Chapter No.19. Dilemma.

It was like most days, a gentle breeze kissing leaves on trees along a boulevard of commerce with people headed off to work or school. Janet got out of her car with her portfolio and her phone and began her walk to the Credit Union building. Suddenly, a limousine pulled up next to her and a guy dressed in black grabbed her and pulled her into the limousine.

Janet didn't have time to express her displeasure because her mouth was taped shut.

Robert sensed that his wife was in peril, but he wasn't sure how to react to the obvious kidnapping. He had to think through his plan to rescue her without causing any harm.

Janet was relieved of her portfolio, phone, and most of her clothing. She sat on a metal chair with her wrists secured to the arm rests, her legs tied to the chair legs. Obviously, she wasn't going anywhere soon. What she didn't realize was the fact that she was sitting on a bomb, and the detonator was right under her bottom.

Her kidnappers made sure that she realized that she was sitting on a bomb. It made her shiver even though it was warm. Sweat formed on her forehead and she began to whimper.

What the perpetrators didn't understand, or maybe they did, was that Robert could visualize all of this. Basically, he couldn't rush in there and release her. For one thing, the detonator trigger was not the only way the explosive could be detonated. One of the goons held a remote device that could accomplish that.

Robert studied the design of the explosive's detonator and realized that it was rather sophisticated. He had to work through the design in his mind's eye to see if there was a method that he could use to bypass the mechanisms and deactivate it.

Then, it popped into his mind that he didn't have to do any of that. All he needed to do was cause time to reverse just long enough for him to make the explosive disappear. However, he wasn't sure he could just make things disappear.

James heard his father making noise out in the garage and went to see what he was doing.

"What's up, Dad?"

Robert turned to him momentarily before he looked at a collection of junk in the corner of the garage. "I'm seeing if I can make things disappear."

James laughed. "That would be a cool way to dispose of stuff, although the waste management company wouldn't like it."

Robert chuckled. "Yeah, that's true." He stared at an old broken wet vac and it vanished.

"All right!" James exclaimed, holding his hand up for a high five.

Robert reciprocated before making a pile of old bottles vanish.

James smiled at him.

"I'll be back," he told his son before he teleported to the location where his wife was being held. The rusty run-down warehouse was far enough away from the bustle of the city to keep nosy people from noticing anything.

Robert made time stop, except for him and his wife. He appeared in front of her and pulled the tape from her mouth. Three men dressed in black stood like statues nearby.

"I'm sitting on a bomb!" his wife exclaimed with sweat beaded on her forehead and her face twisted with fear.

"Yes, I know. I'm going to make it disappear."

He used his powers to make the explosive device vanish before he started time up again.

The men looked at him without emotion.

"I think you gentlemen shouldn't be treating a lady like this."

"You are a fool!" one of the men exclaimed. His face looked familiar, but Robert wasn't interested in carrying on a conversation.

"Maybe, but I don't think this idea of yours will work."

The man, who was obviously in charge pressed the remote, but it did nothing.

Robert used his powers to release his wife, dress her in her clothes and give her back her portfolio and phone.

He took her hand and deposited her in front of the credit union building.

"I don't know if I can work today," his wife said, her face twisted with concern.

"They won't bother you again," Robert said in a calm voice. "I am aware of everything."

"I'm all sweaty and . . . "

Robert raised his hand. "I will take care of that. You'll be fine."

And she was. She stared at him with concern racking her pretty face.

"I will be back to take you somewhere nice for supper."

She stared at him for a moment before she nodded her approval. Her heartrate was still elevated when she entered the credit union.

"Running late today?" Sylvia, a teller, kidded her.

Janet shook her head. "You really don't want to know."

When Robert appeared back home, he saw that James had gone to school so he decided to teleport to the FBI office.

Mark and Joe looked at him with concerned eyes.

"Now what?" Mark asked.

"Three goons kidnapped my wife and tested me by tying her to a chair with explosives under it. I was able to make the explosive disappear and rescue her. I was hoping you might have info on those idiots."

"Do you have photos of them?" Joe asked.

Robert looked at their main computer. "I can make the images appear on your computer."

After running the images though the central crime registry, Mark looked back up at Robert. "They're not in any crime registry. We'll have to run them through the comprehensive registry, but it'll take time for that."

"I doubt you'll find any matches, but it's worth the try." He lowered his eyes before he looked back up at them. "I'll check back later."

Robert appeared back home and relaxed until he knew that his wife was about to leave work. He appeared next to her car.

"I think we'll try something different," Robert told her.

She sighed. "I'm not sure I'm up to it after what happened to me."

Robert held his hand out. "Here, let me refresh you."

She reluctantly took his hand. Almost immediately she felt refreshed and calm. She repaid him with a smile.

Before she could blink, she was standing with her husband on the Via Veneto by Harry's Bar in Rome. It was relatively early afternoon and the outdoor tables under roof were not crowded.

"What's so special about this place?" she asked.

"This is where some scenes from La Dolce Vita were filmed. This street is probably one of the most elegant boulevards in Rome."

They sat down and relaxed.

"Vorremmo calzone e lumbrusco," Robert told the waiter.

Janet looked at him with a concerned expression. "Aren't you afraid that you might die in these confrontations?"

"As it turns out, I can't be killed. Only God can claim my life. It's one of the perks of not being able to harm anyone or anything."

"If that's the case, why do these evil people keep trying to test you?"

"They have nothing against me. They're actually trying to trick God into to doing something apocalyptic."

"That doesn't make sense. God should be much smarter than they are."

Robert smiled. "Evidently they're too dumb to realize that."

The waiter brought their calzones and wine. Robert gave him a handful of euros, more than enough to reward him with a good tip."

"Grazie!" he responded with a smile.

They ate in silence, until Janet took a sip of wine. "I'm surprised that someone hasn't recognized you."

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too. Actually, it's the reason I like to go somewhere where I don't think they will."

"Are we going to sightsee?"

"Of course," he replied with a grin.

After they had eaten, Robert and Janet walked away to a more secluded spot and then he teleported them to a location near the Colosseum at the Regio III isis et serapis. After looking at the outside of the structure, Robert teleported them to the hypogeum where they could look down on what was once the floor of the arena but is now covered with walls.

"I'm sure that God is familiar with this place. A lot of Christian martyrs had given their lives for their faith."

Janet nodded her head. "Yes, and now it seems that the spectacles have not ended."

Robert realized that what she said was more of a prophesy than a comment.