Tendril slowly pulled his ectoplasmic spindle back in and deactivated his power, backing away.
Immediately, another one of the group formed a crystal blade in his hand, placing it in front of Havok's neck. "And now one less enemy to waste…"
Before he could do anything, Tendril's hand snapped around his neck, picking him up into the air as if he were 40 lbs rather than 200. "Carat… He has been incapacitated. If you touch him, you shall feel my wrath. Is that understood?"
The impatient youth struggled in the grip of his superior. Angrily, he formed another blade, about to plunge it into his hand. "Weak bastard, I'll fucking teach you… and take your place!"
Before he could, the warm green glow washing over him seized control, completely stopping him. "I am in command, Carat. With but a thought, you have been paralyzed. The only thing you can concentrate on is the sound on my voice. If I so desired, I could tell your heart to stop beating and it would just as quickly oblige. You are NOT to touch the man. Is that understood? We are here for the sole purpose of acquiring the Purified. NOT starting a war!" With that said, Tendril hurled the disobedient young man back ten feet. Can't believe that damn Lang is 22 and married!
In actuality, Tendril didn't want to do this… He didn't want to do any of this. He felt dragged into this so badly. However, he didn't have a choice. Through the blood of the Purified, the Dark One will be reborn. The Necromancer has ordered that it be carried out. "He will be out soon. I have secured the area, making sure there are no witnesses. Leave as little evidence of our presence as possible. We want to give his people NO CLUE as to what happened."
----------------------------
Khalid was agitated as he put the groceries in the cart. He could not believe that he was fidgeting around like this… losing it simply because Maul was lurking around. That was ridiculous. He was not afraid of Maul. He couldn't even bring himself to really dislike Maul… although he really did want to. He was not sure what it was. By all means, he should despise Maul more than anything. The guy catered to the Red King who had tried to ruin his life SIMPLY to make a point to the White King… not to mention that he was a fucking spy!
Maul said that his interest in Khalid was purely "personal business." That could mean damn near about anything. Whatever the case, Khalid was sure that Maul would leave his family alone… but what did he want? The animal? Did he want to release the animal? Did he want to turn Khalid into a blood-sucking man-bat that drank people's blood? Was that it? Khalid was not sure what it was. Maul was looking for something. Whatever the case, Maul wasn't what scared him.
Philippe had told him earlier that Mom wasn't sleeping well… but that she barely remembered the dreams in the morning. Of course, that could be just about anything, but he doubted it. For some reason, his mother has been really worried about just nearly everything he does. He could not even bring himself to tell her that he was heading for the store. She seemed to worry about him nearly all the time, lately.
Was that why he was scared? Because his mother had been having nightmares? Or maybe it was his own sleep patterns as of late. No, he wasn't clairvoyant or cursed with "second-sight" like his mother, but he did notice that he could barely sleep at night. The dreams seemed so foreign to him… as if they were not his own. In one, he was giving a seminar in a college auditorium when everyone in the seats spontaneously liquefied into a pool of blood. In another one, he shoved Sharon out of the way of some blast or other and felt himself get killed… and die slowly before the whole world on national television. REALLY weird.
The most disturbing dream reminded him of the fear he was feeling now… except it was based on his memory rather than the imagination. One where for one brutal instant, everything he buried… every instinct he denied… every drive he suppressed… every dark thought ever to cross his mind was driven to the surface. It was the dream where the animal, the power, and the rage consumed him alive… where everything he cherished and loved was driven to the darker reaches of his mind along with himself… where Mufasa and Estophalum had become one and the same. (Lethal Legacy)
Strangely enough, it was different… so vivid that he could not remember it. Each time, he remembered thinking that there was a cloaked figure that he knew… that he felt he should recognize… but his mind cut out on the face… and nearly everything about the dream… All he could remember was being united with Estophalum… and thinking his thoughts…
"Excuse me… Can I help you, sir?"
Khalid snapped back to Earth. Strange… his mind was growing more fragmented all the time, it seemed… "Yeah… I'll have three steaks and four pork chops…"
"You're in luck… We got a delivery this morning, fresh."
As the butcher went into the back, Khalid momentarily let himself get lost in the reflection of the glass pane between him and the Italian Sausage. He was never vain enough to constantly primp and preen in front of a mirror, but every once in a while he just had to put everything in perspective. No, women didn't fall over themselves to bask in his manly presence… They did not flock to him, calling him a sex symbol or anything. Hell… Although he could not be considered a butt-ugly nerd by any means, he was just not the type that women go crazy over. No… They want a "badass" like Gabriel Strong… a "rogue" like Michael Breslin… a "hero" like Grover… or a rich millionaire playboy like Warren Worthington… No, Khalid was what they would call "safe"… and "safe" was boring.
Of course, his demeanor didn't help any. He didn't flaunt… he didn't brag… He didn't show anything… He pretty much downplayed everything and didn't show off unless he was on stage. Very few people had ever seen or even knew that he had tattoos… and before this year, hardly anyone noticed that Khalid was missing the tip of his earlobe (Only Human). Considering that he was a muscular, 240-lb, Black man, with a long braid down his back, who made his living as an entertainer, he wondered briefly how the hell he managed to also become the "Invisible Man."
It was at that point that his reflection looked him in the eye and grew a savage sneer across its face. Khalid recognized it, but he didn't believe it. Then, as if to confirm it, he felt his senses grow out of control and the internal buzzing surge through him, washing over him like a tidal wave. Then, he felt the beginning of a growl in his chest… I'm coming back… You can't bury me forever! Without warning, the sensations completely ceased.
Khalid snapped his head in disbelief when the butcher broke his attention. "Sir… Excuse me… Sir?"
"Oh yes… I'm sorry…"
"Here's your order."
Khalid accepted the package and pushed the cart toward the check-out line… even more scared than before.
----------------
Shani Hunter nervously worked in the kitchen. She has not told anyone, but she's been having very disturbing visions… the same one she had when she went to New York before. (Lethal Legacy) While she had a decent-enough outlook for all of her children, Khalid's disturbed her. It was as if by virtue of inheriting her father's skills - and she knew he inherited her father's skills - that his path would be a difficult one, regardless of whether or not Khalid wanted it that way.
She could not understand it, but she knew that pretty soon, Khalid would be going through hell… and it was going to get worse. There was some kind of purpose; of that she was sure. Whatever it was, she had no clue. Khalid went out of his way to keep so much from the family. In a way, she could understand. Although he doesn't say it, he knows the real reason his brothers and sister refused to come home… This Thanksgiving pretty much confirmed it for him.
Finishing preparing the oyster casserole, she set in the refrigerator. Stopping for a minute to take a bowl out of the cupboard and set it next to the pot of soup on the stove. After filling it with soup and pulling out a package of crackers, she walked nonchalantly toward the door, grabbing a thick blue beach towel on the way. Now, who could this be on such a rainy night… and not wearing a coat? She opened the door, seeing the dark figure as well as the wet blonde hair lying flat on the scalp. "Michael! You and Khalid are back from the store already?! And what were you thinking by going out without your…"
The dark figure spoke, "Mrs. Hunter, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to speak with Khalid. You said that he went to the store?"
Shani felt the flow of blood leave her face. That voice?! Sounds almost like… That was when she noticed it. It was faint, but barely visible… due to the rain… the aura surrounding the stranger. A ghost?! Surprised by the craziness of her thoughts, Shani put that damn notion out of her mind. "Young man… Come in this house immediately before you catch cold!"
With that, Shani reached back toward the counter, handing a paper towel to hand to the man as he came in the door. She saw the blue hand reach over, accepting it right before he sneezed. Grover pulled the paper towel away from his nose questioningly and faced Shani. "You knew I was going to sneeze before I did?"
