Omega Zero

by Kurtis Eckstein

  Ava gave her a small smile and then took off in a quick jog towards where the two girls were hidden at the edge of the tree line. Given that Ava had officially left the shield and seemed fine, Zayden took the opportunity to walk a couple of extra feet away too, stretching out a little while attempting to avoid touching any of the grass in the field with his skin – even if there wasn’t any lethal radiation in the air, touching the black dust likely wasn’t healthy.

  By the time Ava got close enough to speak to them, she was too far away for me to pick up what she was saying. Zane had partially transformed to hear better, his face still human while his ears were more than twice as large and pointy, along with black fur running down the sides of his face and neck. Trinity also cupped her ears, but I wasn’t sure if she was able to pick up anything either.

  “Huh,” Zane said after a moment. “It seems one of the twins can sense people with mental abilities – out of the six of us, she senses three telekinetics in our group and two psychics. I assume Liz and Jake must be the psychics, which is what brought them here, since she can detect psychics from much further away.”

  “Wait, I’m a psychic and blood-drinker?” I wondered out loud.

  “They aren’t concrete categories,” Trinity hissed beside me. “We just classify similarities, like classifying mammals versus reptiles – with animals like the platypus not fitting perfectly in any category.”

  “So you’re saying I’m a platypus,” I teased.

  “Shh,” Zane hissed, trying to concentrate.

  Trinity rolled her crimson eyes at my comment, but didn’t respond. She seemed to have given up on trying to hear from this distance. I was fairly certain her hearing was above average, but it obviously had limitations.

  “Okay, we’re good,” Zane finally said, shifting back to appear fully human. “They seem a little nervous to meet all of us, considering they don’t have powerful abilities at all, not to mention there’s six of us and only two of them. But they want to lead us back to their village.”

  “Maybe when they see Liz, they’ll feel more comfortable,” I considered.

  “Should I get down?” she wondered.

  “Umm, sure,” I agreed, setting her on her feet. However, the moment I tried to let go completely, she snagged my hand in hers. I didn’t mind, knowing I could prevent her from falling in the event she tripped, but that meant I didn’t have a hand for Trinity now, with them both being on the same side.

  Oh well.

  We all made our way over to Ava, with Zayden keeping a good ten feet away as if he was tired of being so close to the group for the last day and a half. He seemed to have a different attitude altogether when we were on a mission versus when we weren’t. And right now, even though we were off base, it was unlikely that we would be in danger from normal people. Really, the fact that we had run into any metahumans at all was a little unusual to begin with.

  The girls were visible now, holding each other’s hands nervously, having walked out of the trees. They were both wearing dark red shorts and simple white shirts. It was pretty obvious they were twins, given that they looked like carbon copies of each other, both with tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair – the same coloring as Ava, even though they looked nothing like Ava, given that they were entirely different nationalities.

  However, the demeanor of each girl was very different.

  The one on the right was shifting her gaze nervously from person to person, her knees and shoulders trembling slightly. However, the one on the left was staring straight at me and Liz, her gaze only shifting between the two of us in turn. And I knew this girl on the left was the one I was sensing faintly – she wasn’t as afraid now, like how her sister appeared, instead more curious than anything.

  We all stopped when we reached Ava, who was still standing a fair distance away from them.

  I was about to introduce myself to the one staring at me, when the other interrupted, staring straight at Trinity now.

  “Kunti,” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

  Trinity’s hand flew onto her hip. “Umm, excuse me?” she snapped in disbelief. The pronunciation was different, but even I had to admit it sounded like the girl was saying something offensive.

  The one on the left squeezed her fearful sister’s hand more tightly, and replied in her stead. “S-Sorry, miss. The Kunti…” She paused when Trinity glared again. “Err, Kuntilanak is a fabled monster around here – a demonic vampire with red eyes that usually takes the form of a young woman.”

  Trinity looked at them in disbelief, before meeting Ava’s gaze looking back at her. “Well, I guess you were right,” she commented, referring to earlier. She then laughed. “I’m not a Kunt-tee, or whatever you just called me. I’m just like you, although I’m sure my powers are different.”

  The more timid sister spoke up again. “Y-You don’t drink blood?” she stammered.

  “Nope,” Trinity reassured her, neglecting to mention that I did. She then went through a round of introducing everyone, with all of us giving them a small wave when our names were called. She didn’t comment on what any of our abilities were though, but that made sense considering these girls were strangers to us.

  In turn, the more confident one introduced herself and her sister, keeping her gaze on me and Liz the whole time, even though Trinity had been doing the speaking.

  “I’m Farah, and this is my older sister Sarah.”

  Zayden laughed at that, interrupting her. “Wait, you’re the younger one?” he commented, noting that Farah appeared to be a lot more sure of herself.

  “Shut up,” Ava and Trinity snapped in sync.

  He rolled his eyes and looked away, while Ava encouraged her to continue with a reassuring smile.

  “We’re both fifteen – I’m like ten seconds younger than my sister.” She paused, her gaze shifting again between me and Liz. “I can sense people with mind powers really well. That’s why we knew about you.”

