The Needs of the Many - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

There’s a knock on the door. Beth groggily gets up out of bed, stumbles to the door, and looks through the peep-hole. It’s Amy. Beth rubs her eyes while she slowly opens up the door.
“Hi Amy, come on in. Thanks for giving me a ride.”
“No problem, but we better hurry. You’re going to be late. Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. What time is it?”
“8:45”
“What? Holy crap, I am going to be late!”
Beth quickly gets dressed. She gets dressed so quickly, she doesn’t look in the mirror. She and Amy walk out the door and Beth locks it behind her. They hastily go down the stairs and out to Amy’s car. It’s a red 1990 Mustang with two bumper stickers. One says “Love thy neighbor, but don’t get caught” and a new one that says “Support cannibalism, EAT ME.” Beth looks at the new one, and then looks at Amy with dissatisfaction.
“Why?” Beth asks.
“What? It’s funny!”
Beth shakes her head, and they get into the car. Amy starts the car and they begin to drive down the road. After a few minutes, Amy glances at Beth.
“So, decided to try something new?”
Beth looks at Amy with a puzzled look on her face.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean your hair, and the contacts. At least, I’m assuming you’re wearing contacts, since you’re not wearing your glasses. Or did you get laser surgery?”
Beth pulls her hair forward. It’s blonde. She pulls down the passenger’s side mirror and looks. Her hair is blonde all over. She also notices that she can see clearly despite forgetting her glasses.
“Um, yeah, something new.”
Beth sits quietly for the rest of the ride, confused by these new developments.

Back in Kansas City, John walks into the bank. He pulls out his money; a whopping $73.52. He gets in his car, an old 1988 Dodge Shadow, and heads to the airport. Along the way, he questions whether or not he should go to Greece. He questions whether or not Kane was real, or just a figment of his imagination. Before he knows it, he’s at the airport. He gets out of his car and shuts the door. The car window shatters.
“Well, it’s an old car. I guess that was bound to happen sooner or later.”
John heads into the airport. It’s crowded and all the people make John nervous. He puts his head down and shyly slinks up to the ticket line. “There’s no way this is going to be enough!” he thinks. John nervously waits for his turn. After what seems like an eternity, he finally gets to the front. He timidly addresses the woman.
“I need a ticket to Greece.”
“Where in Greece sir?”
John’s eyes widen and his face goes pale. Kane never told him. So he says the only city he knows.
“Um, Athens?”
The flight attendant punches some keys on a computer, then looks at John.
“Very well sir; that will be $3074.”
John feels faint. He’s embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say. He thinks “I don’t even have the $74, let alone $3074!”
“May I have your ID sir?”
Without thinking, John hands the woman his ID. She begins entering the information. John starts thinking of ways to get out of this. He’s about to tell her he has to use the bathroom when the flight attendant speaks up.
“Oh, I see you already have a ticket waiting for you.”
“I do? I do. I do! Yes, I do.”
“Ok, first class ticket to Athens, Greece. Here’s your boarding pass. Have a nice flight.”
“Thank you.”
“First Class!” John thinks “Wow! That Kane guy must have connections; or money. But I guess if you’ve been around for over 200,000 years, you’re bound to pile up a bit of change.”

Back in Cass Lake, Beth and Amy arrive at the Library.
“Thanks for the ride Amy!”
“No problem, I’ll pick you up around 5, and hey, are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine, stop worrying. Thanks again.”
Beth gets out and Amy drives off. She hurries inside the library.
“You’re late!” the librarian tells her.
“Sorry Ms. Jenkins.”
“Start putting the books back.”
“Yes Ms. Jenkins.”
Beth grabs a bunch of books and begins filing them back on the shelves. It seems like an ordinary day, except that Beth thinks about her hair and how it turned that color. “I must have colored it and forgotten about it” she tells herself. She then thinks about her eyes. “Well, I guess people’s eyesight do improve sometimes.” Ms. Jenkins yells to Beth across the Library.
“Beth! I’m going to go pick up the new books! You’re in charge!”
“Ok Ms. Jenkins!”
