Jedikiah never let up, always pressuring John to do more, to pick up the pace. It took him less time to become proficient at teleporting to four places simultaneously then it had taken him to master three. He was soon stable enough that he no longer fell to his knees. A couple of deep steadying breaths, a mental reorganization, and he could both fight and teleport afterwards with very little recovery time.
But John was under enormous stress, and he was beginning to burn out. It had been a blow to him to lose Mike and David, and he lived in constant fear that Cara, Russell or Stephen might do something stupid.
Stephen still contacted him as soon as the suppression cuff was off, but at least was careful never to do it when the Founder was in the room with him. John pleaded over and over again. "Let it rest, Stephen. There's nothing you can do."
"Tell me why?" Stephen would demand.
John would just refuse and shut him out; fearful of leaking any information about B, knowing it would result in a rescue attempt that could never succeed. He stubbornly refused to respond to Cara at all.
He had just finished another argument with Stephen, his appetite had been off, and the girls had driven him nuts this morning, once again taking great delight in pestering him about what he and Maritza did at night. His patience was not just worn thin, it was quite simply gone.
Teleporting two people was old hat for John by now. Today, after he had repeated the same maneuver seven times in a row, he felt justified in complaining. "Why do we have to keep doing this? We all know what we're doing. We're perfect."
He sat leaning against a bench in the room, wiping his forehead with his hand. He knew he should just keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't stop himself.
And of course, Jedikiah immediately took him up on it announcing. "You're right, John. Let's try three."
John gave a much put upon sigh, dropping his hand, and turning his head to regard his mentor. "Three?" He couldn't keep the attitude out of his voice. "Have you noticed I have only two hands?"
Jedikiah's piercing stare and set face, let alone his frosty tone, should have been a clear warning to John to let it go. "I said, we try three."
John shook his head, staring at the floor. Kane looked at him and then turned to Jedikiah. There was a silent exchange between the two men. Kane's facial expression clearly asked if he was sure this was wise. Jedikiah acknowledged Kane's concern, but indicated he knew what he was doing.
"John, try with Maritza, Ponzi, and Jim."
John crossed his arms and stayed put, the mulish, petulant expression on his face made him look younger than his years.
"John, are you refusing an order?"
"Ask me to do something I have a chance of doing. I'm exhausted, and you're wasting my time. I'm telling you I can't teleport three people."
"How do you know unless you try?" Jedikiah would not back down from this war of wills.
"Ah, hello. I'm a TP. I'm the expert here. You're just the human." John's tone was so disrespectful that Maritza murmured under her breath. "Bad move, John boy." Jim looked at him sideways, shaking his head while Ponzi rolled his eyes. That kid was gonna get smacked down.
Kane just looked amused, interested in how Jedikiah would handle this situation.
Jedikiah had stayed patient up to this point, but there was no way he was taking crap from one of his trainees. Two quick strides took him over to John. He grabbed him by the back of his shirt shaking him.
"You're the one that's told me the training manuals are wrong. That we lay everything out according to formulas, and that's not the way it should be. You say teleportation is a feel."
Jedikiah pushed him off balance so he fell to his butt and elbows.
"So feel your way into teleporting three agents at once." Jedikiah walked away and then came back. "And since you need to concentrate on the job at hand, its best you don't have any distractions. You get to talk to the girls and your brainy friend when you figure out how to teleport three people."
He returned to his seat, back rigid, arms folded, face adamant.
The four team members gathered around the fallen John. Ponzi clapped slowly. "You are a true diplomat, boy."
Kane just shook his head and reached a hand out to the younger man sprawled on the floor. John took it, and the man easily pulled him to his feet.
Jim and Maritza had nothing to say.
John sighed, totally discouraged, and attempted to spread his hand to cover both Maritza and Ponzi's shoulders. Jim had absolutely refused to be on the side with two people. "You'll leave me in between, and I'll never get out." Ponzi's eyes widened, but Maritza just punched him on the shoulder. "Don't be such a baby."
The big man still didn't look comfortable, but he stayed put. John teleported, but only succeeded in moving Jim. The other two were left behind.
Over and over again, until John couldn't do it anymore. He just sat on the floor, head hanging.
Jedikiah walked over and booted him with a carefully crafted Italian leather shoe. John didn't react.
"I think John needs to go back to his room for awhile." Kane blandly proposed. Jedikiah met his gaze and shrugged.
"You guys take him back."
