As I led him I told him my name was Trevor. I bought cigarettes and ordered coffees as he sat without resisting me. “Have you been long in Greece?”
“Have you been long in Greece? Which hotel are you staying at?” He looked away, so I repeated my question until he answered. “I’ve just arrived.”
“Where’s your luggage? Have you been mugged?”
He drank his coffee, I kept on ordering more as long as he drank them and smoked. What he did not do is answer any of my questions. I realised he was in shock and trying to find his own answers so I sat quietly.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Trevor, from Birmingham.”
“Robert. You’ve been kind. I better go.”
“Your luggage is stolen, you better check your pockets, they might have stolen your money also.”
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll manage.”
“Don’t be silly, I can’t just let you go off without money for food and a room.”
“Why?” For the first time I saw curiosity on his face. I found it strange that he was not controlling his emoting, his emotions were blaring freely for any talent to sense.
“I like helping.” I shrugged. “Maybe some day you’ll help me.”
“Not likely.”
I laughed. “Fine, so you won’t. Now, let’s go see about us getting a room and then we can go shopping. We both need clothes and some toiletries. After that, we’ll see.”
I knew that given time he would recover and block his mind, I had to check now while he was vulnerable. As gently as I could I merged with his mind. I was so shocked I actually stumbled as we walked. He waited for me to regain my balance without automatically putting out his hand to help me.
He was suffering from a mild case of amnesia. He knew who he was and recalled all his family and friends. He did not remember what had happened at the wedding to cause him to hurt everyone so he rationalised it. He remembered the pain he caused Cherine when he divorced her and Samantha’s anger. He decided the crowds were there as witnesses as his family and friends betrayed him, turning away from him. He decided everyone, which made some kind of sense because Michael had brought his Ipohin, were there to destroy him. He was filled with bitterness. The illogic of his thoughts can be understood when it is realised that part of his subconscious had surfaced, reducing him to a primitive and illogical human being. Perhaps that may explain the condition of many mental patients?
We bought some clothes, caught a taxi and going to the Hilton booked a room.
“I hope you don’t mind sharing. The room has two beds. Two single rooms would have cost too much and we have to be careful with our money.”
“Your money.”
“How about a shower and then we go upstairs for a meal?”
When we sat at the table, I told him to order whatever he wanted.
“I say old chap, order some food also, you haven’t had a bite all day.” He ignored me so I ordered a meal for me. I foresaw an unpleasant evening of dealing with a drunk and hoped he would pass out after throwing up, as I did not look forward to cleaning him and the room without using my gifts.
He did not grimace at the taste and by the time we returned to our rooms the bottle he’d brought with him was only a quarter full. He did not look drunk and when I went to bed he sat on the verandah drinking and smoking, seething as he thought of how you have all turned against him. I spent the night pretending to be asleep.
At breakfast I ordered toast, honey and coffee. I was pleased when he ate his toast.
“Do you have any friends in Athens?”
“No.”
“You’re like me, all my friends are back in Birmingham.”
Curtly he countered, “No friends.”
“Come on! Surely at least one, somewhere in the world.”
Once he’d answered, if I dug deeper, he just ignored me. I hate to admit it but, at this stage, I was fascinated by how much he’d changed. The truth is, until I’d searched his mind, I’d also been angry with him for hurting my primes. Overnight I’d gone through my memories of that moment and realised Robert had also been a victim, though I did not know any details about the drug, I was suspicious of the mist and I suspected some talent had got at him.
When I asked about friends he went into deep thought and then I felt his emoting shut off. As discretely as I could I probed and found I was locked out, his mind protected - even from me!
I told him I would be staying in Athens for a year or so and suggested he come stay with me at the apartment I intend renting. Without answering he nodded his agreement. I did not want an apartment in the center of the city, I believed he should remain in familiar territory, so I went to Kifissia on my own while he nursed a new bottle of Johnny Walker. I found a furnished apartment by the simple expedient of paying whatever they asked, prepaying the entire year.
