A Room To Ourselves

The Trucker and the Esper find the Redding Library and see that there are a number of restaurants nearby. One Chinese take-out place looks incredibly promising. The library is filled with people. The noise level is enough to make the librarian appear to be frazzled as she peers over horned rimmed glasses at wookies, mini-vaders, and far-too-round supermen and wonderwomen. The con goers are enjoying various conversations about their hobbies and other life interests amongst the books and shelves of the library. There are a number of computers at the library, most of which seem to be occupied.

When a terminal frees up, Vesper is able to secure the computer and onto the internet the pair journey. Alvin Cormand doesn't seem to have too much on him, except for the papers he's published. The work itself seems tied directly to the profession and doctorate. The 5 critical papers that come up most often are:

• P vs NP and the Problems of the Drake Equation
• Navier–Stokes equations application to stellar movements and the mass of dark matter particles
• Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer in relations to genetics coding
• Commander Hilbert and the Pascal Overlook
• Ramsey Theory inclusions in popular children's games

Not much else, even on his own personal page, which is mostly links to other mathematics depts. across the globe. Back out of the library and away from the oogling eyes of a nerd-ified "Wolverine", Tucker is able to procure a bottle of a fruity pinot grigio while Vesper orders a goodly amount of Chinese for an incredibly low sum. Tucker leads the way back to the hotel, and the room is like many that he has stayed at over the years, one bed, a table and a lamp by an oversized window with the curtains drawn. A dresser that has probably never been used and a TV that purportedly is connected to DirecTV including the sports channels. With the food lain out on the table between the two of them and cheap plastic cups that came with the room holding the wine, they find themselves alone and quiet. It's another hour or two before the seminar, and the silence is broken by a very distant howl, Perhaps the Wolfman is playing too loud in another room.

Tucker strangely cocks his head at the howl, as if trying to discern some meaning from it. After a second, he shakes his head slightly and sighs.

Wielding a set of chopsticks with some flair, Tucker takes a bite from his chow mein. "And what have we learned from our research, Mrs. Peel?" he asks playfully. He wonders if Vesper will pick up the reference; maybe it's getting a taste of the con atmosphere at the library, but he finds himself a bit giddy.

Then again, he thinks to himself, I'm in a hotel room with food, drink and a pretty young thing who's apparently quite amiable. Why shouldn't I be in a good mood?

Vesper's head snaps up sharply as she hears the howl. Relaxing slightly, she grins at Tucker and asks "Is that a friend of yours? I really wouldn't have minded if you invited him or her over. I don't eat like a wolf and we have enough here for a friendly furry guest or two. Oops, I don't think we have enough wine to share however."

"I don't think he's much into Chinese," Tucker mumbles around a mouthful of noodles. " I think he likes his food a bit more fresh and recently dead." He stops for a second as he realizes his slip then stuffs another mouthful in to erase the taste of bootheel on his tongue.

Vesper nods in appreciation of Tucker's skill with the chopsticks, she opts for the more American combination of fork, spoon and knife and starts in on the shrimp. After taking a sip of the wine she comments playfully "For future reference, I am generally more of a German wine girl. I would have chosen a good Gewürztraminer to go with our Asian dinner. However, since you don't have an educated wine palate, this was a good choice."

"That I certainly don't," Tucker confesses with no shame. "I just grabbed what the clerk suggested. I think of wine more as a cooking ingredient than a beverage. I do have a soft spot for Asian beers, though. Unfortunately, the liquor store had no Ki-rin."

After Tucker addresses her as Mrs. Peel, Vesper replies in a voice very reminiscent of a young Diana Rigg. "Very well, Mr. Steed, lets think about the the good doctor's papers. Their general subjects are:

The possibility of using computers to overcome the problems with the search for intelligent alien life.

Fluid dynamics and how they apply to the movement of space bodies and the density of particles of Dark Matter.

The conjecture is that there is a simple way to tell whether such equations have a finite or infinite number of rational solutions. Now in relation to genetics it would seem that a even a large finite set of genetic solutions could provide for radical mutations and/or unique combinations of any genome an infinite set almost guarantees that such mutations and/or strange genetic combinations are possible.

I have no clue about the fourth except that it discusses both physics and advanced mathematics.

The fifth discusses the inclusion of the theory that a sufficiently large system, no matter how random, must contain highly organized subsystems, in children's games.

