Mindful 2
Chapter 2
Déjà vu.

After safely crossing into Canada Iona acquired an entry visa. She was able to show that she had funds to support herself and that she had ample means to return to Canada so the formalities presented little problem. Once back in the USA, she settled near Seattle airport. This enabled her to keep telepathic tabs on any international comings and goings. To avoid boredom she found a casual job with a freight outfit and used the local delivery trips to scan the area around Seattle. As her leg healed and her health returned, her telepathy steadily gained range. After several months she could reach five miles again. This put a huge circle of safety around her during local delivery trips with her van.

Telepathy confirmed that they were still looking for her and they knew more about her. Worse still, her passport needed renewal so she knew they would be looking out for her when it eventually expired. She decided to apply for permanent immigration and debated becoming a Canadian or American citizen. She plumped for American nationality purely on the basis of it having weaker links with the old country. She had no trouble demonstrating she could support herself with commodity trading so the process was set in motion. All she had to do was lie low and await the naturalisation procedures. The freight job kept her one step ahead of her pursuers and she simply kept moving home if they got too close. As her reputation for reliability got established she was given more responsible work until she worked on transcontinental and international trips into Canada and Mexico. There was the odd curious glance at a girl driver with a British passport but no trouble. Regular border guards got to know and like her.

In Mexico she had a stroke of luck. Telepathy informed her that they weren’t very alert in the British Embassy in Mexico City. They had not updated the embassy’s annual blacklist and she managed to renew her passport. Ecstatic with success she returned north to the border with her shiny new book tucked safely away. Despite this, she continued with the naturalisation process and it was a good thing that he did. Several months later she detected her pursuers again. Somehow they had located her again.

Angrily she scanned their minds and cursed them for their tenacity. Fortunately her U.S. Passport had arrived and the law better protected her. The Mexican government did not take kindly to having American visitors attacked by foreign European agencies.
Iona detected her pursuers at the border and quickly decided to scotch their plans. She immediately topped her fuel tanks after clearing customs and barrelled her way south.

The truck was well equipped for long hauls and she left them behind as they were forced to stop for fuel. She met them again returning north. She had chosen a different return route but they were watching every border crossing. This time she knew they would be prepared and it would be difficult to shake them off on the wide-open U.S. highways. They would even be able to use private helicopters in the liberal U.S. skies.

She had one surprise in store for them however, for she had paid to have her truck modified in Mexico. An extra tank was fitted that would give her transcontinental range. This was common practice in Central America where fuel prices fluctuated enormously.

At the border she phoned the depot in Seattle to warn them of problems then she parked right under the noses of the border police to gain their protection. The cargo was an expensive load of medicines and had involved considerable customs time.

Customs and immigration had come to know Iona well. They were alert to the dangers to her load and they willingly let her park close. Iona savoured the chagrin in her pursuer’s minds.

She warned the police that her valuable load was a target for a gang of truck hijackers so she gave a confidential explanation of her route and expected arrival times. The police surveillance combined with her virtual non-stop run north stymied her pursuers again. Her success couldn’t last forever though. Now they knew her work, it was only a matter of time. Even her new citizenship status would provide little protection against their determined efforts. The only solution was to lay a trap and expose them to the U.S. Authorities without revealing her telepathy.

It was a slack winter season so she arranged a short leave and visited Emma. Early the next morning at the entrance to Emma’s private road she paid her respects to Jacky the gatekeeper. Jacky was naturally suspicious and accompanied Iona to Emma’s in case there was some danger to her friend. They found her on the beach collecting driftwood for her art.

Iona was disappointed to read Jacky’s resentment at Emma’s obvious joy at but it was more than compensated by the rare opportunity to practice her telepathy again. Once again the uncanny silences antagonised Jacky and after a couple of hours Jacky signed her suspicions.

“Is there something special going on between you guys?”

Iona knew of her suspicions but Emma became nervous and defensive.

“What d’ you mean?” She signed.

“I’ve noticed you seem to know what each other wants before you show it. Is there any truth to what Pete the sheriff said about the bank raid thing?”

“Emma’s hands remained still as she and Iona exchanged thoughts.”

“Should we tell her?” Emma asked.

Iona considered Jacky’s feelings and sexual orientation then hesitated. Emma needed warning before Iona dropped that bombshell. She cautioned Emma to take it slowly and give her -Iona- time to prepare the ground. Jacky became angry again at the silences and stalked out of the cabin. She was making for her pickup as Iona caught up with her.

“Jacky don’t rush away yet. Emma’s got problems and I’m helping her with them. She’ll need your help soon so please stay. It’s impotant.”

“Is it about the bank raid thing?”

“Partly.”

“Jacky’s curiosity extinguished her anger and she argued on the track before returning to the cabin.”

“So there is something to what Pete said!”

Iona read Jacky’s mind to determine just how much Pete had suspected and how much he had told Jacky. There were parts missing and it would take care to fill Jacky in without damaging Emma and Jacky’s friendship. Jacky’s sexual orientation was going to prove a dangerous hurdle. Iona’s cognitive silence almost confirmed Jacky’s suspicions so Iona denied it no further.

“Later Jacky, later. Let’s eat lunch first.”

Iona had allowed Emma to monitor the conversation and she quickly re-laid the third place at the table. Jacky returned to the cabin to find Emma relaying her place and stared thoughtfully at the arrangement before signing her friend.

“How did you know I was coming back?”

Emma tapped her nose knowingly and smiled. Nervously Jacky settled in her usual chair and studied Emma’s slender graceful back as she lifted the stew off the stove. Iona caught Jacky’s eye and raised a silent cautioning finger to prevent any more questions. They ate in silence as Jacky mulled over forthcoming revelations and Iona exchanged thoughts with Emma. Finally, after clearing everything with Emma, Iona spoke for Jacky’s benefit.

“I’d like to speak to you alone on the beach Jacky. Are you happy about that?”

A twitch of fear tingled down Jacky’s spine but Iona was a tiny slip of a girl and therefore posed no threat. She signed to Emma who confirmed that Iona was ‘perfectly safe’. Thus encouraged Jacky agreed and the pair went to the beach while Emma cleared away the table.

As they rounded the rock where she had been trapped, Iona spoke softly.

“That rock is the start of all my troubles.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t fall off the cliff path. The waves flung me into that cleft in the rock. Emma was
painting on the beach when she found me.”

“How.” Asked Jacky as she watched the weltering surf pounding the reverse side of the rock. “She couldn’t have seen you unless she was in the water.”

“I called for help.”

For several seconds Jacky missed the significance until she remembered Emma’s deafness. As she realised the impossibility of Iona’s words her suspicions began to root deeper. Iona followed her thoughts and nodded wearily as the light finally dawned in Jacky’s eyes.

“You can, can’t you?” She whispered nervously.

“Perfectly.” Replied Iona audibly as she followed Jacky’s thoughts.

“What is it? How does it work?” Pressed Jacky, still whispering as though in some sort of sacred place. She felt like a novice in a church as Iona interrupted her thoughts.

“It is a church Jacky. Some people might even call it God’s own church. But I just see the magnificent sacred beauty of it.”

Again Jacky failed to grasp what had happened for several seconds before realising that Iona had recognised her private thoughts about churches and sacredness.

