by Chad Kunego
“Like you have room to talk. You basically lived like a hermit for nearly twenty years.”
“I don’t think that’s quite the same thing.”
“Maybe,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Are you saying I act strange?”
He watched her carefully wipe her mouth on a napkin before responding.
“Maybe strange isn’t the best word to use. Maybe odd quirks would be a better description.”
“Such as,” he asked, waving her on.
“Well, for starters, you have an air of being standoffish, but you also have a tendency to try putting everyone at ease when they’re around you.”
She lowered her voice and leaned in, instinctively causing him to lean in as well.
“You also have a tendency to display your powers with a level of ease that most people struggle with, especially at the power level you’re at.”
“Huh?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
“Okay, good example. Zarina told me about what happened in the hallway when she dropped her stuff. The level of control you displayed repacking her bags while casually carrying on a conversation spooked her. Add to that what she saw when she read your aura during the mission briefing. You have her half convinced you’re the second coming.”
“But what I did to pick up her stuff wasn’t all that difficult.”
“See,” she said, jabbing a finger at him, “that’s what I’m talking about. It’s almost like you don’t have a clue as to how powerful you really are. Zarina is one of the most powerful telekineticists alive, as far as we know, maybe in the top five. She said what you did would have required all of her concentration and taken at least twice as long, if not longer. What you did, in her eyes, is the equivalent of a kid playing t-ball competing against a major league baseball player.”
“I… I didn’t realize—”
“That’s what I’m trying to get through to you. You’re seriously on a completely different level than the rest of us. You easily have enough power and abilities to single-handedly do what normally takes at least a six-person team to accomplish. When we first met, you dismantled my team without breaking a sweat. Against members capable of going up against small armies and other enhanced teams. Yet there you were, not only holding back significantly, but actively trying to keep us from getting hurt while fighting you. It was disconcerting, to put it mildly. And that was before your recent upgrades.”
Rick sat there quietly, absorbing everything she told him. Yes, he knew he was pretty powerful, but it wasn’t anything he’d ever really thought about. What he did came naturally, as easily as walking or breathing. It wasn’t anything he had to work at.
Except for the migraines he used to get when using his power, it really didn’t take any real effort to do what he did. He just did it. With a sinking feeling, he realized everyone probably thought he was just showing off, the meta version of bragging whenever he used his powers around them.
They probably think I’m an egotistical asshole.
Another thought tugged at his mind.
“You said something about Zarina seeing my aura… What was that about? What’s an aura?”
“Honestly, that’s probably something you’d want to ask her about. I don’t quite understand it all, but from what I gather, it gives her an idea of your powers, abilities, possibly even your thoughts and emotions.”
Kaitlyn paused to take a sip of her drink.
“She told me later she was originally trying to read mine, hoping to have a better interview with me. Then you came in the room and you saw the results. She talked about what she saw with almost reverent tones. I’ve only heard people use that tone in church.”
Rick caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking out the window, he spotted Zarina heading back toward the diner.
“She must not have found much.”
Kaitlyn shrugged, watching Zarina reenter the diner.
“So what’d you find?” he asked as she sat down across from him, “I’m assuming they didn’t have much since you came back empty-handed.”
“Actually, they had quite a bit.”
Rick cast a questioning glance toward Kaitlyn before looking back at her.
“They wouldn’t let you check any books out?”
This time, it was Zarina’s turn to look confused.
“Why would I need to check them out?”
Rick noticed a slight smile tugging up the corner of Kaitlyn’s mouth that she quickly hid by taking a bite of her food.
“Uh… so you can get a chance to read them.”
“I already read what they had. Why would I want to carry them around?”
“Wait… I’m confused. I thought you said they had a lot of books on the subject.”
“They did. Five books on tornadoes specifically, seven on general weather phenomena, and one little book on local weather history, from local author. It looks like it was part of school project. Plus I looked through their news archives for anything related.”
Rick’s mouth hung open in surprise.
“You might want to shut that before a bug flies in.”
Rick stared at Kaitlyn a second before his mouth snapped shut.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were only over there for about twenty minutes. How did you read so much?”
He noticed her blush slightly before replying.
“Maybe reading is not the best description. Is more like downloading information. I enter alternate level of consciousness, look at page while flipping through as quickly as possible. Then I let subconscious process and compile the information. Bits and pieces will bubble through to surface, but it really takes night’s sleep to understand fully. Or uninterrupted meditation time.”
Rick continued to stare at her a moment before responding.
“That’s incredible. Do you have an eidetic memory to go along with that?”
“Somewhat,” she replied, starting to get more animated about the topic, “For most part, I am able to recall information like anyone else that has studied topic, but if I meditate, I do have ability of perfect recall. Same for anything I have seen or heard. The technical term is hyperthymesia.”
