The Light Warrior Files
Chapter 2, Part 6: The Plan
By Chris Ward
As soon as we were safely back, I took a couple migraine pills and washed my hands.
Looking down, I found myself grateful that I had thrown on an old pair of jeans and a junk
shirt that morning, since they were both now covered in filth from under the platform.
Changing into a pair of khakis and a polo shirt, I washed up and went into the living room.
Builder had also taken the time to clean up, and was now seated nursing a glass of orange
juice while flipping the ID badge idly between his fingers. As I sat down, he looked up and
grinned. “Before we start planning, how on earth did you manage to move so fast and
easily while we were invisible? It was all I could do to stay on my feet and keep up.”
Accepting the coffee the Lady brought as she and Ishmael went to the sofa, I returned the
smile. “Practice, believe it or not. When I was a kid, the first part of my ability that I
discovered was invisibility. Since it was useful, I thought it best if I knew precisely how to
use it, which meant knowing how to move while invisible. Given the situation at home, I was
quite familiar with the woods outside of town, and knew where there was a good sized
clearing I could use where I wouldn’t be disturbed.
“After taking several days to clean it out and set it up to my satisfaction, I began to practice.
I had a small area that I kept completely free of obstacles. I practiced walking, and then
running, and then various simple acrobatics while invisible there. Another area was a large
obstacle course. I built in a couple swings, several jumps, and many other obstacles. I
finally got to the point where I could traverse the entire thing while invisible without even
stumbling.” Unfortunately that particular memory led, as always, to another, less pleasant
one. The smile dropped off my face as I half whispered, “That stopped the day my father
tried to kill me.” Taking a steadying drink of coffee, which seemed to be laced with just
enough whiskey to be relaxing, I asked, “So, what made you decide to come back? Or
should I ask, what did you find?”
Sitting up a little straighter, he tossed the card over to me. “Feel around the edges and
corners, will you?”
Looking at him in confusion, I did as he asked. With a startled exclamation, I almost
immediately felt what he wanted me to find. Now that I knew what to look for, I could barely
see it. One corner was slightly bulkier than the others. It was by such a small amount that it
was understandably missed when we had looked at the card earlier. Handing it over to
Ishmael, I looked at Builder. “All right, I see it. What does it do? How does that help open
the door?”
“You know about my ability, right?”
Nodding toward the Ishmael, who was handing the card to the Dark Lady, I said, “He gave
me some idea. I think he called it Intuitive Electronic Aptitude or something like that.
Basically, you understand how electronics work intuitively, and can make them do pretty
much anything you want.”
“That’s a pretty fair summation, although there’s a bit more to it. Anyway, that’s not
important. What is important is that my ability allows me to see when two or more devices
are made to work together, and I fairly quickly learn how to make them do so.”
The Dark Lady looked up from her inspection of the card. Her beautiful green eyes
narrowed in thought briefly. “What needs done in this case? And, once done, will it open
the door?”
“It’s simple, really. There’s a small, nearly invisible, indention on the box by the door.
Pushing the corner of the card into it will complete a circuit, which will cause a keypad to
slide out and light up. Pushing the proper key sequence will unlock and open the door.”
I looked closely at him. “Do you know the sequence, by any chance?”
“Sure. It was part of the same device, so I learned it at the same time. The code is 061443.
Input it, and you’re in.”
I was more than a little surprised. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Jumping to my feet, I was halfway to the door, saying over my shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Ishmael stopped me. “No. Going right now is a bad idea.”
Turning around, I gaped at him in total surprise. “Excuse me? What do you mean ‘bad
idea’?”
He looked up at me. “First, they’ll be waiting for you to run to the rescue. They have her,
and know you want to rescue her, and they’ll expect you to go today. It’s nothing short of a
miracle you were able to do what you did. Second, you have no plan. Without planning it
out, you’ll fail. Third, it’s too late to try it today anyway.”
I wanted to fight. I wanted to argue. I wanted nothing more than to tell him to go to hell; that
I was going to rescue Marita, with or without their help. The problem was that I knew he was
right. At least, more right than wrong.