Jacky was by no means a religious girl. She had been hounded out of her family’s Southern Fundamentalist church as a teenager because of her sexual orientations. It had left her bitter and suspicious of religion forever. But now; somehow, this strange enigma of a girl, this tiny elfin little Brit, had exposed her to a spiritual experience that left her speechless.

‘You read my thoughts!’ Jacky gasped inwardly.

“I did indeed. There’s no need to worry. I’m not going to harm you or betray you.”

Jacky looked down at her with tearstained worried eyes then whimpered nervously.

“You didn’t speak then did you? You didn’t use words.”

“No. I transmitted my thoughts. I am telepathic. There’s no need to speak, just think your thoughts.”

Jacky’s brain log-jammed with emotions and fright as she tried to gather her wits. Silence descended as Jacky’s confusion swamped her reasoning.

“Don’t worry, I can wait all afternoon.” Telepathed Iona. “There’s no need to be afraid.”

“But you know. You know about my-.”

“Your lesbianism. Of course I know about it. Why should that worry me?”

“But-. “

Jacky fell silent as she slowly realised Iona wasn’t disgusted or curious. Somehow telepathy conveyed Iona’s feelings and demonstrated that she wasn’t offended. It was like meeting a saint.

‘Here was a girl who wasn’t angry or disgusted by Jacky’s dirty secret.’ Jacky’s fears took her reasoning further.

“How long have you known?”

“Since you demonstrated your fears for Emma after my accident. Oh; and by the way, I don’t think of you as ‘dirty’.”

“Thanks. But all that was months ago.” Muttered Jacky thoughtfully.

“Gosh! As long as that! My how time flies.”

“And-, and you’ve never told her.” Gulped Jacky.

“No.”

Jacky fell silent as she searched for some ulterior motive, some lever or device that Iona might use to control both of them.

“Why should I wish to control you; - or Emma for that matter?”

Jacky gulped again as she realised Iona had read her thoughts again.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this in the cabin?” She demanded already anticipating the answer.

“Emma doesn’t realise your feelings for her. D’ you think she would share her bed with you again if she knew?”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“No. That’s entirely up to you. If you wish to communicate to her via my telepathy she might find out.”
Jacky fell silent again as her mind raced. Even if she didn’t want to use telepathy with Emma, it was certain that Emma would want to use it with her. Suddenly she recognised the other conundrum.

“Hold on a minute. Emma’s not telepathic!”

“No but I am. I can operate my telepathy like a telephone exchange.”

Jacky gulped again at this new revelation then her thoughts raced on as she gradually realised why Iona was on the run.

“So that’s why those British agents want you back. You disabled those people out in the bank. You could be their secret weapon!”

“That was an exception Jacky. Emma was in serious danger. I had to disabled those robbers.”

“But you can knock people out with whatever it is inside your head.”

“Yes. But I don’t like it. I don’t like hurting people. That’s why I’ve come here to get away from Emma. I don’t want any leaks to hurt her.”

“So my secret’s safe then.”

“With me, certainly; but if Emma wants to communicate with us via telepathy then she could find out.”

“Why?”

“That’s always the case. As soon as people use my gift, they want to learn everything about me and anybody else who’s sharing our thoughts. It’s the nature of the telepathic beast I’m afraid. People are terribly nosy. It’s all about truth, no matter how painful.”

“You seem to know an awful lot about people and telepathy.”

`Iona gave her a dumb look and Jacky mentally kicked herself as she realised the fatuousness of her remark. Then she giggled stupidly to relieve her embarrassment.

“Do you want to talk to Emma?” Pressed Iona. “She’s itching to talk to you. I can’t offer any guarantees.”

“Are there any alternatives?”

“Three as I see it.” Observed Iona.

“That’s nice,” gasped Jacky with relief, “tell me what they are.”
“One. You go ahead with telepathy and take a chance.
Two, you let me break the news to Emma gently. I have no idea what her reaction will be but she seems a very forgiving sweet girl to me.
Finally, three; you don’t use telepathy and carry on signing, though I don’t think Emma will like that. She’s come to depend on my telepathy when I’m around.”

Jacky thought hard then chickened out and landed Iona with the second option.

“You tell her. Please do it gently.”

“OK. It’ll have to be straight away though. I can’t guarantee her reactions.”

Jacky shrugged resignedly. ‘In for a dime, in for a dollar.’

Iona appeared to fall silent until Jacky realised she was communicating with Emma right there and then from the beach. She swallowed silently as the minutes ticked by and the surf rumbled behind her. Eventually Iona turned and smiled softly.

“She was a bit shocked but I’ve managed to convey the emotional side.”

“What d’ you mean?”

“Lesbian love isn’t just about sex is it? It’s the whole woman thing, emotions, caring, everything. Telepathy allows me to understand all that. By the way, I’m not all I seem to be.”

“Go on.” Replied Jacky nervously.

“Well I’m not exactly what I appear to be. Under this skirt there’s a transvestite.

Biologically I’m a boy. My telepathy is connected to my transvestism. It uses all my brain, that is both hemispheres, more like a woman’s brain than a man’s. My brain is cross-wired even better than a woman's is. That’s why my telepathy picks up so quickly on emotions.”

Once again Jacky mentally kicked herself.

‘If anybody could understand how intensely emotional a lesbian relationship could get, it would have to be a transvestite. Normal men were such greedy selfish demanding brutes. To Jacky they had always seemed almost totally physical and one sided in their relationships. This runty little Brit, this telepathic transvestite was something entirely different. The ‘two-sidedness’ of the creature’s brain explained everything.’

“Not all men are brutes Jacky,” protested Iona as she defended her biological gender, “and I’m not a creature either. I’m human just like you.”

“Well that’s how it seems to me. Telepathy doesn’t seem human.” Jacky mumbled defensively.

“Well I suppose we’ve all got crosses to bear. It’s pointless arguing now. Come on, Emma’s waiting, d’ you want to talk to her?”

Jacky swallowed nervously again. Things were moving a bit too fast.

“OK I can wait.” Replied Iona comfortingly.

Jacky felt a surprised twitch of gratitude at her concern. ‘This guy really was different from other men. But then he would be, he was a telepathic transvestite.’

“I’m not sure I can face her.” Mumbled Jacky.

“You won’t be facing her. We can do it right here on the beach.”

“What! It’s almost five hundred yards. How big is this telepathy thing?”

“Five yards, five miles, what’s the difference?”

Jacky’s jaw sagged again at this new revelation, and then she selected the coward’s way out and chose to do it from the beach. Iona smiled as she spread her hands generously.

“That’s the beauty of telepathy. You’ll be able to discover exactly what Emma feels without having to face her. Once you know, you’ll be able decide if you want to see her again.”

“Or if she’ll want to see me again.” Countered Jacky suspiciously.

“She does, trust me on that one. Are you ready?”

Jacky nodded nervously. Before her head had finished nodding Emma was calling urgently.

“Hello! Hello! Jacky? Jacky! Are you there?”

Jacky didn’t recognise the stranger’s voice and panicked for a moment before Iona intervened like a telephone operator.

