And then...yeah. Bilocation. Whatever.
That one word didn’t describe the bloom of colors rushing past as the world seemed to melt and reform. There was no sense of space and time. If there was such a thing as going into another dimension, this would be it.
Then, everything slowed down and she’d suddenly be aware that she was at the agreed target location. Not physically, no, but her essence was there. Her former instructors at the CIA had called it “phantom form”. Fancy name. But it still didn’t accurately describe this feeling. More like, self-projection. A mixture of falling, floating, and flying. The colors. Oh man, the brilliant colors that slowly took shape into the location.
Then there was the physical freedom in movement. One could be as “solid” in the ether as one wanted, or one could just pass through objects like a ghost. Her race car was her thought-vehicle; she could use it to speed or slow down, giving her the ability to see certain events in slow motion. That was dynamite cool, especially in the midst of striking colors.
The sensations were powerfully addictive. Floating through air, rushing from the top of a mountain to its foot, trying to distinguish all the colors and smells as they first formed—all these experiences tempted Helen to try doing new things. Like hovering outside a windowfifty, sixty feet from the ground. It didn’t even take more than a mental effort and she was learning how to do it quickly and efficiently.
Much better than looking at walls. She understood Hades’ point in doing it, but they were using her eyes and she wanted to look out the window. In some ways, it was tough “sharing” senses. He couldn’t see without her seeing for him. She saw nothing but walls, and had no idea whether he saw anything different. Besides, it became boring looking at the blankness when the sunlight beckoned. She didn’t like the vibes emanating from these walls at all, if walls could have vibes.
“Well? Do you see anything familiar?”Helen asked. The sunlight was strong but not too warm. The yard below looked well manicured, the kind that took a maintenance crew to take care of it.“It’s nice out here. Doesn’t feel like a residence, though.”
“It’s not a residence.”
Helen frowned. Was there a slight tension in his voice? It was impossible to tell when the conversation was being held in one’s head. Nonetheless, she felt an edginess that didn’t come from her.
“Je...Hades?”
That silence again. She reached for him inwardly. Blankity-blank. She sniffed. Really, why couldn’t she read his mind like he could hers? It would make communication with this man so much simpler.
“Actually, I’d imagine it would complicate it even more, what with you arguing and analyzing my thoughts and me doing the same with yours.”
There was no mistaking his lazy amusement. Helen stuck her tongue out and bit back a quick rebuttal. The two of them having sex and anticipating each other’s needs...nope, not going to go there. Still, she was sure he felt the thrill of pleasure that went through her atthatparticular thought, even though he didn’t say anything this time.
The fountain kept drawing her attention, so she followed her impulse, willing her shadow form to stand in front of it. The splash of the water became louder and the surface shimmered with gleaming shadow and reflected sunlight.
“Why did you choose to stand at this spot?”
“I don’t know. It was calling to me.”
Another pause.
“That’s a strange way to put it. Is there a reason why it called to you?”
Helen shrugged. The man asked impossible-to-answer questions.“I depend on my senses a lot when I remote view, remember? I think I get pulled to a certain location because it’s important to the universal agreement, which is, in this particular case, the location of our intruder. Perhaps he was just standing here. Or perhaps something happenedhere that was very important to him and I locked on to it, it’s hard to say.”
“Something happened here that was very important...interesting.”
His voice was a soft murmur, as if his mind was somewhere else. Again, she felt that slight tension—imperceptible, but because it wasn’t hers, she caught it—and then, a distancing, as if two bubbles floated together, touched, and then parted in opposite directions. The feelings were fleeting, but definitely powerful enough to seep into her consciousness.
“I think the intruder is very attached to this spot,”Helen said, looking around at the beautiful yard.“This place means something to him.”
“Do you think so?”
She frowned. How come he wasn’t giving her directions to look at? He hadn’t shown any recognition of the place when they were in that corridor, but out here, he hadn’t even attempted to check out the landmarks, or look back at the building.
“Hades?”She cocked her head.“Do you know this place?”
“Turn around. Look at the building straight on,”he told her. After a pause, he added,“Now scan it slowly from left to right so I can see the entire place.”
She did so. The main structure was magnificent, with four columns in the front that stood at least two stories high. Its architecture gave its façade a Greek look, with ivy climbing all the way up on parts of its walls. She looked at the roofline, then let her eyes travel from left to right.
“That’s why I didn’t recognize it,”Hades said quietly.
“So you know this place?”
“Yes. Where we came from must be a new wing. Look at the newer structure to the right. It’s an addition.”
