Absolute Power 12                  by: Joan Banks

 

Rock-A-Bye

 

Previously in Absolute Power

Larry Jacobs comes into the possession of a Lamp of the Djinn and wishes from a Djinn named Omar.

"...then for my last wish I want the ability to cure anyone of any infirmity that I name." He becomes a healer, making his way through hospitals and accident scenes. He helps where he can.

But power comes with a price and, when his powers are discovered, he is driven from public life and the opportunity to help others. Debby is a nurse of Larry’s acquaintance who suggests a disguise; Larry transforms himself into young woman so he can continue on his mission.

For months Larry transforms into Sarah, his female persona, each morning and back to his own male form at night. Then, without explanation, his ability to become Larry again disappears and greedy people lust after his power.

Casper Collins, a wealthy elderly man, covets Larry’s power for himself and kidnaps Sarah to get what he wants. Larry, rescues her and the two of them take to the road to both avoid the spotlight and to somehow find a way to transform Sarah back into Larry. To throw Casper off the trail, Casper’s son Robert is transformed into a perfect duplicate of Sarah and then transformed into a small child with irrefutable witnesses. Robert is given amnesia.

Sarah and Debby seek out another Lamp of the Djinn, so they can discover why Sarah is trapped in female form. Casper wants it for more selfish reasons. In an effort to prolong his own life, Casper has transferred his mind into the only host available - a woman who had been caring for Robert, Molly. And Robert has regained his memories.

Casper obtained the Djinn but had to share the wishes with his feeble minded son. In an impulsive wish, Robert gains the same powers as the Whisperer but doesn’t realize it and has no idea how to use them.

In trying to rescue her friends, Sarah cripples several police officers and leaves them blind and mute.

While rescuing her friends, Sarah confronts Casper, but Casper’s son Robert accidentally heals the body he inhabits of the personality of Casper. Sarah, the Whisperer, returns to where she crippled the police and allows herself to be punished for the crime. She is thrown in jail.

And where Casper was before, a confused Molly remains.

******

******

"This is MY home!" Molly screamed. Her voice was shriller than she liked but the events of the day were too much, "Where is my husband?" "Harold!" The woman inside edged behind the door. A large man in a t-shirt and greasy jeans came up to the door. He wiped his hands on a blackened rag. "Can we help you?" He asked Molly. Molly was wide-eyed and shaking with fear. "Where is Stanley? Where is my husband?" She pulled at her clothes, hoping the wrinkles would just disappear.

"Are you okay? There’s no one by that name here. Are you sure you have the right address?" The man looked concerned. His wife gave up her place at the door and stepped to the phone.

"This is my house!" Molly said, "I planted these roses. My husband put in that fountain.

My...my....where is he?"

Against his better judgment, the man stepped outside. The woman was completely disheveled and smelled of...cigars?

"Harold!" His wife hissed. He signaled for her to calm down and go back inside.

Molly sat on the step, her arms wrapped around herself. She rocked back and forth.

"You have the wrong house, ma’am." Harold said softly, "It’s just a mistake. That’s all.

Is there someone we can call?"

"My husb...." Molly started, "But he lives here."

"We closed on this house a year ago." Harold told her. He tried to keep his voice soothing and matter-of-fact. Marge, his wife, was done with the phone. She nodded at him and stood by the door.

"Who could you have bought it from?" Molly tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"There’s a place that does estate auctions. The previous owner was kill..." Molly’s rocking quickened. Too much had happened. That monster child and the escape from that horrid building had stretched her sanity thin. And she couldn’t get away from that strange woman in the costume fast enough.

Molly had enough cash on her to pay for a motel for a couple nights. She slept the entire two days. Now it was time to go home...to Stan.

"No. You’re right. This can’t be my house. I must be on the wrong street." She said woodenly as if making up a story as she went along. She kept talking, ignoring everything that Harold was saying. She didn’t even notice when the two men arrived. Still muttering to herself, they peacefully led her to an unmarked van.

******

Montgomery sat at the desk and cracked his knuckles. A solid office chair designed for a much smaller person, it creaked under his considerable mass. The lights were dim and dark paneling covered the walls. Several monitors were embedded into the surface of the desk. They glowed softly, lighting his face ominously from underneath. "Miss Armstrong, I can assure you that Molly is taking very good care of the child-" "We need to have that follow up. The law demands that we check on the suitability of the adoptive household-" the woman on the phone snapped.

"I understand that. As soon as she is well then we will have you-"

"I am tired of the obstacles that your family puts in the way of this child. I will be there on Friday. These proceedings will not be finalized without that meeting. Please tell Mrs. Williams that."

Monty sighed. "I will. Thank you." He hung up the phone. The edges of the desk attracted clutter. Telephones, reports, and a huge humidor blocked portions of the screens. He pushed the phone to the side and stacked the reports on the floor next to him. The humidor blocked his view of the precious information no matter where he placed it. He opened it. The smell of expensive, rare cigars wafted up to him. Monty smiled.

He reached his massive hand into the box and grasped the contents. His smile grew as he crushed them into a mass of dried leaves. He almost laughed as he picked up the box and hurled it against the far wall, smashing it into a dozen pieces. "Good riddance old man." Pleased with himself, he set back to work. Engrossed in information he ignored the passage of time.

******

"I didn’t do anything illegal." Molly said. The two men said nothing. She saw the two men sharing a knowing glance. "Call my husband, he’ll straighten this out." Traffic density was picking up and the van slowly progressed towards its goal. "You haven’t read me my rights." Molly said. The door lock clicked and the men just smiled.

******

"Monty, why don’t you spend more time with me?" the little girl asked. She sat with her legs crossed in the middle of the room. A dozen plastic dolls covered the floor, each with enough clothing for a department store. The child was dressing and undressing them in turn, her goal being to dress each of them in as many outfits as possible. The giant sat beside her, a gentle smile on his face.

