Predominance

by H. I. Defaz

  “Very good!” After checking my vitals, Dr. Ivanova asked me to dress and prepare to come downstairs, where Dr. Palmer was waiting for me. Apparently, I had awoken right on schedule, and he was eager to follow up on his work.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked.

  “About three days.” Dr. Ivanova noticed my disconcertion as I reached for my shoulder. “Don't worry,” she said, “Dr. Palmer will explain everything soon.” She gave me another warm smile and closed the door behind her.

  I did as she asked, and got ready to meet with my favorite doctor in the world. As I entered his lab, I found him sitting in front of a computer, tapping away at some kind of spreadsheet program, entering new data that had him frowning in concentration. He noticed my arrival as soon as I closed the door behind me. “Victor!” he called excited. “Come on in!”

  “Well, Doc, I'm not a scientist, but I'd say the protocol worked. I feel great!”

  Dr. Palmer grinned at me happily, in a way that took ten years off his face. “Let's take a look, shall we?” He gestured for me to sit down, then taped a bunch of electrodes across my forehead, and asked me to relax. He went back to the computer, called up another program, and his fingers began racing over the keyboard.

  “Doctor?” I asked. “I've been meaning to ask you about Yvette...” His eyes strayed from the monitor and met mine. “I know her procedure was different than mine, but I have no idea what it was. Will she have any side effects from it at all? I mean, Dr. Walker was absolutely adamant about getting her back. There has to be a reason.”

  He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with the tip of his forefinger. “Well,” he said, “Yvette seems to be fine now. She does heal incredibly fast, I have to say. That's a positive side effect you both share. I ran a few tests on her while you were under, and they all came back normal otherwise. The coma-like state into which she fell was perfectly normal—you simply took her out of her capsule a little too early, a little too fast. In regards to Walker's adamancy about getting her back, well…” he trailed off, scratching his head. “He probably thought that because Yvette had survived the G-Protocol, she was going to…” He hesitated for the second time, and backpedaled. “Um, let's forget it. There's nothing to worry about.”

  “Wait! G-protocol?” I asked, puzzled. But then I ran the numbers in my head. “You know the reason why he wants her, don't you?” I asked, almost accusingly.

  He stopped typing and met my quizzical glare. “Yes. Yes, I do. When we studied the cluster of activated cells in our first groups of subjects, we realize that one particular group never fired—no matter the patient, serum, or radiation dose. Later, Walker discovered that these cells had the same characteristics as those of sensory neurons, which normally convert external stimuli into internal electrical impulses, allowing us to perceive the world around us. He theorized that if we could find a way to fire up these metasensory neurons, as he calls them, we would be able to perceive—or even communicate—with the source of it all.” He stopped speaking and went back to his keyboard.

  “What do you believe?” I probed.

  Dr. Palmer pondered that for a few seconds as he typed, then: “I believe that if there's a larger world beyond the one we're allowed to perceive by nature, then there's probably a powerful reason why we're not allowed to perceive it.”

  “So, where does this…G-Protocol fit in all this?”

  “Walker took my original design and created one that would target only those particular cells. He called it the G-Protocol—I suppose the G is short for ‘God.’ Unfortunately, every patient who underwent this new protocol died on the table. We couldn't figure out why. That's when I left.”

  “And you believe that this G-protocol was used on Yvette?” I asked warily.

  “Oh, I know it was,” he replied confidently. “One of the tests I performed found traces of the G-Protocol still lingering around those metasensory cells. I suspect it was used on poor Roger as well.”

  “Was the G-Protocol able to awaken the Meta cells?”

  Dr. Palmer frowned. “Well, as of now they show no unusual activity. For all we know, they may never fire.” His voice tuned into a more cheerful tone. “Look… the best we can do is stick to the facts: She survived the procedure, her intracranial pressure is gone, her ability to absorb this volatile energy you've tapped into was never triggered—which means she won't have to worry about developing any paranormal ability—and she's not suffering from any obvious side effects. For all we know, Yvette just might be the lucky one.”

