Cherine’s eyes filled. “How could they love each other for so many years without learning to love anyone else?”
Robert gave Alki a look of curiosity, “You believe we have souls?”
“We must or else all of life is pointless.”
“Maybe it is - or rather, maybe the only value is the value we give to our lives.”
Robert turned in surprise as Cherine spoke, her emoting and voice slicing into him. “We have souls, I’ve seen…I saw the soul of my father.” She turned to Robert, the pain vividly showing in her eyes. “I tried so hard to save him, but I was too weak to bring him back.” He sensed this was not the moment for asking questions, so he pulled her to him and held her tightly until she was over the worst of it.
Once they were alone, her earlier confidence opened the need to talk about her past. Robert held her hands as she talked and kept his gaze connected to her eyes so that she would not doubt for a second that he is listening and feeling her pain. Since she could sense his emoting it should not have been necessary but, somehow it added to what she sensed from him in important ways, making it easier for her to open to him and speak of her anguish.
“How did you go to that place your fathers’ soul went to since you had not died?”
“I don’t know, I only know I needed to go so strongly I would have been willing to die to get there. It is a horrible place Robert, it ate my fathers’ soul, I felt him shrieking with pain as the last of him disappeared.”
Robert did what he could to soothe her and she fell asleep in his arms. The next day he was very attentive, but she also saw that he was deep in thought, something puzzling him. At lunch she made a lazy meal; boiled eggs with toast, honey and coffee. Normally Robert enjoyed such meals because she had prepared it, but he did not seem to notice what he ate.
“What has you thinking so deeply - is it about Eddie and Hettie?”
“Not directly. I’ve been thinking of that dark place you told me about. Cherine, hundreds, thousands of generations have each had a few who described the after-life and not one saw it as you did. I don’t understand why. I think the question should be asked, why did that place destroy the soul of your father but not yours?”
“I didn’t think of that!” She tried to puzzle it out, but could not find any reasonable answer. Without telling Robert, she sank deeper and deeper into her mind and then returned to experience the memories firsthand. She came out of it sobbing wildly, but also emoting her feelings of triumph. “I think it did not attack me because I was not dead. I saw other souls Robert and they also were not being attacked.”
“I wonder if it is the same place we go when we sleep. Can you take me there with you?” Cherine did not think she could, but she knew it meant a lot to him so she decided to give it her best shot. They went to their bedroom early, disconnecting their phones first. Robert told her that he suspects a phone ringing could shock them badly. Cherine could not see why, but she did not argue it with him.
“I will first have to find a way to enter your mind without being in your mind. If I can see it as I saw the souls then maybe I can wrap myself around you and take you.”
Robert smiled. “I like the idea of being wrapped within your soul, are you going to cover me with hot English mustard - like a hotdog?” She grinned and immediately felt the tenseness between her shoulder blades melt away. She suddenly had the feeling that she is going to succeed.
All that Themi and Eddie had taught her helped her relax her body and mind. She imagined herself leaving her body and entering Robert. She felt strange for a moment and then she became aware of herself as a soul, floating in a strange place with lights slashing across and jumping and sparking. She called for Robert, but he did not respond, the lights of his thoughts not reacting to her. She then concentrated on sending her emoting of love and he responded. Space seemed to ripple and as she floated, slowly moving, changing her point of view as she searched for some singularity that would differ from everything she saw, a misty shape floated between her and the only other source of energy and light. She realised the mist had a glow to it and was even able to see veins of energy. As she wrapped herself around it the soul of Robert became self-aware for the first time and it flared. Cherine was caught by surprise and her instant reaction took them to the place of death and darkness.
“Don’t you see love, when we are there we are not blocked or inhibited by our bodies. We can learn how to open new gifts and powers much faster.”
“I think it will be faster if we do it directly from that place in our minds. Maybe those lights I saw could be mapped so that we identify where the gifts are? Once you can enter my mind, I want you to watch for changes as I concentrate on finding my healer.”
Robert had announced that he and Cherine are appointing Alki to administer the fortune left to them, so, when they arrived, Alki was inundated by reporters wanting to ask him questions. It was decided he should give them half an hour while the rest of them waited hidden away by the airport security officers. When he rejoined them, he gave Robert a sour look.
