“Son, I think this one might be a drug dealer,” said José as a young Chinese woman in a dark pantsuit held a pistol to his temple. Behind her were several men also dressed in stylish black business suits and sunglasses. A man stood on the other side of José, holding a gun, bookending the older man. José knelt on the floor, his eyes closed, and his face contorted. Teo knew it was not from fear. As a storekeeper, his father was no stranger to being robbed at gunpoint. Instead, Teo figured José’s bum knee bothered him. It was an old injury from his younger days, when José tore his anterior cruciate ligament after jumping out of a second-story window, during a failed robbery. Since then, José found it difficult to sit or to stand for long periods without pain. Teo could only imagine what the marble floor was doing to the old man’s knee. 

“Can my father get up?” asked Teo. 

“We will let him stand as soon as you come with us,” said the man on the other side of José.

“And who are you?” asked Teo.

“We are competitors of Ms. Calder,” said the young woman. 

“Ah, the other party interested in chasing gods,” said Teo, looking at the gun pointed at his father’s head.

The young man and woman laughed. “Is this what she told you?” said the young man. “I assure you we are doing something far more important.”

“Like what? Scaring old men half to death?

“I’m not scared of anybody,” said José grabbing his belt as if he were going to take it off and spank the intruders, but the young man next to him kneed José in the ribs and told him to stay still.

“Everything will be explained to you after you come with us,” said the young woman.

“And if I don’t?” said Teo, sizing up everyone in the room, from the man and woman in the front to the five dour-looking men they had brought with them. They all appeared ready for a fight.  

“The news will report an unfortunate robbery-homicide took place at this store,” said the young man pressing his gun into José’s neck. 

“Can you tell these animal-beasts, if they are going to shoot me, to do it soon? My knee is killing me,” said José in Spanish. 

“My brother is not going to hurt you, señor Noche,” said the young woman in near-perfect Spanish. She helped José to his feet. Her brother lowered his gun but kept it ready at his side. “Our employer just wants to talk to your son. And he has agreed to come with us. Right, professor?” Her voice was drenched with sugary goodness. 

“Of course,” said Teo with an equally sweet smile. He scanned the room. He calculated how fast he could cross the room after throwing a glass candle at the face of the nearest man. Teo decided against the move, concluding someone his size and weight would take too long to cover the distance. He had never done this type of tactical analysis before. He figured it was more of Mac’s psychic residue. 

“I know what you are thinking,” said the brother. “You are considering attacking us, taking one of our guns, and rescuing your father.”

“Never occurred to me,” said Teo with a wide grin. 

“I have been in this situation many times. I have seen a man’s mind try to pump warm hope into his heart to overcome the cold fear it is experiencing.” The brother walked over and stood in Teo’s face. “Let me assure you this is a falsehood. No bookish academic has a chance against us.”

Teo fought the urge to disable the man with a throat punch. Even with tactical knowledge, Teo gained from Mac, taking the man’s gun, defeating all the killers, and keeping José alive required more experience. Instead, Teo decided the best course of action was to let them take him. He hoped to escape later and get back to rescue his father. Teo grabbed the lapels of his favorite blue blazer and adjusted them. 

“I’m ready to go.” He brought over a chair and helped José into it. José pulled out a set of rosary beads and thumbed them. His lips moved, but he made no sound. Teo bent down and hugged him. The intruders paid close attention to the interaction, their fingers creeping towards the triggers of their weapons.

“Don’t go with them,” whispered José.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back by lunch,” said Teo loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“Be careful. Camina pa’lante, no mires para el lao,” said José. It was his favorite song lyric from Calle Luna Calle Sol by Willie Colon. It was also the customary blessing he placed on Teo whenever he left the house. It was José’s way of reminding Teo that the only way to avoid trouble was to walk the straight and narrow path. That Teo needed to avoid eye contact with the evil fiends waiting on the sidewalk. Teo knew José spoke from experience. At one point in his life, José had been one of those evil fiends. Teo always considered it was a silly warning until that moment. 

“Tu tienes un santo pero no eres babalao,” responded Teo with the rest of the lyric. The woman grabbed Teo by the arm and raised him up. She led him out of the store and into one of two large SUVs waiting, their motors running. 

The sun was setting in the evening sky as two black cars sped across the Manhattan Bridge. Teo and his sibling abductors rode in the lead car. The brother and sister sat in the front seats while Teo sat in the back, a serious-faced Chinese man boxing each of his shoulders. The vehicles made their way through Chinatown via Canal Street, until they came to a stop in front of a small jewelry store on Mott Street. There, a tall Chinese man waited for them outside the store. He also wore a dark suit like the rest of Teo’s captors, along with a black trench coat. The kidnappers all bowed their heads to this man. The man smiled when he saw one of the goons force the professor out of the car. “Welcome, doctor. I am Colonel Ching.” The trench-coated man gave a short bow. “Please follow me.” He led Teo inside. The siblings and the other guards followed.