“I’m sorry girls. I forgot to warn you. You don’t always sound like your real voices. It’s a mental thing and your voices tend to be affected by your own preconceptions. It’s like hearing yourselves for the first time on tape. I sound like me because I’m so familiar with my own tape as it were. It’s difficult to explain especially as you’re not facing each other. Emma, prove it’s really you by touching something in the kitchen and Jacky will tell you what it is. She won’t sound like Jacky when she replies but then your deafness precludes you that anyway.”

Emma touched the wall clock and Jacky instantly described it. The impasse helped to break the ice and they were able to tackle the more vexing question of Jacky’s sexuality. Their emotions and feelings were conveyed vividly by telepathy and both girls were left exhilarated by the encounter.

As they ‘talked’ Iona and Jacky returned to the cabin and many emotional tears were spilt. Eventually Iona was forced to shut down for the effort had exhausted her. The girls had explored every facet of their own personalities and quite a lot of Iona’s. Jacky was stunned to learn of Iona’s childhood.

“I thought my childhood was bad.”

“You only saw the bits I let you to see. Same as I did with Emma.”

“Is there worse then?”

“Lot’s. It would send you both mad, especially if I relayed it telepathically.”

“Oh tell us please.” Begged Emma. “By ordinary speech if you have to.”

“No.”

“You don’t trust us.” Accused Jacky.

“Of course I trust you. I’ve shown you my telepathy haven’t I? I’m just protecting you.”

The girls fell silent as Iona prepared to leave for her outhouse for the evening. She read both their thoughts and grinned.

“You can sleep here tonight.” Offered Emma nervously glancing towards Jacky.

“And where will Jacky sleep?” Demanded Iona. It’s cold in that outhouse at this time of year. It doesn’t affect me I’m used to the cold.

Emma rarely had visitors during the winter and the outhouse had no heating. It was getting dark and the track was slippery from the rain. She couldn’t expect Jacky to drive home in these conditions.

“I’ll sleep on the settee.” Suggested Iona. “I’m smaller than the both of you so you two can share the bed like you’ve always done.”

The tension became electric until Iona sighed.

“Look you two. I thought telepathy would have sorted out the sexuality thing. Surely you’ve got no qualms about carrying on as you always have.”

The girls exchanged nervous glances before divulging their aspirations. Emma ‘spoke for both of them.

“We thought you might want to be a father again.”

“I know you did. I’ve been reading that thought in both you’re heads since you finished your coffee.”

“Will you then?” Asked Jacky hopefully.

“You’re being naïve. You’ll be ostracised from here to hell and back, especially you Jacky. This isn’t the big city. Small town people can be very narrow about lesbian parents.”

“D’ you think I don’t know that.” Scorned Jacky.

“Of course you know about it. I was just repeating it for Emma’s sake.”

“So you’re not saying no.”

“No. Not yet anyway. I’ve never been judgmental but you must understand the problems. Things are going to be bloody difficult for you. What happens when your children start reading adult thoughts in your minds? If you think telling your children the truth is hard just think what it will be like having telepaths for children. You’ve no idea what it’ll involve.”

Iona wagged her head as she weighed up the options then smiled softly.

“Never mind, at least they’ll each have a telepathic sibling and you two will at least know about telepathy when they start hearing voices. Those voices don’t come across as people’s thoughts for years you know. Their brains have to mature and stuff before they begin to make sense of the voices. It’s terrifying if you don’t understand and there’s nobody to explain. As a child I had nobody and that’s what messed me up. It made me completely crazy for years and years as a kid. It’ll never be easy for you as non- telepathic parents and I won’t be around to help.”

“You didn’t seem so worried when you gave that Mary woman your baby.” Charged Jacky.

“Mary is a very intelligent and highly qualified psychiatrist.”

“Well what about the other one, Sandra? You said she was a complete misfit, just like you. A prostitute for God’s sake!”

“That was a mistake. I didn’t know I had made Sandra pregnant. And she’s not a misfit; she’s a very loving girl and she’s very bright. Her father was a maths professor and her mother was one of his favourite student’s. What Sandra didn’t know; she could quickly assimilate. Anyway, Mary took all that in hand.”

“We’d like to meet this wonderful Mary woman.” Added Emma.

“I can’t agree to that. It would give British Intelligence a lead on my British children.
It’s too dangerous. It would endanger your own children and my British kids.”

“Oh so you’re going to give us children are you?”

“This is not some sort of school prize-giving.” Snapped Iona impatiently. “Children are precious, they need years of care and these will need extra care. I’m warning you it won’t be easy. The only thing I can do for them is provide money. I did it for my children in Britain.”

Iona sensed their sudden realisation about childcare costs and grinned ironically to herself. Neither Jacky nor Emma had considered that aspect until she had brought it up.

“Where d’ you get all your money from?” Asked Jacky.

“Commodity and share trading. I read the minds of the most successful traders and copy them. It’s not illegal. I just use the skills I was born with. It won’t take me long to build up a fund for the babies.”

“Well you’d better get started then.” Giggled Emma provocatively.

“What! You want to go three in a bed.” Replied a shocked Iona.

“It’s every man’s dream isn’t it?” Grinned Jacky. “With telepathy, it should be a very interesting experience. Anyway you’re not really a man are you? Just look at those breasts.”

Iona wagged her head and frowned with confusion. Americans never ceased to amaze her. They could be so uptight about some things and unbelievably liberal about others.

“You do realise you’ll be exchanging each other’s fantasies.”

“We’ve exchanged nearly everything else.” Grinned Emma. “It’ll be interesting to explore those.”

“God help you two. Whatever happens, I won’t be sharing my fantasies.”

“That’s not fair. Are you afraid or something?” Demanded Jacky.

“Hell yes! God alone knows where my fantasies take me and there’s no controlling them. Some of them are disgustingly ugly. Don’t forget I was brutalised as a child. I’ll be the biggest disappointment you’ve ever had in bed.

Emma smirked before pointing out – “how would I know, I’ve never had anybody in my bed, I’m a virgin.”

“Ha! The same goes for me, - at least as far as men go!” Jacky added.

Iona frowned then warned them.

“Believe me I will disappoint you!. Mary told me after her experiences. I function like a machine and there’s no emotion. I don’t have any chauvinist conceit about sexual prowess. I know I’m useless as a lover in bed. However, my dick functions, and it will eventually make you pregnant but that’s about the sum of it.”

“So you’ll get us pregnant.” Pressed Emma hopefully.

“That side hasn’t failed so far.”

“That’s all I want. If my baby’s deaf at least it’ll be able to communicate.”

Iona felt a wave of sympathy as she read Emma’s fears.

“Ok then. Here goes nothing. You two go and get ready.”

Emma exchanged a nervous glance and Iona caught her drift.

“All right then. I’ll go first and you two can join me.”

As she undressed, Iona reflected on the ludicrous irony of a dysfunctional psychopathic transvestite being considered the moral guardian in a ‘ménage a trois’. Then, as she lay in the dark and the girls crept in either side, she began to feel vulnerable.

“D’ you want telepathy?” Iona asked.

Both girls agreed enthusiastically and Iona completed the full connection.

“Right, be prepared for some shocks.” She cautioned.

