I looked back at Max and Jess. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and flaunted it in front of her. She snatched it from his hand and took a few steps backwards, snapping something right back, then dodged his clumsy lunge. He swore at her, she swore back at him, and then he started chasing her around the car. Before he could catch her, she hauled off and flung the pack of cigarettes as far away as she possibly could. Max let out a cry of anguish and ran for them. Jess gave chase. “You might be right,” I said. “But what about marrying him off? He always rants about taking a job with the family business, being expected to live a certain life. He hates it.”
“I'm sure he does,” his mother said. “But as much as we would like to see him marry someone we approve of and take a job with our company and perhaps take the reins himself, we want to see him live a happy life. Going to that school has given him that. It's such a change from how he used to be, so withdrawn and sullen. He seems happy now. What more could I ask for?”
I nodded. I found myself jealous of my roommate for the first time that I could remember. Max had come from a life of privilege and wealth, but he would be able to live a normal, happy life with the support of his family. I'd never be able to find real happiness, or have the support of my family. I'd be hiding things from friends and family alike for the rest of my life.
Jess and Max returned from finding his cigarette pack, which was clutched firmly in Jess's hands. Both were completely out of breath. Lisa and Drew were out of breath as well, collapsed next to each other on the ground, her hand touching his. Ariel was watching her brother with a wistful smile, as if she was jealous as well. I was alone, surrounded by my closest friends. It was going to be a long trip back to Troy.
Chapter Ten
The secretary looked over the rim of her glasses as I entered, then nodded toward the double doors. Her silent gaze remained on me as I walked past her desk. I looked back before I opened the doors. Was she one of Ripley's freaks or just a normal secretary? Her eyes weren't glowing, but that didn't mean they couldn't.
I pushed the doors open. They swung inwards without a squeak or even a whisper. Ripley's office was ostentatious, a corner office lined with full-length windows, his desk an enormous, commanding slab set diagonally in the far corner. His chair was equally imposing, tall and broad where the man himself was not, large enough that it seemed it would dwarf whoever was sitting in it.
It did not dwarf Alistair Ripley. As the doors closed behind me, he leaned forward and planted his elbows on his desk. “Mr. Parker. Please, have a seat.”
I walked across the thick carpet and took a seat in one of the three chairs facing his desk, placing my backpack on the floor in front of me. There was nothing on his desk. All that room, and yet there wasn't a computer or a tray or a picture or even a piece of paper. The wood surface was solid and polished to a mirror finish, marred only by a grid of thin grooves.
All of the room's furnishings followed the same sort of simple utilitarian design. The lights were recessed in the ceiling, slanting down slightly toward the corner in which he sat. No pictures hung on the walls. The carpet was plain. Nothing in the room attracted attention. The effect had to be deliberate. When you walked into the office, your focus would belong to whoever was behind that desk, and that person was Alistair Ripley.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“In general? Tired,” I said. I had fallen asleep on the way back to Troy, but sleeping sitting up in the car had left me more tired than I had been when we left. It also threw my body off and left me awake well past midnight, leaving me a wreck for the first day of classes. I had almost blown off meeting with him. Almost, but not quite.
“I was referring to the outcome of your recent adventure,” he said.
“I was exhausted afterwards, but after a good night's sleep and a big lunch, I felt better.” I had recovered much faster than Shade had implied.
He nodded and clasped his hands on the desk. “Good. You'll want to eat and sleep well for the first stage of your training as well. It will be similarly exhausting at first.”
“Sleeping hasn't been easy for me,” I said.
He nodded again. “There are things that haunt my dreams as well.”
That small admission surprised me. Even the great Alistair Ripley could admit to such things from time to time. “Does it get better in time?” I asked.
“All things get better in time. Let's discuss your situation, shall we?” I nodded. He leaned over and I heard a desk drawer sliding open. He produced a single piece of paper and pushed it across the desk to me. “It is a simple notice of the terms of your training. No legal language, tricks, or traps. If you accept the training program, you agree to a term of service with my organization.”
“I already said I'd do it,” I said. “I guess there isn't much to discuss about the review?”
He nodded. “The opposition is not unified. A simple review of the incident resolved that it was accidental and that I took appropriate action to mitigate future damage. Even some of the most vociferously opposed admitted that someone of your strength would be an asset. They may not like it, but they accept it.”
“That doesn't fill me with confidence, but I guess it's too much to ask for everyone to like me, right?” Ripley chuckled and I read the paper. It was just as he said, a simple document explaining that I would perform services for his organization in exchange for training. “So where do I sign?”
“No need.” He held a hand out and I slid the paper across the desk to him. The paper vanished back where it had come from. “Having it witnessed is enough for our purposes.”
“Witnessed?” I twisted around to look over my shoulder. A silhouette lurked behind me, wearing a trench coat, sunglasses, and dark humor. I nearly fell out of my chair. “Shade?” I asked.
“Please, be seated, Shade,” Ripley said. The man sat in the chair next to mine. “Mr. Parker, you'll be delighted to learn that I have assigned you a trainer who you are already familiar with.”