Tall display cases covered the walls in the store. Inside the glass cases sat all manner of gold and silver jewelry. Beneath the glass cases were counters filled with shiny trinkets and sparkly gems. Behind the counter stood three courteous salespeople, one older man, and two young women. They were attending to several customers when Teo and his captors arrived. Teo did not like the fact that despite the size of their group, no one in the store looked in their direction, not the attendants nor the customers. Everyone kept their head down and their eyes on the display counter. Colonel Ching nodded toward the older man, and he pressed a button under the desk. A side door opened, and everyone stepped through the door into the jewelry making area in the back. The room smelled of burnt metal and gem dust. Men and women in surgical masks sat at workstations, which occupied the entire space. A small drill whizzed as a jeweler ground down a small emerald. Another jeweler used a mini blowtorch to reshape a variety of metals into ring settings at her desk. 

“Why are we here?” asked Teo.

“Our benefactor is a respected business leader. Due to the nature of our work, he cannot afford to meet openly,” said Colonel Ching. “He uses this shop for these kinds of ‘sensitive meetings.’” The group reached another door, and Ching punched in a code into a keypad to unlock it. He and the siblings led Teo inside while their men remained in the workshop. The quartet entered a large, dimly lit storage room filled with boxes and trunks. An old wooden desk with a computer on top was close to the door. A single metal chair waited in the middle of the room. The brother made Teo sit in the chair. Then he went over and leaned on a nearby wall. He lit himself a cigarette under a no smoking sign. Colonel Ching and the young woman went to the desk. He opened a laptop and begin typing. Teo watched as the woman placed a dark cube in front of his feet. She pressed the top of the bo, and it unfolded itself into a large flat platform. The platform illuminated. Its bright light blinded Teo. When his vision returned, the image of a well-dressed Chinese man stood on the platform. The man wore a black suit and tie and twirled a pair of Baoding balls. His jet-black hair was parted on the left, and he smiled at Teo like someone who saw his long-lost friend once again. 

“Hello, Professor Noche. I am so glad you made it,” he said, bowing his head slightly. Teo returned the gesture. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Do you know who I am?” he asked. 

Yes, I do,” said Teo, not recognizing the man at all. “You’re the man who had me brought here at gunpoint.”

The hologram man’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry about the unpleasantness, professor, but our information gatherers suggested you would not come willingly if we just asked.” 

“Information gatherers?” Teo looked around the room at the man in the trench coat and the siblings. “Don’t you mean spies?”

“A nasty way to put it. However, I can tell you from experience, intelligence gatherers prefer not to be called ‘spies.’”

“Well, I would ‘prefer’ not to be here, but we can’t always have what we want.”

“Oh, but we can, Professor Noche. I’m sure of it.” The man’s bright smile returned. “Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Song Bu, CEO of the Daedalus Corporation. These are my associates. Colonel Ching and my twin associates Lei and Xia.” Bu extended his right hand for a shake. Teo reached with his hand, and it passed straight through Bu’s image. “Sorry, I forget this is not a hard-light hologram. I will work on this. Excuse me a moment.” Bu took out a small notebook and pen from his pocket and jotted some notes. “Now where were we,” he said, putting his notebook and pen away. “Ah, yes, the reason you are here. I would like to offer you a position with my company.” Xia came over and handed Teo a business card. 

“What position?” asked Teo examining the card. There was Chinese writing on one side and English on the other. 

“Officially, you will be a consultant working on our climate modification project.”

“Sorry, Mr. Bu, but I think you got the wrong man. I’m a religion professor, not a scientist.”

“Oh, I’m sure we have the right man. For you see, our project is not chasing clouds. Do you know who this is?” Bu waved his hand, and a giant yellow beast replaced his image. It had the body of a bull, the head of a blue jay, and the tail of a snake. 

“Fei Lian, the Chinese god of the wind,” interrupted Teo. 

Bu showed Teo several other pictures of gods, and Teo identified them as well. “Good professor, very impressive. You are familiar with the deities of polytheistic religions of China,” said Bu clapping his hands as his image returned. 

“Like I said, I’m not a scientist.”

