Tuesday, June 21, 1988
Camp Tandy – Girl’s Campsite 2
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
Sylvia heads over to the second tent she is in charge of to find Brittany, Lindsey and Susan dressed and headed to the lodge for breakfast. “Where is Lori?” she asks as they walk toward her.
“She is back in the tent,” Lindsey replies, “She has been crying for the last half an hour.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Sylvia says walking past them toward the tent.
“She probably just got her period or something,” Susan calls back.
That girl has no compassion, Sylvia thinks as she steps into the tent to find Lori still in her cot. The young girl is curled up in the fetal position in her sleeping bag as she sobs into her pillow. “Lori, are you okay?” Sylvia asks, approaching the cot. “Do you have cramps?”
“No, it isn’t the curse, not yet at least,” Lori replies, lifting her face from her tear soaked pillow. “I just told them that to make them leave.”
“Then what is it, Dear,” Sylvia says sitting down on the edge of the bed next to the young girl.
“I did as you said and focused on Susan before going to sleep,” Lori explains, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I saw horrible things, her father is a monster!” “I watched as he tortured people and killed them.” “The man he works for, the General, is even worse!”
“Oh my God!” Sylvia exclaims taking the girl in her arms. “I never meant for you to see such things.” “I had no idea that is what you would dream.”
“So, you believe my dreams are real now?” Lori asks, her face pressed to Sylvia’s breast.
“Have you ever seen anything like what you describe to me before in your life?” Sylvia asks.
“No, not even in movies,” Lori says. “I know in a few days the memories of my dream will fade if I don’t have it again, but right now it is just still so fresh and horrible.”
“You just need to take it slowly, one step at a time,” Sylvia tells her, it is something her namesake mother used to tell her when she was struggling with her own powers. “I will go to the lodge and get us breakfast so we can eat here.” “Then I will sit with you until my first practice today.” “How does that sound?”
“Good,” Lori replies as she sits up away from Sylvia. “You are a good friend Diana, thank you for believing in me.”
“Please don’t call me that in front of anyone else okay?” Sylvia asks.
“It is okay, I know why you are really here,” Lori tells her. “What about in front of your boyfriend?” “He knows your real name, doesn’t he?”
Giving Lori a grimace Sylvia says, “I’ll be right back, just try to take your mind off of the dream to start your day.” “Remember what I said, You just need to take it slowly, one step at a time.”
Sylvia steps out of the tent flap to look around Girl’s Campsite 2 to see that everyone has gone to the lodge for breakfast. She has no time to waste so she teleports to the far side of the wood that divides the campsite from the lodge area. Hurrying into the lodge she lets Mr. Tennison know that Lori is not feeling well. “Is it anything we need to call a doctor for?” Mr. Tennison asks.
“No, no, just girl stuff,” Sylvia answers. “I’m taking her breakfast and will check on her again after my first practice game at lunch time.”
“Very well then, keep me updated if things change,” Mr. Tennison instructs.
Gathering up two breakfast plates Sylvia hurries back down the path to Girl’s Campsite 2 because she can not teleport carrying the food. Arriving back at the tent she finds Lori back in her sleeping bag. “Are you ready to eat now, or do you want to talk some more?”
Lori rolls over to sit up. “I think I can do both,” she says, pushing back the sleeping bag. “Do you want to know what I learned?”
“No Lori, none of that matters now,” Sylvia replies. “I just want you to forget all of that now.”
“At least let me tell you where the secret base is located,” Lori insists.
“You learned that?” Sylvia exclaims. Lori nods her head as she crams a blueberry muffin in her mouth. “How is that possible?”
Lori swallows, taking a big drink from a milk carton. “I rode to work with him at the Pentagon.” “He spends most of his time in the lowest level of the Pentagon in Washington DC.” “I think the members of Unit-55 are the only ones who even know the base is down there.” “Sometimes they even come and go through a secret entrance.” “But Susan’s dad also works out of an office in Manhattan that he uses to spy on you.”
“What!” Sylvia exclaims.
“You do work at Carter Industries, right?” Lori asks, surprising Sylvia again. “You know dreams move faster than real life, right.” “I can see 18 hrs of time in half that many hours of dreaming.”
“I’m concerned,” Sylvia says, beginning to eat. “Can he see or hear you?”
“No, what I am dreaming is the past, his desk calendar says December 1987,” Lori explains, allowing Sylvia to relax, knowing the girl is not astral projecting. “It’s like I only dream of past events.” “What would make me feel better would be if you would make me a promise.”
“What kind of promise?” Sylvia asks.
“I’ve had dreams about you dressed in red and I know what you have done to stop bad people,” Lori confessed, clearly talking about Diana’s Miracle Maiden identity for the first time. “I need you to promise me that you will stop Susan’s father and the man he works for from doing those bad things to innocent people.”
“That is a big promise,” Sylvia says, not sure she can keep it. “But I will give you my word that I intend on doing everything I can to stop them from hurting anyone else.”
Lori jumps up from her cot to give Sylvia a big hug, “Thank you,” she whispers in the woman’s ear. Then she sits back down on her cot going back to her breakfast. “Before I came to Camp Tandy I had dreams of my mother and me when I was a baby.”
“That sounds nice,” Sylvia says, “I wish I could have dreams like that.”
“No, it made me sad, I never met my mother in real life,” Lori explains. “It made me wish for things that could never be.” “I was glad the first night I was here to dream about you and Steve.” “Why are you so afraid to tell him the truth?” “I think you should tell him your secrets, you might be surprised at his,” Lori suggests.
“Being an adult is that simple,” Sylvia tells the girl. “There are things that are much more complicated than just telling your secrets.” “I said I wanted to help you take your mind off of Susan’s father, that did not mean I wanted to talk about this.” “I’m beginning to think you’ve had a rather speedy recovery here,” Sylvia tells Lori.” “I can’t think of any reason why you can’t go to your next activity.” “Or should I see about sending you home?” “Wouldn’t want anyone hearing about your crazy dreams.”
“I would never tell anyone about my dreams,” Lori says finishing her breakfast. “Only people who are special, like you and me.”
“And who would those people be?” Sylvia asks curiously.
“Now that would be telling tales, wouldn’t it?” Lori smiles. “If one of the others asked me about you, would you want them to know?”
“I have to admit you are a wise and principled girl aren’t you?” Sylvia says starting to clean up their breakfast trash.
“It is something my Dad taught me,” Lori reals. “He always tells me it is good to keep secrets to yourself.”
Camp Tandy – Boy’s campsite 5
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
It is morning and Steve walks with Avery to the lodge for breakfast. “So how is it going with Coach Barnes?” Steve asks.
“Really good, I am glad you talked me into asking her to be my mentor,” Avery tells him. “She really is incredible.” “She even knows about the history of my family.” “But I still feel like there is a reason we met.”
“I do too,” Steve tells his young friend. “I was the one meant to lead you to Coach Barnes.”
“We do still have another unexpected connection too,” Avery chuckles. “Two big sets of balls!”
Steve laughs along with the boy’s joke like he is a fifteen year old himself. Then Steve looks ahead of them as he laughs along with Avery. He spots a car in the parking lot that should not be there. “Hey, head on in to eat, I’ve got to check something,” Steve tells the young man as he changes direction to head to the parking lot.
Avery stops to watch Steve walk away across the field toward the parking lot. He wonders what Steve is up to and if he should keep an eye on what is happening.
