Mana in the Modern World non illustrated version (5 page)

Being very careful not to touch the tiny
symbol he takes a picture of both symbols with his old ‘quickie’
Sony floppy drive camera. He then places them on his photography
blog and asks if anyone knows their meaning. For some reason he
decides to withhold further details. ‘Maybe I will luck out and get
a translation.’ “OK Jack, time to scrape.”

After a hot shower and scrape followed by a
long leisurely soak in his hi speed, extra large Jacuzzi, Jack
decides to check for to see if he had any answers. Then off to bed
as it has been a long and exciting day! Nope. No answers or even
inquiries.

Next morning, over his second cup of coffee,
he checks to see if any answers came in during the night. Several
replies but only a couple that seemed relevant. Especially one from
someone at the Smithsonian was the best. That one described the
large symbol as translating to generally mean dream and the
smallest usually translated to mean death but not normally
associated together. They were thought to be used by Wizards in
some areas of ancient Asia, especially in regions of what is now
China. Jack emailed back, thanking the provider for the information
and that Jack may visit soon to look over the other items mentioned
in the email.

Looking at the chests Jack decides to have a
gate with surveillance cameras installed ASAP. Once word gets out
in the papers and especially on the internet about the ship, this
will probably entice thieves, the curious and treasure hunters to
swarm his property. Probably the river too with the piece of the
ship’s log mentioning hiding several full chests but there is
nothing he can do about that area. Before starting other chores
Jack goes to the internet, finds and hires, a local contractor to
put up a password protected electric gate with some extra fencing
to either side with a nice bonus offered if completed within two
weeks. The gate will be solar powered with battery backup and have
an intercom to the house and also a keypad for those he gives the
code.

All work should be completed within two weeks
but Jack offers a 15% bonus if properly completed in a week. Jack
feels with that system plus his double metal outside doors and
bullet resistant windows no one will have an easy time getting in.
‘Yes, I guess I am just a tad paranoid,’ thinks Jack with a smile.
Looking side to side with a huge grin while rubbing his abdomen
scar, Jack stage whispers aloud, “Wonder why? Ah yes, the Pakistan
adventure! Now, who should I offer the codes to? O yeah, Ranger
Stone for sure!”

Jasmine and four other female friends are
celebrating graduation and college acceptance. The youngest having
just turned 18, and not wanting booze to cloud things anyway, they
discussed several options. Now, all being of voting age, they did
several giggling secret ballot votes to pick the restaurant. They
have been really enjoying themselves for the last two hours or so
but the party is winding down and is getting late. Feeling the call
of nature, grabbing their purses, all head to the facilities.

Unnoticed by the women, hungry eyes have been
watching and their mind wondering which will be lucky enough to be
his ‘meat’ tonight. The owner of the unseen eyes now sees his
chance. Casually passing by their vacant table he quickly doses
each glass with a liquid date rape drug. Surely at least one will
be driving alone. As the women return to their table they set and
chat for a another fifteen or so more minutes, pay their bill and
leave. The eyes and their owner follow at a discrete distance. Sure
enough, three get into the same car while two others get into
individual vehicles.

As they drive off the two single person cars
leave in the same direction so he follows them, constantly licking
his lips in eagerness the follower wonders which of these two will
be his tonight. Anticipation is part of the spice and he feels
himself getting ready. As the two single cars separate, going in
two different directions, he quickly chooses. Now behind Jasmine’s
car he waits for the drug to work, grins and says, “Been a long
cold spell girly but tonight’s the night!”

Jasmine is beginning to feel woozy and having
a difficult time steering but is hopeful she can make it home OK.
She starts to weave slightly when suddenly there are flashing blue
and red lights behind her. With a sigh she manages to pull over but
feels on the verge of passing out. The flashing lights go dark as a
figure steps out of an old Lincoln. The figure shines a flashlight
in Jasmine’s face as he approaches her door. “Please step out of
the car,” a voice says. Jasmine opens the door and starts to exit.
Stumbling out she looks up at the figure’s face and mumbles, “I
need help.” She then collapsed into the figure’s arms. “Oh I will
be most happy to help,” says the man thru smiling lips.

