Alfred Xavier's instincts told him he was near. He felt the familiar tingling over his whole bodywhich made him doubly alert. He opened his voluminous duffle bag and selected his disguise. When,after hours of painstaking detailed make-up (peering into a dim mirror of the one roomedaccommodation he had procured) he emerged. He was unrecognizable for he now looked a poorgardener in a cheap cotton soiled shift and open sandals with a look of humble bewilderment on hisface. He headed towards the bus stand and market to make unobtrusive investigations.#

Mandeep headed towards the market. His stride and body-language were defiant. He had hadenough of this hide-and-seek routine about the bag of money. He would bring it to a head...today!Knock her head around until something spilled out her mouth.

Tanya watched him leave. What was she to do? She would brew some tea to help her think outa plan. She plugged in the kettle cord not noticing that it had an exposed wire which now touched withher body. The electricity passed through her body and she fell to the floor, still partially in contact withthe cable and receiving a weak current now as it was filtered in passing through her clothes.Two hours later when Mandeep returned he found Tanya on the floor with the electric cablelying across her with the clothes on her body partially singed but insulating her from direct current.. Heremoved the cable, sat her up and gave her a glass of milk. In a little while she recovered. But she felt astrange tinkling running through her body. By that afternoon the tingling running through her body wasquite overpowering. She felt a power emanating from her finger tips. She looked around - no one wasabout. Mandeep was likely sitting under the tree in the back smoking. She approached the collapsiblesteel main door and put her hand out towards the gate. There was a blue flash that hit the iron gate andshook it. She was stunned and fell back. Her eyes opened big and wide. Was this a power she hadacquired by the weak electricity running through her for two hours? Could she control and use thiswhen she wanted to? She gingerly approached the gate again and tentatively put out her hand and againthere was a flash. She was staggered. What is this she wondered; could she try and control theelectricity within her body? She willed her body to contain the flash and approached the iron gatehesitatingly... nothing happened. She could restrain the flash she realized. She was elated and yetanxious to know whether she still had this power or had it dissipated in those flashes? She willed hermind to flash and approached the gate once again. She felt a renewed tingling through her body. Whenshe put out her hand there was again a blue flash that singed the paint off the gate and shook it violentlyoff its hinges. She smiled with the knowledge of this power she now had and felt a warm glow at thewonder of it.

This was really exciting and made her heart beat faster. What did this mean? She would have tothink it out. She would keep this to herself. Would this power last or was it temporary? She noticedthough that the power and tingling in her body was not overwhelming and was controllable. Perhaps,she would have to preserve this power. Would it work against any material other than iron? But shewas loath to try it out for fear it may diminish and finish. Like a battery discharging itself with overuse. She wanted and coveted this power...she imagined all manner of things she may be able to do.She sat slouched daydreaming - deep daydreaming when Mandeep arrived, from a stroll aroundthe market no doubt, and fixed her with a piercing look, "Yah, Okay?""Yup."

"Then get off your fucking butt and cook something. We can't be eating all meals at the hotel"he stressed with a sneer, and walked past her heading for the inner room. His tone was annoying andshe felt like pointing a finger at his retreating arse. It could be hilariously comic to see him do anelectrical jig,