Of course we are all interested in the Seminar 'Super Powered Human Beings in a Modern Age' being held at the Cascade Theatre held by "Alfred Butts". If Dr. Alvin Cormand is actually here for this seminar as well, perhaps its something a little more than an elaborate practical joke. I mean Dr. Cormand's paper could explain how genetics actually allows for the existence of superpowered people. But given that Dr. Cormand's field is mathematics and not genetics, his papers can only supply theoretical possibly, not proof. I wonder why the FBI would consider him so dangerous based upon a few theories?"

Tucker realizes he's sitting there with his mouth open and self-consciously shuts it. He can't help chuckling, though, and barely manages to keep from guffawing and spraying half-chewed food across the room.

"Oh-kay, Little Miss Know-It-All, You've certainly shown up this poor ignorant trucker." There is no rancor in his voice, and his eyes are alight with an amused twinkle. It's obvious whatever interest in Tucker may have shown about Vesper, her little speech has succeeded in raising it a few notches.

Vesper laughs softly and replies affectionately "Tucker, I respect you for being a truck driver. But moving necessary foods and goods from one side of this country to the other isn't an academic edevor. I am a college student currently studying to become a doctor, I live in the heart of Academia. While I may actually be smarter than you, in this case we are discussing things that are more in my field of knowledge than yours. Thats all."  She concludes with a playful grin.

"As to your question, Let's take a short tour through the Land of the Tin-Foil Hats. Perhaps the government doesn't like the idea of the public accepting the existence of superhuman people in their midst, so in the 'interest of national security', they feel it necessarily to stifle any discussion regarding it."

He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "If Cormand's gonna be at the con, though, that makes things all sort of interesting. You know the feds aren't so stupid as to not consider the possibility too."

Vesper shakes her head and gently reminds Tucker, "Tucker, Dr. Alvin Cormand is one the of people the two FBI agents-in-black showed me and the other two girls the picture of. They are definitely expecting him to be here . So, there is more to this whole super-powered being phenomena than the government is willing to admit."

After a moment where she was chewing thoughtfully both physically and mentally she swallowed and added, "While me and my roommate were on our way here, we were listening to a radio talk show that had Dr. Mark Swanson, an expert in evolution and genetic sciences, as its guest. Both the host and Dr. Swanson spent the entire time trying to completely dismiss and ridicule even the remotest possibility of a genetic and/or evolutionary explanation for super-powered people."

Did Tucker somehow know that my grandfather was a Diana Rigg fan and has shown me every episode of The Avengers? Vesper wondered, Or did I somehow slip that to him? Why am I attracted to this guy anyway? Well know for sure that there is a wolf in his life and maybe he has other powers that are animal-related.  Certainly he has been better company than my last bed partner.

Tucker takes a sip from his wine before answering. "That's not surprising. If the government is really set on trying to keep a lid on this, that sort of stuff is SOP. Deny, dismiss and deflect."

He stands up and paces, his eyes focused on some point far away from the room. "Y'know, you grow up being told that we're the good guys, that the things we did were for the common good." He's not speaking to Vesper so much as letting out feelings that sat moldering in the corners of his mind. "Then you come across s**t like this and you can't help but wonder, is it all bulls**t? Does what we did really matter, or did we just get played for saps?"

He stops and rubs his eyes. "Damn, listen to me," he mutters in self-disgust. "Next thing I'll be sweeping the room for bugs and checking the windows for surveillance." He raises his cup in salute to the young girl and says in a normal, amiable tone, "I'm sorry about that, Vesper. I'm not exactly a dazzling conversationalist, eh?"

Vesper looks up at him and speaks sympathetically, “You remind me of some of the things my mother would say when she and grandfather would argue about things like Watergate, Vietnam, and several of the top Greatest Misses in United States history.”

She watches as he paces and talks to himself aloud. When he finishes speaking, she replies, “You sound like a Veteran, Tucker the Trucker. Military and overseas service in the name of our country has also been a big part of the lives of my family. As an American who spent a lot of time overseas I can say honestly that most of the time, when we really know what we are doing, we are the good guys. We do commit a lot of good deeds in the world. However since we are human, we sometimes fuck up.”

Vesper takes a breath and then says to Tucker with a very feline grin, “I didn't come here looking for a dazzling conversationalist. I came here with you. But on that subject, why don't you tell me a little bit more about yourself, before your lupine buddy comes scratching on the door. I've told you a little bit more about me, so you owe me.”

