Jai closed her eyes, a kick and jab flying into her face. Joy was throwing punches in rapid succession. Jai blocked the onslaught, her eyes fluttering, shifting as they sparred in their minds. Joy spun a low kick, knocking Jai down on the floor. “Again!” Joy ordered. Jai recovered with a kick up. She jabbed her left leg, but Joy blocked it with an arm and pulled Jai down in a quick, sweeping motion. Jai launched herself forward rather than back, and pushed down with her heel to break free. Joy grabbed a bar and jabbed it at her face, once, twice, then a third time before Jai grabbed hold of it. Jai spun around, knocking it against Joy’s back. Seconds later, Joy angled her arms outward for a hidden tiger claw. Jai thrust her arms downward, then upward to block, and somersaulted backward, broadening the distance between them. Jai renewed her attack with multiple kicks.
Joy came again, this time with a slew of roundhouse kicks and elbow-strikes. Suddenly, an immense, sharp pain flooded Jai’s joints. Relentless, Joy kept after Jai, deflecting each of Jai's punches with her forearms. She came at Jai with palm-heel strikes. Jai’s body seemed to slow as the pain in her joints grew louder and louder, until the pain literally rang in her ears. She wanted to shield her ears with the palms of her hands, but doing so would leave her defenseless. A few kicks later and the pain had rendered Jai motionless, huddled against the floor.
Joy paused, her arms resting on her hips, and a satisfied look on her face. “That’s enough for today,” Joy said, and opened her eyes. Jai opened hers too, and looked at her mother, disoriented by what had just happened. Jai pulled her earlobes to silence the last, lingering ring.
“What on earth — ?” Jai began to question, but Joy cut her off.
“First, tea,” Joy said, her index finger pointed to the sky. “And, another pair of booties, for my feet?” She winked. Jai laughed and wondered why her mother didn’t seem the least bit concerned by her daughter's abysmal state. Jai walked slowly, retrieved the booties she'd knitted, and prepared the tea. Her head was throbbing, and her neck was stiff. Returning a few minutes later, Jai found the sala empty. She looked out the window. Mom was stretching her legs, underneath their favorite tree, on the overlook above the beach.
Jai walked out, tray in hand. She kneeled down to place the booties on her mother’s feet, and handed her mother a cup of tea. “Ah, jasmine today,” Joy said. She breathed in the sweet aroma. "My favorite. Thank you.”
“Got to keep you guessing. Right, Joy?”
Joy grinned at the irony. “I know, it’s a bit unfair I threw a curveball at you. But, you’re far more skilled now. I don’t want you getting cocky.” She winked at Jai.
Jai shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head from side to side. She tried to loosen the knots that had formed there. “Well, I definitely felt it. Still feeling it, actually.” Jai rubbed her temples with increasing pressure, and described the escalating pain in her joints, the ringing in her ears. “What was that, exactly? Some new piece of equipment, like throwing needles or something?” Maybe Joy had launched them stealthily at her, before or while Jai was meditating? It had to be something quick, something Jai wouldn’t notice. Lately, Joy was fond of ninja throwing quills, after all. “I know how you love those weapons of yours,” Jai said.
Joy smiled, and continued sipping her tea. She sat, bundled in a light shawl. Her skin was loose now, wrinkled and dappled with age spots. Jai looked at her mother’s shoulder-length hair. It brushed against her collarbone. The curl of her bob was a silvery wisp in the afternoon breeze. Jai sipped her tea, trying to figure out what the secret weapon was. Even now, after so many years of mental sparring, Jai had a hard time reconciling the physical appearance of the mom she now saw with the mom inside her mind. As soon as Jai closed her eyes and they began to spar, her mother was immediately young and as fierce as ever. More often than not, Jai got her ass kicked, learned some new moves, and ended up laughing at recap, when Joy would ask, as always, for another pair of booties. Scarves were too hot for Thailand, but Jai could never knit enough booties for her mom’s feet. When they’d started spending more time in the States, they’d flown the entire knitwear collection with them, to the beach house. “Well?” Jai prompted. “Are you gonna keep your ninja moves a secret, or what?”
