Familiar Adversary - Episode 9

Part 9 - String Theory

Sometimes when you think you escape, you don’t. 

It’s all an illusion that the fairy-tale allows you to believe.

***

Last time we spoke and I reflected upon my ongoing tale, I was escaping from Ian, Evie, Nigel and Echo. Yeah, I know. It’s hard to believe I’m running away from the good guys, but I can’t help but be suspicious. I don’t know what’s really going on.

I’m sure, if you haven’t read an episode before, you’re wondering how it’s possible that the author of the series is unaware of the plotline. Let me recap.

When I first found myself in this Alt-World, I thought it was just like my own. It seemed similar. It seemed like the terrain I had seen every day, day in and day out. But there was something a bit odd about this land -- my characters had become flesh and blood and they were trying to kill me!

It started out as me against my main characters Ethan, Kevin and Michela. Kevin faked me out and made me believe he was on my side, and I fell for the ruse. He was my favorite, so of course, I wanted to believe him.

I escaped from him just in time to discover the “real” Ethan Fairchild. When I say ‘real’, I mean a real person from the real world. When I originally created my spy guy, I had a real person in mind for him -- of course, it was only a person I had ever seen on the MetroLink train I rode to work on Wednesdays. I never saw this man very often, but he looked like the man I would cast as my perfect spy. He was the type of man that if you only glanced at him you would swear you had just seen Matthew McConaughey. This was the man I saw in the Alt-World. Kinda freaked me out, if you want the truth.

To keep myself from confusing the fictional Ethan with the real man, I deemed him, Thornton. It was the middle name of my character. Not long later, Thornton revealed to me that he was truly the not so evil twin of Ethan. I should have known. But I didn’t. They had fooled me again.

There was really no one to trust in this world but myself. And that knowledge was a bit daunting to grasp.

He and a few other minor characters from the series claimed to be on my side. They said that the Black Council was attacking Legacy agents and compromising them but altering my storyline. They told me that the Legacy was a real agency and I was merely picking up their stories by a bizarre version of fictional remote viewing.

Then I discovered that I had a few powers in this Alt-World. I could make the characters freeze and throw them across the room merely by thinking it. It’s a cool power. Wish I had it in real life.

I used this cool power to escape, and now I’m on the run again. I’m not sure where I’m running to. I’m just running away. Away from my minor characters to a place where I can figure out what to do next.

That pretty much gets you up to speed about my journey.

Currently, it’s dark and I’m running.

At first, I thought I was home free. No one had followed me out of the place where Ian had me bound and gagged on a very hard, uncomfortable surface. It wasn’t long until I realized that a figure was dogging my every move.

I stopped and stood still. My breath hard and ragged. I could feel the fear inching up on me. I attempted to use my new cool power and thought about transporting the man far away. No matter how hard I pictured the outcome, I could still hear his footsteps breaking twigs as he grew closer and closer to my position.

“Why isn’t it working?” I whispered to myself. “It was working a minute ago and now it’s not working. Dang, my new power is broken and I haven‘t had time to even wear it in properly.”

A haggard man appeared from the shadows directly in front of me and I yelled a short, surprised burst of noise that was more like a bird cawing than a woman screaming for her life. “Please don’t kill me,” I begged, short of breath from my recent run. Did I mention that I have asthma? Running isn’t exactly the best exercise for me.

The man reared back. He seemed almost as taken aback as I was at my appearance. There was a real fear in his eyes. A fear that was mirrored in my own.

He held his hands out toward me in a non-threatening gesture. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But I have to know -- where am I?”

I inched forward attempting to get a better look at him. Underneath the days growth of beard and leaves stuck to his hair and clothes, I thought he looked a bit familiar.

“What’s your name?” I asked curiously.

He came forward extending his hand. I eyed it as if it was a snake about to bite me. He glanced at his hand and rubbed it against his faded, well-worn jeans, then extended it again.

“Nick. Nick Boyd. I’m an officer with the Seattle Police Department. I woke up this morning lying outside in a town I don’t recognize. Do you know where I am?” He paused. “Where is the nearest town?”

I smiled humorlessly at him. I knew Nick Boyd. Nick Boyd was a character from my series, “By Any Other Name.” He was someone that I knew had a real life counterpart. I didn’t know what he looked like, and considering he didn’t look like the character I had cast him as, I assumed he was the real deal.