  “What’s your sister do?” Liz wondered, being prompted to speak due to Farah looking at her again.

  Rather than speaking for her sister, she turned her head, and Sarah chimed in. “I can basically make anyone I want cry, like this.” She glanced at Ava, and instantly our friend’s face scrunched up like she was in physical pain, her entire body tightening just before an intense sob erupted from her chest.

  “STOP!” I screamed at full volume without even thinking, my voice echoing across the field. My reaction to seeing Ava that upset was so intense that my blood almost shot out of my body to defend her. I barely managed to keep it in.

  Both girls jumped backwards from my outburst, Sarah falling down on her butt. “I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “I wasn’t thinking. She’s okay. It doesn’t hurt anything.”

  And she was right. Ava had frozen after the initial sob, and seemed to be recovering as she wiped away the tears that had practically exploded from her eyes.

  On the other hand, everyone was staring at me now, because I almost never had such strong outburst like that. I felt Liz squeeze my hand, prompting me to look down at her. She examined my expression for a moment with concern, before letting go and walking over to Sarah still sitting on the ground.

  The girl’s eyes were wide as Liz held out her hand to help her up.

  “You just met us,” Liz chastised her once she was on her feet. “You shouldn’t make people you just met cry. It’s not nice.”

  Sarah stared straight at the ground, looking ashamed. They were both a little taller than Liz, but Sarah currently looked like the younger one even though she was three years older.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

  Ava finally cleared her throat. “It’s fine,” she offered, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. “Just please don’t do that again,” she added, returning her focus to Sarah.

  “I won’t,” she promised. She pouted then. “My power is just so useless. I never get to use it.”

  I didn’t think her power was useless at all. Making people cry mig
ht be similar to using pepper spray on them. At the very least, the apparent overwhelming devastation that provoked the tears would be enough to stop most people in their tracks. If anything, it was a defensive ability that might be very useful to her and her sister in a bad situation.

  Liz spoke up again. “So that’s pretty cool that you both have almost the same name,” she commented, changing the subject entirely.

  “Our parents didn’t know there were two of us,” Farah explained. “Our mom Kemala wanted to name her daughter Sarah if she was a girl, because it means princess. When I came out too, she named me Farah because it means happy.”

  “Cool,” Liz said cheerfully. “What’s your dad’s name?”

  Farah blinked at her for a moment. “Kevin.”

  Zayden laughed. “Your mom’s name is Key-ma-whatever and your dad’s name is Kevin?”

  “Shut up,” Ava and Trinity both snapped again.

  “Our dad was from Ireland,” Farah replied simply.

  “Was?” Ava wondered.

  Both girls looked straight down.

  “Are you two all alone?” Ava continued gently.

  They nodded in sync.

  Zayden scoffed and Trinity gave him a death glare, prompting him to walk away, kicking around the grass and dirt in annoyance.

  “But we have a place to stay,” Farah reassured us. “That’s why I wanted to come meet you. We saw the big explosion a couple of nights ago, and then I felt a mind power nearby last night. It felt…” she paused as she looked past Liz at me, before refocusing her gaze on the blonde girl standing in front of her. “…safe,” she finished. “So I wanted to come help. You can stay with us if you want.”

  We all exchanged glances, before Trinity responded. “Sure,” she agreed. “We can at least stay the night. Some of us will probably have to leave after that, but a few of us might be staying here for a long time.”

  Liz’s head snapped around, her posture immediately defiant. “No!” She exclaimed. “I said I’m not staying!”

  I sighed heavily, knowing I was probably going to have to take Liz aside and talk to her about why it was necessary. The last thing I needed was for her to get in trouble while I was gone, because she was determined to come find me. Not to mention that it would be detrimental for all of us if the military discovered she was actually alive.

  Granted, I supposed we could claim that we didn’t know Trinity, Liz, and Zane had survived, being unable to find them, but I wasn’t about to tell Liz that.

  I definitely wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.

  Chapter 3: Twins

  It took several hours of walking to reach the twins’ village, although it appeared to be too large to call it that – definitely large enough that a person could get lost, which meant the makeshift town might also be large enough for someone to remain anonymous.

  And lucky for the people living there, it appeared the black rain hadn’t reached that far, the midnight markings on the plants becoming scarce a couple of miles before the town came into sight.

  It was strange to witness bustling streets and lively crowds of people after barely finding even a living animal in the last day and a half. As we slipped between the buildings, the sisters attempting to avoid the main streets, I caught glimpses of several unusual sights.

  We passed a few marketplaces where vendors were selling everything from vegetables to clothing, some of them with wooden stalls, while others just had their wares laid out on thick woven blankets. And there were more Buddha statues as well, with groups of people sitting in front of makeshift temples, praying or meditating in front of the monuments.

  I was surprised by how many people wore bright white clothing. Certainly there were other colors as well, with many wearing colorful shirts and dresses, but the primary color seemed to be bright white, as if they always had a ton of bleach available.

  By the time we made it to our destination in the heart of the small city, I was fairly certain everyone except Zane and I were lost. The only reason I was able to follow was because of my sixth sense, and Zane was just amazing with directions.

