"Good," Cousin Donald says reaching out. Khalil takes hold of his forearm and pulls him to his feet. Cousin Donald clears his throat and reaches for his water bottle. He has a long drink then clears his throat and wipes some sweat from his brow. Khalil has a seat on the bench to their left and Cousin Donald joins him.
"How do you feel about it?" he asks.
"Pretty good," Khalil replies. "I don't think that was my best but I'll keep training."
Cousin Donald nods and slowly stands. He and Khalil gather the weapons scattered about and return them to their slots, shelves, and racks on the walls. Khalil flips the switches and bulletproof glass slides over them and fits into place. The two men exit into the central hall and go their separate ways.
Khalil heads for his bedroom and then on to his bathroom. After a quick shower, he dawns all black and puts on his various weapons holsters starting with his kevlar gun vest and ending with the strap on his left calf for his auxiliary knife. He grabs his grey hoodie and the duffle bag he packed last night and lifts it up onto his shoulder. In the sparring room, equips himself and then heads out into the front room where the mainframe is located. Philk lifts his head as Khalil enters and Khalil nods in response. He walks over and leans on the island before the desk opposite the mainframe.
"I've been working on this for a while, it's passed all my tests so I guess now's as good a time as any to show it to you," Philk says, plucking an ordinary-looking pair of glasses from a simple faux leather case. They are wire-framed with semi-round lenses that go straight across the top and high-set nose pieces. He hands them off to Khalil; he puts them on. Philk opens a window and expands it to full screen.
"What do they do?"
"Help hide your face," Philk replies matter-of-factly. He raises his right hand to the corresponding ear and gestures toward the back of the frames, the ends that rest on Khalil's ears. "They're a lot like the mask the ASA had you use as Painkiller. But, these will also make it hard for people to register your face. Think face blindless," Philk says.
"What is that?"
"It's a brain condition that results from trauma. It could be physical or psychological---it causes you to lose the ability to recognize faces," Philk explains. "These," he says gesturing toward the glasses. "Will temporary inflict those that look at you with face blindness. Even if they know you, and know you well, they won't be able to recognize you. At least not physically." Khalil's brows furrow and he takes a moment to turn his head about to look around.
"Cool."
"They're non-prescription and they're transitions so no need for sunglasses. They're versatile." Philk gestures toward Khalil's right ear and then his left. "Tap back here on this side to bring up your vitals and poison levels. Then this side for maps, heat signatures, and tech signatures. Push up from the middle to record audio and that's about it."
"Solid," Khalil replies. "And how do I contact you if I need to?"
"Hold one lens for three to five seconds, then let go and I'll get a notification," Philk has a sip from a nearby water bottle. "And they're rechargeable. Set them down in the case, open in the sun every forty-eight hours. They should be good to go." Khalil nods and returns the case.
"So as long as I'm wearing these, you can see what I see?"
"Yep, they'll be a running feed. I'll keep a tab open for that." Philk walks over to the computer terminal and pulls something from the desk. It appears to be a simple face mask but as he hands it to Khalil the weight and thickness of the fabric dawn on him. He runs his thumbs over the fabric as he unfolds it and holds it out.
أنت تقرأ
Too Strange and Too Strong
قصص الهواة"I can't love a weapon pointed at my family," Jen said. For the first time, she didn't offer her presence, sympathy, or her help. "Everybody gave up on me except you," Khalil said. She was the last good thing in his life. The last person who beli...
