by Jenn Nixon
“No, I…” Sanjeeta glanced down at her Netphone and gasped. “Crap, it’s four thirty? I should, er…”
“I can take you back to work if you want, Sanjeeta,” Hinta said, approaching the station.
“Home may be a better idea,” she said, nodding and rose from her chair.
“Let me go tell the others,” he replied as he walked to the kitchen.
Caelum sighed, turning to the woman. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Sanjeeta. I know how difficult it is, stepping into this world. Perhaps I’m too forthcoming and blunt, a failing of my class.”
“I disagree, ignorance is far more destructive. Overwhelmed or not, I appreciate the truth,” she said, extending her hand. “Thank you for your candor.”
Smiling, he clasped her hand and his heart skipped. All of the voices in the corners of his mind, the energy and vibrations and emotions and thoughts of the people on this planet that he fought constantly to keep locked in the back of his mind, softened.
Her eyes flashed silver. Sanjeeta quivered and tightened her grip around his fingers as she swayed.
He steadied her with a hand to the shoulder, marveling in the lack of noise in his head. Caelum thought the chances of finding another connection like this was impossible given the strength of his mind.
When she set her hand on his chest and gazed into his eyes, her breathing hitched and temperature rose tremendously beneath his grasp. “What is this?”
“Something I never thought I’d find again.” He smiled, unable to look away. “For now, think of it as the beginning of a new friendship. The last thing I want is to confuse you further. You should go home, rest. I assure you the team will contact you the moment they find information to help your friends.”
Her fingers twitched against the fabric of his shirt as she nodded. “They’re not really my…I don’t have many friends, it would be nice to have a few, even if they are a bunch of aliens.”
Caelum laughed and subconsciously brushed his thumb against her chin. “Then please, allow me to be your first.”
“Ah-hum,” Hinta sounded loudly from the doorway.
Sanjeeta stepped back, breaking contact, all traces of silver leaving her eyes. “I hope we see each other again.”
“It’s a certainty, Sanjeeta Desai,” he replied and dipped his head, locking his eyes on her until she was out of view and in the kitchen. He immediately turned back to the computer screen and viewed her DNA results again. “Extraordinary.”
“I’ll say, what the fuck just happened,” Lexa said, appearing behind him. The younger Enhancer’s eyes were silver, a state she seemed to enjoy despite how distracting it could be, making him suddenly curious how advanced her sight actually was, but deciding not to bring it up as her mouth started to dip because he wasn’t answering her question. “You like, blipped out, for a minute and not like ‘hey, I’m heading over to the third moon of Trlipar’ or whatever the hell you called that place.”
“Tralpir and it was a planet,” Caelum corrected as he sat down, across from her. “I thought you enjoyed seeing a new world.”
“You know, I did, for a minute until I realized how many problems I have on this one. What happened?”
“I believe I have found a potential Conduit.”
“No shit? That’s awesome. Who?”
“Sanjeeta.”
“Hinta’s psychic friend? For real?”
“Yes.”
“Huh, well, does she know?”
Caelum laughed and shook his head. “She only learned of our existence an hour ago. In time, I’ll share my story.”
“Maybe sooner than later? If she can help you block out the noise, maybe you can stick around.”
“Perhaps,” he said, gazing over. “However, Sanjeeta being my conduit is not a problem.”
“No.” Lexa frowned. “How’s Dina? Is it true, Liam’s report?
“Yes, sometime in the future you and Dina open a time breach or portal. The memories of her future counterpart now live in our Dina’s head,” Caelum said, frowning. “I’ve yet to share my fear with the others, but she will go mad if they remain in her mind. There’s nothing I can do about the dream you’ve shared, but the memories don’t belong, Lexa. I may need your help convincing Liam and the others.”
“To do what?”
“Hide, trap, or secure the memories somewhere deep in her mind where they can’t influence the present. The warning she delivered has already set the change in motion.”
“Isn’t that a good thing, seems like almost everyone, including you, dies.”
