by J. E. Swift
Garrett asked Caitlyn to perform the same two motions. She complied and once that was complete, a jarring computerized voice filled up the small space announcing- “Garrett Stevens. Security Authorization four. Caitlyn Young. Security Authorization ten.”
Without pressing anything else, the elevator began its smooth descent automatically. Caitlyn was surprised as she had expected the elevator to move upwards.
“How the hell did it know who I am?”
“It knew because the receptionist, Nina, told it to do the initial intake. I telepathically told her and she entered your initial readings into the main database.”
“The girl who looked extremely bored?”
“Yes.”
“So those guards are here to protect her and the facility.”
Garrett laughed again. “Uh no. Those men are just there to scare off any regular people who try to come in. They are very low level Actuals, pretty insignificant as far as an Actuals strength goes. Nina is our true first line of defense.”
Caitlyn had a hard time believing that. “How so?”
“There are only about two dozen people that are stronger than her in the Trust. And they are all of a higher clearance than her. If for some reason, something happened to her, they would all know about it immediately. We could not have gotten past her desk if she did not want us to.”
Nina played her role of the ditzy receptionist very well. “So what do the security levels mean?”
The elevator hummed quietly towards its destination. “You are a level ten, which means that you have not gone through the Threshold and your strength has not been evaluated. As such, there are only certain places you are allowed to go on your own here. You can go to more secure places with people that have higher clearance, but usually that will only get you so far. There are typically even restrictions on that unless the Council or Tribunal makes an exception.”
“And what does a level four mean?”
He glanced at her sideways, a look passing through his face briefly that she could only describe as annoyance. “Level four means I have most clearances, but not all of them.”
Caitlyn was curious about that look and pressed further. “Why not all of them?”
Garrett shrugged, his normal demeanor returning. “Level one is for the Originals and Councilmen, so there are only a select few who have that level of clearance. Level two is for Actuals who are in the secondary councils or who are in high political offices around the world. And finally, level three is granted to those that are relatively strong and have proven that they are completely loyal to the Trust.”
“Aren’t you loyal to the Trust?”
Again, that same look of annoyance flashed through him before his mask of calm took over. “The powers that be have determined that while I am a loyal member, there are aspects of me that leave them to question how much they can trust me. Most members of the Trust only have level six clearances and below, so I am more trustworthy than them at least.”
Caitlyn wanted to inquire more, but the elevator stopped and the doors revealed to her the true center of operations of the Trust. Caitlyn tried to mask her shock at what greeted her. The elevator opened into beautiful wooden mahogany archways that crisscrossed the expanse of the room. She noticed that the room was spare, but rust colored walls gave a feeling of warmth, as did the friendly appearing receptionist that sat at the sole piece of furniture in the large space, a modern metallic desk.
For all of the elaborateness, the room was empty and quiet, with the exception of the woman sitting at her desk typing away at the computer. She had glanced briefly at the two of them, before turning her attention back to the computer with a single finger in the air signaling them to wait. Once she had completed the task that was in front of her, she raised her head, smiling at the two of them.
“Garrett. Nice to see you again! This must be Caitlyn, your new Protégé.”
Garrett leaned over the desk, his hands brushing the receptionists in a familiar manner. The receptionist blushed. Caitlyn wondered briefly exactly how many women he intended to flirt with today. “Hi, Katie. We are here for use of the training facilities.”
The pretty receptionist typed a few things into the computer, staring for a moment at the screen. “Of course you are. Training room three is available all day today and I can make it available for regular training if you would like. Will that suffice?”
Garrett straightened back up. “That would be perfect. Tell me, is Councilman Riley in today?”
Katie shook her head. “Not today. He should be up here next week though for a few days getting ready for a Councilman session. Would you like me to schedule a meeting with him?”
“Yes, please. He asked me to set up a series of meetings. Please set up a reoccurring meeting for an hour if you would, based on future planned visits.”
“Absolutely. I’ll send you confirmation of the times later today.”
“Thank you, Katie. You are wonderful as always.” He winked at her.
Caitlyn suppressed the need to roll her eyes.
Katie, blushing again, nodded in the direction of the training rooms. “Thanks. But really, just doing my job. You both have a great day and let me know if there is anything that you need. It was nice meeting you, Caitlyn.”
Garrett turned away from Katie, glancing quickly at Caitlyn as he began to walk ahead of her. His steps echoed throughout the long hallway as she followed briskly behind him. He stopped abruptly at a door labeled with the number three on it, placing his hand yet again on a scanner. “Garrett Stevens. Approval for use of training facilities from eight hundred hours to eighteen hundred hours.”
Garrett motioned for her to follow him in the room. She did, unsure of what exactly they were going to do. He sat down in a chair and put his legs up on another one, leaning back. She placed her hands on her hips, an expectant expression on her face.
“I am guessing that this room looks plain to you.”