I looked over at him. “You? You're going to be my trainer?”
“Believe me, Parker, I'm just as delighted as you are,” he said.
“Could I possibly get someone who isn't quite as willing to get me killed?” I asked.
Both of them laughed. “Where's your sense of adventure?” Ripley chided me. “Shade is one of our top field operatives. He's currently taking a rotation in our training division. The man deserves a vacation from time to time, wouldn't you agree?”
“Where'd the name Shade come from? The sunglasses?” I asked.
“Don't ask me,” Shade said. “Alistair has a fetish for melodramatic codenames. He'll assign you one if you survive training.”
“I have no concerns about that,” Ripley said. That was an unexpected vote of confidence from the old man. “Whether you'll survive training him is another question altogether.”
“I'm not afraid of a kid,” Shade said.
“You've seen what he's capable of,” Ripley countered.
“Yes, he's freakishly strong. That's why you want me to train him, right? You want someone who can stop him if he slips up and knocks a building over?” Shade chuckled.
It was as if I wasn't even there. “I'm not planning on knocking anything over!”
“You didn't plan on tossing that girl into a wall, either,” Shade pointed out.
“That was an accident!”
“And I'm going to make sure so-called accidents like that don't happen again.”
“Enough.” Ripley's voice whipped out and we both fell silent. “You are both on the same side. Everyone makes mistakes. It is your job to learn from them, and it is his job to make sure you survive to learn from them. Is that understood?” I nodded and saw Shade nodding as well. “Good. For the record, I authorize level one access for Kevin Parker, trainee. Allow me to finally welcome you to the Establishment for Psionic Order.”
“Psionic?” I asked. “Telekinesis, telepathy, that sort of thing? That's what this
is?”
“Yes,” Ripley confirmed. “Psionics. You're familiar with the concept?”
“I've read enough fantasy and sci-fi,” I said. My hands were trembling. I wanted to laugh, but it fit. It all fit. “I've heard of psi and magic and all of those powers. You're telling me that it exists? It's hard to believe, even though I've seen it. And done it. And seen it done. It's all real?”
“He's taking it rather well,” Shade observed.
“It's very real, Kevin,” Ripley said.
“The Establishment for Psionic Order. You said you were trying to save the world. What do you mean?” That name could be taken so many ways. Were they trying to establish psionic order, enforce it, protect it?
Shade laughed and leaned back in his chair. Ripley leaned forward on the desk and looked directly at me. “The Establishment was formed to defend both normal people and psions. We protect the normal world from psions gone amok, from organizations trying to exploit them. We also protect psions and psionic powers from being revealed.”
“Why keep it so secretive?” I asked.
“They'd kill us,” Shade said. “People fear those who are more powerful than they are. The weaker they are, the more terrified they'll be. Doesn't matter if we're trying to help them.”
“So you're not looking to take control?” I asked. “Not trying to form a new world order or anything like that?”
Ripley threw his head back and laughed. Shade shook his head. “I told you he'd think that way. Just like everyone else who hears that name.”
The old man wiped at his eyes. “Of course not, Kevin. Of course not.”
I sat back in my chair. Both of their reactions seemed all too smooth, almost rehearsed. I'd play along for now. If they were lying, I'd find out eventually. For now, I wanted to find out more about what I could do with psionics. “All right. So what's expected of me? What sort of training are we talking about?”
Ripley nodded at Shade. “Your trainer is responsible for your method and style of training. We've already discussed what direction his training will take, correct?” Shade nodded back and Ripley continued. “The initial training will be basic, but accelerated to catch you up with your peers. You need to learn of your psionic power, both how to manifest it, and how to do so without exhausting yourself. From there, you'll learn to control and focus your power in various situations, and we’ll teach the basic skills from the three main branches of telekinesis, telepathy, and metasensory powers. Once we've determined where your aptitudes lie, we'll begin more focused training.”
Shade broke in. “What he's not telling you is that I'm going to break you. I'm going to run you into the dirt and exhaust you. You're going to pray for death and I'm going to laugh in your face. And once you're strong enough to deal with what I throw at you, once you pick yourself up and dust yourself off, I'll come back twice as hard.”
I stared at him, then deliberately looked back at Ripley. “So what sort of advanced training could I expect to get into down the line?”
“We'll discuss that at the appropriate time.” Ripley looked amused. “What sort of training schedule do you have in mind, Shade?”
“Evenings,” he said flatly. “All of them.”
“All of them?” I asked.
“All of them.”
Ripley shook his head. “I did say accelerated, but he does require time to rest.”
Shade's eyes flickered, the green light reflecting oddly from his sunglasses. I looked over at him, then back at Ripley as an answering flicker shone from his eyes. Shade sighed. “Five days a week. Under protest.”
“Duly noted,” Ripley said. “When do you want to start?”
“Well, I was hoping for one good night of sleep before getting into anything,” I said.
“I'm sorry, I was speaking to Shade,” he said.
Shade looked over at me and grinned. “We start tonight,” he said and stood up.