The funeral was not very emotional as the only people there who did feel the loss were Robert and Cherine, and their own ambivalent feelings because of all they’d learnt about the history of Eddie and Hettie robbed their emoting of the sharpness of grief, only sadness and a few good memories filling their minds and hearts.
At their new level of wealth (with the power it conferred on them) Robert and Cherine should not have been hassled by any tax authorities; any questions they had they should have asked the SOW attorneys. The fact that they were questioned was the first indication that the Americans were not feeling happy that two non-Americans had inherited the largest fortune in the world with control over dozens of key corporations. Even Alki found himself out of his depth, but Frank saw to it that the American firm of attorneys were present to field the questions Robert and Cherine should not answer until their attorneys and accountants have studied the questions and researched the answers. Although the couple had intended visiting their new home in the States, they were advised to leave the country as soon as possible. All of them were entertained by the fact that Robert was finding the casual friendliness of the Americans irritating. In his typically British manner, he claimed that he does not mind friendliness, but he intensely dislikes familiarity.
Their last night before flying home, Robert and Cherine did not sleep wrapped up against each other because Robert was tense and he wanted Cherine to get a good nights’ sleep. Robert could hardly wait to leave and was imagining himself getting home and when he drifted into sleep he tossed and turned. Something suddenly felt strange and he woke up. Instantly he felt the absence of Cherine and sat up anxiously. His eyes bulged when he realised that it was not Cherine who was absent, it was him. He had awoken in their own bed back in Athens!
Despite his shock that left him trembling, he immediately thought of how his absence would affect Cherine and placed a call. She did not sound as if she had been woken up, she sounded more as if she were ready to burst into tears. When he explained, she demanded he teleport back to her and would not believe him when he told her he does not know how. She closed the phone on him without any explanation and Robert felt hurt. Suddenly Cherine stood before him and her arms went around his neck and desperately she clung to him until she got over her shakes. They talked for a couple of hours and then, amused by what they were forced to do, Cherine teleported both of them back to their hotel room. This time both of them managed to sleep three hours.
Elias and Nicko emoted unease when told of their growth in psychic abilities - even Marian did, only Alki rejoicing from the depths of his heart and he encouraged them to continue striving to reach for new powers. They did not tell anyone about their ability to visit each others’ mind and go to the dark place.
There were times that Robert felt that the ability to split himself into twenty people might reduce his workload to manageable proportions. Two weeks after the funeral, Marian told Alki that Cherine is complaining that she hardly ever sees Robert anymore and when she does, he is exhausted and needs to sleep. He called for Robert, the message saying he is needed for an important meeting.
Robert saw that only Alki and Elia were present. “I’m not happy about having a meeting without Cherine and Nicko.”
“You are risking everything we have achieved because you are not using your brains anymore. Since when do you have to take care of the problems, why do you think we spend so much money on employing others to do the work? Roberto, your job is to give them orders and see to it that they execute your orders efficiently. You are becoming careless, as if you think that people on one continent cannot speak to people on other continents. You are being reported as being present on three continents within the same day! When that knowledge becomes public, how do you think the world will react to us? Do you really believe they will continue to think we are trying to save the world, or will they say we are mutants trying to take over the world? How much can you achieve if you and Cherine are hunted by all?”
“Jesus!” Robert wiped his hand across his face. “Can the situation be saved?”
“Thanks to your foolishness we will have to expand the circle of people who know about you and Cherine and the more people there are who know a secret, the less likely it is to remain a secret. Why the hell haven’t you used the network Eddie left you, they could have seen to the smoothing of all problems without exposing you.”
“The truth? Because Frank is in control and I don’t trust him. Eddie told me that Frank is the most powerful psychic on this world, after him. Now that Eddie is dead, it means Frank is the most powerful - and I do not like him, he is cold, unfeeling and ambitious.” He hesitated and then spoke in a rush. “Alki, Elia, how does anyone murder people like Eddie and Hettie? They had powers not even Frank could ever dream of having! No normal person could have killed them. It had to be someone like Frank working with other psychics as a team. I cannot trust him or the network.”