As Steve draws closer he is positive that it is David’s car. When he reaches the edge of the lot David and Paddy get out of the car to meet him as he approaches. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We need to talk, its about Gary,” David says, opening the back door of the car. “Get in.” Steve slides into the back seat as David and Paddy get back in the front seat of the car.
“What is up guys?” Steve asks as the trio settle back into their seats.
“Dr. Michaelson showed up with some important new information that you need to know,” Paddy says, turning to look over the seat. “Apparently before I got you out of the hospital after the battle of Market Street he took a DNA swab of your mouth.”
Steve sits back in the seat, “Not a problem, I come back negative on Zeni-human markers.”
“Michaelson found something else,” Paddy reveals. “He is calling it the Master-gene.” “It replaces the Zeni-gene.” “He also found it in Zadlo.” “He believes it has something to do with his healing ability.” “I believe him, I’ve seen how you heal first hand.”
“What does this have to do with Gary?” Steve wants to get off the subject of this Master-gene.
Paddy can tell that Steve is trying to be evasive. “When Gary was admitted to the Hospital in Ohio they did a DNA swab on him without me knowing it,” David turns to say. “Michaelson got those results and found he had Master-gene in him.”
“What do you mean?” Steve asks, picking up on his friend’s wording.
“Michaelson is a man full of theories and I think some of them hit home,” Paddy says not looking around. “He thinks Supreme Warrior’s powers are stolen.” “He takes what he needs and throws away what he does not need anymore.”
David turns to look Steve in the eye, “Gary told me when you were in High School you saved his life, gave him CPR.” “Could he have stolen the Master-gene from you?”
Steve is shocked by their theory, but it makes sense to him. “Gary died that day,” Steve says, slumped in the back seat. “He was poisoned.” “I couldn’t find a pulse, his heart had stopped.” “I gave him CPR and he came back.” “The doctors at the hospital said it was impossible.” “I had my powers back then.” “I was just grateful that he was alive, when things got weird I justified it to myself.”
“What do you mean weird?” David asks.
“What do you mean to justify it?” Paddy questions.
“There were times after that I felt like Gary was stronger than he should have been,” Steve confesses. “But it was only when he was fighting with me.” “Like before Wayne’s wedding in the alley at the bar.” Steve is silent for a moment. Then he sits forward to the back of the seat. “Gary was poisoned by an experimental drug.” “It is possible it changed him, gave him the power to mimic mine.” “Like Double Dee?”
“Not mimic, steal,” Paddy adds. “Gary’s abilities are not anything like Double Dee.”
“That would explain his growth spurt at college,” Steve suggests. “I barely recognized him at the wedding.”
“Then what the hell happened with the whole Mudhouse Mansion thing?” David exclaims.
“If it is what Michaelson thinks is true, then whoever Dr. Crow is, he gave Gary a whole new set of powers,” Steve suggests. “Why does the good doctor think Gary discarded this ‘Master-gene’?”
Paddy and David just look at each other as if they are holding something back. Neither of them look back at Steve before Paddy says, “Michaelson thinks the link between Master Warrior, Zadlo and the Master-gene is immortality.”
Steve hates where this is going. He has been more honest with these two men than any other in his life. This is the one thing he has held back, the greatest secret of the amazons race. Whatever weird thing Christine has been working to cover their mother’s secret has been working and now he is faced with throwing it away.
“Dude, just say it, Steve, are you immortal?” David exclaims, turning to look at him over the seat. Steve remains silent in the back seat. Then David gets out of the car and into the back seat with Steve. “You have given me a lot in the last year to deal with, not to mention the issue with my Fiance.” “But now we are talking about my cousin.” “I know you want to help him as much as I do.” “If there is something you know that we don’t and it can help to save him, please tell us.”
Steve wrestles in his head with what to say. These are his closest friends, but so was Gary. Now it seems that keeping secrets from Gary in the past has turned him into a monster. It tears his heart out to think that he is somehow responsible for the creation of Supreme Warrior. He looks to Paddy who glares at him over the front seat eager to hear his answers. Then he looks to David, a friend that has grown to take Gary’s place. “I’m not immortal in the sense that I can not die.” Neither man responds. “At some point I will stop aging.” Still his friends say nothing. “I can be killed, that is why I am different from Mark.”
David slumps back in the seat away from Steve. Steve can tell this is a lot for him. He looks at Paddy. His roommate and friend has become much more accustomed to these things since he found out that he himself was a Zeni-human. “Paddy, you have met my mother, she is three thousand years old.” “She has taught me everything she has ever learned to protect myself.” “Not aging is not the same as not dying.” “Everytime I put on that suit I put my life on the line.”
Paddy looks back over the seat at the two men. “I understand that.” “I am just trying to put it all together in my head.” “If DNA can be extracted from saliva then Gary could have stolen your DNA from mouth to mouth.” “Then this Dr. Crow added something else.” “Something that made the Master-gene obsolete.”
“That would explain the right cross he gave me before Wayne’s wedding,” Steve comments. “For a minute I thought he knocked my tooth loose.” “How can Michaelson be sure he discarded the Master-gene?” Steve asks.
“Michaelson is on top of everything Zeni-human,” Paddy tells him. “He ran a DNA panel on Gary’s semen left behind after the rape.” “It had the Master-gene when he did not.” “Semen take up to three months to develop.” “If his body lost the Master-gene during that time it would make sense that it was still in his semen.”
Steve knows what his semen can do if ingested, he has to wonder what Gary is capable of doing.” “What did you find out about the woman?” Steve asks. However Gary gained this Master-gene works, there is no telling what it could have done to that girl.
“She is a Zeni-human from New York Trudy Collins aka Trudy Patterson aka Trudy Garrison, who has been pronounced dead at least twice,” Paddy explains.
“Trudy Patterson was Gary’s date to Wayne Double’s wedding,” Steve reveals. “That is the connection, but was she already a Zeni then or has that happened since?”
“I know what you are thinking,” Paddy says. “The girl was resurrected in the morgue before you went to that wedding.” “Which suggests that Gary could have gained some of his power from her too.”
“Whatever the case may be, I think there is a good chance that Gary will seek her out again,” David suggests. “That is what I would do.” “We Rogers men love our women and if he feels any connection to her, he will find her again.”
“So you are suggesting that not only is my best friend out to kill me, but so is his girlfriend?” Steve theorizes.
“Unless you have a girlfriend for her to go after,” David suggests. “Is there anyone we should contact in New York City?”
“Well that is the one good thing about all of this news you have brought me,” Steve smiles. “She is here, I will have no problem keeping an eye on her myself.”
“Your long lost girlfriend from this summer camp is here too?” David says. “What are the odds of that happening?”
“I don’t know but it has been wonderful spending this much time with her,” Steve confesses. “I hope Gary and Trudy don’t show up to ruin it!” “I’ll let you know if anything happens but I need to get to breakfast now.” “I’m on clean-up duty today.” Steve gets out of the car thinking about all of the bombs that have just been dropped on his friends and him both. It takes David a few more minutes to move back to the driver’s seat. Steve can imagine this has all hit him harder than Paddy.
“Is everything okay?” Avery asks, meeting Steve back at the corner of the lodge building where he has been waiting and watching the car.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Steve replies. “Come on, let’s get something to eat before it is all gone.”
Detective Sgt. Prussia and Special Agent Lei’s office
Third floor
New York City Hall
City Hall Park
New York, NY
Special Agent Lei is already at his desk when Detective Sgt. Prussia arrives at the office with his usual breakfast coffee. Prussia glances at a file on the top of Lei’s “IN” tray. “What is this?” he asks, picking up the folder to take with him as he sits down at his desk across from Lei.
