If you think you know somebody who resembles any of the characters here, congratulations, but you're wrong - any similarity between the characters in this story and any real person is purely coincidental, since all of these characters are figments of my imagination.

This is my story, not yours. Don't sell it or put it on a pay site. You can keep it and/or give it away with all of this information intact, but if you make money off of it without my permission, you're breaking the law and pissing me off.

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The erstwhile Imam fell bonelessly to the floor of the mosque, spilling blood from multiple bullet wounds. The crowd stared in bewilderment at the two Americans who, without seeming to do anything, had turned his followers against him. As one, they surged forward, murder on their minds, only to be stopped as if by a giant hand.

Without words, each of them 'heard' the words of the Americans. You, and these men, have been mislead. This man deliberately took advantage of the fact that you came to him to interpret the Quran. He lied when he told you that it was good to wage war against women and children. These men are angry because they were made to do horrible things, thinking that Allah was with them. You would do well to consider what they know.

As the words filled their heads, the images from the Imam's mind accompanied them in a way that left no doubt of the truth of the words. A great wail arose from the crowd, and from the cleric's murders. No one noticed when the Americans disappeared, as if by magic.

Will slumped tiredly onto his sleeping bag. More and more lately, this cave, which had been their home for more than two years, was feeling too small and cramped. There was plenty of room, and though they had added some things to make it a more comfortable abode, it was still a hole in the ground.

So where do we go from here? Nine asked. It had become easier to communicate mind to mind than to speak, especially when they were tired, and Will answered in the same way.

I don't know, Nine. Will answered. It doesn't seem to matter how many terrorists we foil, get killed, or convince that they're on the wrong path. More of them pop up every day. Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and all the other 'stans are just the tip of the iceberg. There's still Malaysia and the African states, not all of which are Muslim, who are churning out mad bombers faster than we can keep up with them. There's got to be a better way.

It's beginning to look like we're not doing the world any favors, Ten. Nine mused. For every terrorist group we get rid of, two more pop up somewhere else. I tell you, as long as the US and its allies are perceived to be trampling on the little countries, there's not going to be any stopping them.

Yeah, well, the governments of those countries aren't helping any. Will replied. You'd think with the relief from terrorist threats that we've given 'em they could come up with some social programs that would help alleviate the pressure on the people who feel the need to resort to this kind of thing, but instead they keep doing things as they've always done. Shit! I'm not naive enough to think that even if the US and other Western nations suddenly had a change of heart and started acting like citizens of the planet instead of asshole imperialists, all terrorism would stop. Over time, however, opinions would begin to change and it would become harder for these groups to recruit members.

So what's the answer? Nine asked dejectedly.

I don't know, Tina. Let me think about it some, okay? Will replied. He couldn't hide his own feelings from the person who had shared his mind for the last couple of years, but he was damned if he was going to admit defeat just yet.

Silence fell in the dimness of the cave, broken only by the furtive scurrying of small animals and the occasional drip of water. For long moments the two sat, lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, as if making up her mind about something, Nine arose and moved to where Will sat on his sleeping bag. She settled beside him, fitting her body to his.

"Nine? Tina?" Will asked, concerned. "What's going on?"

I'm fucking horny as hell, you big lug! She told him with a laugh. And I've had this like, humongous crush on you ever since you saved me from Eight. I know you've been in mourning for your wife and little girl, but I think it's about time you moved on, don't you?

Will, stunned, sat for a moment staring at his partner, unsure of his own feelings. He had been so focussed, he realized, that the thought of female companionship had not even occurred to him. Then another thought struck him: Part of the reason it had not become a pressing need was that Nine - Tina - had been there at his side. He had taken her presence and her support more or less for granted. Now he realized that she had been providing him with everything he needed - except sex.

"Will?" Tina said, in a more timid voice than he had ever heard from her. "Please say something, or at least open up and let me know what you're thinking! I'm dyin' here!"

Sorry, Tina. Will 'told' her, realizing he had shut her out in his shock. I've just been so buried in what we were doing that I never realized I was just taking you for granted. You've been a rock, and as for the other part...

She felt it in his mind before her grasping hand found his growing erection. Their coupling had little resemblance to the tender lovemaking he had shared with Karen. It was raw and passionate, and when it was over, they did it again, and yet a third time, each time a little different, but every time explosive. When, finally, they settled back onto his sleeping bag, Tina's head resting on his shoulder, Will shook his head.

"I quit smoking years ago," he said. "but I could sure use a cigarette now!"

"Not me." Tina replied. "I've got something else in mind..."

"Have mercy on a poor, broken old man, you brazen hussy!" Will laughed. "I'm out of practice, and even with these enhanced muscles you've worn me out!"

"Poor, broken old man my ass!" Tina joined in his laughter. "I'm gonna be walking bowlegged for a week!"

They lay in contented silence for a long time, and soon Will heard Tina's breathing slow and deepen with sleep. His own mind wouldn't slow down. He had no problems with their tryst. In fact, he felt that Karen would approve. The previous topic of conversation, however, still caromed around his consciousness like a wayward billiard ball. Finally, Will settled on a course of action. He could feel the futility of it even as he decided to try anyway. At least he would be able to say he had given it his best effort.

