Instead of using Mandi's roof entrance to the hotel, she and Cade walked
down the vehicle reception ramp to the street, then continued walking south
until Mandi said, "All clear."
Wrapping an arm around Cade, she leaped into the air. Minutes later they
touched down beside a fast food restaurant which was surrounded by several
similar restaurants.
After buying half a dozen super-burgers, they sat at one of the
plastic-umbrellaed tables and dug into the food. Mandi spoke as she unwrapped
her second burger.
"Ed, your records indicate that you've made twenty-four kills and no arrests
while you've been with the NIA."
He met her gaze and said, "I wondered why you were so quiet, milady. That
many, huh? Damn. Does that include the last two?"
Her gaze narrowed a bit as she asked, "Do you have a good explanation for
not taking any prisoners?"
Speaking around some burger, Cade said, "Nothing that isn't in my records.
Basically, ma'am, they just wouldn't cooperate. They never gave me the chance to
arrest them."
"You're sure about that?"
He nodded. "Any of them could have put their weapons down, but they didn't.
Where are you going with this? Having second thoughts about converting me?"
Maybe Mandi's mild surprise showed in her face. Cade's eyebrow went up as he
sipped his Dr Pepper.
Nodding, she said, "I had some reservations, yes."
Cade shook his head and said, "Nope. Not 'had'. You have some real, live
doubts. You're thinking maybe you've converted the wrong guy."
Finishing his third burger, Cade sipped his drink again and said, "I don't
happen to think so, of course. Speaking of conversions, what's my max going to
be?"
Mandi swallowed her last mouthful of burger and said, "Your max will depend
on how well your system converts. If you're average, you'll be able to lift
about six tons by Friday."
Staring at her briefly, Cade said, "Well, damn. That's a bunch. How much can
you lift, Mandi?"
'That's a bunch?!' thought Mandi with a flash of anger, 'Is any of this
really reaching this guy?'
"A hell of a lot more than that!" she snapped, then she sighed and said,
"Oh, hell. Sorry. You just don't seem to be taking any of this too seriously,
Ed."
Making a stern, somber face, Cade said, "If it would help, I could fake it
for you. See?"
When her irritation seemed to increase rather than decrease, Cade also
sighed and asked, "Is it reversible?"
"No."
"Will it be bad for me in any way?"
"No. Exactly the opposite."
"Can I possibly envision at this moment what it'll be like?"
"Well... no, not really. You may think you can..."
Raising his hand, he interrupted her.
"No, I can't. You tossed a Crown Vic around. One car, about a ton. I saw you
do it, so okay, I believe it. But me lifting six cars? It isn't that I don't
believe you, Mandi, it's just that the feeling of power like that just isn't
there for me yet, and it won't be 'till I've done something to make it feel
real."
Sipping his drink, he added, "But what's really got you tweaked is my kill
sheet." Cade shrugged. "Can't change those numbers. Can't undo the conversion,
either. Seems to me that if I turn out to be a big mistake, you'll have to kill
me rather than let me run loose in the world. Fair enough, ma'am. Are you ready
to go see what they have next door?"
For a long moment, Mandi simply stared at him, then she swung her legs from
beneath the table and stood up. Cade did the same and they walked around the
hedges between the restaurants to another chain burger joint.
"There's a Mexican restaurant the other way," said Mandi.
"That's why I didn't go that way. You like Mexican food?"
"I just mentioned it, Ed. It's there, that's all."
"Yeah, and it can damned well stay there. I wasn't hungry enough to eat
Mexican food when I woke up today."
Mandi snickered and asked, "You really don't like Mexican food, huh?"
"No, ma'am, I really don't. The stuff's a health hazard."
"It won't be a problem for you after the conversion."
"Great, but I still won't want any."
At the end of the hedges a loud rustling sounded as a guy in his twenties
jumped in front of them and said, "Gimme your money," as he aimed a stiletto at
them.
Cade opened his jacket and put his hand on his Glock as he said, "You don't
get to keep the knife. Drop it, then get lost."
"You aren't going to arrest him?" asked Mandi.
The guy had spread his arms and leaned as if to put the knife on the ground.
He suddenly leaned the other direction and took off running. Cade ran after him,
caught up with him almost instantly, and grabbed his knife arm.
Bones snapped and crushed in his grip. The guy screamed and the knife fell
from his hand to the pavement as he stared at Cade in shock and agony.