“I’m not exactly sure myself. My best guess is England. But that’s under the assumption that we’re in a location where I have set one of my series. Other than that, I have no clue. I sort of just woke up here myself.”

I quickly relayed my situation to him. I told him all about Ethan and the spy guys who were after me. He gave me the same humorless look that I had given him earlier. He wasn’t quite convinced that fictional people would be after me. I guess it must have been the police officer part of him. He had to see it to believe it. He needed some evidence.

Nick spread his arms wide and gestured to the woods around us.

“You’re telling me that this is all make believe?” he asked skeptically.

I shrugged. “As far as I can tell, the only real thing in this reality is you and me.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Simple,” I said. “Everyone else is a character from my series.”

I never realized until now how hard it was to understand my series. The man was looking at me like I was the crazy one. He had no clue what a web serial was or how I could even be in this situation to begin with. I had to agree with him there. I didn’t know why I was in this situation either.

“If you believe this nonsense, that’s up to you. I just want to get on the phone and call my partner. He’ll come and pick me up. I’ve had just about as much make believe as I can take.” He placed his hands on slim hips. “Where is the closest house to here?”

I thrust my thumb behind me. “Back at the place where evil twin, Ian, was holding me. Maybe you can break in and do your police thing. Confiscate a phone or something. Then try and call your buddy. If no one’s ever heard of him, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I saluted him and began to walk away down a path that would take me in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“Not back there. They won’t recognize you since you don’t look like the person I cast as Nick Boyd in my series. So, you’ll probably be safe enough. If that doesn’t work, click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home.’” I nodded. “It worked for Dorothy. It couldn‘t hurt.”

I kept walking and didn’t look back. Maybe if they did try something funny back at the house and eventually captured Nick, if he thought the words and thought of home, it might just save him. I was pretty sure that if I had my special power, Nick could have it as well since he was a real person.

As I walked I contemplated as to why Nick would show up here. He’s not a main character in my main series. I hardly write on him at all. But there was a time, before the Legacy that I was writing about a policeman named Nick with a woman who strongly resembled Gia but went by the name Tessa Wainright.

When I first thought about writing an espionage series, they were the people who came to mind, along with a man named John Holland who eventually morphed into my version of Ethan Fairchild. John was a police sketch artist. So how he ever eventually became Ethan is hard to figure. My mind threw everything into the mixing bowl of my brain and it came out The Legacy.

“When is this going to be over?” I silently asked myself. I was so tired and I just wanted this game to end.

A ringing sound echoed through the forest. At first it sounded far away, but soon the noise was coming from the stump next to me. On the stump was an old tin can. Attached to the can was a piece of string. I picked it up to examine it and the echo ceased.

It was only a tin can, but somehow I could hear chatter on the other end. As I put the can closer to my ear, I realized someone was talking on the other end.

“I just wanted to thank you.” The voice said. “You provided exactly what I needed. Without your help we never would have won the war against The Legacy.”

I gasped. “What are you talking about? Who is this?”

“Thank you, Ms. Walker for bringing Nick Boyd to us. You may go home now. Your contract has expired.”

The caller never identified himself. But I could distinctly hear Nick shouting in the background.

How had they gotten him so quickly? And why did they even want him?

Before I could think of a way to save Nick, I experienced an immense tugging. It was almost like someone was pulling my soul away from my body and my body refused to relinquish it.

Suddenly, I awoke in my own bed.

My face was dripping with sweat. I had apparently left the tv on while I dozed and could hear the newscaster relating a story about the sudden disappearance of a police officer in Seattle.

“It was real.” I whispered. “It had to be real.”

Oh, God. What had I done? Because of me they had Nick.

More odd bits

Ten Little Spies

Not Himself

“Bobbie, slow down. You need to tell me what happened so I can understand you.” Mackenzie Gray shook the controller. He seemed to be in shock. Bobbie pointed to the far monitor where Stephen’s dead body still filled the screen.

Mac inhaled a steady breath and called for assistance on his cell. I need medical to get down to the chrio-chamber. Webb has been hit.”

He turned to Bobbie. The boys eyes seemed large as he stared straight through him.

“Who killed Webb?” he asked. “It’s okay. You can tell us.”

“Ethan,” Bobbie said. “It was Ethan.”

^^^

“My sister doesn’t know how to handle something like this,” Kaye Corday said to her partner, Jared Quinn.

