by TJ Viola
Titch, as usual, wasn’t satisfied with the final recommendation, but agreed since she was chosen to be Danny’s instructor. She intended to go far beyond the team’s recommendations without their knowledge.
*****
The next day was a school holiday, and Danny, feeling guilty about lying to his parents, awoke early. He was sitting with Bruno watching the sunrise when Yolan interrupted his thoughts.
“Danny, I can assure you, it’s critical that no one know how you obtained your new knowledge.”
“I don’t like lying to my parents, and I don’t like you knowing my every thought!”
“That will change as your telepathic skills improve. You will have the ability to selectively transmit your thoughts.”
“How long will that take? If you can make me a math prodigy overnight, can’t you give me those skills now?”
Yolan knew she had to take a risk or lose his cooperation.
“If you could find a way to come to my favorite place that I told you about when we first talked, I will show you how to block your thoughts.”
Danny was excited about the possibility of meeting Yolan face to face. She had mentioned she was only a few hours away in Red Feather Lakes, a small village in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. His parents had taken him camping there in the past, so he was confident he could convince them to go on another camping trip for his birthday next month.
“I want to bring a friend!”
“You can’t bring Crystal. You shouldn’t tell anyone.”
“How—oh, right—you know everything.”
Yolan consulted with the team, and all agreed to Danny’s demand. They felt he needed someone to help him through the gauntlet he was about to enter, and Crystal was an obvious choice.
“Danny, I know Crystal is your best friend and that you trust her to keep a secret, but I need a favor in return. It will be some time before your parents will take you on a camping trip. So, I would like you to agree to a new training program, now.”
Before Yolan could finish, Danny interrupted.
“No! Everyone already thinks I’m weird.”
“Please listen, I can teach you how to protect yourself from Tony and his gang.”
“It would be nice to win a fight once in a while, but I don’t want to become a martial arts expert overnight!”
Titch was eager to work with Danny, but it was important that he believe Yolan would be doing the training, so she waited patiently while Yolan explained about aura sensitivity.
“One of the advantages of strengthening your telepathic ability is you will also improve your mind’s control over your body and, as a result, you can begin to use your personal aura as a sensory shield.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Everyone has an aura,” Yolan explained. “Think of it as an energy field emanating from your body. Under normal circumstances, most people are unaware of their aura; however, with proper training and strong mind-body control, your aura can help you feel your surroundings.”
“How does that help?”
“If Tony tries to strike you from behind, your body will feel the disturbance to your aura from the oncoming blow, allowing you to react before being struck.”
Danny liked the concept, but still had his doubts, so Yolan explained how he could actually sense his own aura.
“If you try this simple procedure, you should be able to feel your aura. Stay close to the oak tree, lie on your back, and relax your muscles so you feel like you’re slowly sinking into the ground.”
Danny did as asked. “Now what?”
“Close your eyes and inhale slowly through your nostrils, using your stomach, and not your chest muscles; hold your breath for a few seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth until it feels like all the air is gone. Pause for a few more seconds, and then repeat this sequence.
“When you feel relaxed, slowly move the palm of your hand two to three inches above your body, over your chest and stomach. You should feel your aura being disturbed.”
Danny did as he was told and after several attempts, he definitely felt an unusual sensation.
He agreed to the training, which would require three thought lessons: one now, one at midday, and one before going to sleep. Titch took over the thought transmission equipment and transmitted the first lesson while he was relaxed. Danny sensed a change in communications—the thoughts he was receiving seemed more aggressive—but he didn’t think much about the difference.
The first lesson focused on a subconscious awareness of his aura energy field, causing his aura to have stronger ties to his autonomic nervous system. The next lesson increased the range and sensitivity of his energy field, and the final lesson focused on how to distinguish between a threatening disturbance in his aura and a normal, everyday interaction with his environment. Titch also used the last lesson to plant the seeds for how to use his aura as a defensive weapon, seeds that would rapidly grow to enable him to discover on his own the power of this remarkable capability.
That night, while Danny slept, Titch continued her instructions. When Danny awoke the next morning, he felt strange. It was as if everything in his room were pushing against him, as if he were walking through Jell-O. He slowly understood what was happening; he was actually feeling his aura pushing against everything around him. He took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles and felt a sudden surge of energy moving through his body, electrifying every fiber of his being. As he looked down, he could actually see his aura swirling around him in a rainbow of colors. The colors became less intense the farther away they extended outward. Somehow, he intuitively knew he could extend and contract his aura at will—a result of Titch’s transmissions as he slept.
Still in awe of what he was experiencing, Danny felt a sudden vibration, and when he turned, he saw Bruno standing two feet away. Realizing that he had felt Bruno enter his aura, he grabbed a small rubber ball off the floor and threw it at his bedroom wall. As it left his hand and bounced off the wall, he felt a disturbance in his aura as the ball exited and entered his personal space.
Danny now understood what Yolan meant by aura sensitivity and how it could help protect him from harm. He was rapidly gaining the ability to extend and contract the range of his aura, but he would need lots of practice before he could automatically recognize and react to threatening disturbances.