"Damn it," muttered Cade, "That's the second time... You. Get the fuck out
of here. Now."
The guy seemed about to faint as his gaze fell to his crushed forearm. Cade
raised his voice a bit. "Now!"
Without a word, the guy slowly backed away, then slipped into the hedges
between the restaurants, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
Mandi walked up as Cade picked up the knife.
"It happened again," he said. "I mashed the holy shit out of his arm."
"So I noticed. Look on the bright side; at least you didn't kill him,
right?"
Glancing at her, Cade said, "I didn't arrest him, either. What does a double
negative do to my ratio?"
Giving him a droll look, Mandi said, "Very funny. Ha, ha."
Cade stopped at the restaurant's dumpster and snapped the knife's blade in a
lid hinge, then tossed the broken parts in the dumpster as he said, "About a
week, right? Then I'll be as strong as I'm going to be and I can start learning
how to handle things so they don't break?"
"You could start now," said Mandi. "It's just a matter of conditioning and a
little thought before action." She thumbed at the restaurant they'd just left
and said, "For instance, you didn't squash your cheeseburger. Nor your drink
cup."
As Cade opened and held the restaurant door for her, he said, "Hm. Good
points. Guess I just need a little practice."
The paper-hatted clerk manning the counter seemed kind of nervous as Mandi
and Cade approached.
"Uh... was that guy trying to rob you?"
Looking above the guy at the menu on the wall, Mandi said, "We'll have six
number fours with everything. Fries with each."
She then looked at the clerk, who took the hint, nodded, and asked what they
wanted to drink with their meals.
They again took their food outside to a patio table, and as they sat down,
Mandi asked, "Aren't you curious about why the conversion makes you so hungry?"
Chuckling, Cade said, "Sure, but I'm more curious about how long I'll be
this hungry. This could get expensive."
Smiling around some french fries, Mandi said, "The first few days are the
worst, and by the end of the week you'll have other options. For example, you'll
be able to draw power from heat, light, and electricity as well as food."
Nodding, Cade said, "Cool. I never did like cooking."
Mandi laughed. "John said you live on canned soup, coffee, and microwave
meals."
"Yup. That and raw veggies as snacks. I hit the buffet at a steakhouse a
couple of times a week, too. You're saying I'll be able to recharge on house
current?"
"I'd recommend two-twenty current. It's faster."
"No problem. I can rig something for the dryer outlet."
Swallowing some fries, Mandi said, "Yeah, that should work. You'll need
about a fifty-amp breaker."
"How long does it take to recharge?"
"It varies. Fifteen minutes to an hour."
They ate in silence for some moments, then Cade asked, "How long in direct
sunlight?"
Grinning, Mandi asked, "With or without a shirt?"
Returning her grin, Cade said, "Say without."
"Five hours or so. Maybe a bit longer. You won't have to worry about
sunburn, so get naked. You'll cut your recharging time in half."
Shaking his head, Cade said, "Reason enough to become a beach bum, I guess.
Nah. I'm too old for a career change."
Cocking her head as she looked at him, Mandi asked, "Do you really believe
that?"
Her tone got Cade's attention. She was up to something.
"No, not really," he said. "If I was, I wouldn't have started WiccaWorks.com
or written over a dozen books. I figured you had some reason for converting me,
but not wanting me to let John know about it. What's on your mind, milady?"
Pausing -- probably for effect, Cade thought -- Mandi said, "I'm putting
together a special response team. I was kind of hoping you'd volunteer to help
train people."
Taking another bite of burger and creating a pause of his own, Cade said
thoughtfully, "Uh, huh. 'Volunteer', indeed. You were going to wait until after
I'd finished converting and had changed so much that my old life wouldn't be
enough, but your doubts about me made us reach this point a little earlier than
you had in mind. Who's coming at us and what's the setup?"
"What made you ask that? 'Who's coming at us'?"
With a shrug, Cade said, "Just figures, as I see it. You may only be
assembling a team to help with natural disasters and work with cops and firemen,
but I'd have to doubt that. If you were, you'd be shopping for cops and firemen;
people with that kind of training, who'd know the limitations of the equipment
and people involved. Instead, you drafted me."
"Drafted you? Volunteerism isn't mandatory, you know."