“You don’t think you’re underestimating her just a little bit?” Jared asked. He drove the SUV toward the blinking dot on his map. The dot was Dare’s GPS transmitter. All operatives were fashioned with one years ago.

“She hasn’t been trained, Quinn. She’ll just put Dare into more danger.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t want that,” Jared quipped. He and Dare had never been the best of friends.

Kaye studied the map. “The signal has stopped a few miles ahead. What do you think those guys want with Dare and Alison?”

“I stopped trying to make sense of this. Nothing has made sense since that booby-trapped candle was delivered to me.” 

Jared thought about the reasoning behind it all. The only thing that made sense to him was the idea that Ethan and Stephen had both displayed bizarre abilities. Ethan and his nanites and Stephen and his spontaneous healing. Maybe the bad guys thought they all possessed some sort of super power.

^^^

“You’re saying my father is dead?” Adrian Zeller couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that the man he’d been speaking with all these weeks was an imposter.

“Unfortunately, it seems your father has been dead for quite some time. Our forensic team suggests he’s been decomposing for six months. I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Zeller.” Mac Gray rubbed came around the desk and sat next to Zeller. “The device you found simulates a holographic effect around the wearer’s head. It’s a very convincing disguise. Two of my operatives have seen it up close. It’s no wonder you were fooled into believing your father as alive.”

Adrian rubbed two hands over his face. “What do I do now? There’s no telling how many changes he made to the corporation in my father’s name.”

“I suggest you and your lawyer assess everything as soon as possible. He could have acquired your father’s billions or they would have used his various contacts to nefarious ends.”

Adrian held a hand to his head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“In your shoes, I might feel the same. You’re free to go. We’ll let you know when you can return to the property.”

While Adrian was escorted from the mansion, Mac returned to Bobbie in the control room.

“How are you doing?” Mac asked him.

“How can you be so calm about this?” Bobbie asked. “Stephen’s dead.”

Mackenzie asked one of the on-site Legacy sweeper team to take up Bobbie’s position at the security center.

“Come on, kid. I have to show you something.” Mac led Bobbie to a secure area. Only a few trusted agents were allowed beyond this point.

“What’s going on, Mac?”

Mac opened the door and ushered Bobbie inside. Sitting on an elaborate canopy bed inside an elaborately designed bedroom was Stephen Webb.

“What? How?”

“We don’t know. We’ll do a battery of tests,” Mac said. “Strange occurences have been happening inside the Legacy for years. But this has to be the most amazing thing I’ve seen.”

Bobbie poked Stephen to make sure he was real and not a figment of his imagination. A nurse took Stephen’s blood pressure as Mac and Bobbie approached.

“Welcome back from the grave,” Mac said to Stephen.

Stephen chuckled. “Crazy, isn’t it? This is only the second time it’s happened, and I can’t get used to it.”

“Second time?” Bobbie croaked.

“Yeah, Octavia shot me earlier in the day. The bullet pushed out of my body as if something was inside me rejecting it.”

“So, she knows you can do this?” Bobbie asked.

Mac answered his query. “She didn’t see him heal but she knows he got up and walked away from it. We suspect Octavia may have given him something, a formula she was working on. The symptoms didn’t display themselves until after his encounter with the Russian.”

“What is she doing? Trying to make super soldiers?” Bobbie asked. “That’s crazy.”

“No one’s said she’s working with a full deck. Because of her deception and realigning herself with Julian Black, we need to redo every security measure we have. She’s been inside the organization and seen too many things. She’s a dangerous threat to us now.”

Bobbie’s head was spinning with all he’d have to do in the coming days and weeks. 

“What’s the plan,” he asked.

“We’ll discuss that at a more secure location. Let’s just leave it with this -- we’re going old school.”

^^^

Dyan Ransom paced in front of Julian Black’s large mahogany desk She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this at all.

Ten Little Spies - episode bits out of context

Ten Little Spies

By Toni Walker

While Ethan Fairchild and his team evaded Julian’s men, Julian had other plans in mind. He looked to his new recruit, Cypher, a professional hacker, the best in the business. He’d needed his help on occasion and Cypher had provided it, at a price. But to Julian Black, head of the notorious Black Council, price was no object.

“Can you do it?” Julian asked with a tone that edged on hopeful anticipation.