  “What about her ability to interpret my feelings with nothing but a touch?” I reminded him.

  “She told me she can only do it with you,” he answered quickly. “For all we know, it could be your brain that's sending messages into hers. You're the one who needs to be on the lookout, Victor. Your brain is just discovering the things that it's capable of.”

  “What about her leg?”

  “You got me there.” He seemed almost embarrassed. “As I said, you both heal fast, and we can only speculate on how you do it. But then again, it's to your benefit.”

  I thought about that as he resumed his typing, and decided there seemed to be no harm in it. “Well, we're done here!” he said cheerfully. “Everything looks great. Your subconscious receptors for dark energy seemed to be completely blocked,” he explained as he peeled the electrodes off my head. “There's only one more test we need to do. But I'd rather do it in a less confined place, if you don't mind.”

  “Sure,” I replied, happy to leave the lab. I'd had enough of labs for a lifetime.

  ***

  When we entered the living room, everyone was there, jittery with excitement; I felt like I was walking into a surprise welcoming party. Yvette was the first one to greet me up close and personal. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me thoroughly. I could only press my forehead against hers and hug her as tightly as I could. That was heaven for me.

  “How are you feeling?” Sarah called with a smile, not so far behind Yvette. “Ready to jump off another cliff?”

  “I didn't jump. I was pushed.” I winked to take the sting out of my works. “But I'm ready to face my fears.” Yvette let go of me with a smile and gestured me toward Sarah, as if giving me permission. Sarah opened her arms and hugged me. I pressed my chin over her shoulder and closed my eyes tightly. “Thank you, Sarah… Thank you.”

  “Hey!” Dr. Ivanova said jokingly. “Don't I get a hug?”

  I was surprised to see her so extroverted now, but happy to be allowed to thank her properly. “Thank you, Doctor.” I shook her hand before I gave her a tight hug, patting her on the back.

  “Enough with the doctor business!” she complained playfully, looking me straight in the eyes. “You can call me Lena now. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I laughed. “Thank you, Lena.”

  “Well, are you going to give us a demonstration, or what?” she requested.

  “Demonstration?” My brows knitted in confusion.

  “Yes.” Dr. Palmer stepped in, holding a big box filled with random household items. “That's the last test we need to perform. We need to make sure that your abilities weren't compromised by the new protocol. So, if you please?” He set the box on the floor in front of me. “I'd like you to use your telekinesis to move any of these items.”

  “Okay.” I stretched, smiling in disbelief. “Now I see why you didn't want to do this in your lab. Afraid I'd break something important, huh?”

  He chuckled. “Well, I don't know how much control you have over your abilities now,” he admitted.

  “Well, let's see…” I stepped back, taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes for the few seconds that it took my mind to connect with the entire living room—and I'm talking about way past the box Dr. Palmer had set on the floor. I'm talking furniture, decorations, picture frames, chandeliers, walls, framing, insulation (I needed to warn him about the termites) and especially the people standing around me. I could hear their accelerated heartbeats
along with their excited breathing, while all their eyes fixed on me. I didn't want to show off, but the temptation was too great.

  First, I began by rattling every piece of furniture in the room. Lena gasped; knowing Yvette and Sarah had seen much worse than that, I wasn't expecting much of a reaction from them, though I did hear some giggling. I continued my demonstration by creating a spinning tornado with the gadgets inside Dr. Palmer's box: a pair of sunglasses, a calculator, a tape recorder, a camera, several heavy books, and even a smoothing iron. They were all whirling in a small cyclone in the middle of the living room when I opened my eyes, just to see the astonishment on Dr. Palmer's face. His mouth was partially opened, his body frozen. Lena's hands covered her mouth, while Sarah and Yvette were just giggling.

