Iniri

Fairfield wasn’t exactly your typical small Iowa town. Sure it looked like one, swelling with nearby farmland and small town hospitality. But most of the town’s population of nearly forty thousand people had traveled there in the late 60’s and early 70’s as students of transcendental meditation. Freedom didn’t quite understand the practice. He knew it had something to do with deep states of meditation, which could bring about psychic episodes, even telekinetic levitation. He didn’t understand why most of the students didn’t just spend the ten thousand bucks and go to one of the numerous black market metagene activation clinics if they wanted powers. It sure seemed easier.

Iniri wasn’t really a true follower of the Maharishi and his teachings, but her meta-powers would make her seem so. A low-level telepath and psychokinetic, she and Freedom had a bit of a past. The sex was damn good, but when she detected just a thought about a pair of Asian strippers mid-coitus, things became a little strained. Freedom Patton lesson of the day: don’t bone psychics.

Sex wasn’t anywhere near his mind though as he drove down Highway __ in to Fairfield. Well, maybe a little bit, as he thought back to his times with Iniri, but not his main focus. Most of his focus remained on keeping the El Camino from blowing up around him. The car was on its last legs. With smoke rising from beneath the hood since shortly after he had left the field, Freedom pushed the old car in to Fairfield on sheer grit.

He pulled the Camino in to a Hardees parking lot and let the car finally die. A puff of thick black smoke wheezed out from under the hood. Now I not only have to convince Iniri to help my ass, but I’ve got to find another damn car. Freedom shook his head in disgust as he climbed out of the El Camino. He slammed the door shut and headed towards the restaurant.

He stopped at the pay phone in the foyer and started leafing through the phone book. He was only one phone listing away from finding Iniri.

*****

Iniri Granatella stretched out her arm and with a wave and a bit of concentration, her alarm clock went silent.

Always so early. She hated early. She’d never quite fit in with the whole transcendental crowd. All that early to bed, clean living crap didn’t really agree with her.

Naked except for a pair of lacey underwear, she shivered in the morning air. Iniri grabbed a silk robe from off her nightstand and pulled it over her shoulders. She didn’t bother to tie it as she stepped in to the short hallway that led to her kitchen.

Coffee. She needed coffee.

She walked down the short hall, past the bathroom door and in to the kitchen. She walked straight across the small room to the far cabinets. She shoved a couple cans of tomato soup aside and pulled the Folgers can down.

“It’s good to see some things don’t change.”

Iniri whirled, sending a wild TK blast across the room.

Freedom slammed back, cracking a Freedom-shaped hole in the plaster wall he had previously been leaning against.

“If that’s how you respond to compliments, remind me never to insult you.”

Iniri shook her head. “What the hell are you doing here, Patton? I told you I never wanted to see you again, yet hear you are, after having broke in to my damn house!”

“Well, at this very moment, I seem to be prying myself free from your wall, that someone’s, I’m not going to say who, telekinetic blast slammed me in to. Ouch, by the way.”

“You’ll be fine,” Iniri said. “And you know what I meant.”

“Trust me when I say I had planned to stick to the whole ’never see each other again’ thing, but quite frankly, I need your help.”

Iniri smiled. “You’ve got to be kidding me. The almighty Freedom Patton is actually asking me for help?”

“Say what you will, Iniri, but I’m serious here. I’m in a bit of a bind and I could use someone with your talents.” Freedom smirked as he looked over her nearly nude frame. “The psychic ones I mean.”

Iniri’s smile turned to a scowl. She turned away from Freedom, pulled the robe tight, and tied it shut.

“You’ve got twenty minutes to state your case,” Iniri said. “And that’s only if you stop checking out my ass.”

*****

It took Freedom a bit longer than twenty minutes. Between the debacle in Federation, the fire, Jeannie’s death and his search for her daughter, he had a lot to recount.