“This is not hacking through a firewall, Black This is hijacking a man’s mind.”

“I don’t need your opinion on the ethics of this. Can you do it?” Julian’s tone turned lethal.

“If those little nano suckers flowing through his blood have any sort of wireless signal, I can gain access to it. It might take a while to decipher the gibberish in his brain, thought. We’re breaking new ground here. This has never been attempted.”

“I need you to do this as fast as you can. It won’t be long before Ethan will require a refresher of the ATP cocktail Myers shot him full of last week. As you being to tax his nanites, Ethan may become weaker. It’s a drawback we’re just going to have to be aware of. I don’t want you to kill him. I need him alive.”

***

"Mac got Gia, Rudy and the others in stasis out of the basement,” Bobbie said his voice filled with relief.

“What about Jared?” Stephen asked.

“He and Kaye went after Alison & Dare. We’re not sure of their whereabouts,” Bobbie said.

“These sudden disappearances are starting to freak me out. First Alison and Dare and now Ethan.”

“What are you talking about? I thought he was looking for an egress route,” Stephen said.

Bobbie’s confidence was shaken. “That was over an hour ago and he still hasn’t contacted me. Not even wirelessly. I’m worried this sudden extended use of his nanites may be draining him. The last time he nearly died when the mini machines began feeding on his energy reserves. Myers didn’t tell us when he’d have to be dosed again. All I can say is, the sooner we can get back to HQ and deal with this the better I’ll feel.

***

Dare Ransom wasn’t sure what Black wanted with him, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let the bastard get the better of him. 

Alison was still beside him. She hadn’t moved since the gurney was wheeled into this fake ambulance façade. If he didn’t miss his guess, Black had made the mistake many had by confusing the identity of Alison and Kaye.

He’d never fallen into that trap. Their personalities were so different it was easy to tell one from another. But then again, he’d been married to their sister, Dyan for years.

“Everything’s going to be all right, Alison. I’ll make sure of it.” Dare whispered in a voice filled with emotion. She didn’t deserve to be pulled into the middle of this. He, however, had known this day would one day come, the day he’d have to pay for his mistakes.

He did love Dyan. He truly did, but she’d been pulling away from him for years. He’d always expected she’d been seeing another man. He’d never had the time to investigate his theory. But the theory was enough to spur him into a mistaken relationship with Kaye who was unstable and edging on the side of delusional. She’d blown up in her mind their few brief encounters into a love affair of epic proportions. When this was all over, he’d suggest professional help. Until then, he just had to keep them all alive.

When the ambulance came to a halt, the hair on the back of Dare’s neck stood on end. He wasn’t sure what to expect when the doors opened but he’d been through this sort of thing enough times to expect trouble.

“I wouldn’t resist,” the driver whispered through the partition. “Those guys are just looking for a fight.”

Dare wasn’t sure why the driver had sympathy for their situation, but he couldn’t afford to trust anyone. Trusting the wrong people was a death warrant.

The guard who opened the door couldn’t have been more than twenty-five. He clutched a semi-automatic in both hands and waved it in the direction of a three-story brownstone. The building looked like much of the architecture in London, so they couldn’t have gone far. All he needed was an opening to get him and Alison into the tunnels beneath the city. Once there, he knew he could easily get them back to safety. 

“How can you be so calm? Alison asked her high pitched soprano voice didn’t fit with her smoky-eyed bombshell appearance.

“When I see a threat, I’ll let you know.” Dare mumbled. Then a guard shoved him from behind causing him to stumble forward.

“Get moving,” the guard ordered.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want, hotshot.” Dare assessed his restraints as he stopped suddenly bumping Guard Number One. Guard Number Two leveled a pistol at Alison’s head.

“Do that again and I’ll put a bullet through her pretty little head.” Guard Number Two looked pleased with himself when Dare backed away.

They led them to an empty room on the first-level. The door wasn’t particularly strong, and all Dare had to do was bide his time until an opportunity presented itself.

Alison punched Dare lightly on the shoulder. She wasn’t strong like her twin sister, Kaye. “Let’s not try to provoke the soldier wanna-bees, all right? I don’t want one of them accidentally shooting my foot off.

Dare chucked.. “Nice to see you’re back in good humor. Most of the drugs must have worn off.”

“When I woke up this morning, this was not how I planned out my day.”