That was when Shani took a good look at the stranger. Blue skin… the stranger had blue skin… an aura… and yellow glowing eyes. SuperGrover?! This is the first time I have seen him up close… "Um… um…"
Grover's eyes checked out the scene, still showing his surprise. His eyes saw the untouched French Onion soup with the crackers sitting at the table and the thick blue beach towel dangling in her hand. "And, you knew I would be wet…" When he saw the stuttering, at first he thought that she was going to point out his mutation… Then, he saw the pained look come across her face. Was she upset? Scared?
Shani's voice cracked again as she snapped out of her stupor. "Why… yes… Please, sit down! I just fixed you a bowl of soup."
My FAVORITE bowl of soup, I noticed… As Grover sat down, Shani set a Philadelphian sandwich next to it… with a glass of coke. Damn, Khalid…
Before Grover could start speaking, Philippe entered the kitchen. "Hey Mom! I'm dying of hunger… Please, can I have another piece of…" Immediately, Philippe stopped halfway through the door, seeing the blue man sitting at the table. "No way… NOO way!" Hurriedly, he rushed over grabbing Grover's hand and shaking it nervously. "Mom! You know WHO this is?! Do you KNOW who this is?! THIS is SuperGrover! SUPERGROVER is in our kitchen! I don't believe it! WE have SuperGrover in OUR kitchen! I thought that news piece about Khalid knowing SuperGrover was a bunch of crock… but here he is in our kitchen… He's in our kitchen! HE IS IN OUR KITCHEN!"
Malik walked into the kitchen, folding his newspaper underneath his arm. "Philippe, what is with all the noise…" The second his eyes set on Grover, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Will wonders ever cease…"
Somewhat taken off guard, Grover shook the star-struck youth's hand. "Please… Call me Grover…"
"GAAAAH! Did you hear that?! He said I can call him Grover! I'm on a first-name basis with SUP- er - GROVER!!!"
Shani grabbed Philippe by the shoulder, pulling him back away from the table. "Philippe, calm down… Let him eat… So, Grover, what brings you here? You said that you needed to talk to Khalid?"
Philippe marveled at the Gauntlets of Excalibur on Grover's wrists. "Who… Those gauntlets are real! Whoa… they are NEVER going to believe this at school!"
Yeah… and your brother has a piece of them too! Grover tasted the soup… Damn, it was good…
Stefan walked in the room, followed by DarkWolf. "What's all the noise… Great. Looks like Khalid brought home another costumed fre--" His train of thought was cut off by both Shani and Malik's glare.
Responding to what Stefan almost said, Grover stood up from the table ready to leave. "Look… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you… I'll just talk to him lat…"
Justin pushed his way through. "Grover… Hold on… It's raining out there. You shouldn't…"
"Justin… Can you let Khalid know that I need to speak with him?"
Malik's eyes opened wide as he started putting together some startling connections. "Wait… you two know each other?" Zeke knows SuperGrover… and Justin used to be Zeke's student… All three of them are mutants… SuperGrover leads the Hellions… Does that mean that Zeke…
The chaos going on in the kitchen was broken up by the sound of a resonant and forceful voice. Robert Cougar forced himself through the doorway, his grin spreading from ear to ear. "Nonsense, Grover. You are welcome here… Is that not right, Shani?"
As Shani grabbed Grover's shoulder and pushed him down back into the chair, her eyes locked with those of her father. "I already cooked with ten people in mind. As it is, there are only eight people in the house. As my father said, you are more than welcome here… AND you are staying for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!"
Grover held his hands up, trying to stand up. "Really… I couldn't… I mean… I don't want to impose… Khalid had no idea I was coming… I mean, I have a staff meeting at…"
"Nonsense! I don't know what man in his right mind would have a meeting on Thanksgiving Day, but Khalid would be MORE than happy… As if he had a choice in the matter!"
Well… Ryan is hardly in his right mind… and he's being more a dick than anything else! "I've never had Thanksgiving with a family this huge… I mean…"
"Well, my other children skipped out on me, so you're here. Not quite sure where I'm going to put you for the night…"
"I mean… I can…"
"Nonsense! They might hang on you a little, but I'm sure you can fit in some of Khalid's clothes…"
Stefan turned away from the kitchen and started walking out in disgust. As he passed, Cougar grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a warning glare. Stefan jerked his shoulder from under his hand. For a moment, the two of them locked eyes… then Stefan turned away and continued.
Cougar was about to join in on the good-natured discussion on their new "guest" when he suddenly got a feeling in his stomach. Attuning his life-aura to match Khalid's, he watched through Khalid's eyes as he walked out of the grocery store toward the truck. Khalid wasn't sure how, but he knew that they were out there… Cougar was about to activate Khalid's aural vision to get a sense of who they where when he suddenly found himself cut off… Some unseen force had severed the connection. Was it Khalid himself? If so, why?
End Chapter Eight
---------------
Chapter Nine:
"Hey! Mike! I told you that I wouldn't be too long… Geesh… You fall asleep already?" Khalid wasn't sure how, but he knew that they were moving around in the immediate area. He pretended to act as oblivious as possible. I don't know who these people are or what they want… but they don't know yet that I'm on to them. He started setting the groceries in that small compartment behind the driver's seat of the truck and fixed his hand around the tire iron. "Geesh! You aren't even going to help… Just sleep there… Some 'brother', eh?"
At that moment, he felt the hand grab the side of his head and the warm green glow shoot through him. Khalid felt his muscles freeze into place. The only thing he could focus on was the voice of the man touching him. "Purified, I am in control of your motor nerves right now… You will do everything I say."
His tattoos flaring to life, Khalid spun around slapping him upside the head with the tire iron. Before Tendril could react, Khalid kicked him in the chin, laying him out on the ground. Hey… Not bad if I do say so myself! Guess that Hellion training really DID pay off! Closing the door to the truck, he turned around, spinning the tire iron in his hand. Yeah… While I'm trying to be all-intimidating, I hope I don't hit myself in the face! "All right, guys… I just laid puke-hair out on the ground… How about tell…"
The brunette held up her hand as she smiled. "I have to admit… You are CERTAINLY sexier in person than on that television. My name is Lizard. I'm your BIGGEST fan… I always like a really long…"
Khalid kept his eyes trained on her, allowing himself to act completely oblivious to the cold raindrops soaking his clothes. Right… with cloaks and fighting clothes like that?! "I suggest that you and your friends take your punk friend over hear and scram!"
"We will… with you!" Her tongue shot out of her mouth, wrapping around Khalid's neck and choking him. "Huwwy! Geb him!"
Khalid immediately flared his aura up, burning her tongue. Grabbing onto it, he jerked her toward him, punching her full in the face. Great… this is EXACTLY what I didn't want! Sensing Tendril about to get up again, Khalid kicked him in the back of the neck, knocking him back to the ground. "Michael… you can WAKE UP, now!"
"He got Liz! Take him down!" Carat formed another blade in his hand ready to go when a hand grabbed his ankle out of nowhere. He fell hard on his face, not even registering what happened, yet.
Flying up from the shadow of the van, Maul threw him into another member of the group. "Mistake… He doesn't want to go anywhere… and he WON'T!"
Rolling off of his friend Rash, Carat formed two crystal blades in his hand. "You're fucking dead!"
Maul's face contorted as he showed his vampire teeth. "No… Not quite… though I did come close! You, however…" Maul rose into the air to fly at him when suddenly, his sense of perception started moving in waves. "Can't keep straight…" He accidentally slapped into the light post, knocking it out of the ground.
The blonde behind him giggled, covering up the grating sound of her sword out of the scabbard. "That's my power, silly… That's why they call me Spaz…" Flipping into the air, she brought the sword down, aiming for his neck. What she didn't expect was for Maul to catch the blade with his hand and snap it like nothing.
Before she could adjust, he hit her in the chin with the palm of his hand. "And I thought it was because you were an airhead!"
Carat ran toward him with a crystal lance. "You should have stayed home, vampire!"
