The PulseTeam, Book Two: Evolution

Chapter Thirty: It Has Begun...

Part One: Heather Is Safe, With Us...

The Monitor | Cleveland, Ohio
Tuesday, March 13, 2035 | 00:07 EST

We contact our parents to let them know what happened, and we ask for their help, and Dad said that they would all be here within the hour. Then, we contact the detective in charge of Heather's case, Detective Hayward (go figure!), the hospital, and Heather's parents, and explain the situation to them, in more detail to some than to others. We tell them that an attempt was made on Heather's life, we saved her, but that she is not safe anywhere else than with us.

When Heather's parents protest, I tell them, "Mr. and Mrs. Linkle, let me explain something to you: I am the son of The Pulse, and I fought Heather's attacker. I dealt him several death-blows as I fought him. He got back up. Mind you, these are techniques that, even if a non-superpowered individual were to perform any one of them on someone, their victim would be dead. I have superhuman strength and speed. Which made everything I did to him that much more worse. Nothing short of decapitation would have stopped him. And I have my reasons for not lopping off his head. My point, your private security force will not be enough, and the police are ill-equipped to handle this threat. We are your best bet. And I promise you, that when your daughter returns home--and she will return home to you--she will be safe and alive."

"Well, we want to speak to our daughter!" demands Mr. Linkle.

"I'll patch you right through to her room," I say, trying to be as accommodating as possible for all parties involved.

But that doesn't mean I can't listen in on the conversation, which goes as follows:

"Heather!" cries Mrs. Linkle. "Are you alright?"

"You're not being held against your will, are you?" demands her dad.

"Mom, Dad," says Heather, trying to reassure them, "I'm fine. Aside from almost getting smothered to death by a hospital pillow, that is. I'm still even in the city."

"We miss you," says Mrs. Linkle. "Perhaps we should stop being away so much."

"No!" says Heather. "Don't change anything on my account. It would actually make me feel better if you continued on like nothing ever happened. It would show me that you trust my choice in friends."

"Heather," says Mr. Linkle, "do you really think you're safe with these people?"

"I've never been safer," she replies.

"You're sure, honey?" inquires her mom.

"I'd stake my life on it."

"Alright then," says Mr. Linkle. "We love you, baby, so much."

"And I love you guys, too," says Heather. "I'll talk to you, later. Oh, and before I forget, remember this: I know you both have your fair share of tattoos. But sometime in the future, someone is going to approach you and offer you a strange-looking tattoo, free of monetary charge. DON'T TAKE IT. And if they insist on it, call security, right away. The tattoo is bad. Like, triple-six bad. It's bad enough that if you get it, you'll go straight to Hell if and when you die. And when this tattoo becomes mandatory, go underground. Hide. And make sure that they don't catch you. Because if they do, they will offer you a choice between getting the tattoo or getting killed. Do you understand?"

"No, honey," says her mom, "I'm not too sure we do understand. Where is this coming from?"

"Pick up a Bible and read the part called, 'Revelation'," she says in response. "It's all the way at the back of the book. You'll understand, then. I've gotta go."