Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (36 page)

FORTY-EIGHT

LIZ WANTED TO SPIT at the man leading them down the tediously long, harshly lit hallway. The tape over her mouth prevented it. At least she could keep tabs on Lily. Her daughter walked in front of her, escorted by Archer Savage, passing what seemed to be the same navy-blue door over and over. He flashed a disingenuous smile at the little girl. Liz knew she wasn’t buying it for a second. Her sneer said it all.

Near the end of the corridor, they stopped at a set of solid double doors. Savage found the correct key and opened them. That’s where his smiling stopped. Clenching his teeth, he shoved Lily into the unlit room. Then he took Liz’s arm and pushed her in. Without a word, he slammed the door, leaving them in darkness.

Lily started to wail, muffled by the tape over her mouth. Liz rushed to help and someone stopped her, holding her arms, forcing her to sit in a hard metal chair. She heard scuffling feet all around. Her sight adjusted, allowing her to see a half dozen lab technicians in white, strapping her arms and legs. They tied Lily down, also. She cried even louder, though it was hardly a whimper through her gag. Then the technicians repositioned their chairs to the center of the cavernous room, facing a wall dominated by a large cage.

A door in a dark corner creaked open. The workers hurried to complete their tasks, then rushed out. Liz peered at the doorway and made out just a dim outline. No features, though she had an idea who it was.

She tried to find the strength to fight. Her muscles wouldn’t participate. She needed something extraordinary. She needed the O/A. Or one of the Tanakee. It ripped her up inside to see her daughter bound in chains and terrified. She swore to herself she’d get this guy. Somehow she’d do it. For scaring her little girl. For threatening her son. She’d get him.

Now, though, she felt powerless. The man, still just a silhouette, stepped forward. The
click-clack
of his leather heels bounced off the solid walls with each stride.

“I believe introductions are in order. My name is Davos, Davos Mann.”

He stepped into the ambient light and she saw his dark gray business suit, his black hair falling in long, slithering strands, his face void of any emotion. Liz trembled. Something odd about the hair. It swayed in some nonexistent breeze. Then she put it together. Those flying snake things he’d transformed into. They
were
his hair! They hissed and spat at her. She gaped at them, still in disbelief such a horrid being ever existed.

He focused on Lily. Liz felt a tide of panic. Her trembling became fits.

“Don’t worry, Momma,” his pale pupils found hers. “I wouldn’t even think of hurting your little girl. Unless you force me to.”

Liz kicked and twisted. She knew she could break free from her shackles. She was certain. If that thing got any closer to Lily, she swore she would.

Davos tore the tape off Liz’s lips. She screamed as loud as her dry, wheezy throat would allow, yelling to nobody, hearing her own voice come back to her over and over off the walls and ceiling and floor.

Finally, frustration and a sore esophagus forced her to stop, chest heaving, forehead boiling.

“Yell all you like,” he chuckled only once. “No one will hear you.”

She swallowed, staring at him hard. “What have you done with my son!”

He lowered his eyes. Something seemed amiss. Liz saw he was puzzled.

“What do you mean?” he asked, then straightened again, flashing a thin smile. “Oh, of course. You’re attempting to outsmart me, is that it? Pretending not to know where the boy is so I won’t torture it out of you. Very clever. You seem convincing. But…”

He moved closer, pushing his will into hers.

“What are you doing!” she tried to turn away. He snatched her jaw and forced her to look at him. His face quivered. His eyes grew from total pale gray to pools of ink. Bottomless pits. She was falling into them. Endlessly. Forever descending.

“Where is he!” he bore into her mind, growing increasingly frustrated the more he tried. “Where is he!”

She felt herself go limp in his grasp. Her tongue relaxed and started to fall down her throat. Fortunately he released her shell of a body, letting her slump in her seat. She coughed, regaining control, feeling a tingle in her arms and legs.

Davos stepped back and let his empty stare travel to her feet, then again to her face. “You really don’t know, do you?”

She shook her head, still groggy. Lily squirmed, unable to move or call out, though Liz heard her tiny, muted cries.