Sinking into the shadows, Maul's leg kicked out from another one, tagging him in the groin. "I AM home!"
Another voice spoke out, high and obnoxious, this time from the man who Carat landed on. "Maybe so, but you will soon be done for, vampire… I doubt you will be able to fight when you have a rash!"
Maul was on his feet, moving toward the young man when he noticed the itching begin… and spread all over him… PAINFUL itching…
Carat sneered as he got up. "Good job, Rash… I'll finish him…"
Khalid struggled to keep calm as he fought on, trying to ignore the ooze that has covered and spread around his face. He tried to focus… remain calm… despite the fact that there were too many fucking people running around! This was chaotic… this was insane… This was… SNOT! Damn… how long can I hold my breath? This stuff is hardening!
Phlegm rushed toward Lizard, helping her from the ground. "Are you okay, Liz?"
"Yes… Smart move, Phlegm… Not only is he blind and losing air, but it is draining his energy. Way to take him down painlessly."
Zeroing in on the sound of their voices, Khalid lashed out with a photon bolt, knocking the both of them off their feet. The moment Phlegm dropped to the ground, he released his control on the goo was loosened and it fell to the ground. Flaring his aura back up, Khalid gasped for air, stumbling forward. "Remind me to kick your asses, soon…"
Before he could attack, Khalid was stopped again, frozen in his tracks… He couldn't move a muscle. That guy with the green hair… he was responsible… This time, Khalid heard the man's voice singing in his head. "I hate to do this to a major icon, but I have no choice." The glow intensified through him, washing through him like a truck… and as he struggled, he realize that there was little he could do to stop it. "You cannot resist me, Purified… Sleep… Sleep…"
Khalid fought… struggled against the green waves of warm energy flowing through him. Seeing Tendril walk toward him, Khalid wanted to lash out with his arms… his legs… his powers… ANYTHING… but it was virtually impossible. This was stronger than last time… "Get… out… of… my… body…."
At that moment, Khalid was raised into the air by green tendrils of mist, shooting from around Tendril. Before, Tendril had merely interfered with the electrical current running between Khalid's muscles and brain by throwing only one ectoplasmic spindle in his body. The tattoos took virtually no time to shrug that off. Luckily, he has many more than that… Ten spindles entering his body all at once… filling his muscles… his brain… his heart… absolutely everything… saturating him… No one could resist. "I'm sorry, Purified, but I'm going to have to possess you. Do not despair, it will only be temporarily… and completely painless."
"No…" His thoughts struggled… This guy wasn't a psion as he had thought before but almost like a special kind of mage. Whereas most telepaths could be diverted whenever he flashed his photon aura, this guy COULDN'T be… Khalid's tattoos, he suspected, would eventually cast him out… but it did little good if it happened after he forced Khalid to pass out. He slowly felt his eyes fill up with the green glow of their own… and Tendril's essence filling him. He's forcing himself inside of me… Exhausted from the strain of fighting off the possession, Khalid finally felt himself black out.
Having finally secured the Purified, Tendril called out to his group. "Hurry… Kill the vampire and we should…"
Seeing Khalid's muscles give out and go slack, Maul knew he had to act quickly… or Khalid would be gone. Out of all of them, that green-haired guy was trouble… Luckily, Maul had been developing a few tricks that no one else even suspected. Khalid's tattoos tended to protect him based on length of exposure, or so Maul figured out when hypnotizing him (Only Human). His tattoos would probably be even more effective against vampire psionics… if he had intended on telepathically controlling him…
For Maul, though, it was all in the wording. There was a pencil sharpener that was activated as long as the pencil was inside… Then, there was the light switch you only had to flick the switch once and let go. He had to be careful how he did it… He had to give Khalid a psionic "jump-start", but it had to be a quick tap… any contact longer than that would be cancelled out by the spell. "Nein… You'll not win that easily."
"Eh? No… It's not…"
Khalid's eyes snapped back open, growling as his tattoos flared up again. His aura, which had been turned green to match the man possessing him, reverted to yellow briefly enough to cast the ectoplasmic tendrils out of him… and then red… dark blood red. As the green tendrils around him dissipated, Khalid's feet landed on the ground… His aura started expanding, taking the shape of a lion…
Tendril stepped back, shocked as the hairs rose on the back of the neck. "It's true… the Purified is both beast and man…"
Khalid rushed him, punching him first in the eye then the cheek. Still hurting from the tire iron earlier, Tendril could not pull it together to defend himself. Khalid's foot shot up, hitting him on the underside of the chin. About to strike him again, a ball of gooey liquid wrapped around his hand. Spinning around in a rage, he turned his attack on Phlegm, even more savage than before.
Liz immediately rushed to Tendril, checking his head. "There is no doubt… He is the Purified. While we accounted for him, we didn't account for the vampire… How come we didn't sense him before?"
Tendril clenched his teeth as he wiped the blood from his lip. "Because the Purified messed up our scans! Just as before… We are pulling back…"
"But they are…"
"No… We try again… They know what we are, but not WHO we are… we still have the advantage! The longer we stay, the more we risk the chance of being seen. We pull back and try again later. SPAZ!" The blonde known as Spaz slowly rose off the ground turning her perception-warping power on their two opponents. Extending his tendrils to everyone in his group, Tendril rose into the air, completely disappearing in the rain clouds above, with everyone else.
Staggering around, Maul and Khalid set eyes on each other, each one caught in the throes of animal rage. Each one of them crouched slightly, growling at the other… challenging the other to make the first move. Angrily, Khalid obliged, forming a photon blade in his hand. He started running toward Maul…
Maul responded likewise, flying at him. Just before they got to each other, each one stopped in his tracks, locking eyes. They both circled, each continuing to growl, but this time also sniffing… They pulled back… Khalid still keeping his photon blades at the ready.
Finally, Maul spoke, his voice strident. "Ja… the beast is loose… and even with it howling so loudly, it recognizes one of the pack… one of its blood." Gutturally, Maul started to laugh. "This is what you were always intended to be, Herr Hunter… Feel it… It is life."
Khalid continued circling, having ceased his growling, but still ready to strike with his photon blades. No one - not even Khalid himself - had the faintest clue to the raw power and animal rage lurking beneath his usually calm surface. To Maul, merely being this close was almost as enticing and addictive as the iron taste of warm blood running across his tongue. Had Khalid's blood not been poison to him, (Only Human) never could he have resisted sampling the lifeblood of raw power before him.
"Yes… you are ready, Mein Freunde. You just need a little prodding… Whether you like it or not, I will see you a survivor…"
Snapping his fingers, Maul watched as Khalid's aura dropped around him. As if the light switch were turned off, Khalid's head tilted and his eyes rolled upward toward the back of his head. Then, his muscles gave out and he started falling. Maul caught him before he hit the ground and hoisted him over his shoulder. The suggestion worked…
I had assumed mistakenly that your psionic defenses were as well-trained and impenetrable as your grandfather's. Those fools in the White Court should have taught you to defend yourself against a psionic attack rather than assuming you could always flare your aura in time and overload the telepath's senses… not that it would work on one whose senses are ALREADY primed!
He sneered as he climbed in the driver's seat of the truck. After all these weeks of trying, he had finally figured out the secret to Khalid's mind… and this was only the beginning…
End Chapter Nine
----------------------------
Chapter Ten:
Cougar slipped out the front door after he heard the truck engine shut off. He supposed he might be overreacting, but he was sure that Khalid had been in some kind of trouble. He was just about sure of it when he saw Khalid step out of the truck, soaking wet. "Khalid… What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"
Khalid, his arms full of groceries, nodded his head as he walked up the steps to the patio. "Relax, Grandpop. I'm okay."
"I felt that something was wrong…"
"I'm fine. Those guys at the store were nothing but a bunch of punks pulling a prank."
