The Light Warrior Files
Chapter 2, Part 5: Recon
By Chris Ward
I spent the next hour doing my best to control both the fear I was feeling for Marita as well
as the murderous rage that was building. I had always felt believed that strong emotion,
although it has its place, is the enemy of logic and reason, both of which I knew I was going
to need. Having finally, albeit temporarily, mastered them, I began searching through the
maps previously contained on the memory stick we confiscated from Daniel. Locating what I
was looking for, I started printing them out. So involved was I on what I was doing that the
last of the hour passed without my knowledge. The knock on the door came as an utter
shock until I glanced at my watch. Leaving the printer to run off the last pages, I backed out
of the program and went to the door.
As we sat down, Ishmael asked the first question. “What’s the emergency?”
As I was starting to explain what had happened, the Dark Lady interrupted. “Where is the
Shield Maiden?”
Sinking into the overstuffed chair I had reluctantly sat in, I forced a sense of calm and
control into my voice that I didn’t feel. “That’s the emergency, actually.”
Ishmael leaned forward. “Explain.”
Closing my eyes against the tears I felt coming, I started talking. I told about the phone call
from her law firm. Moving on from there, I relayed, nearly verbatim, the call I had received
from Dan’s partner. Hearing a quiet gasp, I looked up. The Lady and Ishmael were sitting
together, hands clasped between them. I read horror in her eyes, and rage in his. The gasp,
however, came from Builder. Catching me looking at him, he asked me what I was going to
do.
“That’s the problem, really. I just don’t know.” Swallowing against a lump in my throat, I
continued. “I know that I can’t turn myself over to them. First, I sincerely doubt that I can
trust them to honor their word to release her. Secondly, of the two of us, I am better
equipped to come to the rescue, which she is no doubt expecting. Third, but most
important, I know what she’d say if she thought I was even considering ransoming her by
giving myself up.”
Ishmael peered at me for several minutes, before he broke into a grin. “So, what’s the
plan?”
Standing up, I went to the computer and grabbed the print outs from the holder. Giving
them to Ishmael, I sat back down. “I’m not really certain what type of plan to make. I knew
when the guy told me to meet him at stop 5 near City Hall that the location sounded vaguely
familiar. After he got off the phone, I called you and immediately started looking through the
maps we lifted off Dan. That’s when I found what you see there. It looks like there’s a secret
door under the platform there. If I read the map correctly, there’re a couple, maybe five,
miles of tunnel on the other side of the door, leading to what looks like a good sized
bunker.
After glancing through the maps, he handed them to his wife. “Even assuming your right
about all that, there are still several major problems. The first, and most problematic, is
that, even if it exists, we don’t have a clue how to open the door.”
Before I could even begin to reply, the Dark Lady lifted a hand and interrupted. “Ishmael,
Light Warrior, it is too late right now to even begin to plan.” Glancing at my watch, I realized
that it was now about a quarter after 8. “Warrior, you do have a second bedroom here, don’t
you?”
Confused, I admitted that we did and told her where it was. Turning to her husband, she
said, “I need you and Builder to go home and pack what we need to stay here until at least
the fourth of next month.”
As Ishmael and Builder stood up to go, I started to object. I didn’t get much further than
opening my mouth before the Lady interrupted again, this time with a slight smile at my
confusion. “Don’t waste your time objecting. You have the room Ishmael and I can use, and
Builder can sleep on the sofa. While they’re gone, I’ll make a quick dinner for the four of us.
The truth is that we need to stay together from here until the end. If they’ve started actively
trying to collect you, and are willing to sink so low as to abduct loved ones in an effort to
aid in the collection, none of us is safe alone.” With that she stood, gave her husband a
quick but intimate kiss, gave Builder a quick hug and went to the kitchen.
This effectively left me alone, since the Lady spent the entire time they were gone working
in the kitchen. I made sure that the guest bed was made, and that the guest bath had the
necessities. Taking a couple spare blankets and pillows, I stacked them by the sofa for
Builder to use later. Turning on the TV, I caught the last hour of a nature documentary while
waiting for the other two to return. When they finally did make it back, it was a little after 9
and she had finished dinner just moments earlier. Moving into the dining room, we ate a
decent, if simple, evening meal.
Conversation during the meal was extremely limited, since nobody really had anything to
say. Shortly after finishing the meal and helping clean up, I went to bed. I didn’t really feel
tired; I just needed to be alone. Lying in bed, I automatically reached my arm across to
where Marita should have been laying next to me, but grabbed only the night shirt I had
laid there earlier. Bringing it to me, I inhaled her fragrance. As if it were a key, the mingled
scents that belonged to the woman I loved unlocked the tears I had struggled so hard to
keep under control. Weeping, I swore that I would find her and kill whoever tried to stop,
and then I slept.