“It wasn’t high on my priority list either.”

“I hope you know of a way to get us out of here.”

Dare stared at her thoughtfully. “I’m working on it.” He liked to work on the fly. And Alison knew better than anyone how he could get himself out of a jam with only a paperclip. She didn’t see any nearby, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

“What do they want with us?” Alison asked as she watched Dare check for escape routes.

“No clue. I’m not really interested in why.” He found a loose large stone near the floor. It opened like a doorway. It was big enough for Alison to crawl through but not Dare. “We have to get out of here before they move us to a secondary location. Crawl through here and find help.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Alison protested.

“I’m a big boy. I think I can handle it.” He rubbed her arm in a comforting gesture. “Please, Alison. Go. Save yourself.”

“No.” She tried to object more but Dare shoved her feet into the opening. He was much stronger than her and before she knew what was happening he’d pushed her completely through and closed the opening.”

“Dammit,” she screamed pounding the rock wall. “Why did you do that!”

Cloak & Dagger - Episode 13 - Who To Trust?

Episode 13: Who To Trust?

Gia Doyle didn't realize her current actions were most unlike her but since she had the mysterious microchip extracted from her brain her personality had drastically changed.

"You don't need to do this," Will Daly said. "I was happy to wait for the landlord."

Gia smiled. It was an expression she had rarely used in the past. And if any of her usual co-horts had been around to see it, they wouldn't have believed it.

"Henry isn't the most reliable soul," she said. "Let me do this for you. I can afford it."

Will agreed but it was silently understood that this conversation was not over. He liked paying his own way but with his billfold locked in his apartment, he was at Gia's mercy. Not that it was a bad thing. He kind of liked the idea of being trapped by Gia.

The boutique where Gia had an account was fancy and high end. They had selections for both men and women but mainly focused on corporate attire. The sales lady whisked Will off while eyeing Gia warily. It was obviously Gia had been there in the past being her former rude self. So, obviously, The entire staff jumped to help her.

"How can I assist you today, Ms. Doyle?" a young, pretty blonde said with a slight fearful hitch in her voice.

"I'm not really here for me. I'm just trying to get Will on his way. But I wouldn't mind checking out some of those fall outfits." 

The blonde glanced from the clothes rack and back to Gia.

"Really?" Her voice was skeptical. "Is that really your style?"

"Oh, sure. They look very cozy. And I'm all about being comfortable."

That fact was news to the sales lady. She'd obviously waited on Gia in the past and was used to her clipped, angry tones and sharp orders. She flipped through a stack and found a warm berry and burn orange selection that went perfectly with Gia's dark auburn hair and skin tone.

"Oh, that's wonderful. What about a couple of pairs of jeans too? I don't seem to own any. I'm not sure why."

The sales lady, named Sallee, raised a curious eyebrow. "Ma'am, you usually only buy severe suits and corporate clothing. I'm not surprised you don't own a pair of jeans."

The two of them spent a good half an hour looking through the store's casual section. Gia had a near cart full of warm winter tops, jeans and sweaters, not to mention a couple of make up palettes she just couldn't manage to bypass without buying.

"I have to say, Ms. Doyle. This is the loveliest experience I have had working with a client."

"I"m glad." She handed the girl her credit card. "Make sure and put Mr. Daly's purchases on here as well."

Sallee ran back to the men's dressing room to find the prices. She was only gone a moment before letting out a blood curdling scream. Gia ran to investigate and found a blood drenched body of a sales lady and red hand prints on the mirror in bloody smears that suggested a dire scene had taken place inside the dressing room. 

She placed a calming hand on Sallee's shoulder. "Call the Constable and a medic immediately." 

Sallee gave her a glassy-eyed nod and rushed off happy to oblige and leave the messy scene.

Instinct told Gia that this crime was personal. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the only person she thought she could trust. "Philip? I have a situation."

***

Chandelor Knight may have been stored away in an alternative location inside the Knights Foundation mansion but that didn't necessarily mean he was safe. Liz Hunter and Bobbie Sullivan maintained their charades. Liz as the Gia wanna-be and Bobbie as Chandelor. Faith Fairchild knew what was going on but Liz and Bobbie both had reservations about her. They didn't know how far they would be able to trust her. She had many issues in the past not to mention she was currently sleeping with the enemy and had been for months. Could she have been compromised too?

