J+J 009: The Distaste of Revenge

[J+J Series, No. 009: The Distaste of Revenge]
Creative Property of Lady Quindecim
Chapter 9: The Distaste of Revenge
[Aug, 16 years]
     
"Are you sleeping?" Jules whispered in the dark from her own bed to her sister.  Had she simply thought it to her, it would have woken her if she was asleep.  When they were younger, one or the other would think it to the other to wake them and get them to play.  Sometimes Jules would be particularly grumpy about being woken in such a way and eventually they started just whispering to the room.  The covers are as soft and inviting as ever, but Jules has been just laying on her side, unable to relax.
           - Janet: "Are you kidding? I'm surprised you were even trying."
           - Jules: "I wasn't. He is really mad."
           - Janet: "You can feel Him?  Adam, right?"
"Of Course, Adam."
           - Janet: "Just checking."
           - Jules: "It's like, when he touched me, on my leg, I could... it was like... I don't know, but it was super creepy. He is really, really mad."
           - Janet: "So you can read his mind?"
           - Jules: "Mercy no. But it is like I can see his emotions."
           - Janet: "Hm..."
           - Jules: "That's my line.  Anyway, I can't read his mind, but I can read what's on his mind.  I suppose that doesn't make much sense."
"Oh, it makes perfect sense," Janet said aloud as she blinked herself out of bed and over to her dresser.  Jules sat up and watched her sister in the moonlight coming in through the window.  Her naked body is tight and fierce and still beautiful in the blue light.  She takes out a pair of fitting, black shorts and a black sports top. "You've been following him?"
           - Jules: "Yeah. Ever since... I mean, he knows where we live, right?"
"Yep."
           - Jules: "He's been driving around, drinking and looking for me.  What time is it?"
They both look at the clock; neither has to say.  Janet pulls on black cargo pants over the shorts.
           - Jules: "That's it.  The liqueur store is closing.  He's going to rob it before it's all locked up."
           - Janet: "What is he thinking?  The guy knows him. The only way he could get away with it is if..."
They exchange a knowing look as Janet pauses in the midst of black socks, black boots, pink tank-top being covered by a black military blouse.  "Oh.  I see."
Jules gets out of bed.
           - Jules: "Is that my tank? It..."
           - Janet: "Hush.  Never mind that, I need 'intel.'"
           - Jules: "So, yeah.  Murder is on his mind.  He wants to find me, kill me, find booze, kill the clerk, take the money, and..."
           - Janet: "'And...?'"
           - Jules: "The 'and' is not important at the moment. His niece is also on his mind."
"Niece?"
           - Jules: "Yeah.  She's like ten... eleven... he can't really remember. He thinks they have something special."
           - Janet: "And he wants to kill her too?"
           - Jules: "No, but don't make me say it.  She lives far away.  She's not really in the picture right now, except that he's thinking about it."
           - Janet: "That's sick."
Outfit complete as Janet pulls on her black cap.
           - Janet: "I'm going hunting."
There is a dramatic pause as Jules tries to assess the situation.  She pulls on black stretch pants, black     socks & hi-top sneakers, a black turtleneck, all appearing in turn as she dresses.
           - Jules: "And what are you going to do when you find him?"
           - Janet: "Stop him."
As before, neither needs to convey the thought that follows and the understanding between them.
           - Janet: "There is plenty I can do to him that will not kill him."
           - Jules: "And without revealing our talent?"
           - Janet: "I think he already-"
           - Jules: "Yeah, I disappeared out of his car, but he is really confused, thinking that I jumped without him seeing."
           - Janet: "Blast it Jule!  We have to do something."
"We will, Hunter."  Jules put her hand on her twin's shoulder.
           - Jules: "We are going to blink to the lot behind the liqueur store."
           - Janet: "I've never been there.  There is nothing back there that I can even key in on."
           - Jules: "But I am looking at it now.  Perfect picture."
           - Janet: "But I... Oh! Like in the book!"
