Chapter nineteen

The next three days were very quiet, too quite as the saying went. Vladimir Mikailov didn't call or attempt to contact me in any way. There were no more reports of attacks on the docks. It seemed like losing two of their own had spooked the Atelli and they were probably regrouping.

Kazimir used this lull in activity to get more information on my powers. I tried to downplay it as much as possible but it was like trying to hide a bloody steak behind your back from a tiger, in the end he was able to drag a pretty accurate accounting of almost all my capabilities.

He looked at me with a thoughtful expression with a finger tapping on his chin, " I think it is a good idea if you get martial arts training to complement your powers. Most of the Atelli seem to have forms that are bullet proof and even with your powers as things currently stand I doubt you would last long against one of them if they managed to get close to you. At first I wanted to teach you some Russian mixed martial arts but I don't think you would be very suited to it, instead I think it would be better for you to meet my old partner and learn from her."

"Why won't you just teach me your mixed martial arts?".

"Because your power would best be complimented by a fluid style that is more about movement and dodging. The martial arts I practice is more about stability and attacking from a position of strength, it is useless in creating the kinds of situations that could be manipulated by your power. For now you can forget about close combat training, at least until I can arrange lessons for you. I think the more pressing issue is that we need to find a way to increase your powers. From what you told me your endurance is very poor when it comes to your powers, in a protracted battle you would be very easily defeated. Isn't there anyway you can increase your endurance?"

"Well I could just practice, but that would tire me out pretty quickly. The best way to increase my powers that I have been able to find so far is to heal people in dad's clinic, but even there I had to be very careful not to be discovered and because there wasn't a lot I could do without attracting attention I was very limited in what I was able to accomplish. But whenever I was successful and healed a couple of people I could feel a noticeable increase in how long I can use my "

"Wait a minute, doesn't healing tire you out as well?"

"No, the other things do but I can do healing easily."

"So you are saying that if you found a way to go around healing people your endurance problem would be solved?" I could almost see a lightbulb turn on above his head as he suddenly got an idea.

"Yeah, but I don't think they let anybody into hospitals to see random patients, and besides even if I could somehow get in to heal everyone it would attract far too much attention."

He didn't even reply, he just got up and opened a panel cleverly hidden in the wall behind the chair I was sitting on. When I looked inside it was a huge closet filled with every kind of costume imaginable. Aside from a multitude of casual clothing I could see uniforms from different branches of law enforcement , EMTs , firefighters, and even the green scrubs of a surgeon. Hell I even saw the uniform of a fully decorated general complete with medals.

I was curiously looking around at the many different getups when Kazimir went to the very back of the deep closet and came back with a very interesting article of clothing. He came back with the classic black and white nun costume complete with an old fashioned wimple . I could only stare as he started to explain his plan,

"You are going to go in as a nun from a remote convent in the Ural mountains. They are known for their belief that prayer has the ability to heal. They go on pilgrimages to as many hospitals around Russia as they can to pray by the beds of as many of the sick and injured as they are able. They rarely come this far west but it has been known to happen now and then. The best part is that they have special dispensation from the government to enter any hospital and visit patients with the consent of their loved ones. When you heal people in this disguise you will still attract attention but the attention will be more on the fact that a miracle of God occurred because of prayer , which I believe will decrease the attention on you personally. Plus no one would suspect you have supernatural powers. So what do you think? And why are you looking at me like that?"

"OK Kazimir, I am going to ask you a very important question , please think carefully before you answer it because it might affect our relationship forever."

Kazimir started to frown a little," What is it? What is wrong?"

"Kazimir, why do you have the dress of a nun in your closet?"