"I am trying to make it so we can stay together. You want that, don’t you Robert?" "Yes." She said. She paused for a moment, "I miss Momma Molly. I hope she’s feeling better."

"You know what? I bet she’s coming around right about now."

******

It wasn’t a bad place as far as jails go, Molly thought. The room she woke up in appeared to be a very expensive hotel. She recalled being in a van that was stuck in traffic. She had no idea how she found herself in this palatial prison. She checked the window. There were no discernable bars, just an ordinary window that had the annoying quality of not having a latch. Looking down on the street she was surprised to find that she actually did appear to be in a hotel. There was nothing ominous about the downtown scene beneath her.

Molly spent some time searching the room. She found clothes in the closet and dresser and decided to change out of the nightdress they had put her in and into some normal wear. At least these clothes didn’t smell like cigars, she thought. "If it’s a hotel then the door can’t be locked." She said. A large envelope was taped to the back of the door. It was labeled ‘Please Read’. She took it down and tried the door. Surprisingly it was not locked. No one was in the hallway and no one tried to stop her.

Trying to look bold, she took the envelope and walked to the elevator. The elevator showed up almost too quickly, she thought. An instant after pushing the call button it arrived. There was no one on it.

She was waiting for the armed guards to show up. Someone should have tried to stop her. As she approached the exit a doorman held the door for her. "A cab, ma’am?" the doorman asked.

"Um....no. I’ll walk." She walked quickly away, afraid to start running. In a fast food restaurant blocks away she sat at a table and opened the envelope. She spread the contents over the table. She shuffled the items around: a room keycard, two hundred dollars cash and several ominous looking legal documents. She started to read the documents. Her heart raced and her palms started to sweat. By the third document she was in tears. People around her were starting to stare. After a moment to collect her wits, she carefully put the materials back into the envelope and walked to the payphone. Her hands trembled slightly as she dialed. "Hello, Mr. Collins? I’m ready to talk." She controlled herself long enough to go into the bathroom before she threw up.

******

"How are you feeling, Freddy?" Z asked. Freddy didn’t appear to be doing well at all. Being two of the group that were not identified, Freddy and Z decided to keep an eye on things in Denver. Freddy moved into Z’s mountain hide-away, a two-bedroom home with a considerable workshop and communication abilities. From the time that Ted and Sarah left she rarely left her room. Each day Z dutifully left food for her but most of the time it was only picked at.

Freddy was not doing well.

"Freddy?" Z asked. He knocked on the door. A long moment later she stood there, disheveled and exhausted. She tried to smile but could not maintain it. "Where are they?" Freddy asked him.

"Ted just dropped Sarah off. He and Corey are staying near to her but she’s in jail."

"In JAIL?" Freddy seemed to be waking up. This revelation had shocked her. "Why?" "She’ll be out in a couple months." Z said. He shook his head. Sarah had done so much, hadn’t she paid for her mistake? He turned to walk away. Freddy grabbed his arm and pulled.

"I asked WHY?" She asked with clarity that Z was grateful to see. "When you were on the plane and they shot Ted." Z started, "Sarah crippled several police officers." He pulled away from her. "She didn’t heal them." "Take me to her." Freddy demanded. "Take me to her now."

******

"Molly, please sit down." Montgomery gestured into the room. He closed the door and walked over to the bar. "Can I get you something to drink?" He was wearing his best attempt at casual clothing, a polo shirt and slacks. The effect was of a retired athlete inviting a friend over for drinks. Except for the scale, that is exactly what it would appear to be.

"Cut the crap. What do you want?" Molly said. She walked to the couch and stood in front of it, arms crossed.

"Please Molly. I’ve made no threats. Sit....please." Montgomery’s deep voice carried no hint of a threat only forced civility.

"No threats? What were those papers? Child abandonment, unfit mother, child endangerment....do I need to go on? And where is my husband?" "Please Molly, sit." Montgomery handed her a glass of water. "We need to talk." He sat in the reinforced chair next to the couch. "I have something to show you and you really should not be standing." He leaned to the audio pickup on the table. "Run Stanley- Omega." He looked up again with genuine concern in his yes. "This will be disturbing but you need to have all the facts."

Molly sat. Montgomery put his hand lightly on hers. The screen lit up.

******

"Freddy!" Sarah put her hand against the glass and smiled widely. "It’s great to see you." Freddy sat across from Sarah. Her whole style was different. Whereas she used to have a bright, happy personality, Freddy now appeared sullen, moody. Her clothes no longer showed any knowledge of fashion whatsoever. She was wearing an ill-fitting T-Shirt and loose jeans.

"You too, Sarah." Freddy finally replied.

"What’s wrong?" Sarah looked remarkably well put-together for someone in prison clothes. Her short hair was now blonde and was perfectly styled. Her face was clean and her eyes were bright.

"So how’s life in here?" Freddy tried to change the subject.

"Uh.....it’s not so bad. They leave me alone...now. I do a day of volunteering a week at

the local hospitals. My roommate is-"

"Change me back to a man." Freddy interrupted.

"What?" Sarah’s jaw fell.

"Men don’t get raped. Men can fight. Men can defend themselves. Men can-" "Freddy." Sarah used a low voice.

"Men run the world. Men don’t have periods. Men don’t-" "Freddy, calm down."

"You have to help me, Sarah." She asked. Freddy’s eyes were tearing up. "Help." Sarah could see the frustration in her friends’ eyes. Silently, they stared at each other. It was Sarah who broke the silence.

"Look in your heart, Freddy. Deep inside are you a man or a woman? I’ve seen men changed and you can tell that they are still a man where it counts." The prisoner tapped her own head. "I look at you and I don’t see it, hon. You are a woman...in every way. I can’t change you back."