           - Jules: "That's right, just like the riders picture it for their dragons."
           - Janet: "Do you think it will work?"
And before the question was complete, Janet had a perfect snapshot image straight out of her sister's psychic sonar.  If the grin that crawled across Janet's face were to be put into words at some later date, Jules would use 'wicked.'
And they blinked.
Behind the shop, they had only a few minutes to plan before Adam arrives.  First and foremost, Adam's intent has to be made known.  If the Jones twins just stop him, they agree, while that is the easiest, he will just be a victim. So they have to let him go through with things, but still protect people.  Second, not he or anyone else can see anything extra-ordinary.  Nothing "paranormal" can be witnessed.
- Janet: "Any idea what his plan is?"
- Jules: "Plan?  I don't even think he knows."
- Janet: "Then what on Earth are we going to do."
- Jules: "I don't know."
- Janet: "We can't be seen here at all, can we?"
- Jules: "I don't think so."
- Janet: "I mean, if anything 'funny' happens..."
- Jules: "Yeah, he'll think it was us until he sobers up. Then who knows what."
- Janet: "But if we stop anything from happening, and he doesn't learn anything, then what is this all about?  Think, Jules."
- Jules: "Yeah, yeah. So, He comes, right? He will probably go get whatever he wants, then up to the register, right?"
- Janet: "He knows there is surveillance. What would he do about that.  Getting rid of the human witness is not enough."
Jules looks around the building, specifically at the wires running from the building to the utility poles behind it.
- Jules: "He's an idiot, and drunk, right?"
- Janet: "Uh, yeah."
- Jules: "What did Isa say? I am not likely the first? Well, if he has gotten away with things this far, then he may be more of a planner than I am giving him credit for."
- Janet: "Okay, so we gotta figure out his plan."
- Jules: "But he is not rational.  We gotta cover everything we can think of, like, the alarm, right?  The silent one.  He may come back here and cut the phone line before he even goes in."
- Janet: "Well, that would suck."
- Jules: "I should be able to repair it as soon as he goes in.  Like melting crayons back together."
- Janet: "Then he would have all the time he needed to find the security tapes and destroy them."
- Jules: "Tapes? Really?"
- Janet: "Well, the recorder, whatever the media is."
- Jules: "He's coming fast.  Almost-"
- Janet: "Yeah, I got him.  This is gonna feel a bit funky."
The instant Janet's hand closed on Jules' wrist, the sensation hit.  They were, as Janet puts it later, between.  They were suspended mid blink with no physical presence anywhere, but stood like ghosts on the very spot they had occupied.  They could see everything they cold see before, hear everything; the air-conditioner, the night insects, the gravel under Adam's tyres as he pulls off the highway and into the parking lot.
- Jules: "You weren't kidding about it feeling weird."
They watched as the Camaro pulled up next to the building and Adam got out carrying a huge set of bolt cutters and thick, insulating rubber gloves.  He snipped the phone line walked right up to the power line like he owned the place and with a snap and a flash, the building had gone dark.  Adam then strode right up to the front door, dropping the tool and gloves in the car through the window as he passed.
- Jules: "Well, that was unexpected."
- Janet: "And now I can barely see inside."
- Jules: "I got it.  The old clerk can't tell who it is."
- Janet: "I can hear, I just can't see.  Do you have the phone line back up yet?"
- Jules: "Yeah, as soon as he stepped away.  I am ready to splice the power too, but... that may be obvious?"
- Janet: "Go ahead.  He may just think there is a generator."
And the place lit up, just like that, and just like that, they heard three shots fired.  Jules, reticent, had nudged each of the projectiles just enough to send them harmlessly into the wall.  Or, harmlessly that is, if you did not care about the tobacco display.  Janet blinked them inside, behind the counter and out of sight of the attacker.  Janet grabbed the startled clerk and pulled him prone onto the floor and Jules summoned the store's shotgun into her grip.  Firing through the counter, careful to use her special vision to avoid actually hitting him, she effectively ran Adam out of the store.