“It was dropped off by a special messenger a few minutes ago,” Agent Lei responds. “Philadelphia Elite Squad and a Dr. Charles Michaelson have requested documentation on Trudy Patterson.”
Prussia furiously looks through the request, “That bitch killed my partner!” “Why do they want to know about her?” he asks out loud as he rifles through the pages of the request. “Says her DNA was found at the scene of an attempted hospital escape of a Gary Rogers a.k.a. Supreme Warrior.”
“I’ve been researching this Rogers guy,” Agent Lei comments. “Seems he’s a Zeni with powers similar to that Master Warrior character over in Philly.” “In fact it was a run-in with Master Warrior that landed him in a coma in the Zeni-wing of Jefferson Hospital.”
“Is he still there?” Prussia asks, putting down the file.
“No, he escaped during transfer to Fort Dix in Jersey a few days ago,” Agent Lei reports.
“Where does this Rogers live?” Prussia asks. “Will he go back there?” “Could he be meeting her there?”
“Cleveland Ohio, local bureau has agents staked out there, they reported back after a search, nothing since,” Agent Lei explains.
“I’ll gather up everything I have on Patterson to send to the Philadelphia Elite Squad, but I want to go after her in Cleveland.” Prussia tells Lei. “Patterson is my top priority and if she is in Cleveland those Agents are not safe she is a maniac!”
Camp Tandy – the Soccer Field
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
Let’s go everyone pair up,” Sylvia announced to the group of kids. “We are starting with practice exercises, every pair gets a ball.” She moves to the center of fields between Soccer and Field Hockey to watch the kids practice. Coach Barnes does the same.
“So I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning,” Coach Barnes comments to her.
“Yes, one of my girls was not feeling well, so I took her breakfast at the tent and sat with her for a while.”
“The girl who has the dreams, I suspect,” Coach Barnes suggests to Sylvia’s surprise. “Lori Striker is an interesting young girl.” “She told me stories of things I did so long ago I had almost forgotten them.” “I’ve known girls with her power before, a power like that can become overwhelming if she doesn’t learn to control it.”
Sylvia does not respond to Coach Barnes, she does not want to tip her hand. Lori said she would never tell anyone else the secrets that she learned in her dreams, but here this woman stands talking to her as if she knows everything about her.
“Not to worry, Lori did not give you away,” Coach Barnes tells her. “You did that yourself the first day we met.” Coach Barnes points the concrete pylons at the edge of the soccer field. “Those jerks did the same thing to me.” “Didn’t think weak little women like us could move them, no doubt.” “Avery Lewis!” she shouts at her assistant. “Watch that stick action with those two!” “No, checking!” She turns back to Sylvia. “At first I thought you might be my half-sister, but I can see now that you’re something different.”
“There are a lot of differences in the world, why would you trust me?” Sylvia asks.
“It is because of the company you keep,” Coach Barnes answers. “You reek of my father’s magic.” “I know he would not give such a gift to just anyone.”
“Your father?” Sylvia asks, surprised by the comment more than any other. “Who is your father?”
“Eajamail, but I would guess you met him as the Mistix, Sagittarius,” Coach Barnes answers without a care.
Sylvia is truly shocked by the woman’s statement. “Sagittarius is your father?” “I never considered….. that he could do that.”
“What, knock someone up?” Coach Barnes laughs. “Let me give you some advice, he can do a lot of things.” “Keep in mind the gift of prosperity he gave you could disappear without warning.” “I trust that you have used his gift wisely.” “Because if you don’t it will surely desert you.”
“You remind me of him with your riddles,” Sylvia admits. “Why would a child of a Mistix godling be working as a Field Hockey catch at a summer camp?” she asks.
“I have my reasons, as I am sure you do,” Coach Barnes responds watching Avery Lewis work with two of the fourteen year old boys on the field.
“Excuse me, might I have a word with you Sylvia?” Steve Roberts says having walked up behind them unnoticed.
“Can it wait” Sylvia asks, not wanting to be seen spending too much time with Steve.
Coach Barnes gives Steve a knowing glance to say, “Go ahead I can keep an eye on your kids for a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Sylvia says, “This should only take a few seconds.”
“Not at all, like I said I trust you because of the company you keep,” Barnes replies with a smile.
The couple steps away from Coach Barnes both feeling awkward about her comment. “I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning, I was a little concerned,” Steve says.
“Oh, one of my girls was just feeling under the weather, so I ate with her at the tent,” Sylvia explains. “It is nice to know that you care.”
“Well it is a little more than that,” Steve confides. “There is something I haven’t told you that I need to say now.”
Sylvia instantly thinks, here comes the other shoe. “That sounds ominous,” she commented, sure she is not going to like what he says next.
“After Wayne Double’s wedding… Gary and I had something of a falling out,” Steve begins to her relief. “To make a long story short he is not in his right state of mind and he has made some threats toward me.” “It is very important that I let you know that if you see him or the girl, Trudy, that he brought to the wedding they could be dangerous.” “Come find me immediately.” “I mean it is very unlikely that they would come here, but just in case.”
“Steve, you sound very worried, what could have happened to make you say this about your best friend?” Sylvia says.
“Like I said it is a long story and all that matters now is that you know Gary is dangerous and you need to be careful around him,” Steve says again.
“Okay, fine, I really need to get back to the kids now,” Sylvia says walking back over to the side of the field by the storage shed. That was strange she thinks to herself as she watches Steve walk away to talk to Coach Barnes.
Steve talks with Coach Barnes with his back to Sylvia. “There is something I need to make you aware of too,” he says.
“Do you have carnal desires for that one?” Coach Barnes quips.
“No,” Steve exclaims, caught off guard by the comment. “I mean yes, no, I mean no, that is not it.” “I don’t know how aware you are of my other self, but I have crossed paths with some dangerous people.” “Without going into the whole story, one or two of them might show up here.” “He calls himself Supreme Warrior as a jab at me.” “He knows about how I feel about Diana, Sylvia and he might go after her.” “I need you to keep an eye on her when I am not around.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, that girl can take care of herself, and what she can’t handle I can,” Coach Barnes said, touching his shoulder.
Steve isn’t sure what she is talking about as Avery waves to him across the field. “Don’t tell your boy, it could get too dangerous for him.” Steve starts to walk off back toward the lodge as he waves to Avery.
Camp Tandy – the Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
At Lunchtime Lori meets Sylvia outside the lodge. “I’m Bored and ready to get back to my fun,” she tells Sylvia.
“That is good to hear, have you cleared your head?” Sylvia asks. She on the other hand has spent the last part of her morning trying to figure out how she can break into the Pentagon. Coming to the conclusions she would be best to start with the office across the street from Carter Industries.
“I think so,” Lori replies. “I’m just going to try to keep my distance from Susan the rest of the day.” “Could I just hang out with you?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Sylvia replies thinking about what Steve told her about Gary. She really doesn’t need to put this kid in whatever danger Steve was being so cryptic about. “Why not hang out with Brittany or Lindsey?”
“Please I have nothing in common with those girls,” Lori insists. “Not like you and me.” “I think we are very much alike, we both lost our Moms, both our Dad’s are at work all the time.” “And then there is the other stuff.”
“That other stuff is why you need to fit in with other kids your age,” Sylvia explains. “Making yourself an outcast is not a good course for your life.” “You need more than just dreams of other people’s lives.” “You need to live your own life.” Sylvia remembers what Coach Barnes says about Lori’s dream power consuming her, this girl needs to live beyond her dreams.
