- 10 -

Eight days later,

Day 28, Sunday, September 6

"Come in."

Opening the door, a man wheeled in a food cart. On it, breakfast for two, fit for royalty.

"How's Superlady this morning?" he asked, removing the cover from a plate of something exquisite smelling, and arranging several dishes on the table.

"Superlady can't wait until tomorrow, is how she feels. And thrilled out of her gourd that Tom is going to be all right."

"Me too, and I hardly know the man. Not intimately, anyway. I mean…" Ollie smiled at the poor choice of words.

A slight frown wrinkle crossed Sherri's brow. She became lost in deep thought. "I really never let myself become truly intimate with him, either," she said, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of coffee.

Ollie looked at her, fatherly and interested, ready to listen if she had any more to say.

"You know," she said, "after what happened to us it makes me sick to think that he might have died without ever knowing why I wouldn't get serious about our relationship. And now it all seems so silly."

Ollie sat down across from her and began eating in the receptive listening mode. Quietly, seriously, friendly.

"Would you like to hear a lady's story, Sheriff? I'll try not to bore you," she added, lightly, the pleading need to talk well disguised.

"I'm always more than willing to listen to a friend, but I must warn you, sometimes my mouth interferes with the listening process. But I'll try no to be too vulgar or rude or let myself ramble on and on and…" He smiled genuinely, simply trying to relax her, make her feel comfortable with his "faults" and humor.

"By the way," she said, "have I given my daily thanks yet for you letting me stay here? If not, then let me thank you and Crawford County once again."

"Thanks accepted ma'am. We public servants are only too happy to serve."

Sherri looked around gratefully at the converted conference room the sheriff had offered her. She shared his concern, at least until tomorrow, when Tom was to be moved to the hospital in Olympia where Sherri could finally see him.

Ollie looked at her expectantly. She told her story.

______________________

Day 29, Monday, September 7

Moving Tom to the hospital had been done in the strictest secrecy. Ollie brought two deputies to stand guard at his room to insure absolute privacy until he was ready to talk to the press.

Colonel Rainier met them in the lobby, as cordial and friendly as a public relations gnome.

"Miss Blake, Sheriff," he said smiling, offering his hand to Sherri. Unlike three days ago when the colonel had met with her at the Sheriff's Station to discuss a deal, and she'd slapped his face, she now offered her hand, willingly, even energetically.

"Good morning, Colonel. How's Tom?"

"Fine. Just fine. He'll be up and out of here within a week. It's an amazing recovery. But you already know that, don't you?" he said with a wink.

She nodded confidently, knowingly.

"You can go see him now. He's in room 412. Sheriff, mind if I have a word with you?"

Ollie patted Sherri on the shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone for a while." He nodded to the deputies, who stepped in behind her as she walked to the elevator, smiling all the way.

The colonel led Ollie to a consultation room. Two soldiers stood guard at the door. A table was set for breakfast. There was juice, coffee and a huge assortment of donuts and rolls.

"Would you like breakfast?" the colonel asked.

"I already had breakfast, but I did forget dessert," Ollie replied, eyeing a jelly donut.

"As I said before, Sheriff, I'm truly sorry about what Colonel Rollins put you through. If we had only checked out the police station, we wouldn't have lost a good man, but everything did work out for the best, I think.

"Oh, and congratulations on your landslide victory. The people made the right choice." He offered his hand. Ollie accepted the compliment graciously.

"Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"First, let me fill you in on what has happened at the cavern. We have still been unable to find the meteorite or the bodies of Jenkins and the girl. The best that we can determine is that they were washed into an underground river and will probably never be found. We haven't made a final decision on what to do with the property. But whatever we do, Miss Blake will be generously compensated."

Ollie was skeptical, but kept silent, wanting the man to continue.

The colonel looked like he was trying to find the right words, something he'd obviously rehearsed, but was finding it hard to begin.

Finally, he asked, "Has Miss Blake confided in you about our deal?"

"Deal? What deal?" Sherri hadn't mentioned what she and the Colonel had talked about, and Ollie hadn't asked. He wasn't sure that it was any of his business. But she did seem pleased and at ease since their meeting.

The colonel also seemed pleased. "Good. Not because you aren't supposed to know, but because I wanted to tell you myself."

Ollie put on his attentive face and waited.

"To start with, you saw the results of what we are now sure was over exposure to the radiation from the meteorite. It caused a monstrous mutation."

Ollie nodded.

"But what we've found out from studying Miller is that a slight amount of radiation appears to have a positive effect. Tom and Sherri were continuously exposed to a small amount because the meteorite was submerged in a deep pool of water, which you already know, greatly reduces the radiation. And they also lived on affected fish from that pool. Somehow, and we still know very little, but somehow they seemed to have benefited from the exposure."

Ollie slapped the table. "Is that why that little girl is so strong? She carried me out of the jail as if I weighed no more than a bag of dog food."

"I'm sure it is," the colonel said, nodding. "We did some preliminary tests on Miller and the results were astounding, especially considering the damage he'd received only eight days ago." The colonel took a cigar from his pocket, tore off the wrapper, bit off the end and slobbered all over it, glanced at the NO SMOKING sign, then lit it. Ollie leaned back in his chair and looked around for the fresh air vent. Finally the colonel continued:

"Part of the deal we made with them is that they will voluntarily cooperate in a wide variety of tests. At first, Sherri balked. The words guinea pig seemed to be on her mind. Someone," he looked sternly at Ollie, "used that word to the press—and it stuck."

Ollie grinned slyly. He knew that sometimes minor things can sway major decisions. This was a case in point, and he was pleased with the outcome.