Tucker regards Vesper with a crooked grin and a chuckle. "I'll be damned if I know what to think about you," he says, somewhat wistfully.

With a shake of his head and another chuckle, he sits down to sprawl on the bed, his back propped on the headboard. "Okay, then. Anything in specific you're really looking for? Oh, and yes, I served a tour. Army Signal Corps. Pretty much a glorified radio operator, although I got to drive a deuce-and-a-half to transport the equipment, which is how I got into trucking."

Twenty Questions
Vesper claps her hands together excidetly and exclaims, "Oh goody! I get to ask twenty questions?"
As he gets more comfortable, she sits next to him looking down at his face, one hand on either side of his head.
With a slightly more serious tone she asks her questions:

1. What is your height, weight, and age?

   Tucker laughs out loud. "Oh, is this how it's going to be?" he says, amused. He rolls over slightly to dig out his wallet and hands Vesper his CDL (Commercial Driver's License) card. "There's official documentation, so you know I ain't lying," he declares with wink.
    

2. How many children do you have, what are their names and their ages, please?

   Tucker's smile softens. From his wallet he fishes out two worn photos and passes them over. The first one shows a young girl, around 9, her gap-toothed grin slightly hiddedn by the large well-loved teddy bear she's hugging tightly. The family resemblance is definitely visible.

   "That's Terry," he explains. "Cute as a button and sharp as a whip. She's, ah, nine."

   The other picture shows a slightly older, more serious girl, looking up from a book with the classic exasperated expression of a child annoyed at a parant's antics. With her, the resemblance is not as strong.

   "And that's Mel. I'm sorry, Melissa," he says with the tone of someone who's been corrected many times. "She's probably going to be the first woman president if Chelsea Clinton doesn't get there first. Oh, she's 11," he adds with a wry chuckle, "going on 18."
    

3. How long have you been divorced from your ex-wife?

   The smile fades into a wistful shadow of his earlier humor. "It's been five years. She re-married about three."
    

4. Did you really leave her over your job, or was there another reason?

   "I didn't leave her. She left me. I believe the term was 'irreconcilable differences'," he says, with just the slightest twinge of aged bitterness. "At least that's what I think was written on the papers her lawyer made me sign."

   He sighs and leans back to bang his head softly against the headboard. "We got married shortly before I signed up. She managed being an Army wife, but I guess being a trucker's wife was too much for her."
    

5. Besides your ex-wife and children, do you have any other living relatives?

   Tucker shrugs. "I have a sister, but I haven't seen her since the wedding. Both my parents are dead."
    

6. Are you a devoted follower of any religion?

   He raises an eyebrow. "D'you mean do I got to church or thump a Bible? Naw, I got enough trouble dealing with life here to bother worrying about the next. If there is a God, I don't really think he's so hard up he needs affirmation from me."
    

7. Did you vote in the last national election?

   "When was that?" he asks, jokingly. "Kidding, I sent in an absentee ballot, for all the good it did."
    

8. Are you a Teamster?

   Wordlessly, he extracts another card from his wallet and waves it. "Can't sit behind the wheel otherwise. Well, not for very long in any case."
    

9. Do you belong to any fraternaties or not-so-secret orders?

   Tucker grins. "I'm a lifetime member of the Order of the Sleepless Knights. No, really. My buddies in high school and I stole the name from an old Jummy Buffett song. We worked out the charter and everything."

   He pauses to look away with unfocused eyes. "S**t, I haven't thought about them in years. Wonder where they ended up."
    

10. When was your last physical?

    A chuckle rumbles through his chest. "Don't worry about me, hon. The company has us drivers get a regular check-up. It's part of the medical plan. Mine was four months ago. My blood pressure is a notch higher than the norm but my cholesterol is on the dot."
     

11. Besides the activity that goes along with your job, do you exercise occasionally?

    Another chuckle joins the first. "Worried I can't keep up with you? Being a trucker is more than sitting on my ass. Believe me, I get my share of physical labor."
     

12. Do you wear any other medical appliances besides glasses?

    Tucker looks blankly at Vesper. "What makes you think I need glasses?"
     

13. Are there any medical conditions that are common in your family?

    Tucker shrugs noncommittally. "None that I know of."
     

14. Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer or other long term degenerative conditions?

    Another blank unreadable look covers his face. "No," he says curtly.
     