“Well, since you know so much, have you ever heard of Liuhu Village?” Teo shook his head. “I did not think so. Almost no one in the West has. Even in China, very few people remember it even existed. It used to be here.” Bu waved his hand again, and a map of China replaced his image. Bu zoomed in on a small fishing village near the Yangtze River. Bu’s likeness returned. The image of the town shrank until it sat neatly over his shoulder. Hundreds of little shacks covered the riverside while small homes popped out of the lush hills in the distance. In the mountains, was an office building built into the side of the summit. Its shape reminded Teo of a large ventilation vent. “That building housed the engineering firm where my father worked. I loved to go with him to the office.” Bu sighed deep. “That was what Liuhu looked like thirty years ago. This is what it looks like today.” As Bu spoke, the pictures behind him changed from beautiful, rich countryside to a graveyard of concrete and wood. Gone were the boats and the little shacks. Only rusted ships, crushed cars, and dilapidated structures remained. 

“What happened?” asked Teo staring at all the destruction.

“The gods happened, doctor. They created a great storm that destroyed Liuhu.”

“I’m sorry about this village. It looks like a great storm took place there. But gods aren’t responsible for the weather. Warm fronts, cold fronts, warming of the seas, polar ice caps melting, greenhouse gases. These are things which affect the weather, not a bull looking dragon with a bag of wind,” said Teo. 

Bu laughed. “I would find it hard to believe if I were in your position. But trust me when I tell you, professor, the gods are real.” The images of gods reappeared on the screen. “I have seen them.”

Teo looked around at his captors. At first, he thought they were just gun-toting, organized-criminal types that were used to strong-arming their way to get what they wanted. Yet, as Teo looked at their solemn faces, he realized they were gun-toting, crazy types. Teo started planning his escape as Bu continued making his pitch. José was still back at the botanica, with a guard the twins had left behind to watch him. Teo needed to get back there and rescue him. He scanned the room and ran through several options. Teo surprised himself while searching the room for one. Teo possessed a sense of calm about the whole thing as if he had been in this situation before. The colonel and Xia stood by the desk on the far side of the room. They were too far to grab. Lei was closest, and the best choice, but Teo could not get him before Lei pulled his gun. Teo needed a distraction. 

“I would go for the brother.” A whisper came from behind Teo. He turned to see Mac kneeling behind his chair. “Keeping looking straight,” said the ghost. Teo turned back and saw Xia and Lei looking around the room, searching for something. “Can’t hang out here too long. Otherwise, those two will know something is up. They’re Bu’s pet psychics.” Teo and Mac peeked at the twins. They were still scanning the room. “I should leave you here to these wolves after what you did, but then we’d never find your mom. I’ll create a diversion. Wait for my signal to make your move.” 

“What move?” whispered Teo, trying not to move his lips. But it was too late. Mac dove through the floor and disappeared. As soon as Mac was gone, Teo noticed that Xia and Lei stopped searching for the disturbance in the room. They returned their attention to Bu. Teo could tell they were more alert than before. Teo turned back to Song Bu and waited for Mac’s signal. 

“Of course, you’ve seen gods,” said Teo laughing. “I see gods all the time too. Why just the other day, Osiris stood in front of me at the coffee shop, and Zeus was getting a Gyro from a cart on 42nd and Broadway.”

“I understand your skepticism, professor, but I know what I saw.”

“So, you saw some fairy tale, and now you want me to help you prove it exists?” 

“We are way past proving the existence of the gods. I know they are real, and so did your mother.” Teo did not like the smile on the face of the Daedalus CEO. “Yes, I knew your mother. I was there the day she disappeared. She and I were chasing the same white whale.” said Bu. 

“Where is she?”

“I do not know. But we are after the same thing.” The image of Chango appeared behind Bu. He sat at a table outside a café drinking coffee. “This one is responsible for your mother’s disappearance and the destruction of my village.”

“How can that be?” asked Teo.

“Fei Lian and Chango are part of the same force of nature. A different facet of the same multisided die. Where an African or Caribbean person sees Chango, an Asian person sees Fie Lian, or a Scandinavian person sees Thor.” 

Teo rubbed his chin. He looked around the room at the face of the siblings and the colonel, seriousness cemented on their faces. “Let’s say for the moment I can help you. What would you even do with a god?”

“The gods are obsolete, professor. For too long, we have been subservient to the fickle whims of gods and nature. Man needs to control his own destiny.” Bu bent down closer to Teo again. “I want you to use your abilities to help me capture these beings. I know your mother was able to use her psychic gifts to control these powerful beings. I was with her at Project 40. I watched her teach others at the project to do it as well. However, her students have only been able to replicate this feat against minor deities. But that’s because they were not nearly as talented as your mother. I believe you share her gifts, strength, and ability to possess a god long enough for us to capture Fei Lian.”

