The Gift Read online

  Shaking his head in mock dismay, Blair pawed through his backpack, pulling out a small brown bag. "Actually I've been working on this idea for a while, but I hadn't come up with the right motivation to get you to try it."

  Jim handled the bag as if it was a live bomb. Pulling out a pair of sunglasses, he looked up at Blair in confusion.

  "We're going see just how far you can dial everything down. Without making you catatonic of course," Blair explained.

  "I've been trying to do that," Jim objected.

  "Without my help," Blair countered. "And in the middle of extreme sensory chaos. Let's try it with me guiding you through the steps. That's worked before. We'll start with one sense at a time until we've got them all off-line. You choose which one you want to start with."

  Jim eyed the glasses and Blair uncertainly, finally nodding in reluctant agreement.

  "Great! Let's start by getting you comfortable," Blair gestured to the chair he'd been sitting in earlier. Jim eased off the bed and folded himself into the seat, his hands resting lightly on the arms. Blair pulled another chair closer so that he could sit facing Jim, their knees almost touching.

  "What's it going to be? Sight, hearing, touch...?"

  "Might as well start with these." Jim put on the glasses. They wrapped around his eyes completely, blocking out all light, even from the sides. "These are completely opaque!"

  "Good," Blair answered, nodding excitedly. "I bought them from one of the arcades down on the strip. They're guaranteed to be absolutely light-proof, but I wasn't sure if that applied to Sentinels."

  "You didn't ask?" Jim asked dryly. "I'm surprised."

  "Give me some credit here, will you, Jim? Now relax. You know the drill," Blair's tone became persuasive, but firm, slipping automatically into his Guide persona.

  Jim nodded, releasing the last traces of anger and resentment that he'd felt toward his young friend. Blair had been sensitive to his increasing discomfort and he was trying to help. The thought flickered through Jim's mind that if nothing else, he'd get a halfway decent sleep out of this -- and he would have made good on a promise that he'd forgotten about.

  "Jim, you're not concentrating," Blair gently admonished him. He took a deep breath and pushed the distracting thoughts away. The familiar, soothing tones of his Guide's voice began to clear away the accumulated tension and discomfort that he'd been feeling for the past four days, easing him into an almost buoyant, peaceful state.

  Blair kept talking, his voice soft and controlled, although it was hard to keep his growing excitement contained. One by one he led Jim through the steps to take all of his senses down to a minimum. When he was satisfied that the older man couldn't go any further and still walk on his own, he stopped. Easing out of his chair, he crossed over to the dresser that Jim had claimed for his own. Rummaging through the drawers he extracted a few "necessities" and stuffed the hastily assembled items into his own backpack.

  He returned to Jim's side and stood staring down at his friend. This was a deeper trance state than he'd ever attempted before, and he wasn't sure if Jim would have been so agreeable if he'd known what Blair had planned. The thought that he'd been just a little dishonest with his Sentinel worried at his Guide sensibilities, but he shook it off. This would be worth it. After all, part of his responsibility as Jim's Guide was to protect him. And that's exactly what he was trying to do. Already, Jim's body was relaxed, the stress of the last month gone from it as he sat easily in the chair. Although he couldn't see his friend's eyes through the glasses, he guessed that since his partner's face no longer looked like it was carved in stone, that some of the stress lines would be gone from there, too.

  "Okay, Jim. You're doing great. Let's see how this holds up. It's just another part of the experiment. We're going to take a little walk."

  Blair gently eased Jim to his feet, grabbed the pack and led the way out of the room.

  "Great, Jim. This is going really well." Blair altered the timbre of his voice, pitching it with strong tones of encouragement and reassurance. "You've had everything dialed down way below normal, so we're going to bring things up slowly, one sense at a time. Just like we shut them down. Do you understand?"

  Jim seemed to take a long time responding, but finally, there was a small nod.

  "Good. We'll start with the tactile. Let the dial come up, slowly, and tell me what you feel."

  He watched closely as the older man's body shifted slightly, as if his very skin were responding to his Guide's vocal suggestion. Jim's head twitched to the side and Blair saw the familiar tightening of his partner's facial muscles.

  "Cool... soft... there's moisture in the air..." Jim murmured. "The air's moving... feels like a breeze..."

  "How far are you?"

  "Approaching the base level..."

  "Take it up a few more steps then hold it there," Blair ordered. When Jim nodded a few seconds later, his head twitched to the side again.