15. When the last time you were tested for any sexually related diseases and what were the results?

    Tucker replies with complete seriousness. "Part of my check-up. No herpes, no clap. The worst I've ever had was a bout of jock-itch when I was in the service."
     

16. Do you have a girlfriend or a friend-with-benefits?

    "'Friend-with-benefits'? Heh." he laughs softly. "Nope. My schedule is clear these days."
     

17. Do you keep a regular supply of contraceptive devices?

    Tucker laughs. "Not regularly." He looks at Vesper appraisingly, "I did stop at the drug store on the way here, though," he adds, with a touch of mischief. "I may not have made it to Eagle, but I was a Boy Scout. Be prepared."
     

18. Do you find these questions intrusive or annoying?

    This time the laughter is loud and boisterous. "Not at all, darlin'," he says, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye.

    Vesper finished the last two questions with a teasing and playful grin, her expression saying You asked for it.
     

19. Do you have any paranormal or superhuman abilites that have not been discussed?

    The laughter dies off. Tucker looks at Vesper with a different sort of appraisal than before.

    Finally, he gives the most honest answer he can give. "I don't know. Something happened, but what it means..." He shakes his head. "I don't know."
     

20. Are you sure that you want to persue any kind of relationship with me?"

    Tucker swallows the throwaway line ready to jump off his lips. He leans close, his eyes gazing directly into hers as if trying to see something behind them.

    "I'm game. Are you?" he says softly, their faces so close his breath tickles her lips.

Vesper puts a finger to his lips and replies with a patient smile, "Before I answer that question, let me respond to your answers:

1. I would have believed you without you showing me your driver's licence.
2. Both of your girls are very cute and I look forward to meeting them someday.
3. For the sake of your children I am sorry that your marriage ended. For your sake I'm sorry it ended they way it did. But for my sake, I am glad you are available.
4. I really would have taken you at your word on the Teamster question.
5. My questions about your physical conditon were more to avoid unhappy surprizes than anything else
6. I'm very curious about the 'Something happened', and I hope you will tell me more."

She pauses, closing her eyes and taking her finger away from his lips. When she looks at him again, there is a glimmer of  uncertainly and a touch of shyness in her expression. She says softly, "To answer your question, Tucker the Trucker, I guess I am. So what do you think about that?"

A wash of emotion crosses his face. He slowly lifts a calloused hand to gently brush her cheek and cup her head.

"Vesper..." he licks his lips and tries again. "Vesper, three days ago, I wouldn't be here. I would have just shrugged and gone on my way. But something did happen... something that's made me realize that somewhere along the way, I'd given up on living and was just going through the paces.

What I'm trying to say is, I want to step off the garden path and walk where the wild things are. I want to live. I... I'm not sure what's going on or what it means or where it will end, but I am damn sure that right now, there's nowhere I want to be more than here with you."

He tenderly cradles her head as he leans forward for a kiss.

Vesper tilts her head and leans closer whispering "Tucker Marshall, welcome to the Year of the Cat." she grins mischievously and then lays on top of him as they kiss, her arms around his shoulders.

She slowly writhes against his body as she deepens the kiss, making sure that every part of her body touches his. Mmmm. This one is an action hero instead of an action figure. But lets make sure. she thinks

And in a hotel room, late in the afternoon, Tucker and Vesper made love. Between them both there was passion, fear, anticipation, and release. Vesper's body unwittingly exuded water from her pores, more than could be passed off as just sweat. Her eyes, like those of a lioness, looked into the face of tucker and she saw history in the shape of emotion. She could feel power in his hands as they glided over her body. Memories wrapped in those emotions displayed often enough the face of a wolf, but when she looked into Tucker's face she could only see rose gold. His eyes, his face, his arms and hands were of a malleable statue of gold. The mixture of flesh and metal was alluring. Tucker could see into those cat eyes. Off-putting at first but, not unpleasant. The eyes changed constantly, sometimes, hers, sometimes those of a lion, sometimes there were just pools of water that reflected his own golden stare. The blankets and sheets were wet with moisture and eventually wound up on the floor.

When the passion had faded, Tucker was flesh, and Vesper did not exhibit any of her manifestations. The Seminar was nearly beginning halfway across town.

Floating in the sensations of post-coital rapture, Vesper was happily cuddling with her lover when her Blackberry sang out with the chorus for "Rock You Like a Hurricane."