Looking around to ensure he is still
unobserved, the man quickly carries her to his now open trunk and
puts her inside. Carefully he drives nearby to his choice of
locations for ‘his party’, an old abandoned building. Placing her
on one of the old mattress’s he found there, he quickly strips her
bare and then severely bites her on her left breast and
buttock.

Putting on a condom he says, “Now that you
are properly primed, eager, hot and ready to go, let the fun
begin!” Spreading her legs, he very roughly enters her, then places
both hands around her throat and then starts to strangles her in
time with his thrusts. “I am the last that gets you meat!” he
grunts. Just as he erupts he hears the sound of someone talking and
entering the building. “Damn,” he says quietly. Quickly making sure
he is leaving nothing behind him he slips from the building and
drives away.

***

“Thought I heard a car Chris,” one woman says
to the other.

***

Two old raggedy looking homeless people, both
female, enter and see a nude female lying fully exposed on one of
their mattresses. One of the women, once a nurse and now fallen on
hard times because of a doctor’s error blamed on her, rushes to the
woman while shouting to her friend to go call for help while she
does CPR if needed. Ten minutes later the other woman, Mable,
guides the paramedics and police in to the crime scene. Chris, the
x-nurse, has managed to revive Jasmine who seems stable but she is
very groggy and now in oblivious shock. Chris had also wrapped her
in a warm blanket.

Paramedics place Jasmine in the ambulance and
take her to the hospital. The police question Chris and her friend
Mable but neither saw the culprit. Forensics people arrive and
search the area finding the ripped clothing but find no purse or
phone or any physical evidence.

A check with 911 operator’s leads to another
victim that passed out as she arrived home which frightened her
parents into calling 911. The parents told the responding officers
that their daughter, with 4 girlfriends, had been at a party at a
local restaurant and that the restaurant did not serve alcohol and
alcohol was not smelled on the daughter’s breath. When police
checked with the other parents they were told that their girls also
had not arrived home, but they should have. A multiple Amber alert
is quickly sent out.

Several patrol cars, working outward from the
restaurant, locate Jasmine’s car with her purse and phone still
inside. The car of the other three women was found and officers
learn they were taken in as drunk, or on drugs, and placed in the
drunk tank. However they all suddenly passed out and were taken to
the hospital. Drug tests were ordered which indicated date rape
drugs in all their systems. A rape kit was performed on Jasmine and
photographs are taken of the bite marks. The tests show Jasmine
also had been given the drug and the exam showed she had been raped
but no sperm was found.

As the restaurant was the most likely place
for the drug to be administrated the people on duty were
questioned. The restaurant had no cameras inside or outside, no
witnesses, so the case quickly turned cold.

However the incident created enough stir that
Chris’s firing and nursing license loss was revisited. This time
the truth came out and she was reinstated, the doctor being fired,
sued and stripped of his license to practice.

Jasmine began therapy and after 6 weeks is
somewhat improved. Her therapist thinks a change of location will
help further, possibly speeding her recovery. She knows a great
counselor in Conroe and Jasmine has an older sister living there.
Arrangements are made and Jasmine packs and heads off.

The Turkish military and a large security
company have discovered a severe problem, possibly terrorist in
nature. They contacted the US State Department for help in
analyzing the situation with their computer system and to recommend
a solution. A State Department woman knows Jack and thinks he would
be the ideal person. She calls NSA who in turn contact Jack on his
secure sat phone and asks him if he is available to help out the
security company and Turkish military.

The problem seems to certainly have terrorist
elements. Working with the Turkish military, the security company
arranges for Jack to fly on a fast Gulfstream V jet to Istanbul and
for a company car with driver to be at his disposal. Upon landing
at the Turkish base Jack, as always with this type of job, is given
a permit for his concealed weapons.