“Is this part of your power set or—”
Rick started noticing an odd sensation coming from somewhere outside the diner. Zarina suddenly snapped her attention in the same direction the sensation was coming from as well. Launching his awareness outward, he only had a split-second before a strangled cry broke his concentration. With alarm, he watched Zarina’s eyes roll back in her head before she started convulsing, a trickle of blood coming from her nose.
“What happened?” he asked, quickly shifting position to the other side of the booth so he could reach her.
“I don’t know! She suddenly looked out the window, then she cried out and started having a seizure.”
“Something was out there. I think we both felt it. I tried to get a lock on it when Zarina cried out. It might have been some type of attack.”
Rick reached out to touch Zarina, but felt something almost repelling him. Shifting his senses, he saw what looked like a bubble surrounding her, a bubble that seemed to be actively resisting his efforts to touch the unconscious woman.
“Can’t you do something to help her?” she whispered fiercely.
“I’m trying, but I think she’s fighting me,” he whispered back, “We need to get her out of here.”
Rick slid back out of the booth before reaching back, gently lifting the unconscious woman with his power while pretending to use his arms. Standing upright, he let Kaitlyn slip past him, clearing a path to the door.
“Where’s the nearest hospital!”
While Kaitlyn got directions, he quickly carried Zarina to the car. Setting her down in the back seat, he climbed in next to her. Hearing a bang, he glanced up to see Kaitlyn running toward them.
“What are you doing!”
“Just get in and drive! I’m going to see what I can d
o on the way!”
Jumping in, she started the car. Dropped it into drive, they squealing away from the curb, cutting off several cars in the process.
“How far away are we?”
“Fifteen minutes! Less if we don’t hit traffic!”
He nodded, settling himself into the seat. Closing his eyes, he focused all his attention on Zarina again. Alarmed, he noticed the field surrounding her seemed weaker than it had in the diner. Reaching forward, he felt the odd sensation of resistance again. Probing the feeling with his senses, he could feel her energy pooling beneath his hand, almost like it was trying to shore up her defenses against him.
Come on! Let me in! I’m trying to help you!
Continuing to gently try getting through to her, his mental state shifted to something he’d never experienced before. With the shift, he realized that he could see the energy blocking him was, to his other senses, what he could only describe as a deep, rich bluish purple color, almost a deep iridescent shade of indigo. At the same instant, he realized for the first time that his energy field was a brilliant white light in comparison.
Is this what she was talking about to Kaitlyn? More importantly, how does this help?
He felt the energy field under his hands continuing to deteriorate while he continued trying to figuring out how to help her. Pulling his energy back, he tried to come up with a solution. Looking her over, he noticed other areas of her body that seemed to have different colors of the rainbow, but they were smaller and more muted compared to the primary color of her energy.
Without warning, the strange inner voice he’d heard when he nearly died at Reaper’s base faintly echoed through his mind, almost too softly to be noticed.
Match the color? How the hell am I supposed to do that?
Shaking his head angrily, he took a deep breath to calm his mind. If he was going to save her, he needed to figure it out. Sinking deeper into his senses, he started examining his own energy field. Concentrating, he realized he could feel something that could only describe as a vibration coming from his aura.
Wait, if it’s a vibration, then it means it’s moving. I can change the vibrational frequency!
Quickly, he extended his field toward Zarina’s aura again. Lightly ‘touching’ it, he focused on what his senses were telling him. After a few seconds, he could make out the slight difference between the vibrational energy of his field compared to the one emanating from hers. Concentrating, he attempted to slow down the vibrations of his field, desperately trying to get his aura to change.
Come on! Change!
A weird sense of energy started to surround him. Slowly at first, it started whirling around him, originating from the top of his head. His concentration and focus suddenly snapped into sharp clarity before a streak of purple rapidly flowed down and spread along his arms before pooling in his hands. Without warning, all the resistance he felt disappeared, causing him to fall forward slightly, his hands reflexively clasping her head between his hands.
Instinctively, he poured healing energy into her, the feeling of cells becoming invigorated and spontaneously regenerating grew stronger by the second. Zaria’s eyes suddenly snapped open, her gaze locking on his while he continued pouring healing energy into her.
Her eyes started glowing with a purple light as her aura continued to strengthen. What could only be described as a resonance began forming between her aura and his. Without thinking, he shifted his aura energy level, bringing it back to what he assumed was his normal white brilliance.
Zarina’s eyes suddenly went wide in shock. Jerking backward with a look of horror, her necklace flashed a brilliant iridescence before the connection between them was broken by what he could only describe as a panicked mental shove. The suddenness of it caused him to snap out of his focused state. As his awareness shifted, he thought he caught a small sparkle of white floating through her aura.
Exhaustion rushed through his body suddenly, making it hard to think. The last thing he noticed was the continuing look of horror on Zarina’s face slowly shifting into one of shock as the darkness rushed up to meet him.
Chapter 8
“… do not know…”
“How… ou feel?”
The voices slowly intruded on the blackness. Rick tried to remember the last thing that happened, but his thoughts felt slow and thick, weighed down by the darkness trying to draw him back into itself.