"Thanks for nothing." Freddy snapped. She stood to leave, anger flashing. "Freddy!" Sarah yelled. The guards looked up and the other prisoners stared. "Talk to other women who’ve been through this. Call your mother, Debby, anyone. Just go get some help - ask for some help."

Freddy walked back to the glass and stared at the prisoner who had denied her.

"I thought I did." Without another word, she turned and left.

******

The monitor went black, Molly sat on the couch dumbfounded. Tears streamed down her face. She had just watched her husband die.

"I’m sorry, Molly." Montgomery told her. "He died bravely for his friends. You should be proud."

"It’s not true. You made that up." She said. Deep inside, although, she knew it was true.

Montgomery was smart enough not to push the point.

"Those papers," He said, "that were in your room. Those show what could happen. I want to make sure it doesn’t."

"Enough!" Molly said, "I don’t need your threats right now." She stood up and reached for her coat.

"Sit down!" Montgomery ordered. His booming voice demanded immediate obedience.

She obeyed. "There is more and you will listen."

When Molly looked like she may be receptive, he started again. "To understand, you have to understand Casper Collins, who was both my brother and my father."

"Casper Collins grew up in a poor household. From what I could tell, his childhood was a happy one. But his parents fell ill and died young. He learned to survive on his own. His parent’s death was a driving force in his life. He vowed to extend his own life, no matter what the cost."

"At first his drive was helpful enough. He began a medical courier service. He ensured that doctors always had the medicines they needed to practice. His own route turned into another and another; soon he was contracting out couriers. His fortune was well on the way."

******

Freddy got back into the car. Z was waiting patiently with a cup of coffee. He handed a second cup to her.

"Cream, no sugar, right?" He tried to smile. "How is she?" He walked around the car and held the door open for her. When she was inside he closed it gently. "She’s all right." Freddy said. She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Z stayed silent as he pulled the car away. He glanced over to her as he drove. He had to help her, somehow.

******

"I know the technology does not exist yet. I demand to know if there is tissue compatibility." Casper screamed at the physician. A four-year-old boy with a steely look in his eyes sat quietly in the corner and watched the old man. "I...uh..." Dr. Meinhall was hesitant to answer.

"Come now Doctor. You transplant kidneys, correct? You transplant livers?" "But he’s your son!" Meinhall finally said. He glanced nervously at the boy who listened impassively.

"Precisely. He is MY SON and no one elses! I demand to know the compatibility. He is MINE. My property and no one else’s." The boy’s mother had disappeared, mysteriously.

The Doctor looked at the piece of paper in his hand. There was nothing on it except some indiscernible scratches. He had memorized the results before coming in, a ninety- eight percent match. There was almost no possibility of rejection. The information would doom the boy.

"Non-viable tissue match." Dr. Meinhall said. He was the foremost authority on these things. His results would never be challenged. "I am sorry, Mr. Collins but rejection of tissue is certain."

Casper threw a mug at the physician. It smashed into a hundred pieces against the far wall.

"Get out of my sight. You have failed me for the last time." Dr. Meinhall glanced at Robert, the child. He was glad to save at least one more life before he was eliminated. Proudly, he left.

Casper looked at the boy as well.

"You are a waste. What kind of use are you?" Casper said. The child was used to this and only stared impassively back at the old man. "Go away." "I will find another way." Casper said as the child silently left the room.

******

Casper had aged little in the intervening five years. Constant medical care can do that for a person. His office had changed little, save for the child in the corner. The child was now a wiry nine years old.

"Dr. Montgomery, I am not a young man. Don’t keep me waiting." Casper paced the floor in the administrators’ office. At the age of 70 he was remarkably fit but he was more impatient with every year.

Calmly, the Doctor picked up the phone.

"Bring him in." He said. A moment later, the door opened and a smiling nurse entered carrying a child wrapped in blankets.

"Mr. Collins, this child is your clone. He is an exact replica of you. What will you name him?"

"There will be no name. This is not a child. It is merely..." Casper spat. He took the infant from the nurse. "Leave us." He ordered. The nurse looked for some confirmation from Dr. Montgomery. The physician nodded and the nurse left. "He’s a smart one, Mr. Collins. He can focus already." She told the men before she went out the door.

"Is that true?" Casper asked. "I specified no higher brain function." "This is not an exact science Mr. Collins. Regardless of your contributions I will not play God with a human being. Creating a clone is one thing but I will not be party to the destruction of a child."

"You are out of line Dr. Montgomery. You were to create a receptacle, nothing more. You have failed me. Now you only leave me a distasteful option." Casper held the child as if it were luggage.

"If you continue on this path, Casper, I will go to the authorities. That child is yours; there is nothing I can do about that at the moment. If you treat him other than as a parent your plan will be broadcast throughout the world. You can be assured of that." Dr. Montgomery concluded his speech. "Good day, Casper. Congratulations on becoming a father." He held up a finger of warning and left the office. Casper set the now screaming child on the floor.

"Stop that incessant screaming. You are as bad as Montgomery!" Casper hissed. He dialed the phone.

"Dr. Montgomery. Deal with it." He said and hung up the phone. The child was screaming louder now, as if in protest to the order just given. "Oh shut up, my little Montgomery. That mouth of yours will be the death of you."

******

Dr. William Montgomery - 1925 - 1970. Renowned researcher in the field of genetics. Survived by Wife Marilyn, Son’s William and Roger, Sister Susan. Services will be held at Newman’s Mortuary at 10 AM.

******

"Both my brother and I were created for one purpose, to extend Casper’s life."

Montgomery said. He walked to the bar, "Something stronger?" Molly nodded.