  When we arrived at what I assumed must be where they lived, which was a rather inconspicuous place on the outside, I was shocked to discover how nice it was within. The floors were made of a polished hardwood, and while the place was somewhat small, maybe the size of a two-bedroom apartment, it was well furnished considering where we were. There were no windows at all, the walls being made of bare concrete, but there was electricity to power the ceiling lights in every room. I assumed all the wiring must run through the ceiling since the sparse outlets were up high.

  Two couches were in the main area, facing each other with a wooden coffee table between them. To the left were three doorways opening up into two bedrooms and a bathroom, while to our right was a medium-sized wooden table, followed by a doorless entryway that led to a small kitchen.

  The kitchen appeared to be stocked with food, and the first thing the fifteen-year-old twins did was ask if we wanted anything to eat.

  It was already just past two in the afternoon, and no one except Liz had eaten solid food in two days, although Liz’s meal on the plane ride wasn’t doing her much good now.

  Ava chimed in right away. “Can I fix lunch?” she wondered, though it only sounded like a question as a courtesy – in reality, I didn’t think Ava would take no for an answer. She quickly continued. “We just met you two after all, and I don’t usually trust strangers with my food.” She paused. “Even if you both remind me of my little sisters,” she added, possibly in an attempt to avoid offending them.

  They both exchanged a glance before nodding.

  “Okay,” Farah agreed. “Umm, help yourself.”

  “I’ll help,” Zayden offered, surprising us all. He rolled his eyes when we all looked at him in shock. “I know how to cook, idiots. With as much food as I eat, I’m not about to starve because I need someone else to cook for me.” He didn’t wait to see if anyone would respond, walking on into the kitchen past Ava.

  She shrugged and followed after him, leaving the rest of us alone with the twins.

  Trinity sat down on one of the two plush couches, while Liz remained by my side, refusing to let go of my hand. Zane also sat, choosing the armrest instead of a cushion.

  “So,” Trinity began, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “Does someone live here with you?”

  They both shook their heads, seeming a little nervous now.

  “What happened to your parents?” Zane asked gently.

  They exchanged a glance, and Farah spoke up. “We haven’t seen them for a long time.” She hesitated, glancing at me and back at the floor. “Umm, this place is paid for, so we don’t have any bills…”

  “What about electricity?” Trinity wondered, gesturing towards the lights.

  They looked at each other nervously again, neither seeming to have an answer for that.

  Zane continued, seeming to think out loud. “You know, metahumans like us are pretty rare. The chances of us running into one randomly is almost zero, never mind twins.” He paused to evaluate their reaction. “Unless of course, there was a group of them nearby – a group that was hit by a bomb just a couple of days ago.”

  I glanced at Zane, finally piecing it all together.

  The girls were looking at the floor again, visibly shaking now. It appeared the silence was working on them, because Farah finally spoke up, looking at me desperately. “We didn’t have a choice. They made us work with them.”

  “And what did they have you do?” Trinity demanded firmly.

  Farah shifted her gaze towards her. “Well, not a lot, since we can’t do much. My job was to just stay here and let them know if I sensed anyone.”

  I finally tugged my hand free from Liz and crossed my arms. “So then, you were just doing your job by bringing us here, is that right?”

  She gawked at me. “No! We’ve never brought anyone here – we aren’t allowed to. Usually I just mark o
n a map where I sense someone.”

  “And how do you give the map to them?” Trinity wondered.

  Farah took a step back briefly, motioning as if she was going to turn, but then stopped, looking hesitant.

  “Go ahead,” Trinity encouraged. “I want to see.”

  Farah looked at me again, before running into one of the bedrooms, coming out a moment later with a tablet. She handed it to Trinity and then returned to her sister’s side, wrapping her arm around her shoulders since she was trembling so much. Of the two of them, Sarah was definitely the more fearful one.

  “I just mark where they are on the map,” Farah repeated as Trinity examined the device.

  It didn’t have a password and loaded without incident, allowing us to see what was on it.

  “But now they’re gone,” Zane commented, prompting both sisters to nod.

  Trinity turned her head towards him, holding up the tablet. “What do you think?” she wondered.

  Zane sighed heavily and finally sat down fully on the couch. “I think they’re just a couple of kids roped into something they don’t understand, and probably never wanted to be a part of to begin with, just like how it is for most metahumans.”

  Trinity glared at him. “I’m only a year older than them Zane. I’m not a kid.”

  He scoffed, ignoring her comment. “From what we know about this syndicate, they didn’t have other branches, which means no one knows these girls exist now. They seem alright, and they don’t have dangerous powers. I think–”

  “Damn!” Zayden exclaimed from the other room. “What in the hell?!” He reappeared in the doorway a moment later. “Your sink just shocked me!”

  “Oh,” Farah looked apologetic. “It’s the water heater attached to the sink. You can’t just leave it on, you have to turn it off before you turn the water off.”

  Zayden scoffed. “Well that’s safe,” he mumbled as he returned to the kitchen.