The whole process proved to be less traumatic than Iona anticipated. Emma and Jacky’s fantasies turned out to be quite modest and certainly nothing as remotely shocking as the horrors Iona had encountered in her childhood. As Iona expected, the night proved mechanically successful but she was slightly surprised to find that the telepathic links served to amplify the girl’s emotions. The subsequent ‘three-way feedback’ affected her feelings. Emma and Jackie's fantasies served to conjure up some of Iona's own long buried perturbations and then exorcise them. The perverse experience proved peculiarly therapeutic and Iona met the dawn unexpectedly refreshed. When she telepathed these findings to the girls they giggled victoriously and set about her with renewed gusto. Her responses proved sensationally satisfactory and after surfacing from another wild bout she lay back to reflect on events.

The girls clambered out of bed and bathed while Iona concluded that she might at last be learning to enjoy real emotional relationships. They returned bearing breakfast and settled on the bed beside her to share the food and experiences.

Emma had even found Jacky’s lesbian interest in her to be acceptable at the emotional level and reached across to hug her friend. A tear escaped Jacky’s eye as she read the understanding and compassion emanating from Emma’s psyche. Telepathy served to magnify the emotional side of lovemaking exponentially; so much so that the physicality associated with homosexual sex seemed to disappear from the lovemaking equation altogether.

Jacky’s earlier doubts about Iona’s telepathy had evaporated with each new sensation. It seemed so unfair to Jacky that Iona, a male transvestite should be blessed with telepathy when womanly sensations like emotion and passion travelled so exquisitely along its wires. Nevertheless she was more than grateful that she could share those feelings so intimately with Emma albeit via Iona’s ‘telephone exchange’.

Emma in turn, stretched across to hug Iona for having freed her from the cruel isolation of her deafness then she reached again to squeeze Jacky for sharing in the secret and extending the net. Eventually Jacky had to go to work but she vowed to return that evening despite the additional hours of driving. They agreed that Iona should stay until both girls had conceived then she would have to run again. It was two months before their pregnancies were confirmed.

During this time Iona’s pursuers had not been idle. They had broken into the freight office and established that she intended to return to work in the spring. They also learned that Iona used hotels and trailer parks like a high-class gypsy, always moving and always watching. Armed with this information they increased their manpower and commenced a long patient surveillance campaign by ‘tapping illegally’ into the city’s CCTV surveillance cameras set up around the city. Their patience and efforts were rewarded soon after Iona returned to work.

Instead of staking out the freight yard they had patiently tapped several surveillance cameras around the city and carefully monitored events from several miles away. Iona did not detect anything for they worked when she was out of town. She only became aware that they were preparing to strike when one over-enthusiastic agent got too close.

Iona had just loaded her rig and made a desultory scan, which unexpectedly revealed the agent’s proximity and alerted her that they were still in Seattle. With a curse she blasted the truck out of the yard and barrelled up the highway to Vancouver. Fortunately it was a busy highway and they had no opportunity to attack but Iona realised if she did a transcontinental haul, she would be vulnerable. In Montana there were long lonely stretches of road on route to Chicago or New York

The attack came exactly as she had expected when a helicopter appeared from nowhere on one of the loniest sections of Montana's highways.
A tired Iona suddenly became aware as the powerful spotlight announced the helicopter's arrival and the rotors clattered overhead. After recovering from the fright she realised that the passengers were loaded for bear.
The attack was too predictable and she sighed inwardly after realising they had stubbornly refused to learn their lessons. She had avoided them peaceably for years but still they kept coming, greedy and relentless.

‘Maybe, just maybe; one last lesson might drive the message home.’ Iona hoped.

She leaned out of the cab and screamed at them to leave her alone. It was a stupid act for it amused them and they contemptuously sprayed the road ahead with heavy machine gun fire. Iona’s blood ran cold as she spotted the eruptions in the tarmac and recognised the heavy calibre of the weapon. Pete had taught her a bit about guns since the bank robbery.

‘Right!’ She cursed. ‘If they wanted to play rough-!’

She stopped the rig and sat expectantly in her cab until the chopper approached within telepathic strike range. They had obviously forgotten the lessons of the Scottish military prison for the chopper approached and hovered about two hundred feet above her as a megaphone ordered her from the cab.

Carefully she stepped down and moved far enough behind the rig until she was certain the chopper would not crash onto her truck. Then she waited as the chopper approached. She scanned the pilot’s mind then, as the rotors trimmed to make a final approach, she let go a monumental telepathic blast.

The pilot let out a squeal of pain and pawed desperately at the agonising destruction in his brain. The helicopter span once then tilted and plunged earthwards. Iona heard the screams but she was already dashing towards her rig and safety. There was no knowing what condition the men were in and she certainly wasn’t staying to find out. Two things were certain, the pilot was dead and the helicopter would never fly again.

As she gazed in her mirror she wondered how long before such a huge fireball would alert anybody. ‘Thank God Montana was such a lonely place!’ She reflected.

After an hour’s driving she still hadn’t sighted a police car or any emergency vehicles. The agents had invited their own nemesis by attacking in such a remote and lonely place.

By dawn Iona felt she was clear but she pushed hard for the state line.

The following day the papers reported the helicopter crash and she was chagrined to discover that one of the agents had survived. The cause had been ascribed to the pilot suffering a cerebral haemorrhage.

‘Dammit!’ She thought. ‘She should have double-checked. When British intelligence debriefed the survivor they would re-learn their lessons and act accordingly.’

She was right. Their next attempt proved even more determined. A missile was launched at her rig from a range of over three miles. Fortunately she had detected them telepathically and managed to stop the truck behind a rock as the missile approached. Nevertheless several nearby vehicles witnessed the explosion and it caused consternation. For Iona this proved to be the final straw. The police became involved and her boss finally began to have suspicions.

“Is the mob after you or something? Have you offended the Teamsters union or something? What is it with you girl? A bloody missile strike for Christ’s sake!”

“I’m sorry boss. I’ll hand in my notice if you like.”

“You bet you will. The trouble is your one of my most reliable drivers. If you can get these crazy scabs off your back I’ll be more than happy to have you back but I can’t afford the risks to my trucks. A missile strike! I bloody ask you, here in America!”

Iona was forced to agree with her boss and she left the yard in her own pickup checking intensely for any watchers. There were none nearer than five miles and that gave her ample time to get clear. A slow circuitous trip with frequent scans and diversions finally brought her to Emma’s cabin. Despite the dangers she felt compelled to see the girls and their babies for one last time before travelling on. Without declaring her arrival Iona saw the two buggies beside Emma’s easel as she worked.

‘Had she really been away that long?’ Iona asked herself.

“Is it twins then?” Iona telepathed.

The distant figure span around dropped her brushes and squealed with delight as she recognised the diminutive figure by her porch.

“No, one of them is Jacky’s. She’s at work.”

Iona trotted down the path and Emma flung herself into her arms with desperation born of months of telepathic deprivation.
“Why haven’t you called?” She asked accusingly.

“Too busy. They’ve located me again so I’ve got to leave.”

Iona sensed Emma’s bitter disappointment and squeezed her tight. There would never be any proper compensation for Iona’s telepathic absences until the children grew up and shared their gifts. As Iona thought of the children she released Emma and peered into the prams.

“Whose is whose? They could be mistaken for twins.”

“Natasha is mine and Rachel is Jacky’s. It’s your hair and eyes that does it.”

Iona read the decorative labels on the prams and smiled as she hoisted one with each arm and smiled at Emma. Emma raised a questioning eyebrow and Iona wagged her head.