“SAVAGE!” Davos thundered. A door opened and closed. Quick footsteps approached. Then Liz saw the man, the puppet on a string. “We’ll have to take it to the next step, Savage.”

Savage pulled a syringe from his pocket, inside bubbled some pernicious, yellow liquid. He rushed to Lily and put it to her throat.

Liz fought against her restraints. “What are you doing! Leave her alone!”

Savage held Lily’s neck, the tip of the sharp instrument an inch from her skin. Davos’ breathing grew into an excited growl.

“Keep your hands off of her!” she kept struggling in vain to squirm free.

Neither of her captors paid attention. They seemed preoccupied with something on the other side of the large room. She squinted, her vision still adjusting to the dark. Soon she saw a greenish shine coming from the fortified cage.

“Submit and allow us to implant the control chip, or the child dies!” Davos called to the unseen prisoner.

The gleam became brighter. A tiny, ghostly figure scurried to the edge of the cage, peering through the bars. Enola! She seemed to be emitting her own light, surrounding herself with a dancing green fire. Liz gasped. It was beautiful, yet appeared deadly. However, it did Enola no harm. In fact, Liz got the distinct feeling the inferno somehow helped her, gave her protection and power.

She spotted Liz and Lily and the intensity of her flames increased. The cage filled with light, causing Enola to disappear behind a bright shroud. Then it dimmed. She became visible once more. Exhibiting a cool exterior, she looked at Davos.

“Touch that child and
you
die,” her voice was steady.

Davos gave her a throaty chuckle. “You’re powerless to stop us. We’re outside the range of your bothersome little spell. Your only choice is to let us implant the chip. Do that, and we’ll let these miserable humans live.”

Enola’s fire grew larger and brighter.

“You’ll never make me your slave, Davos! Never!”

“You seem to think I’m not sincere,” he nodded. Savage ripped the tape from Lily’s mouth. She screeched, her tiny voice cracking. Liz felt torn into pieces. She joined her daughter, both of them shrieking, kicking, struggling.

“Don’t touch them!” Enola cried.

“Do it!” Davos pointed. Savage gritted his teeth and pressed the needle against the little girl’s neck. Before injecting her, he staggered back, his neatly groomed hair blown asunder by a fierce wind. Blinding emerald flames erupted from Enola’s cage. They reached out and encircled Savage, pulling him toward her.

A stronger burst flew at him and his body twitched. He stopped moving. Enola’s fire diminished, once again orbiting only her own body in a nebulous halo.

Savage closed and opened his eyes. He smiled at Enola. Then he cleared his throat.

“Sir, I can’t let you hurt her. The Tanakee are good, peaceful creatures. They mean no harm to anyone,” he pointed at the cage. “Especially Enola. She only wants us to love each other. Can’t we do that? Can’t we just love each other?”

“That treacherous little beast!” Davos lifted both arms and formed a circle with his hands. Between his fingers, a miniscule, ruby colored light rippled into existence. Heat vapor warped the air. The point grew larger, becoming a sphere the diameter of a grapefruit.

He clenched his fingers and the orb sparked, sending several lightning strikes at Savage. Using his fiery lariat, Davos reeled the hapless man from Enola and her potent charm.

Savage tripped over his own feet when the glowing projections retracted. Panting, he got to his hands and knees and crawled to his benefactor.

“She…she got me, didn’t she?”

Davos didn’t answer. Instead he flashed again toward Enola, his face smooth and indifferent. However, Liz saw a tiny crack in the facade. He seemed worried, and Enola was the reason.

“I’m warning you. If you continue to refuse, I will make you pay. I will make you all pay, starting with these wretched friends of yours.”

“Why don’t you leave us alone!” Liz felt overtaken by either courage or stupidity. “The Tanakee are sweet, gentle animals, and Jack is just a ten-year-old boy! What do you need them for?”

Davos lowered his brow. His skin was strange. It didn’t belong on his skull. “Naive humans. Too wrapped up in your own pathetic lives to understand anything.”