Well… He's being sincere… although I am still not convinced… "Okay… Um, I should tell you that…"
Grover stepped into the doorway behind Cougar, decked out in a pair of Khalid's overalls. His smiling face set on Michael Breslin who was coming up the steps behind Khalid. "Hey, 'Bro.' I've been adopted!"
Khalid heard the grunt behind him as he handed the groceries to Cougar. Uh oh… Both of them here. This is going to be a LOOONG weekend. "Hey! Those are my favorite! MOM!"
Cougar and Michael both proceeded inside as Khalid and Grover moved to the side of the patio. Khalid tried his best not to notice Michael's glare and Grover's sneer as they locked eyes.
"Glad to have you over… Though I thought…" When Khalid saw the expression on Grover's face, he recognized it, raising his voice to carry indoors. "…that you were run down with work. Let me show you around the place. Yeah, it is night… and the ground is soaking, but I'm a walking light show. We'll be back!" The two of them started walking away from the house toward the cornfield. "What's going on?"
"You had an e-mail from Akiko Tanaka. Her brother started acting weird after we left… and before he left, he ripped a page out of her journal."
Khalid felt the blood leave his face as his eyes momentarily flashed yellowish. "The one with the drawing of the tattoos…"
"I also think that maybe you ought to see this." Grover reached inside the pocket of his overalls, withdrawing a brown piece of paper, clearly from a journal. On it… was an elaborate drawing of a pyramid with an eye peeking out the top, like on a dollar bill. Beneath it, scribbled in blood, was the word "purified." What did that mean? Why did it sound familiar?
"This is… disturbing." Khalid had a vivid flash… of being in a room with several cloaked figures chanting… and the feeling of drunken ecstasy… that symbol… something about that symbol… "If Harry weren't so crazed, I'd say that it might be the symbol of a group or something."
"Well… I don't know about that… but this is something you need to be aware of. I don't know the entire story, but this can't be good."
----------------------------
The moment Khalid's head hit the pillow, his mind was immediately awash in a myriad of jumbled images. Images that made no sense to him… images that did make sense to him. It was nothing new. Since he was young, his dreams have always been vivid… although he didn't always remember them.
His dreams lately have been disturbing… almost as if someone was trying to tell him something… warn him… but about what? What could?
Just when the dreams were about to get more neurotic, they stopped altogether.
This was different... This had never happened before… Never in his life could he recall NOT dreaming… Then, with a snap, it was gone… taken away…
…almost like he was not even asleep anymore…
End Chapter Ten
------------------------------
Chapter Eleven:
"All right, these are the rules of the house. You see this? This is MY kitchen. Until 5:00, you are not to step through those doors. Any attempt to do so…" Shani Hunter snapped her head toward the ground. Kix, seeing her reaction, backed away from the doorway to the kitchen. "…will be met by a cast iron skillet to the head. Keep in mind that I plan on cooking with it, so that means it may very well be hot when I use it! Have I made myself clear?"
Cougar started to open his mouth to speak when Shani intercepted his question. "No. That goes for you, too. I don't care if you’re my father… Philippe, can you get the phone? That should be your brother Dwayne calling with some excuse. Not until 5:00… That goes for adopted children as well!"
As Philippe dashed into the living room to answer the phone about to ring, Shani Hunter held the rolling pin so it tapped her hand back and forth. "If you are expecting to eat before dinner, then I'm afraid you are going to have to go somewhere else… No one is walking in my kitchen!"
Before she went into the kitchen, Shani glared down at the Kix the dog and Leo the cat. "I may not be Khalid, but you can understand this… If you let anyone in the kitchen for an INSTANT, that will be no leftovers for EITHER of you!"
Kix plopped himself directly in front of the door, challenging anyone to pass. Leo rolled over to his feet, swinging his tail back and forth around the ground.
The men in the house stood in disbelief as Shani Hunter went about preparing the dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. Malik turned toward everyone else and shrugged. "I'm sure I can talk her out of at least a piece of pie… She should be in a good mood. No papers to grade." He moved toward the kitchen when Kix growled at him.
Shani's voice carried out of the kitchen. "Forget it, Malik!"
Malik glared down at Kix. "Traitorous dog… You can live in the doghouse come winter time!" The dog yipped and ran into the kitchen. Leo the cat angrily hissed, not yielding his territory.
"MALIK!"
Malik cringed and turned around, knowing that his wife had him caught yet again. This is going to be a LOOOOOONG day. "Let's go get those chores done around the farm. Perhaps if we are lucky, she'll let us at least have lunch. All right… Philippe and Justin milk the cows and check for infection. Michael and Grover move the hay from the back of the old pickup truck into the barn. Zeke and I will feed the chickens and the horses and check for eggs. Stefan and the old geezer…"
"HEY!"
"…will collect the manure and turn the compost. With everyone here working, we ought to be done by eight o'clock. Speaking of Zeke, someone go rouse him up out of bed. New York must be making him soft… He knows better than to sleep in."
At that moment, Khalid plodded down the stairs looking like death warmed over. His eyes were bloodshot… his hair hastily braided… and his throat hoarse… "Sorry… Didn't sleep well. Slopping the pigs?"
"Zeke, we don’t have pigs."
"Oh yeah… Forgot."
Grover saw the look on Khalid's face. He's seen Khalid tired before. Occasionally, Khalid would go on just a couple hours of sleep after a heavy night of composing. This? He looked like he hadn't slept in ages. Now I've had nightmares myself lately… but I don't look like I just dug myself out of the coffin… well… recently, anyway…
"Don't worry about me… I'll be fine."
"Well… Let's get started, then."
-----------------------
"All right… Now, before I start, I just want you to know that I am not used to touching stranger's teats. So, I don't want for you to…"
Before Justin could finish, the cow turned, knocking him off the stool. The cow snorted and walked away. Before it got too far, it dug its back foot into the ground, throwing up hay all over him. Philippe burst out laughing at the sight and then went to help him up. "I thought you said…"
"I do… I'd rather not dominate. Speaking of dominate, that reminds me of a movie I saw once. It had Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Ak…"
Philippe cut him off, cringing... Anything involving the thought of Rosie O'Donnell in a skimp outfit, he REALLY did not want to hear. "Hey! Justin! Let's say I milk the cows… and you… um… watch for pigs."
"But I thought you didn't have any…"
"I meant BULLS! Yeah… Bulls. I think Donna over there is in heat and we have to keep an eye out for that McCoy bull. He likes to sneak over here… and the next thing you know… WHAM… You have a litter of calves you have to support!"
"Whoa? No kidding? Bulls are like that? I had no idea! They always looked so cuddly and playful to me… especially if you jump in front of them and start waving around frantically!"
Philippe cringed as he heard that part. Yep… Justin is DEFINITELY an eccentric one… especially if he fell for the litter of calves line! "Yeah! Keep an eye out for bulls! You KNOW they are a shifty bunch!"
"Will do!"
As Justin watched outside, and eventually started singing and dancing in the doorway of the barn, Philippe went about milking the cows and checking them as he has done many times in his 15 years of life. They did not have enough cows to run a dairy farm, however they did send the milk down to an old lady across town to make cheese with… and he figured that he would probably get done faster by himself!
----------------------------
"Get a move on, Breslin. Can't believe I'm doing all the work here." Carrying four bales of hay off the farm truck toward the barn, he stacked them neatly, not allowing a single straw to float to the ground. He turned around, smiling as Michael carried a single bale, the wind tearing its straws off in a trail behind him. "Gee, Breslin… look at the mess you're making."
Michael dropped the bale on the ground and started heading back. "Perhaps if you did your job the right way rather than using your aura to make them lighter, you might actually put something in perspective. Oh… wait… I forgot. King Smurf is super-strong, too."
Grover quickly shuffled the rest of the hay into the barn. "Hey… it is just another example of how ultimately useless you are. Geesh… I can't believe we've been 'adopted' by the same family!"
"Now, don't even go there, Blue Boy. Fact is that had neither of us been mutants and we just got into an old-fashioned fistfight, I'd have handed you your ass a LONG time ago!"