If Elias and Alki had been worried before, now they were overcome with the immensity of the problem. How could normal people without powers, control or protect themselves from people like Frank and others in the network? Alki phoned Themi and asked him to come immediately. They had Robert explain the situation to him and Themi asked for much more detail than the others had. Dismayed they learnt of the need for Robert to decide who controls the network.
“I don’t think you have a choice Roberto, you cannot afford to challenge him at this time.”
As Themi spoke, Alki nodded his head, seeing the way forward again. “Themi is right, you’ll have to allow him to continue in his position. I suggest you let him think you are not suspicious of him while trying to find ways to come to know the people in the network. With time we’ll have to create a group of people loyal to you and then you can make a clean break with him. Roberto, I’m sorry to say that you will have to withdraw from your responsibilities in SOW. You’ll remain a Director and be consulted before we make decisions, but your main job, for both of you, is the honing of you psychic powers. You must become as powerful as Frank - even stronger if possible.”
Looking pale and drawn, Robert nodded. “Cherine is right, finding the ability to heal is of prime importance. If we are going to face a battle, then we must be able to heal each other.” He looked at Themi. “It will give us an advantage won’t it?”
“Yes. You must also try to think of powers that are aggressive, not just defensive.”
Robert grinned. “I’ll have to rely on Cherine for that.”
“Don’t forget Perikli and officer Michaeli, hopefully they can form the kernel of the group we build while also helping you to open to new powers.”
Robert grimaced. “I agree with regard to forming our own group within the network, but I have a feeling that only Nicko and Marian from amongst the people outside this room should know what we really plan, nobody should suspect that Cherine and I are looking to grow our psychic powers. Alki, Elia and Themi, whatever I learn, all of you will have to learn. Please come to our home tonight for supper and bring Nicko and Marian with, Cherine and I already have something to teach you.”
Tippity has his own entrance to their home and he was upset when they moaned at him, asking him to let them sleep a little longer. The females were still not as disciplined as Tippity and they clambered onto the bed and tried to show their love by sticking their fingers into the ears, nostrils and lips of the two sleepers. With a groan Robert and Cherine got up.
“Do you think we could take Tippity to the dark place?”
“We must find a different name for it. Robert, I can’t try to take him until his wives are old enough to have sex.”
“Do chimps have sex at any time, like us, or do they need for the female to be in season?”
“I don’t know, we better check.”
Within days, Cherine had succeeded in opening all six (Alki, Marian, Themi, Nicko and his parents Elias and Claire) to the ability of teleportation. Robert and Cherine were feeling happy and wanted the six to feel their love. Cherine decided to try something new. She reached out to sense Robert, took his emoting, enhanced it with her love for him and sent it back to him. She repeated this a number of times and then tried to reach out to everyone at once, wanting them to feel the extraordinary love Robert and her were sharing. The air above them seemed to sizzle with static electricity and then it began to glow with a misty golden light. As the others were drawn in and enhanced, the golden circle brightened and grew, almost seeming to hum with the power generated. Cherine lost control and it exploded, leaving everyone prostrate and stunned for a while.
“This is addictive, I can’t wait for the next time.” Marian hugged Cherine. “I never realised what a special daughter I have.” Everyone, including Robert, were quick to agree with her.
Robert suddenly came to his feet and walked out of the room. Cherine stared after him with a dreamy look. He immediately reappeared. “I’m not imagining it, something has happened.”
Cherine grinned, delighted. “We are linked to each other, you are now part of me.”
“And you are part of me. Cherine, that feeling that something was missing, it is gone!”
She gleefully nodded. “I’m coming into your mind, stay open to me my love, I have something special for you.”
Once she was in his mind, Cherine employed some psychology, telling Robert to imagine that she has been badly wounded and only he can save her with his healing energies. She even managed to make it more real by sending him an image of herself covered in blood (he was to claim later on that it was more like ketchup and he’d found it hard to stop himself from laughing - Cherine smiled at his teasing because she’d sensed how the sight had torn at his heart). She watched for changes in the lights of his mind and diving in she struggled to find a way to open the door to his healing energy. When it opened, the light and power of it stunned her and she fled back to her own mind.