"Fortunately, in spite of you," the colonel grinned back, "we were able to convince them that they would never be detained and never be forced to undergo any tests that they objected to doing. We've come up with some creative ways to protect them, while at the same time protecting Top Secret information. And we are also negotiating a financial agreement to compensate them for their contribution."

He stopped and vigorously generated a repugnant cloud of gray smoke, and watched Ollie a moment, as if he were looking for, and measuring the sheriff's response.

Ollie maintained a firm poker-faced mask, also watching and measuring.

The colonel waved a hand through the cloud and continued:

"As I said, the results were astounding. All of his senses seem to be heightened to a degree we've never seen before. His eyesight and hearing go off the charts. His strength, reflexes, motor skills, dexterity, and sensitivity to touch, taste, and smell are beyond anything we've ever imagined. And his ability to heal and regenerate damaged cells is actually inhuman."

"When we brought him in, his legs were crushed. Amputation was tentatively planned, but overnight the healing was so remarkable that we canceled the operation.

"Two of his toes on his right foot were severed and mashed beyond saving. He appears to be growing two new ones. And he had a missing tooth. A new one is already poking through his gums. And he had lost his pilot's license because of high blood pressure. He now has better vitals than an eighteen year old Olympic gymnast."

Ollie sat stunned, totally at a loss for words.

"But the most astounding thing…" here the colonel paused for effect, preparing Ollie for the finality, almost as if he didn't want to tell him after all. "The most astounding thing is his mind."

"You mean there's something wrong with it?" Ollie thought of Sherri and her exposure to the same radiation and he dreaded what he was about to hear. He knew the colonel was going to tell him that their minds were affected and that they were doomed.

His expression was obvious to the colonel.

"No, no, it's not what you think. Dozens of tests show that he's going to be all right. What we've found is that some of his—what you would call paranormal abilities—are developing at an alarming rate.

"Specifically notable are his telepathic abilities. His ability to send thoughts to other minds is phenomenal. I was skeptical until I underwent a test with him. He made thoughts pop into my head that I was certain were actually my own. I sat in a room and jotted down all my strongest thoughts for thirty minutes. When they showed me the list of thoughts that he had sent me, I almost fell out of my chair."

Ollie listened attentively, but the true magnitude of what the colonel was telling him was not quite accepted by his mind. There were too many possibilities all at once for him to absorb. He wanted the colonel to get to the bottom line so he could work at it backwards and see if he could put it together.

There was only one thing he could think of to say. "Why are you telling me this, Colonel. Surely this is Top Secret information, isn't it?"

"It is most definitely Top Secret, and I want to emphasize that strenuously. You are to tell absolutely no one. Especially Tom and Sherri."

"What in the hell are you saying? Obviously they know!" Ollie snapped too loudly for the colonel's comfort.

The colonel instinctively held up a hand, and looked around.

"Excuse me. That was a reflex." He smiled sheepishly, then continued, "Of course he knows the type of tests we're doing, and we've told him to tell her, but we downplayed the results. We want them to develop on their own, with as little interference from us as possible. But we have another problem. He seems to be losing these abilities. We know that he is becoming disgusted with all the tests, and he may have figured that the only way to stop them is to fake poor results."

Ollie was becoming frustrated. "I'm serious. I really have to insist that you tell me why you're confiding in me. What's the point? If you want to keep a secret, you should tell as few people as necessary, or have you changed your policy and now tell everything you know because you know that nobody will believe what the government says, anyway?"

The colonel gave it a thought, then smiled, then became totally serious.

"Outside of Tom Miller, you are obviously the best friend that Sherri has. She absolutely worships you. I'll admit, it's because of you that they aren't sequestered in a laboratory somewhere, maybe forever. You know the governments mentality. I am part of that mentality, but thanks to you for going public and forcing our hand, we can let them develop normally. We probably would have destroyed it all with our bureaucratic ignorance." The colonel paused again.

Ollie stood up. "Colonel, I appreciate the compliment, and recognition for doing what I felt was right, but if you don't answer my question, so help me, I'm going to shove that cigar down your throat!"

"Calm down, Sheriff. What I have to ask you comes from the President, himself."

Ollie calmed down a notch, but remained standing.

"The President wants you to accept a special appointment. A Top Secret appointment. He wants you to be his liaison between him and, hopefully, Mister and Misses Miller." He noticed that Ollie was about to object. He raised his hand. "Don't say no, yet. Hear me out. There are two reasons you have been chosen. General Fulmer and Sherri both trust you, and you are part of our creative means of ensuring Sherri that everything will be done above board."

Ollie sat back down.

The colonel continued: "He wants you to continue with your own life, and your own plans. And for your assistance, the government will subsidize your income to the tune of one hundred thousand dollars a year for a minimum of ten years, annually adjusted to compensate for the rate of inflation." The colonel watched Ollie's eyes while it sank in. "And you don't have to give me your answer right now. Tomorrow will be fine." The colonel smiled briefly.

Ollie thought a moment, smiled and reached out his hand to shake. "I can give you part of my answer right now." He grasped the colonel's hand, winked, and added, " I'll let you know tomorrow."

______________________

As Sherri got off the elevator on the fourth floor, she felt Tom's presence before seeing the two men in civilian clothes standing at the end of the hall. She looked for number 412.

The men, seeing the two deputies, started walking toward them.

"I'm Major Enright," the younger man said. "Let me show you to Mister Miller's rooms."

Rooms? Sherri smiled and nodded, wondering who had more than one room in a hospital.

The other man took the deputies aside, apparently to relay instructions and fill them in. Normal "changing of the guard" procedures, she supposed.

Sherri stopped at the door and looked at the lieutenant.

He said, "I'll leave you now."

"Thank you."

Sherri took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, and opened the door.

______________________

Contents   Prologue   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   Epilogue   After