“Well, considering the stark whiteness of the walls and the emptiness, save the table and two chairs, I would say yes.”
He smirked. “Ah. I think the coffee I brought you this morning had an extra dose of snarkiness to it.”
“And yours had an extra dose of flirtatiousness.” The words came out before she could stop them.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but otherwise did not react to the comment. “The room may be plain, but there are many different functions to it. Our training is going to have lots of different aspects involved. In the beginning, I’ll just start by showing you some different things that we can do, different things that the average Actual should be able to accomplish by the time they take the Threshold. From there, I’ll begin to teach you the various basic techniques. We will check your propensity for telepathy, telekinesis, and healing. If you show a particular aptitude for one of these skills, we will work on honing that skill while getting you to a level to pass the Threshold with the others. This room can be controlled by telepathy, meaning if I request items to levitate-”
At that moment, a trap door opened quietly in the corner of the room and several objects of varying sizes came up on a lift into the room, before the trap door closed again. Garrett continued, not missing a beat. “The room will respond to the request. Usually, I’ll program what I need ahead of time, but in case our training plans change, they can change on a whim.”
“How many rooms are there like this?”
“Five. The first three are reserved for newly awoken and the last two are for those that have already gone through the Threshold. The last two are larger than this one and allows for multiple people to train in at once.”
“So today I am an observer?”
“For the most part you will be. You have already seen telepathy, so I am going to show you the basics of levitating and telekinesis and we will talk about healing. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable.”
“You are kind of taking up both chairs. Unless you want me to sit on the table.”
Garrett gave that damn smirk again before grandly removing his feet. Caitlyn plunked down on the chair, tempted to knock over his. Before she could act, Garrett stood up, walking over to the display on the other side of the room. She watched with interest as he picked out various objects. One by one, ten balls of various colors lifted into the air, swirling around him. As he walked closer to her, the balls began to move of their own accord, creating various patterns, circling around her mentor’s body. Finally, when Garrett reached the empty table in the middle of the room, they all landed softly in a perfect row.
Garrett walked back over, placing his palms on the table. “That was levitating in its most basic format. However, what I just did was more difficult than it may appear.”
Caitlyn was amazed even by the capability to do that. Hearing him state that Actuals can levitate was one thing, but seeing it first hand was completely different. She was enthusiastic to try. “How so?”
His left hand grabbed two of the balls, letting them rise a foot above his hands as he talked. “All these balls are the same shape and size. But the balls are made out of completely different materials. This ball-” He indicated the ball on his left hand, “is made out of cork. The other one is made out of copper. Why would this be important?”
“May I?” she asked pointing to the balls.
“Absolutely.” Garrett levitated the objects into her hands.
Caitlyn examined the two balls briefly, feeling the orbs in her hands. “They have different densities.”
She was pleased when Garrett grinned widely. “Exactly! The denser the object, the more difficult it is to levitate the object. The cork is much less dense than the copper ball, so the cork ball is easier to lift. It takes more concentration to lift the copper ball.”
“So when we start levitating, I’ll start with items low on the density scale.”
“Yes. Most times, a student will learn to lift multiple objects of a lighter density before they are ever able to levitate a small ball made of gold. Some Actuals, whose specialties lie within other talents, are never able to lift even that.”
Garrett returned most of the balls to the corner, where the room lowered the items back to wherever they came. The one exception to this was a plastic ball that remained on the table. Caitlyn looked at him questioningly.
“For those that master levitating, the next step is manipulation of physical matter. It is one thing to lift it, but quite another to be able to bend it to your will. This ability is much less frequent within our society.”
The plastic then began to shift and change, the material molding to whatever it was that Garrett desired. What was once a ball, now slowly morphed into a single plastic snowflake, intricate in its design.
Caitlyn picked it up gingerly, turning it to examine the back and sides. It was flawless. “That is amazing.”
“It takes a massive amount of concentration to do that. We will not begin to work on that until you have mastered levitating. Because it is so difficult, it is tested for in the Threshold, but not required to accomplish to pass.”
She handed the snowflake back to Garrett, who set it back on the table. “What else will we work into the training?”
“Well, the last ability that you will be tested on is healing. Healing is even more complex than matter manipulation. What is interesting about that is while some folks may not be able to manipulate matter; they have the uncanny capability to understand the abstract art that is healing. Healers by profession need to have an intricate knowledge of the body. Without that, someone who attempts healing anything significant can do irreparable damage to the subject of the healing. They are a doctor in every sense. I can teach you to heal a cut or a bruise, but anything larger than that, you would want to consult a Healer.”
“What if I have that ability?”
“A healer goes through more training than anyone else. The Trust has its own hospital, and someone that chooses Healing as a profession goes through a lot of biology and human anatomy courses with specialists. The main healers have gone to Medical School and have their doctorates.”