All of them stared at Robert with awe as his healer went from the one to the other and brought them all back to prime health. Since Robert likes himself, his healer did the same for him.
The change in all of them when Robert and Cherine took them to the dark place was marked, but as nothing compared to the changes in them once they all had healers. People noticed and talked about how vibrant and alive they seemed to be - and attributed it to the fact that they are so devoted to saving mankind. They believed that doing good deeds was having this effect on them. A journalist noted it and wrote of Mother Theresa and that she used to have the same glow about her.
Robert contacted Frank and suggested they meet that weekend at the house that used to belong to Eddie. Frank did not sound too pleased when Robert suggested he bring with him those directly under his command so that he and Cherine can meet them. When Frank protested, claiming that Eddie and Hettie had never allowed anyone to know who they are, Robert laughed, reminding him that the whole world knows they inherited from Eddie and Hettie and that he is certain that anyone in the network with a smidgen of brains will have guessed he is also the new owner of the network. Alki had come up with the idea, suggesting that it is likely Frank will only bring those who are ‘his’ men or women and they are probably going to be the ones who were responsible for the murders. He felt it would be good for them to know who their enemies are.
“Walter is one of the most important men in the network as he is also the chairman of our bank. I’m not certain whether you have looked at your investments, but you control forty three percent of the bank through various corporations.”
“Isn’t that illegal? Doesn’t any interest within such corporations have to be divulged?”
Frank looked at Walter’s unbelieving face and laughed. “Why, were you thinking of doing so?”
Robert found a smile as he replied with a question, “What would you suggest?”
Frank shrugged, too smart to fall for his trick question. “I would say that any such declaration would strengthen the claims by our Internal Revenue plus, apart from losing hundreds of millions, you’ll also succeed in besmirching the name of the Mansfield couple - your benefactors.”
Frank had brought another two men and a woman with him. Robert was convinced that Alki was right, since each of them had the same internal coldness and lack of emotions. Their hardness and lack of feelings affected him the most with Mrs Stafford, exactly because she was a woman.
Robert confirmed that he wishes for Frank to continue to head the network for him, suggesting that his appointment be reviewed once a year. He asked Frank to agree as he did not want to find himself facing the situation where Frank resigned and he was caught unprepared. Frank agreed and his control was so effective that Robert could not sense his emoting. That made him wonder.
“I’ve never sensed anybody block their emoting Robert. Are you certain?”
“How can I be, Cherine? All I know is that without me noticing, suddenly I realised I could not sense him. Think about it love, if there can be a gift for sensing the emoting of others, surely it would mean that there should also be a gift for blocking or hiding your emoting.”
She bit her lip as she stared at him and he sensed her slight anxiety. “Promise me you’ll never block yourself from me - even if you find a way to do so.”
He pulled at her until she was squashed up against his chest. “It is the easiest promise I’ve ever made.”
The next few months passed with fluctuating conditions, days and weeks when either or both were too busy to concentrate on developing their gifts and weeks when they had all the time in the world. Despite the many hours they devoted to searching for new gifts, the only one they achieved was really only an extension of what they already could do. They learnt how to hear each others thoughts. The others also learnt, but Alki instantly seemed to discover a new gift, for his mind shut down so that it felt like a steel ball to the others. Alki was embarrassed, but he did not know how to control it.
Robert and Cherine frequent a taverna situated a few kilometres after Ekali and somewhere between Drosia and Anixi. The owners are friendly and do not mind Tippity and his girls joining Robert and Cherine for a meal. They seem to be continually fascinated by the sight of the four of them sitting or standing on the chairs and eating out of plates. They are always given a table at the edge so that people not comfortable at having animals close to them can sit away from them. Most of the locals have got over their fears and do not protest, even when one of the younger chimps comes to examine their children. Most of them boast about it afterwards.
This evening the weather had turned cold with just a hint of a drizzle - just enough to make the cold keener and everyone grateful to be sitting inside with gas heaters keeping them warm. Everyone knows by now that the chimps cannot bear the cold, so nobody minded when they would leave their table to sit around a heater. It was therefore a big surprise when Tippity with Sparkie left the taverna, ambling out into the parking area to the side of the building. Cherine told Robert to keep the others with him and she ran out to find Tippity.