Tucker's chest vibrated against Vesper's ear as he jokingly grumbled, "That sure ain't mine."

With reluctance and feline deftness she rolled away from her lover and picked up her device from the bedside table.

"Hi Gail. I'm doing just fine but I need a favor or two. I need you to get to the seminar and hold two addition seats for me and while you're there, record what's going on and send it to me until we get there. Yes, I'm on my way. Yes, I'm bringing him too. Look, there's not much time before things get started, you need to get in there. Thank you, Gail. This should just about make us even for last night. See you soon."

She spoke to someone else on the phone before returning her attention to Trucker, "if your are feeling like me, moving from this bed is last you want to do. But we have to be across town in a few minuets. So, I need to you to be my superhero and get cleaned up and dressed for our seminar. There's a cab coming for us pretty soon. You take the shower and I'll finish up in the sink." with a semi-serious grin she slaps him on his bare behind and adds "Hup-one, hup-two, three, four! Get going, Soldier!"

Vesper found herself enveloped in a bear hug, her feet barely touching the ground. Tucker nuzzled her neck and playfully growled, "I'd bring you in to share the shower, but then we'd never get out of here." With their bodies pressed, she could tell his threat was not at all idle.

He gently put her back down and ambled into the bathroom with a spring in the step that she was sure he did not have before.

While freshening up, Vesper listened to the sounds of this man, this Tucker, in the shower and a series of images played again in her mind.

A bottle of wine in one hand, a bouquet of flowers in the other. Trepidation and anticipation vied for dominance as the flowers were quickly shifted to the arm with the wine, and the jingling of keys preceded the opening of the door. Trepidation won out as a voice called out into the empty darkness. Three steps in and still no signs of life inside. Then the stillness and the silence after the last sounds from the inquiring voice, drowned anticipation, crushed all hope and joy. With the flowers and wine falling to the floor from strengthless arms, four more steps through an open doorway brought the dining room table into view. There on the table was a handwritten note on a piece of torn three-hole paper. Two steps towards the table and something crunched beneath his foot. A maelstrom of anger, grief, guilt and despair flooded his senses as he looked down upon the shattered glass and the scattered pieces of the broken picture frame that lay across the torn 9 X12 family portrait.

Coming out of his memory, Vesper cried silently for him and mentally vowed, Goddess help me, I will never leave him alone like that. Even if our paths must split apart, I will not abandon him like that. Glancing back towards the running water and the sounds of him in the shower, she reabsorbed her tears and left him the bathroom. By the time he came out of the bathroom, she was completely composed and smiling.

Tucker paused to admire the young woman's figure. A smile tugged the corner of his mouth, and he quoted, "Her eyes shine, like the moon in the sea."

When Tucker quoted that particular line, it occured to Vesper how accurate to her it was. Of course she didn't have any incense or patchouli, at least not here. But at home, I do have plenty of both. she thought.

The smile spread into a grin, and he scooted on over to his bag, "Yeah, yeah, I know. We're running late," he groused in mock-exasperation.

He dressed with an economy of motion, selecting a set of new clothes that seemed indistinguishable from what he had been wearing before. A checkered shirt over a cotton undershirt tucked into jeans, feet tucked into a pair of worn but sturdy Timberlands, wallet chain dangling from a belt loop, all topped with a faded jean jacket. He might as well have put on a sign saying, "I'm a trucker."

He grinned again, showing that he was well aware of the image he was presenting. "So, what do you think? Is it me?" he teased.

Vesper couldn't help but grin back when he groused about being hurried. In some ways, Tucker Marshall reminded her of her grandfather, in others he was definately his own man.

When he asked about his change of clothes, Vesper replied, "Its what you do, not who you are, Clark Kent." she grinned as they left to catch their cab

The Seminar Is Beginning
The quick trip across town was hampered by thick crowds of people hurrying in different directions. The other speakers at different locations and other activities. Most of the people were dressed in normal clothes, or at least normal for a con of this nature. Some people were out in their weirdest clothes and others as characters. Tucker and Vesper managed to arrive only about 10 minutes late. There were still some people outside looking to get in and yet others who were leaving. The sign outside was as expected "Super Powered Human Beings in a Modern Age" by Alfred Butts.

Once inside, Gail was able to flag down Vesper and gave a strange look at Tucker as if to say, "this is what you picked up?" The auditorium was far from capacity. Seating was easy, in fact, the opportunity to move to the front was constantly available. The man was clearly in some kind of disguise having painted himself up in Scrabble gear for the namesake of the seminar.