Joy swallowed another sip and smirked. “No, it wasn’t a new weapon this time. It was all me. Today, we start your real training, Jai. I attacked you with my thoughts.”
“Your thoughts?” Jai paused to consider this, unsure if it was even possible. They’d been sparring mentally for decades. But, today was different.
“Yes.” Joy quieted. Lowering her gaze, she set her tea aside. “Look into me,” she invited. Jai closed her eyes and focused her thoughts. Bowing her head, she inclined the crown of her head until it touched her mother’s. She saw, then, how Joy had accomplished this feat. Immediately, Joy’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations rushed into Jai’s mind and body. It’d taken so much out of Joy, thinking every terrible thing she could think of; every pain; every ounce of anger she could muster, to send it hurtling at Jai. Jai could see Darin in the hospital, weakened by his first round of chemo. She could feel her mother, gazing at Darin, as she looked at his deteriorating body. She could see the room spin, when her mother first learned of her father’s death, the anguish and loneliness that followed. Jai began to shake. Jai could appreciate the pain her mother must have gone through, but feeling it through Joy’s mind was entirely different. It was intimate, immediate, and overwhelming. As the pain pulsated in Joy’s veins, it traveled up toward Jai's heart. Joy’s pain pushed with increasing pressure against Jai’s chest. Jai’s breaths became shallow, a slow constriction enveloping her.
Jai pressed her hand against her chest and flung her eyes open, sucking in a big breath of air. The connection broke. “Mom, you should’ve told me.” Jai’s shoulders heaved, and her brow furrowed with concern. It’d been many decades since her mother had grappled with their deaths. Years had passed since Joy had spent days in bed, silent with grief. “We can get you more counseling. I’ll call the doctor,” Jai said, rushing to stand.
“No, Jai,” Joy interrupted, her hand outstretched. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”
“No, Mom, you’re not. I saw it, felt it. You’re in pain. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were still struggling with it. You’re always so upbeat.” Jai kicked herself for not noticing. But, how could she? Apparently, Joy was a master at hiding it. Tears had formed in Jai’s eyes; they spilled down her cheek.
“Jai, trust me,” Joy said, as she held Jai still. She held Jai’s hands, and wiped away the tears. “I’m fine,” she reiterated. “I just did it to myself, on purpose.”
“What?” Jai balked. Joy’s emotions were fresh. Jai could feel the nausea still gripping her stomach. There was nothing fake about the physical pain Joy was in. Jai felt the immense weight of it, a heavy shroud of depression.
“Truly, it wasn’t real, Jai. Well, not real-time, anyway.”
Jai looked at her mom, puzzled. “What do you mean, not real-time?”
“I mean, I felt that way. Truly, I did. But, it was a long time ago. It’s not how I feel now. I’m not depressed now. It’s how I made myself feel. How I made myself remember…for you.”
“Why would you do that? Why revisit those painful memories? It’s the last thing I’d ever want.” Jai’s voice began to rise, unable to keep her anger in check.
“For precisely that reason.” Joy tilted, then bobbed her head, as if to point out Jai’s demeanor. “You’re open to me, Jai. Look at how upset you’ve become. That’s how I was able to do it. It’s been decades since we realized you were telepathic. Ever since that day, that day we realized you can project your thoughts, I’ve wondered if you were also susceptible to mine. Well, today’s test proved it. I was able to use my feelings as a weapon against you. This proves you can be hurt this way, by others.” There was no denying it. Jai had opened up her mind and, in doing so, her mother’s thoughts, feelings, and pain had became her own. It was just as re
al to Jai as if it’d happened to her. In some ways, it was even worse. Joy’s emotions had ripped through Jai's body. Jai experienced a horrendous physical pain. The only thing that let Jai stop it, was her own awareness that it wasn’t actually real. What if Jai wasn’t aware? It was frightening. What would she do if she couldn’t escape those feelings, that pain? Joy caressed Jai’s cheek, but it didn’t lessen the fear engulfing her. Decades of training, and now this? Jai had never felt so vulnerable in her life.
“Our real training needs to begin,” Joy said with conviction. “I won’t leave you defenseless when I’m gone.”