Cherine had the presence of mind to stay away from people and refused to carry the child into the taverna. She put her arms around Tippity and Sparkie and told the other young ones to come home with Robert. She teleported home and Robert rushed to pay for the meal they would not be eating. The owners insisted on packing the food in boxes for them to eat at home and thinking of the child and the chimps, Robert waited a few extra minutes before riding in a wild dash to get home as quickly as possible.
“Shh, she’s sleeping.” He felt her heart and rushed to pull her to himself. “Oh Robert, she’s not much more than a skeleton! She’s terrified of everyone…isn’t it strange that she was not afraid of Tippity? I can’t get from him how he sensed her.” She looked up at him. “Sorry, I’m babbling.”
“Babble away my love. How about we put the food on the table and everyone just picks at anything they want to eat. I think the little ones are starving.”
Cherine burst out laughing at the look on Robert's face when all three of the little ones refused to eat, all of them turning to stare towards the room the child was sleeping in. Robert and Cherine decided that if they want to wait for her, so will they. Tippity ignored all of them and happily ate his fill, perhaps feeling he’d already done his bit.
When Cherine felt the child is about to wake up, she opened the door for Sparkie to enter. She also entered, but waited by the door. The bathroom light was on, the curtains were open and there was a night light, so the child could see fairly clearly when she opened her eyes. At first she did not notice Cherine as her eyes glued themselves to Sparkie.
“What are you?” she asked in Greek. Sparkie made a lip-smacking noise in reply and reaching out took a finger in her hand. The girl stared at her, not knowing what to make of Sparkie.
Cherine made a movement so as to draw the attention of the child. “She is a baby chimpanzee. They live in Africa. Are you feeling better?” Cherine was using her gift to soothe the child and make her feel that she is a friend. To an extent she succeeded, but it had more to do with the surroundings that were dreamlike to the little waif, and her gentle ways that softened her face so that she seemed to be a princess from a cartoon.
Cherine coaxed her out of her clothes and into a warm bath. She washed and wrapped her up in towels. Carrying her, she took her to the dining room and sitting by her, fed her a light supper. Happily the little chimps now also ate. Cherine warned the child and Robert entered the room. He was careful not to sit too close to them after he placed some food in his plate. As he ate he talked to Cherine, Tippity and even the little chimps. He sounded very gentle and friendly and soon the little girl relaxed. She let her head rest against Cherine and fell asleep.
Cherine put clean sheets and pillowcases on the bed and placed the child under the blanket, her little face frowning even in her sleep. Cherine felt her heart go out to the child. “I feared that I would find signs of abuse but if she was hit, the bruises have faded. Mostly her problems come from malnutrition.”
Robert grinned. “I could have told you that without seeing her. My healer told me.”
Cherine phoned Nicko very early and asked him to buy clothes, shoes and underwear for a seven year old girl and to bring them as soon as he can. She then phoned Alki to ask for his advice. He promised to visit before going to work.
The little girl was only given a slice of melon, a soft boiled egg and half a slice of toast. Cherine explained that she will feed her smaller portions but more often, maybe five meals a day for the first two days. As she ate, Cherine asked her, “Can you tell Sparkie your name?”
“Nitsa.”
“Nitsa? That comes from Eleni - Elenitsa. It is a lovely name. Nitsa. Do you know where your home is?”
Nicko arrived and she was dressed. Nitsa saw herself in a mirror and wouldn’t move for a while, staring at herself. Shyly she went to Nicko and kissed his hand. Embarrassed, he looked up at Cherine, not certain how he should react.
Alki arrived and it became obvious there were too many of them for Nitsa, she no longer felt comfortable. She pulled away and went to stand close to the door that led into the hall and the steps up to her bedroom. Robert told Nicko and Alki how they had found Nitsa and how she had been shivering from the cold and lack of food. By the end his voice sounded harsh.
Alki sighed. “Whatever we do Roberto, there will always be some who suffer. We better phone the police, you cannot just keep her - however good your intentions. Perhaps her parents have reported her missing and want her back.”
