Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Robert was now approaching the mountain on foot. There was no moon so he used his flashlight. On one shoulder, he carried his supplies. Suddenly, the robot appeared only twenty yards away. An immense fear hit Robert instantly. He was very afraid. All he could see was two green lights in the position of eyes. Robert stood his ground although his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. His first impulse was to turn and run, but the excitement of it all was the center of his attention. He tried to draw from the courage and the fearlessness he had been given, but he could not overcome the fear that was mastering all that

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that he was. The robot approached slowly, and as he approached, Robert could see that he or it was wearing a black hood that hung low in the back. When the robot reached ten yards, it then stopped, but the incredible fear did not. Robert concentrated as well as he could and then spoke: "Cease and ... cease and desist!" The fear ended instantly and the robot came closer. Robert shined his flashlight directly into its face. The entire face was nothing but electronic components. "Follow me," came

a computer voice. The robot leads Robert to the base of the mountain

and then wondered off.

At daybreak, Robert made the difficult climb, some one thousand

feet. He entered the cave and was careful to stay strictly on the path

that led him ever downward. Once, he had flashed his light over the

edge of the path he was following. There was no bottom to be seen.

Robert finally reached the room of flowers. The flowers

on the wall were so naturally beautiful in so many different fluorescently alluring colors. "A natural-: wonder," said Robert. Robert opened and entered the sealed room. He gazed at the pool of what seemed only water. He wanted to reach down and pick

up a diamond. He did not bother. He cupped his hand and dipped it into the pool, taking his new life's drink.

Nothing happened at first so Robert sat down and began eating as

much as he could to fend off the upcoming starvation. After awhile,

Robert began to doze and soon he was asleep. In his dreams, he

traveled deep into his mind. He dreamed of the flowers

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he had seen in the second room and then he dreamed no more.

He was unconscious, consciously and subconsciously. Scientifically he was brain dead. But in the infinity of his mind, he was surely alive.

Three days had passed and Robert finally awoke. He was in ecstasy and all he wanted to do was just lie on the floor and enjoy the pleasure, but hunger had to be satisfied first. There was someone calling. 'It must be Linda.' He also felt Samuel's feelings and knew the difference between the two. Robert was deeply touched. He felt for Linda as he would a sister and there was pity in his heart as for the first time, he felt the essence of love between Linda and Samuel.

Robert was by no means ready to leave. He stayed in the room of

dreams for four more days, thinking about everything he ever was from

a new light. He now knew more about who he was and how he was to

others. He made many trips into his own passages of infinity and

learned exactly what he was about and what he was capable of doing.

He was finally ready. He left the cave exactly as he found it and

began his journey home.

Robert's first stop was the nursing home. There was so much he wanted to talk to Samuel about but Samuel's condition had worsened since he had lost the power to Robert. He was now bedridden and unable to speak. Robert entered his room quietly as Samuel opened his eyes. They both smiled, each to his own displeasure. Robert took his hand and gave him all the comfort

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he had acquired the ability to give. Robert knelt down and said:

"I can hear her calling. Can you still?" Samuel nodded. "I'm

on my way in a few hours from now. I'm flying north. Is there anything

else I can do for you?" Samuel shook his head. Robert was beginning to

feel very emotional but he held it back. "You are my brother and Linda

is my sister. I will make haste to bring the two of you together

again. Take well to yourself." Robert got up to leave but Samuel

pointed toward the closet. Robert opened the closet and down on the

floor he found a black bag. "Is this it?" Samuel nodded. Robert opened

the bag and found an enormous sum of money. Samuel motioned for him to

take it. Robert took the bag and walked toward the door saying "I hope

to be back within a week." Samuel wanted to tell him how much

confidence he had in him. He just tried to assume that

he already knew.

When Robert got home, there was much explaining to do and he told

the truth. He just didn't tell all the truth. Of course he was grounded and discussion led into argument so Robert finally just said: "I'm leaving for a week or more and the both of you do agree." And they did. This was Robert's first real use of his power and he hated that he had to use it on the ones he loved, but necessity had to take precedence.

Robert took the first available flight north and then chartered

from then on. No matter how far north he got, the calling was

even further. He finally chartered a plane which would take

him as far north as he could go. The North Pole.

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Robert and his pilot were now flying over the polar ice cap.

When they reached the North Pole, the calling was directly below

Robert instructed the pilot to circle until they spotted a building on the surface below. Robert surmised that this must

be where they were holding Linda. He instructed the pilot to land a half mile away. He wanted the jump on whomever he might meet. Robert approached the building quickly. He was prepared

to do battle. When he reached the building, he saw a robot not twenty yards in front of the building. The robot was moving

on tracks in the snow. It was moving awkwardly. Backwards and forwards, sometimes spinning a little. The calling was coming from near that robot and Robert wanted to go in that direction but he figured he had better deal with the enemy within. He walked to the front door. There was a sigh on it that read, Delta Research Foundation. Robert took a step back and then forward, kicking in the door and walked inside. There were four men in the building. Two of them, startled, were sitting in front of a long desk lined with several computers. The other

two were just awakening as they were the sum of the night shift. Robert looked at all of them sternly and said: "Who is in charge here?" The man nearest Robert, sitting at the desk said: "I

am in charge here. I am Colonel Daniel Stone and you are trespassing

on government property!" Robert focused on the Colonel and entered his mind. Within a few seconds, Robert knew all that the Colonel knew and anger filled his heart as he instilled great fear upon all four men. They quickly backed