"... It's clear that in a modern age, the number of wish fulfillment super powered voyages into a fantastical universe are increasing. What will this lead to? Will Science Fiction be displaced by a genre that is unable to present the ideas that will encourage science to move forward? Or will Super Hero, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, and what have you inspire scientist of the present generations to invent and discover?"

"There are no genetic markers in our future that will grant the power of flight, control of density of body, or any number of mutant abilities for the x-men fans out there. Micro-evolution under a specific definition is an uncontested fact. It's been proven, but unproven still is Macro-evolution. Who is out there today that can claim to have lived for millions of years to see the rise and fall of species? No one. Evolution by the definition put forth by the majority of those Darwinist out there is still a theory. Besides which the mutant variations proposed by comic books makes it an unlikely direction for mankind to evolve to. The species as a whole would move in an advantageous direction based on survival of the fittest. We don't care about survival of the fittest, however. Our global society has evolved, heh heh, to be survival of everyone, or at least we try to do this. It's what we say we do."

"So then, Super Powered human beings in a modern age must acquire their abilities in another manner. Genetic Alteration? Chemical Enhancements? Anyone out there have any mindset on how modern man might gain the gift of... of... " He pulled a paper off the podium and scanned down the printed text, "of turning oneself to gold, for instance?"

Vesper very gently squeezed the hand of the man that sat next to her wondering exactly the same thing.

Tucker barely felt Vesper's hand squeeze. On entering the hall, he'd scanned the crowds, a thread of paranoia tickling his awareness. If there were any federal agents attending the seminar, they'd made a point of being subtle about it. He hadn't been sure if that should reassure him, or make him worry more.

He'd politely acknowledged Gail on meeting her and joined Vesper and her in moving closer to the podium. He tried to pay attention to the speaker despite his odd get-up. He wondered if it really was Cormand in disguise.

He more or less followed the wordy speech, feeling like he was back in high school attending biology class. Okay, so whatever was happening wasn't genetic. Could have told him that, he thought in irritation, then couldn't help flashing a quick grin at his reaction.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a jolt of longing for his lupine companion. Wonder where the mangy furball is, he mused inwardly.

Then the speaker said something about turning to gold, and his mind froze, the thread or paranoia metamorphosing into barbed wire. His eyes flicked over to meet Vesper's, then he casually glanced around to see if anyone was paying any particular attention to him.

Vesper's eyes met those of her worried looking male companion and she tried to reassure him with her expression but he was obviously a little too distressed to be so easily comforted. Quickly she kissed his cheek and while lingering there she whispered into his ear, "It seems that a lot of people have heard rumors on the radio about a man who turned to gold. But to most people that's all he is a rumor. Calm down and stop looking suspicious, handsome." She turned her attention back to Gail and said in a conspiratorial voice, "I hope this guy doesn't turn out to be like that Dr. Mark Swanson on that talk show."

Calm down, Tucker Marshall. No one knows who you are and unless you turn into gold in front of everyone, no one will even have a clue as long as you stay calm and don't look suspicious. Vesper thought.

Tucker belatedly returned Vesper's gesture, holding her hand tightly in his for a second. He tried to ease down the hammering of his heart and push the lump in his throat down his gullet, but his initial panic had borne chicks that fluttered against the cage of his consciousness. He focused on the speaker, distracting himself by trying to penetrate the disguise and see if he really was the wayward scientist.

Without an answer from the audience, the speaker continues, "No answer. It's as much as I expected. Here we are at a convention of the weird and there are no fantastic ideas about the present state of the world. Someone turning to gold is recent. This year, this very year, popping up in places, here and there and quickly disguised or deleted are stories about super powered human beings. The FBI has a website dedicated to catching people just like that. Look at some of these pictures. Lights please."

The lights in the theatre dim and a projection begins. The images from the FBI wanted page pop up and the page scans down until Dr. Cormand is in the center of the screen. "Here he have a Mathematics professor. What did he do? I don't know. What's he doing on a most wanted page if no one knows what he has done? I tell you, that the faces you have seen all have one thing in common, the FBI is looking for them because they have powers that the FBI wants to exploit. I can't see your faces but, I know that you are experiencing a mixture of 'A-ha, I knew it' and 'Oh, God, what do I do?'."