I didn’t wake up until around noon the next day. Forcing myself to shower and dress, I went
out into the living area where I found myself to be the last one up. The Lady pushed a cup
of coffee into my hands, and told me that the fixings were out for sandwiches if I was
hungry. Ishmael had already been down to Mike’s stand to buy the papers, including a
couple I didn’t normally read. After approximately half an hour, I made a sandwich and
grabbed the maps I had printed out yesterday. As I was looking over the specific area with
the supposed secret door, I felt the Lady come up behind me. Resting a hand on my
shoulder, she said, “Have you made a decision yet, Warrior?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I was reminded again of how stunningly beautiful she was.
Unfortunately, that reminder cut through me like a knife, primarily because I was desperate
to find Marita. Looking back at the map, I swallowed the bite I was working on, took a quick
drink of coffee, and said, “I think so. I think I need to talk to Builder for a minute. You and
Ishmael will probably want to hear what I have to say.”
When she came back, Builder looked confused and Ishmael looked concerned. Without
preamble, I spoke directly to Builder. “If it’s okay with them, I think I need you with me on a
little recon shortly.”
Ishmael didn’t even wait for Builder to look at him. “What are you planning on doing?”
“The only way I’m going to get Marita back, and to deal with the bastards that took her, is to
find a way in.” Pointing to the door and tunnel on the map I continued, “At the moment, the
only way in I can see is through that door.”
Ishmael looked at the map. “I still say what I said last night. The first problem, but not the
last by a long shot, with that idea is the simple fact that, even if it does exist, we have no
way of knowing how to open it.”
Looking directly at Builder, I temporarily ignored what Ishmael was saying. “Builder, have
you discovered a limit to what your ability allows you to do?”
Understandably he sounded hesitant when he replied. “Not yet, I guess.” Stopping for a
moment, he blurted out, “But I have to know exactly what I need done before I can make
something to do it.”
With a slight grin, I nodded. “Alright then.” Turning to Ishmael, who had taken a seat across
the table from Builder, and beside his wife, I began to explain my rudimentary plan. “The
problem right now is simply that we don’t have the information we need. The fact that it’s
listed on the maps is a strong hint that the door does, in fact, exist. The problem, as you’ve
pointed out, is that we don’t have the slightest clue how to open it. That’s why I need to
take Builder along with me, as well as this.” Pulling out my wallet, I slid out the strange ID
badge that had been sewn into Dan’s suit jacket. ‘If I’m right, this badge is all I’ll really need
anyway.”
The Lady looked across at me and put the question into words. “If that is so, why do you
need Builder?”
“Because of the distinct possibility that I’m wrong. If that badge doesn’t act as a key, I need
Builder to figure out how to open the door. I could brute force it, I suppose, but I think we’d
all prefer to be a little quieter than that.”
Builder had remained silent throughout. Finally he looked at Ishmael and the Dark Lady. “I
know you don’t really want me to do this. To be blunt about it, I’m not really happy with the
idea myself. But, Light Warrior’s right. They’ve got the Shield Maiden, and he doesn’t really
dare turn himself over to them. If I can help, I want to. If that means going with him this time,
then I’m willing.”
They were silent for several minutes before Ishmael spoke. “Can you guarantee that he’ll
be safe?”
Restraining most of a snort, I stated, “Safe? I can’t even guarantee that I’ll be safe. I’ll do
everything I can to keep us safe, including keeping us both invisible. And, if something
does happen, I’ll do whatever it takes to get us away from them.”
Ishmael started to reply, but the Lady spoke first. “That’s all we can ask.” Turning to
Ishmael, she explained. “This is something that needs done, love. Remember, Light Warrior
is our fighter. As such, we need to trust him when it comes time to prepare for battle. Also,
Builder must go. If he can help, and if he wants to help, we cannot stand in his way.”
Shrugging in defeat, Ishmael satisfied himself with a grunt of displeasure. As he left the
room, the Lady looked back at me. After asking Builder to wait in the other room for me, she
began to explain what Ishmael’s problem was. “Builder is more to us than just a kid who
sleeps in our spare bedroom. We found him living on the street a couple of years ago.