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away into the farthest corner of the building away from Robert. Robert had given them enough fear to last for hours. Robert picked up a shovel and smashed all of the computers on the

desk. He could not believe what he had read from the Colonel's mind. His heart sank as he carried the shovel and walked toward the robot. The robot continued its motions, beeping as it moved until it met with a smashing blow. From what he had read, Robert knew of a room below. There was a hatch somewhere in the snow. Robert found and uncovered the passage and began to climb down an iron ladder. There was an eerie chill throughout the room. The feeling was uncanny. A ghostly, awful feeling. There in

the center of the room, at the apex of the North Pole, stood

a tripod with a brass sphere hanging o~ a chain in the center

of the tripod. The light from the door above shone directly

upon it. This sphere was the origin of Linda's calling. She

was calling him even now and her anticipation was increasing. Robert opened the small door to the sphere, hoping it would

be empty. There inside, he found what he had feared. It was

her heart. Linda's precious heart. Now she was pleading. Robert reached slowly inside and gently touched her heart. There was

an immense sigh of relief, and then there was no feeling at

all. The calling had ceased and Linda's life had finally ended. Samuel had felt the entire episode and when Linda died, Samuel died with her. Robert felt suddenly empty and alone. He realized that Samuel was gone to, and that he was truly alone. He knelt on the floor and cried.

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When the doctors at the foundation had feared Linda's death, they

were eager to go ahead with an exploratory operation in

the name of science. They performed open heart surgery on Linda to try

and discover the secret within. Linda died during the operation but

her love continued to live within her heart. Upon autopsy, her heart

was found to maintain a strange magnetic impulse. It was discovered

that by placing the heart in a tripod, and using the robot, they could

acquire enough data to track

the position and movement of Samuel, and then Robert. They

would have known of Robert's approach, had they not been behind in

their work.

Robert arrived home in time for Samuel's funeral. There,

in a small and lonely cemetery. There was only the preacher

and Robert. The preacher completed his sermon and left. Robert just stood there, staring at the ground. He was saying goodbye

for the very last and his feelings of remorse was no comfort. Robert reached into his pocket and took out a small box containing the

remains of Linda. Robert opened the casket and placed the

box next to Samuel's heart and closed the lid. "Goodbye ... my brother and sister. Shall you always be together."

Robert left the grave, vowing never to allow this tragedy, to repeat. As Robert approached his new car, he noticed a long black car, parked only fifty feet away. The windows were stained, but Robert felt the individual presence of the single man inside.

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Robert ignored him.

Robert arrived home to a hardy welcome but for the next

two weeks, he remained almost constantly locked in his room.

He was concentrating on what he had seen and not seen. He had

not recovered from his personal loss, the only two ties he had had in the new world in which he belonged. He was alone. Robert's first instinct was to go out and find the girl of his dreams.

To share the gift that he had and enter into the lifelong bond

of love. As he dwelled into his own infinity, the desire for

her love became a fierce summons from the depths of his mind. Robert rebelled. He would not allow the only one he could love

to be game for the slaughter. All he really knew about his situation was what he had read from the Colonel's mind. He

knew that the Colonel and his subordinates worked for Delta,

and that they were taking analysis, but the Colonel didn't even know what lay in the room below or what the analysis was for.

It was considered top secret, even to him. Robert assumed that the foundation was behind the entire scheme but he couldn't figure out for sure why they never bothered Samuel and himself. Maybe they were afraid. They would certainly have good reason

to be.

Robert finally left his room and went outside for a walk.

It was a cool April day and Robert noticed how much better he felt getting out of the house and absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of his own neighborhood. He decided to walk to the park, and when he got there, he sat down on a bench and closed

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his eyes to relax. A few minutes later, Robert felt a presence approaching him from behind. It was the same presence he had

felt at the cemetery. Robert felt that this was not a coincidence so he entered his mind and read his every thought. Robert then got up and walked toward the stranger who was sitting on the bench behind Robert's. The man was supposedly reading a newspaper which completely covered his face. Robert stopped in front of

him and said: "Excuse me sir, but could I borrow the sports page?" The stranger, in a dark suit and tie, with a very serious look on his face, slowly lowered the paper and faced Robert without a word. The stranger had cold black hair and a well trimmed mustache. He had the face of a thousand miles. There

was a shine of brilliance in his eyes. After a pause, he said:

"Your welcomed to it." Robert took the paper and sat down next to the stranger, pretending to read. The stranger folded up his paper and was about to leave when Robert took his arm and said: "Your name is David Sand and you work for the Delta Research Foundation. I have many gifts to offer your group if you can meet my price." David was completely startled, but he was a professional and he showed no emotion. He spoke with: the strictest of tone. "And what is your price?"

"I desire protection for myself and others like me. And of course, I expect a fee to match the value of what I have

to offer. David looked at Robert, trying to discover any doubts in his mind. He was convinced. "Can you leave now"?

"I'd like to stop by the house and pack." They left the park

together. In the same car Robert had seen earlier. The same car

which had been used to abduct Linda.