"I am afraid you fell victim to another front of his attack on death. I am sorry." "I don’t understand something." Molly said, accepting the drink "If you are Casper’s clone then why don’t you look like him? And what does this have to do with me?"

******

"Monty, come over here." Robert whispered. At thirteen Robert was quick for his age. He called his life an exercise in natural selection. Close proximity to his father had taught him many lessons. The most valuable lesson he had learned is when not to be around his father.

Every employee knew that the two Collins boys. Robert was the serious one; nothing would get a rise out of him. Monty was the sensitive one, nine years younger than his brother he was kind and receptive to everyone around. Monty was a small child and smart as a whip. Everyone expected great things from Monty. Robert pulled Monty into a closet just outside the hallway of Casper’s office. "C’mon Monty. You know the drill." Robert detached the air vent grill and cupped his hands for Monty to climb up. Over the last few years, the boys had made a game of spying on their father and they were very, very good at it. In the vent, Monty could hear everything that happened in the office.

"That was much too close of a call." Casper said, "I could have died."

"It was only heartburn, Mr. Collins."

"That call was too close." Casper repeated, "and I don’t hear that you are ready for the procedure. Tell me you are ready when the time comes." "Sir, he’s only four. His skull won’t reach the proper capacity for years. It may be ten or fifteen years before his cranial capacity is equal to yours." "That’s not good enough not nearly good enough. I want the capability today. Do you understand me?"

Silence.

"Sir, the only way to get the cranial capacity you want is to alter the function of his pituitary. We can increase his growth rate but there are dangers to that kind of alteration. Brain damage is a certain result."

"So be it." Casper concluded.

"But sir!"

"Do you have a problem?" Casper’s voice carried the threat effectively.

"No sir."

"Very well then, it is all decided." Casper’s tone grew louder as he spoke directly into the vent. "Montgomery, do get out of the vent. Report to my office immediately. Use the door."

"Yes, Mr. Collins." Montgomery said weakly.

"And tell your brother that he has to learn not to get caught. He’ll have nothing but bread and water for a week."

******

"Z, what are you doing?" Freddy asked. Nothing was going right for her. Z was pulling the car into a motel.

"I’m tired, it’s late and I am going to get some sleep. And you," He threw the car into park and set the break. "You are too upset to drive. So it’s the motel for us tonight. I’ll pay for your room."

"Fine." Freddy crossed her arms and made no attempt to get out of the car. Z stared at her for a moment and got out of the car.

"Two rooms please." Z said. The desk clerk stared out at the car and noted Freddy’s angry expression.

"Fight? A woman like that is too pretty to fight with." The clerk made no effort to do anything except stare at Freddy. Z looked out at Freddy and sighed. "Don’t I know it." Z continued, "But it’s not like that. Two rooms?" Z took his wallet out and started fishing out a credit card.

"Can’t do it." The clerk shook his head. "Only got one room."

"Fine, I’ll take it."

Freddy stared pointedly ahead and saw the ‘vacancy’ sign change to ‘no vacancy’. Z got back into the car and pulled up to a parking spot near the back of the building. He handed her a key.

"You’re in 214." He said, "Have a good nights sleep."

Freddy snatched the key from him and grunted something. Without a word she walked up to the room and went inside.

Crappy room, she thought, what a shithole! How dare he make me stay in this dump? Freddy fumed to herself for several minutes before lying on the bed. A short while later, she was asleep.

Z looked up from the car. When the light went out in the room, he locked his door and reclined his seat. She doesn’t need the stress of having me in the room, he thought. Covering himself with a jacket, he tried to sleep.

******

"No!" Monty tore the I.V. from his arm and regretted it. Instantly he blood started to spurt from his arm.

"Secure him." The woman said. Two burly guards grabbed Monty by the arms and forced him back into the chair. Ignoring the bleeding, the woman secured Monty to the chair and installed the I.V. into the other arm.

She tended his bleeding arm only after she was satisfied that he would not be any more trouble.

Monty didn’t know what was happening, just that it wasn’t good. At age 7 he was larger than most 10 year olds. He dwarfed his older brother, Robert. Monty was getting angry all the time, even when he knew he shouldn’t. Everything was going wrong. The woman sat back at the desk and read her novel with a self-satisfied smirk. The guards went back to their rounds. Everything was quiet. Smoke started to fill the room. Monty saw that it was coming in through the vent.

Engrossed in her book, the woman didn’t notice the smell until the room was a light haze. She ran between the door and the supply of I.V. bags for a few seconds. She didn’t know what to do. The smoke grew thicker.

She made her decision and abruptly left the room, leaving Monty stranded strapped to the chair.

Monty stayed quiet.

There was the sound of shuffling overhead. The false ceiling was warping strangely.

Monty stayed quiet. Smoke poured into the room.

Suddenly the ceiling gave way and a boy crashed onto the floor next to Montgomery. Monty smiled at his brother. Robert always came through. He was always trying to help Monty.

Monty stared at his unconscious brother. Robert lay on his back, not moving. "Robert." Monty said. His voice was abnormally low for someone who had not yet experienced puberty. Monty tried to shuffle the chair over to where he could see Robert better. "Robert!" Monty said louder.

"Don’t yell. We’ll just get caught." Robert said. The boy on the floor took an inventory of his limbs. After sensing that each appendage was in working order, he sat up. "Let’s get you out of here." Robert said. He started to release the straps that held Montgomery tight. "It’s not safe for you around here. We have to hurry, the smoke will only last a few more minutes."

"He’s not the one you should be worried about." A woman’s voice came from the doorway. The smoke in the room started to clear slightly and Robert saw that the two guards were standing behind her. "Take him to his father." She said, "I’ll finish up with Monty." She smiled a cold smile.