  "Doing great, big guy," Blair assured him. "Let's try taste next. Come up to the same level."

  Jim felt the smooth texture of the ceramic cup that his Guide raised to his lips. Warm steam rose into his face with a feather-like touch, warning him that the liquid was hot. A smile immediately sketched across his face as he sampled it cautiously.

  "Coffee... real coffee..."

  "Yeah, you'll probably have a caffeine buzz now, and blame me," Blair grinned. "Go ahead. See if it smells as good as it tastes."

  "It does..." Jim responded, the smile widening.

  "Let's try something else besides the coffee," Blair suggested, pulling the cup away and putting a lid on it. "You already knew what was coming there. Tell me what else you're picking up."

  He could see Jim's face frown in concentration. Again, the sideways twitch of the head.

  "Not hearing yet, big guy," Blair cautioned. "Just smell right now."

  "Can't get past the coffee..." Jim objected.

  "Yes, you can. Filter it out. See what else is here."

  "Earth... moisture... tangerines...

  "That's my shampoo, Jim. I'm trying out something new. Keep going."

  "Something sweet, like pollen... kerosene..."

  Blair saw Jim's nose wrinkle as the tension in his body increased.

  "Don't go beyond the level we want, Jim. I don't need a zone-out here."

  "But there's something..."

  "One at a time. Focus on my voice and concentrate. This is a test, remember?" Blair said soothingly. "You're doing fine. Now go for hearing."

  Jim tipped his head, the familiar signal that he was "tuning in". A puzzled look filled his face and he focused in the direction of his Guide. Puzzlement changed to a look of concern. He suddenly reached forward, his hand locking on Blair's arm.

  "Easy, Jim., What is it? What do you hear?"

  "Your heart... It's beating fast... and it's loud..."

  "You always tell me that. That's what lets you pick me out of a crowd. And I'm excited because I finally got you backed into a corner on this experiment. That's all. Nothing's wrong."

  "It's loud," Jim repeated, shaking his head in confusion. "It hasn't been this loud since we got here. Something is wrong."

  Jim started to remove the glasses, but Blair grabbed his hand. "No. Nothing's wrong. It's just quiet here."

  "Here? Where are we?"

  "You tell me..."

  Jim concentrated, then shook his head. "It feels like a forest... but that can't be right."

  "Last one," Blair directed, releasing Jim's hand as he settled back to observe his friend's reactions. "Take off the glasses and open your eyes. Don't worry about the light. It's pretty dark here. I can hardly see a thing."

  Brows furrowed in confusion, Jim pulled off the glasses quickly. He had to blink several times as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. The first thing he saw was the face of his Guide, peering at him anxiously.

  "How are you feeling, man?" Blair's voice was tinged with concern. "No overloads? Everything on the same level?"

/>   Jim started to nod and then froze as he caught sight of something astonishing just beyond his Guide. Trees. Green trees. Even in this light, to his eyes they were green. His gaze flickered back to Blair's face and then away, sweeping over the strange setting. Disoriented, he lurched to his feet, dragging the younger man with him.

  "Easy, man. Easy..."

  Blair's voice registered on his consciousness, but his senses were surging, reconnecting with each other and sending a flood of information to his brain.

  "Come on big guy, talk to me," he heard Blair pleading, his voice anxious. Jim gripped his friend's arm tighter in response, unable to communicate in words what he was feeling.

  And he was feeling. He felt more alive than he had in months. Clean and refreshed. Reborn. He drew in deep breaths of the sweet, lightly moisture-laden air, filling his lungs with it, feeling his pulse pound as if every drop of blood in his veins had been rejuvenated. He sensed the tingle of moisture on his skin, the coolness of the air, the hint of a gentle breeze caressing his face. He could still taste the coffee in his mouth -- really taste it -- and he couldn't keep his eyes off the freshness of the green, growing things that surrounded them.

  Where were they? Where had his Guide taken him? How could he have found such a garden of Eden in the midst of the desert? He caught the scent of growing things; the small odors of decay that were part of the cycle of renewing life. He smelled tangerines again and smiled, knowing that was his partner. As his senses heightened even further, he became aware of the unique distinctions that were an intrinsic part of the complex being that was his Guide.

  He shifted his gaze to Blair, watching the light and energy of his Guide emanating from the deep blue eyes.

  "Jim, come on!"

