The Temporal (24 page)
Authors: CJ Martin
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Chapter One
“How many of them, boy?”
The old man
’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open as if still in the process of releasing his last word. Sam couldn’t tell if it was from fear or simply the anticipation of the moment.
Sam closed his own eyes and shut out the world around him. Patterns soon emerged within his mind
’s eye that represented Nephloc—the dark creatures under the enemy’s control.
“
Three—no, four,” Sam said, opening his eyes and turning to Marcus who was not twelve inches away. “And they are closing in fast.”
Seeing a burgeoning smile, Sam determined the wide eyes
were revealing anticipation and not fear.
Sam looked down from the rafters upon which they were hiding and watched as Suteko walked casually around a chair on the floor below. She wore her long, silky hair back in a ponytail. Her clothes were loose to enable quick and varied movements. She was dressed for battle.
She was the bait.
It had been Marcus
’ plan, and Sam was dead set against it. He had finally found the woman he had been dreaming about all his life, and the best plan they could come up with was to have the woman of his dreams become the lure to entice the Nephloc—a waking nightmare—into a trap. But it was their only hope; the Temporal had no knowledge of the Nephloc’s plan and desperately needed intelligence. All they knew was the Nephloc would be coming and that meant opportunity.
Brushing Sam
’s fears aside, Suteko understood this was their best chance to gain information, and she willingly submitted to the plan. Kaileen—the presumed leader of the Nephloc—was on the move, always one step ahead of the Temporal. No one would be safe until she was stopped. If they could just get some hint of her location, this whole matter could be behind them; Sam and Suteko could have a life together.
The call-out by Marcus was answered by fewer than he had hoped. Many Temporal, individualistic by nature, had not been fond of the idea. Others understood the danger and were arranging transportation. The time table varied for those planning to come. Some were willing to leave immediately. Others required weeks to settle local accounts.
Ian Cooke and Catherine Porras were the first to arrive in Washington DC. Even before Marcus’ invite, they were intent on paying the old man a visit. While nothing concrete had happened, both Ian and Catherine had experienced a number of strange parallel dreams. Consulting Marcus in person seemed appropriate. Hearing of the threat only solidified their decision.
But they were not without their disagreements. Ian had a past with both Suteko and Marcus, and Catherine was highly suspicious of Suteko
’s intentions.
Their dreams and visions had been filled with dark creatures. These evil beings were searching for something. After some discussion, Ian and Catherine both agreed that the object of their desire was Suteko. From this theory, the current plan was decided upon.
In their visions, Ian and Catherine had both been shown a specific location. They were certain the attack would take place there. They had no address, but both had a vague sense of the area and felt like they could find it.
Marcus consulted with Pr
esident Brad Gardner who sent Lieutenant Scott Harrison. Harrison worked in close liaison with the Pentagon and the Secret Service as a facilitator, someone who organized meetings and had the authority to make what needed to happen happen.
Following Ian and Catherine
’s instructions, they soon discovered the location. Remembering their visions, they immediately recognized the outside of the house. When they stepped in, it was also exactly like their dreams. Only their guide, Lieutenant Harrison, was surprised to discover the house was actually a Secret Service safe house; the others nodded as if some deep puzzle had been solved.
With its few rooms and exposed r
afters, the building was more of a cabin than a house. It sat atop a small hill and a good half of a mile away from the nearest neighbor. The north side of the hill had the lone access road and provided an unobstructed panoramic view—perfect for watching for any visitors.
The lieutenant was told only Suteko would require lodging at that location. It wasn’t that Lieutenant Harrison was untrustworthy—he seemed to be of the highest moral character—but somehow the Nephloc would learn that Suteko would be alone in this place, and they wanted to plant as many seeds as possible to lead them to that conclusion.
They had been waiting for over a week, each night careful to make it appear as though Suteko was alone and vulnerable.
But now, the time had finally come. Ian and Catherine’s visions had proved prophetic.
Up in the rafters, Sam shot a glance at Ian. Marcus was next to him near the doorway, but Ian was positioned in the middle of the room over Suteko
’s chair.
Ian had seemed quite taken aback by the dreams. Sam had noticed it. The Briton had been giving Suteko more than a fair share of his attention. The subtle glances; the readiness to agree and take Suteko
’s side no matter the context... While he certainly appreciated Ian’s concern and protection, Sam began to suspect Ian had more on his mind than simply preventing a nightmare.
It wasn
’t that Ian was a bad guy. The first time they met, they seemed to have hit it off. But a few days later, Ian was a totally different person. Sam didn’t put it together at first, but he suspected it had something to do with Suteko spending most of her free time with him.
“
Suteko,” said Sam in a voice just above a whisper, “thirty seconds.” He had let the thoughts of recent events run too rampant. Sam had to get control of himself within the moment—anything but total success was unacceptable.
The old man, who was near Sam, asked,
“Which direction?”
“
They are circling the building,” Sam said, drawing his finger around before pointing at the window and then to the door.