He gestured in a wide, sweeping motion. “Everything you know, everything you have, and ever dreamed of having is going away. A new master is coming, and he’s hungry. He’ll consume this universe and spit out its bones,” he slid toward Liz, stopping inches from her face. “My kind has known for centuries about the impending arrival of the great Essinis. Unlike humans, we have never lost contact with the ancient knowledge. That is why you are slated for extinction, and why we, the Nagas, will survive. We are smarter, we are stronger, and we will endure,” his blank gaze darted to Enola. “Still one thing stands in our way. The Tanakee. For centuries, they’ve been thorns in our sides. I’m supposed to destroy them. But the Tanakee have a special connection to Eteea, and it will be mine to control, to unleash on anyone who defies me. With the power of Eteea at my disposal, I’ll become the leader of the new realm. The realm of Essinis!”

Enola glared. “You’ll never succeed. My friends and I will make sure of it.”

Davos puffed his chest in silent rage. He gestured. Savage nodded, found the syringe, and once again went for Lily.

“If you do not cooperate, I will destroy you. All of you.”

“No you WON’T!” Enola sent another rush of green fire, this time Liz felt it centered on her and Lily. Davos howled, conjuring his blazing sphere, though a split-second too late. Mother and Daughter slid across the smooth floor, reeled in by Enola’s warm embrace.

Crash!

Their chairs collided with the cage. Liz tried to reach for Lily. The straps around her wrists wouldn’t allow it. Lily seemed all right, though. She even managed a smile for her mother.

Davos cursed in some strange language. He waved his arm. A flaming burst tossed Savage against the wall. “It’s your fault! Weak human!”

Enola climbed the metal bars, putting her face between Liz and Lily. “You two all right?”

“I think so,” Liz was breathless, staring at her baby. “How ‘bout you, honey? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Mommy,” she smiled. “Thanks to Enola.”

Liz was in a stupor over the green glow engulfing them.

“What is this?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, I’ve known about this power. It’s been building in me for quite some time, now. But it just exploded to life right after Savage’s men captured me. They put me in this cage, and now they can’t get near me. It seems all evil thoughts and intentions are immediately replaced by pure compassion. Anger turns to joy, wickedness to affection.”

Liz grinned. “So that’s why Savage was acting so funny.”

“Stop your whispering! I’m not through with you!” Davos stepped toward them, ready to use his powerful orb. He stopped when an emergency light began blinking, accompanied by a shrieking alarm.

“Attention!”
blared the intercom.
“The compound has been breached. A creature has been sighted. Security to sector two!”

“What! No!” Savage reacted. “More of them are coming!”

“Perfect!” Davos had a sinister sneer. “What are you so worried about? It worked. We got them to fall for our trap!”

Savage pointed at Enola. “You just don’t know. Their power. It’s, it’s scary.”

“Coward!” Davos hissed.

“Alert! Alert! Creature sighted in sector one. Repeat, sector one!”

“That’s us!” Savage spun in a circle. “It’s coming! It’s…”

The metal door banged open against the wall and slammed shut again. Then it opened once more. A tiny figure dashed in before the door had the chance to swing back on its hinges a second time.

Liz recognized the furry, black and silver creature. Enola shouted his name before she thought it.

FORTY-NINE

“WHO
ARE YOU and
what
are you doing in my news van?” Kristy Blades placed a hand on each hip. Her hot pink fingertips clashed with the blue, all-weather jacket she was wearing, yet somehow Amelia thought she pulled it off. Hank, her crack cameraman, stood next to her. Much shorter than the blonde bombshell TV reporter, the wavy-haired man crossed his brawny arms, showing a navy tattoo on his right triceps. Both of them had light green spirit clothes, indicating their genuine shock.

Amelia tried not to look up at Ayita, crouching on a shelf behind a video monitor, ready to pounce any moment.

“She might be one of your fans,” Hank peered from under his cream colored
KWTV 3
ball cap.

Kristy pushed aside an old tripod. Her aura turned an inquisitive blue-gray. “Hank, it’s just a little girl. You scared me,” she raised her voice an octave when she spoke to Amelia. “Hello there? What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Um, my name’s Amelia.”

“Amelia. That’s a pretty name. I’m Kristy, and this is Hank. Tell us, Amelia. What are you doing here?”

“I, um. I’m hiding,” she said in lieu of some brilliant fib.