Beth continues putting books away. The library is empty and Beth goes about her job. She has most of the books put away. The few that are left belong on one of the top shelves. Beth sets the books down on a nearby table and goes into the back to get the ladder. She returns and sets it up. She grabs the books and starts climbing. She puts three of the four books away. Just as she’s putting away the fourth, she loses her balance. The sound of the ladder hitting the ground can be heard all throughout the library. What can’t be heard is the sound of Beth hitting the ground. That’s because, to her amazement, Beth is floating in mid air! She looks down, and then frantically looks around to see what she is standing on. There’s nothing. Beth is both confused and frightened.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
Beth anxiously looks around, since she can’t do anything else, and then wonders “How am I going to get down from….”
Then Beth falls. Amazingly, it didn’t hurt. Beth gets up and looks around for witnesses. The library appears empty. She pauses, then puts her hands up in the air and jumps……and then promptly lands back on the ground.
“Up up and away!”
Beth jumps again…. and lands on the ground again.
“I know I didn’t imagine this!”
Beth walks to the end of a book aisle, turns around, and starts running. She leaps into the air…….and falls flat on her face. Undaunted, Beth jumps up and down.
“Up up up!”
As she’s doing this, she sees a 12 year old boy watching her.
“Did you see me fly?”
“No, but keep trying!”
“Ok!”
Beth jumps up and down and notices how excited the boy is at the thought of seeing her fly, before she realizes that he’s excited because he’s watching her breasts bounce up and down. Beth stops and puts one hand on her hip.
“Ok, show’s over.”
Then someone walks in. It’s Brian; a guy Beth likes.
“Oh, Hi Brian! Can I uh, help you find anything today?”
“No, just returning some books.”
“Oh, ok.”
Beth takes the books and checks them in. Brian is a nice looking guy wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans. He wears a small pair of glasses that he uses for reading.
“I like your hair.” he tells her.
“What? Oh, right! Yes, well, you know, every now and then you have to shake things up.”
“It looks good.”
“Thanks. Ok, all done. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, that’s it for today. Thanks.”
“Oh, ok. Well, I’ll always be here if you need me. We librarians are very dependable!”
“Ok, bye.”
“Bye.”
Brian leaves and Beth kicks herself.
“‘We librarians are very dependable?’ Oh real good Beth! Why don’t you just print the word ‘geek’ on your forehead!”
Beth looks over and the 12 year old boy is still watching her.
“I’m not jumping up and down again! Go…read something!”
Beth thinks “I know something happened today. I just need to figure out what!”

Somewhere over Kansas City, John is sitting in his seat. He looks around. This is all new to him. John’s never flown on an airplane, let alone first class. A little insecure, he looks around for his favorite hiding place; the bathroom. He spots a door. He walks up to it. It says “lavatory” on it. John pulls and the door comes off in his hand. He sees a flight attendant looking at him.
“Oh my god sir, are you ok? That door must have been loose!”
“Uh, yeah, I….yeah.”
John quietly heads back to his seat. He wonders if the door was really loose, or if this was the power Kane was talking about. He’s still not sure he believes all the events that have happened recently. Just because there was a plane ticket waiting for him doesn’t necessarily mean anything, he tells himself. “It could be a case of mistaken identity” he thinks . He then worries about what he’s going to do once he gets to Greece. He has no directions, no game plan, and to top it all off, he doesn’t speak the language. He doubts everything that’s happened last night and today. “I don’t really have the power of Hercules” he thinks. John looks up just as a beautiful woman walks past.
“I’m Hercules.”
The woman smiles a condescending smile.
“Of course you are.”
She rolls her eyes and continues walking. John sleeps the rest of the way.

Back in Cass Lake, Beth’s shift is over and she waits for Amy to pick her up. Amy shows up and Beth gets in.
“Did you have a nice day?” Amy asks.
Beth smiles and blushes a little.
“Yeah. Brian came in.”
“Ooooh, Brian! Did you slip him the tongue?”
“No! Brian’s not like that! He’s soft, and sweet and gentle.”
