The Gift (20 page)

Lisa turned back to Sam, started to say something else, then changed her mind. Her silence prompted Sam to continue. He pulled one of the pictures he’d asked Esther to bring with her out of his pocket, stood and handed it to Lisa.

“That’s the woman playing catch with your son. She’s 67 years old. She had a whole host of diseases a couple of days ago.”

Lisa stared at the picture for a moment before quietly asking, “How?”

Sam pulled a gift out of his pocket and placed it on the couch next to Lisa. “With this. They’re called gifts. How they got here is complicated. How I have one to offer you, just as I offered one each to your father and Esther, is even more complicated. What they do for the human body is straightforward. They heal it. It doesn’t always work. There is a chance something could go wrong, but I don’t think that will happen with you.”

“What can go wrong and why don’t you think it will happen with me?” Lisa asked.

“Some people who attempt to join with a gift die in the attempt. I don’t think it will happen to you because the most common causes of that happening are certain types of mental disorders, primarily sociopathy. You don’t strike me as a sociopath.” Sam smiled as he said it, attempting to lighten the mood. He was pleased to see Lisa smile back. Very pleased.

“I don’t know what to say. This is all so surreal.” Lisa said.

“How about we take a small step toward making it less so? Touch the gift and ask it what it is. It will answer out loud, so don’t be startled.”

Lisa did so and received the usual response.

Sam continued. “If you accept it, you will create a living entity who’s purpose is to help you. The name of my gift is Adia. Your father named his Adam. In order for this to happen, your gift will have to change you slightly, as the guide just told you. The change involves putting extremely small machines in you so that you can communicate with your gift. It’s those machines that can ultimately cure you if you choose to go further, but you don’t have to. Lisa, your father and I have both done this and we want you to do it as well.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but if it can do all that you say, why does my dad look the same, and, again I don’t mean to be hurtful, but why didn’t yours heal you?” Lisa asked.

“Jim thought it would be best if he looked like you and Matt expected him to. My gift did heal me in a lot of ways…”

“Sam’s not ready to let the scars go, Honey.” Jim interjected.

Lisa thought about that for a while before asking, “What if something happens to me? Who will take care of Matt?”

“We will, all of us. We’re a family now. We would raise Matt as our own, but you don’t have to worry about that right now. Just accept your gift. The being who will be born as a result will explain the rest to you.” Sam replied.

“Dad?”

Jim got up and sat next to Lisa. He took her free hand in his and looked her in the eye. “Please accept it, Honey. It’s the only chance Matt and I have to spend more time with you. It’s the only chance you’ll have to see him grow up, to give you grandkids. Please do it.” Jim’s eyes were wet and glossy.

Lisa closed her eyes and said, “I accept.”

Sam and Jim stayed with Lisa while her gift was developing. It took longer than it had with Jim. Adia told Sam Lisa’s gift was going very slowly because Lisa had some neural damage that needed to be repaired in order for her to communicate with her gift. Sam had nothing to say to that. In fact, neither he nor Jim said a word until Lisa awoke. When she did, they both waited for her to speak. She took her time before doing so. Adia told Sam she and her gift were talking. Sure that Adam had told Jim the same, Sam continued to wait in silence.

“Dad, will you help me lay down?” Lisa asked. She sounded weaker than she had before the process had started.

“Sure, Angel.” Jim gently moved Lisa into the most comfortable position he could, concern written clearly on his face.

“I have to go to sleep now.” Lisa said, just before she did.

“What’s going on?” Jim asked.

Sam had just asked Adia the same question. The answer was not comforting.

“She was very close to dying, Sam. Her gift told her they needed to merge immediately if she was going to have any chance of saving them.” Adia replied.

“But she’s going to be all right, right?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know, Sam.”

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-F
OUR

“You wanted to see me, Sir?” Web asked his commanding officer, General Campbell as he entered his office.

“Yes, I did. Take a seat.” General Campbell gestured toward one of the four overstuffed leather chairs surrounding a highly polished circular wooden table set in one corner of the large office. Web took the seat opposite the one he knew from experience his boss would take and waited for him to continue.

General Campbell looked down at Web for a moment before taking his seat. “Your report from last evening has raised some concern at the highest levels, Eric. It appears we have missed two critical opportunities and we don’t know where we stand with regards to the third. While I don’t know that there’s anything we could have done differently in order to ensure that one of our people was this first character, if you’re right about Sam being responsible for bringing up the gift’s global network, that’s something we could have controlled. Something we should have controlled, actually, and failing to secure him after the fact doesn’t help. There are factions in the NCA that are questioning whether we have the right team in charge of this. Do we have the right team, Eric?”

“Yes, Sir. We have the right team. They’ve prepared for this, to the extent preparation was possible, for years. We’re making progress on the Maker's encyclopedia. If being the first is as important for that activity as it was for being the first person to merge with a gift, it would seem that we are still in the running. Bringing another team in would only slow that process down.

“I agree that Sam is a problem, but he’s a problem we’re aggressively working to solve. Other than his sister-in-law, Sara, he doesn’t have any family and he has very few friends, most of whom are on the first contact team. Because of that, he doesn’t have a lot of options for places to go. We’re monitoring his credit cards and bank accounts. If he tries to access any of his accounts, we’ll know immediately. I have investigators interviewing the staff and members of the community center where Sam volunteers. I expect that will yield an identification of the man, Jim, Sara said was his most likely ally. It shouldn’t take us long to find him after that.”

“You knew precisely where he was last time and failed to bring him in. What assurances can you give me that won’t happen again?”