"Are you implying that I need to use my powers in order to take you down?"
Michael shut the gate to the truck, turning around to face him. "That's funny… With or without them, you would be toast. The difference is that without them, you would be toast much faster."
"Tell you what… Since we are done here and no one is looking, why don't you put your money where your mouth is? You know… a simple gentlemanly wrestling match… I won't use my superstrength! Promise!"
-----------------------------
After she put the pies in the oven, Shani poured the coffee into two cups. Casually, she opened the door outside, calling out to Stefan.
"Yes, Mom? Grandpop's coffee?"
She nodded. "Yes… and your father's. Oh… and go around the back of the barn where Philippe and Justin are. Michael and Grover's 'horseplay' should be turning into a fight about now and I don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Mom?!"
"They won't hurt each other… too much."
End Chapter Eleven
---------------------------
Chapter Twelve:
"So, Zeke… when were you going to tell me that you joined the Hellions."
Khalid pulled his hand out from under the chicken and turned back toward his father. His ears were playing tricks on him… they HAD to be playing tricks on him… "What?!"
"Please… I'm not a fool. I may not know the particulars of your powers, but I'm not clueless. You said that Justin was your student… and Justin is the strongest son-of-a-bitch I know. Su-- I mean -- Grover leads the Hellions. Is that why you stopped performing for four months? Because you joined the Hellions?"
"Dad… No… It isn't exactly…"
"It makes sense, in a way… It explains why you were in the news fighting the villains with Grover and Spiderman (Dark Light)… why you were mediating with X-Force (also Dark Light)… Possibly, it explains why you even threw your brother on an airplane damn near midnight. (A Vengeful Spirit)"
"Dad… No, I haven't joined the Hellions."
"Then, you have some explaining to do. Why are you going to put your mother through this? You've known since you were little that she occasionally sees things before they happen. For the past year, she has been having spells… each time with you being the center of them. Why do you do this? Why do you continue? She worries about you constantly… She even flew up to New York after one of these spells… (Lethal Legacy) Now, I find out that you intentionally got yourself into something?"
"Dad! I haven't joined the Hellions… and it wasn't intentional. NONE of it was intentional. I don't know how to explain it… and I'm not sure that it would set you at ease knowing it."
"My GOD, Zeke… are you into something illegal?! Is that how…"
"NO! I'M NOT!" Khalid calmed himself down. His aura was tied to his emotions… and he did not want that to flare up right now. "Look… I would like to tell you what is going on… I would REALLY like to tell you what is going on, but I don't know what it is. To tell you the truth, I've been fighting like crazy to get out of it… to have myself some semblance of a regular life with a career I enjoy, but I keep on getting sucked in more and more."
"I don't understand. Why don't you just leave? Walk away from it?"
"That is what I'm trying to do. You have no idea what it is like… I mean… it is always something else… and I'm never exactly sure what it is totally! No matter what I do, I have a big bullseye painted across my back. I'm trying to take control of my life… but right now it is trying to control me."
Malik shook his head back and forth as he slipped off his gloves. As he spoke, he laid them in the bin. "Zeke, I hate to say this… I really do… but these things have already driven away your older brothers and sister."
"Dad… I know… Look…"
"I don't believe in giving up on children… but I do believe in drawing the line. You and your friends are welcome here through the holiday… However, until you straighten up, you -- and I mean as in YOU personally-- are not welcome back."
Khalid started feeling weak… as if his breath was just kicked out of him. "Dad… please… I…"
"I have no choice… Please understand. This can't keep going on." With that, Malik left the coop. Khalid felt the strength leave him as he dropped to his knees. The Hellions, he could probably take… his family, he couldn't. Pulling himself back to his feet, he clasped his temples and forced himself to relax… fight against the buzzing that was starting… No… Not here…
Khalid's eyes flashed yellow as he looked up. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something was going on outside. Stepping out onto the ramp of the chicken coop, Khalid saw Michael Breslin land at has feet. "Mike, what is…" Before Mike could even hear the question, Grover landed on top of him and they both spun over the ramp, landing on the ground. Khalid cringed as he saw the broken edge of the ramp. "But of course…"
Grover threw Michael off of him. Having had considerable experience, Mike easily rolled to his feet and came back. Grover was greeted with a mouthful of shoe as he approached.
"Guys… Please…"
Grover gave Mike a greeting of his own… a fist in the stomach. The two of them started trading jabs, each one of them blocking the other like professional kick boxers.
"Guys…"
The two of them hit the fence next to the stables, breaking one if the rails. "GUYS!" Finally, Khalid forced himself in-between them. Unfortunately, he tripped over his own shoelace, grabbing them to keep him steady… Instead, the three of them toppled over the broken railing into the puddle of mud on the other side. Mike and Grover made a grab for each other again, this time both of them landing on top of Khalid. Angry, now, Khalid grabbed a handful of mud in each hand and slapped it hard against their eyes. Then, he shoved both of them off of him. "That's enough."
Grover wiped the mud out of his eyes, trying to blink the dirt out. "Why you…"
Michael did likewise and was about to tackle him again, when Khalid pushed himself in-between them, taking them both by the shoulder.
"It's over… Stop it. You know… I don't get you two. Alone, each one of you is okay… Together, you act like two little boys competing to see who rips more of each other's throat out! Don't you guys think you are getting too old for that?!"
Grover objected, throwing mud into Khalid's face. "Hey! Who are you calling OLD, whipper-snapper?!"
Michael followed suit… being sure to throw more mud at Khalid than Grover. "I gotta agree with the Blue Boy here… Go around the block a few times, Tater, and THEN tell us we are…"
Growling, Khalid knocked them both back down into the mud as he stood up. "Strangely enough… you've just proved my point… and DON'T call me Tater!"
Grover cringed as he saw the damage they had done… the fence was broken… the door to the barn was knocked off the hinges… straw was strewn about… the ramp to the chicken coop was broken. "Shit…"
Mike saw what Grover was looking at. "Now look at what you did…" He threw mud in Grover's hair.
"At what I did?! You were the one slacking off!" Grover threw it at his face.
As the two of them started throwing mud back and forth, Khalid walked away in disgust. Malik started to pat him on the back as he passed, but thought better of it. He felt bad for what he had to do, but he had to draw the line somewhere. "It was a noble effort, Zeke…"
Cougar nodded in agreement as he drank his morning coffee. "They are calmer than before."
"Damn assholes…"
Malik glared at his son. "Now wait a minute… Your mother isn't out here, but you shouldn't…"
Khalid reached down, picking up the garden hose. "They fight like they're related or something!"
Cougar spit out a stream of coffee and started hacking and slapping his chest. "Wrong pipe…"
"Son… what are you doing with the garden hose…"
"Taking care of two hotheads!" Khalid sprayed the two of them in the puddle.
Malik had to laugh as he saw his son take care of business. Shouting as the cold water drenching them in the crisp fall morning air, Mike and Grover scrambled out of the puddle hurriedly.
"HEY!!!! STOP!!! IT'S COLD!!!"
Mike futilely tried to block the water with his hands. "Hey! What do you think you are doing, Tater?!"
"DON'T CALL ME TATER!!!!" This time, Khalid sprayed him in the pants. Then, he turned off the faucet and dropped the hose.
Malik still found himself laughing at the sight as he slapped Cougar in the back. "Go clean up and dress your wounds and then you can fix the damage you've done."
As Khalid approached the door, he nodded to them. "Take your shoes and socks off… Grover first, you next, and then me… and you two had BETTER not start again!"
"How come HE gets to go first?"
"Because he signs my paycheck… That's why. Now shut up and go change… and don't track mud all over the house."
Malik felt an incredible despair wash over him as he watched the three of them go inside. "Roy… I think I'm losing him."