Beth’s eyes go all dreamy and she smiles as she thinks of Brian.
“Honey, all men are like that.” Amy tells her.
“You’re so cynical.”
“You’re so naive. Anyway, I decided to be a good friend today and call a tow-truck. The guy said the car is totaled.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“He said thank you when I gave him my number.”
“Of course he did. Apparently my car isn’t the only thing that’s going for a ride.”
“Oh, boo! You’re just jealous because I have the courage to make things happen. You’ve known Brian for how long now? And you still haven’t made a move?”
“I’m just…waiting for the right moment.”
“It’s been 2 years! If you wait any longer, the right moment’s going to be in the retirement home!”
Amy pulls up to Beth’s apartment. She looks over at Beth. The two girls have known each other since they were kids in school.
“Look, I’m just saying that life is short. If you want Brian, go for him, before someone else does. You’re my best friend. I love you. I want to see you happy.” Amy tells her.
“I know. And you’re right. I waste too much time worrying about the ‘right time’. I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell him how I feel tomorrow!”
“Whoa! Slow down! Just ask him out and see how it goes. If you tell him how you feel too soon, you’ll scare him off.”
“You’re right, you’re right! God, I’m such a dufus!”
“No, you’re not. You just don’t have any social skills. But that’s ok. You can develop them. You just need practice.”
“You’re right Amy. Thanks.”
“Anytime honey. Hey, listen; while I was waiting for the tow truck, I saw your car. I’d feel a lot better if you went to the doctor.”
“I’m fine, really. You worry about me too much.”
“Well, you’re my only family. You’re like a sister to me.”
“I know, I know. You mean a lot to me too. But I’m ok. Can you give me a ride tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Beth gets out and heads inside. Amy drives off. Beth thinks about what Amy said. She then thinks about what happened in the library today. She walks up the stairs and goes into her apartment. She takes off her sweater and sets it on the chair to the right of the door. “Ok” she thinks “So apparently I can fly, or at least hover. I wonder what else I can do?” Beth holds out her hand and tries to shoot a fireball. Nothing happens. She squints her eyes and tries to fire laser beams out of them. Again, nothing happens. She concentrates on the wall, but cannot see through it. She’s about to look really hard at her drapes in an effort to catch them on fire, when suddenly there’s a knock on the door. Beth goes over and looks through the peephole. It’s three men dressed in black suits with sunglasses.
“Who is it?”
“Ms. Dorian? I’m agent Cole from the F.B.I. These are my partners agents Sullivan and Parker. May we come in?”
Beth cautiously opens the door and lets the men in.
“What’s this all about?”
“Ms. Dorian, last night there were some unusual lights in the sky. Did you happen to see them?”
“Yes, yes I did.”
“I see. And what did they look like?”
“Well, they were round, and glowing, and I think there were some markings on the ship, but I don’t remember what they were.”
“I see. Will you excuse us for a moment?”
The three man step away from Beth just out of hearing range and talk among themselves. This makes Beth a little nervous.
“Ms. Dorian, we’re going to ask that you come with us. There are some more questions that we’d like to ask you at a more secure place.”
Now Beth is suspicious.
“Why? I’ve told you everything I know. I really didn’t see all that much.”
“Nonetheless, I think it would be better if we continued this discussion somewhere else.”
“I don’t think there is any more to discuss. And I don’t think I want to go anywhere. Now please leave.”
The three men nod to each other, pull their guns, and start to shoot Beth! Their guns have silencers, so Beth’s neighbors don’t hear anything. Each man fires several rounds into Beth and she collapses.
“What should we do with the body?” Agent Sullivan asks.
“Dispose of it as normal?” Agent Parker asks.
“No, just throw it out the window.” Agent Cole says.
“You want to leave the body out in the open where someone can find it?” Agent Parker asks.
“Exactly. Someone will find it and call the police. It’ll look like a mugging.” Agent Cole says.
“We pumped like 12 rounds into her! I don’t think that’s going to look like a ‘common’ mugging.” Agent Sullivan says.
“Are you forgetting the coroners work for us? They’ll say what we tell them to say. Now throw the body out the window.” Agent Cole orders them.