Iniri ran a hand through her long dark hair. “That’s quite the tale, Patton. But why do you need my help? It seems like a pretty simple task to find this girl.”

“To be honest, Iniri, I’m not quite sure. I just have a feeling that this is going to be way bigger than just a girl and her dead mother.”

Iniri raised an eyebrow. “And I suppose your voices told you that?”

“You can think I’m crazy if you want, but I really do have a bad feeling about this one.”

“Patton, I’d think you were crazy, voices or not. But I will help you, if solely to keep you from corrupting this pour Montalvo girl like you try to do to every other female you meet.”

“Very funny.” Freedom looked over Iniri’s barely concealed body. “How soon can you be-”

“Give me twenty minutes,” Iniri said. “Then you can take a much needed shower before you go. Do you have a car?”

“That would be the other problem.”

“Same old Freedom Patton. We’ll take my Taurus, if the legendary Mr. Patton can handle being seen in such an economical vehicle.”

“I just got out of an El Camino that was falling apart around me. Trust me when I say I’d take a Taurus in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d settle on a rusted out Minibus if it could get us where we needed to go.”

Iniri started back towards the bathroom. “Twenty minutes then.” She glanced back at Freedom. “And stop checking out my ass!”

*****

Atlas smiled as the men around him cheered.

“Thank you, true citizens of Des Moines. Believe! Believe that the revolution is at hand!”

They cheered out loud again I response. It was almost too easy.

He raised one hand to wave to the group of about fifty as he stepped down from the podium. This cell, was more than ready, just as all the ones he had visited south of the state capital. He knew that his forces in the northern parts of the state stood ready as well. In all, several thousand citizen soldiers awaited, ready for battle in his name.

Liberator fell in beside him as Atlas exited the auditorium. Atlas smiled at his massive aide. “The endgame is upon us, my good Liberator. Are your men ready?”

“We’re more than ready, Atlas. Three hundred trained fighters, some of the best trained mercenaries in the world, and almost six hundred more troops I’ve trained personally. They won’t be a problem. I’m still not sure if all these small scale cells will hold out against the military though.”

“By the time the government mobilizes the National Guard, it won’t matter. We should be well secured long before they, or any of those idiotic metahumans in Federation, know what happened.”

“How soon are we going active?”

The grin on Atlas’s face grew. “I think we’ve waited quite long enough. Start contacting the cells.” Atlas paused to adjust his watch. “We go active in ninety-nine hours.”

Liberator smiled back. “You’ve got it, boss.” Liberator pulled a cel phone from his trench coat. He dialed in the first of many numbers he would call tonight.

Argus continued past him to their car. Everything was moving along perfectly.

*****

Freedom didn’t much care for the delay, but he couldn’t argue about his need for a shower. As he enjoyed the hot water coursing over his body, he tried to remember the last time he had taken one, but to no avail. It had been far too long.

Too bad I don’t have any fresh clothes, he thought. He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. He sponged his face off with a towel and opened his eyes. A fresh pair of briefs, a blank white t-shirt, and a pair of jeans sat on top of the closed toilet. Damn, Iniri’s good. Why did I ever let her get away?

No, he knew why. Same reason all of his relationships eventually went sour.

The shock of contact hit him like a lightning bolt. Freedom fell back against the tub. It had been years since a connection with the recently deceased had struck so hard.

-Annabelle!

Freedom stopped short. “What did you just say?”

-Annabelle! We need to find Annabelle! She needs my help. I’ve got to find her!

“Hold up, cowboy. Annabelle Montalvo?”

-Yeah. My dad... he’s got a gun. He... he shot me. Wait. Where am ?

“You’re dead, kid. And only I can hear you. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what you’re talking about. This girl, Annabelle. I need to help her?”

Freedom listened to Richie’s story. His good mood quickly faded. Things were going from bad to worse. He rushed out of the bathroom, threw on his shoes, and grabbed Iniri by one arm as he head for the door. They had to go, and they had to go now.