  The love of my life then blew me a kiss, and I thought of the perfect way to finish my spectacle. After commanding the spinning gadgets back into the box, I pointed my hands at the center table. A big white vase on top of the table held the most beautiful bouquet of sunflowers. I focused my thoughts on the biggest and tallest one of all; the handsome bloom then rose from amongst the others and began to spin on its own stem. I levitated the spinning favor toward my beautiful ballerina, who shied and covered her flushed cheeks like an embarrassed little girl. The sunflower left a trail of yellow petals in the air as it traveled across the living room, until it finally stopped in front of my blushing beauty. She let go of her cheeks and took hold of the spinning flower, mouthing the words, “I love you.”

  Lena was the first one to break the silence. “You have an amazing gift, Victor,” she said in a small voice. “Please don't lose sight of the responsibility that comes with it.” She walked to me and put her hands over my shoulders. “I know you'll find the wisdom to always put it to good use.”

  “Thank you, Lena. I owe you so much.”

  Her eyes searched mine. “Only your friendship,” she corrected me, setting the record straight with a smile.

  “What will you do now?” Dr. Palmer asked.

  “Live.” Yvette answered for the two of us as she walked toward me, holding her flower close to her chest. “Live the life we thought was taken from us,” she added, as her gaze captured mine. Then she said, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to answer for you,” as the palm of her right hand glided over the side of my face.

  I smiled and reached for her hand. “There's no me anymore, Yvee. Only us. And you're right. That's exactly what we're going to do.”

  “You're all welcome to stay for as long as you'd like, of course,” Dr. Palmer offered.

  “Thank you, Doctor. But I think Yvee and I want to go someplace where nothing will remind us of this nightmare—no offense.”

  “None taken,” the good doctor said, laughing. “I do, however, think we should keep in contact. When do you think you'll be leaving?”

  “Tomorrow,” I said decisively.

  “No!” Sarah snapped. “I mean…” she trailed off, trying to cover up for her outburst, before continuing, “It may still be dangerous for you out there, you know?” Her tone was persuasive. “Maybe it's better if you stay here for a while and then—”

  Lena's phone went off then, interrupting Sarah's argument. Yvette took advantage of the short pause to find concurrence with Dr. Palmer. “I really think Victor and I should disappear for a while, at least until we can figure out a way to let the authorities know what happened here. What do you think, Doctor?”

  Dr. Palmer mused, “I agree. If you have the means to do so, I'll definitely say go for it.”

  The sound of a door being slammed made us stop and look around. An inexplicable feeling of guilt knocked inside my chest when I realized Sarah was gone.

  ***

  The following morning arrived in the blink of an eye, and it was suddenly time to say goodbye. After having one final conversation with my new friends Lena and Sidney, I arranged transportation for Yvette and me to our next destination: Port Angeles, Washington. From there, my plan was to get to Long Beach, California, where I had a big surprise arranged for Yvette. Before leaving, Yvette and I expressed our intense gratitude to the good doctors for taking us in and helping us in our most desperate hour of need, and for giving us another chance to live our life together.

  Yvette waited for me on the porch as I exchanged contact information with Dr. Palmer. I promised him I'd keep in touch, and that I'd return when the time was right. As I walked down the porch steps, I noticed Lena had already pulled up in her car, ready to give us a ride to the dock—but there was something else I needed to do before I could even think on getting into that car, probably one of the hardest things I'd had to do in a long time: I needed to say goodbye to Sarah.

  And I didn't know how.

  I found her standing in the meadow facing the mountains, her back to the house. Yvette had decided to come with me to say goodbye. She made a face when she grabbed my hand to walk to the meadow, and I often wonder now if she felt what I was going through at that moment.

  “Hey!” Yvette snuck up on Sarah playfully, grabbing her shoulders.

  “Hey.” Sarah turned around with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “You're all ready to go, I see.” Her voice was cheerless.