In his excitement he failed to notice the rubber ball, which had rested by his foot, roll out the door and down the hall to the living room. Apparently, Titch’s seeds were taking root. He had unknowingly projected his first aura energy burst.
Chapter 13
Yolan Tells the Truth
O n the bus ride to school Crystal noticed Danny’s mood had improved since they last talked.
“Danny, are you ever going to tell me what’s going on?”
Crystal froze as he turned to her; the pupils of his eyes were extraordinarily large and black with flashes of light streaking across the surface. She turned away and moved closer to the window, but as he took her hand she looked back and relaxed, thinking it was just the reflection of the sun.
“Let’s walk home after school. That’ll give us a chance to be alone—I’ll explain as much as I can, but to be honest, I’m not sure I know.”
Satisfied, Crystal went back to studying a list of spelling words for an upcoming test.
Danny had been moved into a calculus class where he was the top student. In fact, his performance in all his classes had improved dramatically since the now-famous math test. He’d become more focused and attentive in class and was no longer teased by his classmates, except, of course, for Tony, who resented Danny’s sudden popularity and academic improvement. Tony tried to goad him into fighting, without success, but he knew it would be just a matter of time before he would exact his revenge on Danny.
Crystal and Danny met after school and walked for about twenty minutes before Danny broke the silence.
“In a few weeks,” he said, “I
’ll be sixteen, and I’ve asked my parents to take me camping as part of my birthday gift. I was wondering if you would like to join us.”
“That’d be great. Where are you thinking of going?”
“A place in Colorado called Beaver Meadows. The trip has something to do with what I’m going to tell you. You’re going to ask questions I can’t answer, not because I don’t want to—I just don’t have answers.”
She stopped walking, causing Danny to turn, and looked up intently into his blue eyes.
“I will believe you,” she whispered.
She looked like an angel to Danny, with her long hair swirling in the summer breeze, interwoven with the orange and red skyline of the setting sun. He wanted to tell her everything, all at once, at that very moment, but he knew he shouldn’t; he needed to first give her some concrete evidence of what he was about to reveal.
“I want you to do me a favor, without asking any questions.”
He took three tennis balls out of his shoulder pack and handed them to her. He then walked ten feet away, turned, and asked her to throw the balls to him, one at a time, at different speeds, faster and faster. He relaxed his body and could feel the presence of his aura as the first ball rippled its way toward him. He sensed the disturbance of the second, well before he caught the ball, and he felt a pinpoint pressure on his chest as the third ball hurtled toward him. Crystal was confused why he wanted to play catch and wondered if he was well.
After throwing the balls back to Crystal, he turned his back and asked her to throw the balls as rapidly and as hard as she could whenever she was ready. As a ball came hurtling toward him, he moved his head slightly to one side and, without turning around, caught the ball over his shoulder. She threw the remaining two in rapid succession and stared in amazement as he turned at the last possible moment and caught both.
“How, how did you do that?” she asked as she came closer.
“I couldn’t do this yesterday!”
“How is that possible?”
“I can feel my surroundings. Right now, I can feel every movement of your body, every breath, even though we’re standing a foot apart. Once anything enters my personal space, it appears to me as if it’s moving in slow motion and I can just reach out and grab it, but I’m actually moving at lightning speed.”
As they walked slowly home, Danny explained everything, from the first “hello” to his aura sensitivity training. Crystal walked by his side, holding his hand, trying to absorb the enormity of his words. When he finished, she asked a series of questions.
“Can Yolan hear your every thought? Are you sure she’s real and there isn’t some other explanation? How does she know so much?”
“I don’t know. She promised to explain everything when we meet, which is why I want you with me.”
He didn’t tell Crystal he suspected that more than one person had communicated with him; she had enough to think about.
*****
Summer vacation and Danny’s birthday were rapidly approaching. His parents agreed to the camping trip and made the arrangements over the spacenet. At his request, they rented a cabin at Beaver Meadows, just a few miles from where Danny would meet Yolan. While waiting for the days to pass, Danny and Crystal spent several hours a week improving his aura sensitivity skills. There was one exercise they both enjoyed dubbed Dragon Slayer, named after a video game they’d played together a few years earlier. He was the dragon and she the dragon slayer. She used a five-foot-long tree branch, one inch in diameter as her sword. At first, she slowly swung the sword so he could easily react to the disturbance in his aura, avoiding the blows. As his skill increased, Crystal executed swift and dynamic movements, often changing direction and speed. This exercise increased both his aura sensitivity and his athletic prowess—his mind-body response was also being enhanced with practice.
Several times during these exercises, Crystal felt that her sword was deflected by some invisible force, especially when his hand movements became more animated and focused toward the sword. She decided not to mention this to Danny but made a mental note to pay more attention, so she could pinpoint which specific movements caused this phenomenon.
*****
It was the last day of school and Danny was standing by himself against the school wall during recess thinking of Yolan and wondering what she looked like. Suddenly, he realized Tony and several of his gang had surrounded him. It was clear from the look in Tony’s eyes, he was out for blood.