With a police escort, lights and sirens
going, Jack’s driver follows the police to the company’s location
where he is briefed by the security company’s computer geeks. They
know their system was hacked but have been unable to determine how
it was accomplished.

Jack, after three 18 hour days of searching,
finds and corrects the problem. One of the sharper techs had found,
probably accidently, a ‘backdoor’ to the computer’s systems. He
used it to send money to himself and to an account in Switzerland
with known ties to a terrorist organization.

Interpol began searching for the ‘on
vacation’ tech and find indications he went to Pakistan, then on
into Afghanistan. Interpol turns the information over to the CIA
and US military. He is soon spotted and further tracked to a
terrorist training camp, apparently he will be teaching other
computer geek want-a-bees.

***

The tech and geek want-a-bees are soon
visited by several Mavericks.

***

The night before Jack left the states for
Turkiye he had a dream about an intriguing photo location in the
Adana, Turkiye area. A mountain range that looked like God, or
someone powerful, had taken an axe and chopped out a section.

***

Pic here of the cleaved mountain

***

A small river flows thru the chopped out
area. Upstream are several areas with cave like openings. Ideal
photo locations and expenses paid too!

Job complete, payment banked; Jack hires a
model, Margareta, in Istanbul that knows the general area around
Adana and the place he describes. Early the next morning Jack rents
a car, picks up Margareta and they head out. Jack soon discovers
that driving without police escort in Turkiye can be quite exciting
and beyond doubt also dangerous. Actually, now that he thought
about it, even with the police escort it had been a bit perilous as
the Turkish drivers mainly ignored the police sirens and
lights!

And the traffic lights, unlike the states, go
from green directly to red! The red goes caution then directly to
green. Turkish drivers start off as soon as the caution lights up,
even tho the oncoming lanes still have a green light ….and traffic.
Great big trucks seem to love speeding thru without regards to
possible ‘conflicts’!

Not to mention the crazy Turkish drivers and
the bicyclists who are driving him nuts! Worse than New York!
Sometimes four lanes of cars stopped on the two lane side of a
traffic light! Having almost wrecked several times before he got
somewhat use to the traffic lights Jack briefly, very briefly,
entertained the idea about letting the model drive. She seemed
quite calm despite the traffic. Traffic and drivers aside, much of
the food is great, especially breakfast with the wood fired stone
oven cooked flat bread! Ooh, and the fresh honey.

***

Pic here of breakfast and local honey

***

They both also did justice to the other meals
too!

Pic here of the meal and stone cooked journey
bread

***

Thanks to the model, finding the mountain
area was a snap. Although Jack’s driving on the way did draw the
attention of the local cops. But his passport, letter from the
Turkish military stressing police cooperation (which greatly
intrigued Margareta) and a short phone call quickly cleared the
way. Margareta proved to have the makings of a great guide and
strangely calm model but she kept giving him odd looks after the
encounter with the police.

Arriving at the river next morning Jack and
Margareta carry the camera, tripod and her small bag containing a
few different outfits along the river to the openings. He had been
surprised at her name, pronounced Margarita as the drink, so she
showed him her passport, Russian of all things!

Noticing his surprised look she said, in
rough English, “I come Turkiye make much money ……modeling.” ‘Yeah,
right’, thinks Jack. Especially as on the trip down she was the one
who suggested just one room for them to share in order to save him
money. Grinning he thinks, ‘Maybe I should double her fee; triple
maybe?’

Quickly looking over the areas Jack decides
both caves will make for great photos ‘Thanks dream.’ Deciding to
shoot at the smaller cave entrance first he soon asks Margareta to
move in and set just inside the opening. She moves closer, bending
somewhat in order to go in and suddenly stops, surprisingly
refusing to go further. “Is creepy ……felt …very sad and bad,” she
says.