- Janet: "Don't let him..."
Jules held up Adams car keys to show that she was already one step ahead.  In the next instant, the keys were on the roof.  Janet knelt aside the confused clerk.  "Do your camera's work in the dark?"  The man nodded.  "And they are on battery backup?"  There were sirens sounding faintly in the distance as he nodded again.  Janet then looked up at the camera pointing at her, in the space behind the counter.
- Jules: "Yeah, I got that one first."
- Janet: "Oooh, you are good."
The sirens were getting closer.  "Who comes when the power is cut?" Janet asked in haste.
The old man furrowed his brow.  "Police... and fire, I think."
"You have had a dreadful fright, you poor thing," Jules consoled sympathetically, "I think you may even be a little delusional - seeing things, people what aren't there."
He nodded, and before he was finished, the twins were back in their bed room.  Jules had her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.  
- Janet: "Oh, wow.  You were great!  That was perfect!"
Janet gave her sister a big hug in which Jules leaned for support.
- Jules: "That was so scary."
- Janet: "Hecks yeah!"
- Jules: "No, like, I need to lay down."
Janet helped Jules onto her bed then went to sit on her own.
- Jules: "What? No, please... come back."
Janet blinked back to Jules' side.
- Janet: "It's okay, sweetie. You mended the phone line, the power line, deflected three bullets, blocked the camera, grabbed the shotgun, scared the dickens out of Adam, grabbed his keys... you were amazing"
- Jules: "It was hard.  Really hard."
- Janet: "You've juggled way more than that before."
Jules let out a sigh, "It was different."
Janet looked a little disappointed.
- Jules: "Don't look so sad, sis.  He's in a panic."
- Janet: "He is?"
- Jules: "The stress has him, like, reverted to military training."
- Janet: "Ha! Oh, that's-"
- Jules: "No, it's not, whatever you were going to say it was.  He's hiding."
- Janet: "Okay, he's hiding. And probably wet himself with fear."
- Jules: "He blames us."
- Janet: "Only until he sobers up and realises that it makes no sense for us to be-"
- Jules: "I disappeared out of his car, remember? And he was sober then, mostly.  He is only waiting until what he figures will be a patrol to clear, then he is coming here."
- Janet: "Hey, if he comes anywhere near here and I'll-"
- Jules: "Kill him?"
There was a quiet moment while the silently agreed that should it come to it, they could.  It was not a proud moment.
"You need some rest," Janet offered, "Show me where he is, and I'll take the first watch."
- Jules: "No... I want to stay on top of his thoughts."
"Lets go get a coke."
"I got it, Jules.  Just wait here." And she was back in a breath with two cans of ice cold soda.
Jules sat back on her bed, feeling refreshed with each sip of sugar and caffeine.  Janet paced the room like a caged predatory animal.  It was severely testing Janet's patience.  Waiting, 15, 30, 45 minutes; 90 minutes, two hours until they both jumped alert.
- Jules: "He's on the move."
- Janet: "Let's go."
- Jules: "Whoa... wait.  Go where? He's headed here."
- Janet: "Let's go intercept.  I don't want fight it out here."
- Jules: "I don't want a fight at all."
- Janet: "Too bad - we have one."
They stood silently in the shadows behind Adam as he was making his way to the Jones's house.  They watched as he tried to move stealthily along the river bank.
- Jules: "You got a plan or what?  This is ridiculous."
- Janet: "You are the planner. I'm just looking for..."
- Jules: "For an excuse.  We can't kill in in cold blood like this.  If we were going to, I could have done that from our room."
- Janet: "Can we just make him disappear?"
- Jules: "Perhaps.  The world is not as small as it once was.  Chances are pretty certain that if we drop him somewhere survivable, he'll make his way back."
- Janet: "If.  Remember, he is a predator."
- Jules: "I know, I know.  And I don't like the idea of having an enemy out there in the world, knowing we are not... normal."