“Then what? You let me go?” asked Teo, knowing full well they would not. 

“Then, I will strip the gods of their abilities and use them for the betterment of mankind. Think of it, Professor, I will bring rain where there is drought. I will calm tsunamis and evaporate floods.” 

Teo kept a sharp ear out for Mac’s signal. He wished the dead man would hurry because, despite his precarious situation, Teo found himself swayed by Bu. Saving the world was a noble goal, thought Teo. It was better than sitting in his apartment, waiting for a call about a promotion. Teo shook off this thought as the first bit of Stockholm syndrome, whereby hostages begin to trust or sympathize with their abductors. “What about him?” Teo nodded at Colonel Ching. “I don’t think he cares about the betterment of all mankind, or does the Chinese government want to save the world, too?” 

Bu smiled. “What makes you think Colonel Chin is with the Chinese government?

“His custom-tailored suit is too nice for American military personnel, who are more comfortable with off-the-rack suits. Then there’s his voice when he spoke to the young lady over there. His Mandarin has a tone of money and privilege. I’m guessing he comes from a wealthy city like Beijing or Nanjing. Again, I am guessing he’s an officer in the People’s Liberation Army.” Colonel Ching eyed Teo with a menacing look. 

Bu turned to Ching. “See Colonel, I told you the professor was worth all this trouble.” Bu smiled and turned back to Teo. “As you can imagine, professor, there are world governments interested in the potential of a project to manipulate the weather. China is no different. It has invested a great deal of capital in Daedalus to assist in this project’s development.”

“So, the Chinese government knows you’re chasing gods?” Teo shifted his weight a bit in his chair. Come on, Mac. Hurry up, he thought.

“The government does indeed. Whether they believe me or not is up for debate. However, my track record and the quick success of Daedalus has earned me a great deal of latitude.”

“Well, all of that sounds nice, but what you’re asking for is impossible. No human being would survive.”

“Ah, but you can. You just need to square the circle,” said Bu. The hologram changed again, and a black suit with large white dots connected by circuit lines appeared. Teo recognized it as the outfit Minerva wore in his vision. “This is the deity containment suit. I call it Icarus. I designed it myself. The suit amplifies the user’s natural psychic abilities. Icarus is also a battery, allowing the wearer to store the psychic energy of other beings. With Icarus, you will be powerful enough to both contain and control a god.”

Teo watched as an animated man wearing the dark suit used it to possess a cartoon version of Fei Lian’s dragon form. The beast thrashed about and charged the man. The man raised his hands, and the dots on the suit lit up. The dragon stopped charging, and the dots on the suit moved to the center of the man’s body. The dots reminded Teo of chakra points. When the dots were aligned down the center, the man and the beast floated towards one another. Then they became one.

Teo took in the image and let out a whistle. “Congratulations on building the world’s largest mousetrap.” 

Song Bu ignored the joke. “Once you possess the deity, you will bring him back to Daedalus for study.”

“It’s simple. Store the god in a funny suit and then control the weather,” laughed Teo, wondering what was taking Mac so long. 

Bu laughed as well. “Actually, no. It’s quite more complicated. But as you said, you are not a scientist. You would not understand all the complexities.”

“You’re right, I am a religion professor. That means I know a rain dance when I see one. Men have tried this before, Scottish witches, farmers seeding clouds, the military sending high-frequency radio waves into the ionosphere.”

“Yes, but all those approaches only took one path, either magical or scientific. We will be combining both to make a new path.”

“Like the poet says. ‘Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking,’” said Teo quoting one of his favorite poems.

“Exactly, we will be blazing new roads. We can bring an end to climate change. Imagine a world without droughts or floods. Think of the lives we can save just by having the rainfall in the right place or by diverting a storm. We could save Manhattan from disappearing underwater by stopping the polar ice caps from melting.”

Teo nodded. “Mr. Bu, thank you for the quixotic job offer, but I’m afraid I have to decline. I’m not inclined to go with people who take me against my will and hold my father at gunpoint.”

Song Bu twirled the balls in his hands and sighed deeply. “Well, these things are smoother when there is cooperation, but sometimes people need to be forcibly enlisted into the cause. Isn’t this right colonel?” Ching nodded. He signaled the twins, and they pulled pistols.

“Don’t you mean, shanghaied?” said Teo.

“That is a derogatory term, sir. I prefer to call it ‘conscription,’” said Bu laughing.

Colonel Ching told Lei in Chinese to detain the professor. Teo understood what the colonel said. Thanks to Mac, he now enjoyed the ability to speak Mandarin. Lei produced a pair of plastic handcuffs and walked towards Teo. 