  “Yeah,” Yvette began, leading her a few steps away from me, where they both lowered their voices, as if trying for privacy... but of course, my enhanced hearing wouldn't have it. I was forced to hear everything they said. “But we couldn't go without saying goodbye.” Yvette's voice grew sad as she held Sarah's hands, her blue eyes wide and sincere. “Sarah,” she continued, “thank you for everything… especially for being so honest with me in the truck.” She sighed wistfully. “I honestly wish we could've met under different circumstances. You are definitely someone I'm proud to be friends with. And I'm so sorry I was such a bitch when we first met.”

  Sarah snickered. “Don't mention it. I would've probably acted the same way if I were in your position.” They both laughed. “What I said in the truck, though…” She paused, throwing an uneasy glance in my direction, “Still our little secret, right?”

  “Of course,” Yvette promised, her face serious.

  “Then, I guess we're still friends, huh?” They laughed again. “Just do me a favor,” Sarah asked, raising her voice until she knew I could hear what she was saying. “Take good care of this clumsy lug for me! He always finds a way to get himself in trouble!”

  Yvette chuckled. “You know I will.”

  “Do you mind if I…?” Sarah's request was almost inaudible even to my sensitive ears.

  “Go ahead,” Yvette agreed in the same tone, obviously understanding what she wanted. They gave each other a tight hug and then Yvette turned to me. “I'll meet you in the car, all right?” She gave me a quick kiss and left.

  “Thanks,” I said, and turned to Sarah, who'd shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and begun to shift uneasily. “So…” I stretched awkwardly. “What was that about?”

  “Girl stuff,” she answered sharply.

  “Okay,” I conceded, clearing my throat. “So, I guess this is it! For now.”

  She nodded with an ambiguous smile. “I guess so.” Her emerald green eyes were wide, expectant.

  “Are you going to be all right? I asked. “Staying here, I mean.”

  She snorted. “Don't worry about me! I'm not the one who's decided to 'disappear for a while,' remember?” Her voice held a hint of anger.

  “You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

  “Make what easy, Victor?” She chuckled sardonically. “You're the one making a big deal out of this. You should just go, all right?” She turned around and faced the mountains again.

  “I don't understand why you're so angry with me.”

  “I'm not angry with you, Victor.” Her voice softened into a whisper I could barely hear. “I'm angry with myself.”

  “What?” I reached for her shoulder.

  “Nothing,” she retorted. “Can you please just go?” She pushed me away angrily. “You're the o
ne who's making this harder!”

  “Wait a second! Why the hell are we fighting?” I asked. “This could very well be the last time we ever see each other, and—”

  “Don't!” She shushed me, her fingertips to my lips. “Please, don't say that.” She shut her eyes tightly and, breathing heavily, said, “I'm sorry.”

  Gently, I removed her fingers from my lips and held her in my arms, her head pressed firmly against my chest. “What's wrong? I asked, my voice soft and soothing. “Come on. What's really bothering you?”

  She sighed deeply, hugging me tighter than before, before she pulled back just enough to make eye contact with me. Piecing me with the intensity of her gaze, she stated, “You're going to think I'm crazy.”

  “Try me.”

  “You know how people say that life is too short?” she asked. I nodded in response. “Well, that used to scare the hell out of me, because I always thought I'd never have the courage to do anything even remotely significant with my life… until I met you. The truth is that my stupid obsession to always be the best has kept me from having a life of my own. I mean, friends, parties, boyfriends—all that was out of the question if I expected to go the best medical school, or if I wanted to win the next karate tournament. My father never believed in second places you know? And when he died, I guess I just buried myself deeper into my secluded life, just to disconnect myself from the pain.”

  She fought her voice, obviously trying to keep it from breaking. “And then I met you. And my whole life turned into this incredible adventure, where I got the opportunity to experience things I had never thought possible. Like trusting someone the way I trust you. I felt like I'd finally found someone I could tell anything to.” Her eyes began to glaze with tears. “And now he's leaving… And here's the crazy part. You haven't even climbed into that car, and I'm missing you already.”

  I stood there speechless.

  “I promised myself I wouldn't do this,” she continued. “But I know how good you are at keeping promises, so…” Her eyes rose to meet mine. “I want you to promise me something.”