The next morning we left the hotel and drove to the apartment. As he saw us going towards Kifissia he looked at me suspiciously. “How did you choose this area?”
“I’ve been to Greece before. I used to work here for about six years. I even speak the lingo.”
I let him have the main bedroom and took the smaller one. He did not seem to notice.
“Would you like me to get you a bottle of Black Label?”
“No. I’ve finished.” He never drank heavily again, preferring to bury and shut off his feelings.
He was not a companion in any sense of the word. He’d spend his days and evenings on the balcony, staring at the sky, his emoting a turmoil that he fought to control. If I cooked, he ate some of what I put before him. He hardly said a word unless I asked him a question. I did not think it wise to ask too many questions and I’d realised he needed time to himself for him to recover.
After a week of cooking, I decided going to a restaurant would be an attractive alternative. He walked out into the cold night in just a shirt. I noticed he did not shiver from the cold despite not using his healer. Since, even as a Cherinian, he hates the cold, this helped me see that changes were occurring at a deeper level than I’d suspected. We crossed two traffic lights. I pointed at the beggar kids.
The last week of the month I decided to pretend shortness of funds for two reasons. I felt it would sound natural which was important since my behaviour in helping him was not, and, I wanted to see whether he’d react to the reminder that I was paying for everything.
“We’ll have to go carefully until the end of the month when I receive some more cash. I got you enough cigarettes to make sure you don’t run out.”
A few minutes later he walked out. I left my body and followed him. He went to the local betting shop and asked for scratch cards. He used his gifts to sense which ones had a cash pay out and bought them. He returned with the equivalent of a thousand dollars. He placed the money on the dining table and returned to his chair on the balcony.
“Did someone send you some cash? Did the travel insurance pay?” I was getting rather good at pretending I had not said anything when he did not reply. I picked up the money. “Right, we’ll go out for a meal - your treat.”
“How much is the rent?” I told him.
“I’ll leave on the table triple that each month. I don’t want to hear about money again and you do the shopping without asking me to come with you.” It sounded like he was giving me orders. I decided not to act offended.
“Certainly old chap. Still, it is natural to wonder how you got the cash. Are you secretly a millionaire or…a magician?”
“Magician.” I felt him give a tiny smile.
“I have a brother who wanted to be a magician. I always preferred the idea of finding me some little rich girl to keep me.” I shrugged. “She wised up too fast and sends me money to keep me away.”
He looked at me for the first time. “You’re married?” He stared, a cold calculating look. “You don’t look the type.”
“Wouldn’t be much good if I did, would it?”
A couple of weeks later I pretended to have won a nice sum betting on the horses and waving it around suggested we go out and pick up some women at a bar for a good time.
“You go, I’ve got things to think about.”
“You don’t like wild women, you prefer them sweet and innocent?” He glared at the sky and shuddered, but refused to answer. I pretended to be exasperated. “Sometimes it feels like I’m talking to a brick.”
He swung his head around and if I’d been a Normal I think I would have been scared. It was like being sized up by a reptile, not a snake, a cold flesh eating lizard.
“You’re a Talent!”
“A talent! What the heck does that mean? Is it some kind of insult?”
“Your mind is blocked.”
The next day, in the early afternoon, out of the blue he suddenly spoke to me. “Let’s go for a drink.”
We came to a robot that was red for us. A little girl, about nine years old, half starved and with fading bruises held out a packet of tissues and mutely pleaded with her big eyes for him to buy it. He looked down at her as if she were a cockroach and she wilted. That was the moment I changed my mind. Till then I’d been considering bringing you girls to help him. I saw that if I did he would break your hearts.
Without being obvious about it I watched him at the bar and as we walked home afterwards. He was more withdrawn than usual and I saw how he looked at all the people with an abstract air of unconscious contempt.
As the days went by he grew restless, going for walks on his own. I watched over him, but he never did anything or spoke to anyone. If a polite passerby greeted him as they walked past each other, he’d ignore them. I could not sense his emoting, but his face was now almost permanently aloof and cold.