Caitlyn listened to Garrett’s various explanations; completely absorbed by the fact that humans can do all of this. He then took her on a tour of the facility; at least, the parts that she was allowed to enter. There were conference rooms, other training and testing rooms, two libraries, media centers, and even a gym with a pool on one floor. Caitlyn was amazed at how all of this could be at one facility without the knowledge of the town while it was being built. Garrett had advised her that the lower half of the building was completely off the grid. It was not in any way reliant on the town’s water or power supplies. If she was impressed before, she was surely blown away now.
As they returned to the training room mid-afternoon, she was lost in her own thoughts mulling over the possibilities. What if they were wrong about her? What if she did not have any special abilities? What if she was a disappointment to Garrett? It was with that last thought when Garrett’s voice again snapped her out of it.
“Nonsense. You are not going to be able to disappointment me. Ready to start?”
“Excuse me?”
Garrett laughed, throwing the cork ball at her. “I said, are you ready to start? The only way to remove those doubts is to start training. We still have a couple of hours to kill. I bet within three weeks, I’ll have you levitating.”
Caitlyn caught the ball, all the while blushing, embarrassed that she was so engrossed that she forgot that she sometimes inadvertently projected her thoughts. “When are you teaching me how to block my thoughts exactly?”
“Once we get the basics of levitation down, I promise that we will move on to blocking. Don’t worry; it’s usually only when you are deep in thought that you project them. It’s not as if I can hear them all the time. So I am going to start by having you sit and close your eyes.”
Caitlyn did as instructed, sitting in a chair. “Now what?”
“Now, I am going to have you start by touching the ball, feeling its composition. It’s often easier for new Actuals to grasp the concept of levitating by touching the object in their hand to start. Feel the ball, the texture, the weight. Now today we are just going to concentrate on teaching you how to relax, how to focus for levitating. You have to open your mind to thinking differently, to thinking like an Actual. Breathe slowly; try to clear your mind of anything. Imagine you are the ball.”
Caitlyn tried not to let her performance anxiety get to her. She held the ball in her hands; it was incredibly light, the ball overall smooth, with small imperfections on the surface. In her mind, she imagined herself as the ball, cradled in warm hands. She looked out at the walls from the balls perspective.
She listened as Garrett advised her to visualize lifting the orb till it was up to her head. Caitlyn concentrated, her mind picturing elevating the ball. Something did not feel right when she did so. She could tell she was not levitating the item. She took another deep breath, trying again and again. It was still wrong. There was an invisible barrier in her mind, a thin film that she could not quite penetrate. She let off a small groan in frustration.
“Open your eyes, Caitlyn. You need to refocus.”
Her eyes squinted slightly at the man who was now towering above her. “It’s wrong.”
Garrett grabbed her hand and lifted her to a standing position, his head cocked ever so slightly. “What’s wrong?”
She tossed the small sphere back and forth between both hands. “I don’t know. I can almost perform the levitation. When I am trying, I am pushing, trying to make the levitation occur, but my mind is not yielding. I need to do something different.”
Garrett scratched the back of his neck. “That is good. Very good. I am surprised you can feel a barrier already. It takes weeks for most people even to recognize it. Think of it this way. Your brain is used to functioning one way, but now the nerves need to complete the rewiring process. The basics are there in your head, but everything needs to connect. Give it time.”
Garrett plopped down next to her. “We will have you try one more time today and then we can resume again tomorrow, okay? It’s been a long day and there was a lot for you to take in. Believe it or not, you have already made a lot of progress.”
Caitlyn dropped her head to her chest, wallowing in her defeat, before slowing raising it again. “Can I take a break, just for a minute, and then we can try our last attempt?”
Her teacher smiled. “Of course. I am going to check to see if Katie has the details on my meeting with Councilman Riley. I’ll be right back.”
The door closed shut behind her and she pulled at her hair with her hands. Caitlyn could not grasp why she could not do this. She knew that it was right there, right in front of her. She needed that barrier to break. But the question remained on how? What was she doing wrong? When Caitlyn felt the barrier, she pushed and she had pulled, and… nothing. She paced around the room thinking of a solution.
Garrett re-entered the room, her mood no better than she was before. He placed a sympathetic hand on Caitlyn’s shoulder, patting in lightly. “Ready to go one more round?”
“Yes.”
She grasped the ball in her hand, the image of raising it clear in her mind. She felt the obstruction at that moment. As she pushed at the barrier, she again pushed harder, to try to lift the ball, only to find the resistance got stronger and harder. Finally, a thought occurred to her. What if she didn’t push? What if she did not do anything? She let her body relax, the stress built up in her melting away. The barrier then released.
Caitlyn surged forward when she felt it, visualizing the ball high in the air. She felt it leaving her hands gently, and she opened her eyes. The ball was floating directly in front of her. Caitlyn gasped in surprise that it worked, losing her concentration, and she heard the soft clang as the ball hit the floor.