Hearts United (
Table of Contents )
part 12
by Pam Jernigan
****
"Yes, I realize that was this morning, but I was hoping the director..."
"Sorry, Ms. Lane," said the bored staffer. "He's gone home."
"Can I talk to *anyone* who was there this morning? Surely you have volunteers?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. Hang on." There was a scuffle of paper in the background. "Okay, here we go -- this morning. Glenda Harris, Kari Shankenburg, and Erica Young."
"That's great," Lois said, scribbling notes. "But have you got any phone numbers for them?"
"Um... no, don't think so. The director might have them stashed away somewhere, but--"
"Yes, I know; he went home." The universe was clearly out to get her.
"Well, they'll probably be back here tomorrow morning. You could call then."
Or show up in person. "Okay, thanks; I appreciate all the help."
"You're welcome," the staffer replied, oblivious to the sarcasm. "Good night."
Lois hung up the phone and leaned back, stretching. Turning, she saw Francine standing in the doorway.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure. That was the shelter. They say I can call back in the morning, which is fine, except I may not have any fingernails left by then."
"Ah, you'll do okay," Francine said, looking more hopeful than convinced. "If it'll help -- I wasn't going to tell you, but... well, I know a police inspector. He's a straight-up guy, too. I went to see him around lunchtime. He said he'd keep an eye out for Kal."
Lois blinked back sudden tears. "Thanks, Francine."
"Oh, it wasn't anything. Really, I should be thanking you." She smiled slyly. "I was glad to have a reason to see him again."
That was so unexpected that Lois giggled. "Really?"
"Yeah. I knew him a while back -- we'd talk sometimes." She shrugged. "But then I went to the Metro Club and got tangled up with Johnny... and you know the rest."
"Well, I hope it works out for you. Oh, and if you're so friendly, maybe you can ask him about these names. You know, as another excuse to talk to him. I was going to go through the phone book looking for these three -- well, actually, there are too many people named Harris and Young, so I figured I'd try for Kari Shankenburg. How many Shankenburgs can there be?"
Francine drew in a breath. "You won't have to look her up, sweetie. I know her!"
****
He had to get to Lois. Somehow. The waterfall in his head seemed to be urging him into action. Even if he hadn't the faintest clue where to look, sitting in this office any longer wasn't an option he was prepared to consider. Dropping the newspaper on the desk, he walked over to the door. A quick turn confirmed his suspicion; he was locked in.
He could wait until Dr. Porter returned, but he'd really rather not. Even beside the sense of urgency, something about her made him nervous. He paced around the room once, then returned to the door. Frustrated, he grabbed the knob again and rattled it. There was a peculiar crunching, and then the knob turned. Success!
It was only a moment before he was standing out on the street. He looked around, wondering which way he ought to go. The sunlight was fading fast, casting an ominous pall over the neighborhood. Well, the only place he knew how to get to was the homeless shelter, and that seemed as good a destination as any. He needed to find someplace public, with a phone and phone book. Hadn't Lois said something about a theater?
Nodding and stuffing his hands into his pockets, he started walking.
****
"You know her?"
"Yep." Francine was annoyed at Lois's disbelief. "Why does everyone have trouble with the concept that I have friends?"
"Of course you have friends; never mind that. Do you have her number? Or if you know where she lives, maybe we should just go there." Lois jumped up from her chair and grabbed for her coat.
Francine blinked at this sudden surge of energy, but supposed it was only reasonable. "Yeah, I think I can find her -- and I'm driving."
"Okay, fine, whatever. Come on!"
Following Lois out of the building, she just hoped this wasn't going to be a wild goose chase.
****
Gwen hurried along the street, keeping a sharp eye out for hooligans. While the interior plan of her office was superbly suited for her, the neighborhood left a lot to be desired, and it was getting dark. She clutched her purse strap tighter. True, in several years she hadn't yet been assaulted, but the chance was always there. It was the main reason she'd purchased a small but serviceable handgun, two years ago. She'd even gone for training at a gun club. The place was noisy, dirty, and appallingly low-class, but Gwen was a very practical person at heart. The time spent there had been worth it, if only for her peace of mind.
The first step in Kal's programming had already been taken, she reflected. It had been successful, she hoped. She would need to re-enforce the thought that this "Lois" of his was fictional. Perhaps, she thought with a faint smile, he'd spent too much time reading Superman comics.
