CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK Page 3

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  Right on, Doctor, I thought. That was part of the reason I was here. I could do so many things, and this was the place to show off my talents: The Institute of Psychic Research, London, England.

  I mentally focused on Dr. Tober’s office, and BLIP! I teleported into the Doctor’s office.

  He was looking through some reports, papers scattered across his desk. He read on for several minutes, unaware of my presence, though I was no longer in my ‘Almost Mode’. He finally glanced up at me. His eyes grew bigger with surprise, then in an instant he was under control. I guess working at the Institute would condition you to the unexpected.

  “Ahem, uh, who are you, and why are you in my office?” He asked nervously, peering around me, probably trying to see if one of the Doctors had escorted me into his office.

  “Excuse me for dropping in Doctor, but I’m the man who called you the other day.” I explained.

  “The American, uh, Mr. Merlin?” He politely inquired.

  “That’s right, Doctor. Arthur Merlin, late of the US of A.” I announced with a flourish and a bow.

  He stared at me impassively, not at all impressed. He waved to a nearby chair. “Please sir, be seated.”

  I sat in a chair designed to get you up and out of the office as quickly as possible. Apparently, lollygagging isn’t allowed in Dr. Tober’s office.

  Shuffling up the scattered papers, he placed them back in a file folder, shoving it over to the right side of his desk. Leaning forward, with clasped hands on top of his desk, he asked, “I have the standard tests to arrange, but why don’t you start by telling me what abilities you are capable of performing that you think I might be interested in?”

  “Okay Doctor, It’s been called the Geller Effect, but what he plays with, I do quite well,” I arrogantly touted. “Then there are other tricks I do that he can’t even pretend to do.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Dr. Tober removed his glasses and tiredly rubbed his big, round eyes. “Uh, what exactly do you do, Arthur?” Stifling a yawn, he replaced his glasses.

  I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t impressed. I was exactly the person the Doctors were discussing in the lab, but he didn’t seem at all interested. True, there couldn’t be that many people, if any, who had all of my abilities. I suppose Dr. Tober would have to be leery in his position. Who knew what kind of nutcases wandered in off the streets? I would just have to prove my uniqueness.

  “Telekinesis, teleportation, pryokinesis, astral projection, levitation in any form, and a kind of matter transference I doubt you’ve had any experience with.” I elaborated, ticking them off on my fingers.

  “Uh, yes Arthur, well perhaps you would consent to a small, uh, demonstration for me?” Looking skeptical, he started fiddling with a pen on his desk.

  “Certainly, Doctor.” Shifting in that unwelcoming chair, eager to flaunt my talents, I glanced around his office. Filing cabinets, a few pictures, lots of framed diplomas. Not much else. Ah, the wastebasket, full of crumpled-up papers. Mentally focusing on the wastebasket, the crumpled-up papers burst into orange flames. Creating intense heat took so little of my concentration.

  Throwing the pen, Dr. Tober sprang from his chair. “My God, man!”

  “Relax Doctor, I can control the flames.” I mentally shut down the fire and it fizzled with a small WHUMP. Simple if you remove all the oxygen from that spot. Although I’d had some interesting times while learning that trick.

  The good Doctor was plastered against his file cabinet. He didn’t look nearly as disinterested or skeptical now. Thick, grey smoke drifted through his office, causing him to lean over coughing.

  “I’ll open a window, Dr. Tober.” I gallantly offered, nodding toward the window.

  He removed a handkerchief from his suit jacket’s breast pocket, covering his nose and mouth. Big eyes blinking rapidly, he mumbled, “Uh, the windows don’t open above the second floor, and we’re on the fifth floor.”

  I mentally focused on the window set into the wall behind his desk; glass, thick, wire-reinforced. The window began to dissolve, allowing a stream of fresh air to flow inside.

  “What did you just do?” He demanded, jerking his head toward the window.

  “Relax,” I told him nonchalantly, “I dissolved the window into a screen. Don’t worry; I’ll change the window back.” I tried to relax into that torture-device-of-a-chair with my left ankle crossed at my right knee.

  Still staring wide-eyed at the window turned to screen, he reached out and picked up his phone, keeping his distance from me. “Doctor Burns, grab Gordy and get in here right now!”

  Judging by his reaction to my demonstration, he might not be as immune to the unexpected as I thought. Returning the handkerchief to his pocket, he gave me the LOOK most people do when I’ve used abilities that they don’t have, as if I was a cockroach crawling across their hand.

  The door burst open and in rushed the tall woman from the lab, followed closely by the short, round and now puffing man. She shot me the same funny look she had in the lab.

  With his underlings at hand, Dr. Tober returned to his chair, introducing us around. He gave a brief description of my demonstration. Dr. Gordy peered intently into the trashcan at the glowing embers, while Dr. Burns hesitantly walked over to the window, gently touching the screen. She turned, staring at me with skepticism, distrust and a touch of fear.

  Telepathically I said to her, *No Ruth, no hoax.*

  Startled, she asked, “Telepathy?”

  “Yes.” I said, gazing back into her beautiful jade-green eyes.

  Looking suspiciously at Ruth, Tober said, “But I heard nothing. Gordy?”

  “No sir, not a word.” Gordy confirmed, also staring at Ruth

  Hands on hips, she stated, “Well I did!”

  “Of course, Ruth. I was speaking only to you.” I told her with a smirk.

  She started toying with her necklace, glancing from Dr. Tober to Dr. Gordy. She looked like a deer ready to bolt.

  With a smug, arrogant smile I continued, “And I read your mind Doctor, and now I know everything about you, down to your smallest, little secret.” Telepathically I said, *Don’t worry Ruth, I won’t discuss your sex life.* I gave her a lewd wink.