The door slammed loudly behind Robert and the guards. With an evil grin the woman cinched the straps holding Monty as tight as they would go. When she finished, she looked the child in the eye and saw the fear in him growing. Still smiling, she reattached the I.V. bag and returned to her desk. Seemingly oblivious to the smoke that was still in the room, she resumed reading her novel.

******

Montgomery stood and stretched. Molly was enthralled with the story but she could see it wasn’t the time to push things. Without showing her his face, he took her glass and returned to the bar. She saw him wipe his eyes with his sleeve before he poured more drinks.

"I didn’t see him for five years after that." He finally said. "Casper sent him away to boarding school so he would not interfere."

"I’m sorry." Molly said.

"The drugs caused me to grow at an unprecedented rate and left me with the mind of a child." He walked back to the couch and handed another drink to Molly. It was only a soda this time. She saw that his eyes were red. He sat back down. "Casper always kept me close by, just in case. As he grew older and weaker, I was with him almost constantly. I saw everything but understood little." Molly tried to stifle a yawn, but failed.

"I’m sorry, Molly. You’ve been through so much today, but I have to finish. It will only be a little longer."

Molly focused her attention back on the tragic giant.

******

"The old man has finally lost his mind." Robert said. A wiry man, Robert had learned the lessons of life from hard experience. "He’s chasing Peter Pan." Robert and Montgomery sat outside Casper’s lab. Inside, the old man was receiving treatments that were designed to prolong his life. Montgomery sat in the outer room, as he always did and Robert had snuck a chance to talk to his brother. "So how are you doing, Monty?" The smaller man asked. "Old guy treating you okay?" The giant gave a non-commital grunt. To be honest, things had gotten much, much worse. Montgomery now had to go for weekly treatments and blood transfusions. A year ago they happened every other month. Even with his limited intellect he could tell that something was going to happen soon. Something bad. "That’s what I thought. Listen Monty; the old guy wants me to help in this Whisperer thing. I’m going to have to do some pretty bad stuff. What I want to tell you is that what I am actually doing is trying to get you away from here before the bad-thing happens." Monty and Robert had always talked about Caspers’ plan as ‘the bad-thing’. Monty didn’t know what it was but he did know that he had to avoid it. Robert was his only hope.

"Okay." Monty said. His low voice seemed to rumble from the walls. "I’m going to be busy for a couple days. He wants me to interrogate one of them, get them to help him. Personally, I think he’s nuts but there has been some weird stuff in the paper for the last year. If it works then you’re free. If it doesn’t...I have other plans." Monty looked at his brother and noticed the fear in his eyes. Robert stared back at his doomed brother and knew what he had to do.

He swallowed his fear, driving it deep down. To the outside world he would be an emotionless ice-man.

"I’ll see you soon, Monty." His eyes betrayed the fear once again. Then the emotion disappeared from his face. He stood and walked stiffly away, not looking back.

******

"That was the last time I saw my brother, Robert, as an adult." Monty said. "I believe you have seen this video." He spoke into the microphone again and a different scene came up on the monitor.

Molly had seen this scene before. She saw the naked woman running down the road.

The woman had changed into Sarah Jean, the child that she had taken into her home. "That was a clever deception on the part of the Whisperer. Casper believed that the child was the person that he was looking for all along." Monty told her. "And she wasn’t, was she?"

"No." Montgomery sat forward in his chair. "That child is my brother, Robert."

"That monster was an adult?"

"Not anymore. After your...your body was hijacked by Casper, Robert took control of the company. His mind was as sharp as it ever was. What he didn’t realize is that the state would get involved. Officially he was your responsibility, Molly. And with you out of the picture, the state needed someplace else to put him. They took him into protective custody. After Robert was gone, Casper re-emerged in your body."

******

"Yes, Montgomery it is I." The woman behind the desk put her cigar down. She stood and walked over to the giant. "Surprised?"

Molly’s face was marred with several red circles. It was as if she was covered with small sunburn circles. Her hair was short, but was obviously being grown back out to its normal length.

Montgomery stammered and backed away from the woman. She braced herself against a sofa after a few steps.

"Come now, my boy. Help old Casper out, eh?" She reached towards him. Montgomery refused to come any closer. Heavily, she walked around the couch and fell into it. She gestured for Montgomery to come over.

"Don’t be a dolt, Montgomery. Pour me a drink. NOW." Shakily, Montgomery went to the bar and poured bourbon into a glass. His hand shook as he handed it to the woman. She sipped at it for a moment and then drank the rest in one fluid motion.

"Ah. Now, to deal with that brother of yours." Casper picked up the telephone and dialed.

"Hello, you know who this is. I want you to notify the state that our little Miss Sara Jean is covered by our insurance. Ensure they also know of her mental instability." Casper dropped the phone and fell unconscious for a moment. When he awoke, he looked at Montgomery and smiled.

"You know, of course, that the state will take anything they can get when it comes to helping these children. Our Doctors will give Robert a good scare. Then we will see about your traitorous sibling." Casper held out the glass to Montgomery who took it and refilled it.

"A good time will be had by all." Casper said before he fell back asleep. Montgomery stood next to the couch, constantly in fear that Casper would reawaken.

******

"Robert received much more than a good scare." Monty told Molly. "They nearly brainwashed him. He now believes he is a little girl who will be punished if the bad man inside comes out. Occasionally he shows evidence of adult thoughts, but emotionally he is still a child."

"I’m sorry, Mr. Collins-"

"Please, call me Monty." The giant interrupted.

"Monty. I am sorry that this happened to him-"

"I’ve kept you up very late, Molly. I have a suite here you can use, if you’d like."

"No, I don’t think that’s a good idea."

"All right then." Monty hit a button next to the microphone. A moment later a man appeared at the door.