Nitsa heard him and as carefully as she could she moved out of sight and seeing the door at the other end of the dining room open to the verandah, she slipped out that way. She was soon off the property and running to hide in the bushes and trees, avoiding the houses on the other side so that nobody would see and report her.
Cherine felt her leave but deliberately kept quiet until Nitsa was safely in the trees. As Alki came to his feet to get his mobile phone to call Officer Michaeli, Cherine told him that Nitsa is gone. Only then did the others notice she is no longer with them.
Robert grinned. “I see the three girls ran away with her?”
“They followed so as to watch that she is not harmed in any way.”
Nicko exclaimed. “I’ll never grow used to the fact that you can communicate with chimpanzees!”
“Giati (Why)? They have feelings just like we do and I sense their emoting. Nicko, emotions are often the best clue as to what we are really thinking.” Suddenly Nicko found himself wishing he could dampen his own emoting, fearing that Cherine might be able to read more into his emoting than he was aware of.
“Why did you let her go?” Alki asked.
“Because the law says one thing and our hearts say something different. I’m not only speaking of my heart Alki, I’m speaking of hers also. She is afraid of the police and I would not be surprised if some of that fear is not justified. If she has been living as a street child, then the police are their enemies and they probably tell each other many grim stories about what happens to those who are taken by the police.”
“Do you intend allowing her to spend her life on the streets?”
“No. She would probably make Nicko a good wife, but I don’t think he’s mature enough for her.” When she giggled, after giving Nicko time to react, Robert burst out in uncontrollable laughter.
Once they had settled down again, Alki came to his feet. “I’m guessing the two of you are going to act according to your own rules, ignoring the practical problems it will cause. At least listen to me on this, let me call Perikli so that he knows what you are doing.” They agreed and slightly mollified he left for the office. Nicko agreed to stay at their home until they return with Nitsa. Tippity showed no interest in going with them and he sat on a chair next to Nicko and examined him so thoroughly that Nicko became nervous.
Nitsa did not have a chance of hiding from them, not with the three girls willing to betray her. Cherine and Robert convinced her they will not be calling the police and that they want her to stay with them. Robert felt his heart opening to her as he sensed her fear and then her trust in them replacing it. When she allowed him to carry her, the feel of her slight warm body against his was delicious and had him wishing he had a child of his own. For the first time, he realised he prefers to have a daughter.
Perikli did visit, but was careful not to let her know he is a policeman. Robert and Cherine insisted that his visit presents the perfect opportunity for them to open new gifts in his mind. Before doing so they took him to the dark place where he was made to sense the soul of little Nitsa. By the time he had returned, his attitude towards her had changed and he promised Cherine he will see to it that Officer Michaeli protects them from his own men. The needs resulting from his visit to the dark place made him want to find a bar and drink a few brandies because of the feeling of not having anyone to love. For the first time he was sensing he had made mistakes which had deprived him of some of the true beauty of life. Robert did not let him go and led him into his office.
“I won’t keep you long. I don’t know whether you heard, but I did meet with Frank and another four under him. I’ve convinced Frank that I want him to remain in control. Perikli, we need to use this time to create a group of our own within the network and we must have a list of all those who belong to it. The day will soon come when I’ll come head to head against Frank and I do not want him having the network to threaten us with.”
“Have you searched the house of Eddie and Hettie? Surely they must have a dossier with all the names and what their powers are?” Robert smacked his forehead at his not having thought of it and promised to search immediately. That night, he teleported across and began his search. He could not even find a safe, so he returned home to sleep, feeling very frustrated. In the morning he told Cherine how fruitless his search had been.
“Let’s all go across. Nitsa will be impressed by the house and she’ll have the girls to look after her, so she won’t mind being on her own for a few hours and I’ll be able to help you find the safe.”
He laughed. “Aren’t kids wonderful! She sees us doing magical things and doesn’t blink an eye.”
“That’s only because she thinks you are a prince or ancient Greek god.” Cherine teased. She placed her finger on her chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps you’ll have to marry her, instead of Nicko.”
He grinned. “Don’t even try to tease me - it was funny once when you did it to Nicko and that is enough.”
“Who said I’m teasing?”
“Yeah, ha-ha, I’m not laughing.” Cherine grinned.