A quiet whisper screamed throughout the school yard that a fight was about to begin, causing the crowd encircling them to grow. Tony’s aggression and anger seemed to increase in proportion with the crowd, to the point where he eventually lost all control.
“Why don’t you tell us how you cheated?” he shouted. “Is your dad doing your homework?”
As everyone began laughing, Danny turned to walk away through the crowd. Tony launched a swift roundhouse kick to Danny’s head, which he easily avoided without looking back, causing Tony to whirl out of control and knock over several of his friends. The crowd burst into laughter, enraging Tony even further. Danny sidestepped his lunge and watched as Tony landed on his face. Tony got to his feet and expertly used his martial arts skills in an attempt to punish Danny, but to his amazement, and that of the crowd, he was unable to land any direct hits as Danny anticipated his every move. A hush settled over the battlefield as the onlookers witnessed the superhuman speed exhibited by Danny, exhausting his opponent, while never raising a finger to strike a blow.
One of Tony’s friends threw him a baseball bat, which he wildly swung. To avoid these blows, Danny’s movements became more acrobatic as the speed of his reflexes increased. Just as Tony was about to give up, Crystal came running into the crowd shouting Danny’s name. Seeing that Danny’s concentration was broken, Tony brought the bat down toward Danny’s head with a vicious swing. Danny sensed what was happening too late to avoid the blow. He instinctively raised crossed hands in self-defense as he turned, and at that moment a bright flash emanated from his hands that caused the bat to explode into splinters. As the crowd watched in disbelief, Tony dropped what remained of the bat and ran away with his gang close behind. Crystal broke through to embrace Danny. She took hold of his hand and they walked toward their classroom as the crowd parted before them.
*****
Zeiss and Yolan both turned with a questioning gaze at Titch, who tried to look as surprised as they were to see Danny launch an aura projectile. After a few seconds of extreme silence, she said, “It’s fortunate Danny evolved his skills so rapidly. If he hadn’t, he would be dead from that blow.”
Zeiss agreed and didn’t press the issue, but now he knew he could not trust Titch to follow orders.
*****
In 2025, a new concept in automotive design was introduced by Honda using hydrogen fuel cells, replacing electric cars and the gas combustion engines. Over time, as new designs and technologies were introduced, the old body could be removed and a new one replaced onto the existing chassis housing the fuel cells, whenever desired.
Danny’s parents had one of the earlier models and had placed an order for a new car body to be delivered, coincidently, on Danny’s birthday.
Danny woke early in anticipation of having an extraordinary day. It was his birthday, they were leaving on vacation, he was going to meet Yolan, and if that weren’t enough, he was about to watch a car conversion take place in his driveway. As he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see his parents already cooking breakfast.
“Dad,” he said excitedly, “when does the new car arrive?”
“Hold on, birthday boy, you’re too young to drive. Besides, your present is the camping trip to Colorado.”
They started roughhousing and laughing, triggered by the promise of an exciting day and vacation.
“The delivery robot will arrive at eight a.m. There’s just enough time to eat. We’d better be outside on time, since the changeover process takes a few minutes.”
&
nbsp; As it turned out, the whole conversion took less than ten minutes. A robotic arm emerged from the delivery truck, deactivated the magnetic bolts on their old car, sliced through all the welded joints with a high-intensity laser beam, lifted the car body, and inserted the new model. The electrical connectors on the body matched those on the chassis and fitted together perfectly. Then, the magnetic bolts were reactivated and a laser welded the chassis and body together. The robotic arm placed the old chassis onto the flatbed truck, which immediately left to make its next delivery.
After breakfast, they loaded up the new car and drove to Crystal’s. The ride took longer than usual, since they were eager to use all the new features. Danny’s parents had received four hours of training on a showroom simulator, but driving the actual car was a totally different experience. The training was mandatory for this model year, since many of the new features changed the actual driving process.
Crystal came running up to the car carrying both her shoulder bag and sleeping bag, while pulling her suitcase. Even before she reached the car, she fired off multiple questions at Danny’s dad wanting to know which features he had ordered. She was particularly interested in the auto-drive system and the integrated game console.
Anxious to leave, Danny helped with the luggage and assured her they would demonstrate all the new features on the drive to Beaver Meadows.
With everyone securely fastened in their seats, Danny’s dad activated the Global Positioning Satellite system and selected auto-drive to Beaver Meadows, Colorado. The system mapped out the fastest route with auto-drive availability and indicated that the auto-drive system would take control upon entering I-25 and terminate at Red Feather Lakes, Colorado—they would be notified ten minutes prior to disengagement. In auto-drive the car was completely computer controlled, receiving inputs from the GPS system for direction and speed, while an internal radar system constantly monitored the external environment for potential hazards. Once the auto-drive system was engaged, the driver and front passenger bucket seats could be rotated to allow all four occupants to participate in various three-dimensional holographic games and videos or just plain conversation. If the computer sensed any malfunctions or erratic driving conditions, the driver’s seat would automatically rotate back into position, so the driver could disengage the system and continue driving manually using the armrest joystick controls.