“… ait. I think he is starting to come around.”
The words scraped across his senses, like sandpaper across an exposed nerve. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so horrible.
“Wha…?” was all he could manage before his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, the lack of saliva making his tongue feel swollen and sticky. Trying to open his eyes, he began panicking slightly when he couldn’t. Forcing the panic down, he strained until one crusted over eye cracked open. The sudden brightness made it difficult to decipher what his blurry vision was trying to show him.
Struggling to sit up, he felt a pair of hands gently push him back down.
“Relax, you’re safe.”
“Water,” he rasped out before sinking further into the cushioned surface beneath him.
A moment later, a straw pressed against his cracked lips. Opening them slightly, he took a long pull of the cool liquid, swishing it around before swallowing. After a few sips, his felt his thoughts begin flowing more freely. Lifting an arm that felt like lead, he brought it to his face, slowly scrubbing the crust away from his eyes. Dropping his hand in exhaustion, he slowly opened both eyes, squinting at the light.
“What happened? Where are we?” he croaked out.
“We’re in a hotel room. You passed out after doing whatever you did to heal Zarina.”
Feeling his energy slowly returning, he took another sip of water. Mentally reaching out, he tried pulling energy to himself, but gave up when it felt just as sluggish as his thoughts. The energy felt almost syrupy rather than the quicksilvery feeling he was used to. While it wasn’t much, he used the sliver he absorbed to jump-start his recovery. Strength slowly returned, allowing him to work his way up onto his elbows.
“How long was I out for?”
“About an hour. The important question is, how are you, really?”
Taking a moment to analyze himself, he dropped himself back down on the bed, exhausted again.
“Like I’ve been hit by a tank. Actually, I’ve been hit by a tank. This is worse.”
He noticed concern flash across both their faces. Zarina then got an unfocused look on her face, giving the impression she was looking through him.
“His aura is slowing becoming brighter,” she said finally, sounding relieved.
“What do you remember?”
He turned his head toward Kaitlyn before responding.
“It’s hazy, but slowly coming back. Last thing I remember is trying to strengthen Zarina’s—” he paused, struggling for the right word before continuing, “life force. I guess you’d call it her aura?”
Without meaning to, his consciousness shifted, allowing him to see both women's energy fields. Kaitlyn’s was a fiery red, the impression of flames flickering across the outer edges. Glancing toward Zarina, he was stunned to see her aura literally throbbing with violet energy. He almost missed the small blob of white flickering across the energy field before it disappeared again.
Shaking his head slightly, his mind and vision clicked back to normal. The events prior to him passing out rushed back in, giving him a slight headache. He’d never experienced the rapid flow of images playing like this across his memory before. The one that stood out most strongly was Zarina slumping over at the diner.
“Wait,” he said, concern coloring his voice, “you were attacked! Are you okay?”
“Was not attacked, actually,” she said, casting a glance toward Kaitlyn.
“Wait, what? But you yelped before passing out. If that wasn’t an attack, then what was it?”
He noticed Zarina look down at her feet, hesitating a moment.
“Actually, was caused by something you did.”
“Something I did?” he asked, growing alarmed. Nodding at him, she continued, her eyes still on the floor.
“Right before blacking out, I sensed something observing us. So opened myself up, in effort to get lock on whoever, or whatever, was studying us. Then I felt huge surge of power. Before I could get mental shield back up, power surge overwhelmed me.”
She paused, glancing at Kaitlyn again, who gestured slightly for her to continue.
“After that, I felt something overwhelmingly powerful trying to get me. I tried fighting, but was becoming too weak. Without warning, it felt like I was fighting against myself, making me instinctively relax.”
She paused again, the expression on her face implied the memory was uncomfortable.
“Then I felt rush of energy, snapping me back to consciousness. That is when I saw you hovering over me, holding my head and doing something. I panicked and jerked away. Then you passed out on top of me.”
Rick sat still for a minute, lost for words while he tried processing everything she’d just told him.
“But you’re okay now, right? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked finally.
“Is strange,” she said, looking herself over, “but I feel better than I ever remember. Whatever you did not only healed me, but was like having triple espresso.”
“At least something good came out of this,” he said, mentally berating himself for hurting her in the first place, even if it was accidental.
“Actually, something else came out of it as well,” Kaitlyn said, gesturing between the two of them.
Rick cast a puzzled look at her, trying to figure out what she was referring to.
“I’ll let this one slide since you just came to,” she said with a crooked grin, “but it’s looking more likely this storm might be the work of someone with powers. From here on out, we need to watch ourselves.”
“So what’s next?” he asked, attempting to get out of the bed before slumping back again.
“Easy,” she said, gesturing for him to stay still, “For now, you need to recover. If this is an enhanced person capable of causing storms, we need you at your best. Neither one of us,” she said, her hand waving between her and Zarina, “are even close to being in the same ballpark, power-wise. For better or worse, you’re the big gun of this operation.”