- Janet: "And that takes us back to offing him."
- Jules: "Well, we can debate this all we want and never get anywhere.  Let's grab him, take him somewhere remote, scare the living daylights out of him and see if we can come to an agreement."
- Janet: "An agreement? Remember, he is, or will be, wanted for armed robbery.  He won't be able to just phone a friend and get back home."
- Jules: "Good point.  Can we abandon him without him knowing it was us?"
- Janet: "I would not bet on it.  I mean, maybe, but as he is already thinking there is something odd about us, anything that happens to him out of the ordinary is going to solidify his opinion.  I think I know what to do.  Once we get there, stay out of his reach."
- Jules: "No need to tell me twice.  I do my best work hands off."
Janet blinked the trio to isolation, vast field of nothing but mountains far off in any direction.  It was daylight on this part of the world.  Adam was left standing about thirty feet away, facing the other direction.  He immediately drew his sidearm and started scanning the horizon.  Jules was tempted to bail out now, but Janet had other ideas.
"Drop it and kick it aside."
Adam whipped around to the sound of her voice, but they were already moved.
"Drop. It. Now."
He spun around again, again following the voice, again not dropping his pistol.
"Cut it," Janet said to Jules, both verbally for Adam's benefit, and mentally to get the message to her twin faster than the words could reach Adam.
Jules was not sure if this was what Janet meant, exactly, but like the ball of rubber bands through the history book, she moved the very air around the gun through it like a blade, from the hammer forward and down through the barrel.  It was a perfect slice, as the barrel forward of the cut fell inertly to the ground.  Adam dropped the remainder, stumbling back in disbelief.
"Listen up, Adam," Janet started, and went on to list all the reasons he chocked up this one night for the twins to cause him harm.
Janet, of course, new where she brought them, but Jules took this opportunity to use her psychic sonar to geo-locate, something she has had to do more than once when Janet blinked them somewhere Jules had never known.
- Jules: "Siberia.  How cliche."
Janet gave her sister's rhetoric no reply as she was still laying out the circumstances of Adam's imprisonment.
"Just let me have him, Hunter," Jules said casually to her twin.  "Adam, did you know that I could separate your penis from the rest of you as easily as I sliced your gun in two?  And I don't even have to be here to do it."
Adam went pale, wearing the visage of a man overcome with terror, as of the true nature of nowhere to hide drained all life from him; all fight was gone.
- Janet: "I think you may have overdone it."
"Not a word," Janet reminded the outcast.  "Come on, Cutter, I think we're done here."
Before they blinked out, with a pointless gesture of her hand, Jules made a slash at the ground just in front of Adam's feet, leaving a six inch deep scar in the earth.  Moments after they were gone, she made three more just the same to the back and sides, leaning him standing on a square of untouched soil.
Again in their bedroom, Janet blinked out of her clothes, leaving them to drop on the floor where she stood, and she stretched out across her bed.  Jules took her time getting undressed, pulling off each article with a sense of sensuality.  Once naked, she returned both their outfits to their respective locations and stalked over to the window.
Jules used her telekinesis once more to unlock and open their second story window.  "I think that worked out fairly well, Hunter," breathing in the summer night air.
"Indeed.  He was caught on camera in armed robbery, so he will not be welcome anywhere in the state - no, country, with him being in the Army.  I think he is not going to tell anyone about us.  And, that was a nice flourish at the end, there, Cutter."
"You planning on telling your girlfriend that we are superheroes after all?"
"She's not my girlfriend, but she's awake.  Shall we go tell her now?"
"Wait!  Our clothes-!"

[End 009]
[Creative property of Lady Quindecim]
[You have been reading the ninth installment of the J&J Series by Lady Quindecim.]
[Also referred to as J+J, Janet&Jules, and possibly something definitively similar.]
[If you received this test from a source other that DeviantArt, please let the author know via e-mail to lady.quindecim@gmail.com]
[I hope you have enjoyed this installment of the J&J Series]