Returning to my chair, I said, “Fine. What’s the plan?” I admit I wasn’t overly gracious.
He looked at me with sympathy and said, “Believe me; I know some of what you’re feeling. I
think I’d feel much the same way if the situation was reversed. Right now, though, I think
the best plan is to get something to eat. We’ll be able to figure out some of it while we eat,
and can go over it tomorrow.” Looking first at me, and then at the Lady, he finished. “I don’t
think it’s a good idea to go before Monday, but I don’t think we should wait any longer
either.”
Monday. That meant tonight and Sunday night would be spent in a lonely bed, while they
subjected the one woman I had ever loved to unimaginable indignities. I made a silent vow
that if they hurt her in any way, and especially if they raped or humiliated her, every last one
of them would die. “Fine. We’ll work during dinner, and spend tomorrow planning. But,
whether the plan’s ready or not, I’m leaving here no later than 3 Monday afternoon. I will
not leave her with them any longer than absolutely necessary.
The Lady cooked yet another decent meal, though not what I was used to. During dinner we
discussed plans, and continued to talk over various contingencies until about midnight.
When I retired for the evening, I approached the bed with dread. I knew that my sleep
would be interrupted with nightmares of everything that could be happening to my lover at
the hands of my unknown enemies.
The next morning I awoke around 8. After a quick shower, I dressed in casual clothing and
headed into the living room. Everyone else was up and also dressed casually. The Dark
Lady was serving a breakfast consisting of eggs, toast and sausage. Pouring myself a cup
of coffee and a glass of juice, I sat down at the table. After breakfast was over, I helped her
do the general housekeeping that I usually helped Marita with on the weekends. After that
was done the four of began a serious discussion of plans and options over a cold lunch.
The discussion continued during dinner. We finished our plans around 1 in the morning.
Going back to bed, I took a couple of sleeping pills to enable me to get a full night’s sleep,
without dreaming. I knew the day would be busy and long, and needed to be fully rested for
my part. Setting the alarm for 1 in the afternoon, I crawled into bed and was immediately
asleep.
Chapter 2, Part 6: The Plan
By Chris Ward
As soon as we were safely back, I took a couple migraine pills and washed my hands.
Looking down, I found myself grateful that I had thrown on an old pair of jeans and a junk
shirt that morning, since they were both now covered in filth from under the platform.
Changing into a pair of khakis and a polo shirt, I washed up and went into the living room.
Builder had also taken the time to clean up, and was now seated nursing a glass of orange
juice while flipping the ID badge idly between his fingers. As I sat down, he looked up and
grinned. “Before we start planning, how on earth did you manage to move so fast and
easily while we were invisible? It was all I could do to stay on my feet and keep up.”
Accepting the coffee the Lady brought as she and Ishmael went to the sofa, I returned the
smile. “Practice, believe it or not. When I was a kid, the first part of my ability that I
discovered was invisibility. Since it was useful, I thought it best if I knew precisely how to
use it, which meant knowing how to move while invisible. Given the situation at home, I was
quite familiar with the woods outside of town, and knew where there was a good sized
clearing I could use where I wouldn’t be disturbed.
“After taking several days to clean it out and set it up to my satisfaction, I began to practice.
I had a small area that I kept completely free of obstacles. I practiced walking, and then
running, and then various simple acrobatics while invisible there. Another area was a large
obstacle course. I built in a couple swings, several jumps, and many other obstacles. I
finally got to the point where I could traverse the entire thing while invisible without even
stumbling.” Unfortunately that particular memory led, as always, to another, less pleasant
one. The smile dropped off my face as I half whispered, “That stopped the day my father
tried to kill me.” Taking a steadying drink of coffee, which seemed to be laced with just
enough whiskey to be relaxing, I asked, “So, what made you decide to come back? Or
should I ask, what did you find?”
Sitting up a little straighter, he tossed the card over to me. “Feel around the edges and
corners, will you?”