“It’s too early to tell yet. They have to be able to talk before I can be certain. Language helps them form their thoughts. I’m pretty certain they will be though. Telepathy’s a dominant gene. I was experimenting with its heredity when I was kidnapped the first time.”

“That’ll be another year. I can’t wait that long.”

“Sorry love. I can’t stay around to help. They’re on to me.”

“Do they know you’re here?”

“No. I took precautions.”

Iona’s precautions would have sufficed for an ordinary searcher but Iona had yet to realise just how determined her pursuers could be. It had now become a matter of pride that they should capture her and all the stops were being pulled out.
The agents went back to the drawing boards and investigated every possible thread in their efforts to relocate their prey.

One important source was the electronic banking system. Iona’s accounts held vast sums for she had added to them whenever she visited New York or Chicago and traded the markets. They traced her down to Oregon via some withdrawals from a bank in Portland. From this they decided to take a long shot and see if the deaf girl was still a factor.

They learned that Iona had visited the girl soon after the missile affair so they decided upon the ‘homing pigeon’ strategy. Kidnap the hen and persuade the cock to come looking. It proved easy to capture Emma but alerting Iona proved almost impossible. She had moved to New Orleans and ceased trading on the markets.

It was almost a month before Iona learned of Emma’s kidnap and even then it was by pure chance when she found a police mystery magazine in a hairdressers. Emma’s disappearance was described in detail with an account by Jacky of how she found the ransacked cabin. Both mother and her baby were gone.

Pete the sheriff had contributed to the article by describing the strangers who had been in town immediately before the event. Iona’s mood hardened as she read the article and realised it was the homing pigeon ploy.

What was worse was that Natasha’s Blond hair and turquoise eyes would give away her parentage. Within three days Iona was back in the Oregon and contacting Jacky by telepathy whilst she worked in her office.

The telepathy startled Jacky until she realised what was happening then she went to the window and spotted Iona in the diner across the street.

“Are they watching me?” Jacky asked telepathically.

“No. There’s nobody about. They expect me to come searching and then reveal myself. Where’s Rachel?”
“In a crèche down the street. She’s quite safe, they don’t know about either of us.”

“Good. I’ll meet you after work. I’m going to see Pete.”

Jacky waved as Iona moved from the diner window and disappeared before her eyes. She had never seen Iona use stealth before and for a moment she thought Iona had hypnotised her. Then she spotted her driving off the forecourt and realised she had simply slipped out through a back door. In the sheriff’s office Iona met Pete and came up to speed on events.

“Yeah it was definitely them. I think they had British accents though God knows where from. I didn’t realise you guys had so many accents in such a small country.”

Iona nodded as she debated revealing her gift to Pete. The man would be a splendid ally and he was the law after all. She scanned Pete’s agile mind and decided to reveal her gift. Things had come to a desperate pass.

“D’ you trust me Pete?”

“I should do. You saved my bacon in the bank.”

“Good. If I told you something important could you keep it under your hat?”

“If it’s legal?"
"Yes."

"Is it to do with Emma?”

“Yes. They have taken her as a hostage to provoke me.”

“Why?”

“That’s the nub of it. I want your solemn word that you’ll not reveal this to a soul.”

Pete studied Iona’s face trying to anticipate what was coming.

“If it’s legal I’ll promise to do the best I can.”

“That’s good enough for me. D’ you remember the Bank thing?”

“Will I ever forget?”

“Well it’s to do with what happened there.”

Pete’s eyes narrowed as things began to fall into place.

“You did have something to do with that shock business didn’t you?”

Iona nodded slowly and turned to stare out of the window before talking. She turned again to face Pete who was leaning back expectantly.

“It’s true. I do, um- I have certain abilities.”

“I Knew it!! Go on.” Encouraged Pete.

“Are you ready for this.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Get on with it.”

“I’m telepathic.”

Pete studied her thoughtfully through narrowed eyes before speaking softly.

“You’re not bullshitting are you!”

“No. Close your eyes and think of something.”

Pete did as asked and Iona entered the familiar routine of divulging her extraordinary
power. Pete was quickly convinced.

“So that’s why they want you back. They think of you as a military weapon.”

“They think I’m theirs. They see my British passport as a title of ownership.”

“But you took out American citizenship didn’t you?”

Iona nodded and produced her U.S. Passport. Pete studied it curiously and read the entry concerning naturalisation.

“So you’re still sort of on probation according to this.”

“Correct. That’s why I need you.”

“Fill me in then.”

“If I acted on my own there would be blood all over the Oregon, including Emma’s and Natasha’s. I’d lose my citizenship. There’s just too many of them for me to tackle.”

“What. You mean you want me to gather up a posse?”

“I don’t think that’s possible. They may be out of state.”

“Then we’ll need a federal marshal.”

“I’d rather not. The less dust that’s kicked up the better. I don’t want my telepathy being bandied about all over the States. Your own government would become curious then.”

“Our government Iona. You’re a Yankee now.”

“OK then, our government. I still don’t want anything put about. They’d be no different from the Brits.”

Pete was a decorated Vietnam War Veteran and his eyes had been opened wide by the experiences. Despite being sheriff he held government at arm’s length. His opinion of the military was even lower. After having endured some of the imbecilic rednecks in the officer corps, the very expression ‘military intelligence’ was to Pete an oxymoron.

He sensed weariness in Iona that paralleled his own feelings about governments and generals. Nobody wanted Emma safe again more than Pete.

“How d’ you intend to get her back? We don’t even know where she is.”

“I’ll find out. They want me to find out. They think they’re playing me like a puppet on a string.”

“I think they might be.” Observed Pete.

“That’s as maybe. Whatever the outcome, we’ve got to save Emma; and Natasha.”

“Iona’s referral to Natasha as an afterthought set Pete thinking.”

“Is Natasha telepathic? “

“Yes, almost certainly! She’s in greater danger than Emma.”

“Well I’ll be buggered. Who’s her father?”

Iona stopped short as she realised.

‘Of course dammit! Pete didn’t know.’ Only the truth would do so she drew a long slow breath and fixed Pete in her gaze.

“Uh, you’d better get ready for this one.”

“What d’ you mean? Are there more bloody secrets?”

“Yes, and this one is going to come as a surprise.”

“What is? Get on with it Iona!”

“Well I’m not all I seem to be.”

“I know that. Telepathy.”

“No. There’s more than that. What are your feelings about gender dysphoria?”

“What? Transsexuals and things?”

“Yes.”

“So long as they don’t disturb the peace, I treat them the same as anybody else. Or at least I try to.”

“D’ you object to them?” Pressed Iona.

Dunn’o really. I’ve never had much to do with them. This is a small town so they invariably move to the city to be anonymous amongst their own kind.”

“What if one moved back here? From the city as it were.”

“What are you getting at Iona? You’re going round in circles.”

Iona paused and spoke softly.

“I’m gender dysphoric Pete. I’m genetically a male.”

Pete’s eyes narrowed disbelievingly.

“Come off it Iona! You’re a girl. Everything about you is-.”

Iona interrupted.

“It’s not Pete. I’m Natasha’s father.”

Pete flopped down into his chair and gaped at the delectable female form. She was so delicate and petite that Pete had never considered Iona to be anything but a girl. Iona spoke again.