I watched as he slept and saw he was having nightmares. I pretended to sleep late and when I came out for coffee he was already sitting on the balcony. Holding my mug I walked out to the balcony door.
“Good morning.” Silence. “Robert, who is Cherine?”
Instantly he was on his feet, his face a mask of rage. Using his powers he flung me across the room. He jumped and grabbed me by the throat. “How do you know her name?”
“You shouted it last night, I mean, early this morning.”
He let go and walked out. I watched as he strode down the road and returning to the bed lay down and followed from a distance. He walked for nearly two hours, stopped by some trees and slammed his fist into the rough bark. “Bitches!” he cursed and walked on. He spent most of that day walking.
He was mentally exhausted when he returned, so I risked it. “Am I going to wake up one morning with my brains fried? Robert, if you are a freak I don’t mind, but I think it is only fair I should know.”
He raised me so that my feet were about a foot above the carpet and pulled me to him. “Yes, I’m a freak, you want to leave?”
“Why? This is my apartment. I was only asking, I got nothing against freaks, my family think I’m one.”
He lowered me and let go. “I have some powers, but I won’t fry your brains - I need you to stay around.”
“What for? I don’t get the feeling that you like me.”
“You serve the purpose you were designed for. You are a reminder of how pathetic the human race is.”
“Hey, don’t blame everybody just because of me!”
“I don’t know how you’ve survived this long with your stupid sense of humour. Go back to your boring television and leave me alone.”
A few days later he wanted to go out for a drink. He changed his mind and we sat at a coffee shop where I kept the coffee coming until he stopped. I paid and we walked out. The coffee shop is close to the corner of the block and the traffic light was red for us. As there were cars moving across we waited. Another street kid came to beg. This one was either very short sighted or foolish. He ignored Roberts’ look and continued to whine at him.
“Get away from me.”
“Take your hand off me.” I did so. “You ever touch me like that again I’ll break your arm.”
Half a block away he looked at me. “You’re fast.”
“You were signalling your intention.” He frowned, but accepted my answer without questioning me further.
I had taken a risk. He should have realised I’d been unnaturally fast. Whatever my responsibilities to my primes, I cannot allow a child to be hit full force by an adult.
Our neighbours had long since stopped greeting us. Chatty shopkeepers had learnt to clam up if Robert was with me. Waiters served us promptly at restaurants, but they were surly and pleased to see us leave. I think we must have been the only people in the whole world who got their bill as soon as we were ready to leave. As far as I could see he was getting worse, his bitterness and coldness growing stronger. My spirit was starting to wilt, I was not used to being around a human iceberg. I was no longer even certain that the iceberg was human anymore.
Over the next three days, the news reported a growing tension between Greece and Turkey. Then it was reported a Greek jet was shot down, the crew dead. Without the two countries declaring war or attacking each others bases or cities, the skirmishes in the air over the Aegean grew worse with fatalities every day.
I decided to test the water. “Robert, since you have powers, why don’t you force them to stop?”
“Who?”
“The jetfighters, as they just mentioned on the news.”
He barely shrugged. “I didn’t hear, I’m not interested in their squabbles.”
“Squabbles! Men are dying Robert.”
“So what? This world would be a better place if they all killed each other.”
“God! I hadn’t realised how unfeeling you are. You don’t care about anything!”
“Care about them!” He pointed at the screen and cold anger filled his face. “Why should I? What is there to care about? A species that go to war by bombing cities, killing unarmed men, women and children. A species that abuse, torture, rape their own women and children. A species that create artificial divisions so that the mass of their populations starve and then punish those who steal to eat. A species where the female is given a false beauty to trap males and then betrays them. I refuse to lift a hand to help one of them, man, woman or child. If there was a god he would have wiped the lot of us off the face of this planet long ago and given it to the cockroaches. At least they have a positive role to play.”
I walked out of the apartment with tears burning my eyes. I suddenly felt how much I missed my Robert, the crazy soft fool who believed so much in love and humanity.
