The Link Pt. 03: The Huntress

"Sir, are you alright?"

The office shimmered as life became perfection. I looked at the cactus on my desk. It's beauty was undeniable. So full of life, but wanting so little in return. I had felt this before, so very long ago.

"Senator," Tammy called worriedly, rising from her seat. The world was wonderful, its imperfections nothing but beauty in disguise. I looked back at the speech, weak words that would need to be rewritten. I smiled at how easy it would be to just wing it. Stand before the assembled veterans and talk to them like a brother.

"Sir?" Tammy said, moving to my side.

"I'm alright," I said, holding my hand up to stall her concern. Memories flooded back. A grocery store, a man and his child. A very special child. The angel who had pivoted my life from one of slow ruin to what I had become today. I felt her again, stronger than I remembered.

"Help us," the child, no, woman, placed into my mind. I owed her everything and she wanted so little in return. I sensed a taint in the link she had created, a darkness that was trying to sever and destroy what she was. The ultimate sin, the destruction of an angel. Not on my watch.

I opened myself and flooded her with all the love I had.

Chapter 30 - Kato

I stopped playing. Never had I ever stopped playing in front of an audience. The awful sound I had just scraped off my violin reminded me of when I was six and first picked up the instrument. No, it was worse. A small girl in the first row was cringing, and a delayed shiver ran through her body. I took a deep breath and turned away from them all. Something sharp had pierced my mind and, by habit, I transferred the thought into a ghastly sound with my hands. I squeezed my eyes and let the pain dissipate. Maybe I needed sunglasses. The stage lights never did more than irritate me before, but something had injected itself into my flow.

The audience was murmuring, and my manager was signaling for me to start again. I nodded to him but remained with my eyes turned from the lights. A little time was all I needed. It was a small crowd, half students. I pretended to examine my instrument. A feeble man blames his tools, but it would give me time. It would be my luck that a critic had snuck in on the one performance I screwed up.

The world shifted, and beautiful music filled my mind. It was a symphony of many, guided by a rhythm I recognized well. The stage became a lovely place to be. I chuckled at my silly error and turned to the crowd. They came to hear music, my one gift to the world, and by God, they'd hear it.

"My bow slipped. The sun was in my eyes. My dog ate my sheet music," I said loudly. Laughter filled the banquet hall. The girl in the front row was giggling. Apology accepted.

"Help us," Teegan thought. She was so lovely, an angel with a song that I could feel in my heart. I could hear the taint in her song. It was dark and out of sync with her perfection. Nothing I couldn't drown out. I smiled to the crowd.

"Something new then," I announced. My bow moved with incredible ease as I played Teegan's song, adding volume and my inner strength. It was love for the ears. My audience's smiles grew.

I am the angel's amplifier.

Chapter 31 - Betty

The fire exploded as the match hit the gasoline. I leaned back to distance myself from the initial heat. Boys! Every one of them was a middle-aged boy. They cheered as if they were the first to discover fire. I looked at Tracy and laughed. She was still in shock at what she agreed to and was staring at me like I might be able to stop this party.

"It's only once a year," I said to Tracy. I handed her a beer, the only cold liquid that was ever brought along.

"I'm going to need about ten more," Tracy said, looking at the men jumping around the campfire like they were savages. They were actually congratulating themselves for their fireball. Real outdoorsmen, these bikers. Who needs two sticks when you have gasoline and a match.

"You married into this mess," I said, and now Tracy laughed.

"I suppose it's good for them to let loose," Tracy said. "Just not sure about the tent thing, or the bears and snakes."

"We make too much noise for bears," I said. The guys proved me right by breaking into an awful rendition of Born to be Wild. "And it's a little too cold for snakes, at least the poisonous ones."

"No showers," Tracy added to her list of grievances. I looked at her frizzed out hair and realized it was the first time I had ever seen it out of place. Probably the first time she had spent half a day on the back of a Harley.

"They get a little caveman out here," I said, leaning in close so no one else could hear. "It's worth it when the fire dies down." I bounced my eyebrows so she understood my meaning. I smiled when I thought about last year. Nothing like physically refreshing my vows with Monty and, for once, me obeying. Sometimes a man needs to be a man, and sometimes a woman needs that man. Monty reached out to me as if he could hear my thoughts. I joined him with my best smile, the one I reserved only for him, my husband.