Actually, Kal had a few things in common with Superman, or so she thought. She'd never wasted her time on comics, but it was hard to avoid having some notion of his powers.
Imagine if she had Superman under her control. It seemed unlikely, on a number of fronts, but the possibilities were dazzling.
Be that as it may, she must make sure that her role in saving the world was well-publicized, and that she received all the respect and rewards that she would be due. Her report was already half-written in her head, composed while waiting for the take-away food to be ready.
She shifted her grip on the large paper sack, turning the last corner. Giving the scene a quick glance, she could see no obvious threat in the gathering gloom. There was only one man on the street, in fact, though she noted he was standing nearly in front of her building. If he'd noticed her, he'd given no sign. Walking a little quicker, she advanced upon him. He turned to look down the street away from her, and as he turned, she recognized his profile.
It was Kal. He'd left the office. Very likely, he just wanted to take a walk, but it was obvious that her control would need to be established soon.
She sped up. She must catch up with him and persuade him back inside. He was her ticket to fame and fortune, and she was prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep him.
****
"Kari?" Francine called through the door while Lois knocked again. It turned out that Kari lived only two blocks away from Riverside Shelter. Ironic, thought Lois, or perhaps not. Judging from what she'd seen of the building so far, it seemed highly unlikely that any of the tenants owned a car. So Kari would have to be within walking distance.
There was a rattle of locks behind the door, drawing Lois's attention. The door opened only as far as the safety chain would permit.
"Kari?"
The expression on the woman's face was not encouraging. "Yeah, Francine. What do you want?"
Francine smiled thinly. "Can we come in? We need to ask you a few questions."
Behind the door, Kari snorted. "You never answer my questions; why should I answer yours?"
Lois glanced at Francine, who shrugged. "She wants to know where Mel is."
"Kari," Lois said clearly, "I'll tell you where Mel is, but I have to ask you something first."
"You will?" Her surprise was clear. "Okay, then." She fumbled with the chain and opened the door far enough for Lois and Francine to step inside.
"So what is the big freaking deal with Melanie?" Kari demanded. "All I want to know is where my friend is."
"Yeah, I'm missing a friend of mine, too," Lois said. "So I know how you feel. This morning, at the shelter, did you see a tall, dark-haired guy who didn't seem to know who he was?"
Kari's eyebrows went up slightly. "Yeah. Now you answer my question -- where's Mel?"
Lois repressed the urge to throttle the girl. "Remember when Mel and Francine and Brenda disappeared? A month or two back."
"Yeah, I remember." Her impatience was clear.
"Well, I was with them, too, and... you may not believe this, but we were kidnapped by these two guys, and they took us to what we later learned was a ship."
"How did you not recognize a ship?"
Lois took a deep breath. "It was a space ship. I know, it sounds nuts, but it's true. The ship took off in the middle of the night, with us on board, and it was a week or so before they brought us back. The two guys who kidnapped us were acting against orders, so the ship captain took care of us. And while we were on board, Melanie fell in love with the younger of the two guys. His name is Zak, and he's not a bad guy, just kind of easily led. So when they were bringing us home, she decided she'd rather go with him back to his home planet. They're probably married already. That's why Francine never wanted to tell you anything; she didn't think you'd believe her. And that's about it." Lois waited, trying to gauge the girl's response.
Kari's eyes were as round as saucers. After a moment, she breathed out a long "Wow."
"You believe me?"
Kari blinked, then smiled. "That is so cool. Good for her! Man, when the aliens took me, it was just for tests and stuff. I never got to talk to any of them."
Lois breathed out, shaky with relief. "Well, I think this was a different bunch of aliens."
"Mel was kinda disappointed in 'em, actually," Francine put in. "Guess she'd been thinking of a different kind, too. They weren't near as enlightened as she thought they'd be."
"So she decided she might as well enlighten them. And then she hit it off with Zak, and that was pretty much it." For the first time, Lois realized, she could talk about Mel and Zak's romance without feeling a heavy overlay of sorrow and envy. "Now *please* tell me? What happened with the guy this morning? Did you recognize him? Do you know where he went?"
Kari came back to reality. "Oh, yeah, it was Kal. You knew him, I think, Francine, from the Metro Club. I used to see him there when I'd go visit Mel, and she always thought he was awful cute."
Yes! Lois closed her eyes. This was progress, finally. "Do you have any idea where he went?"