They waited until they were the only ones in the room. They walked over to the bleachers set up for observers. "Do you really think he can do this?" Kane opened the conversation.
Jedikiah considered carefully before replying, "If anyone can, it's him."
"Okay, then the problem is he's convinced he can't. He's beaten before he tries." Kane laid out the situation as he saw it.
"I agree. So what are you suggesting?"
"Let's get him drunk." Kane shrugged.
Jedikiah burst out laughing. "Let the subconscious mind take over. Might work."
"Plus, the kid's stale. He's exhausted, frustrated. He has nothing to look forward to. The Irene girl would have told him about his friends. He's hunkered down enduring, like a prisoner for life. We need to throw him off balance."
Jedikiah weighed the man's words. The two respected each other as experts in their field, and he was able to examine the suggestion dispassionately. "I agree. When?"
"Tonight."
Jedikiah's brows rose. "He's still in a snit."
"Yeah, but he'll have just enough time that the memory of his attempts will be in his mind, but he'll be relaxed. He'll either be able to do it, or he won't. If he can't then we change our long term strategy."
Jedikiah agreed. "Let him sleep a couple of hours. We'll go out around ten o'clock."
John was fast asleep on the sofa when Alice softly chimed a wakeup call. "Shower and get dressed in street clothes, John."
He opened one eye. "What did you say?"
"Your monitoring indicates your hearing is acute. Why must I repeat everything I tell you?"
"Because most of what you say is crap." John opened the other eye and rolled over, slowly sitting up. He rubbed his face, thinking he really needed to get the stubble on his chin under control.
"That is not a true statement."
John sighed. "Street clothes?"
"Yes, you are going outside."
John's interest was piqued despite himself. The only forays outside were to run laps, and lately that had been curtailed to concentrate on teleportation. He got up and went to the dresser. His clothes choices were limited since other than uniforms his only option was the jeans, Henley, and leather jacket he wore when he was captured. He shrugged. Beggars can't be choosers.
Promptly at ten pm the door slid open revealing five people. Jedikiah was immaculately suited as usual. The other men did not have suits, but they wore obviously expensive casual pants, shirts and jackets. Maritza looked stunning in a short dress and really high heels. Her muscles were exposed, but it somehow did not detract from her femininity. She wore bright red lipstick and her hair was allowed to curl riotously around her face. John couldn't help an appreciative glance which pleased her.
Jedikiah looked him up and down obviously not approving what he was seeing. "This is the best you can do?" He took in the shaggy hair and scruffy face. "You look like a bum."
John immediately fired up. "Sorry. My paycheck appears to have been sidetracked for the last I don't know how many months, and we haven't made any trips to the mall. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm only allowed plastic scissors."
Kane immediately intervened pulling John by the arm. "Let's get going."
"Where?" No one responded. When the official black vehicle pulled up in front of one of the trendiest nightclubs in town John was shocked.
"Here?"
"We all need a break." Kane told him while Jedikiah ordered the driver to stay on call.
Kane calmly dispensed cash wherever needed with the result that a table was brought to the front of the dance floor, and drinks started flowing. It seemed unreal to John. He unobtrusively pinched himself to see if he was hallucinating, but the rhythm of the music was pounding in his ears and people were constantly bumping into him. He couldn't read anyone because of the suppression cuff, but he was kind of glad. This many people would be tough to handle after his months of limited contact. Maritza immediately jumped up pulling Kane to the dance floor. "I need to move."
John's eyes followed them. He was shocked when he watched Kane. He hadn't expected someone so big and muscle bound to be able to dance. The guy had rhythm.
Ponzi and Jim pushed a shot towards him. "Drink up, kid."
"Nah," John objected. "I'll just have a beer."
"Real men drink shots." Ponzi overruled him. "Take it with the beer."
"What's the object here?" When Jim and Ponzi got up to follow some pretty girls who had been eyeing them, John slid over next to Jedikiah. "I don't get it."
Jedikiah remained calm. "Kane told you. It's gotten too stressful and everyone needs a break."
John didn't look convinced. His former mentor did nothing without a goal in mind.
As the evening wore on and they managed to push more drinks on John, he soon stopped worrying. He got up and danced with Maritza. She taught him some very suggestive dance moves, and he went along with it grinding into her. It felt so good to not care even if only for a few hours.
Startled watchful eyes caught sight of them. There was a flurry of silent conversation, and then the owners quickly ducked to a back alley, teleporting out to report what they had seen.