He barely looked up as I entered. I went to his cigarettes and lit one. “No wonder you shout every night and weep as you call out names. The name you said I must never mention, Samantha, Dommi, Goldi and a whole lot others. Why do you plead and beg if you despise all humans so much?”
For a moment I thought he was going to explode, destroying the building and killing all in it. He jumped. He returned late the next morning. “I’ll be leaving, I’ll find an apartment of my own.”
At that moment sirens went off. I switched on the television.
“Turkey have just notified our government and the United Nations that they have launched an attack on Greece. Their fighters, bombers, ships and submarines left their shores two hours ago and our fighters are already defending us in our Greek skies. Soldiers and tanks are pouring across the mainland border…”
“Robert, you have to stop them!”
“No.”
“For gods sake! Please!”
Without warning he grabbed me and we shot out the balcony door, soaring into the sky. He’d enclosed us within a sphere of energy and we were travelling over the sea within seconds. He was concentrating on the sky ahead and around us and the sea below.
As we saw jetfighters he flung them out into space. I saw warships rise out of the water and smash onto rocks. Submarines rose like missiles and smashed onto rocks also. Within an hour we’d scoured the entire Aegean Sea and not one warship, troop carrier, submarine, jetfighter, missile or bomber remained. I had early on resigned myself to the fact that I would have to return in time to save all those lives so I was not distressed by their deaths, but by the fact that Robert felt no mercy.
Still hanging in the air he turned to me, his voice as cold as ever. “That is how it should be, those who go to kill, dead. Now will you leave me alone!” He jumped us back to the apartment. I was stunned. From his energy sphere without bringing it with us, that was a first!
There was a sudden silence from both governments, reporters going wild as they tried to work out what was happening. The news leaked out that all the Greek troops, pilots and so on were dead. Many on islands had seen us and phoned relatives. The same was happening in Turkey.
Suddenly the entire planet was on the brink of war. Their only problem was that they did not know who to attack or defend themselves from. Some of the wilder speculation was that aliens had attacked.
“They’re right, you are an alien.” He gave a sardonic smile. “After today I would hate to be in your mind when you go to sleep. I’m going to block my ears with cotton wool, I don’t need to hear their names being screamed with such pain again.” He was enraged by what I said, but I looked so abject, so terrified of him, that he jumped to a beach instead of attacking me.
The truth is that I have not heard him cry out a single name. He had his nightmares, but I could not sense them anymore. I was hoping the names of loved ones spoken aloud would break through the shell he’d hidden himself within.
I took my biggest risk when he returned. As he appeared, I casually asked, “Who is Alki? You keep on calling him patera. How can you have a Greek father?” I saw a momentary pain in his eyes and then he went out onto the balcony without answering.
As was to be expected, someone saw us fly out of the apartment. Radar tracked us flying over Athens at an amazing speed. Deductions were made and though the conclusions were crazy they sent the army and tanks to surround our apartment building. Loudspeakers called to us to surrender even as the apartments were vacated. Robert sat on the balcony ignoring them.
An hour later American helicopters arrived and the street filled with soldiers. We could hear the Greeks protesting, but the Americans ordered them to hand over the operation to them. I guess the two governments communicated and cowed, the Greek government gave them permission.
“I would say these are men ordered here and they are terrified. I’d say their parents, families and children are crying, certain their men will die.”
He shook his head. “There is something fake about you. Stay here.”
He jumped to the White House, directly into the Oval Office. He allowed them to shoot at him, the bullets flaring as they heated up within inches of his body and then fell onto the carpet, molten metal burning through the priceless carpets. He made his demands, the president phoned orders for their men to withdraw and he returned. He lit a cigarette and went to the balcony to stare at the soldiers.
Over his shoulder he spoke to me, “They’ve agreed to leave us alone, you can relax.”
“How considerate of you. I don’t suppose you’ve given a thought to the atomic bombs flying this way?”