“Friends like Gina?” Lori accuses.
Sylvia can not believe how much this girl knows about her personal past. “What happened to Gina was a tragedy.” “It was heartbreaking and a lot to get through at the time.” “But it was something that helped me grow to become who I am.” “It was my experience, not yours.” “You need to live your own life, have your own experiences.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Lori grumbles, walking off across the field away from the lodge. Sylvia watches as the girl makes her way down the path back to the girl’s campsites.
Lori stomps down the gravel path toward her tent area angry that Sylvia is brushing her off so easily. She has finally found someone she has something in common with and she has no time for a kid. All that she learned about Diana’s childhood made it clear to her that she didn’t want to go through it herself. She just wants to get to the good part. In fact Sylvia will not even let Lori call her by her real name in private! Lori thought it would be enough to help Diana by learning what she needed to know about Susan’s father. Lori had no idea all of the terrible things she would see in her dreams. “Why isn’t that enough to win over Diana’s friendship?” she shouts out loud in the forest.
Stepping on a broken branch, Lori stops in her tracks realizing she is no longer on the path for the campsites. She is in the middle of the forest with no trail or markings anywhere in sight. “HELLO!” she cries out several times as she turns around in a circle to look for any response. “Can anyone hear me?” The only response is the birds in the trees above her as they flee.
Maybe if she starts back the way she came she can find the trail again. Turning back she discovers she does not know which way she came. Scanning the ground at her feet she searches for the broken branch, it will tell her which way she came. But she can see no broken branches, only leaves on the forest floor. How can this be? She knows she stepped on a branch and she heard it crack and break. Lori kicks through the leaves finding no branch.
Her first reaction is to cry, but then she thinks “what would Diana do?” Not cry that is for sure! She can not be more than a hundred yards from the trail. She will mark this spot and try every direction. Finding a sharp rock on the ground, she takes it to carve a chunk of bark off of a large tree. Then Lori picks a direction with the clearest path free of trees to start walking. Every twenty steps or so she looks back to see the fresh mark on the tree behind her. When she reaches a point at which she can just about not see the mark anymore she starts to walk back to it.
The path from the lodge to the campsites is not that long, it doesn’t make sense to her that she can not hear or see anyone. Making a second mark on the tree she starts to walk in the opposite direction from the tree. She is certain this is the right way this time.
Suddenly a deer runs across her path startling her. It circles around her drawing her attention as she spins in place to watch it. Then it trots off through the forest again, disappearing over a hill. Alone again Lori realizes she lost the direction she was walking. Looking around herself she searches for the marked tree, not seeing it. Her knees buckle and she slumps to the forest floor as she begins to cry.
Gary Rogers’ Apartment
Apt 222
2363 W 14th St
Cleveland, OH
The couple lay nude on the bed eating leftover pizza from the night before. In the corner the delivery boy sits bound and gagged watching them in fear. What he has endured for the past twelve hours has changed him forever. He was delivering the pizza to an apartment down the hall when these two people jumped him and beat him unconscious. The seventeen year boy awoke to the sounds of the couple in the mitts of violent perverse activity. He could close his eyes but he was still forced to listen to them.
Chewing on a piece of crust, Supreme Warrior throws it at their prisoner on the floor. They watch as it bounces off his face to hit the wall. “Dr. Crow said I need to take you back to where it all began,” he tells Trudy. “Problem is I am not sure what he is talking about.” “Where, what began?”
“Who is this Dr. Crow you keep talking about?” she asks. “What has he done for you that you should even listen to him?”
“He made me complete!” Supreme Warrior barks at her. “He was the first to give me the power I needed to make Steve pay!” “I didn’t think I would ever see him again.” “But he came to me at the Farmer’s Market, brought me my suit and told me to find you.” “And take you to where it began.”
“It sounds like he wants you to show me where Steve first pissed you off,” Trudy says, rolling over to lay her cheek on his bare chest. She runs her hand over his smooth chest and down his hard abs. “If we leave, what are we going to do with the boy?”
Supreme Warrior looks to the frightened bound boy in the corner. Tears well in the delivery boy’s eyes as he watches them plot his fate. “What do you have in mind?”
“I want to have some fun with him, my Supreme,” Trudy grins, licking her lips. “Can we use him in all ways?” she asks. The boy on the floor begins to panic and struggle against his bonds trying to scream.
“I think I would like that,” Supreme Warrior sneers. “Make him know how Supreme I truly am!”
Camp Tandy – the Archery Range
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
After Lunch Sylvia notices that Lori has not returned to the lodge, she heads back to the tents. At the tent she finds no sign of any of the girls. Knowing Lori’s schedule Sylvia heads over to the Archery range to talk to Coach Booth. She looks over all of the younger girls at the range not seeing Lori anywhere. “Coach Booth, have you seen Lori Striker?” she asks the older man.
“I was told she was ill and would be staying at her tent,” Booth replies. “Is there a problem?”
“No, no, of course not,” Sylvia replies, not wanting to make too big of a fuss over Lori’s absence. “I guess she might just be sick in the bathroom.” Sylvia heads back up to the Lodge to retrace Lori’s steps back to Girl’s Campsite 2. As she walks down the gravel path that has many sets of footprints in it she tries not to worry. There are so many places on this property and near it that a kid can sneak off to hide. Times like these she wishes she could fly like Master Warrior. Where is that Showboat when she needs him?
Arriving back at the campsite she heads for the bathhouse. It is shared by the two campsites of the younger girl and no one should be here at this time of day. Going inside she finds that she is right. Sitting down on the bench along the wall Sylvia contemplates; where would I go if I was angry at someone I thought I was bonding with? To someone else, of course, Coach Barnes doesn’t have an activity now. Lori was drawn to her as well by dreams. Heading out of the bathhouse Sylvia makes a run for the older girl’s campsite where Coach Barnes is a chaperon. These older girls have a looser schedule than the ones she takes care of. So there are a few of them lingering around the campsite. The girls stand around talking, instant turn to inspect Sylvia the moment she walks out from the woods at the end of the gravel path. She is glad these are not the girls she is chaperoning.
“Hello?” Sylvia calls out approaching the large chaperon. tent. “Coach Barnes, are you here?” “It is me, Sylvia Banks.” She lifts the flap to peek inside.
“I’m not in there,” Coach Barnes says from behind Sylvia. “I’m right here, and please call me Ava.”
“Ava, I was wondering if you have seen Lori this afternoon?” Sylvia asks.
“No, can’t say that I have,” Ava Barnes replies. “Is there something wrong?”
“In the process of trying to help her live outside her dreams I may have pissed her off,” Sylvia admits. “And like all pre-teen girls she appears to have wandered off.” “I just felt that she needed to spend time with kids her own age and not me.”
Ava Barnes smiles, “Clearly you have never been a mother.” “But I am sure you remember what it was like to be twelve.” “Unfortunately if it was any other kid, I would say don’t worry.” “But because it is a dreamer and we are where we are, I think we should find her as quickly as possible.”
“What do you mean by where we are?” Sylvia asks.
It has been nearly an hour since Lori lost her way in the forest. She sits on the ground drying her tears when she hears a faint voice, “Lorelei.” “Lorelei, come this way?” She feels a strange pull to the direction from the call as if she knows the voice.
“Who is there?” Lori calls out. “How do you know my name?”