"Please take her back to her hotel." Monty told him. He turned back to Molly, "I really do have something to discuss and it is to both our benefit. Will you come back in the morning?" Monty handed the sheaf of papers back to Molly, as if to remind her of the threat that loomed over her head. She stared at the papers. Silently, she nodded. "Then have a good nights sleep. Phone when you want the car to pick you up." Monty held the door for her as she left the room. "Thank you for listening."

******

Freddy shuffled into the restaurant looking disheveled and unhappy. She truly resented having to spend the night in a motel in the middle of nowhere. Most of the tables were empty, and the waitress was rushing between those with customers. "Be right with you, hon." The waitress smiled. Freddy ignored her and kept searching through the seats. Z was sitting at a far booth his back to the door, his graying hair stuck in impossible directions. He was nursing a cup of coffee and the check was sitting next to him.

"You must have checked out early, Z." Freddy said. Z jumped at the sound of her voice.

He quickly stood up.

"Freddy. How about some breakfast?"

"Not hungry." She said, "Can we go now?"

"The pancakes are good. Why don’t you sit and have just a couple?" He signaled to the waitress. "Another plate, please."

"No." Freddy said, "You look like shit, Z. No hot water in your room?"

"My room?" Z looked puzzled for a moment, "My room. No, I didn’t have hot water."

He lied. Almost right away a plate of pancakes appeared on the table.

"Wow, great service huh?" Z smiled. "Sit down, at least try them. They’re good."

"Fine, I’ll try them. Then can we go?"

"Sure." Z smiled again. Freddy sat and stuck a fork into the pancakes. She cut a miniscule piece and tried it.

"Not bad." She said. She relaxed in her seat a little more and took another bite. Freddy started into a tirade about how bad the motel was and how everything around was just wasteland. Z listened quietly to the woman as she slammed everything from football to apple pie. Z tried to keep a straight face as she put mouthful after mouthful into her mouth without even realizing.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, "What in the world is there to smile about?"

"I’m not smiling." Z said. He attempted to maintain a straight face. "Whatever. I’ve got to pee and then we’re going." She stood and left. Z looked at the empty plate and grabbed his wallet. It was more food than she had eaten in a week. "Your wife sure has a temper." The waitress told him.

"It’s been a rough month." Z said. He waited at the door for Freddy and held it for her when she appeared. He followed her outside.

It was going to be a long drive, he thought. Her anger was dominating her personality now but he’d still be there for her.

******

"Molly, if you move away now, without Robert, it is child abandonment. Then it is only a matter of time before the state comes for him again." Monty and Molly sat at a small table on a high balcony of the building. He had made sure that there was a wide variety of food available but he ate little. The dark circles under his eyes evidenced his lack of sleep. But that wasn’t important, her comfort was the most important thing at the moment.

"After what I’ve seen. I can’t be his...her...hi...I can’t be a mother to Robert."

"You don’t need to be." He said. Gingerly he speared a sausage and put it on her plate. "What I need is an arrangement. You keep custody of Robert, legally and I take the practical aspects of it. I will pay you a salary to do whatever you want. You just have to be nearby."

Molly put her glass down and stared at the floor for a moment. When the silence stretched to awkward, Monty stood.

"If you will excuse me for a moment, Molly. I need to do something." He looked at her for reassurance and, seeing none, turned and left. He exited the inside room by a side door which he left ajar.

She sat on the balcony, her eyes not blinking. Too much had happened, she wanted to cry but found that she could not. Two weeks ago, by her reckoning, she was a wife and a mother. Her husband had said crazy things about their child, which now had proven to be true. In an attempt to save herself and the child she had gone to the only authority figure she knew, her husbands employer.

Now, nearly a year later, she had discovered that her husband was right and that benevolent employer had actually hijacked her body! Just the thought made her feel dirty, used. She was destitute; all of her assets were gone. She was potentially a criminal, if she did what she knew she should and get away from this monster child. Molly knew what she had to do.

People disappear all the time. People hide.

Monty’s story was moving but that didn’t mean anything to her directly. She would get away and start a new life somewhere.

She stood and went inside. Grabbing her jacket she glanced at the door that Monty had gone through. There was the faint sound of a child’s laugh and the deeper rumble of Monty’s basso-profundo chuckle.

Against her own better judgment she peeked through the door. On the other side, she found a viewing area, much as you would see in a hospital or, more accurately, a police station. On the other side of a tilted glass window, Monty and Robert were sitting at a table in a playroom.

The walls were a stark white but the floors more than made up for it with their mess of color. Multi-colored toys were strewn everywhere in the room. There was no attempt at order or cleanliness. Bits of food were stuck to the toys. Molly was sure the room stank of rotting milk and stale cheerios.

But mesmerized with the two occupants, she went inside and sat down. The table was in much worse shape than the floor. Half a dozen types of cereal were opened and lay on their sides, their contents mingling and sticking to the tabletop. Monty sniffed a carton of milk and poured it on the bowl in front of the child. Robert was wearing a dirty pink T-shirt and red jeans. His hair was uncombed and food fell out of his mouth while he ate. After a bite of cereal, Robert pushed the bowl away. "Sugar bombs. I want Sugar Bombs!" he said to Monty. Monty tried to maintain his composure.

"Whatever you want Robert." The giant said, "But you have to eat something." He grabbed a box of Sugar Bombs and started to pour.

"Cake. I want cake!" The child was obviously enjoying the control of the situation. With a sigh, Monty stood and walked to the door. Molly knew the look on his face; Stan was that way with Jimmy and with this child as well. It was a mix of emotional exhaustion and love. Monty truly loved this child.

She had made up her mind.

"Monty, don’t you dare bring a cake in here." Molly said. She walked around the toys and food on the floor and stood next to the child.