It was then that loud screams came from the other side of the door. The men outside yelled at one another for someone to grab the drill before it hurt anyone else. One of the men claimed the instrument seemed possessed and ordered someone to shoot it. “Look alive, kid. It’s time to move,” yelled Mac running through the door and jumping into Teo’s body. Teo welcomed the spirit as the stir outside caught the attention of his three captors. Teo took full advantage of their distraction. He stood and flung his chair at Lei. The male twin dodged it, but he could not evade Teo, who ran right behind it and landed a solid right cross on Lei’s face. Teo grabbed Lei’s gun with one hand and Lei’s wrist with the other. He wrenched the weapon from Lei’s grip and head-butted Lei in the face. Teo then grabbed the dazed Lei in a rear-headlock and put the gun on the side of his head. Teo spun around to face Colonel Ching and Xia. They drew their pistols and pointed them at Teo.

“Out of the way, I’m getting out of here.” Teo bumped Lei’s hip with his, breaking the twin’s resistance and making it easier for Teo to move to him backward. 

“The only place you are going is to hell.” The colonel aimed his gun at Teo’s head.

“Hold your fire,” yelled the holographic Bu. “Professor, I would do as the colonel says. He possesses an unblemished mission record, and he will do anything to preserve it, including bringing you back slightly injured.” The colonel put his finger on the trigger. Teo pressed his gun harder into Lei’s head.

That was when an explosion rocked the room. Chunks of ceiling crashed onto the colonel, and he collapsed to the ground, while Xia jumped under the desk for protection. Smoke and dust filled the room. Teo used the confusion to crack Lei in the back of the head with his gun, sending Lei to the ground. Teo pushed Lei over a nearby set of creates and jumped behind a bunch of large metal trunks. It was then that Calder repelled into the room from the hole in the ceiling. She came firing her submachine gun in the direction of the twins. The dazed Lei scrambled next to his sister at the desk and flipped it over for cover. Calder threw a flashbang grenade at the twins then yelled at Teo cover his eyes. The explosive went off. Its blinding light and loud explosion disoriented the twins. Calder used the temporary reprieve to run over to Teo and throw a harness over his waist. She pulled him close and slapped a button on her chest. “Hold on,” yelled Calder. Then she and Teo rocketed up the hole in the ceiling. Keegan landed on her feet on the floor above while Teo fell on his ass with a loud thud. He rose to his feet next to a wall with a two-foot-tall winch attached to it. Calder wore a dark jumpsuit with black boots. Her shoulder and waist harness contained grenades, a pistol, magazines, and a combat knife.

Shots came through the floor as Daedalus agents piled into the storage room below. Keegan unhooked her harness and, with one smooth motion, turned towards the hole and fired. Teo fumbled with his harness as shots whizzed up at him. Calder yanked Teo, whipped out her knife, and cut off the strap from Teo. “Jesus,” he said.

“If you want to keep winning at the game of life, you’ll do what I tell you,” said Calder. From below, the duo heard Xia and Lei shout commands at the Daedalus agents. Half the men kept firing up at Teo and Calder while the other half ran from the room.“They’re coming,” said Teo.

“You speak Chinese?” asked Calder. 

“I learned it recently,” said Teo. 

Calder gave him a curious look. Teo figured she had a question in mind, but she stowed it away for later. “We’ve got to go.” Calder grabbed his arm and pushed him to an exit door and on to a fire escape. As they made their way outside, a group of men burst through a door on the fire escape a floor below them. “Hold on,” said Calder taking out a detonator from her pocket. 

Thanks to Mac’s knowledge, Teo knew what she planned to do. “Wait,” said Teo, but it was too late. Explosions went off and destroyed the bolts securing the staircase to the wall, sending the landing where Teo and Calder stood crashing down on to the men below. Then both sections sailed to the ground. Teo hit the sidewalk hard, knocking the wind out of him, and numbing his right leg.

“Come on,” cried Calder. Once again, the redhead landed on her feet like a cat. She pulled Teo up.  

 “Where are we going?” yelled Teo. He felt darkness encroaching from the corners of his eyes, and he had a hard time getting his legs to work. Calder remained silent. She ducked under Teo’s armpit and led him down the alley where a white van with the words Con Edison on the side waited with the side door open. Calder threw Teo into the vehicle and jumped inside. “Get us out of here,” cried Calder. The dark man in the driver seat slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The van took off with a screech of its tires out of the alley and onto Worth Street. Teo laid on the floor of the van, fading into the darkness of oblivion as a smiling Mac hovered over him. “You’re gonna be okay now, kid.”