Taking him in, we cared for him and learned his life’s story. Not as tragic as yours, he has
had hardship of his own. Last year my husband and I entered the foster care system and
became foster parents to him. We have come to love him as our own son. It is that which
Ishmael, and myself to a lesser extent, is struggling with.” With a sad smile she finished,
“We know, and have always known, that we cannot protect him forever. But, to knowingly
risk him is something we hoped not to be forced to do.”
Taking her small hand in my own, I swore, “If something happens and he is unable to return,
it will only be because I am also unable. You have to know that. If it is at all possible, he will
come back.”
Ishmael had approached behind me without me hearing him. When I felt his hand on my
shoulder, I nearly left my skin. “I know that, Warrior. I don’t necessarily like it, but I do know
it.”
Heading into the living room, I had Builder stand against the wall. “Listen, this isn’t going to
be easy. For some reason you are able to see while invisible, although I’ve never been
able to figure out why. However, not a single one of the helps you are used to, peripheral
vision especially, will be of help when invisible- you can’t see yourself at all. What I’m going
to do is to turn you invisible here, where nothing important is riding on it, and let you
practice just walking across the room.” With that, I concentrated and bent the light around
him, rendering him completely invisible. The first few times he tried to walk across the
room he had problems. He bashed his leg a couple times, even managed to fall over a
couple of the chairs.
At the end of an hour he was finally able to move, although slowly, around the room without
hurting himself or nearly breaking anything in the room. That was when I decided it was
time. Unbending the light, I made him visible again, and we said our goodbyes. As we
headed to the subway, I detoured us into a crowded restroom and flipped the light around
us before we left, having become completely invisible.
Exiting the subway at stop 5, I was holding and guiding Builder firmly by one arm. Checking
the overhead, I saw that we had four minutes until the next train came. Working our way
through the crowd, remaining invisible, I brought us to the front of the platform. Guiding
him down to his knees with me, I stretched out on the platform and felt under it. There was
a gap underneath it, although there was no real way to know how much of a gap it was.
Looking back up, I realized that we were down to two minutes thirty seconds. Risking a
quick peek under, I saw that there was plenty of room. Pulling Builder over, I quickly told
him to count to ten and flip under the platform, right where I had his hand, avoiding the
third rail. As I heard him begin counting, I flipped under myself.
As soon as I landed, I closed my eyes and shifted my vision into the infrared spectrum.
Looking around, I saw nothing. Not entirely trusting that, I did a quick shift into the
ultraviolet. Again seeing nothing, I shifted back to normal. Hearing a quiet thud behind me, I
turned around. A whisper sounded from near me saying, “Warrior, where are you?”
Pressing against the wall under the platform, I unbent the light, making myself visible. Once
I felt him grab my arm in desperation, I unbent the light around him as well. Putting a finger
to his lips, I let him know we needed to be quiet. At that moment, the subway train arrived,
giving us both a heart attack.
Extending my right hand, I concentrated a little light around it, giving me an improvised
flashlight. Looking around I saw the door, right where it was indicated to be on the maps.
Moving up to a small box beside the door, Builder began investigating it. Turning to me he
signaled for the id badge we had brought. Looking at him closely, I handed it over. Instead
of trying to use it, he simply looked closely at it, feeling along a couple spots on it. Handing
it back over, he looked at the box again, tracing a couple lines along it that I could hardly
see.
From my position I could clearly hear the brakes release on the subway. “Better grab one of
the braces, Builder.”
“Why?”
“Because in about five seconds, that train is going to take off. If we’re not holding
something strong enough to keep us in place, we could go along with it.”
“Right.” After a quick, although short, look around, we both grabbed braces that seemed to
be anchored in the wall.
As the train left, it felt like a small windstorm under the platform. Finally it was gone and I
signaled Builder to get back to work. Instead, he favored me with a small grin. “If we have
enough time to get out of here before the next train, we can go back to your place.”
“Why?”
“We have everything we need, but I think a plan would be good.”
“All right, wait a minute.” Concentrating again, I unfocused the light around my hand,
effectively turning the “flashlight” off, and bent the light around me again. Sneaking back
out from under the platform, elbowing myself over the top, I saw that the overhead was
listing another six minutes until the next train. Slipping back down, I grabbed him by the
elbow and bent the light around him as well. Making our way back out and up top, we
waited in front for the next train to come. Remaining invisible while in a crowded train was
difficult, but we managed it. After deliberately missing the next three stops, I got us off
finally. Stepping into a very crowded restroom again, I made us visible, after looking around
to see that nobody was looking our way. Then we took the next train headed toward my
place. We finally made it back into my loft around 6.