“Should I? None will arrive. The second lot will be sent back to their own cities. They’ll leave us alone after that.”
“You’d really do that?” I answered for him, “Yes, I guess you would.”
I sensed him reach out, throwing the missiles into space. I walked around the room racking my brains. I could not allow this to escalate, even if it meant fighting Robert. I desperately wished Samantha was with us. Then I asked myself, what would she tell me in that soft clear voice of hers? I stopped worrying, knowing what she would demand of me.
“Robert?” He did not answer, sunk in his gloom again. “Robert, turn and look at me.”
He did so and I changed back to being Vincent. Before he could fully register what his eyes saw I grabbed and jumped so that we were a mile above the sea below us. I’d guessed right. He attacked.
I could not fight him, his powers are greater than mine. I abandoned my body and became the void as fast as I could. With me as the void he could not go to the green void. I returned, taking on my form again. Mostly I dived and dodged as he shot beams of energy that were so powerful that he was destroying the atmosphere. Quickly I formed an energy shield and threw us into deep space.
He stopped. “I’ll reabsorb you, you can’t fight me.”
“I can fight you as your subconscious. What defences then Robert?”
“Stalemate. It suits me just as well.”
“We’ll stay here forever?” He shrugged.
I waited a few hours, hoping he would calm down and start thinking. He chuckled without amusement. “I hope you are not expecting to play chess?”
“I’m not Noname. I’m not the enemy Robert, you are.”
“They sent you?”
“No, I left with you.”
“They are your primes. Why?”
“For them to survive, you must.”
“I either return with you or I don’t return.” I waited another few hours. “What do you recall of the wedding?”
“Which wedding?”
“Yours and Cherine’s. Why did you think you were all at the North Pole? What do you think all the government leaders were there for?”
His face twisted with hatred. “To see me betrayed by my own.”
“Why would they risk their lives for that? They could have stayed home and watched you being humiliated in safety. They know what powers you have, you can’t believe they would risk your wrath for such a silly reason? Don’t answer me, try to use that brain of yours for a change - as you used to tell Cherine.”
I ignored him as the days went by. Finally he asked. “What are you saying happened?”
“You were attacked by a talent. I think they used some kind of drug - it must have been in the mist you walked through.”
“Nonsense! You too are here to betray me! Who put you up to this, Samantha? This is just the convoluted kind of plot she loves.”
“Agree a truce and meet me in the void. I’ll hand you a parcel of my memories.”
It took days for him to agree. He placed his body, that was already failing, in stasis and went to the void. He took my memories and experienced them. He was silent for a long time.
*How do you fake memories Vincent?*
*You answer that question Robert. Stop trying to twist everything and think for yourself!*
Later. *You must have!*
*You know it is impossible. Go through my memories again Robert.*
Later again he demanded. *Open yourself for me to sense you directly.*
I did so.
*But I remember so clearly! I can’t be wrong. Which memories lie Vincent, yours or mine?*
*If you think it will help, reabsorb me.*
He did not. A long time passed without us communicating. I saw his soul changing and realised he was diving deep into himself. Just when I thought he was trying to become the green void he exploded with light. For a long time his soul wept motes as he faced what he had done to all of you.
Robert is waiting for you. I’ll take you to him when you are ready. While he waits he is jumping backwards and forwards in time saving the lives he tried to take.
“Why haven’t they bombed Athens!?”
“He sent the first lot into space and then they saw us fighting and grew afraid.”
“At last someone is afraid of me!” We screamed, burst into tears but held back. Wife or not, it was Cherine he needed to hold first.
It will take some time for nightmares to die and for us to only be happy without sudden moments of fear. This time, instead of Robbie building us up, it is we who have to help him. It is amazing how that has strengthened us. There are moments when he loses control and his mind sort of reverses, but we flood his mind not only with our love, but also our presence. It seems to work.
Robbie read what Vincent wrote and with mock anger growled at me, “Even when I’m lightyears away from you, somehow you still manage to interfere!” I got some lovely hugging and kissing out of that.