“Elexanji, that is my biggest fear. Something on this planet is capable of killing me.”
“Don’t you want to know what?”
“Yes, more than anything in the universe, which is exactly why I can never know,” he said, pressing his lips tightly together so he wouldn’t say more.
“I don’t get it, why? Don’t you want to live?”
“Yes, of course, I do.”
“Caelum. Talk.”
He sighed. “If Dina’s future memories hold the answers to my death and I purposefully seek out a way to stop it, I may inadvertently be setting my demise in motion.”
“Fucking time-travel.”
“This is your warning, too. You cannot do this again…or initially, in the future, regardless of what Dina says. If…this attempt fails, promise me, even if I die, you will not let her come back.”
“Soon as I say yes, won’t that change things?”
Caelum smiled. “I wish it were that easy. The ripples may start here, but they are still small. The repercussions later are what we need to worry about.”
“Ah, nuts.”
“Precisely.”
“Fine, I promise, seriously promise. What can I do, right now to help?”
“Liam found internet activity of two of the individuals Sanjeeta believes to be missing, one is a young psychic employee of hers. You can follow the trail on the internet far better than I…”
“And you need some sleep. You’re firing on all cylinders, Caelum, and giving me a massive headache,” she said, getting up and crossing the aisle. Lexa placed her hand on his shoulder, filling him with energy, similar to the way Dina healed people, only his connection to Lexa went much deeper. She was a reminder of family lost while also giving him the only sense of belonging he had since waking from his stasis. With Rivia, Prantu, Nella and the others gone, Caelum needed to form new connections if he wanted to survive. “Where do you go, Caelum, to sleep, to relax?”
“If I told you, you’d never believe me,” he said, jesting with her and watching her shake her head. “If I’m Earth bound, I stay in Rivia’s ship, I’ve converted crew quarters to a bedroom.”
“You should go. We’re going to need your help with this,” she sighed and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “And you do belong. You’re part of this family, and if you want those connections to grow you have to stick around and make an effort.”
Caelum smiled up at her, surprised she could read him so well already. Staying near, when time was currently in flux, was the responsible thing to do. Staying to strengthen those connections or pursue a new Conduit may also lead to the team’s untimely demise. However, as he looked into Lexa’s eyes, he nodded, hoping he was making the right choice. “Now that I have a potential Conduit to quiet my mind, perhaps I can finally try, Elexanji.”
***
Liam reluctantly followed Dina back into the base, feeling slightly better upon seeing only Lexa sitting at the hub. The Enhancer’s silver eyes shimmered as she lifted her head and said hello. Dina waved and moved right to her usual station as if she hadn’t been gone for three long weeks. Although she remained open to him emotionally, her thoughts were blocked which she said she needed to do, for now.
He brushed his fingers against her hand as he went by, approached the hub, climbed the stairs, and moved alongside Lexa, still sitting in his chair.
“It’s not your chair, dude,” Lexa said, chuckling. �
�Sorry, really open right now.”
“I purchased it, it’s mine,” he replied with a smirk. “Are you searching the deepnet?”
“Yeah, Caelum told me which two to follow…Aime and I already found the others who aren’t missing,” she said.
“Well, that’s good news at least,” Dina added, glancing back. “What can I do?”
Liam pressed his lips tight, unsure what to say, afraid anything she saw could trigger another future memory flash. Dina lifted a brow at him. Lexa spoke up instead.
“Why not check out the search results for Project Phoenix? There are like eight mentions of failed video games in there so it may take a while.”
“Seems easy enough,” she answered, offering them both a faint smile before turning back to her screen.
Lexa shrugged. Liam nodded his thanks, and then eyed the chair. The Enhancer rolled her eyes and got up, teleporting to the computer beside Dina.
Half an hour later the base door opened and Duncan walked in. Everyone greeted each other, including a long hug between the siblings. The elder twin sat behind his sister and scrolled through his computer instead of verbally asking for an update. Liam appreciated the efficiency.
“Well that’s good news,” Duncan mused aloud.