“Come this way,” the strange voice whispers as if carried in the breeze. “Lorelei.”
The young girl gets up from the ground, her fear of being lost in the past. Slowly walking to the east Lori follows the call of the voice. “Lorelei, I am waiting for you.” The trees begin to thin into a small clearing. In the center is a large rock that is partially hidden by tall grass. Lori walks to the rock, pushing the grass aside and she can see that it has been carved with a tool of some kind.
“It was used in rituals ages ago,” Dr. Crows says as he steps from the trees behind Lori.
Lori calmly turns around to face the strange man. “Why are you following me?” “Is that what you and my mother argued about?”
“So you know about that,” Dr. Crow replies with a strange sneer on his lips. “You are quite a talented girl.” “Did you dream of me?” Dr. Crow walks toward Lori. She does not fear him now. She steps aside as he reaches out to touch the rock. “It was an altar of sorts.” “A group of lost Israelites found this Mystic Source Point.”
“What is a Mystic Source Point?” Lori asks as if the strange man is a teacher at school.
“It is a place where ancient people came to practice mystic arts,” Dr. Crow answers. “This land is rich with magical energies because of this point.” “The Israelites tried to summon Mastema,” Dr. Crow says walking around the large rock that appears to be hand carved.
“Are you some kind of Magician or something?” Lori asks.
Dr. Crow chuckles as he answers, “No child I am something much different.” “Summoning demons is not usually my practice.”
“Demons!” Lori exclaims. “Those people summoned demons here!”
“I said they tried, the Israelites failed, they were missing one piece,” Dr. Crow was grabbing Lori’s hand to drag it across the sharp edge to the rock.
“Ouch!” Lori cries out as her hand is cut on the rock. Blood drips from her palm onto the rock where it is quickly absorbed.
“Lori, Lori is that you?” Sylvia calls out as she and Coach Barnes arrive in the clearing. Sylvia sees the girl holding her hand. “Lori, are you hurt?”
The girl turns back to the altar to see that Dr. Crow is gone. “I just scraped my hand on the rock.”
“Did you bleed on the rock?” Coach Barnes shouts rushing past the girl to the altar. She searches over the surface of the rock for any sign of blood. Asuma knows the legends of what the lost Israelites did at this site. One drop of the girl’s blood is all it would take.
Sylvia takes hold of Lori’s hand to inspect it. There is no sign of blood, just a small scrape. “No, she is not bleeding,” Sylvia calls to Coach Barnes.
“I need to hear it from her,” Coach Barnes says, moving to look at the girl’s hand.
“NO! I didn’t bleed on it!” Lori shouts, yanking her hand away. “How do we get back to camp?”
Camp Tandy – the Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
That night at dinner Ava Barnes and Sylvia Banks sit alone at a table together discussing the problem of Lori Striker. They both have a clear view of the girl across the room. “She knows we are watching her,” Ava comments softly.
“Yes, it concerns me that she is not coming over to sit with us,” Sylvia suggests. “Could she really be that mad about what happened today?”
“Or is there something that happened that she did not tell us about?” Ava replies.
It isn’t long before Steve Roberts approaches the table to ask, “Do you mind if I join you ladies?”
Sylvia instantly feels a panic about what to say. Telling him to go away will look very suspicious by letting him stay will prevent Ava and she from talking openly.
“Of course, Steve, perhaps you can help with a problem,” Ava smiles.
“What is the problem?” Steve questions.
“No big deal, just a problem with one of the girls, girl stuff, you know,” Sylvia says nervously, not wanting Steve to know anything about the weird stuff going on at this camp. She gives Ava a nudge under the table hoping to signify that she doesn’t want to share this with Steve.
“Well, haven’t you two become chummy,” Steve comments, starting to eat his hot dog. “Makes me wonder.” Steve can’t help to think that Ava or Asuma has noticed the closeness between Diana and him. He hopes she isn’t plotting something.
“Don’t be silly,” Sylvia responds. “We just share a sports field and have been talking about how it might be nice if the guy cutting the grass did a better job.”
Ava laughs under her breath, “Yes, no big secrets here!” As a thousand year old immortal she can’t believe how these young people dance around their secrets rather than just be honest with each other. The few times she has fallen in love she has always been up front about who and what she is. Then again she isn’t one to piss off such powerful enemies as these two. She has heard of Master Warrior but never imagined he was amazon born. Although she hasn’t asked Ava is fairly sure Sylvia is Miracle Maiden, the magic disguise gift of her father giving her away.
At that point Steve stops chewing his last bite of hot dog to think he has something to worry about here. “So has Coach Barnes told you how our mothers know each other from way back?”
“No, your name never came up,” Sylvia replies, a little annoyed by the way Steve is inserting himself into this situation.
“Now you are being silly, how would that even come up in conversation?” Ava says making it clear to Steve that she has no intention of revealing either of their secrets. “You are the only one I have talked to about that in a long time.”
Sylvia begins to feel uncomfortable with their conversation. “Did you two know each other before coming here this summer?”
“No, no,” they both say in unison.
“We learned of the connection by accident,” Steve says. “Our mothers grew up together, but they are both gone now.”
He can see Sylvia’s surprise as she asks, “I thought you said your parents and sister lived in Florida?”
“Oh, my bad, Father and Step-mother, my birth mother passed away when I was a child,” Steve explains agreeing with Christine’s cover story for the first time. “I’ve always just thought of Dona as my mother.” Steve moves to eat his fruit cup hoping she believes his story as much as he hates lying to her.
“So you have a sister?” Ava questions curiously.
“Half-sister, on my father’s side,” Steve says, swallowing hard.
“Let me guess your Step-mother is younger than your father and is older than she looks,” Ava pries.
Gathering up his tray Steve says, “You know I just remembered I need to talk to Coach Booth about something, I’ll see you ladies later.” Steve makes a quick departure from the table to the trashcan and then out the door of the lodge.
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone scare him off like that before,” Sylvia comments.
“Well, you’ve only known him a few days, right?” Ava counters.
“Yes, yes, we met the first day of camp,” Sylvia reinforced. “I should get going too.” “Check on the other girls.”
“I’ll see you later,” Ava says laughing to herself over their little game.
It is not long after Sylvia leaves the lodge that the dark clouds move in and the thunderstorm starts. The downpour that follows causes the cancellation of the evening’s camp fire and confines the campers to their tents for the night.
Wednesday, June 22, 1988
Gary Rogers’ Apartment
Apt 222
2363 W 14th St
Cleveland, OH
The seventeen year old pizza delivery boy who had his whole life ahead of him now lays nude face down on the bed. The sheets and mattress are soaked with his blood. The woman who calls herself Malice Maid sits nude on the blood soaked bed next to him as she draws flowers with her finger in the blood on the boy’s back. “You were so much more fun than my brothers,” she tells the boy as he gasps his last breath.
Supreme Warrior returns nude from the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. “Get cleaned up, we have had our fun, now it is time to go.” “We have wasted too much time here.”
“What will we do with him?” she asks flipping the boy onto his back to reveal all the damage they have done to his body. His nose and jaw broken, ribs poking through his skin, bruises on his abdomen, his thighs mutilated by her teeth.
“We need to make a clean break from this place!” he replies, getting dressed away from the bloody scene. “You need to reel it in now, I let you get out of control with him, now it is the time for restraint again.”
“Should we throw him down the trash shoot like we did with the FBI men?” she asks.
“That didn’t work out so well last time,” Supreme comments, putting on his boots. “If the kid hadn’t seen us we would have been on our way by now.” “Now get in the shower!”