Cougar finished clearing his throat from the coffee and finally took another sip. "He has a good heart. You have no idea what he's been through, both in terms of his powers and his career. They are both coming together, now… He needs his family with him… supporting him."
"I told him that unless he shapes up, he's not welcome back."
The mug of coffee dropped out of Cougar's hand, smashing against the ground as he launched into another hacking fit. Finally clearing his throat enough to respond, Cougar's eyes opened wide… "You can't be serious."
Malik turned to face him, surprised that Cougar has let coffee go down the wrong pipe twice so quickly. "Yes, I am serious… You don't know the type of dreams Shani's been having… She used to have them while she was carrying him. Now, they are even worse. Something needs to change… I don't know what he's doing or what he's going to do, but he needs to stop it for his mother's sake."
Cougar was angry… he was very furious. Malik was well-aware as he saw the look in Cougar's eyes and heard his voice drop to barely over a whisper. "Yet, you would isolate your very own son over something he cannot control… leave him to face what may very well be the most dangerous time of his life ALONE?!"
Dangerous time of his life?! "I have no choice, Roy."
"No… HE had no choice… You had a choice whether to accept it or not… and now you haven't."
"It was not without thought! Look… put it in perspective! What about all those times you left Shani and your other children alone while you gallivanted off all around the world? I can't put her through that again… I WON'T put her through that!"
Cougar balled his hand into a fist as he faced his son-in-law. "Shani and I had this discussion a LONG time ago… and even if she does not like it, she at least understood why I had to do it. You… and seemingly all your children except Philippe forget that Shani can make her own decisions. Perhaps rather than 'acting for her better interest', you should have HER make the decision!"
"She would never…"
"That ought to tell you something. Now excuse me while I speak with my grandson."
After watching Cougar storm off, Malik dropped down on the bench outside looking out around the farm. One thing he knew about Robert Cougar was not to take anything he said lightly… no matter with what inflection he said it. Just what type of danger was Zeke in?
End Chapter Twelve
--------------------------
Chapter Thirteen
Freshly cleaned, Khalid sat in the back of his truck, looking at everything… The house he grew up… the barn… the cornfield… the woods… and knew that it would soon be gone to him… forever… that after this weekend, he was going to be alone. He had hoped that maybe it wasn't true… that maybe his siblings had not cut themselves off from him. However, he knew it was the truth. Hell… that explained why Gerald hardly would mention his sister Rhonda when he hired him to build the house in Pridesville. He felt just plain weak.
Before Khalid could allow full depression to set in, his grandfather knocked on the side of the truck. "Khalid."
"Yeah, Grandpop?" replied Khalid, still looking out at everything.
"I heard… and I'm sorry. I never thought this would happen."
"Relax… how would you have known this was going to happen? I mean… it didn't happen to you."
"No… but remember that my parents also knew and understood my abilities from the beginning… and my mother was not clairvoyant. Different set of circumstances."
"I feel lost… All I've wanted since I was younger was my career… my family… and my life. And now I'm losing it all!"
Cougar sighed as he heard it. Although his 78 years had been difficult, he could not say that he was not pleased with the results. Yes, he would have liked more of his children… more of his grandchildren to still be alive today, but he could accept what he had. He appreciated what he had. As he was told by his late wife Crystal, the REAL Theory of Relativity says that material possessions without family - whether they be blood or not - is hollow. A man with a mountain of gold but no one has less than the man with a mountain of garbage, but family. "You must not feel that way… You are not alone. Never think that for an instant. You have me… and you have friends. Believe it or not, you will have your family. Shani will not stand for this very long. She'll put her foot down. You know she will."
"Look… It just really pisses me off. It seems like it always has to be decided that I'm the center of controversy… here… at Pentway… at the Hellfire Club… I'm just sick of it. Do people have anything better to do than bicker over me? I have enough problems of my own."
Cougar chuckled as he gave Khalid a noogie. "Try to enjoy the rest of your time here… and have faith that whatever is happening will turn out for the better." As Cougar walked away, Khalid watch him go buy with a tight feeling in his gut. Although he knew that his grandfather was in much better-than-perfect health for his age, he couldn't help but worry about him… thinking that there was something right on the edge of his mind that he knew he had to fix soon… but knew would be almost impossible to pull.
Just as he was about to further drown himself in worrying, a hand grabbed him around the mouth, pulling his head down toward a shadow. Then, Khalid heard an all-too-familiar whisper in his ear. "Remember, Pup… you always have me! Unlike the rest of this litter, I would never desert you when things get hot… You just have to come to me as you really are… not as this pathetic illusion you've put up!"
Khalid clenched his teeth as he planted his index finger and thumb in a vise pinch around Maul's arm, just below the wrist. Momentarily shocked with pain, Maul released his grip. "Have you nothing better to do than to listen in on other people's conversations? Why don't you find a nice juicy squirrel to eat or something? Better yet… Go back to your rat hole!" Letting go of Maul's arm, Khalid sat back in the truck… until he felt a hand grip his ankle. "What the…" Before he could finish, he was dragged through the shadow and dangling by his leg. "Maul!"
Maul laughed heartily as he hovered forty feet off the ground. "Do you want me to let you go, Pup? End it all right here? Then, who would be here to guard your family? Oh, yes… I forgot! You have no family… save me."
"Just leave me the hell alone."
"Now you seek to drive me off as well? So be it." With that, Maul let go of Khalid's leg… Khalid could not believe he did that. He REALLY could not believe he did that. He wanted to scream; he really did. His aura flared up as he neared the ground, prepared to lash out. Just before he was about to, he was grabbed by the ankle again… his head just a couple of feet off the ground. Outwardly, he didn't convey that he just had the shit scared out of him. Inside, his heart was pounding like crazy and he could not get enough air to breathe.
Hovering just a few feet, Maul reached down and picked Khalid up by the strands of his overalls, never allowing him to touch the ground. "Good. A survivor… As I told you before, Kinder, I would never desert you when things get hot." Maul slowly brought Khalid near his face, this time sniffing his jugular. "That's a smell I haven't noticed from you in a while… fear." Maul brought his free hand just in front of Khalid's eyes, extending his metallic claws. Just enough to touch, he moved them back and forth across Khalid's face, being careful not to actually pierce his skin. "Fear does not suit you, Mein Freunde. Only the weak fear. The lion does not."
Outwardly, Khalid gave no indication that he was scared out of his mind… not even allowing his head or hands to shake. Inside, his heart pounded loud enough that he could hear it in his head. One slip of the wrist and it will be stitch city… Finally finding his breath, Khalid calmly spoke… trying not to think about the fact that he was getting the closest shave of his life! "Maul, get those things out of my face. They don't look particularly clean to me, and I'd rather not have to get a tetanus shot."
Maul chuckled as he sneered from ear to ear. Slowly setting Khalid on the ground, he spoke. "The next lesson you will learn is respect for your elders… and class is in session." His eyes trained on Khalid, Maul flew backwards, disappearing into the shadow of a tree and laughing all the way.
Satisfied that he left, Khalid sat on the ground, Indian-style. He grabbed the sides of his head and bent over, trying to calm himself down. This was just all too much to bear. He just tried to relax himself, and put everything in perspective. For some reason, Maul had taken some kind of interest in him. His mother was having nightmares about him. HE was having nightmares about him… although he didn't last night. In fact, he didn't remember even dreaming last night. Everyone else but Philippe and Grandpop wanted him out of the picture. His father thinks that he up and joined the Hellions, which is only half-true. Hmmmmm… did that about cover it? Oh yeah… and Mike and Grover were at each other's throats, but that wasn't anything new. Had they the slightest clue just how alike they were…
Khalid opened his eyes, looking up toward the sky. For the briefest of instants, he could see colorful outlines of everything… the birds, the trees, the insects… everything. Blinking his eyes, it was just as soon gone. That must have been the life energy that his grandfather said he could see. Khalid stood up, looking around his surroundings. He recognized this place… it was five miles away from the house… where he had learned how to track. Just like Maul to pull that shit and leave him to walk back.