“My brain is more female than male. The telepathy uses all parts of the brain and my brain is cross-wired like a woman’s. However, I’m still a heterosexual transvestite. I can function in bed as well as any ‘normal’ man. Emma wanted a telepathic child.”

“Good God! I didn’t think Emma could be that mercenary.”

“That’s not really fair Pete. She’s always been terrified of having a deaf child. Telepathy would obviate any deafness. I allowed her to use me as the sperm donor specifically to capture my telepathy gene.”

“How did you know the child would be telepathic?”

“It’s a dominant gene. Like Homo Sapiens’s ‘Eve out of Africa’. I was researching it as a student once. I was a top grade veterinary student before I was kidnapped the first time.”

Iona knew about Pete’s amateur interest in anthropology. He subscribed to the idea that Cro-Magnon man had evolved from one or two rare anthropological ‘sports’ millions of years ago in Africa. It was akin to the early New Zealand Maoris having possibly all sprung from one female surviving oceanic traveller a thousand years ago.

“How do you know that it’s a dominant gene?” Quizzed Pete.

“It’s a long story.”

“So others must know about this telepathy thing.”

“Apart from these bastards who kidnapped Emma, yes, there are one or two. They’re not around though. Can you come down to Jacky’s cabin tonight? I’ll be there for a couple of days.”

At the mention of Jacky Pete had another disturbing thought. He suddenly remembered the similarity between Rachel and Natasha and Iona.

“Is Rachel yours as well?”

“F’raid so. Same equation. Jacky wanted a telepathic baby as well.”

“So that solves the mystery. Everybody in town’s been wondering who their father was. It’s obvious now, those eyes and hair. They suspected the babies were related; same father and all. People were beginning to think Jacky was batting for the other side.”

“I’m surprised the bastards didn’t kidnap Rachel as well. How come they missed the similarity between the kids?”

“Jacky was away staying with her Aunt when they came hunting.”

“I thought she hated her relations. Aren’t they a bunch of fundamentalists or something?”

“Oh not all of them.” Grinned Pete as he topped up the coffee. “It’s her parents and siblings she hates. I’ve met this particular aunt. She’s the liberal one and Jacky gets on with her. This aunt will let the rest of the family know about Jacky’s baby.
You’d be surprised just how their perspectives will change when they learn that they’ve got a grandchild. They’ll probably try a reconciliation but I don’t think it will work. Jacky is far too wounded by her childhood.”

Iona said nothing. She knew all about destroyed childhoods and she wasn’t going near that subject. If baby Rachel's arrival had averted suspicions about Jacky’s sexuality amongst the townsfolk, then it was OK by Iona. She bid Pete farewell and met Jacky outside the crèche.
Pete arrived for dinner and the three discussed plans until midnight when the sheriff was forced to leave. Tomorrow promised to be a long day. After waving Pete goodbye, Jacky invited Iona into her bed. Iona frowned uncertainly.

“I thought you were gay. You only like girls. “

Jacky pressed her finger to his lips then tapped her temple.

“You’re different. Just look at you. You’d be attractive to any lesbian. Anyway, it’s all up here with you. What did you call it; brain sex.”

“All I want to do is sleep Jacky. It’s been a long day. I was in Utah and Idaho early this morning.”

“Be my guest. There’s always tomorrow morning.”

Iona sighed and slumped onto the bed after throwing her clothes into a heap on the floor. Minutes later Jacky joined her but Iona was already asleep. Jacky was more disappointed with the fact that Iona’s telepathy was inactive than her body being inoperative. Despite having slept with Iona many times, she still found her undernourished frame disturbing and wanted to mother it like a child. In the morning Iona’s early cooking activities woke Jacky and she stumbled sleepily into the kitchen.

“Hmm, that smells good.” She yawned.

Iona doled out the huge portion of food then settled opposite her at the table.

“I’m going to Seattle for a couple of days.”

“D’ you think Emma’s there?”

“No but it’s the last place I crossed swords with them. If they want to trap me they’ve got to find me. It’s the most logical place to start. They’d be spotted a mile off around here.”
“You be careful. Rachel need’s her dad around when she’s older.”

“And her half-sister.” Finished Iona thoughtfully.

Jacky fell silent as she contemplated Natasha’s fate. When they confirmed Natasha was telepathic they would soon come looking for Jacky and Rachel. She was as deeply tangled up in this mess as Iona and Emma.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Not yet. Your turn will come. Pete says you handle a gun well.”

As Iona cleared the table Jacky prepared Rachel for the crèche and they left together. At the top of the track they separated as Iona left for Seattle and Jacky met Pete.

“I should have gone with her.” Observed Pete as they watched Iona’s pickup disappearing up the road.

“No she’s only going on a reconnaissance mission. She said he’ll come back when she want’s backup.”

Pete shrugged helplessly. All he could do was wait. Two days later he received his expected phone call.

“Hello Pete. It’s Iona here. I’ve found out where they’re keeping Emma and Natasha.”

“Where?”

“In the mountains behind Portland. There’s a cabin high up in the snows.”

“How the hell did you do that so quickly?”

“Simple. I read their minds.”

Pete shivered momentarily as he considered the vulnerability of the human brain if it’s every private thought could be read. He grinned ironically in his mind.

‘No wonder the Brits were afraid to lose Iona. She must know every military secret they had.’

Iona didn’t respond and Pete was suddenly grateful that telepathy seemingly couldn’t travel by phone.

It was immaterial however for when they met, Iona could download his memory. Jacky had explained everything. A shudder haunted Pete’s powerful frame.

‘The whole thing was really spooky.’

Jacky and Pete made their preparations and Iona returned the following afternoon. The next morning the three of them set out and eventually hit the snow line in the foothills. After studying the map they finally determined the location and Iona carefully scanned the area through the minds of the agents who were guarding Emma. She described the scene to Pete.

“It’s a large cabin beside a waterfall. It looks like a private place.”

“It would be. There are a lot of private estates up here.” Advised Pete.

“Emma’s in a large mobile home beside the cabin and Natasha’s with her. They don’t seem to be hurt.”

“I wouldn’t have expected them to be.” Replied Jacky. “You Brits don’t have a reputation for being brutes.”

“They butchered my mother,” corrected Iona, “and on Christmas Day of all days.”

“What!” Gasped Pete and Jacky simultaneously.

“They killed my mother. They rammed her car into a ravine and killed her.”

“Shit!” Finished Pete as Jacky closed her eyes in horror.

“They mean business. Don’t anybody mislead you. When the Brits mean business they’re as brutal and resolute as any others. Their veneer of civilised behaviour is all a con. You Yanks don’t get to see our soccer supporters, they’re like animals, ask the Europeans.”

Pete gave a knowing grin and hefted a large calibre rifle from his cab rack.

“If they’re animals, this’ll give them something to think about.”

Iona gaped down the muzzle and blinked disbelievingly. It was like a cannon.

“I hope you’re happy with that, I don’t think Jacky or I could lift it.”

“Speak for yourself.” Objected Jacky as she hefted the gun easily to her shoulder.

“Right.” Said Pete as they studied the map. “What’s your plan?”

“I haven’t got one. You’re the expert up here. Just think of me as an extra gun that cannot miss; even if the target is moving or invisible.”