"Come on, Tracy," I said, dragging her up as well. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly came to her feet. Harry came from behind and wrapped his arms around his new wife. Her face changed instantly. I could tell by the look in Harry's eyes that he meant to play doctor tonight. The way that Tracy leaned into him proved that he'd probably get his way.

"Lifers!" Todd yelled, holding up his beer over the fire. Everyone, but Tracy echoed his cry, toasting their beers as well. Todd dropped his eyes and stared at Tracy.

"Lifers," Tracy said uncomfortably and raised her beer. "I didn't know I was included," she added when everyone looked at her.

"Damn right you're included," Todd announced. "Your brains are a necessary offset to your husband's stupidity."

"I can't be that stupid," Harry joked back, "I married her."

"Hear, hear!" Todd agreed. "Lifers!" he yelled again. This time, Tracy joined the chorus. I don't think it was any less silly for her. She was just beginning to understand that silly was the order of the day for these reunions. We all drank.

Todd spit out his beer. Monty started coughing, and I nearly dropped to my knees. Devlin and Harry were looking at their beer bottles as if there was something wrong with them.

"What the fuck?" Todd asked no one and everyone. Some of the guys, Tracy included, were looking at us like we were nuts. All I knew was that a flash migraine almost knocked me to ground. My beer almost didn't want to finish its trip down my throat.

"You felt that?" I asked Monty.

"Like a hot needle," Monty said. He lifted his finger and jabbed his temple exactly where the pain hit me as well.

"That was just gasoline, wasn't it?" Todd asked Devlin. Devlin nodded and took a hesitant taste of his beer. "Who else felt that?" Monty, Devlin, Harry, Thomas and I signaled our shared suffering. It was fading now, as the others looked at us like we were insane.

"It's her," I said. Nothing else made sense. There was nothing else in common between us that wouldn't have affected the others. It had been years since I had thought about Teegan.

"That didn't feel the same," Monty said. "It was wrong, and it...hurt."

"Who is she?" Tracy asked Harry.

"Teegan," Harry said, "I told you about her."

"She's real?" Tracy asked us, "I thought it was just a story."

"I assure you she's real," I said, supporting Harry. "She saved me a long time ago..."

The world shifted, and the fire danced in slow motion. Each flicker was a thing of beauty, igniting the air, then receding. Coming and going, the nature of all things. I looked at Monty and knew my trust had been given well. The way he thought of me was singularly incredible. I marveled at the times he let me have my way, even when I was wrong. He understood that I could never again think I was out of control. I reached behind his head and pulled his lips to mine. Only a lovely man could take on a work-in-progress like me and let me shine. His arms wrapped around me and I let go. He could own me since I owned him.

"Help us," Teegan thought. I raised my head and looked at the others.

"Something's wrong. Do you feel it?" Todd asked. I felt it. Something dark wrapping around Teegan's bond. It was as if she had broken through an oily mess and the link was coated with it.

"She needs us again," Harry said.

"What do mean?" Tracy said, looking at us like we were loony toons. Harry took her hand, and I watched a smile grow on her face. "Oh," she sighed, then something flickered in her eyes. She shifted closer to her husband and lust I fully understood took over her features.

"Hands," I said, holding out my free one. Monty had the other. Todd joined with me, and we began forming a circle. When it closed, we gave back everything Teegan gave to us.

"She's an angel," Tracy said, her love the strongest of us all.

Chapter 32 - Detective Cruthers

"Over here Detective," Frank called. I covered my nose and mouth with a handful of Kleenex in an attempt to filter out the smell. I stepped over a charred beam that must have collapsed during the explosion. His call came from where the kitchen used to be.

"The damage to the heavy equipment is the first clue," Frank said, pointing at what used to be a huge oven. "The oven collapsed from this side, and the walk-in on the other side has equal but opposite damage. I suspect the roof is only being held up by the walk-in itself, and the brick firewall on the other side. All the inner beams have been blown out."

"Is it safe?"

"No, but we'll be out of here before too long," Frank said, moving to where a wall should have been, "This is where it originated. I'm guessing they had a delivery and got more than expected."

"Arson," I stated. I already knew, but it was satisfying to have it confirmed by deductive means.