“That’s what I said,” Dina snickered.
“May have more good news,” Lexa interjected. “I figured out who Marjorie’s boyfriend is, Rufus Morse, they have two classes together at community college.”
“You’d figure they’d have a ton of messages between them,” Duncan said.
“Not if they are both psychic,” Liam suggested.
“Good point, spaceboy,” Dina said. The words warmed his heart. He brushed his mind to hers. She glanced back and smiled. “I think we’ve texted each other ten times, if that.”
“Very true,” he replied, winking.
“He’s not missing,” Lexa continued, “and he’s been questioned by the authorities, but Bates can swing by, you know how much he loves playing bad cop.”
“He is the best, and we have a system that works fairly well, I can go with,” Duncan added. “What do you think, Liam?”
“Bates will be glad to get out of his shuttle shift,” he said, glancing up to see Duncan lifting an eyebrow. “What? I am not allowed to joke?”
“It’s just weird, bro.”
Lexa and Dina laughed.
“Be nice, Duncan, he’s trying out new material,” Dina said, smiling at him genuinely for the first time since she returned. “Anyway, it’s a good idea. I’m not going anywhere, Lexa’s the best at working with Aime on deep searches, and it’s already past dinnertime…whatever happens doesn’t happen tomorrow. I don’t want this to keep everyone on edge. We need normal. I need normal.”
“Agreed,” Liam said, tapping his screen to order some take out for dinner.
“Amen to that,” Lexa said, nodding her head. “Another hour and I’ll be cooked anyway, so let me see what I can find.”
Duncan, already heading to the exit, paused and glanced back. “Kim and Jazara are going to cover the shuttle until Hinta gets back. Hey, where’s Caelum?”
“I sent him to bed,” Lexa said. “He’s in Rivia’s ship.”
“He’s really sticking around this time?” Dina asked.
“Ah, nuts, I forgot to tell you, Sanjeeta’s a potential Conduit for Caelum.”
Liam felt a shudder run up his spine, but the sensation wasn’t his. When he glanced across the base, Dina’s eyes glowed that odd green again, and her hand trembled. Her brother teleported to her side. Lexa cursed under her breath. Liam was stuck in place, petrified.
“Dina?” Duncan called softly. She winced and rubbed her head. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just…more images. I think Sanjeeta’s more than just a Conduit,” she said then covered her eyes and started shaking her head. “I…I don’t want to see any more of these memories.”
“I know,” he replied softly, comforting his sister as only he could. “If it’s the only way, we’ll help you through it.”
“Together,” Lexa added.
Dina nodded, shifted her gaze to the hub as Duncan kissed her cheek before leaving the base.
Still unable to hear her thoughts, Liam absorbed the fear radiating from her body and brushed her mind again. Her face seemed to relax some, but her eyes needed more reassurance. He pushed the thought into her head, meaning every word.
Whatever it takes, Dina.
Chapter Nine
When they appeared in the alley between her building and the convenience store, Sanjeeta must have looked shocked again because Hinta was chuckling. This time, however, she didn’t feel as strange. He walked beside her silently until they reached the front door. Hinta glanced over as if waiting for her to bombard him with a million questions.
“I’m sure you have some,” he replied with a smirk.
“At least,” she said, shaking her head. The only thing that mattered was finding Marjorie, everything else remained secondary. “Do you think the missing psychics are connected to your investigation?”
“My gut says yes, but only because of what Dina’s seen.”
“Future memories? It’s like an oxymoron.”
“Quite true, yet that’s what it appears to be…I’m still trying to understand it all myself.”
“Well, thanks for bringing me back. If I hear anything new about Marjorie, I’ll be sure to send a text,” she said, retrieving her keycard from her purse. “You do the same, okay?”
“You’re part of this now, Sanjeeta, you’ll be kept in the loop. I wouldn’t be surprised if Liam added you to the text group by now.”