Three days they tried but could not find the safe - if one existed. Robert began to wonder where else they could have hidden the documents. They saw from the list of assets that the Mansfield couple had a big mansion in Germany, buried in a forest outside of Baden-Baden. They found the address and called their attorney so as to ask him to arrange for someone to be there to open the mansion and have it prepared for guests. Back in Greece again, they arranged for a flight and asked Nicko to join them. He agreed, though he confessed he is far more likely to spend most of his time at the casino.
The elderly woman who opened the door and welcomed them did not smile once, her face remained sour until they departed. Cherine whispered to Robert's mind that she does not believe her master and mistress are dead and is not willing to help them. The attorneys in the States had given them a letter of introduction to a small firm of attorneys in Baden-Baden so they called and arranged to visit them the next morning.
The firm was very small, only one attorney in his sixties. He told them he is at their service for as long as they need him and gave a small laugh when they reassured him they will not take up much of his time. He explained that the Mansfield couple had employed him full time and he has not been notified that his status has been changed by the estate. Robert liked him and so he confirmed it has not changed. Robert’s reassurance helped thaw him and he made a greater effort to be of help to them. Gravely he listened as Robert explained that despite having the assistance of attorneys and accountants, he is still missing a lot of documents he need. He could not find a safe at any of the homes and does not know where else to look.
“Have you been given any account numbers and passwords for banks in Switzerland?”
“Now that you mention it, we have not! That is strange.”
Robert had been thinking of inviting him out for lunch, but hearing him turn religious put him off. “You don’t have any files I should examine?”
“Not unless you are interested in the details of running the mansion. That was my main responsibility.” He very obviously hesitated. “I seem to recall hearing that they did rent a box at the local branch of Deutsche Bank. If you wish to make enquiries it might be advisable that I come with.”
There were delays while the authority and authenticity of Robert's signature were verified and when the box was opened, they found one large manila envelope folded in half. On the outside they read, ‘For Robert and Cherine Teller’. Robert handed it over to Cherine for her to place it in her handbag and they returned to the mansion.
Robert was so excited that he wanted to phone and tell Alki immediately, but Nicko cautioned him that all phone calls might be monitored. Robert called Alki and asked him whether he is at his office and alone, as he might want to speak to him in five minutes. Alki confirmed he will be alone and they closed the phone. Five minutes later, all of them, including Nitsa and Tippity’s family, were in his office. Triumphantly Robert handed over the documents. Alki looked at them and raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“That is the list of the network members - with details of their powers! Look here, ‘tlprt’ obviously stand for teleportation. Here, ‘tlpy’ must stand for telepathy. Even if we have to guess what some of them stand for, it is obvious that the network is rich in the variety of powers. Apart from names and psychic descriptions, do you see how a name here and there has an asterisk before it? I think that Eddie had those people report to him directly without Frank knowing so that he could have them verify that his instructions were being relayed correctly.”
“Gammoto! If you are right you’ve changed the balance of power in your favour!”
Robert ran his finger down the list until he found the name he wanted. “Check this one, I don’t think Perikli and Michaeli know there is another member of the network in Athens.”
Alki flushed. “I know him! He sent me some short stories and poetry, asking for a meeting. When we did meet he asked for help as he did not have enough money to continue writing without working. I gave him an allowance on condition he shows me that he continues to write. Every three months he sends me something so I’ve continued paying him. How can he belong to this list and be in need of money?”
Robert tried to make sense of the abbreviated description ‘pts’. Suddenly he grinned. “Alki, I’m going to have a lot of fun with this one. If I’ve guessed right, his description is ‘Psychic Talent Searcher’. He came to you because he suspected you of having psychic abilities. It makes a lot of sense to check all those who are highly successful. As I said, we’ll have some fun with this one. I’ll call him in and ask him why he did not identify you as a psychic talent and then you show him that you can teleport. I bet that will knock him down a peg or two.” Alki growled at him that he is not funny and Cherine reassured him that Robert is only teasing him. Tippity clapped his hands and looked as if he were about to hoot. Cherine gave him a look that quickly squelched that idea.
“Alki, apart from the list, there are some other papers here. Could this be what I think they are?”