End Chapter Thirteen
-----------------------------
Chapter Fourteen
Grover picked up another nail with his hand, driving it through the door frame. Finally, the door to the barn was fixed. He had to admit… although he had wanted to kick Breslin's ass for a LONG time, he did feel kind of low about what they had done. As he straightened the door out, Grover brushed his hand across the hinges, reversing the oxidation of the metal with his telekinetic aura. Could he control it as well as he liked? No. Every once in a while, though, he did find that it came in useful for things other than protection. For one thing, he would never need an iron brush… wipe his hand across anything and rust just disappears.
Malik walked up from behind, nodding his head. Pulling the door back and forth, he nodded as he didn't hear a single squeak. "Good job… That door works better now than it did even before you arrived. You two are welcome to get into a fight at my house anytime! Just don't hit the collectibles or the record collection… I'll fight over that record collection."
Grover chuckled as he wiped his hands together. "I think that is about it… unless that Breslin is slacking off again!"
"No… Actually, he was done with the fence railing and the ramp a few minutes ago. I never thought I'd see a man that could use his hands like tools. I kind of wonder, though… why don't the two of you get along?"
"LOOOONG story… Really long story… I think it is better that you don't know."
For a minute, Malik stood silent. There was something on his mind, but… it was just hard to say it. "Why did my son join the Hellions? He had such a good future ahead of him in a career that he loved… something that I thought he would NEVER give up… I just don't understand why he would trade in his dream… a dream he worked so hard for… to join a group and save the world all the time… His mother worries about him constantly. I can't understand why he would do that."
Grover shook his head. "For your information, Mr. Hun…"
"None of that… Call me Malik."
"Malik… Khalid is not now nor has he ever been a member of the Hellions. Yes, it is true that he works for me… However, it is not in the capacity in which you are thinking. Don't misunderstand me; I would LOVE to have him as a member of the Hellions. Although he is not a fighter, he has something inside that we could use... Heart. He never gives up."
"I don't understand, though… Why do these things happen to him? What is he doing…"
"Other than continually be in the wrong place at the wrong time… Nothing. He does not ask for it… or anything. I have to say that in a way, I envy him. Does he have his fallbacks? Well… yeah… he does… everyone does… yet he doesn't care. Why? To him… other things are more important."
"I'm not following… Within the last two years, he has been driven out of grad school, stalked by some psycho, gone blind, disappeared off the face of the earth, and now is the target of a public witch-hunt! That is just too much… and he never tries to avoid them… He's just continuing things… I can't tolerate this. His mother…"
Grover dropped the box of nails, finally betraying his agitation. He closed his eyes for a second and finally opened them. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Malik… With the exception of grad school, I was there for each one… None of it was that simple. I can tell you right now that Khalid went blind… because he was saving my life." He turned away from Malik and started moving toward the inside of the barn when his eyes flashed.
At that moment, the wind started up… what drew Malik's attention was that it was supernaturally warm for this time of year… and directed at Grover. "Son… you feel that?"
The force of the wind picked up, clearly an attempt to get Grover's attention. "Yes I sure did… Excuse me… I'll be back… I think I need to take an afternoon flight." Before Malik could respond, Grover flew off into the air.
----------------------------
Khalid could not understand it in the least. Why did he feel so damn tired? After that massive crash course, he should be in MUCH better shape. Five miles should be a piece of cake… especially on terrain he has been walking on ever since he was little. Not even two miles in and he felt exhausted… sleepy. It just didn't make sense to him.
Then again, he guessed that everything made sense. Lately, his life has just been one thing right after another. He joins the White Court. Mjimbe attacks. Cassie blinds him. Cyclops railroads him into dropping off the face of the earth for four months. He discovers of magic that he wasn't even aware existed. A demon that just happens to be the source of the family's power possesses him. Ryan drops the bomb about Grad School on his birthday. Then, of course, he also has to deal with a reporter stalking him… Maul lurking around… The Hellions hating him… Nightmares he can't remember… Did he forget anything? Oh yeah… His own father just cut him loose.
No wonder he can't concentrate on a damn thing. His life is falling apart. It is pretty sad when the only thing he even looked forward to anymore was performing. Every other part of his life sucked right now. Did it ever end?
Just before he was to inflict further self-punishment, he chuckled. "You know, I can see you."
With a flash of light, the stranger walked out from the trees. "I know… You're a good student. I just had to make sure. You mind if I walk a bit?"
"Sure… Why not? I'm not going to remember it, anyway, because of your damn psionic suggestion."
"You know that was necessary. It is as much for your family's protection as your own. Also, I had to make sure that you weren't discovered earlier and exploited."
"All right… all right… I'll give. You know that Walsh left a suggestion of his own, right?"
The stranger nodded. "Yes… You may as well go ahead and let it play out, otherwise he will be suspicious. You have a firmer grasp on yourself right now; I think you can handle it. Do not betray your ideals in the process…"
"I won't. I'd like to think that I've matured in the past 5000 years or so. Karma works in strange ways. Did I tell you that last year, a yogi told me that I was consonance in the guise of dissonance?"
"A musical analogy for a musical soul… I like it. I definitely think that it is working. I have to admit that a couple of times you had me wondering whether or not you were lost in the role."
"Lost?" Khalid stopped, sitting down on a tree stump. "How can I HELP but be lost in the role? If I don't remember that it is a role, then for me it is real… I mean, I'm lucid now, but the rest of the time it's like I'm cut in half… only occasionally bursting through."
The stranger raised his eyebrow mulling it over. "Yeah… That's about right. Frustrating, but necessary. You know why. Anyway, I see that you have been gathering what you are going to need later on… Subtle… I like."
"Well, unfortunately it wasn't subtle enough… Back in Egypt, I fucked up big time. I didn't count on someone being able to actually read the tattoo. I sensed Estophalum making a connection with Harry before he got sucked back down to hell. However, it gets worse…" Khalid reached into the pocket of his bib overalls and withdrew a sheet of paper. "They made a move on me earlier… They know who I am."
The stranger read over the sheet of paper, trembling. "Shit… We are in some serious trouble. They have some heavy hitters there. I have not figured out who their Necromancer is yet, but she is a shifty one. I'd say that it is about certain that she will find some way to get to you… Don't misunderstand me… You learn quickly, but…"
"I know, I know… This is not good. Harry ripped a copy of the tattoo out of Akiko's journal."
"God DAMN…" Like something out of a Simpson's episode, the strange hit the center of his forehead with his palm. "I can't believe I missed this… They are planning to counteract the spell. It makes perfect sense… With you bonded to Estophalum's power, the only way he can return is either by taking your body again or killing you. I should have seen this coming earlier… but one thing after another keeps on coming up."
"Have you thought that it might be related? That they are intentionally keeping you busy? Your place is not exactly the most secure… (as seen in Lethal Leg… er… nevermind… heheheh…)"
"Yes, but I don't keep anything there. That's why I've been around as long as I have. Still… You may have a point… There are only so many times that the Energy Garoths of the Idrik Dimension can escape. I've been cleaning up behind someone's handiwork. I just can't find out whom. Like the Necromancer, this person has managed to somehow elude detection. You are right… a striking coincidence."
"I'm not exactly familiar with how the mage circles run… I've only run into a few that I know past simple conversation. Gomurr, I know pretty well… He's decent. He wouldn't pull this. Luna isn't that powerful… I think… I could be wrong… Byron would never. Rune and Rahsas I really don't know… Nytshade I have talked to before VERY briefly at a party… Could she…?"