Pete stared disbelievingly until he remembered the bank raid then he grinned.

“This is going to be a piece of cake.”

“Don’t you believe it.” Countered Iona. “They’ve got all sorts of stuff up there. Infra-red sensors, sonar, radar; you name it.”

“But we’ve got telepathy and therefore we’ve got intelligence.”

“It’s still bloody dangerous. Those guys know what they’re up against.”

“Well the first thing to do is reconnoitre.” Suggested Pete. “We’ll each take a vehicle and spread around the mountain until we meet again tonight. Then we’ll work out how close we can get.”

Jacky visited a local store and bought three local maps. Iona endorsed the maps then they set out to encircle the mountain. They remained in telepathic contact until midmorning then each was on their own. Well alerted to the dangers they stayed out of range of the surveillance equipment that Iona had located telepathically and each returned safely. Once they had a clear picture of the terrain, they all felt a little easier.

“This’ll do. We’ll start tomorrow morning.” Decided Pete.

“Why not tonight?” Suggested Jacky.

“They’ve got image intensifiers and stuff. We’d be at a tremendous disadvantage. It’s as black as hell out there at night. My telepathy can help my night sight but you guys would still be as blind as a bats once we got separated.”

With the issue settled they booked rooms in a motel and lay low until morning. As residents of a small town themselves, Jacky and Pete were exquisitely alert to how easily a bit of idle gossip could get to the wrong ears. During the night Iona slipped out quietly to find a remote spot and test her telepathy. She detected Emma but she was too far to connect. She then scanned Emma’s captors and confirmed her earlier findings. The private mountain estate was huge and their electronic sensors were on the perimeter.

Unless the three of them were very careful in the morning they would be detected before Iona could do any telepathic damage. Disappointed she returned to her room knowing there was an extra hurdle to be cleared in the morning.

Over breakfast she described the problems to Pete and Jacky.

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to use your woodcraft and my telepathy to get past their first line of defence.”

“It’s going to take a lot of crawling through the snow and that’ll mean extra equipment.” Sighed Pete. “This is going to take longer than I thought.”

“The snow will be a problem. It amplifies the temperature background difference between our body heat and the freezing ground.” Added Iona.

“You say you can read their minds though.”

“Yes.” Iona explained her strategy of reading a watchman’s mind and moving when they were distracted from the monitors.”

“Will it work?” Asked Jacky worrisomely.

“It’ll have to. I’ll go first then once I’m inside the perimeter I’ll patch you two into my net and feed the images back to you. You will then see what I see and move when it’s safe.”

“A sort of three-way telepathic video link-up.” Grinned an amazed Pete.

“Exactly. It should work but we’ll have to be patient and I’ll require extra food. This is going to make some huge demands on my metabolism.”

“A mile on our bellies.” Grumbled Pete. “In the snow.”

Iona shrugged apologetically.

“Can you think of a better plan? These bastards are good.”

“No. No criticism intended I was just dreading the ordeal. There’s also going to be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to get extra stuff inside the perimeter.”

“So we’d best get started. You buy the extra supplies while Jacky and I load the trucks. It’ll look less suspicious if a man is seen equipping himself for the hunt so you’ll be the least conspicuous.”

With the plan agreed they met again at the foot of the mountain and set off to establish a safe base camp outside the perimeter. By the first day they had hidden the trucks, made camp, and located the perimeter detectors. The following day they crossed the perimeter several times and established a supply dump a mile from the cabin.

That evening they quietly congratulated themselves on their good fortune. Jacky had discovered a deep cave to hide their fire and provide extra shelter. Deep underground there was less chance of a helicopter detecting them. On the third morning they finally made visual contact with the cabin. Now they were getting places.

The cabin was set in a clearing at the foot of a high cliff with a waterfall plunging into a deep pool beside it. In normal circumstances it would have been considered an idyllic camp site. Iona located Emma and Natasha in a caravan parked beside the cabin with an umbilical electric cable providing heat and light. A guard shared the caravan; and telepathy identified him as one of the agents who had crashed into Iona’s mother. A cold dull anger enveloped Iona’s heart as she marked the man’s card carefully. ‘At last the long-awaited moment had arrived.’

Emma and Natasha were warm and fed but very distressed so the trio had a con-flab to discuss making contact with her. After weighing up the pros and cons they decided to contact her the next morning once they had studied the terrain and decided on the plan of attack. Finally, after checking around the cabin, they returned to the cave and slept soundly.

It was mid-morning when they finally awoke for the light had not penetrated into the deep cave. They were not worried at the late hour. If their attack was going to succeed it would only take a few minutes. After crawling on their bellies, they arrived at their pre-arranged positions before noon.

Pete hid by a bridge over the stream to cover the front of the cabin and the trail. Jacky was perched above the falls to watch the back of the cabin and Iona was hidden behind a large high rock where she could look down on the trailer home and gable end of the log cabin. They all carried several different weapons to suite their objectives and each was patched into Iona’s telepathic web. Now was the time to contact Emma.
The attack was sudden and the battle short. Forewarned by telepathy, Emma tucked herself and Natasha into the little caravan toilet. Iona then used telepathy to locate her mother’s killer and cold-bloodedly shot him dead through the thin skin of the caravan.
A deep satisfaction surged through Iona’s veins after fulfilling an ancient vow. At the same instant Pete demolished the front door of the cabin with a rocket launcher while Jacky lobbed several grenades onto the cabin roof for extra effect. Before the occupants had recovered, a pre-warned Emma was already out of the caravan and carrying her daughter to safety.

The remaining occupants immediately started to return fire but another rocket soon put paid to any idea of resistance. They realised they were up against somebody who knew a bit about warfare.

Whoever was attacking them had come well-armed and properly prepared. Being experienced troopers themselves, they quickly realised their adversary knew what he was doing and they waved a white flag before emerging cautiously and singly. Without disclosing herself Iona scanned each mind for any treachery and advised Pete accordingly as each trooper was secured with a pair of cuffs. Eventually seven men were seated in the clearing and only one remained in the cabin. Iona recognised the man as the boss of the agents who had killed her parents. This man wasn’t an honest trooper prepared to face an honest foe. This one was a cold clinical desk operator. A butcher who never faced death but often planned it: a virus that spread terror and assassination. Iona saw him as pure evil.

A dark cloud of resentment descended over Iona’s mind and Jacky and Emma shuddered as they sensed the hate spreading over their net.

‘Here was one of the dark secrets that Iona had always hidden from them.’

Jacky was sickened by the malice. Gone were the gentle saintly ways that had so enchanted her on the beach when she had nervously bared her lesbian soul.
As the dark uncontrollable forces of Iona’s psychopathy exploded, the satanic fury erupted through the ethereal fabric of the web and destroyed it.

Jacky felt suddenly isolated on her remote perch. Pete was left nervous and uncertain as the contact died and he was left exposed in full view of the cabin window.

The boss agent emerged uncertain of his reception for he knew the full extent of Iona’s powers. He alone knew all the facts about Iona and he alone knew the true dangers. The other troopers, brave and skilful though they were, had been kept ignorant of the peril.