Kristy and Hank glanced at each other, then at Amelia.

“Hiding from whom, honey?” Kristy continued. Just like a reporter to ask questions.

“From the police,” she answered.

Hank inhaled but Kristy stayed rock steady, her spirit clothes unchanging. She kept her attention on Amelia.

“Now, why would such a sweet, innocent little girl need to hide from the police?”

Amelia peeked up. Ayita put her finger to her lips and mouthed,
‘Shhh.’

“Um. I can’t tell you.”

Kristy frowned. “Why not?”

“Um, because I…” she couldn’t keep her eyes from wandering up. Ayita creased her brow.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Hank took Amelia by the ankles and yanked her halfway out of the van.

“Hank, NO!” Kristy was too late to stop the ensuing chain of events. Emitting a deep, crimson aura, Ayita dropped from the ceiling onto Hank’s shoulder and covered his face with her hands.

“Hey! Hey! I can’t see! I can’t see! Help!” he screamed as Kristy stood back and blathered incoherent phrases. “Get this thing off me!”

“No, Ayita! Wait!” Amelia tried to get her protector under control. “These people aren’t the bad guys! They don’t want to hurt us!”

“You coulda’ fooled me!” Ayita held tight while Hank attempted to dislodge her from his neck.

“Hank!” at last Kristy uttered decipherable words. “It’s true! They’re real! Hank, they’re real!”

“What are!” he shouted, still not able to shake Ayita loose.

“The teddy bears! They’re alive!”

“Lady, I’m not a teddy bear!” Ayita scowled.

“And they can talk!” Kristy’s face lit up. “Hank, get your camera! We’ve got a scoop for the world!”

“Uh, a little HELP!” he wrestled with the tiny, furry creature, banging against the side of the van until his hat flew off.

Ayita held firm.

“Fine!” she huffed. “I’ll get the camera myself!”

“No! No! Don’t, please!” Amelia held her arm. “Don’t go on TV with this. Not yet. Not until you hear the whole story.”

“Kristy!” Hank cried in horror. No matter what he tried, Ayita wouldn’t let go.

Kristy ignored him. “I got news for you, kid. You
are
the story.”

“But there’s more. Much more. There are other creatures like Ayita. Plus, there are people who want to capture them and, and hurt them!”

Hank panicked. “I can’t breathe!”

“Ayita! Stop!” Amelia commanded. Ayita flashed a reluctant frown and obeyed, releasing her grip finger by finger. Her spirit clothes lightened a few shades and she hopped from Hank’s shoulder to the top shelf of the equipment rack again.

Hank panted. “Young lady, those things are dangerous!”

“They’re only dangerous if you get on their bad side,” Amelia answered. “Then they’re very dangerous.”

“Good to know,” he massaged his neck.

Kristy asked, “You’re the ones the cops are after, aren’t you? You’re not running away from home, are you?”

“No,” she said. “You don’t understand. The police don’t understand. They’re just doing what Savage is telling them to do.”

“You mean Archer Savage? Of Archer Savage Industries?” Kristy leaned in. “He was just here. Took Ben James’ wife and daughter away from the cops. What’s he up to?”

“I’m trying to tell you. Savage is behind all of this. And his client, Davos Mann.”

“Davos Mann?”

Ayita shuddered. “There’s no time! My brother’s in trouble! I can feel it!”

“Hey!” a man yelled from the street. Amelia crawled behind the spools of cable again. She searched, but didn’t find Ayita. “We’re looking for a little girl, about ten, long dark hair. You seen her?”

Kristy stepped from the van. Through the door crack, Amelia saw a police badge glinting in the sun.

“No, Officer. Haven’t seen her. Why? Is she a missing person or something?”

“No. Well, we’re not sure,” he lowered his voice. “The guys are sayin’ she has one of those…walking teddy bear things,” he laughed. “Can you imagine? I mean, what’s this world coming to, anyway? Teddy bears that walk and talk, honestly.”

Silence, save for sounds of tires rushing on asphalt, the single honk of a horn.

“Don’t tell me you guys believe in this stuff?” he sounded annoyed. “You media people’re all the same. Always trying to hype something up just to make a buck. Don’t you people have any shame?”