"Yes, and not your average accelerant. Whoever did this was intent on killing everyone in the building. It's no wonder that there were no survivors. This room acted like a cannon, the path of least resistance being the residential areas," Frank continued, pointing down the charred channel the explosion had made. "They knew what they were doing."

I wondered how Frank could stand in the middle of the room without a mask on. He looked like he was admiring the work of the bastards who did this. "You're impressed," I said.

"Intrigued is a better word," Frank said. "The person or persons who did this had training. There can't be that many people in Portland who know how to work with plastic. An amateur would have attempted to bring the building down, but this was designed to channel the explosion. Someone knows his physics."

I lowered the Kleenex and tried an unfiltered breath. There was a nasty smell similar to burning rubber. It went straight to my head, a sharp pain behind my eyes. I quickly replaced the kleenex. "How do you stand the smell."

"You get used to it."

The pain intensified for a moment, and I stumbled. Frank quickly walked to my side. I was flexing my eyes, trying to stretch the pain away, or at least give it more room.

"You okay?"

"Damn, that is a nasty smell," I said as the pain began to fade.

"Let's get you some fresh air," Frank said, taking my arm like I was a child. I resented it, but let it go since my eyes were still watering and it would be better if I didn't do a faceplant on my way out.

I dropped my hand as we exited the building, pulling the tissues from my face. A deep breath and the world changed. I immediately saw a connection between the freak accident down the road and the explosion. We would probably find the detonator in the vehicle. I had little doubt that the tree was a small measure of justice. There was no problem without a solution, nothing that couldn't be solved with a little work. I smiled, wondering if my husband was in an amorous mood again. I really should be getting home to him. Work shouldn't encompass my life, only facilitate it.

"Damn!" Frank said. He was still holding my arm. Teegan moved through people, touch itself the glue. "It's amazing."

"Help us," Teegan thought. Something was wrong. The connection was less pure than before, though just as strong. A little stutter had found its way in and made things less bright, less perfect. I could feel her need.

"Hang on Frank," I said, smiling at his equally wide grin. "We're going for a ride." I opened myself wide.

"Amazing," Frank said again, then I felt his love following the link after mine. Teegan always brought out the best of everyone, even explosive experts.

Chapter 33 - Tom

"Columbus again?" Wendy complained. She was certainly not a fan of that city. I couldn't understand her issues the town, they seemed to like the Smooth Gliders and had some good local beer.

"We have a strong fan base there," I said, moving my finger down to the next date on the list. Wendy liked Indianapolis, maybe if I moved quickly she'd forget about Columbus. "This is next year anyway. By then you'll have forgotten you hate the place."

"Never, and don't try and change the subject," Wendy said. She moved closer, her hand finding my thigh. "I have my ways old man." She fluttered her eyebrows. "Is there anything I can do to convince you to skip that cesspool?"

"It's not a cesspool," I said. Wendy's hand shifted higher, and my will began to drop dramatically. Her lips found my ear, a couple of labored breaths and nibbling on my ear. If I were a spy, the world's secrets would be hers. "I'll talk to the boys," I whispered, leaning into her lips. I could feel her smile on my neck, and the light flicks of her tongue. A shiver traveled down my back, and parts of me responded in a most animalistic way.

"Want to take this negotiation into the bedroom?" Wendy whispered. I turned my head and answered with a kiss. Damn, a few heated breaths, and she had me eating out of her hands. I strengthened. The negotiation wasn't over, not by a long shot. I knew things, ways to make her lose her concern about Columbus.

"Oh, you think so?" Wendy said, guessing what my smile meant.

"I do, and I will have my way," I said, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

"Columbus is a big mountain to climb," Wendy said while skipping along with me.

"I think I'm being hustled," I said, looking back at her devious smile. It had been a while since I had worshiped her body. She laughed at my words. Yep, hustled. We'd be going to Columbus after I suffered as her toy for the night. If only I could figure out how to suffer more often.

I tossed Wendy playfully onto the bed. She didn't move a muscle and only smiled. It was like Christmas as I unwrapped my present. First one shoe, then the other. Socks are always fun, causing ticklish tremors that shoot so seductively through her body. She kicked at me, freeing her feet from the torture then lifted her hips. It only took a moment to undo and remove her pants.