As this remaining agent emerged he saw Pete preoccupied with the handcuffs having relied on Iona’s telepathy to ensure his own safety. Now that the telepathy had temporarily stopped Pete was hopelessly vulnerable. He turned to see the boss agent reaching for a hidden weapon and he frantically reached to unclip his sidearm to protect himself. The rocket launcher was several yards away on the grass and the agent thought he saw his chance. He steadied his arm to take aim but he had failed to notice Jacky perched high above with the heavy calibre rifle. Tense with uncertainty and deeply affected by Iona’s psychotic revulsion, Jacky fired without hesitating.

The bullet ploughed downwards into the man’s neck, erupted through his chest and slammed into the grass to form a small blood-stained crater. The agent catapulted forwards and the deafening roar finally brought Iona to her senses. She spun around to see a shocked Pete gaping at the corpse and Jacky mesmerised at the destruction she had wrought. The battle was over.

Iona joined Pete in the clearing as Jacky picked her way uncertainly down the cliff. After shakily returning the heavy rifle to Pete she stared into Iona’s dull eyes and tried to fathom out the forces that raged behind them. ‘This wasn’t the same Iona as the gentle father of their children. When Iona and Pete were certain that the ordeal was over they motioned Emma and Natasha to join them.

“So what now?” Signed Emma as the fear slipped from her shoulders. “We can’t hand them over to the authorities. That’ll blow the whole thing wide apart.”

“I say shoot the bastards here and now. There’re no witnesses.” Growled Jacky.

Pete stepped in and drew all four adults out of earshot of the troopers.

“Look, I’m the law and I’m bound to hand them over to the local sheriff. He’s a friend of mine from way back in Nam. I might be able to swing things.”

“How.” Demanded Jacky scornfully.

“Leave it to me. He owes me from Vietnam. Can you do a scan Iona and find out how much these troopers know?"

“In a minute when my feelings subside. This sort of thing has never happened before. I’m sorry about the lapse, my anger just engulfed me.”

“Would you have used that telepathic thing to kill him if Jacky hadn’t?”

“Yes, certainly. I owed it to my mum. He might have already killed you though if it hadn’t been for Jacky.”

“So why were you so slow. You left me hanging out to dry.”

“I don’t know. There was so much rage I just went gaga. I’m sorry. If I’d used the telepathic punch indiscriminately I might have injured or killed others.”

Pete and Jacky shuddered while Emma gently pressed her hand against Iona’s head to sign her feelings. Iona slumped onto a boulder to wait until her head had cleared while the others made preparations to leave. After a few minutes Iona blinked thankfully and tapped her temple to sign that things were in order. The mood of the four changed instantly and they all started ‘chattering’ at once. Order was soon restored and Pete’s decision was adhered to. As a sheriff, the law bound Pete and Iona didn’t want him to be compromised. The troopers were handed over to the local sheriff and Pete's report was accepted as the truth. The political ramifications of a troop of British soldiers kidnapping an American mother and child on American soil were left for British intelligence to sort out. Despite the uproar the British intelligence forces still did not reveal Iona’s telepathy to the Americans.

Iona was portrayed as a wanted criminal in England but her record of stopping a bank raid in Seattle and rescuing a kidnapped woman in Portland saved her from extradition. Iona had acquired plenty of good allies in America. Apart from being a good sheriff, Pete also had a sharp mind and some excellent friends in the legal profession. The case for extradition would rumble on for decades and would expose too much corruption in Britain. Soon after the row subsided Iona paid her last respects to Emma and Jacky and left to try a new life in Miami. Only Pete was given a forwarding number.

Some months later Pete received a phone call.

“Hi. It’s me Iona. Can you fly to Miami immediately?”

“What is it?”

“I might be able to fake my death.”

“How.”

“There’s a contract out on a drug dealer down here and she’s a dead-ringer for me. She’s even a pre-op transsexual.”

“How d’ you know?”

“Stupid question Pete. I read minds. I’ve got times and dates and everything.”

“So why don’t you tell the police?”

“The bastard’s a slime-ball. She deserves to die.”

“You can’t be judge and jury Iona.”

“I’m fighting for my life here Pete. They’re still searching for me. Will you help or not?”

“What d’ you want me to do.”
“Just identify the corpse as mine. I’ve built up a plausible story and I’ve prepared the ground. If anybody proves it was not me you could quite easily say it was a genuine mistake.”

“How?”

“I tell you she’s a dead ringer for me. I’ve been anonymously informing the police down here of drug deals and stuff. They’ve had some astounding successes. They’re itching to find out who ‘Mindful’ is.”

“Is that your code-name; Mindful?” Chuckled Pete.

“Yes. I can pretend the Mafia discovered my identity and shot me. You can identify me as the corpse, and even explain I got my information by telepathy. It’ll all sound very plausible especially if it’s confirmed by British intelligence.”

“Will it work?”

“It should. This woman looks identical to me and she’s deep into drugs. All we have to do is get to the corpse before anybody else and plant my ID on her.”

“How can we do that?”

“It’s easy I know exactly where and when they intend to shoot her. You can even pretend you were with me when I was shot.”

Pete frowned thoughtfully.

“Let me sleep on it.”

“We haven’t got much time they’re going to kill her on Wednesday.”

“That only leaves me with three days.”

“It doesn’t take three days to fly to Miami. I need to know now.”

“Why?”

“I want to prepare the ground. I’m going to tell the police of a big drugs deal coming off between Portland and Miami.”

“Is there one?”

“Yes. There’s a few hundred million dollars at stake. It’s coming from the Golden Triangle by ship from Thailand through Portland.”

“Shit Iona! You could be a marvel at this drug enforcement.”

“Forget it! If you come down to Miami on the pretext that we were tying up some loose ends to lay the trap in Portland you could be conveniently with me when I get shot. You’ll also get the kudos when you alone discover the drugs haul in Portland docks next week.
If you’ve any worries just contact your opposite number in Miami and ask him about Mindful. Here’s his number”

Pete smiled and carefully replaced the phone as he contemplated the plan.
‘It could work.’
After sleeping on it and checking with Miami police Pete decided to take the plunge. Iona met him at the airport and they drove to the drug dealer’s apartment. As she emerged from the apartment, Pete was astonished at her similarity to Iona and cautiously agreed to Iona’s plan. To convince Pete, Iona took him on a guided tour around Miami to show the dealer selling her poison to young kids outside schools. Her transsexual womanhood was a perfect disguise.

“She must be dealing ten thousand a day.” Cursed Pete.

“That’s not all. She’s overdosed a few kids. I can show you the graves.”

“I’ve seen enough. What’s the plan?”

“We wait outside her apartment when she’s going to be shot. They’ve organised a sniper to do it through the window. I’ve got the lock code so as soon as she’s shot you can go in and pretend you were meeting me sorting out some information about the drug deal. She doesn’t carry any ID because she’s a dealer and doesn’t want to get caught. It’ll be a simple task to plant my ID on her then you can phone the Miami police to say the Mafia discovered I was an informant and I’ve been shot.”

“Where will you be?”

“Not far away. In telepathic contact to help you with any questions.”

“This could work.”

“It’d better. It’s my last shot.”

That night the pair hit the town and Iona introduced Pete to the low life where she obtained the information she had fed to Miami police. The following night the plan went into operation and came off without a hitch. By the Thursday morning Iona Evans, one-time transvestite, psychopath, telepath and police informant was officially dead.