Agents Sullivan and Parker look at each other, then open the window, grab the body, and toss it out. It makes a muffled sound as it hits the ground.
“Ok, let’s go.” Agent Cole says.
Beth’s body lies in the alleyway for about two hours. Then suddenly, her eyes pop open.
“Oh, somebody’s going to pay for this!”

John’s plane lands and he gets off. He looks around at all the people. Everyone’s so busy getting off planes, getting on planes, and getting their luggage. In short, they’re going about their lives. John is so jealous of them. He’s sure they all have better lives than he does; friends, family, people that love them, while he has no one. He walks out of the airport, sad, but strangely at peace. He wonders what to do next. “I hope whoever paid for my plane ticket also set up a hotel room for me” he thinks . He gets into the first taxi he sees.
“Can you take me to the nearest hotel?”
Without saying a word the taxi driver drives off. “I guess they must get a lot of English speaking tourists” John thinks . The taxi driver drives for a long time, so John gets worried. However, he hates confrontation. So he goes over in his mind all the things he could say. “Uh, excuse me, is the hotel much farther? How much farther is the hotel? Is the hotel close? Are there any hotels near?” All his thoughts are saying the same thing, but his nervousness makes it hard for him to choose. He sits silently trying to summon the courage to speak. He finally does.
“Uh, excuse me, how far is the hotel?”
The taxi driver says nothing. He doesn’t even look back to acknowledge John said anything. John thinks that maybe he didn’t hear him, so he speaks up a little louder, but not much.
“Excuse me, hotel? Hotelo? Me go to hotelo?”
“Maybe they don’t speak English” he thinks . “But then if that’s true, then why did he start driving?” John gets scared, and his fear and paranoia get the better of him. “Oh my god, he’s going to kill me! He’s going to kill me and take my money! Well, the joke’s on him because I don’t have any money! Wait a minute, the joke’s on me because I’ll be dead!” Then suddenly John remembers “Wait a minute, aren’t I supposed to be Hercules or something?” John calms down a little.”Yeah, if he tries anything, I’ll just punch him; unless he shoots me first. I wonder if I’m bulletproof?” John sits quietly and thinks “I wonder if Kevin Sorbo would know?” As John ponders this, the taxi cab comes to a stop. John tries to summon his courage. “Ok, I’m going to hit him hard! I’m going to hit him hard! I’m going to hit him hard! I’m going to hit him hard!” Then the taxi driver turns around and talks to John.
“You get out now.” The taxi driver tells him.
John sees nothing but desert.
“But there’s nothing out there.”
“You get out now!” he says louder.
John quickly gets out and closes the door. The glass shatters and the door comes off one hinge. John makes two fists and gets ready for a fight. His heart is pounding and his eyes are half closed. The taxi driver drives off. As John watches, he notices that there’s no road. He wonders how the taxi is driving in the sand without getting stuck. He turns around and sees a gigantic temple.
“How did I not notice that?”
The temple is old, Greek, and is covered in vines. John sees two statues of Greek gods and between them are stairs leading to a doorway.
“Well, I guess I should go in a take a look around. Besides, it’s hot out here.”
Far in the distance, long beyond John’s ability to see, the taxi cab slowly turns into a horse and carriage, and the driver, into a robed skeleton with a hood. It rolls on for a little bit. Then there’s a ripple in time and space. The carriage comes to a stop on a dirt road surrounded by forest. To the right of the carriage, there’s a hill. The skeleton gets down and walks up the hill. There’s a graveyard and a mausoleum at the end. The skeleton walks into the mausoleum.
“Did you get him where he needed to go?” Kane asks.
Kane already knows the answer, having the ability to monitor the dead, but asks the question anyway. The skeleton nods its head, and then exits the mausoleum and returns to its grave and falls in. The dirt then magically pours itself onto the skeleton as the earth once again welcomes home one of its own, much like a mother tucking one of her children in for the night. Inside the mausoleum, Kane uses his newfound power to monitor his new live responsibilities much the way he monitors his dead ones.
“And so it begins.”