A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes. I slowed, blinking my eyes, trying desperately to not break the mood. Age has a way of catching up with you, forcing you to accept your pains. I stopped a moment. "Sorry," I said, rubbing my temples.

"You too?" Wendy said. I looked up and saw her rubbing her eyes. I looked around, my nose going hyperactive.

"Gas leak?" I asked.

"I don't smell anything," Wendy said. Her nose was always better than mine. "It's fading now. Weird that we both felt it."

"Teegan," I surmised.

"I hope not, that didn't feel right at all," Wendy said, sitting up. I sat down next to her, pulling her into my arms. "You think she's in trouble?"

"Not sure. I didn't even know it worked at a distance. Maybe it's nothing." I tackled my love, pinning her to the bed. "Maybe it was God warning us to not get too sinful."

"That's your problem, sinner," Wendy said, her smile returning. "I'm the sinnee, and have blanket immunity."

"I can live with that," I said and began undoing her shirt buttons between lustful kisses. When was the last time we tangled tongues? I had to plan more trips to Columbus.

The world shifted and Wendy, the most beautiful woman in the world, shimmered in my eyes. I caressed my hand down her curves as our love merged and danced inside of us. I saw her vision of me, twenty years younger and so much more virile. Inside her, I was that man. Her eyes locked on mine as our thoughts coalesced and the truth that was us shined like a diamond in a spotlight.

"Help us," Teegan thought. There was something wrong with her song. I could feel other bright songs and a strange one that was darker, less rhythmic than the rest. They were trying to drown it out.

"Love me," Wendy said. Her eyes were on fire, and I knew it was our answer. Our lips met, and our love exploded down the link. Darkness be damned, our music was pure and loud.

Chapter 34 - Debbie

"You can't keep doing this," Cathy said, looking down at me. The baby in my arms was barely breathing, and I knew his time was short.

"I know," I said, forcibly holding the tears in my eyes. Cathy was my oldest friend and twice the nurse I was. "I can't let him go alone." The tears were fighting hard for release. I wished Cathy would just leave and let me do what I had to do.

"You can't bond with them like this. It will drain you away," Cathy added, softer this time.

"He doesn't have anyone," I said, losing the water battle. I looked down at the pale child in my arms, aeration tube running from his mouth, wired clips on his toes. Born and disposed of in an alley, he survived a cold night in the elements. One month premature and addicted to heroin, he had gone through bouts of shaking and had never opened his eyes. Now his organs were failing. I preferred the shaking to the silent repose.

"I can't stay," Cathy said, wiping her eyes in sympathy with me. "I wish you wouldn't do this. You'll run out of love and learn to hate this place. I've seen it happen."

"Last time," I lied. I already loved the boy. No one should die alone. No one should be without their mother. Cathy turned and left the NICU, walking past the other preemies who had loving parents and others that cared. I leaned back in the chair and began to rock my silent boy as a tear ran down my cheek. He was so weak.

When the door closed behind Cathy, I started to hum a lullaby. I couldn't sing a lick, but it was the vibrations that were important. He had to know that there was someone who knew he lived. I opened the blanket and caressed the dry skin on his arm. Touch was important.

I remembered another child so very long ago. My daughter. There is always something special in the bond between mother and child. In her case, it was pure and thunderous. I smiled at my charge, wondering if he could feel my love as I had felt my baby's. Briefly, as I did every day, I wondered where Esmeralda was and what she was doing. Surrogate or not, a child grows in your belly, and you have no choice but to love them, forever.

I shifted my left arm to stop the sleeping tingles that were beginning. The boy didn't respond at all sending another pang at my heart. To spend your few days on earth in withdrawal and unconscious was awful. Life wasn't fair at all. A roll of the dice and he could have been born to a wealthy family full of love. Instead, life was an alley and short stay in the hospital.

A sharp pain buried itself behind my eyes. The boy jerked, then lay still. I tucked him deeper into my arm and raised the other to rub my eyes. That's all he needed, his tie to humanity waylaid by a migraine. The pain began to fade as I rubbed. I've never had a headache come on so quickly. Usually, they are subtle and grew over time. This one seemed to explode then slowly dissipate. I shook it off and returned my attention to the quiet boy in my arms.