Sleep, eventually, took him, and with the warmth of Tina's body draped over his side, so much like Karen's, but so different, he slept dreamlessly. Hours later, he awoke dreamily to a wonderful, slippery warmth at his groin. Peering sleepily downward, he watched affectionately as his lover's head moved langorously over his rapidly rising manhood. Their coupling this time held none of the passionate urgency of the earlier session, but ended, almost an hour later, with the same explosive fury.

You've made up your mind. Tina 'said', nestling her dark haired head once again on his shoulder. This is going to be fun!

I hope you're right! He chuckled. At least, we have to make the effort, but I think we should do some research first.

With time, familiarity, and practice, their abilities had grown. Since he had developed the knack of extrapolating the positional energy characteristics for almost any location on the globe, it had become second nature for Will to send his mental energy ahead to refine the rough positioning and select a specific location for teleportation. Within seconds he could locate and 'move' to anywhere on Earth with pinpoint accuracy. He could also locate and mentally search any such location without moving from where he was.

Nine's powers, too, had grown. She could now teleport several miles at a time, and with Will's help in locating the person, could read a mind anywhere on the globe. Between the two of them, they infiltrated the hallowed halls of gevernment in Washington D.C. while remaining safely ensconced in their cave.

The task was even more daunting upon closer examination. There were long-standing traditions of corruption, bribery, and money passed under the table. Most of the politicians, it seemed, had started out with high ideals, but had succumbed to the pressures of the election process. Without money, one could not get elected. Having taken the money, once elected, considerations were owed. Others, however, were in it for the money and the power they could wield. Whether they had begun their careers that way was often lost in the haze of memory, but after decades in office, those who survived knew the ins and outs of the political process. They knew exactly what buttons to push to get the money dispenser to hand out wads of unreportable income, for themselves and for their campaigns.

At first, Will thought they might make a difference just by finding a way to finance campaigns without applying political pressure to those financed, but the problem was more complex than that. Finding a legal way to get the money into the hands of those who needed it was going to be tough. Assuring a means of managing the funds so that no political pressure would ever be expressed or implied was even harder. Then there was the problem of what to do with those who were incorrigably corrupt. Once these problems were ameliorated somewhat, there would still be the issue of how to make a benevolent foreign policy of sufficiently high priority to accomplish what was needed.

Even assuming they could accomplish these things with the US Government, there were other governments to deal with. It was by no means assured that, even if the US changed its policies sufficently, her allies and global partners would go along. That meant that Will and Tina would have to do their arm-twisting on an international scale, just to get the ball rolling. Then they would have the governments of the countries needing help to deal with, many of which were even more corrupt than those of the richer nations.

Will and Tina delved so far into the secrets of so many governments, and collected so many facts that it was impossible to deal with them individually. Tina compensated by passing everything on and depending on Will to come up with a solution. Will catalogued each and every fact learned from their exploration. Soon, it became automatic to fit each piece of information into the giant jigsaw puzzle that was the emerging picture in his mind of what was really happening.

As the picture evolved and gained detail, it became a moving, living thing in his mind. He could look backward and see how things had come to their present state, and as he gained insight, he began to see how the picture would change with each new event. Before long, his mind had gotten in the habit of seeing all the predictable potential outcomes from an action or event. Like threads in some giant tapestry, potential futures unfolded before his mental gaze, the most likely brighter than others, but all clearly visible.

At some point, Will began to realize that this was not a natural function of his brain. He had always had a sort of 'big picture' mentality that could extrapolate a larger view from small bits of evidence, but this ability to project forward in time and predict so many of the likely outcomes of an event must be a function of whatever his mind had built as a replacement for the microprocessor that was intended to control his enhancements. Will turned his attention inward for the first time since having 'fixed' himself, and found, to his shock, that whatever he had created had grown and now had connections into most of the areas of his brain. At first, he thought it might have become cancerous, but the energy still seemed 'right' and whatever it was seemed to function in harmony with his natural brain. A quick check showed that Tina, too, had such a growth, though hers lacked some of the connections his had grown.

When he called her attention to this, Tina was stunned. "Is that thing taking over my brain?"

"Near as I can tell," Will replied, "it's working with your brain. This is probably one of the reasons our abilities have grown."

"Can you reverse it?" She asked, still a little frightened.

"I wouldn't know how to start." Will told her. "Let's just see how things go. I think that thing is acting as kind of a brain annex. I know it's allowing me to organize and view all this data in ways I would never have been able to use before, so I'm going to keep thinking of it as a good thing."

In fact, now that he knew of its existence, Will began experimenting with ways of making use of this 'auxiliary brain.' He and Nine continued gathering data from politicians in Washington and elsewhere, and as the store of knowledge grew, his view of the possible futures became clearer and extended further into the future.