“Perhaps when you are done with your ex-friend we can find my brother,” Malice Maid asks, getting up from the bed. “You can train him like this one.” “He will not put up as much resistance like this one did.” “He will be much better behaved, I will not have to punish him so hard.”
“Just get cleaned up so we can go, do not forget who your Supreme is or I will be the one punishing you,” the man tells his woman.
Trudy runs her hand down the dead boy’s bloody leg as she walks past her Supreme to the bathroom. Her body dripped with the boy’s blood. “I enjoy when you punish me, lover,” she purrs.
It takes only ten minutes for Malice Maid to shower and return to the bedroom. She is dressed in dark green leggings and a lighter green top with shoulder high gloves, her fiery red hair is still wet and teased out. “Where did you get that outfit?” Supreme asks.
“I stole it the other day before coming here,” Malice Maid replies. “I figured I would need a suit to keep up with you.” “I’ve also got an idea about this place.” She reaches to take a zippo lighter from Gary’s dresser. She flicks the lighter open with a smile, “We burn the place.” A wave of her hand caused the flame to grow. “I can control the fire to burn the whole building to the ground.”
“Since when can you do that?” he asks, suspiciously.
“As my malice for this world grows, so do my powers,” she replies. “Maybe those stupid cops will even think you died in the fire.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it but it is a good plan,” Supreme Warrior agrees.
Camp Tandy – the Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
“Good Morning, sunshine,” Steve says sitting down next to Sylvia who sits alone at a table. “No, girl talk with Ava this morning?”
“Good Morning, yourself,” Sylvia replies, looking over at him as he sits down. “No, not yet anyway.” “Seems there was a flood at her Campsite last night.” Her eye catches a glimpse of his lap as his shorts pull tight over his package. “What are you wearing?” she asks, looking back to her food.
“What do you mean?” Steve asks innocently.
“Those shorts, are you sure you wouldn’t rather be sitting with Denise wearing those?” Sylvia grins looking down at her plate. “Give her some easy access.”
“Thanks, now I need to go change,” Steve grumbles. “I thought these shorts would be fine for a muddy day.”
“Think wet white shorts at the swimming area,” Sylvia giggles as she sees Coach Barnes approaching the table. “If you would excuse us, we have some sports talk to cover,” she tells him as Coach Barnes sits her tray on the table. “The fields are a mess and we need to make alternate activity plans for the kids.
“I do have to go change, it would seem,” Steve says gobbling down his breakfast. “I will check back with you later to see if my wardrobe meets your approval.” “Coach Barnes.” Steve gives the other amazon a wink as he turns to leave.
“So when are you going to spill about what the two of you have going on?” Coach Barnes asks.
“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Sylvia replies. “I just met the guy.”
“Shame, you two would be good together,” Coach Barnes replies.
“I thought you just met him too?” Sylvia questions. “Not to mention you barely know me.”
“I am good with the first impression you might say,” Ava smiles.
“That aside, do you really think it is wise to tell Lori what we know?” Sylvia asks.
“Yes, like I told you someone with her power is vulnerable at her age,” Coach Barnes replies. “If she has not bled on that altar yet, we must make sure she does not go back there again.”
The two women sitting alone at a table spy the girl in question as she leaves the cafeteria bar. She takes a direct path to them across the room to their table. “I know what you two are up to,” she says, putting her tray on the table.
“We figured you would,” Coach Barnes responds. “So you know how dangerous that place is to someone like you.”
Lori sits to eat her breakfast not speaking a word. When she is finished eating she says, “I know what you think that place is to me.” Lori glares at Coach Barnes over her milk carton, “You may be a thousand years old, but you do not know everything.” She then gathers up her tray and leaves the two sports coaches alone at the table again.
Sylvia turns to Coach Barnes to ask, “Are you really a thousand years old?”
“It sounds bad when you say it like that, I prefer well aged,” Barnes replies.
“How is that possible?” Sylvia inquires.
“I have a feeling that this is not the proper time to explain that,” the Hockey coach replies. “The important thing is I think she is lying to us.” “It might already be too late!” “If she acts out we might have to take drastic action.”
“How drastic?” Sylvia asks.
Camp Tandy
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
Lori leaves the lodge to attend her first activity. Hiking with Mr. Hansen is a distraction to Lori as she can feel the pull of the Mystic Source Point. There is mud everywhere and it sucks that they even have to hike today. But Mr. Hansen insists that this is the perfect time to see the aftermath of a hard storm.
The only thing she can think about is the dream she had last night. It scares her to the soul but she refused to let those two bitches know that fact. As the group hike through the forest Lori wonders if she should go to the other superhuman at camp to find some kind of sympathy. Then she justifies that he would not understand what she is going through at all. He had a mother to help him through the struggle of growing up with powers.
Lori laughs to herself. How funny is it that those two fell in love at this camp as teens and both of them were too afraid to tell the other the truth. And now all these years later they still play the same game. When she first realized what was going on in her dreams, Lori considered telling them the truth, but now she will take that secret to her grave.
Lori can feel the anger growing inside her by the hour over how they have treated her like some stupid child. She has the power to learn their every secret, yet they ignore how much she could truly be of value to them. Last night Lori dreamt of the boy who is Coach Barnes descendant, perhaps it is time she got to know him. He has been assigned to the Field Hockey coach and barely leaves her side.
Spending the rest of her hike making a plan, Lori pays little attention to Mr. Hansen’s instruction on poisonous plants. A few nights ago Lori had a dream about Diana sneaking off to meet her boyfriend. When he suddenly had to leave the dream allowed her to see what Diana did, as he changed to his other persona and flew off into the night. Then in the dream she followed Diana back to the lodge where she walked through the walls. In the dream Lori could have easily followed into the lodge but something else drew her attention away. She spots movement over by the storage shed at the back of the lodge. It is that bully kid they call Barry. He is larger than most of the boys at the camp and used his size to hold some kind of sway in the way things go with a group of boys. Perhaps through fear.
She approaches the dim lit area with no fear of the sixteen year old that appears to be waiting for someone else to arrive. Then another boy arrived out of the brush at the edge of the trees. He is smaller and somehow in this dream realm she knows his name too, Jeremy Aspen. She had seen him around camp, he mostly hung out with boys younger than him. Sometimes it is hard to hear what is being said in her dreams. This time that is not the case, she can hear every word they said, but didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. Apparently Barry had assigned Jeremy to find a thirteen or fourteen year old boy for some kind of job.
After the boys were done talking Lori witnessed something that was almost as disturbing as the things that Susan’s father had done. Jeremy falls to his knees in front of Barry to take down the older boy’s pants and underwear. Lori had never heard of one boy doing such a thing to another. But she watched as Jeremy goes to work on Barry. For whatever reason Jeremy was doing this Barry seemed to enjoy it as he began to moan with pleasure. Barry took hold of Jeremy’s hair and began to pull it. Then Barry forced Jeremy’s face tight to him. Jeremy began to pound his fist against the shed wall behind the bully. Finally Barry released the other boy’s hair to let him sit back coughing as he tried to catch his breath.
“Don’t think you are done yet, bitch!” Barry growls at Jeremy, causing him to get back up on his knees. Barry then spun Jeremy around so his shoulders are against the shed wall. He began pushing into Jeremy causing his head to bag back against the wall. The scene was like a car accident to Lori as she just watched in confusion.