  Her hand flew to her mouth and she blushed furiously!

  Dr. Burns, are you all right?” Dr. Tober asked with a concerned look.

  “Yes Dr. Tober, I’M FINE!” Ruth hissed through clenched teeth. She was trembling with indignation.

  Tober‘s analytical eyes and Gordy’s puzzled ones bounced back and forth from Ruth to me.

  By her mannerisms and her speech, I could tell she was from an affluent background. She was fighting to maintain her composure. Aloud I said soothingly, “Relax Doctor, calm down.”

  Clearing his throat, adjusting his glasses, Dr. Tober reminded them, “Mr. Merlin has come to the Institute so we can conduct some tests.”

  With teenage boy exuberance, Gordy asked, “I’d like to see the pyrotechnic demonstration again, sir. I’ll gather more paper.”

  “No need Doctor;” I assured him, “I can burn the ashes for you.” The trashcan burst into a ball of yellow flames.

  The Doctors stared transfixed at the smokeless fire, as I sat with a satisfied smile.

  Gordy asked suspiciously, “Hypnosis?” He held his hand toward the fire. “I can feel the heat!” he said with surprise. Suddenly the flames intensified, the fire doubling in size. Too close, Gordy’s jacket caught fire, flames rising quickly. “Ahhh!” he screamed, staring in shock at his flaming arm.

  Thumping my foot to the floor, I jerked upright, mentally shutting down the fire with a WHOMP! Gordy’s skin was badly burned, the pain beginning to register. I focused on his pain receptors, blocking his pain and ordered Tober, “Better get him to the hospital; he sustained a second-degree burn.”

  Tober was already on the phone and seconds later two men in lab-coats rushed through the door and over to Dr. Gordon.

  I
told the two men, “He’ll feel no pain for several hours, which should give you time to get him treated.” Helping support Gordy, trying not to cause more harm to his injured arm, they slowly guided the frightened man out of the office.

  I was stunned. I rubbed my forehead, trying to figure out what just happened. I didn’t mean to hurt Dr. Gordon. Maybe I had been showing off, but the fire shouldn’t have leapt up like that. Once I mastered my abilities, I had had no trouble controlling them. So why had I lost control now?

  In the doorway appeared two men in uniforms, wearing guns. They were guards or more likely soldiers. The uniforms marched over to Tober’s desk and stood at attention.

  Stiffly rising to his feet, Tober stared down at me, declaring, “I’m sorry Arthur, but I’m afraid we’ll have to detain you.” With military precision and steely eyes, the guards drew their weapons, pointing them at me. One guard held a pair of handcuffs. Tober confidently continued, “We are primarily funded by our government, and I’m sure they will want to question you at length. You seem to be the man we have been searching for.”

  Staring down the business end of the guards’ weapons, with a wolfish smile, I slowly rose from that non-lollygagging chair and mentally focused on the guards. Their at-attention stances melted to loose-limbed stances. With idiotic smiles on their faces, the two guards ambled over, handing me their guns, and the cuffs. I holstered their guns back on their belts, ordering them “Nice of you to stop by men. Now, please go take a break.”

  “Yes, sir.” They saluted and did an about-face, marching out the door. As they were leaving, Tober yelled at them to return, to no avail.

  With that deer-in-the-headlight look again, Dr. Burns shakily asked, “Was that a form of hypnosis?”

  Being a bit peeved, I gave her a curt nod along with an icy, grey-eyed glare. Realization dawned on Tober and Ruth that I could as easily have had the guards turn their weapons on themselves, or even the Doctors. Tober paled and plopped boneless on his plush office chair.

  Trying to gather his wits, defending his actions, Tober stammered, “You must realize Arthur, I meant you no harm, but you are a very valuable speci-, er, I mean asset to us in our research.”

  With self-righteous anger I glared down at him from my six-two height, “Doctor, I came to your Institute for several reasons. First, I thought your team would treat me differently and take my abilities seriously. You can’t detain me, or hold me one second longer than I want to be.” Shaking my head at his stupidity, I continued, “Don’t you realize how I arrived in your office? I teleported into your office, after listening to your conversation in the lab.”

  “But there was only Dr. Burns and Dr. Gordon when I left.” Tober blustered, fumbling for his handkerchief.

  “Oh yes there was, Doctor,” wagging my finger at him. “I was there, you just couldn’t see me.”

  Nervously shifting from foot to foot, twisting a woman’s wedding band on her right hand, Dr. Burns sent me that funny look again.

  Peering down my nose at her, I said, “Yes Dr. Burns, you must have felt my presence.”

  With handkerchief in hand, Dr. Tober removed his glasses, wiping his enlarged eyes again.

  I continued my lecture, “If I work for or with any Institution or Government, it’s because I want to. No one can force me to do a damn thing.” I had expected this type of treatment, but it still disappointed me that they wanted to treat me like a lab rat. So much for believing in the humanity of man.

  Tober studied me for several seconds, calculating, then hesitantly asked, “Uh, Arthur, could you please excuse us for a few moments? I must discuss this with Dr. Burns, in private. Uh, we have a cafeteria on the second floor. Perhaps you would wait there for us, maybe have a spot of tea while you wait?”

  “Where at on the second floor, Doctor?” I relented with a heavy sigh. I knew I had to give them a second chance.

  “Uh, the whole east side of the building.”

  Trying to impress on the Doctor’s their inability to detain me, I gave them one last grey-eyed glare, then teleported to the second floor, into the stairwell outside of the cafeteria.

  Entering the cafeteria, I saw my two guards sharing a table. They gave me the same idiotic smiles and waved. Giving an acknowledging nod, I ordered a cup of really bad-looking coffee, and sat alone, waiting.