Tina watched in amazement, as, time and again, his predictions came true. Determined to make use of this ability to maximize their chances of success, Will began postulating scenarios, trying to see what they could do to create favorable outcomes. In his mental simulations, small scale changes caused barely noticeable ripples as existing forces rolled unheeding over the effects of his proposed actions. Large scale changes briefly diverted the course of events, but inexhorable as the tide, greed, quests for power, and long-standing tradition eventually held sway.

Ever more complex scenarios, involving changes he wasn't even sure they could accomplish on a global scale, in his simulations offered only a brief shelter from the crushing avalanche of a myriad of events set in motion long before they were born. With tremendous effort and constant vigilance around the globe, they might be able to create two or three decades of relative peace. The cost, however, would be that at the end of that period, the old pattern would resume with a vengeance. The greed and corruption would find new ways to subvert their efforts, and the resulting pressures on the poorer nations of the world would generate a whole new breed of terrorists. The intervening period would give them relative prosperity, which, as the bubble collapsed, would provide more resources for them to create chaos in the world.

"Damn, Ten!" Tina griped one day as he completed yet another projection. "Are we swimming upstream on this, or what? There doesn't seem to be anything we can do that will have more than momentary effect, history-wise, on the course of events."

"I know, Nine." Will replied. "I know. I had hoped we would be able to at least make some minor course changes to make things better for a significant number of people, but the inertia is too great. Even if we divert the course of events for a few years, they'll come back twice as bad when they return to what seems to be this inevitable course, and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to stop it!"

"There's one scenario we haven't tried, Will." Tina said softly.

"I know which one you're talking about, Tina." Will shook his head. "I'm not going to do it, no matter how the scenarios play, so don't even think about it."

"It may be our only option, Ten." She said, taking his hand in hers. "Nothing else shows any promise, so at least plug it into that crystal ball of yours and see how it plays."

"I don't want to be a dictator, Nine!" He said vehemently. "It goes against everything I believe in! That would make me no better than any of the other megalomaniacs who have tried to take over the world."

"Two differences, Ten." Tina wrapped her arms around him and spoke even more softly in the dimness of the cave. "You might actually be able to pull it off, and you don't want to. That makes all the difference in my eyes."

"And what happens after I die?" Will said. "It will take years, decades to make any difference, and when I die, there's no one to take my place."

"We'll have to deal with that when the time comes." Nine held him even tighter. "Just plug it in and see if it plays. We may just be worrying about nothing."

Reluctantly, Will played out the scenario with the help of his 'auxiliary brain.' The most promising thread began with decades of war and rebellion until all the world's military was under his command, and all the world's governments were branches of the Will's regime. There was still corruption and willful disobedience of the laws he laid down, but, to his astonishment, the strife began to fade, and over time, peace and prosperity prevailed across most of the globe. He followed the timeline out, seeking the time of his death, to see what would happen, but the simulation continued, until, hundreds of years in the future, even his prodigious new abilities could not hazard a guess as to how events would unfold. Still, it never showed his death.

There must be something wrong, here, Nine. Will thought, shaken. The scenario shows death events for all the other heads of government and other influential people, but not for me. Is my brain wired wrong? Have I gone off the deep end and started thinking I'm immortal?

I don't think so, Will. Nine's thought carried a hint of fear as if she didn't want to believe what she was thinking. It doesn't show a death event for me, either.

That's right! Will had missed that in his consternation at thinking that the new ability might be faulty. Do you suppose my brain knows something we don't know?

Will searched out and found Dr. Robinson in her office at Sandia labs, and did a quick scan of her body, comparing it to his memories of the first scans he did of her when he was learning to use his abilities. Then he did the same with himself and Nine.

Holy Shit! His thought accompanied his verbal exposition of the expletive.

"You okay, Ten?" Nine seemed mildly concerned, especially since she couldn't recall having heard him curse.

"Uh, you better link up and check me on this, Nine."

She did as he asked, and rather than giving her the memories of his own comparison, he walked her through the process of doing it for herself.

'Holy Shit' is right! Nine was as stunned as he. You mean we're not aging? No wonder the simulations didn't show any death events for us! But that's good news, isn't it? I mean, now you could run this planet for God knows how long, and not have to worry about a successor, right?

There's one thing the simulations can't take into account, Tina.Will shook his head. That's my mental state. Who knows what would happen to my sanity to have absolute power for as far into the future as I can see? Hell, history is full of stories about Kings, Emperors, Caesars and Czars who fell under the spell of their power. I don't think I want to take that chance.

So what are we going to do, Will?

I don't know Tina. Maybe we need to take a break. Think about things for a while. When I got into this, I was ready to go with the super-soldier thing for the rest of my life. When I found out that I'd become something more, okay, again, I could put up with it for another thirty, forty, fifty years, then I'd be too old or too dead to be any danger to anyone, but this...! How do you reconcile yourself to the fact that you might live longer than anyone you ever knew, anyone you will come to know, and all of their children, grandchildren, etc.? Will stared into the dimness of the cavern that had been home for so long.

Hell, if we're going to live that long, he quipped, we've got to find a better place!