Unbeknownst to Faith, Liz or Bobbie, Daniel Fouts had a bigger plan up his sleeve. While Fouts diistracted them, a second team stealthfully stormed the fortress and went straight for Chandelor.

***

The little girl in the dream sequence with the Madam Zolton card quickly faded away and he was once again in the hallway of The Legacy lying on a gurney with unfamiliar faces around him.

Something was pulling at his energy reserves. Something was controlling him and he had no power to stop it. Suddenly his mind wandered to another time. A time when he was young and also had no control over his life.

Ethan Fairchild had spent his entire existence trying to recover from scars endured from a childhood fraught with fear, anxiety and trembling. Father Macaire Ambrose and his aunt on his father, Franklin's side, Sister Mary Rosa had brought on much of the fear, much of the torment,. All in the name of a faceless God he could not, no, would not identify with.

He had never felt this vulnerable or weak before. As a spy he had trained his mind to deal with unusual scenarios, things normal people would think unfathomable. But he didn't flinch.

That was the job.

He knew it had successfully torn a huge hole in his heart but thew was no going back now. The damage had been done starting with Macaire Ambrose and his strict church doctrine. 

It was no wonder he had fled at his first opportunity when he was young toughing it out on the streets of New York then London. He ran as far from Macaire Ambrose and his aunt, Sister Mary Rosa as he could. If what Father Ambrose had to offer was religion, he wanted no part of it.

And in the end, it was this distrust of the system, of "the man in the corporate office," the powers that be, for his father to take advantage of his mindset and lure him into the life of a spy. Now that life was being drained from him. He could not only feel it but see it. It was as if the nanites were tormenting him, fighting against him.

As the gurney he had been hefted onto careened down the hallway, Ethan could for the first time feel his life slipping away from him.

***

Ian hated leaving the old man behind but he had no choice. The man promised he could escape on his own, but Ian wasn't so sure. He'd been imprisoned for much longer than Ian had he had. Ian wondered  if he had an ulterior motive for staying behind. Maybe he wanted ta showdown with Isidor. Ian wasn't sure but he knew a man with a vendetta when he saw one.

He pulled Athena down the dark corridor, but to him it looked almost as bright as day. It was like he had a sudden night vision.

"How do you know where you're going?" Athena gasped stumbling over the rough surface o the mine shaft floor. "It's pitch black and I can't see a thing."

"Trust me." I know what I'm doing," Ian said. 

Athena wasn't one to put a lot of weight in trust. Both her father and her sister had lived this nefarious double life she knew nothing about. She could hear the guard's worlds taunting her, telling  her how her father's decision were made to keep her in a lavish lifestyle. She tried not to let it get to her but she could sense a sliver of truth among the lies. And it was a truth she didn't want to focus on.

"You're lagging behind. Try to keep up." Ian's voice was gruff and determined. 

"The only way you're going to go any faster is if you carry me," Athena said. "so, why don't you give me a break."

"If you insist." Ian grabbed Athena by her thighs and threw her over his should like a huge sack of flour. Athena gave out a shrill squeal as she picked up his pace.

"What in the hell are you doing?" She pounded on his back.

"At the moment I'm close to my destination." He was beginning an almost robotic speech pattern and it  was freaking her out. "Pipe down. We should be there in a few minutes."

It was a strange phenomena. Ian had been near exhaustion before  being zapped with the stun gun. And now he suddenly had enough energy to power half of London. Little did Ian know exactly where he was getting his reserve of energy.

Next time on The Legacy: Cloak & Dagger:

Familiar Adversary - Episode 8 - Train of Thought

Part 8 - Train of Thought

"Where do you think you're going, little miss?"

The second man sounded younger, maybe mid-twenties. I hadn't seen his face yet, so I wasn't sure which bad guy he could be. I didn't think any of them were that young.

A face suddenly filled my vision. He had a shock of spiky hair colored in a checker board pattern of various dark blacks and vibrant yellows.

I know that hair. I created that hair for a very specific character and it surprised me that this character would be involved with the likes of a bad guy like Ian.

"No way!" I shouted. "Echo? You can't be evil!"

Echo laughed. "Evil? Of course not. I'm not evil. At least no more evil than you are."

Echo turned to Ian and smiled. "She thinks I'm evil."

That's when Ian came back into my view. He spoke to Echo but looked directly at me.

