The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(35)

“I don’t think TSA agents carry,” Eugene says. “They’re not cops.”

“I think I see where you’re going with this,” Mira says, looking at Hillary approvingly. “Let me have a look.”

She places her hand on the shiny, bald head of the aging TSA agent and concentrates.

“How stereotypical,” she says when she’s done. Turning determinedly, she walks to the stairs and down a level. We all follow her.

As we walk, I notice Hillary is looking around thoughtfully. I wonder what she’s planning. Whatever it is, it requires her to learn her surroundings.

“There,” Mira says, pointing at the Dunkin Donuts.

I see two other men in uniforms. These two turn out to have ‘Miami-Dade’ written on their badges.

They’re cops.

“MDPD,” Mira says and takes the gun from the shorter of the two officers.

“Oh, I get it now,” Eugene says. “Cops in a doughnut shop.”

Mira slowly shakes her head but doesn’t say anything snide. I wonder if that means her mood has improved.

“You should take his gun,” Hillary says to Eugene, pointing at the taller cop.

“Shouldn’t Darren take it?” Eugene asks. “He learned to shoot very recently, and ironically from Caleb, who—”

“You should take it,” Hillary says again. “And here’s why.”

She tells us her plan.

“That’s a good start,” Mira says when Hillary is done. “But it won’t be enough once we’re out of the Mind Dimension.”

“That’s why I’m not coming with you,” Hillary says. “I’ll walk around, doing my part. Darren, can you describe the younger monk to me?”

I tell her what the younger monk looks like and where he is in reference to our departure gate.

“Do you think I could Guide him?” she asks. “Since you were able to Read him?”

“Probably,” I say.

“I’ll throw in an emergency plan, in case he doesn’t cooperate,” Hillary says. “You three go do your parts.”

“Will you have enough time to do what you have to do?” Mira asks.

“It’s not important,” Hillary says. “I can Split and take as long as I need if I have to. I have more than enough Reach on my own.”

“You’re right,” Mira says. “My nerves are making me stupid.”

Hillary doesn’t say anything and walks away, touching the first person near us.

It takes Eugene, Mira, and me only a few minutes to locate our target, Caleb.

“Here comes the weird part,” I say.

“Everything that follows this will be weird,” Eugene says. “Let’s go get you, Darren.”

Leaving Caleb’s body behind, we walk through the airport, back to our gate, and back to where my body is on its perilous way to the bathroom.

“Alrighty then,” Eugene says. ”Do you want me to take the legs?”

“Sure,” I say. “I’ll take the arms.”

“Hold on a second,” Mira says and walks away.

She comes back with one of the luggage carts that travelers can rent for five bucks. Yes, five bucks for a glorified shopping cart with no electrical components (verified by the fact that this thing works in the Quiet). That’s airport prices for you.

“That’s genius,” I say.

“Not really. You guys are idiots for planning to drag him—you—by arms and legs across half the airport,” she says wryly.

I don’t say anything, partly because she has a point. I should’ve thought of using a cart, but I’m also too wired about the next part of the plan to think straight.

Without much aplomb, I push my rigid body over and he falls onto the cart. It’s really odd seeing my limp body lying there like that.

“I’ll push it,” I say. “It’s my body, after all.”

No one objects, and we make our way to where we found Caleb. I feel silly dragging myself out of the cart. I imagine this is how a celebrity would feel if they came across themselves in Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and started messing around with their statue.

“Let’s put him here,” I say. “Behind this column.”

And to the sound of Mira’s disrespectful chuckling, Eugene and I unload the immobile version of me and prop him, as best as we can, behind the shiny metal column.

“Now for the fun part,” I say.

“Listen, Darren. It’s not too late to think of something else,” Eugene says. “Something not so reckless.”

“I’m fine,” I say. “Just do your thing, both of you.”

Without another word, Eugene and Mira walk away, and a minute later, I have no idea where they went. This is part of the plan. Now for the insane part—the part Hillary might’ve thought up as payback for the way I told Bert about her nature.

I walk over to Caleb and punch him in his immobile face. I know this will pull him in, just like any other physical contact would. This too, unfortunately, is part of the plan.

“You shouldn’t have done that, kid,” Caleb says as soon as he materializes.

In a whirlwind of motion, he’s next to me, and pain erupts in my jaw.