The stranger intercepted his question. "In a heartbeat, if it suited her purposes. I'm going to try to get some of the other mages in on it. Malia, Archimedes, Malachi, Gomurr…"
"Wait a minute, isn't Gomurr…"
"Shit! I forgot all about that… I might have to settle for Qwas, instead… although he is not exactly the most reliable. This is serious… You know it is when even DIABLO complains about having to clean up after someone else's dirty work… in other things, no doubt… It wouldn't surprise me if he weren't…"
"No…Trust me. To pull something like what is going on requires someone downright evil… Diablo isn't evil… He may try to be, but he isn't."
"I trust your judgment. I have my work cut out for me. Right now, the only advantage we have is that they so not know the connection between us… as far as I know. Oh… by the way… I took the liberty of conjuring you a ride… I'll try to be by later. Until then, be careful…" With a flash of light, the stranger was gone.
Just as many times before, Khalid didn't remember it… ANY of it. All he remembered was that he was damn tired… and must have zonked out while sitting on the tree stump. With a flash of his eyes, he craned his head to see Grover flying above. Forming a ball of photons in his hand, Khalid watched as it floated up. "Down here, Grover!"
Setting down in front of him, Grover smiled. "I was wondering where you went. Mind telling me how you got out here?"
Khalid shook his head and spoke quietly. "Maul is out here."
"WHAT?! HE'S OUT HERE AND YOU DIDN…"
Khalid brought his hand up to his lips. "Keep it down. I'm not sure what he's up to, but I don't think he is going to harm my family. He's playing mind-games again."
Forming a staff in his hand, Grover scanned the area. "No wonder you've been damn jumpy. That's probably why you didn't sleep well last night. Why didn't you tell me… or even Michael or Justin?"
"Because the last thing I need out here is a damn fight. Maul hasn't hurt anyone… and he won't unless someone confronts him. I don't know what he's up to, but he says that his interest in me is 'personal business.'"
Grover paced back and forth. "Could you have at least told Cougar? I mean… He's had prior experience with Maul…"
"No. I'm not telling him… and I'm praying he doesn't find out. I don't know what their connection is, but Grandpop might try to confront him. I mean… I'm pretty sure that Grandpop is a match for Maul, but I don't want to risk it. As long as I'm the only one he deals with, he'll leave everyone else alone."
"All right… Your family… your call…" Grover grabbed Khalid by the back of the overalls and flew up. "You seem to have a good read on the situation. I won't argue it with you… Though if this were my family, I'd get them the hell out of dodge."
"That would be an invitation for him to hunt them down… No… They are safe, right now. " As they headed back toward the farm, Khalid found himself wondering… Yeah… If they are so safe, why the hell are you worrying yourself to death?
End Chapter Fourteen
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Chapter Fifteen
"…Bless this food we have before us… may it nurture our bodies and our souls. May you please watch over my children who have chosen not to be here tonight as well as Uncle Joe, Ezekiel, Malik's father… both adopted and biological… as well as my nephew wherever he is... and his family."
"Amen. Let's chow down."
If anything could be said for the Hunter family was that there was no dallying around at the dinner table. They did not believe in doing anything small, be it holidays or even a meal. Philippe had even made a joke to make sure that your hand does not get attacked by a fork. At Thanksgiving, there was always plenty to eat…
No one went hungry. Shani made sure of that one. She had heard her mother and Uncle Joe talk abut what it was like during World War II, as they struggled for food. It was not until recently that she respected what her father had to do in order to support them. After having a family herself, she could finally understand his feeling. She and Malik during the years had sought to provide for their children, doing whatever was necessary to do it. She had to admit that she was hurt that her older children were not around…
As the talking started, Khalid briefly glanced toward the window. It was barely faint, but he could see it. An outline… He slowed down as he sat up, his eyes turning to meet Cougar's. Cougar, finally reading the look of astonishment on Khalid's eyes, sat back smiling… trying not to laugh. "You see them too?"
Dazed and somewhat confused, Khalid slowly nodded and continued to eat. "Yes…"
Justin leaned over, whispering over to Philippe. "Hey… What's got Khalid so spooked? We haven't even got to the pie, yet!"
Philippe shrugged as he started on the mashed potatoes. "Beats me… I never know what is going through his head half the time."
Khalid blinked his eyes… not quite believing them. Was he going mad? He had seen pictures of his Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Kyle as well as their children… but he had never seen their ghosts!!!! Again, Khalid blinked his eyes, but they were still there… standing directly across the table from him… greeting him with a smile.
The ghost of Carolyn Breslin waved at him. She had felt rather guilty when Khalid had been blinded saving her son… but seeing him again, she was pleased… and she didn't even have to manipulate the wind. See, Kyle… I told you the kid was nice. (A Vengeful Spirit… bet you guys didn't remember that one!)
Grover looked across the table toward Khalid, puzzled at his expression. "Khalid, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Shani wiped her lips with the napkin as she turned her head toward her son. "Tater, can you get the door? It's for you."
Khalid slowly rose from his seat as the sudden realization dawned on him. Aunt Carolyn's "voice" was the one sobbing when Grover got possessed by Mjimbe… and she is standing behind Grover… and… Immediately, his face snapped toward Cougar's… Cougar met his eyes, briefly… and then nodded. I'm not exactly sure what that look was… if it was a confirmation or not…
Fighting confusion, Khalid slowly walked toward the front door. Slowly opening it, he saw something else that just made his day. "Guys…"
Dante Hunter nearly jerked his little brother out the door, putting him in a headlock. "You aren't getting rid of US that easily!"
Dwayne rubbed his knuckles across Khalid's scalp. "No kidding, Bro! We spent too much time beating on you! We aren't letting you slack off!"
Rhonda picked up the braid along his back, taking a look at it. "Hey! What's this?! You're hair is longer than mine! What the hell?!"
Her new husband Gerald had a smile on his face. "I told you I'd talk her into coming… It was only a matter of time."
Shani called from the dinner table. "Get in the house this instant! You're letting the cold air in!"
Dante released him from the headlock, slapping the side of his face gently. "Bro… Dad gave us the scoop. We're sorry."
Khalid finally managed to speak… unable to contain the smile on his face. "All right… Food's getting cold. Let's chow!"
"Spoken like a true Hunter!"
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Reaching into the refrigerator, Khalid pulled out two plastic bags and slipped out the door. He would love nothing more than to sit around with the rest of the family and swap stories… even blushing as they joked about him and everyone else. However, there was something else he had to do…
Walking out toward the woods, nothing could ruin his mood. So… if that was the case, why was he doing this? Because it is the right thing to do… THAT's why! Stepping through the line of trees in the almost pitch black, Khalid looked around for him… he knew he was out here. Khalid stood for a moment, trying to gather up the nerve to call out…
He began to speak when sensed movement from behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt himself being lifted into the air. Next, he felt Maul's nose sniffing at his neck, before his strident voice spoke softly… but creepily in his ear. "So, Pup… you have finally sought me out… yet you still hide behind this pathetic civilized costume. You know who I really want to talk to!"
Khalid cringed as he hung in Maul's grip. "I knew that coming out here was a mistake."
"Nein… the mistake was coming out here in this disguise… THAT was your mistake… and…" Maul sniffed into the air. "Was?!"
Khalid brought the plastic bag up so Maul could see. "It's what I originally went to the store after… three steaks… four pork chops… raw… delivered fresh from the butcher… and extra bloody… Happy Thanksgiving."
Slowly, Maul sank to the ground, his hand still fixed firmly on the strands of Khalid's overalls. With his other hand, he picked up the plastic bag, looking inside. Yep… just as Khalid said… "For me?"
"Yes… For you… It's bribery so that you don't suck my family dry!"
"Only one thing missing, Kinder…" setting the plastic bag down, he reached inside Khalid's coat pocket and pulled out another plastic bag. "The famous pumpkin pie!"
Khalid shook his head… not believing that Maul knew about his mother's pumpkin pie… "Happy Thanksgiving, Maul… and behave."
As he watched Khalid walk away, Maul sneered. "Rest tonight and enjoy your vacation, Pup… because soon, the tardy bell rings…"
The End