"That's because she thinks we're behind everything that is going on."

A third voice joined the other two. This one was a young girl's voice.

"Don't' you think it's about time you gave her the 411 on the situation? She is, after all, the creator of us all." The girl giggled. "The characters teaching the one who created them. That's pretty cool, don't you think?" This voice belonged to Evie Raines from my series, Legacy of Spies.

I was completely thrown off guard. What was Echo and Ian and Evie doing working together?

Evie pushed the other two away and leaned over me. I was pretty much stuck where I was since the trio had shackled me to the bed where I was still lying on my back. I could only see straight up.

"You know what," Evie said. "I have a bug to pick with you. Why is it that you gave all these spy guys episode after episode of exposure but I get barely nothing. And... AND... I don't even get to meet the cool, dreamy spy guys? I mean, come on! Who was I really going to hook up with on LoS? I think we all knew that Tony Wolfe was on his way out and I doubt Mac would give me the time of day not when he has both Nikki and Teresa to contend with. And, by the way, you never did tell me who my sister is."

Evie crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't think that was very nice of you at all."

All I could do was stare at her since my arms were still clasped in bindings. The thoughts running through my head were bumping into one another. I was trying to figure out why I wasn't' dead and why they were talking my ears off. I was also a bit concerned about how they had come to know of my intentions for other characters like Tony Wolfe. And why they had banded together in the first place.

Seeing Evie there opened up the possibilities even wider. This wasn't just The Legacy. This was Legacy of Spies too. And most likely my entire Legacy Universe had been affected. It was boggling my mind.

"If you're all not mysteriously evil like my other main characters... why am I still tied up?" I was really getting tired of lying here like a victim.

Ian came over and sat next to me. "I needed a captive audience. I needed time to explain my position."

"Explain your position?" I mocked. "What position? In my story, you were evil."

"No," he said, defensively. "You hadn't completely developed my character yet. I had the * possibility * of being evil. I even heard a rumor running down the train of thought that you even thought I might be the real Ethan Fairchild."

I wanted to turn away but I couldn't. I felt open and exposed lying on a table like a slab of meat.

"There's no way you could know what I was thinking."

Another voice joined the mix, one decidedly British. "We're all thought forms in your mind. And with a person like you with a vivid imagination ... those thought forms sometimes communicate."

The British accent threw me off for a moment, but seeing Nigel Bennett from Legacy of Spies almost didn't surprise me.

"So, you know about every decision I've made about plotlines and character histories?" I had to find out as much as possible before I attempted an escape. I was already working on getting my hands loose from the bindings.

"We remember things that you remember. And like you, sometimes the memory of plotlines past begin to fade. Every character in your Legacy Universe is struggling for existence. You're forgetting about us and we don't want to be forgotten."

My mind was still a little boggled about how Ian could know I thought about the Bulgarian Underground lab from time to time and had more than once conjured the possibility that the wrong Ethan had escaped. And maybe a cloned Ethan had been sent into my universe instead of the true spy guy.

"There had to be a reason why you resisted making me completely evil," Ian said. "A reason why you held out the possibility that I could be one of the good guys."

"Stop reading my mind, Ian." Speaking to these guys was beginning to get a little spooky. Now they were catching onto my immediate thoughts. I didn't' know if that was good or bad. I guess it depended on if they were truly good or evil.

The biggest concern I had at the moment besides getting home was "who brought me here and how much damage had they done to my storyline?"

"I know you're full of questions, but I have just one. If your favorite character is Kevin Fairchild, why did you make Ethan your main spy?"

They all stared down at me with enquiring eyes. It was a little unnerving. But I was almost free of my bindings. I had been working to loose them the entire time we talked.

I hated being put on the spot. How did they know that I preferred Kevin over Ethan? This must be another display of their mind reading ability.

Ian leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Seems like we're all on the same train of thought doesn't it?"

"I don't know," I mocked. "Were you expecting this?" I had freed my hands and punched at Ian's face. I imagined him crumpling to the ground and reeled backward. The shock on his face was apparent. I had moved him without barely a punch. And I knew that the punch hadn't caused him much pain.

"How did you do that?" Ian asked backing away slightly.

"My train of thought is just a little stronger than yours. And like you said, I did create you." I mentally froze them all to the spot and then ran out the back door. I was probably making a mistake but I needed time to regroup and decide what to do next.