Just when Lori thought the show was almost over she heard Diana’s voice yell, “You boys better get back to your tents, it is after curfew!” Barry quickly backed away from Jeremy to pull up his pants. Then he and Jeremy took off running back the trail towards the boy’s campsites.
Lori hadn’t mentioned this dream to anyone because she was not sure what it all meant. But now she understood that if anyone knew what these two boys were doing they could get into big trouble. Lori knew she could not just walk up to Avery and introduce herself to become his friend. She did know using what she saw in her dream to blackmail Jeremy into helping her get to know Avery would work nicely. Her plan fully formed Lori returned to the Lodge for lunch to enact it.
Gary Rogers’ Apartment Building
2363 W 14th St
Cleveland, OH
Detective Sgt. Prussia and Special Agent Lei arrive at Gary’s burnt out building. They stand behind the police line as the fireman snuff out the last of the smoldering embers. “This is definitely the place,” Agent Lei says, checking his notebook.
“She did this!” Detective Sgt. Prussia states firmly.
“How can you be sure?” Agent Lei asks.
“I had her juvenile records from foster care unsealed after Black was killed,” Prussia reveals. “It didn’t tell me much but it did imply that she was a firebug.”
“Excuse me, you said she?” Officer Zadlo comments from behind them in the crowd. He shows the two men his badge. “Officer Zadlo, Philadelphia ES, who were you talking about?”
The other two men show him their ID before Agent Lei says, “Far from home aren’t you?”
“I could say the same of you two,” Zadlo spouts back as Detective Bower walks up behind him.
Prussia gives Lei a look that tells him to cool the FBI shit. “Your people contacted us in NYC about a Zeni, named Trudy Patterson,” Prussia tells him. “She has been off the grid for months now in NYC.” “This guy Rogers that you are looking for is the first tip I’ve gotten in the case.”
“Detective Bower, Philly ES,” the man behind Zadlo says, showing the men from New York his badge. “I just got off the phone with Commander Olpere, he is telling the truth, Trudy Patterson was the woman who tried to break Supreme Warrior out of the hospital.”
“You aren’t really calling this Zeni, Supreme Warrior are you?” Agent Lei asks.
“It is a name he gave himself and believe me it fits, we learned first hand,” Detective Bower states.
“Never mind that you said she started this fire?” Zadlo interrupts. “Is that one of her powers?”
“I am not sure, but it is her proclivity,” Prussia explains. “Everytime she has returned from the dead her powers have expanded.” “She must really hate this Rogers guy.”
“It would appear to be the opposite,” Detective Bower comments. “I don’t know how much info you have about what happened at the Hospital, but she had sex with him while he was in a coma.” “She might have even brought him out of it.”
“That is novel,” Lei comments. “Then she clearly did not try to kill him in a building fire.”
“Love and hate are a fine line with this woman,” Prussia adds. “Any idea how many fatalities?”
“I’ve gotten clearance from our boss to get anything we need from the local PD,” Detective Bower says. “I don’t know how up to speed they are on the Zeni part of this but you guys are welcome to come with us.”
“Thank you, I would appreciate that,” Detective Sgt. Prussia says shaking Bower’s hand. “Back in NYC she murder my partner and vanished, I need to see justice done.”
“Give me a minute, wait here,” Agent Lei says as he walks away to make his way through the crowd of onlookers. Detective Prussia watches his unpredictable FBI partner approach a man dressed in a three piece suit and tie on the other side of the street.
“Well if it isn’t the over achieving Agent Michael Lei,” the man says as Agent Lei walks up to him. “Last I heard you were on desk duty in San Diego.” “Aren’t you pretty far away from your desk?”
“Good morning Agent Zachary, I’ve got a new assignment in New York,” Special Agent Lei corrects. “What are you doing here?”
“Got two missing Agents,” Agent Zachary answers. “They last reported from this location, the Director thinks they might still be in there.” “I’m here to find out.”
“Still Fetch boy for the Director I see,” Lei taunts. “Let me know how that goes.” Lei begins to walk back to the other group of officers looking back over his shoulder saying. “And it is Special Agent Lei now.”
Camp Tandy – the Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
At lunch, Lori takes a seat at the table where Jeremy and Barry sit. The older boys are surprised at the nerve of this kid to sit down with them uninvited. “What the hell do you want, kid?” Barry shouts at her.
Lori shows no fear as she starts to eat her lunch. When she is done chewing her bite of sandwich she says, “I want to ask a favor.” Lori’s statement is met with a roar of laughter from the boys. “I want you to help me become friends with Avery Lewis.”
“You want to be Nuttsack Avery’s girlfriend?” Jeremy laughs in her face.
“He’s a religious freak, I don’t even think he is allowed to have a girlfriend,” Barry laughs. “Let alone a little kid like you!”
“I said I wanted to be his friend is all.” “I know things about the two of you that I could tell,” Lori says sternly. “You would be wise to help me.”
“What do you know, little girl?” Barry demands.
“For one you are a bully and you do not frighten me!” Lori shouts in Barry’s face. “I know the truth!” “And Jeremy I know that your father sent Steve Roberts here to spy on you.”
“What?” Jeremy exclaims. “How do you know that?
“The same way I know what the two of you were doing out behind the storage shed at the lodge the other night when Sylvia caught you,” Lori says calmly. “How would you like it if I told Steve about that?” “Is that what you want him to report to your father?” The two older boys look at each other confused and in fear of their secrets coming out. “Now will you help me?” “I’m sure if I told Mr. Tennison, he would have you two on your way home by the end of the day!”
“What do you think we can do to help you?” Barry asks. “That guy doesn’t even like us!”
“He doesn’t have to like you, only me,” Lori grins.
Thursday, June 23, 1988
Detective Sgt. Prussia and Special Agent Lei’s office
Third floor
New York City Hall
City Hall Park
New York, NY
“Let me get this straight, this Special Task Force was formed to handle super-humans in New York City?” Agent Zachary says almost laughing at the statement. “To chase after Urban Legends?”
“The head of the FBI thought it was a real enough problem,” Special Agent Lei comments. “There are only a few big cities nationwide that are even addressing this problem.
“That coming from a guy who claims his partner was murdered by Satanists,” Zachary chortles.
“Look, I’ve dealt with agents and officers like you before, all you need to believe is that Trudy Patterson killed my partner in cold blood,” Detective Sgt. Prussia states firmly. “What information have you brought us and how do you intend to help?”
Agent Zachary settles down to open his briefcase. “Fire inspectors have ruled the building fire at 2363 W 14th St, to be arson.” “Twenty-five dead, including two FBI agents that were found in the dumpster at the end of a trash shoot.” “Their cause of death is knife wounds.” “The agents’ bodies were not burnt, meaning they were dumped before the fire.” “Time of death is most likely not long after they last reported in.”
“So long before the fire was started?” Prussia asks.
“Most likely 24 to 36 hours before,” Agent Zachery informs them.
“The information we got from the Philadelphia ES suggest that time frame fell into after Rogers escaped custody but before he returned to the hospital,” Special Agent Lei confirms. “There is no way he could have made it to Cleveland and back to Philadelphia in that time taking into consideration the time he was at the Farmers Market.”
“That means it must have been Patterson,” Prussia concludes. “Without Supreme’s speed of travel it would take her longer to get from Philadelphia to Cleveland.” “It possibly even gives her time for a stop somewhere else?”
“As far as the other deaths go, most of them were tenets,” Zachary adds. “There was one unidentified male body found in Rogers’s bedroom that was the origin of the fire.” “Preliminary exam shows he is too small to match Rogers, most likely a Pizza delivery kid who went missing the day before.”
