Mind Games

by Angel of Arumdin in Washington

Prologue

Zoe scratched her thigh. The hot summer sun bore down like a sizzling pan on her body. She blew cool air down her sweaty shirt, but her confining leotard kept the air from sticking to her skin.

Is you is or is you ain't my baby... a ring-tone broke the silence of the heat. Lyla pulled a phone out of her gymnastics bag. She jerked her head back in surprise when she saw the caller ID.

"Mom, it's..." she paused for a second. "Dad." She out the phone up to her ear. The voice on the other end of the line said,

"Rose?"

"No daddy! Lyla."

"God, do you sound like your mother. Can I speak to her?"

"Sure." Lyla handed the phone to her mother.

"Hi Rose. I'm still on the job. Mr. Lock has the resources to come after you and Lyla. Don't let him anywhere near you. The mission is quickly going downhill. The last time Mr. Lock was seen it was in Denver, Colorado."

"That's where we are."

"Yes. He will kill you, Lyla, or anyone else who gets in the way. He is a mad man. I thought that you should know that we have the cancel code, but Mr. Lock will do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to destroy that code. He had the surgery."

"You mean the surgery? The surgery?"

"He had the superhuman surgery. He can now take on the shape and appearance of anyone or anything. He might even go to desperate measures and inhibit the form of Lyla or Zoe. You MUST keep him away from you. Can I talk to Lyla now?" He asked.

"Sure." Rose handed the phone back to Lyla.

"Daddy, when are you coming home?" Lyla whined.

"Two months max. Battlere's hurt and needs my medical assistance," He lied.

"Is Battlere Chloe's dad?"

"No. Different Battlere."

"Good. Well, I have to go to gymnastics practice now. Love you! Bye!" She hung up.

Zoe watched the light turn from green, to yellow, to red, and to green again. Suddenly, an orange sports car speeded into the intersection. Rose honked, but it was already to late. There was a crash, and then blackness, blackness, blackness.