Ian
’s face hardened. His right hand squeezed a wooden beam a little too hard, sending bits of wood pulp to the floor. He was above and to the right of Suteko, about six feet from Marcus and Sam.
“
Steady.” Marcus’ face was resolute, his voice little above a whisper. “Ian, watch the window. Sam and I will focus on the door. No talking.”
Ian and Sam nodded and concentrated their attention on their respective targets. Suteko sat down on the single wooden chair in the middle of the room. After glancing upward, she alternated her eyes between the curtained window and the solid oak door. Sam wondered how she could be so composed.
A screeching sound, like that of a barn owl, boomed outside, causing the window to rattle.
Sam touched the old man
’s shoulder and got his attention. He flashed out three fingers in the direction of the door and one at the window. The old man nodded, and Sam turned his attention back to the door.
Suddenly
Sam began to worry. He sensed the four creatures were just outside the door and window of this small cabin, but they were not moving.
Ian waved his hand in Marcus
’ direction and then signed a silent question with his right hand. After reading the sign language, Marcus leaned over to Sam and whispered into his ear, “He’s asking what’s going on?”
“
The Nephloc are outside the door and window, but they are just waiting for some reason.”
“
Can you read their thoughts?” asked Marcus in a voice just over the hum of a nearby air vent.
After making sure his legs and arms were solidly on multiple beams, Sam closed his eyes and concentrated. He allowed his body to relax. Dark gray patterns immediately floated before his closed eyes.
Faces appeared and grew in detail. He began labeling the patterns he saw. Doing so organized what he saw, preventing confusion. He saw Marcus, Ian, and Suteko. He noted Catherine’s pattern several hundred meters away. No doubt, she was watching and also listening to the echoes while waiting for the signal.
He turned his attention to the middle area just outside the small building. There, he saw four dark patterns that ignored his attempt to bring them into greater detail. He could see nothing more than gray shapes. The enemy was emitting some kind of barrier that prevented Sam from learning more.
It was like receiving a television channel that had been scrambled; he could see that something was there, but its content was a mystery. He had never encountered this kind of resistance and was unsure of its meaning. But he knew one thing: these were their hunters, the Nephloc that had come to harm Suteko.
His anger burned enough to momentarily disrupt his concentration, but he soon had the indefinite shadows back into view. He saw no further detail, but he could at least monitor their movements.
As Sam quieted his ears, the nature of the information he was receiving from the four dark shapes changed. It all seemed meaningless—garbled data missing the beginning or the key portion that could unlock the meaning of the message. But it was information and information meant intelligence.
Sam tried a different approach. He stopped trying to listen or view their thoughts as one would hear or read language. Instead, he attuned his senses to their hearts. These Nephloc had been well trained. They were masking their thoughts
—or else someone was masking the thoughts for them. They could not, however, hide their feelings, their pure evil intent.
There was something else that Sam sensed… fear.
Sam whispered into Marcus’ ear, “They want confirmation Suteko is here and alone. They sense a trap.”
Suteko looked up at Marcus. He signed a message to her. She nodded and began singing, slowly and softly. It was a Japanese lullaby just loud enough to penetrate the door in front of her.
Mori no fukuro ga iimashita
Watashi wa mori no mihari yaku
Kowai okami, Kitsune nado
Kosasenai kara ne ne shina
Gorosuke ho ho Gorosuke Ho
Sam was enchanted by Suteko’s voice and the Japanese words, very few of which he understood. He knew it had something to do with an owl in the forest standing guard against terrible wolves and foxes. He knew the Nephloc were listening and were likewise interested in the sound. He just hoped they didn’t know about the owls watching and waiting for the foxes.
He began to see movement in the patterns and shapes on the map in his mind.
The Nephloc were responding to her voice. It was working.
Then, Sam
’s muscles tightened. He could sense that they were counting down. Marcus and Ian looked to Sam as he held up five fingers and folded one for each second that passed.
He closed his fist.
Thank you for reading.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed The Temporal. If you did, would you mind rating it at your favorite online bookstore? I’m sure you know ratings and reviews make a tremendous difference.
I would love to hear from you. If you have any opinions/advice/questions about The Temporal or would just like to chat, please don’t be shy.
—
CJ Martin
March 2013
CJ Martin, originally from Florida, spent several years in Japan learning the language and soaking up the culture. Many of his stories draw from this experience.
The Tanaka series of short stories and novels explore one Japanese man’s desire to protect his family and end the cycle of violence prompted by a group of revenge-minded yakuza. Betrayal, murder, timeless friendship, and family secrets abound, delving deep into Tanaka’s past.
Tanaka, Sons of Redemption is due out
Fall 2013.
The Temporal is a supernatural thriller
about a group of people with special, almost super-hero abilities, and a dark group of creatures called the Nephloc. Book two of the Temporal series,
A Temporal Trust
, is available now.
Please visit
http://www.CJMartinBooks.com
for updates
.
Please contact the author at
[email protected]
or visit his blog at:
http://cjmartinbooks.com
Your comments and questions are most welcome.
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Continue reading with...
A TEMPORAL TRUST
Book Two in the Temporal Series