“That would suggest that they were staying in the apartment for nearly a day after killing the Agents,” Prussia suggests. “Torturing a kid and murdering him fits Patterson’s M.O. completely.” “She must have arrived at the apartment first to be met later by Supreme.”
“That fits with what a neighbor told Agent Gentry,” Zachary comments going through his files. “A neighbor reported that they had not seen Rogers of late, but he had a girlfriend staying with him.” “Wild red hair and crazy eyes, is how she was described.”
“That would describe Trudy Patterson, it would also explain where she has been since her last escape from the morgue,” Detective Prussia states.
“Wait a minute,” Agent Lei interrupts as he begins to scan through files on the computer. “Did you say wild red hair and crazy eyes?”
“Yes,” Zachary replies.
“There was a report of a woman meeting that description harassing a woman over in Sutton Place,” Lei explains. “Where it is, the report was made by a Dee Moore 315 E 57th street.”
“That name is familiar,” Prussia responds. “Where does it fall into the timeline?”
“Same day as the attack on Supreme Warrior in the Hospital over in Philadelphia,” Agent Lei answers. “About four hours later.”
“She must have been looking for something to help Supreme,” Prussia guesses as Zachary stands back taking in all of their banter.
“Did she leave a number?” Detective Prussia asks.
“She said she was going to stay with a friend for a while,” Lei reads from the screen. “Left her work number.”
“You two sure did jump on board with this Supreme thing, didn’t you?” Zachary comments.
“Believe me when I say if you meet this guy face to face you do not want to piss him off by calling him anything else,” Prussia retorts. “So it is best to call these Zeni’s by the name they have picked.” “Give me the number.” Detective Prussia dials the number as Lei dictates it.
“Carter Industries, how may I direct your call?” the voice on the other end of the phone answers.
This is no coincidence Prussia thinks before saying, “Diana Carter please.”
“I thought you said the woman’s name was Dee Moore?” Agent Zachary asks Lei.
“Shhhhush,” Agent Lei responds.
“I’m sorry sir she is on vacation for the month, may I direct you to someone else?” the operator says.
“This is Detective Sgt. Prussia of the NYPD, might I ask where she is vacationing?” he speaks into the phone.
“Just a moment, Sir,” the operator says. “Hold please.”
Camp Tandy – the Field Hockey course
Glassboro Township
New Jersey
Avery Lewis stands at the far side of the field across from Coach Barnes watching the twelve year olds trying to play their first practice game. In his opinion it is a complete farce. Most of them can’t even run without tripping over the sticks or their own feet. He is relieved that his powers have returned since he has started training with Coach Barnes. She is an odd one, he thinks. Even though he was sure Steve Roberts was meant to be his mentor it is clear to him that of all of the knowledge she has about his powers she is the only one to teach him what he needs to know. He just wishes it didn’t include being her Field Hockey assistant.
Lori Striker, one of the twelve year old girls playing in the game, does better than most of them. He has seen her talking to Coach Barnes alone quite a bit in the past week. He asks Barnes if she was giving the girl private lessons, but the answer was no. He has also seen the girl talking to her counselor Sylvia Banks more than most of the other girls too. She seems to act older than she is on most days.
He watches Lori’s form as she runs down the edge of the field. She uses proper technique as she approaches the one set of bleachers that side at the end of the field. Avery notices for the first time that Jeremy Aspen sits on the bleachers watching the kids play. Then the fifteen year old reaches out his foot to trip Lori. The small girl twists, catching her stick on the end of the bleacher frame. She falls sideways onto the front of the bleachers.
“What are you doing, you jerk?” Avery shouts running across the field toward the bleachers.
“What?” Jeremy replies, moving to standing up. “I was just stretching my legs.” Avery reaches out his hand and Jeremy Aspen stumbles to fall backwards onto the wood and steel bleachers.
“Lori are you okay?” Avery asks, helping the girl up from the ground. Her leg and arm are scraped up.
Tearing up Lori sobs, “My leg, my leg.”
Coach Barnes arrives to pull Jeremy from the bleachers. She holds him by the shoulder, his feet nearly a foot off the ground. “You better get the hell out of here,” she tells him. “I do not want to see you on this field for the rest of the summer. Coach Barnes drops the boy to his feet and he takes off running. Then she turns to Avery, “Take her to the nurse’s office.” “Stay with her until Couch Banks gets done with her game.”
As Avery picks up Lori to help her off the field, Sylvia comes over from the Soccer field to see what happened. “Was that a little extreme?” she asks. “I saw how you lifted that boy.”
“We can not risk this girl getting angry now,” Barnes tells Sylvia. “If she has been influenced by an evil that could be in that altar, things could make her dangerous.” “Avery is the best one to calm her now.”
Thrift Village
169 Delsea Dr
Glassboro, NJ
Steve got the text on the pager last night with this address and time. Sneaking out of camp is getting risky, luckily he has Ava Barnes to cover for him now. That doesn’t mean he should push his luck. Paddy knows to only send these texts if it is important.
Steve has no idea why Paddy would want to meet here. Steve makes like any other shopper at the thrift store, looking through the menswear clothing racks at the front of the store. What would Paddy be shopping for here? he wonders. Comfortable furniture most likely, Paddy is always looking for a better chair to relax in.
Steve walks into the back of the store that is more like a warehouse. There are several used TVs on display on the shelves in this part of the store. As he walks around the tall shelving he spots an old manikin dressed in a blue and yellow warm up suit that draws his attention. “I thought that would get your attention the moment I saw it,” a man sitting on a used sofa at the back wall of the building says to him.
“David, what are you doing here?” Steve asks, stopping to sit down next to him on the sofa.
“I had Paddy send you the message,” David says. “Gary’s apartment building was burnt to the ground.” “I spoke to the Cleveland PD and they told me Gary died in the fire.” “I don’t believe that for a minute.” “Called the Fire department and they told me it was the most destructive fire in a century.” “Blame it on an old building faulty, not up to fire safety code.” “I’m not buying that either.” “So I asked Paddy to text you.”
“What is it you need from me, you know I am on this case at camp and can’t leave for another couple of weeks,” Steve responds.
“I know that you will agree with me that this all began in Kirtland, Ohio with Dr. Crow, David states without question. “Everything that happened there with Dr. Crow and us changed Gary somehow.” “I’ve been doing some research into Dr. Crow.” “For the most part the legend is only in Ohio.” “When I was flying back from Cleveland with a stop in New York. “I met a woman, Suki Toya, a nanny. She was headed home to visit her parents in Chicago.” “I was reading over my notes and she happened to glance over to see the name Dr. Crow.” “She giggled at the name.” “I asked why and she explained that the mother of the girl for whom she was a nanny used to mention the name before she passed.”
“Doesn’t it seem weird to you?” Steve asks. “A chance meeting with a nanny in NYC and she knows the name Dr. Crow?”
“I did, but since I met you I have become a much bigger believer in fate,” David smiles. “I missed my flight and headed over to the Police Precinct where the Nanny’s boss lived.” “Did a public info search and found a police report about the young mother who applied for a restraining order against Dr. Crow.” “It was never approved because the police could find no evidence that this Dr. Crow she described even existed.”
“Just like in Kirtland,” Steve surmises. “So where does that lead you?”
“It led me here, the daughter of that woman and the charge of the Nanny going on vacation is Lori Striker, a girl currently staying at Camp Tandy.”