Chapter 2, Part 5: Recon
By Chris Ward
I spent the next hour doing my best to control both the fear I was feeling for Marita as well
as the murderous rage that was building. I had always felt believed that strong emotion,
although it has its place, is the enemy of logic and reason, both of which I knew I was going
to need. Having finally, albeit temporarily, mastered them, I began searching through the
maps previously contained on the memory stick we confiscated from Daniel. Locating what I
was looking for, I started printing them out. So involved was I on what I was doing that the
last of the hour passed without my knowledge. The knock on the door came as an utter
shock until I glanced at my watch. Leaving the printer to run off the last pages, I backed out
of the program and went to the door.
As we sat down, Ishmael asked the first question. “What’s the emergency?”
As I was starting to explain what had happened, the Dark Lady interrupted. “Where is the
Shield Maiden?”
Sinking into the overstuffed chair I had reluctantly sat in, I forced a sense of calm and
control into my voice that I didn’t feel. “That’s the emergency, actually.”
Ishmael leaned forward. “Explain.”
Closing my eyes against the tears I felt coming, I started talking. I told about the phone call
from her law firm. Moving on from there, I relayed, nearly verbatim, the call I had received
from Dan’s partner. Hearing a quiet gasp, I looked up. The Lady and Ishmael were sitting
together, hands clasped between them. I read horror in her eyes, and rage in his. The gasp,
however, came from Builder. Catching me looking at him, he asked me what I was going to
do.
“That’s the problem, really. I just don’t know.” Swallowing against a lump in my throat, I
continued. “I know that I can’t turn myself over to them. First, I sincerely doubt that I can
trust them to honor their word to release her. Secondly, of the two of us, I am better
equipped to come to the rescue, which she is no doubt expecting. Third, but most
important, I know what she’d say if she thought I was even considering ransoming her by
giving myself up.”
Ishmael peered at me for several minutes, before he broke into a grin. “So, what’s the
plan?”
Standing up, I went to the computer and grabbed the print outs from the holder. Giving
them to Ishmael, I sat back down. “I’m not really certain what type of plan to make. I knew
when the guy told me to meet him at stop 5 near City Hall that the location sounded vaguely
familiar. After he got off the phone, I called you and immediately started looking through the
maps we lifted off Dan. That’s when I found what you see there. It looks like there’s a secret
door under the platform there. If I read the map correctly, there’re a couple, maybe five,
miles of tunnel on the other side of the door, leading to what looks like a good sized
bunker.
After glancing through the maps, he handed them to his wife. “Even assuming your right
about all that, there are still several major problems. The first, and most problematic, is
that, even if it exists, we don’t have a clue how to open the door.”
Before I could even begin to reply, the Dark Lady lifted a hand and interrupted. “Ishmael,
Light Warrior, it is too late right now to even begin to plan.” Glancing at my watch, I realized
that it was now about a quarter after 8. “Warrior, you do have a second bedroom here, don’t
you?”
Confused, I admitted that we did and told her where it was. Turning to her husband, she
said, “I need you and Builder to go home and pack what we need to stay here until at least
the fourth of next month.”
As Ishmael and Builder stood up to go, I started to object. I didn’t get much further than
opening my mouth before the Lady interrupted again, this time with a slight smile at my
confusion. “Don’t waste your time objecting. You have the room Ishmael and I can use, and
Builder can sleep on the sofa. While they’re gone, I’ll make a quick dinner for the four of us.
The truth is that we need to stay together from here until the end. If they’ve started actively
trying to collect you, and are willing to sink so low as to abduct loved ones in an effort to
aid in the collection, none of us is safe alone.” With that she stood, gave her husband a
quick but intimate kiss, gave Builder a quick hug and went to the kitchen.
This effectively left me alone, since the Lady spent the entire time they were gone working
in the kitchen. I made sure that the guest bed was made, and that the guest bath had the
necessities. Taking a couple spare blankets and pillows, I stacked them by the sofa for
Builder to use later. Turning on the TV, I caught the last hour of a nature documentary while
waiting for the other two to return. When they finally did make it back, it was a little after 9
and she had finished dinner just moments earlier. Moving into the dining room, we ate a
decent, if simple, evening meal.
Conversation during the meal was extremely limited, since nobody really had anything to
say. Shortly after finishing the meal and helping clean up, I went to bed. I didn’t really feel
tired; I just needed to be alone. Lying in bed, I automatically reached my arm across to
where Marita should have been laying next to me, but grabbed only the night shirt I had
laid there earlier. Bringing it to me, I inhaled her fragrance. As if it were a key, the mingled
scents that belonged to the woman I loved unlocked the tears I had struggled so hard to
keep under control. Weeping, I swore that I would find her and kill whoever tried to stop,
and then I slept.
