Terry Neale - Jo-el

“They look so real,” he said. “If they’re not real, how do you fly?”

I had decided that I would disclose some of the technology, specifically that which was too difficult to sidestep. I brought the wings into my body and then had them disappear.

“I am able to fly because I am wearing a belt computer that contains an anti-gravity device.” That was an obvious queue for Leyland.

“Can you show us?”

“Of course,” I said. “Let me first show you the computer that controls much of what I can do.” I raised my silver, mesh, tunic and showed the computer to the camera, which was sliding closer to me to get the shot. When I replace my tunic, the camera man moved back. Then I lifted off the ground, maybe five feet and stayed there in mid-air for a few seconds before returning to the ground.

“Is the anti-gravity technology going to be available to everyone?” asked Leyland. I knew this would happen, a barrage of questions. Plus, I still had some shares in Ford and GM, imagine what they would do if I said ‘yes’?

“No, that’s not possible,” I lied. “Leyland, let me continue.” He nodded. “The clothes that I’m wearing I call a ‘smart-suit’, it can change appearance to anything I wish. So, if I would like a business suit all I do is…” I changed my clothes to a suit somewhat matching the suit Leyland was wearing.

“Incredible,” I heard him say.

“No, this technology will not be produced for a very long time.” Don’t want the whole garment industry collapsing, at least not until I’d sold some more shares.

In my mind, I toyed with explaining the ‘bounce’ technology but I felt that it could easily outshine why I was there.

“Now I want to explain why I requested this on-air interview, Leyland.” He motioned for me to continue. “This is the serious aspect of my presence here today. Much of the current news stories pertain to the arrests of terrorists, child molesters and various other criminals across both the USA and Europe. All the information being used by the authorities in each country to identify these people comes from myself. I am not going to explain how I do this but tonight I am issuing a warning.” I paused for a few seconds for effect. “As of today, as of this exact moment in time, if a rape or any crime is perpetrated against a woman or child, I will send a video of that crime to the local authorities responsible for apprehending such individuals. There will be no chance whatsoever to escape prosecution. If you commit a rape or harm a child you will be caught.” I looked over at Leyland, who seemed tongue tied for a moment, then walked off the set.

I think they went to a commercial break. Cathy Vogel came over to me and said, “you can’t just leave it like that, Jo-el.”

“Why not? I think I was very clear.”

“What now?” she asked.

“I’m leaving, let’s see what happens in the next day or so.”

“Are you trying to end all crime?”

I smiled, “not sure that’s possible but it’s a step in the right direction.”

“Okay, let’s go back to the conference room.”

I left Vogel and Nolan a few minutes later telling them that I’d keep in touch and return when I thought it was necessary. They were grateful, they had more than enough material to keep them busy for weeks. They were treating me with kid gloves, yes sir, no sir, they understood it would be easy for me to go to a competitor, they didn’t want that, which was fine with me, CNN were at the top of their tree and I liked Cathy Vogel.

What was it? Why didn’t I feel happy about the CNN spot? It seemed so fabricated to me, and I felt that’s how it would appear to the viewers. It reminded me of the meeting in the hangar, like I was a school teacher taking a fifth-grade class. Maybe I didn’t like the role I was playing? Perhaps there was another way?

I showered and called Sally. I was only waring a toweling robe. She was elegant in a short, blue cocktail dress and high heels, a topaz stone hung from a silver necklace around her neck, a giant topaz ring on her wedding finger.

“Is that real?” But as I said it, I realized nothing about Sally was real.

“You like it?” she did a twirl, then came close to me. I could smell a scent.

“I can smell perfume?”

She laughed and put her arms around my neck, they were real, then she kissed me long and hard, her tongue probing inside my mouth. I could feel her body against mine, her abdomen firm against me. My loins came alive; she knew immediately and gyrated sensuously up and down with her body to arouse me. It worked. I pulled away, wrapping the towel robe tighter. I was speechless.

“You don’t like me, Jo-el?” she pouted.

“I know what you are, Sally. It’s weird.”

Sally walked gracefully to the window and stood staring out at the San Francisco skyline. Then she turned toward me slowly her face lit with joy. “I am what you ever want me to be, Jo-el.”

I crossed the room to her and wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her on the mouth. She molded to me like putty. I was hard and I wanted her. “I love you very much, Sally, you know that.” She twirled away and fell on the sofa. She was like a sixteen-year-old girl who’d been kissed for the first time, glowing with vanity, nervous, shaking with delight.

“Not yet, Joey, I’m not ready. But soon.” She whispered, her face beaming with pride.

Not ready. I didn’t know where to go with that. I left her to enjoy her power over me and went to the bedroom to dress.

Sally was still sitting in the same position when I returned. “Did you watch me on CNN?” I asked. She nodded. “And?”

“It came over a bit like a magic show, at first, I was waiting for you to pull a rabbit out of a hat. But the warning brought it alive, that should work.”

“That’s what I thought. I don’t feel comfortable explaining who I am. Even to me it all seems so ridiculous.”

“They’ll get used to it.”

Maybe I thought. “So what’s next?”

“The company I picked to clean up your house will be there in half an hour.”

“Oh, right. Can you meet them?”

“Can’t do that, Jo-el, you know that.”

“How far away can you get?”

“About two hundred and fifty feet.”

“I just don’t want to see the mess.”

“They’ll need some cash up front.”

“A lot?”

“Maybe five hundred.”

“What about Maggie?”

“She picked an Italian restaurant downtown, real close to here.”

“Good, is Adam coming?”

“No, I just said her.”

“Good. What time?”

“I said you’d see her there at six.

“Okay, so I’ll have an hour or so after meeting with the clean-up crew.”

Sally nodded.

“I was wondering; can you terminate hundreds of people at once?”

Sally paused for a while, her eyes lit up and the edge of her mouth curled. “Sure!”

“Like, how many?”

“What are you thinking, Jo-el?”

“Just tell me.”

“Thousands, I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. Are you going to tell me what you’re planning?”

“No, not right now, I need to think about it first.”

After I meet with the President. I need a gift and I think I knew exactly what he’d like.

“The Russian is moving his money.”

“Oh, good.”

“Not really, he’s transferring it to a friend. I sent him the account numbers and routing but he decided to ignore it. There’s one for the chopping block.” She laughed.

“Son of a bitch! What’s he planning?”

“His friend is a billionaire, but he’s not on any list, nasty piece of work. He’s in Monaco, so Yerchenkov went to see him, after his visit to the hospital.”