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| Story: A New Life - Chapter 17 Wednesday, 03-May-2000 21:53:47
Well, I guess I now know how some people feel on what happened in the second half of the last chapter. This one doesn't contain anything quite that "controversial" ;), but it helps to set up near-future events. The sound of hands clapping awoke Sarah Carter from her nightmare-filled sleep. Blinking, she looked at her surroundings, groggy and disoriented. She was curled up on the comfortable cushions of her small couch in the living room, wearing nothing but her shape-fitting Gammonian outfit. She felt a thin sheen of cold sweat clinging to her skin, her dark-blonde hair disheveled. Her television was tuned to a talk show, the volume turned down so she could barely hear it. Her blue-gray eyes turned towards her patio door; it was almost dark outside, and she wondered how long she had slept. Then it came to her. The gang members’ attack at the mall; the leader locking her in a closet with him, intending to rape and kill her; her transformation. Sarah squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying to keep out the memories that were rapidly coming into focus again. Her immensely strong hand enveloping his neck, her thick green fingers crushing the life from him. “Oh, God…. It happened - - it wasn’t a dream…”, she whispered. “Sarah, you are awake.”, came a deep and modulated male voice. “How are you feeling now?” The journalist turned her head and gazed at the ebony box sitting on the entertainment center’s shelf. “Just as awful I can still see and feel that boy’s life draining from his body, Xris. I – I didn’t want to kill him… But - - But I was so angry… I’ve never – felt that angry before. I almost literally saw red.” Sarah looked down at herself, running a hand over the polished black material of her outfit. “I - - - I don’t think I can ever be a heroine again…..”, she murmured. “How can I, Xris? I’ve set such a bad example, not only for others – but also for myself. What if that berserker rage comes over me the next time? I tried to control it….I really tried, Xris! But I failed; I failed myself, and that young man. I shouldn’t have killed him……” Xris’ voice became a little sterner. “Sarah, stop blaming yourself for what happened. From the account you gave me of the incident, that man would have done whatever he wanted with you and wouldn’t have given it a second thought. You are not like that. You show compassion and regret for your actions, and that makes you a better person inside. If you want to know what I think, Sarah - - I believe you made the correct choice in killing him.” Sarah was shocked. Her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide, she stared at Xris’ computer housing. “What?! You - - You think I did the right thing?? How – How can you say that, Xris?! What I did was horrible! He didn’t deserve to die!” “Didn’t he? Sarah, he tried to kill you. Worse – he wanted to violate you in a way that goes beyond simple death. Such a cruel act would have demanded instant death on Gammon.” “But this isn’t Gammon! This is Earth! During my time here, I’ve learned that humans have laws set up to protect not only the innocent, but the guilty, as well. At first I couldn’t understand it – why they would want to try and protect violent criminals who have committed unspeakable acts from quick justice. They place great trust in this system, this belief that all people – no matter their crime – should have the right to fair and decent treatment. And I have violated that trust, Xris!” His voice changed again, becoming more soothing. “Khara, remember that you are not human. You do not have to follow the same laws as the indigenous inhabitants of this planet.” “But I do! Over the years I have come to associate myself with these people. They have treated me like one of their own, because, for all intents and purposes, I am. I’ve found that I think of myself more and more as a human being instead of a disguised Gammonian. Xris, I’m even falling in love with a human. What ties do I have to my original planet anymore? The only things that have been keeping me aware of my true nature are you – - and the powers I can possess. I wanted to use those powers to help, to try and serve what my surrogate human parents valued so highly. But I’ve abused those powers, and I don’t believe I have a right to them anymore.” She gazed out into the darkened sky through the sliding glass door. “I’ve all-but-lost my ties to Gammon now. It’s best to think of myself as human – and to do the right thing and turn myself into the authorities for my crime.” “But these abilities are a part of you, Khara. You cannot hide them from the world indefinitely. You will have to face your transformation again. What you decide when you reach that point will ultimately determine the life you will live. Ask yourself this – would it be true to your nature to go and carry out what you have just told me? How many more acts like this might occur if you are not there to stop them?” Sarah frowned a bit. A slight buzzing had suddenly started up inside her head, and she held up a hand to her forehead, massaging it with her fingers. Xris continued to speak. “And you are forgetting the true architect to this tragic affair. The gang leader said that he had been hired by someone to commit those terrible acts against you - - the same someone that also had hired the two men in the park.” ‘Michael Harris….’ The name came unbidden into Sarah’s mind. The young man had said that Mr. Harris had paid him to kill her – the rape had been on his own “initiative”. Or had it? She couldn’t really remember very clearly – the buzzing in her mind was making it somewhat difficult to recall. “But – But I talked to him after that attack, and he had said he had nothing to do with it.” “But you yourself also said that you were not a good judge of human responses in terms of truth. It is perfectly plausible that he lied to you about everything, Khara. But I do not believe that now is the time to confront him again. I think that you need to rest and compose yourself. Please, I am asking as your friend - - as your brother - - do not make any hasty decisions, either about Mr. Harris or your career as a heroine. You have been through so much today; get away for a while – relax, and then think on these things with a fresh perspective. I believe that you will do the right thing.” Sarah slowly nodded, the buzzing becoming less bothersome – almost turning pleasant. “You’re right, Xris. I do need to have another talk with Mr. Harris, but not right now. And what about Dana? I left her at the mall; she’s probably ready to kill me….” A ringing from her apartment’s door jolted Sarah from her thoughts. The buzz inside her brain suddenly disappeared. ‘I bet that’s her….’, she guessed, feeling guilt building up inside of her stomach. ‘How do I explain why I left her there? I can’t tell her the truth….’ She unfolded herself from the couch and padded over to the door, peeking through small glass hole built into it. ‘Andrew!’, she cried out to herself. She was so glad to see him! But she couldn’t let him see her dressed up in her black outfit. Sarah unlocked the door and cracked it open, feeling a smile springing to her face. “Hi, Andrew. I’m glad to see you! Can you wait outside for a second while I change? You caught me in the shower.” She watched his face gaining color as he blushed with embarrassment. “Oh, s – sorry, Sarah. If I’ve come at a bad time – “ She shook her head. “No, no, I want to see you. But let me put on something first, okay?” He nodded dumbly and she closed the door. This is what she needed – a diversion from the conflicting thoughts that were running through her mind. She was still very sorry and disturbed by what she had done earlier that day - - but, at the same time, Xris’ words had a strong ring of truth and right about them. The best thing for her to do, she decided, was to forget about it all as best she could for a while and enjoy Andy’s company. Sarah hurried into her bedroom and rummaged through the closet. She slipped on a pair of tight, light-gray sweat shorts and an oversized T-shirt that was a tad darker than her shorts. Satisfied that her outfit was sufficiently hidden, Sarah walked back out to the apartment’s front door and opened it up, allowing a somewhat-nervous Andrew Peters to enter. He sat down on the couch, fidgeting, his hands continuously rubbing each other. “So…”, he began, his voice almost cracking. “What’s - - umm, what’s new with you, Sarah?” ‘God, if he only knew…..’ “A lot, actually; but nothing that I can or particularly want to talk about. Actually, I’m glad that you came over, Andy. I need a good diversion from work and things - - “ She stopped, seeing Andrew look down into his lap, appearing dejected. “Oh, no, no, Andrew, that’s not what I meant! I don’t mean to say that you are just a diversion for me. You’re so much more than that! Sometimes - - I think that you’re one of the only things holding me here…keeping me sane in this crazy world.” He smiled, looking into her blue-gray eyes. “Thanks, Sarah. I mean that. You’ve been more than a good friend to me. You’ve been kind to me as long as we’ve known each other, even though my boneheaded clumsiness. I don’t know what c – comes over me when I’m around you, Sarah. I can’t think straight, I’m n – nervous. Dang - - it’s happening again.” He grinned sheepishly, fidgeting more on the couch as Sarah sat down next to him. “I’m sorry if I’m babbling. That’s another thing – that – I - - “ Andrew’s words trailed off into silence, his mouth remaining open. Sarah had placed one of her hands on his leg, and was absently rubbing her fingers up and down his thigh while he gaped at her. “S – S – Sarah? Wh – What are you doing?” Sarah offered Andrew a smile that contained a hint of sultriness about it. “Well, what does it look like I’m doing, Andy? I’m enjoying your company.” She suddenly leaned over and gently rested her head against his chest, her dark-blonde hair unfolding along his shoulder and arm. “I’ve had a very tough day today, Andy. Is there anything you’d like to do to help me unwind a little?” Sarah raised her eyes to peer into his soft brown ones. Inside her head she was thinking, ‘What am I doing? I just killed someone earlier today, and now I’m cuddling up to the man I’m falling in love with as if nothing happened?’ It just didn’t seem real to the journalist – or right. She stopped stroking Andrew’s leg and pulled her head from his chest. “I… I’m sorry, Andy. I’m making both of us uncomfortable. This just isn’t the time for that sort of thing, is it? I mean, I have so much on my mind right now, and I can’t ask you to risk sacrificing our friendship just to help me out for a little while.” She stood up and took a few steps away from the couch, aware of her friend watching her with a confused expression. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to comfort herself. ‘That’s the last thing I want to do to Andy. He’s been such a good friend, and I do love him. Which is exactly why this is wrong! He deserves more than that.’ Seeing Sarah’s discomfort about something, Andrew spoke up. “Maybe it would be better if I came back another time.”, he offered. “I’ve obviously interrupted you from something, and I apologize.” He also stood from the couch and walked towards Sarah’s door. “Please, give me a call sometime before the weekend’s over. And if you’re still busy, then I guess I’ll see you at work on Monday.” He waited for Sarah to unlock the front door. When it was opened he started to walk through. A hand stopped upon his shoulder stopped him, and Andrew turned around. As soon as he did so he felt Sarah’s soft, well-shaped lips upon his own, her arms wrapping around his upper body, her hands caressing his back. He was stunned, but the wonderful feeling of new intimacy with a woman he had secretly loved for more than a year quickly broke through that. He returned her kiss, one of his hands settling around the back of her head, hidden beneath her soft dark-blonde hair. Then Andrew broke their embrace. “Sarah, you d – don’t have to do this. Really, I understand. I can tell that you have a lot on your mind right now, and I – I think you need some time alone to sort it all out. But if you need any help…..call me.” Before she could say anything in response, her friend had turned around and was through the door. She let it close behind him, a light mist building up in her eyes. “I screwed up…’, she thought, placing a hand on top of her lips, staring at the imposing form of the inside of her apartment’s steel door. ‘I’ve made him more uncomfortable with my efforts at finding comfort myself. I just undid all of that work I’d been doing to open up a line of meaningful communication between us – and it hurts. Oh, God, it hurts!’ Fighting back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her again, Sarah flopped back down on her couch. “What else can I do to make this day go any worse?”, she asked the empty air. Dana Carter sat down on the bed in the hotel room, her face a mask of shock. “What?! My sister - - involved in an undercover operation for the government? I don’t believe it. She may not be my blood relative, but I know her better than probably anyone else, and I know she wouldn’t get involved in anything like this.” She was speaking to the two mysterious women who had asked her to come with them from the mall. She had been hoping to see Sarah before she left to tell her where she was going, but, for some reason, her sister hadn’t shown back up from her foray to purchase drinks. These two women – who said their names were “Beth” and “Amy” – had taken her back to their hotel room and had told her this unbelievable story. According to Beth, Sarah Carter had agreed to go undercover here in Denver to help expose a large crime ring. They thought that a newspaper journalist would not be readily suspected for corroborating with any law enforcement or security divisions, because of the position’s easy access to public and private figures, and that she was well-known. Sarah supposedly agreed to do this for the federal government because she wanted to turn this into a Pulitzer Prize. But Dana wasn’t quite buying. This didn’t sound like the Sarah she knew. Of course, she hadn’t seen her adopted sister for a bit over three years, and people did change. On the other hand, there was something about this story that just didn’t sit well with her. There was something about the two women – that was for sure. Even more disturbing was that Dana couldn’t shake the feeling that, though they had promised to tell her the truth, they were still holding things back from her about her sister’s supposed involvement in this case. “Okay, Beth, let’s just say that I buy into this whole thing. What can Sarah do for you that someone else couldn’t?” “A very good question.”, Beth replied, crossing her right leg over her left, adjusting her skirt to compensate. “This crime ring sprung up before Sarah moved here to Denver, true. We asked her to help us because she was new to this area, and thus not well known at the time. As her reputation has increased, so have people’s suspicions of her likelihood of being involved in an operation such as this decreased. In fact, she recently has made some impressive inroads in uncovering this ring’s hidden leadership.” She paused, looking Dana right in the eye, which made the other woman somewhat uncomfortable. “Unfortunately, her role seems to have been compromised somewhere in this organization. Two attempts have been made on her life, and we are very concerned about her survival.” “Attempts?! What attempts?! Why didn’t she tell me anything about this?!” “Please understand her position. Your sister did not want to involve or risk involving anyone else in her cooperation with us. One of her friends from The Denver Post has already been involved in the first of these attacks. The second one happened today at the mall.” Dana was furious. “You mean Sarah was attacked in the mall, and you didn’t tell me?! Is she all right? Where is she?” Amy sat down on the other side of the bed from Dana. “Please, do not worry. She is okay; one of our agents took her to a safehouse. But we do not know how long she will remain so. There is something more behind this crime ring - - something that we do not know about. We have had to reassess our picture of the makeup of this ring. The person we thought was in control has now been proven to be no more than a secondary partner. That’s the latest that Sarah was able to uncover for us before this latest attack.” Dana Carter looked at Beth, resolve strengthening her to ask the question on her lips. “What was the name that you had?” Beth didn’t answer right away. She looked to Amy, who nodded. Turning her brown eyes back to Dana, two words came forth from the woman’s shapely lips. “Michael Harris.” To be continued Terry |
| Story: A New Life - Chapter 17 (Terry) (03-May-2000 21:53:47) |
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