I didn’t wake up until around noon the next day. Forcing myself to shower and dress, I went
out into the living area where I found myself to be the last one up. The Lady pushed a cup
of coffee into my hands, and told me that the fixings were out for sandwiches if I was
hungry. Ishmael had already been down to Mike’s stand to buy the papers, including a
couple I didn’t normally read. After approximately half an hour, I made a sandwich and
grabbed the maps I had printed out yesterday. As I was looking over the specific area with
the supposed secret door, I felt the Lady come up behind me. Resting a hand on my
shoulder, she said, “Have you made a decision yet, Warrior?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I was reminded again of how stunningly beautiful she was.
Unfortunately, that reminder cut through me like a knife, primarily because I was desperate
to find Marita. Looking back at the map, I swallowed the bite I was working on, took a quick
drink of coffee, and said, “I think so. I think I need to talk to Builder for a minute. You and
Ishmael will probably want to hear what I have to say.”
When she came back, Builder looked confused and Ishmael looked concerned. Without
preamble, I spoke directly to Builder. “If it’s okay with them, I think I need you with me on a
little recon shortly.”
Ishmael didn’t even wait for Builder to look at him. “What are you planning on doing?”
“The only way I’m going to get Marita back, and to deal with the bastards that took her, is to
find a way in.” Pointing to the door and tunnel on the map I continued, “At the moment, the
only way in I can see is through that door.”
Ishmael looked at the map. “I still say what I said last night. The first problem, but not the
last by a long shot, with that idea is the simple fact that, even if it does exist, we have no
way of knowing how to open it.”
Looking directly at Builder, I temporarily ignored what Ishmael was saying. “Builder, have
you discovered a limit to what your ability allows you to do?”
Understandably he sounded hesitant when he replied. “Not yet, I guess.” Stopping for a
moment, he blurted out, “But I have to know exactly what I need done before I can make
something to do it.”
With a slight grin, I nodded. “Alright then.” Turning to Ishmael, who had taken a seat across
the table from Builder, and beside his wife, I began to explain my rudimentary plan. “The
problem right now is simply that we don’t have the information we need. The fact that it’s
listed on the maps is a strong hint that the door does, in fact, exist. The problem, as you’ve
pointed out, is that we don’t have the slightest clue how to open it. That’s why I need to
take Builder along with me, as well as this.” Pulling out my wallet, I slid out the strange ID
badge that had been sewn into Dan’s suit jacket. ‘If I’m right, this badge is all I’ll really need
anyway.”
The Lady looked across at me and put the question into words. “If that is so, why do you
need Builder?”
“Because of the distinct possibility that I’m wrong. If that badge doesn’t act as a key, I need
Builder to figure out how to open the door. I could brute force it, I suppose, but I think we’d
all prefer to be a little quieter than that.”
Builder had remained silent throughout. Finally he looked at Ishmael and the Dark Lady. “I
know you don’t really want me to do this. To be blunt about it, I’m not really happy with the
idea myself. But, Light Warrior’s right. They’ve got the Shield Maiden, and he doesn’t really
dare turn himself over to them. If I can help, I want to. If that means going with him this time,
then I’m willing.”
They were silent for several minutes before Ishmael spoke. “Can you guarantee that he’ll
be safe?”
Restraining most of a snort, I stated, “Safe? I can’t even guarantee that I’ll be safe. I’ll do
everything I can to keep us safe, including keeping us both invisible. And, if something
does happen, I’ll do whatever it takes to get us away from them.”
Ishmael started to reply, but the Lady spoke first. “That’s all we can ask.” Turning to
Ishmael, she explained. “This is something that needs done, love. Remember, Light Warrior
is our fighter. As such, we need to trust him when it comes time to prepare for battle. Also,
Builder must go. If he can help, and if he wants to help, we cannot stand in his way.”
Shrugging in defeat, Ishmael satisfied himself with a grunt of displeasure. As he left the
room, the Lady looked back at me. After asking Builder to wait in the other room for me, she
began to explain what Ishmael’s problem was. “Builder is more to us than just a kid who
sleeps in our spare bedroom. We found him living on the street a couple of years ago.