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot, Sir. First of all, we used the network he apparently created to triangulate on his position. We believe he was aware of our activities on the network and was, therefore, forewarned. We are not relying on the network to track him this time, although we are using the encyclopedia to investigate ways in which we may do so without his knowledge in the future. The next time we go after him, we should have the element of surprise, which brings me to my second point. On our first attempt to bring Sam in, I had to rely on base security. I don’t think that is an optimal strategy.”

“Do you have an optimal strategy in mind?”

“I wouldn’t presume to have developed the best possible strategy, Sir, but I have an idea for what I believe would be a much improved approach.” Web paused to see if his CO wanted to hear it.

“I have some thoughts as well. Let’s hear yours first.” General Campbell directed.

“Yes, Sir. We know that Sam has merged with a gift and we’re learning more every hour what that means. He’ll have capabilities unlike anything our traditional forces have ever dealt with. He’s also very well trained. It may have been a couple of years since he’s been active in the field, but Sam is not the type of man to forget his training. He would have been a difficult man to capture before merging with a gift. Now, I believe difficult would be an understatement. From what the scientists who have merged tell me, his actions bringing up the global network are unique and introduce an element of uncertainty into the equation that would not normally exist. In short, Sir, they cannot tell me with certainty that if something were to happen to Sam they, or anyone, would be able to re-establish the network. As I mentioned in my report, the gifts say that network is essential not only to building the gift ship, but also to building anything of significant complexity. It’s what allows large numbers of merged pairs to collaborate. Because of that, we cannot afford to kill Sam, not even by accident. I believe we need a team of people trained in high risk rescue operations, an in-extremis non-combatant extraction force, and we need the members of that team to merge with gifts.” Web replied.

“And who would you recommend to lead this team?”

“Myself, Sir. I’ve known Sam for years. I know how he thinks. In particular, I know how he thinks when he’s under enormous stress. I believe I am uniquely qualified in that regard.”

“I agree with you with respect to your understanding of Sam, but he is not the only threat we face.”

“Sir?”

“The NCA has decided to put together teams to track high risk individuals who receive gifts. They’re working out a protocol to determine who would be considered high risk. Obviously Sam is our first example, but where there is one threat of a certain nature there are usually more of the same. Your idea for the composition of the teams is in line with what I proposed and with what was approved. Because of your past experiences with Sam and your intimate knowledge of the gifts, you were selected to lead the team that will capture Sam. I’m pleased to hear that your analysis of the situation coincides with mine and the NCA’s. There is one consideration we haven’t addressed, however. In order to lead the team, you will have to merge with a gift. That’s not something I’m comfortable ordering you to do. Are you willing to volunteer to do so?”

“May I be candid, Sir?”

“Proceed.”

“I’m not thrilled with the idea. The people who have done so seem largely normal, well except for the fact they seem to be talking to themselves when they’re communicating with their gifts, but it’s impossible to know how they’ve changed inside. Still, it was my decision to allow Sam to work with the team. If there’s any way that decision played a role in Sam having the ability to activate the network, it’s my responsibility to rectify the situation. So, yes, I am willing. I don’t plan to stay that way, though. If the gifts are being honest about their willingness to leave after merging, I will tell mine to do so. The others may believe they are alive. I do not.”

“I tend to agree with you. They are machines. They may be very smart machines, but machines nonetheless. All right then, your official orders will be delivered to the SCIF, but here’s the gist of it. You are to select a squad of volunteers from the 10
th
Special Forces Group at Carson, get them to accept gifts and then brief them on relevant events to date. You may, at your discretion, augment the squad with up to three individuals you’ve worked with in the past from other units who have similar skill sets—you have absolute authority to have them attached to your team, effective immediately—provided you can get them here in a timely manner. Air and ground assets available to you are essentially unlimited and you may use emergency requisition of civilian assets if required. Your first priority is capturing Sam. I will personally brief you on future targets. Good hunting.”

“Yes, Sir.” Web departed for the SCIF to begin the process of merging with a gift.

Although Web found the idea of having a highly advanced set of machines coursing through his veins unsettling, he could not deny that he felt more physically powerful and capable than he had ever felt before. His gift, he’d yet to name him, disliking the feeling of permanence that implied, also made the process of vetting the potential members of his new snatch team much simpler. Web had established desired criteria and directed his gift to search for matching candidates. In seconds, he had a short list of qualified and available men, the top twelve of which were now standing before him in a secure facility on Fort Carson. Web had decided against meeting them on Peterson, believing a greater sense of familiarity would soften the impact of what he was about to tell them. For the same reason, he was wearing the same Army physical training outfit he had instructed each of them to wear.

“My name is Colonel Web. I have been given command of one of the most elite teams that has ever existed. Along with that command, I have been authorized to select whoever I want to be its founding members. Look around you. Some of you undoubtedly know each other. There are probably new faces here for everyone, as well. None of that matters. What does matter is that I have determined you are the best men for the needs of my team.

“You have all volunteered numerous times to get where you are. In a moment, I’m going to ask you to volunteer again and I’m not going to tell you what you’re volunteering for. I will tell you that I would not ask you to do what I would not do, part of which I have already done. I’m also going to show you some of the results of that decision.”

Looking around the room, Web asked, “Which of you is the best at unarmed self defense?”

Most of them raised their hands. Web picked the biggest one, told him to come forward.

“In just a moment, I’m going to order you to attack me. Let me be clear, I want you to try to hurt me. Do you understand?”

The sergeant smiled and said, “Yes, Sir!”

Without hesitation, Web moved into a handstand position, facing his opponent upside down. “Now,” he ordered.

Ignoring the unusual nature of the battle, the sergeant attacked, attempting a snap kick to Web’s exposed midsection. Moving with inhuman speed and precision, Web pivoted on one hand, caught the kick with his other and lifted the man off his feet. The surprised sergeant fell heavily onto the exercise mat. Using one arm, Web bounced to an upright position.