"How long would my conversion be a secret if I turn you down, ma'am? When
would all the government agencies and anybody else who figured to hire a
super-bodyguard or whatever stop knocking on my door?"
"You think I'd tell anyone you'd been converted?"
"John, maybe. Or maybe I'd slip up and do something super in public. Doesn't
matter how the info gets out; it will. The combined might of an army might not
be enough to take you down, but I'm not going to be quite that powerful, am I?"
"Well, no, but..."
"But I'm going to be powerful enough to make the authorities nervous as hell
about having me around, right?"
Meeting his gaze, Mandi nodded slightly. "Yes."
"So unless I'm under someone's supervision -- someone stronger than me and
whom they believe they can control, even if only because she wants their
cooperation -- I may never have another damned day of peace or privacy. That's
the way their little minds work."
After a moment, Mandi asked, "You're pretty angry with me, aren't you, Ed?"
He shook his head. "No. No point. In this case, done is done, right or
wrong. How soon will you need me?"
Mandi's gaze narrowed questioningly. "Don't you want to know a little more
about what..."
Cade began bagging their trash and said, "Sure. Let's check out the next
restaurant. You can tell me all about it while we eat. Got a schedule to meet?"
"Uh, well, sort of. The President offered me the use of an obsolete missile
base and some money to fix it up."
"Hm. Remote, mostly underground facilities. You're going to convert some
women, too, aren't you?"
Somewhat guardedly, Mandi asked, "Why do you ask?"
Grinning at her, Cade said, "You're talking about converting a bunch of
people, ma'am. It seems to me that I'll probably be too dangerous for
unconverted women by Wednesday or so, and I'm thinking it would be nice if I had
some variety, too."
Standing up and pitching the fast food bag at a trashcan about thirty feet
away, he added, "Besides, it just wouldn't be fair otherwise, would it? And
you'll be spending federal money, so somebody'd sue you for discrimination in a
heartbeat."
Getting to her feet, Mandi said, "You can be pretty irritating at times,
Cade. You know that, don't you?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I've been told that."
With a wicked grin, she said, "Well good. Then maybe you can figure out why
I suddenly have a craving for Mexican food."
Cade shrugged again. "Hey, you're a big girl with your own money, ma'am. If
you want Mexican food, then by God, it's your right to eat the nasty stuff. I'll
be at the fish 'n chips place across the way. Just gimme a holler when you're
ready to move on and be sure to brush your teeth real well later, okay?"
"What?! You aren't coming with me?"
Doing his best to look puzzled, Cade said, "Well, I thought that's what I
said. Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's what I said."
Raising her voice slightly to a strident tone, Mandi asked, "How would you
like to walk back to the hotel, Ed?"
"The oldest routine in the book. 'If you don't cooperate, honey, you'll have
to walk home'. Tacky. Very tacky. I'd never pull something like that on a date.
Besides, it's only about twelve miles. I can call a cab or take a MARTA train if
I don't feel like walking."
"The what? What the hell's a MARTA train?"
"It's a buck-fifty to go all over Atlanta unless it's gone up since last
year. There's a station a quarter-mile west of here, so no sweat. Still want
Mexican food?"
Standing straight, Mandi gloweringly said, "Yes. I do."
Cade said, "Then by all means go for it. We can meet up later," and started
walking toward the fish place.
There was a breeze and Mandi suddenly appeared in front of him, her hands on
her hips and an angry glint in her eyes.
"Yes?" asked Cade.
In an ominous tone, she stated, "I'm not accustomed to being abandoned
during a date."
"You aren't being abandoned. We can meet up in a little while and..."
"That's not acceptable."
"Then pick another restaurant tonight and eat Mexican food when you're out
with someone else."
"Is that what this is about? Me converting other men?"
"Hell, no. It's about Mexican food. I told you how I felt about it, and now
you seem to want to get some just to give me a hard time. That's what isn't
acceptable, lady."
"Don't you realize how it would look if we split up?"
Sighing, Cade asked, "Like we had an argument? Like one of us flatly won't
eat Mexican food? Like somebody isn't getting her way in things? Like one of us
is trying to establish the beginnings of control over the other? And I'm not
talking about me, by the way."
He gestured around and said, "I don't give a rat's ass what anyone way the
hell out here thinks about a couple of tourists and you aren't some poor,
defenseless prom queen. If you really want Mexican food, go get some. If it
doesn't really matter, let's go to the fish 'n chips place."