Alki looked and whistled softly. “Swiss bank accounts with the amounts on deposit! Let’s see, hmm…if these are correct, you have ten and a half billion dollars in a basket of currencies. Was this included in the totals given to you earlier?”
“I don’t know.”
“Either way, you’re not going to run short anytime soon - unless you are crazier than I think you are. Robert, try thinking of it this way. By the time we’ve spent the money, the world population will have become eight billion if we have not given them an incentive to slow down. With eight hundred billion dollars, it means that at a cost of ten dollars per person we will have helped avert a disaster I doubt mankind could have recovered from.”
Their successes boosted their confidence and the next time they went to the dark place they were less afraid and noticed a few oddities they hadn’t before. First of all, they noticed that they could see clouds of pinpricks of light. They worked out that they were seeing souls on Earth. Then Nitsa asked what the lights of another range of colours were. None could answer her, but they seemed to be too far away for them to investigate. When it came time for dancing, Robert and Cherine swung around Nitsa in an ebullient mood. Their orbits tightened and tightened until both of them collapsed into her, Robert struggling to remain aware so that they can pull out after a few seconds. He lost awareness and the next thing the others saw was the creation of something that seemed to resemble a planet made out of coruscating lights that formed kaleidoscopic patterns. The new ‘I’ greeted the others and then concentrated on the three it was created out of.
Everyone was so excited that when they opened their eyes their sexual needs had been sublimated, all needing answers to dozens of questions about the planet of light the three of them had become. They also wanted to know what it was that had greeted them. They’d all sensed an amazing power from it. Robert and Cherine kept on interrupting each other and correcting the other until Robert told Cherine to go ahead. She then clammed up and told him to explain. Robert did so, to the best of his ability.
Perikli said, “Then it means that Nitsa is linked to you and must be considered part of your family. Is it as daughter only? I sense she is struggling with the same needs as all of us.”
Cherine answered as simply as she could, “I’ve already told Robert she will have to become our wife, but he refuses to believe me. Maybe he will now that you’ve also said so.”
“I didn’t…” Perikli decided to stop talking as he saw that Robert and Cherine needed to be on their own to solve the problem. He hoped that what is best for Nitsa will be the winning decision. He went with Nicko and Michaeli for a drink, certain he will not be able to sleep that night.
There was nothing to discuss, no problem to solve. Robert felt Nitsa’s urgent needs and carrying her to their bed, the two of them tenderly helped bring her to her first orgasm. After that she seemed to think they should do it again, but Robert told her it was Cherine’s turn. She enthusiastically joined him. Neither Robert nor Cherine felt any guilt with regard to sharing their love life with Nitsa and their friends were very careful not to emote disapproval, so Nitsa considered it natural and just a part of the love the three of them feel for each other. Her only complaint was that Robert penetrated Cherine but would not do so with her.
Sparkie became Nitsa’s special friend and this did cause some acts of jealousy from the other two females, but since Tippity has treated her as his top female from the start, they’ve been conditioned to expect her to be the leader among them. Cherine read that her position will become more obvious and established as they mature and begin to have sex with Tippity, though it will depend on her being dominant, not on how Tippity behaves. Cherine wondered whether she can influence them to change in that regard, but Robert did not agree with her and insisted that nothing that is natural to them should be changed to comply with the ideas and attitudes of humans.
Although the group was small, they had been affected by having healers and their high libido was making the men react to every female. Nicko discovered that the girls everywhere he went could sense the change in him and they were eager to spend a night or two with him. For a while it felt like he was in heaven and the girls were quick to sing his praises since his ability to sense their emoting meant that he never failed to please them sexually. Surprisingly, the most inhibited of them all was Officer Michaeli, not Themi or Perikli. He found it impossible to open up to anyone because he still does not trust love. Themi and Perikli were only inhibited because of their age, but as they also sensed that more and more women are interested in them, they began to favour the idea of having a relationship.
Over the next four months the group grew by another five and Robert had been proven right. Those on the network list with an asterisk to their name were a good choice for building their own group within the network and they already had about seventy of them they now feel they can rely on. If Frank had any suspicions, he did not show it and reported to Robert every time he used one of the network talents. Then, out of the blue, Frank asked to meet him.