Because Freddie was visible, we did not dare delay so we asked the Unation leaders to handle the Terran governments. They got on like a house on fire and they even thanked them for stopping the war between Greece and Turkey!
After a few days, when we were pretty close to normal again, Robbie decided he had to return to Athens. He went looking for the street kids he’d hurt or insulted and saw to it that their lives will be better from now. As for the little girl, she was too afraid of him to let him go near her so he sent Aganthi. She talked to her, fed her, bought her some nice clothes and only then convinced her to give Robbie a second chance. He sat on the opposite side of the table so that she would feel safe. He apologised and she burst into tears. Poor Robbie didn’t know what to do. By the end of that day she was happy to sit on his lap.
“Robert, if you’re not careful she’ll end up in our circle.”
“I would not mind love, but she doesn’t really belong with us. Do you think Allan and the girls would want her?”
“She’s a darling, anyone would want her.” Cherine giggled. “He can hardly manage the two he has, they boss him around so much. I have a better idea. Robert, how would you like to have a sister?”
“How?”
“Wilfred. It is time he stops living only for himself.”
Robbie knelt to hug Evridiki (Eurydice). “Would you like to be my little sister?”
Wilfred of our coffee plantation was not amused. We did not tell him what we planned, just that we needed him to look after her for a while. Dommi explained that we would have, but that we need time to heal ourselves first. He quickly gave in.
Aganthi added a bedroom and bathroom to his house and furnished it for Evridiki. She was in heaven and could not believe the room was hers and cried when she saw she has tons of lovely new clothes and her own music-tv-computer (she’ll learn how to use it later). We confided in her that she should help Wilfred learn how to love and if she is super clever, how to smile.
Back at the taverna we all became hysterical, not acting at all in a dignified manner as we screamed with laughter. We ended up with all the adults laughing also, even the aliens. Ashia had asked, “Do we invite everyone to the wedding again?”
It was agreed that the chairman of the UN (that’s how they designate their United Nations leader here) travel back with us to meet their alternates and sign some treaties. He was brought to our taverna with his wife and three daughters. He was taken aback at meeting so many Terrans, especially so many little girls. He ignored Robbie and was deferential towards Alki and some of our other friends. We kept our grins to ourselves; boy is he in for a big surprise when he learns who Robbie is. Especially when he learns that Robbie was not entirely sane while on his world. I bet he’ll wake up from a few nightmares.
At home, in our beds, Robbie moaned, “I really don’t feel up to creating another platform! Can’t we just elope?”
Cherine was adamant, “No, I want a wedding with all the trimmings.”
“What are the trimmings?”
“You.”
Alexis sounded thoughtful. “I think you’ll have to make the new platform twice as big. Nobody will want to miss it, in case something exciting happens again.”
Nicole answered her, “I bet those who got burnt won’t want to come.”
Cherine picked up a sort of queasy feeling in Robbie and put her hands to his cheeks. “We don’t have to get married again Robert. We can tell them we changed our minds and don’t count the divorce as real.”
“Don’t pamper my fear!” She was not upset by his abruptness and was patient when he tried to apologise.
I should have mentioned that the Anadir and Unation doctors have been examining and treating Robbie, trying to heal him so that he doesn’t have these wild mood swings. I think that everyone is impressed because Robbie went on his own initiative and asked them to help heal him.
Michael was the first to jump to us. He embraced his father and Robbie felt his trembling. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Not a chance. I’ll stick around to see your grandchild born and grow up.”
“That will take a long time.” Michael gave a little laugh.
“Don’t worry about that son, we’ve got a much more serious problem.” Michael looked at him in alarm. “How do we tell them the wedding must go on?” They both burst out laughing.
“You’re a braver man than me, I wouldn’t dare.”
“Vincent, please ask RT, Cherine and Robert to return. Also convey my gratitude for the mess they cleaned up. I hate to imagine the damage we’d have caused if the platform had remained.”
“What date for the wedding?”
“March the twenty sixth.” The same date they first got married.