The words hit her. Joy was telling the truth, and it was a laceration on Jai’s mind. What Jai felt to be true, her body had experienced in life. Her mother had proved, in no uncertain terms, that if she let another person in, if she left herself too open, she could bleed and be defenseless. Perhaps even die.
Chapter 8
2116
Thirty-six years had passed since the day they'd discovered Jai’s telepathy. Jai's ability to affect others with her mind, and be affected by Joy’s psychic attacks had made it abundantly clear. Jai wasn’t a normal human. The two of them had made it their mission to learn as much as they could, to study and understand the most likely explanation: centenarian genetics.
They wondered, how were pockets of humans able to live, for greater and greater lengths of time? Anti-aging vitamins and supplements were only a small part of the story. What other scientific explanations were there? These questions intrigued scientists, but they intrigued Jai and her mother even more. Joy was on track to join the centenarian club. But, Joy was convinced that Jai would live long past the age of 130. Jai hadn't aged for decades. She was well on track to surpass the emerging “supercentenarians” known to mankind. Jai pored over the academic journals, looking for any studies that might explain what she was going through. The research showed that not all centenarians shared the same underlying genetic mechanisms, and the genomes of supercentenarians appeared to synergistically combine two or more of the mechanisms. But, the research left Jai’s “condition” in question. Nothing fit what she'd become. She was beginning to feel hopeless when Joy decided a break was in order. Time to recharge and have some fun.
“Mom…Grandma!” Jai yelled. She saved the best for last. “Ms. Benefactor, it's time to go!” Her voice echoed over the balcony, above the checkerboard foyer. The design made Jai dizzy as she slid down the curved handrail, like it was a firefighter’s pole.
“Cut it out, Jai.” Joy walked out from underneath the archway and looked up at Jai. Jai’s face was frozen in time, precisely the same as she'd had at 21. It was a sometime-painful reminder of the youth that had slipped away. “I’m 96-years-old, Jai, but I'm not senile," Joy said with a wink. Jai shot a wide smile, as Joy hoisted her walker back toward the great room.
Jai gripped her elbow. “Watch out, Joy. The marble’s slippery.” They moved to the couch and sat.
Joy caressed Jai’s hand. “Thanks, dear. Can you hit the news?”
“Joy, we only have half an hour before we need to take off.” Joy’s health was faltering and tropical climates wore her out, so they’d decided to stay in St. Petersburg, to catch a few performances by the Kirov Ballet.
“We’re of the world, Jai, so we shall know about it,” Joy quipped.
Jai smirked, as she switched the news on. The image blazed, hovering in mid-air. “In breaking news tonight, scientists report that they’ve found an anomaly in multiple blood banks across the nation. In tonight’s exposé, we’ll talk with the scientists about this amazing discovery.”
A scientist came into view. “Comparing DNA’s been around for many generations, but the amount of data that can be collected has significantly increased. We’re doing it with greater efficiency than ever before.” Much like Jai’s father, these scientists were comparing genomic DNA and how it was modified, packaged, and expressed to catalog existing species, and to distinguish differences among historical species. “This time,” the scientist explained, “our team’s applied the same methods and technologies to determine what makes our oldest-known humans, our ‘supercentenarians,’ so special and distinct from the regular population.” Joy and Jai gave the screen their rapt attention, their ears perking up.
“For the last year,” the scientist continued, “we’ve obtained samples from blood banks and discovered a small number of outliers who appear to have DNA sequences and expression patterns significantly dissimilar to the sequences we’ve commonly seen. This is interesting for multiple reasons. First, supercentenarian ‘hot beds’ or 'blue zones' are well known in specific locations in the world, like Okinawa Island, Sardinia, the Nicoya Peninsula. America is not considered to be a supercentenarian blue zone. In fact, before now, scientists have found no concentrated or statistically significant groups of supercentenarians in the U.S. There are only a small percentage of people who’ve lived to be 100 or more years old. The studies did not find any pockets of high concentration State-side.
“Still, earlier this year, we decided to sample blood banks to get a sense of what DNA sequences are prevalent in our cities’ populations, to compare them to the DNA that supercentenarians have. We wanted a pulse on what prospects most Americans may have for living large or, rather, long.