Tucker and Vesper notice a few figures standing and sitting along the aisles. They are people moving closer to the stage a little at a time and one row of seats at a time. "The government is trying to use these strange new aberrations of mankind. Fear for your lives. Go underground. Fight back. There may be no explanation as to why these powers are coming into being but they are. This is not a speech about some game, or comic, or movie. This is not a Hollywood attempt at pre-promoting some movie. This is real. There are supers in the world now. There are people out there who are dangerous both inside the government and outside of it. Villains of a new breed are entering the world and the social structure of mankind is going to change overnight. Just as soon as they can't hide the demonstrations of power, just as soon as the average man, woman, or child knows that they are indeed average by comparison to the might of a super powered human being, the world will change and we will be hunted..." The speaker stops for a second, apparently realizing that he may have just incriminated himself.

Tucker squeezes Vesper's hand again, but this time it's not in incipient panic. He leans over to whisper in her ear, "Something's going down, hon and it might get ugly. If the ball drops, stick close. If we get separated, meet back at the motel, okay?"

"I hear what you're saying. I hope that the speaker sees whats coming for him before he becomes corned. I wonder what happened to Fiona and Minerva? I'll send Fiona a quick text message and see if she responds." Vesper replied as she began texting on her blackberry.

"That's right, I said 'we will be hunted'. Just like any soul with two legs was up for accusation during the McCarthy Trials. Are you a Communist? Will come out just the same way as, are you a Super Powered Human Being? But how much more dangerous Supers in the modern age will be. The government during the Red Scare knew that in a crowded room, a defecting Sympathizer with Communist ideals could easily be brought to their knees. How can you bring someone to their knees who... " He scans the list again. "Who can turn into a solid block of iron, or concrete. These questions will be asked in special containment cells. There are those out there who will stop at nothing to see the safety of humanity. I applaud them, I really do. But they fail to realize," here the speaker peers into the darkness and sees the suits crowding towards the front. "They fail to realize that Super Powered Human Beings are now a part of humanity. Some, do not need protection from themselves, from others, or to be protected against. Fear is the driving factor of the future as the scientific community comes to realize that the news blips they are being heard, have been heard from the beginning of this year are not hoaxes. Fear will drive us to discover the cause as though it were some epidemic or disease that needs to be stopped and eradicated. I don't mean to scare anyone here, but these things are real."

Here the speaker picks up his glass of water and the pitcher and pours a little into the glass and drinks it down. "I should know. My name is Dr. Alvin Cormand, and I am one of them." Quickly he pours the pitcher of water over himself and dives backwards upstage. Five suits are up and climbing onto the stage advancing towards a figure that is rising. Standing up however is not Dr. Cormand but a humanoid shaped suit of armor made of wood.

Tucker placed a hand on Vesper's upper back and gently but firmly pushed her down. "Stay down but be ready to move," he ordered Gail, his voice flat but calm. "If the crowd panics, there'll be a rush for the exits and people might get trampled." He scanned the large room again, this time marking all available exits, especially those that might be missed by a roiling mob.

Vesper submitted to the pressure from Tucker's hand and tugged Gail down with her, "Given what I have seen so far, I'm not sure that anyone is going to start running until something blatantly dangerous to them happens. I think they're more interested in seeing what happens next. " she said. Tucker is being more reasonable and responsible than I am, I want to see what happens next too. I know wood isn't bulletproof but how are they planning to get to him through that? she wondered curiously.

All for One
From the darkness of the Cascade theatre a voice shouts, "Leave him alone!" Then a humming sound fills the air as a body literally flies through the air landing on stage as though the individual did an elongated backflip from somewhere deep in the seating. The young thin man in t-shirt and jeans swings out an arm at the closest suit and wavering flames of heat followed the sweeping motion only momentarily. The suit was flung off stage as though pushed. Then the strange new figure looked over his shoulder and threw out a hand, pushing, from 15 feet away, another suit off the stage. "Doctor! You've got to get out of here!"

The remaining suits pulled out guns and the doctor yelled back, "Guns! Everyone get down!"

Tucker's pressure on Vesper's back increased from suggestive to insistent. "Time to unass the A.O.," he said in an oddly calm voice as he directed the two girls down the aisle, keeping low to the ground. He continued his visual search for an exit that would be most likely overlooked by the crowd and that would allow the trio to leave the pending combat zone as quickly as possible.