“I should ask you the same thing,” Kristy said. “Why do you guys have to harass a little girl and her teddy bear? Don’t you have better things to do? What a huge waste of taxpayer dollars.”

“Hey, I’m just doing my job, lady. Speaking of, you two need to move this van or I’m gonna ticket you for blocking traffic. Now get outta here. Dumb media, anyway.”

Kristy poked in and winked at Amelia. “Okay. Coast is clear.”

Hank warned, “Kristy, I hope you know what you’re doing. Lying to the police could get you into real trouble.”

“Oh, Hank. You’re just worried about your own butt. Think about it. This might be the biggest story in the last decade. In the last century. And we’ll be the ones bringing it to the world.”

Ayita emerged from behind a video monitor. “We need help, not television exposure.”

“Wow!” Kristy was electrified. “Can you believe this, Hank?”

“Kristy, please!” Amelia shouted.

Kristy flinched and batted her long lashes at the girl.

“All right. I’ll help in any way I can. But before I do, you’ve got to at least answer some questions. Why is Archer Savage trying to capture these adorable little creatures? Who is Davos? How does all this relate to Ben James and his invention? Tell me everything.”

“We don’t have time,” Ayita jumped into Amelia’s lap. “Amelia, we need to hurry.”

“Why do you need to hurry? Hurry for what?” Kristy asked.

A muffled rendition of
I will survive
blared from Kristy’s jacket. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone. “Crap! It’s the boss. I’ve got to take this,” she pressed a button. “Hello, Mister Crane…what? Police Chief Sillay is giving a press conference?” she snapped her fingers at Hank, then at the video monitors. He hit one of the many lighted buttons on the panel of electronics, and two of the larger screens showed the chief standing at a microphone. “Yes, Mr. Crane. We’re watching.”

Hank slid a dial and the chief’s voice became audible.

“I’m afraid what we’ve got going on is a little bit more serious than just a few isolated pranks,” he said. “We had a dangerous inmate escape from jail today and he’s still at large. He’s wreaking havoc with his machine, and he’s being aided by those mysterious creatures that have been sighted throughout town.”

“Sir,” an unseen woman spoke up. “What can you tell us about the creatures? Rumor has it they belong to Archer Savage, and are a part of some kind of secret national defense program. Can you comment on that?”

“I can’t comment on any secret defense stuff, for obvious reasons, but I can read this statement from Mr. Savage himself,” he coughed into his hand. “‘We at Archer Savage Industries apologize to the people of Willow and to the Willow Police Department for any inconvenience incurred today. Recently, a group of small exotic animals escaped from our research facility. These animals are highly dangerous and very valuable, so we would ask if anyone happens to encounter one, please stay away from it and contact us immediately. At this time, Archer Savage Industries thanks the people of Willow for their patience while we relocate our lost property. Thank you.’”

The room buzzed. The chief concluded the conference and walked from the lectern.

“Chief! Chief!”

Hank dialed down the volume. Kristy continued the phone conversation with her boss.

“What’s that, sir? A giant sinkhole on Pleasant? Caused by Ben James and his machine? And one of the creatures was spotted with him?” she lifted her eyes. “You want us to go to Pleasant Avenue? Sir, I think we’re going to North Point…Sir, I…No, sir, I’m not being insubordinate, I’m just trying to tell you I’m onto something bigger…Yes, bigger than that. It might just be the answer to this whole puzzle…I can’t explain it right yet…Because I just can’t. I’m gonna need you to trust me for once…Okay, okay. Sir? Sir? Please. Screaming won’t solve anything…Sir? I just, I…Oh, screw it,” she pushed the
call
end
button and jammed her phone in her pocket.

“Kid, you’d better be telling the truth about this. Now my job’s
really
on the line.”

“What about mine?” Hank asked.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll say it was all my idea.”

Bang!

Something hit the side of the van. Amelia shrunk into a dark corner. Ayita hid behind the monitors.

“Get this thing moving!” the policeman ordered. “Now!”

Hank crouched and stepped to the driver’s chair. Kristy piled in, slamming the back doors.

“So, to North Point?” he asked.