"Robert, stop picking on poor Monty." She scolded as she picked the child up, "Monty, can you get me a warm washcloth?"

"Hi Momma Molly." Robert ignored the scolding and hugged her tight. "Of course." Monty said. He lost the look of exhaustion and found a smile. Everything was going to be all right.

Molly carried Robert over the minefield and back into the suite that they had been in. She disconnected the child from her neck and set her in the chair that she was sitting in earlier. Monty handed her the washcloth.

After a vigorous scrubbing, she set the washcloth back on the table. She took a clean plate and filled it with scrambled eggs and fruit.

"I don’t want that!" Robert whined.

"No lip." Molly said, "Eat."

Robert was about to say something else but had second thoughts when she saw the look in Molly’s eye. She ate.

"You will eat healthy food and you will clean that room of yours. After breakfast we are going back in there and putting every single thing in its place. Do you understand me?" "Yes ma’am." Robert said. Monty and Robert smiled at each other. "And I can not go on calling a young girl Robert. To me you are Sarah Jean. Any ideas?"

"Roberta?" Monty suggested. Both Robert and Molly made a sickened face. "How about Robbie? Until we think of something else." Molly said. Robert nodded her agreement. Monty nodded, pleased with the outcome.

Monty went back inside and sat on the couch. Molly stayed with Robbie and supervised the meal. After the child had cleaned her plate, Molly cleaned her face and hands again and led her back inside. There were chores to be done.

Monty lay on the couch, sleeping for the first time in a week, softly snoring.

******

Z pulled into the park and felt a sense of relief. Freddy was sleeping in the passenger seat and was just starting to stir because of the unfinished road. Z slowed down and tried to minimize the jostling of the car.

Ahead he could see two vehicles parked next to a large oak. An RV showed heavy use, a layer of dirt covered it up to the door handles. Every one of them looked up at Z’s dusty car. A young man held a small child back.

"Freddy, wake up." Z said, gently rocking the sleeping woman. "We’re here." Freddy sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She refastened her stray hairs back into her ponytail. She smiled slightly.

"Thanks for letting me sleep." She said. She looked up and saw the group. Z stopped the car next to the RV. Freddy’s door opened suddenly and a small child was throwing himself on her.

"Aunt Freddy!" Corey squeezed at tight as he could.

"Let me stand up, honey." Freddy said. She tried to scoot out of the car but found it awkward. A man came and disentangled the child and allowed Freddy to get out of the car.

"Ted?" Freddy asked. She did not recognize this man at all. He smiled.

"Nope. It’s Bull." He laughed. "Guess the disguises are working."

"I should say. I didn’t even recognize Corey."

"A little gift from Sarah. She works on the disguises every time we see her." At the mention of Sarah’s name Freddy turned away. Corey insisted on being picked up, Freddy obliged. His weight was almost too much for her. Damn these weak arms, she thought.

"Ted?" Freddy asked of the other man. He smiled too. His face was tan and he seemed more muscular than ever. Sarah had outdone herself with this disguise. "That’s me." He said. He leaned over to hug her. She stiffened slightly at his touch. "Ted, can you give me a hand?" Z asked. The trunk was open and Z was pulling out boxes of components and setting them on the ground. Debby came up beside Freddy. Debby looked like she was in her early twenties. Her hair was now long and straight and almost pure black. She was still a beautiful girl but her features had been altered to make her unrecognizable. Corey squirmed free and ran over to the men who were removing panels from the RV. Bull was now on the roof, removing something with a wrench. "Want to give me a hand?" Debby asked. She led Freddy back to the picnic tables. "Corey, no climbing!" She yelled to the child. Corey gave no indication of hearing her and continued to get into the middle of everything.

Z and Ted were installing electronics throughout the inside of the RV. Bull was on the roof feeding antenna wire into the living compartment. The roof creaked slightly as he moved around.

"So, how’s she doing?" Ted asked. He gestured towards the women sitting at the picnic table. Corey was doing relay runs between the RV and the table, showing Freddy each and every toy he owned.

"Not good." Z said. "She doesn’t like Sarah a whole lot right now and she won’t tell me why." Corey burst through the door again.

"I do." Ted said. He looked past Z into the bedroom area. Corey was digging through toys. Z glanced back at the child.

"Corey," Z called. Dutifully, the boy appeared. "You see those flowers over there? The purple ones? Those are Aunt Freddy’s favorite flowers in the whole world. Why don’t you pick some for her?"

"Okay." Corey dropped the toy he was holding and rushed back outside. "She asked Sarah to....change something. Sarah wouldn’t do it." He stepped forward into the cab and sat at the drivers seat. He sighed. "The rape really shook her up." Outside, Freddy and Debby appeared to me yelling at each other. Corey walked up with the flowers and handed them to Freddy. Freddy burst into tears, hugged the boy and kissed his cheek. She went to a different table and sat with her back to everyone. "What the hell was that about?" Bull asked from the doorway. He came in and sat at the table. Both men shrugged.

Debby walked in and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a pitcher and started pouring without saying a word.

"Deb, honey?" Bull tried to get her attention. Debby refused to turn around. "What happened? What’s wrong?"

"Girl stuff." Debby said. She handed each of the men a glass of lemonade. Her eyes were misting over while she tried to look impassive. Z stood up. "There has to be something we can do. Something I can do." He growled in frustration.

"Sometimes there isn’t anything that you can do." Debby told him, "She just needs time." Z paced the floor, his frustration evident to everyone there. He poured another glass of lemonade and walked out the door.

Z sat on the table, his back to her. He set the lemonade beside Freddy and just sat. Her soft sobs were tying his guts into a knot and he just wanted to do something about it. She took a sip and set the glass back down beside the flowers. A small puddle of condensation expanded to barely touch their stems.