By the time the group left, John was staggering. He was more than a little dizzy, and he ended up with his head resting against Jedikiah's shoulder, which amused the man no end. "You never could handle liquor, John."
"Ish not true." John slurred his words. "I did good."
"Yeah, right. Sure." Jedikiah didn't bother to contradict him.
They pulled up to the front of the Ultra headquarters, and John was helped out by Ponzi who had started a good natured debate with him. "I think you can teach me to teleport."
John shook his head owlishly. "No way."
"I taught you to fight." Ponzi feigned drunkenness. The group was composed of four of the hardest heads around, and none of them had consumed enough alcohol to give them more than a slight buzz. Jedikiah was also unaffected.
"Let's go see." Jim suggested according to the pre-arranged plan.
They went to the training area. The evening security people were stunned by their loud boisterous behavior, but everyone knew this group had top security. There would be a lot of buzz about this at shift change.
The debate continued as Maritza tried to remove John's leather jacket. "I can do that." His efforts to help were clumsy and uncoordinated, and finally Maritza lost patience and stripped it off him.
He smiled drunkenly at Ponzi. "She wants me!"
They all laughed at that. "Don't think you'd be able to do much tonight, boy, not in the shape you're in." Jim's astute comment caused another round of laughter with even John joining in. "Guesh not," he slurred.
Kane stripped his Henley up and over his shoulders, confusing John. "Is it time for bed?"
"Nope," Ponzi reminded John. "You're going to show me how to teleport. You promised."
John thought for a moment, appearing confused. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
"Okay, let's go."
"Wait. I want to see." Maritza linked her arm around John's bare upper arm.
"Me too." Kane mimicked her pose on the other side.
John was an agreeable drunk. He smiled charmingly. "We'll make it a party."
Jim looked at him for a moment and then lifted John's hand placing it firmly on his shoulder. "I want to feel it too."
Ponzi said, "I'm ready." It took John two tries before he managed to grab the man's shoulder.
John started to giggle and stood for a moment, dizzy from the alcohol, trying to figure out how to show the human how to teleport. He reached for the area of his brain where he always felt a sensation when he teleported and then reached for Ponzi's mind. He couldn't make a connection and fumbled for a moment. He didn't have enough control to command the way he normally did, so he resorted to what he had argued about with Jedikiah. He relaxed allowing the feeling to overwhelm him, to flow thick like liquid silver, to embrace him and whoosh.
The five of them were at the other end of the room. Jedikiah half rose from where he was sitting on the bleachers. He pressed a speed call dial on his phone and spoke briefly.
"You did it, Ponzi. You did it." John drunkenly congratulated the man who stared at him dumbfounded. Maritza nudged him, and he snapped to, playing along. "Yeah, yeah I did do it. I'm great. What a great teacher you are. Let me try it one more time, John."
Once again John felt the slip in his mind, the easy effortless slide so different from his urgent commanding when he teleported two.
The five ended up at the other end of the room facing the Founder who had teleported in response to Jedikiah's urgent call.
John faced the Founder, utterly confused when he was greeted with approval. "Good work, John."
John, dizzier now, drunkenly pointed a finger at the Founder. "Hah! I'm better then you. I taught human to tele . . . . He stopped a look of distress on his face. He tried again. "To tele . . ."
He turned slightly green and vomited, covering Maritza's high heels with foul smelling liquid. The Founder had quickly stepped back out of range.
"John!" she wailed. "These shoes are new."
John hung his head, his look of shame mollifying her anger. He resembled nothing so much as a contrite puppy that had peed on the carpet and knew it was wrong.
"Oh!" he complained. "I don't feel so good."
The Founder shook his head. "Get the young fool to his room." He watched at the two men supported John between them. Maritza, a look of utmost disgust on her face, stepped out of her shoes, and walked barefoot from the room. She dropped the shoes in a waste basket near the door.
The Founder looked between Kane and Jedikiah. "This is more then I hoped for. Accelerate the training."
"Sir, we run the risk of pushing John into open rebellion." Kane felt he had to bring up the possibility.
The Founder frowned and crossed his arms. "Are the hostages not sufficient anymore?"
"They are, Sir," Jedikiah responded. "I don't believe he'll try to escape, but he'll have more . . ah . . shall we say temper tantrums."
The Founder nodded, understanding. "Then throw in some incentives. He needs to see that cooperation is rewarded."
He waved a hand dismissing the two humans. He stood for awhile contemplating how this new development fell in with his plans. He was quite pleased when he finally teleported home.