“I appreciate that,” she replied and smiled. “Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
Sanjeeta nodded and jogged up the front stairs and slapped the keycard against the reader. By the time she opened the door and looked back, Hinta was gone. Chuckling and shaking her head, she climbed to the second floor and entered her studio, turning on all the lights with a flick of her hand. In the kitchenette, she pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge, not even bothering with a glass, and plopped down on the couch.
After a few big swigs of wine, Sanjeeta set her tablet on her lap and opened the deepnet app immediately going to the message board to see what was new. The three new posts were random chit-chat about government meetings with psychics someone claimed to be privy to, and talk of a new TV show portraying realistic psionic humans struggling in today’s society. Thinking about it for a moment, Sanjeeta decided it was a good idea. Pop culture often influenced a society by openly accepting differences in music, art, and media.
There seemed to be no new talk about the missing people and Sanjeeta wasn’t about to let the message board crew know she indeed made contact with a covert group of visitors and psychics secretly policing anyone with abilities and apparently saving the planet once or twice. Who would believe her?
She almost didn’t believe it herself. While watching the video and hearing at least three of the MIND team members had psychic and visitor genes, Sanjeeta had wondered if that explained her telekinetics. When the Sarpian, Caelum, shot down her theory, she’d been sad for a second, until she heard the surprise his voice upon seeing her DNA results.
Setting that aside, the most shocking moment of her time in New York came when she shook his hand. The strength and warmth of his touch was nothing compared to the sensations he created inside her. Not only did he awaken and arouse her body, she felt as if she’d known him her entire life. She heard the word ‘conduit’ in her head and a sense of belonging enveloped her, the complete opposite reaction of someone calling her a freak.
She already wanted to see him again. Be near him. Look inside his mind and learn what he’d seen and experienced. Sanjeeta shut down the message board, and pushed all of the visitor stuff out of her mind and picked up her phone to check in with Ming and see if anyone had an update on Marjorie.
***
After tossing the second
half of the frozen burrito into the trash, Sanjeeta stared at her Netphone wishing it would beep with news. When it did, that very instant, her heart raced. She swiped it off her repurposed industrial wire spool table and checked the screen. Frowning as she read the message, she instantly felt guilty and shook her head, knowing it was actually great news that two of the people on her list weren’t actually missing. Reading little about Marjorie, other than finding the boyfriend, who sadly supplied nothing useful, twisted her gut.
She tapped a quick thank you and sent it back, forgoing a view of the picture images the MIND team found of the two deepnet members. Sanjeeta didn’t want to know who they were, it made everything feel too real.
Stifling a yawn, she gazed at the clock above her oven and read the time. Not even nine and she was beat. The bottle of wine she downed probably helped.
Thinking she had a good chance to get eight hours of sleep, Sanjeeta kicked off her shoes, shut down the lights with a wave of her hand and staggered to her bed, flopping down face first. She shimmied out of her slacks and stripped off her top before rolling to the middle of the mattress. Once her head fell to the pillow, the world dimmed silently around her.
***
The time on her Netphone blinked three fourteen. Sanjeeta rolled onto her back and sighed, she almost made it. Six hours of sleep was a record these days. As she stared at the peeling ceiling, her mind wandered back to Marjorie. She felt like she wasn’t doing enough. Hearing people’s thoughts seemed like a good thing to have when questioning people and figured whoever talked to the boyfriend had done so. What if she talked to Mrs. Allen? Being Marjorie’s employer wouldn’t raise any questions and Sanjeeta could take a quick peek into her head maybe find a clue for the MIND team.
Making a mental note to text Hinta in the morning with her idea, Sanjeeta shifted to her side and gazed out the only, tiny window in the studio. She caught the soft glow of the moon, but of course couldn’t see it from this angle. She wondered what Caelum saw when his eyes flashed from blue to silver. The first time she saw it happen, he took her breath away for the second time. Gorgeous wasn’t a strong enough word. Half a foot taller than her almost six feet, solidly built, but not bulky, he moved with a frenetic elegance, a combination that sounded strange just thinking about it, yet fit Caelum perfectly.