"Thank you." She said finally.

"Freddy." Z started. "I just want you to know that there are people here who care about you. I care about you. Remember that, okay?"

"Okay." She said quietly, her voice almost sounding like a little girl. They sat there, back to back but not touching. Neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to.

******

The fair was packed with humanity, Molly noted. She held Robbie’s hand as they made their way through the crowd. The crowds really didn’t get into their way much, not with a muscle bound giant leading the way. Molly smiled; she couldn’t help thinking of the parting of the Red Sea. There were advantages to their arrangement. The weeks had gone by and she still wasn’t sure what to call their little group. It wasn’t a family, but it was close.

"I wanna ride the Hypercoaster!" Robbie said. She started dragging Molly over to the line. At the entrance to the line Molly stopped.

"Come on!" Robbie said impatiently. Molly didn’t move. "You see this line, honey?" Molly asked the child. She pointed at the horizontal line that loomed far over Robbie’s head.

"Yes."

"Well you can’t ride unless you are at least this big. It’s only for older kids."

"That’s not fair." Robbie whined.

"Those are the rules."

"It’s not fair." The child said again as if it would change the rules if she said it enough. "No honey, I guess it’s not." Molly tried to lead Robbie away. This time it was the child that didn’t move.

"It’s not fair." She said again, "Why can’t I be big enough to ride it?" "When you get old..." Molly started. She had to loosen her grip on Robbie’s hand. In a matter of seconds, the six year old had grown to the size of a ten year old. The stretch shorts and t-shirt she was wearing were almost to the breaking point. Molly stood there with her mouth open. When Monty saw it happening he tried to block anyone from seeing what was happening and picked her up to disguise what was happening. In comparison Robbie was still miniscule compared to Monty so a size shift might be written off as an optical illusion.

Monty sat her back down.

"Come on. Let’s go." Robbie pulled at Molly’s hand again. When she had turned back for Monty’s concurrence he was gone. What she really wanted to do was to get them all out of there before the cops arrived but Robbie had let go of her hand and was giving the operator her ticket. "Hurry up. I gave him a ticket for you too." She was halfway to the entrance when a T-shirt hit her on the back of the head. She turned angrily back and saw Monty.

"It’s for her." He said. And she understood. She got into the car with Robbie and told her to put the shirt on. Her old clothes were not appropriate at all. Some would call them indecent. The large man’s shirt gave her a more modest appearance. As they were putting the bar down, Molly had pushed up a little bit to straighten out the shirt on Molly. "Sit down Momma." Robbie said excitedly. Molly tried to get back into the seat but she found that the bar was set much too low. The car was tick, tick, ticking up the beginning slope of the coaster. Painfully, Molly wedged herself back into a sitting position. Tears streamed down her face. She tried to lift the bar but it wouldn’t budge. Tick, tick, tick, the coaster continued its climb.

The initial drop was agony. Molly thought her legs would break. She grabbed the bar tightly and tried to lift it to relieve the pressure. She didn’t have the strength. Robbie noticed that Molly wasn’t screaming in pleasure like everyone else.

"What’s wrong?" Robbie asked.

"I’m too big. I can’t fit in the seat." The car plummeted down another dip and started to climb again.

"I’m sorry Momma." Robbie said. She had a glimmer of an idea. If Molly was smaller then she wouldn’t hurt anymore, Robbie thought. The car slowed as it reached the top of the hill and then accelerated madly as it prepared for the loop. "You should be smaller." Robbie said. The car entered the loop and Molly’s grip loosened on the bar. The pressure on her legs was relieved. "What?" Molly asked loudly.

"You should be smaller." Robbie said again. Robbie appeared to be growing again to Molly. The car accelerated to another hill, one designed for maximum negative G’s. Molly slipped off the seat; her hold on the bar pulled her tiny body forward and onto the floor. As the car hit the negative G hump Molly flew out of the car and into the crowd, far below. Robbie screamed in terror as she saw the toddler-sized Molly fall away. "Don’t be small. Be big. Be okay." She said. If she could make Molly big again then it wouldn’t have happened. She heard Molly scream until she hit the ground with a sickening thud.

A roller coaster does not have brakes. Robbie threw up into her seat as the car continued through its course. She kept screaching ‘Stop! Stop!’ but no one obeyed. She was out of the car before it pulled into the gate.

Robbie ignored the throng of people; she pushed and kicked her way to where Molly hit the ground.

Monty was walking away from the spot when Robbie finally got there. His hands were dripping with blood and a bright smear of red was drying against one cheek. He grabbed Robbie as she tried to push past.

"It’s too late." Monty told her, "She’s dead. There’s nothing we can do. Nothing even you can do." Robbie didn’t care; she squirmed out of his monstrous grip and pushed her way through to the woman on the ground.

Men held her back as she tried to get close. A woman stepped in front of her and blocked her view.

"Momma Molly you are all right. Wake up Molly!" Robbie screeched. Molly didn’t move. Someone put a jacket over her face and a circle of men directed people around the scene. Monty caught up with her and picked her up. He started to walk away. "I want to stay!" Robbie cried, "Let me stay."

"I can’t." Monty told her. He tried to keep his fear and sadness out of his voice. Now that Molly was dead, the state would be after Robert again. He had no hope of protecting his brother if they got their hands back on him.

"Pleeease?" Robbie stretched her hands back to the gruesome scene. Monty kept walking.

Not once did he put Robbie down.

Back in the car, Monty locked the doors. Robbie sat numb as he fastened her seat belt and started the car.

"We have a lot to do, Robbie." He wiped his face and a line of the dried blood crumbled off. "And no time at all to do it."

 

End part 12

 

 

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© 2001 by Joan Banks. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.