Taking him in, we cared for him and learned his life’s story. Not as tragic as yours, he has
had hardship of his own. Last year my husband and I entered the foster care system and
became foster parents to him. We have come to love him as our own son. It is that which
Ishmael, and myself to a lesser extent, is struggling with.” With a sad smile she finished,
“We know, and have always known, that we cannot protect him forever. But, to knowingly
risk him is something we hoped not to be forced to do.”
Taking her small hand in my own, I swore, “If something happens and he is unable to return,
it will only be because I am also unable. You have to know that. If it is at all possible, he will
come back.”
Ishmael had approached behind me without me hearing him. When I felt his hand on my
shoulder, I nearly left my skin. “I know that, Warrior. I don’t necessarily like it, but I do know
it.”
Heading into the living room, I had Builder stand against the wall. “Listen, this isn’t going to
be easy. For some reason you are able to see while invisible, although I’ve never been
able to figure out why. However, not a single one of the helps you are used to, peripheral
vision especially, will be of help when invisible- you can’t see yourself at all. What I’m going
to do is to turn you invisible here, where nothing important is riding on it, and let you
practice just walking across the room.” With that, I concentrated and bent the light around
him, rendering him completely invisible. The first few times he tried to walk across the
room he had problems. He bashed his leg a couple times, even managed to fall over a
couple of the chairs.
At the end of an hour he was finally able to move, although slowly, around the room without
hurting himself or nearly breaking anything in the room. That was when I decided it was
time. Unbending the light, I made him visible again, and we said our goodbyes. As we
headed to the subway, I detoured us into a crowded restroom and flipped the light around
us before we left, having become completely invisible.
Exiting the subway at stop 5, I was holding and guiding Builder firmly by one arm. Checking
the overhead, I saw that we had four minutes until the next train came. Working our way
through the crowd, remaining invisible, I brought us to the front of the platform. Guiding
him down to his knees with me, I stretched out on the platform and felt under it. There was
a gap underneath it, although there was no real way to know how much of a gap it was.
Looking back up, I realized that we were down to two minutes thirty seconds. Risking a
quick peek under, I saw that there was plenty of room. Pulling Builder over, I quickly told
him to count to ten and flip under the platform, right where I had his hand, avoiding the
third rail. As I heard him begin counting, I flipped under myself.
As soon as I landed, I closed my eyes and shifted my vision into the infrared spectrum.
Looking around, I saw nothing. Not entirely trusting that, I did a quick shift into the
ultraviolet. Again seeing nothing, I shifted back to normal. Hearing a quiet thud behind me, I
turned around. A whisper sounded from near me saying, “Warrior, where are you?”
Pressing against the wall under the platform, I unbent the light, making myself visible. Once
I felt him grab my arm in desperation, I unbent the light around him as well. Putting a finger
to his lips, I let him know we needed to be quiet. At that moment, the subway train arrived,
giving us both a heart attack.
Extending my right hand, I concentrated a little light around it, giving me an improvised
flashlight. Looking around I saw the door, right where it was indicated to be on the maps.
Moving up to a small box beside the door, Builder began investigating it. Turning to me he
signaled for the id badge we had brought. Looking at him closely, I handed it over. Instead
of trying to use it, he simply looked closely at it, feeling along a couple spots on it. Handing
it back over, he looked at the box again, tracing a couple lines along it that I could hardly
see.
From my position I could clearly hear the brakes release on the subway. “Better grab one of
the braces, Builder.”
“Why?”
“Because in about five seconds, that train is going to take off. If we’re not holding
something strong enough to keep us in place, we could go along with it.”
“Right.” After a quick, although short, look around, we both grabbed braces that seemed to
be anchored in the wall.
As the train left, it felt like a small windstorm under the platform. Finally it was gone and I
signaled Builder to get back to work. Instead, he favored me with a small grin. “If we have
enough time to get out of here before the next train, we can go back to your place.”
“Why?”
“We have everything we need, but I think a plan would be good.”
“All right, wait a minute.” Concentrating again, I unfocused the light around my hand,
effectively turning the “flashlight” off, and bent the light around me again. Sneaking back
out from under the platform, elbowing myself over the top, I saw that the overhead was
listing another six minutes until the next train. Slipping back down, I grabbed him by the
elbow and bent the light around him as well. Making our way back out and up top, we
waited in front for the next train to come. Remaining invisible while in a crowded train was
difficult, but we managed it. After deliberately missing the next three stops, I got us off
finally. Stepping into a very crowded restroom again, I made us visible, after looking around
to see that nobody was looking our way. Then we took the next train headed toward my
place. We finally made it back into my loft around 6.