Looking at him in confusion, I did as he asked. With a startled exclamation, I almost
immediately felt what he wanted me to find. Now that I knew what to look for, I could barely
see it. One corner was slightly bulkier than the others. It was by such a small amount that it
was understandably missed when we had looked at the card earlier. Handing it over to
Ishmael, I looked at Builder. “All right, I see it. What does it do? How does that help open
the door?”
“You know about my ability, right?”
Nodding toward the Ishmael, who was handing the card to the Dark Lady, I said, “He gave
me some idea. I think he called it Intuitive Electronic Aptitude or something like that.
Basically, you understand how electronics work intuitively, and can make them do pretty
much anything you want.”
“That’s a pretty fair summation, although there’s a bit more to it. Anyway, that’s not
important. What is important is that my ability allows me to see when two or more devices
are made to work together, and I fairly quickly learn how to make them do so.”
The Dark Lady looked up from her inspection of the card. Her beautiful green eyes
narrowed in thought briefly. “What needs done in this case? And, once done, will it open
the door?”
“It’s simple, really. There’s a small, nearly invisible, indention on the box by the door.
Pushing the corner of the card into it will complete a circuit, which will cause a keypad to
slide out and light up. Pushing the proper key sequence will unlock and open the door.”
I looked closely at him. “Do you know the sequence, by any chance?”
“Sure. It was part of the same device, so I learned it at the same time. The code is 061443.
Input it, and you’re in.”
I was more than a little surprised. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Jumping to my feet, I was halfway to the door, saying over my shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Ishmael stopped me. “No. Going right now is a bad idea.”
Turning around, I gaped at him in total surprise. “Excuse me? What do you mean ‘bad
idea’?”
He looked up at me. “First, they’ll be waiting for you to run to the rescue. They have her,
and know you want to rescue her, and they’ll expect you to go today. It’s nothing short of a
miracle you were able to do what you did. Second, you have no plan. Without planning it
out, you’ll fail. Third, it’s too late to try it today anyway.”
I wanted to fight. I wanted to argue. I wanted nothing more than to tell him to go to hell; that
I was going to rescue Marita, with or without their help. The problem was that I knew he was
right. At least, more right than wrong.
Returning to my chair, I said, “Fine. What’s the plan?” I admit I wasn’t overly gracious.
He looked at me with sympathy and said, “Believe me; I know some of what you’re feeling. I
think I’d feel much the same way if the situation was reversed. Right now, though, I think
the best plan is to get something to eat. We’ll be able to figure out some of it while we eat,
and can go over it tomorrow.” Looking first at me, and then at the Lady, he finished. “I don’t
think it’s a good idea to go before Monday, but I don’t think we should wait any longer
either.”
Monday. That meant tonight and Sunday night would be spent in a lonely bed, while they
subjected the one woman I had ever loved to unimaginable indignities. I made a silent vow
that if they hurt her in any way, and especially if they raped or humiliated her, every last one
of them would die. “Fine. We’ll work during dinner, and spend tomorrow planning. But,
whether the plan’s ready or not, I’m leaving here no later than 3 Monday afternoon. I will
not leave her with them any longer than absolutely necessary.
The Lady cooked yet another decent meal, though not what I was used to. During dinner we
discussed plans, and continued to talk over various contingencies until about midnight.
When I retired for the evening, I approached the bed with dread. I knew that my sleep
would be interrupted with nightmares of everything that could be happening to my lover at
the hands of my unknown enemies.
The next morning I awoke around 8. After a quick shower, I dressed in casual clothing and
headed into the living room. Everyone else was up and also dressed casually. The Dark
Lady was serving a breakfast consisting of eggs, toast and sausage. Pouring myself a cup
of coffee and a glass of juice, I sat down at the table. After breakfast was over, I helped her
do the general housekeeping that I usually helped Marita with on the weekends. After that
was done the four of began a serious discussion of plans and options over a cold lunch.
The discussion continued during dinner. We finished our plans around 1 in the morning.
Going back to bed, I took a couple of sleeping pills to enable me to get a full night’s sleep,
without dreaming. I knew the day would be busy and long, and needed to be fully rested for
my part. Setting the alarm for 1 in the afternoon, I crawled into bed and was immediately
asleep.
