Chapter 19

"The target is moving." The monitoring agent whispered into his headset microphone, resizing the image and focusing on the dark haired male on his screen. As the target moved to the edge of the viewing frame, the computer tracked the lens to his movements, guided by the motion sensor on site. A special operations team disguised as a utilities crew had visited the street earlier that morning, and while pretending to repair a damaged transformer they had installed monitoring equipment worth more than their salaries.

These additions included a small transmitter array to broadcast the feed from a tiny camera that was now burrowed into the utility pole. The camera had a wide focus lens that captured the entire street and all five houses on the opposite side. Complex software on the agent's computer rerendered the image from this feed and corrected for the stretching caused by the lens, allowing him to observe the entire image.

Agent Kazuma had been with Division for three years. He was recruited straight out of the army, before his term was even over. He had served for eight years as an information analyst for the pentagon brass, and had a degree in forensic science. His first operation with Division had gone badly, leaving him the only survivor of a bloodbath that left eleven others dead.

The entity responsible was contained and destroyed thanks to his actions, but it came at a terrible cost. He was crippled him for life. He would never walk again without the support of a cane, and his body was crisscrossed with scars where the monster had torn through his armor and ripped at his flesh. He was barely alive when they found him.

"Target is entering his vehicle." Kazuma continued. "Target is now pulling onto the street, facing east. Target is headed east on Mandrake Avenue." He sipped his tea and sat back in his chair. He was working out of a small warehouse almost a mile away, passively receiving the encrypted signal from the surveillance equipment. Even if the equipment was found, the signal would not lead back to him, because it was broadcasting in every direction.

Special agent April walked up behind him and watched the target drive out of view. "We have teams in place at his office and near the house. When we've got confirmation from the boss we'll be ready no matter where he is. Keep a tight watch on them."

"Will do." Kazuma replied. The computer bleeped and both agents turned back to the screen as a teenager left the house. "The stepson is leaving. Should we detail a team to track him?"

April paused to consider. "We don't know his full involvement, so we can't ignore him." She reasoned. "Have him followed, but do it quietly."

Kazuma nodded and made a phone call.

I walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the fresh air. I had time before I was supposed to meet with Amber, and it felt good to get out of the house. Besides, I wanted to have some fun. I extended my karmic sense and read the shifting flows around me. Eventually I found what I was looking for, in the form of a kindly old couple who were sitting in their living room watching television.

I followed the sidewalk to the end of the block and crossed to the other side of the street, following the path my mind drew for me. A few minutes later I found their home and stopped at the end of their drive. Approaching the door, I rang the bell. They, of course, were not expecting any company and were ill prepared to receive visitors, so it took them longer than it might have to open the door.

The husband answered the door warily. "Can I help you young man?" He asked.

"Actually I'm here to help you." I told him, doing my best to impersonate an innocent adolescent. He didn't seem to appreciate my humor.

"I'm afraid we're not interested in anything, thank you." He said, moving to close the door.

"Wait, please." I asked and he paused. "I'm not selling anything, can I step inside?"

The wife came up behind him. "Let him inside, William." She said, and the husband relented. Once I was comfortably seated on their couch, she turned to me. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, but thank you for the offer." I said. "I'll get right to the reason why I'm here. I was looking for someone who needed some help, and that search led me to you. Before you object, let me tell you that I know about your medical problems, Mr. Ross, and I know about the letter from the insurance company that you've been keeping from your wife. They're denying your claim."

"William!" Mrs. Ross cried. "You should have told me." She said, moving to embrace him.

"I'm sorry. You know we can't afford to fight this. Even if I survive the treatment, and at my age that would be a feat, the bills will destroy our savings and we'd lose the house. I'm too old to work anymore and the kids can't support us." He looked angrily at me. "You had no right to lay that on her." He said.

"You're right. I'm sorry. But I'm here to offer some help with your problems." I said, standing up and laying my hand on his shoulder. His eyes met mine for a moment that seemed like an eternity, and in that moment I reached out with my power and eradicated the disease from his body, healing him completely. Then I reached through him and into his wife, giving her the same treatment, until both of them looked a decade younger. I didn't notice it right away, but my healing powers really did restore some of their youth to them.

The no longer quite as old man looked like he wanted to say something, but found himself speechless instead. They both felt better than they had in years, and the strangeness and spontaneity of their recovery made them believers. "How?" He managed to ask.

"A better question would be: 'Why?' And the answer would be: 'Because you are both deserving.'" I told him, getting up to leave. "Have a good day."

"Wait!" The man told me. "How can we ever repay you?" He asked.

"That's the beautiful thing." I told them. "You don't have to. I did this because I wanted to and I could. Nothing else is necessary."

I made quickly for the street to put off any more questions and turned at the next corner. I was still reading the flows of karma around me, and was quite surprised when another wave of injustice washed over me. I followed it back, tracing the currents to their source. It was a small house on an out of the way side street. The lawn was decidedly unkempt compared to the neighbors and the shrubs alongside the driveway hadn't been trimmed in months.

Inside I could sense two people, both of them rather young, though I really wasn't sure how I knew that. Maybe I was adapting better to my new senses.

I approached the house cautiously, unsure what to expect or how I could help. I followed a path away from the driveway that followed alongside the house and led to the front porch. When I reached the door I rang the bell and stepped back. The door was answered a moment later by a grinning prepubescent girl. "Who is it?" She asked, opening the door and sticking her head out to take a look. Her voice peaked in the oddly high pitched drawl of children.

"Hi, I'm Jason." I told her.

"Who is it?" Another voice inquired from inside. The new voice sounded more mature, coming from a teenage girl who had already gone through puberty. I couldn't help but notice her chest and the still growing breasts that stretched against the fabric of her shirt. "You shouldn't open the door to strangers Shelly!" She admonished her sister as she pulled the door back and stepped into view.

"Sorry." The younger girl responded, fixing her eyes on the floor.

The older girl pushed her way around her sister and looked up at me. "Who are you?"

"He's Jason." Her sister told her before I could do more than open my mouth. I quickly closed my mouth and shrugged.

"You know him, Shelly?"

"No." I said, just as her sister said the same, causing the little girl to giggle furiously.

"Just met him." She finished.

"So why are you here?" The older sibling asked.

"I'm not quite sure, actually." I told her. She gave me this look of bewilderment and disbelief, as though I had just said something totally insensible. "I know there's a reason that brought me here; I just haven't found it yet." I tried to explain. She put an arm protectively around her sister and watched me carefully. I sighed.