“What we’ve found is surprising. In cities that are quite far apart, San Francisco and New York, for example, there were only a few outliers (donors whose DNA have elements similar to, but distinct from, supercentenarian DNA). Now, as scientists, normally we wouldn’t focus on such statistically insignificant numbers. Often, they might be explained by contamination or instrument error. But, upon further study, we learned that these outliers have DNA sequences that are distinctly dissimilar to any characterized genomes scientists have ever seen.”
He took a deep breath and swallowed. “For the first time, we’ve found donors whose DNA is not closely related to humans’.” Eyes wide with excitement, he continued. “Since then, we’ve broadened the study. And, amazingly, these outliers with non-human DNA are peppered lightly all over the U.S. They’re small in number, but who knows how many there truly are! Remember, blood banks were our only test source. Just imagine how many outliers may actually exist, the world over.
“We’ve also done some digging, and found that these individuals happen to be high-achievers in their fields. Whether its in the arts, sports, entertainment, philosophy, medicine, you name it. Practically, whatever these individuals can do, they’re gifted at it. Turns out, they’re naturally gifted because nature literally gifted it to them.
“In other words, this is the next evolutionary step. With the publication of today’s Science paper, we’ve named them Homo sentients.”
Mom gasped. “So, 2116’s the year we Homo sapiens, we humans, finally put two and two together." Mom looked at Jai and called her by her new name. "Sentient.”
Jai stared back at her. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” Joy said. “I didn’t think this would go public in my lifetime.”
That night, they returned from the ballet, having barely focused on the performance. They watched the news religiously for weeks. The studies had only just begun, but they gave Jai a sense of promise. She didn’t need to be tested to know she’d finally found a name for herself. The concept that she belonged to a new species was overwhelming. For the first time, she was known.
But, ironically, she felt alone, now more than ever. Personally, she knew no other sentients, and the papers kept the outliers’ names private. Plus, it seemed no outlier was precisely like her. The researchers had not discovered anyone else with telepathic skill. Just sentients with a highly resilient immune system, and a heightened capacity to repair tissue, even if significantly damaged. And, no one could read minds or project thoughts like Jai could. At least not according to what was publicized. Still, it was the closest she'd ever come to knowing what she was.
Jai and her mother flew back to the New York penthouse a month later.
By then, the world was abuzz with special reports on sentient testing. One stood out. “Tonight, we feature a special exposé on sentient testing, the glitz and glamour that can come with testing positive, and the dark and dangerous path that some unfortunate souls have taken on the path to get there. What you’re about to learn is not all sentient testing is created equal. Though sentient testing’s not covered by any insurance plan, the law of supply and demand is alive and well. And, tonight,” the newscaster said, in a commanding tone, “you’ll meet many anonymous citizens who’ve agreed to come forward with their stories. First, we introduce a man and two women, who’ve purchased sentient testing from the top three companies that sell private tests for a high fee. Was the cost worth it? For better or worse, how have their lives changed?
“Next, you’ll meet two individuals, both male, who agreed to participate in confidential scientific studies, to be tested for free. Were their results accurate? And, what were they obligated to do in return?
“And, finally, you’ll meet a group of ten people who’ve fallen victim to a growing epidemic of less than reputable companies, hawking inaccurate tests. What we offer tonight,” the reporter said, eye to the camera, “is a window into the ugly side. What path will you pursue? And, how can you protect yourself from the vultures? They prey on the pockets of every eager hopeful.”
Jai watched the expose with Joy, thankful she had no need for any testing. For everyone’s sake, she hoped that the government would crack down on the blackmarket. But, the demand for sentient testing had skyrocketed ever since Science had published a study, demonstrating that the older the sentient, the greater the sentient's physiological and mental power. Immediately, scientists, the news agencies, and the general public developed an insatiable interest in identifying the oldest sentient, “The Eldest.” Every network felt immense pressure to break the story, and they were willing to pay a lot of money to do so. Fakes and posers came out of the woodwork, immediately extending their hands for the massive payout. But, every time, confirmatory testing ruled them out, and the search continued. The pot of gold was growing bigger and bigger.
Obsidian: Birth to Venus (The Obsidian Chronicles Book 1) Page 5