I groaned. Walked right into that. I couldn't admit any sort of weakness in front of this guy. Of course, if I hadn't antagonized him, I might not be paying for it now. His obvious dislike for me had only grown since Long Island. Maybe Ripley was putting him in charge of my training as a conciliatory gesture toward his opposition.
“Kevin. This is for you.” Ripley slid a thumb drive across the desk to me. “Install the software then destroy the drive. Under no circumstances should you use it while anyone unauthorized is around to observe you. In other words, only while you are alone, or with Shade.”
I picked up the drive and dropped it into my backpack. “I don't have my own computer at the moment. You don't want me installing it on my roommate's computer, right?”
“No computer of your own?” Ripley frowned. “Computer access is required for many courses here. You should have your own computer. Didn't you have one at home?”
“I left it there,” I said. I didn't want my old gaming rig here at school, tempting me to fall back into my old patterns. “I can ask about getting it brought up here if I really need it.”
“Don't bother,” Ripley said. “I will see to the matter personally. If nothing else, a school-issued laptop can be lent to you on a temporary basis.”
“Come on, we're wasting training time,” Shade said. He stood right at my shoulder as I stood up, crowding my personal space. I turned away from him as I picked my backpack up and stepped away from the chair. The bastard was going to try to intimidate me to let me know just who was in charge.
Ripley's voice stopped me just as I pulled the double doors open. “Kevin. I'm expecting great things from you.”
I smiled as I walked out. Of course, the old man was building me up now. He was getting what he wanted. He could afford to be generous and kind. It worked, even though I knew why he was acting that way. Shade stepped into me as we walked past the secretary, knocking me off balance. “Don't be too confident yet,” he said.
I regained my balance and considered a foot stomp, then thought better of it. Ripley was going to build me up and Shade was going to tear me down. He was just looking for an excuse to make Ripley look bad. Considering that making Ripley look bad might also be bad for my continued health, I settled for just talking back. “You don't like me.”
“I'm not here to be your friend, Parker. I'm here to train you and make sure you don't throw any more people into walls in the process,” he replied.
We walked down the hall and into the elevator. I reached for the ground floor button, but he moved faster and punched the button for the top floor. “Is that why you don't like me? Because of that accident?” I asked.
His hand flicked upwards and I slammed into the side of the elevator, hard enough to see stars. My feet dangled a few inches above the floor. “You have concerns about being liked, Parker,” he said quietly. “I don't like your attitude, your ingratitude. I don't like your cavalier bullshit. I don't think you deserve special treatment, no matter what potential you may have. No, Parker. I don't like you.”
I struggled against his power, unable to break free, barely able to breath. The elevator slowed as we reached the top floor. When the doors hissed open, his grip vanished, dropping me to the floor. I staggered out behind him and followed him down the hallway. “Why are you training me, then?” I asked when I felt that I could get a full breath out again.
“Alistair thinks I'm the best man for the job. Under my protest, of course. Which he dismissed as quickly as my protest today. I am stuck with you. And yes, before you say it, you're stuck with me as well.” He stopped before an unmarked door and pulled it open. A short stairwell led up to the roof of the building. “Come on.”
“I'm not sure I like going up on roofs,” I said.
He looked over his shoulder and grinned, showing all his teeth. “I know. Come on.”
The skyline of Troy was only moderately impressive, even when lit up by the sunset. I knew that it did look more impressive from other vantage points, but right now, I just couldn't find any sort of beauty in the view. Probably due to the company.
Shade flexed his arms out in front of him and his joints popped one after the other. “Stretch. You're in shitty physical condition. You'll need to work on that too.”
I put my backpack down by the door and started to mimic his movement. My joints and muscles protested. “I thought psionic power came from the mind, not the body.”
He snorted. “It does, but your mind and body haven't figured that out yet. That's part of your basic training. You felt it when you flung the girl, and when you blocked that kick. Neither of those were physically demanding actions. Why do you think you were so exhausted afterwards, then?”
He was right. I had been tired after what happened with Nikki, and absolutely exhausted after shielding myself on Max's rooftop. Going back even further, pushing Drew out of the way and jumping over the car had tired me out as well. “It's not based on doing something physical, because the shield I used at Max's tired me out too. The connection I see is that I was doing something with psionics. That much is obvious.”
He continued to stretch, moving into more elaborate stretches and exercises. “At least you're not completely oblivious. You were manifesting your power, taking an action with your mind instead of with your body. Which one of those tired you out the most?”
“The shield. That was just with my mind. Do you mean that my body thinks that using these powers is actually, well, doing something?” I pulled my jacket off. Though it was still chilly, especially in the evening, I was sure that I would be sweating soon.
“Close enough,” Shade said. He rolled his shoulders and faced me. Green light was visible behind his sunglasses. “Basic biology. You eat, your body turns food into energy. When you use psionic powers, you burn energy that you don't need to. Your body overcompensates. How strong would you need to be to push someone a few feet away? Not very strong. Wouldn't take a lot of energy. Even a scrawny kid like you could push me over if I wasn't paying attention. But what if you pushed me hard enough to send me flying off the edge of the roof here?” He gestured behind him.
The Fire In My Eyes Page 14