"Oh, sure." Kari shrugged. "He looked like he needed some help, so I thought of what *I* did when I wanted to dig up repressed memories. My kind of aliens don't want you to remember anything, you know."
"Where. Is. He?" With great restraint she managed not to yell.
"I called my hypno-therapist. She came and took him -- I'm assuming they went to her office."
"And do you know where that is?"
"It's only a couple of blocks west of here. I'll get you the address." She vanished around the corner into what Lois assumed was a kitchen, rummaging around. She tried to calm her heart rate. Although part of her problem was that Kal was agitated, and leaking the emotion through the bond.
Francine touched her shoulder. "It's okay, Lois. We're gonna bring him home."
****
"Kal?" Where did he think he was going? "Kal!"
Through the failing light she saw him stop, his shoulders slumping. He turned to face her, but made no move towards her. By the time she reached him she was slightly breathless. "What are you doing?"
He shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes. "Going for a walk."
Right, just a quiet stroll to take some air. She was certain she'd locked that door. "But how did you--"
"Escape your locked office?" he finished for her helpfully, smiling in a not particularly friendly fashion. "The lock just wasn't that sturdy, I guess. So why did you feel it necessary to lock me in?"
She took a deep breath, stalling for a few seconds. "Kal, you're not well. You don't know who you are or where anything is -- I just didn't want you to get yourself into any trouble."
He seemed unimpressed. "So it was for my own good?"
"If you must put it that way, yes. Kal, we were on the track of something, something important. You can't just walk away from that. If this is anything to do with Nightfall..." She paused, seeing a flicker of unease in his expression. "Then it is imperative that we continue our efforts."
She sensed that he might be wavering, and held up the paper sack. "Look, just come back long enough to share this dinner with me. I got some fried chicken and some ham. I've already bought it, we may as well eat it. I certainly can't eat all of this myself."
"Well, maybe... no." His expression hardened. "When I recover my memory, I'll pay you back."
Time for a change of tactics. Putting on her best impassive look, she mentioned, "It can be a rough neighborhood around here."
He glanced around. "I suppose."
She set the dinner bag on the ground and slid one hand into her purse. "For my own safety, I've gotten into the habit of carrying a gun." She tilted the purse slightly towards, so that he could see her hand on the trigger. It took all her self control to present an appearance of calm. "It's not licensed, so I'd rather not use it, but..."
He tensed, his eyes flickering from her purse to her face. Judging the threat? She couldn't be sure but she doubted that a mere bullet could harm him. However, he didn't know that.
She smiled. "We wouldn't want the food to get cold, now, would we?"
****
He didn't feel nearly as scared as he thought he should. Generally, when people have guns trained on them, they're terrified, right? But amidst the sense of urgency that had been growing for the past half-hour, the most he felt was a mild concern. It wasn't that he thought she was bluffing. She seemed like the sort of person who could shoot someone, then walk home to eat dinner in perfect composure.
"This is pointless, you know," he commented, shifting his weight slightly. The purse smoothly tracked the movement. "I don't know anything, unhypnotized, and I won't agree to be hypnotized again."
She gave a light, ladylike snort. "There are ways... Kal, I cannot emphasize strongly enough--"
The waterfall in his mind abruptly flared to brilliant life, speeding up and spraying drops of joy. It demanded his attention, and was deeply pleasing, in a way he couldn't explain.
"Kal!" A voice called from a little ways behind him. A familiar voice? He turned to see, and found himself hugged tightly by a brown-haired woman who felt absolutely right in his arms. "Oh, god, we found you..." She reached up to grab his head in her hands and kiss him. He slid his arms around her waist, enjoying, if not fully understanding, the moment.
Too quickly, she pulled back far enough to inspect him. "Are you okay? Where have you been? How much do you remember? I was so worried!"
"I'm fine," he said. "But I don't remember much of anything."
"Which is why," Gwen interposed acidly, "He should immediately return to my office to continue his therapy. We've been making excellent progress."
The woman in his arms merely glanced at the doctor before continuing her study of his face. It was highly distracting, but a movement to the side caught his attention. Turning his head to face Gwen, he saw that she was still holding her purse/gun. Only now it was pointed at the newcomer.
He still didn't feel concerned about being wounded or killed. But the threat to this woman -- who he didn't even know, really -- terrified him.
tbc