Vesper grinned at Gail "See, I'm not the only one who uses that kind of language. But Tucker is right, we have to get out of the line of fire and given what I've just seen, there's going to be all kinds of fire in a moment." as she continued to comply with the older man's directions. Taking Gail's and Tucker's hands, she made sure that she had a firm grip on both as she continued to watch the goings on on the stage.

Another swipe from the man on stage and a suit landed two rows up from the moving Tucker, Vesper, and Gail. Tucker could see on the side of the steps leading up to the far side of the stage a dimmed exit sign. The wooden suit of armor that was Dr. Cormand had seen it too and was moving towards the exit. One of the suits opened fire. The blast from the gun was deafening. The sound of wood being slammed with rounds of bullets was distinctive as well. A hazyness seemed to be overtaking the stage, a fog was rolling in from the back of the theatre. The thick white mass was cold and moist. Vesper could feel it on her skin.

Vesper had a thought and paused a moment to concentrate. She thought about pulling the water out of the suits with guns and onto the floor around their feet.

Tucker noticed the growing fog and Vesper pausing. He'd gotten an inkling of her abilities during their time together, enough to pull at her arm in concern and hiss softly, "Vesper! Are you doing that? Stop! Don't give them a reason to pick you out!"

Continuing to concentrate on pulling water out of the men with the suits and guns, Vesper softly replies, "I don't have anything to do with the fog, I don't think."

Tucker reached around to hold both of Vesper's arms and turn her to face him. "But you are trying to do something. Dammit, girl! Leave it be!" he insisted.

Vesper was both touched by Tucker's concern and annoyed that he was trying to keep her from doing something to help. "Tucker, you said something about wanting to walk on the wild side. Well that's what I'm trying to do and help someone at the same time." she said just before she kissed him tenderly. "You take me and Gail away and I'll give up, until we're gone I'm going to try to help the Dr. escape." she then turned around in his arms and returned to concentrating on drawing the water out of the suits with the guns.

Vesper's mind reached out for the moisture inherent in human beings but it was like trying to read the fine print of a warning label from across a crowded room. The other moisture surrounding the suits however, the gathering fog, responded to her will. The fog didn't seem to touch the suits at all. A clear bubble of vision surrounded each one on the stage. The response of the fog had the suits confused however and were looking around towards the seating in the theatre for an answer. A great deal of commotion towards the back as plenty of people were leaving in a hurry. Someone else had notice the exit door that Tucker saw. It opened and closed, twice.

The suit a couple rows up who had been tossed into the seating was groaning and fighting to stand, though unsteadily.

Tucker gritted his teeth in frustration. I can never win an argument with a woman, he grumbled silently. Seeing the action at the exit he'd targeted, he redoubled his efforts to move in that direction, pulling the two girls along.

It took little effort for Vesper to switch the focus of her concentration once she felt the fog coming under her control. She willed it to envelop the suits on stage and move out between the stage and the seating section of the theater. Hopefully, this will give the Doctor and the audience time to get away from the MIBs with guns. she thought as she was pulled along towards the exit door.

The fog obeyed Vesper's will and suddenly collapsed upon the suits. The moisture crowded from the back to the front. As Tucker moved the girls out of the row and towards the exit. They could see a woman int he back holding up her hands with the fog pouring out of them. She stopped as the moisture massed forward and looked at Vesper. Vesper's eyes were like that of water in the sea, and the woman's eyes were as white as the densely packed fog. Gail giggled nervously and said, "Storm". The exit door opened again and Tucker with a burst of strength moved the three of them out of the door.

Vesper waved to the woman creating the fog, relaxing her concentration, and pulled out one of her "business cards" as she was pulled through the door.

Behind the Cascade beneath the darkening California sky, the doctor as a wooden suit of armor, and the man who had jumped onto the stage were standing there flagging people away from the door. "Is there anyone else? Are you one of us?" The doctor asked urgently. Gray clouds were slowly drifting in from the west.

As the group passed the doctor, Vesper said, "I think we're the last. Here, contact me later Dr. Cormand and we'll talk." as she passed him her business card.

Once outside, Tucker continued leading the two girls away from the auditorium, consciously keeping a walking pace so as not to make themselves stand out.

With an arm securely around  Tucker and  holding on to Gail's hand, Vesper looked around to see if they were being followed and then glanced at the sky. "I think its going to rain." she concluded.

 To Coverups and Secrets