  There was an urgency in his Guide's voice that he didn't understand. He listened intently, suddenly aware of the pounding of Blair's heart, his rapid breathing, the touch of fear that colored his words. Jim shook himself, dialing back his senses to a level where he could finally speak.

  "Thank you," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.

  The look of concern on Blair's face shifted to a tentative smile, and then to a wide grin that lit his eyes even further.

  "Blair... I don't know how you knew... but thank you," Jim murmured, pulling his partner into a gentle embrace.

  Speechless with delight, Blair returned the hug, absorbing the strength and well-being that seemed to flow into him from the Sentinel. He grinned like a fool, his face pressed to Jim's chest. He'd done it. He'd managed to pull it off.

  Still smiling broadly, he eased backward, Jim's hands resting lightly on his shoulders. He looked up into his friend's shadowed face and sensed the peacefulness there. Yep, he'd done good. "Maybe next time I suggest an experiment, you won't give me such a hard time."

  "Don't count on it." Jim's expression was stern, but his voice was light and full of good humor. He draped his arm over the smaller man's shoulders and let his gaze sweep their surroundings again. "Where are we?"

  "At the University. I told you I'd found something interesting. This is a special forestry research dome that the Ag department has going. I managed to find a transplanted Northwesterner on the staff who was very understanding about my need to find some green space. We'll need to be out of here before classes start in the morning, but it's ours for the night."

  "For the night?"

  "Well, it's the best I could come up with," Blair explained, an edge of doubt creeping into his voice. "I mean, I know it's not a real forest, and there really isn't a breeze, it's just a specialized circulation system. No trout stream or wildlife or anything, but... well, you looked like you needed a break and I really wanted... I mean..."

  "It's perfect," Jim interrupted, eager to reassure his young friend. "It's just what I needed. It's a gift."

  "Yeah. Finally found one that I could afford," Blair burbled happily. "Come on, I've got a spot set up for us over here." He pulled a flashlight out of his jacket pocket, pointing it at the ground and adjusting it to it's dimmest setting.

  "I don't need that," Jim objected.

  "Well, I do," Blair laughed, leading the way. "How do you think we got in here earlier? You may be able to see in this light, but I can't and I didn't want to trip over something in the dark. That would have put an abrupt end to the surprise. Good thing those glasses really are Sentinel vision-proof. Maybe they can add that to their guarantee. You could give them an endorsement."

  "Wait a minute. Just how DID we get here, Sandburg?"

  "By cab, Jim. Even if we'd had the truck, you were in no condition to drive."

  Jim's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the "Who me? I'm innocent!" tone of his partner's voice. "The last thing I remember was sitting in the hotel room. Just how far down did you take me?"

  "Far enough to get you here without your knowing it."

  Sure enough, there was a mischievous twinkle in Blair's eyes. "So that's how it is, huh? I give you my trust and you turn me into a walking zombie?"

  "Hey, it's not my fault you're an impossible man to surprise," Blair retorted. "I was desperate, so I resorted to extreme measures. Besides, I never said that we were going to stay in the hotel. No healing properties there, man."

  Jim's laugh echoed softly in the quiet space as he followed his Guide to the campsite he'd prepared for them. Blair reached down to turn on a lantern and Jim glanced away for a few seconds to let his eyes adjust. When he looked back, he found the younger man settled cross-legged on a small tarp, surrounded by sleeping bags, a small cooler and a small stove -- kerosene fuel, he realized, finally placing the one smell that had seemed out of place earlier.

  "We can't light a fire, but we can use the stove for coffee in the morning," explained Blair with a smile as he pulled out a bag of freshly ground beans. "And I brought treats." A dozen chocolate bars and a bag of marshmallows tumbled out of his upended pack.

  Jim chuckled as he eased himself to the ground. "No tofu and trail mix?"

  "Nah, I didn't have time to make it to the healthfood store." Blair shrugged and handed Jim the coffee he'd sampled earlier. "Next time I'll plan this better..."

  As the younger man's soft voice rambled on companionably, Jim smiled, flipped the lid off the cup and took a long sip, opening up his senses a bit more to savor both the taste and the moment. In the warm glow of the lantern, Blair could see the sense of renewal and peace on his friend's face and he fell silent, feeling the connections between them -- Sentinel and Guide, police detective and observer, friend and friend -- strengthening in the soothing silence.

  The Sentinel relaxed, at peace once more; drinking in not just the coffee, but the feel of the growing things around him -- the rejuvenating energy of the life of the forest and his Guide.

  END

  Comments? Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks!