The Upper Worlds (The Soul Survivor Series Book 1)

by Van Forson

  “Really? How is she?” Philippe lowered his voice.

  “You know Kid, she puts a brave face on, and you can never really tell what she’s thinking. So will you meet her?” Sal said.

  Philippe’s face rippled, “You know I've got so much love for Kid, but right now I’ve got a lot on. I won't be able to I'm afraid.”

  “It’s cool. She’ll understand.” Skye said.

  “So will your move affect school?” Sal asked.

  “I’ve left FB.”

  Sal couldn’t help but read his brainwaves. Philippe's parents had enrolled him to study at an exclusive Tachion boarding school. They thought it was best for him to be around others of his kind. He didn't want to go, but his parents were adamant. They expected him to leave immediately, but Philippe had other plans. Sal blocked out the rest; it hurt to read her friend’s mind.

  “Kid also asked us to give you this.” Skye handed him a bag of chocolate drops and a new purple IM on a keyring. Skye meticulously double-checked that she had all the other multi-coloured keyrings in her backpack.

  “Kid recorded a special message for you, but you can’t view it yet. It’s time locked.” Sal explained.

  “Seriously? What does it say?”

  “I have no idea. The message will automatically be displayed, whenever the time is right. Kid says she’s seen the future, you won’t believe it now, but it will help when you need it most.”

  “I guess she knows best. And what are these?” Philippe asked holding up the bag of chocolates.

  “Olden time edible treats,” Sal continued, “we ate it in Commania and Kid loved the stuff, so much she wanted to share the feeling with everyone."

  “So I eat all of this?” Philippe asked

  “I’d give some out if I were you. It’s mind blowing stuff, so don’t eat too much ok?” Skye said.

  “What does it do?”

  “Kid wanted to give you something sweet to remember her by. She said she put a little of herself into each one, so you could see the world through her eyes.”

  “Maybe she has seen how it all pans out,” Philippe said. “I sure would like to know the future.”

  “Just keep hold of that IM. I’ve even got one, see.” Skye said dangling her bright yellow keyring from her finger.”

  “I will,” Philippe smiled attaching it to his trousers for safekeeping. “So who else is on your list?”

  “All of the crew. We've got treats for everyone.” Skye sprung to her feet ready to leave.

  “Oh. So you still have to see everyone else?” Philippe asked.

  Sal rolled her eyes; she was never one to beat around the bush, “Have you got a message for her?”

  “For who?” Philippe asked fooling no one.

  “Mindy,” Sal said flatly, “if you’ve left school I’m sure you miss her.”

  “I'm not really good with words,” Philippe shrugged bashfully, “but just tell her that it’s not her Code Type that makes her stunning, it’s the essence of her heart and the magnitude of her soul where her real beauty lies.”

  Sal cracked her knuckles, “Anything else you’d like us to pass on. Something not so mushy.”

  Philippe looked up and smiled, “Well there is one thing…”

  ***

  “What did she want from you?” Dr Djaba spat.

  Max took off his specs and then put them straight back on again. He fidgeted nervously in the midst of a mass of White Coats and Officials who had converged in his room.

  Another White Coat read the projected message again out loud;

  “Max, I need your help one last time.

  Meet me at our place in the woods tomorrow,

  4 in the pm.

  Come alone.

  Come prepared.

  Don’t be a Neek all of your life.”

  “Where is your place in the woods?”

  Max shrugged unwilling to let the White Coats into his and Kid’s secret spot.

  “What does that mean?”

  Max shrugged again.

  “Do you realise how important this is? That girl and her cohorts from the Underworld defeated our finest armies. She instructed the Tachions to break Truth One and use their powers against us. They are enemies of the state to the highest degree. This is no longer child’s play.”

  Max never thought it was.

  “If Kid instructed the Tachions in question to use their powers I can only logically deduce it would be in defence because - ”

  Whack!

  Dr Djaba slapped Max hard across the face with his latex gloves.

  Max held his cheek; the sting made his eyes water. He didn’t need an excuse to cry. Kid had been here, in his room and he had missed her. And that hurt more than anything the Officials could ever do to him.

  “We have invested in you, promoted you, fast-tracked you and you dare to take the side of public enemy number one!” Dr Djaba raged.

  Max rubbed his face, remembering the words Dr Monrova had said, ‘Stay on their good side. It’s hell when they turn against you.’

  “Now Maxwell Schneider it’s time for you to decide. Whose side are you on?”

  ***

  Sal sat uncomfortably in the luxurious white leather seat of Brad’s cruiser. Skye stayed on the aero bike a few feet away. She couldn’t bear to be near him and breathe the same 02 he did. After finding out what he really thought about Tachions, they could never be friends again.

  Brad, as always, was oblivious to the frosty atmosphere his deeds had created.

  “You should've seen the game dude. I scored a triple double.” Brad flashed a dazzler.

  “You've always been a big time player,” Sal said unimpressed.

  Brad didn’t notice her resentment, “Yeah baby. I’m taking this all the way to the interstate Championships and beyond!”

  “Emm hmm.”

  "Seriously though, I can’t believe you saw Kid.”

  “Briefly,” Sal said quickly. She didn’t know if he would contact the Authorities.

  “That’s cool, but I can’t meet up with her at the cave, I’ve got a massive interstate B-Ball game tomorrow, so tell her I’m sorry. I admire you though, the way you stick up for your friends. They don’t make many loyal Code Types like you anymore.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Sal squirmed.

  “So what did you say again? I play this now, and eat these in a few years?”

  Sal shook her head. Some things would never change, and Brad would always be a bonehead.

  “No, you eat the candy now, and the IM will unlock in a few days, months, years I don’t know. It’s a personal message from Kid. She said it would all make sense.”

  “Right, right. I miss her. I miss the whole crew. Boy did we have an adventure…” He trailed off as deep in thought as a jock Type like him could be.

  Skye beeped the horn on the aero bike.

  Brad looked her over scornfully, “Jet's little friend is so odd, what those Tachions can do still weirds me out.”

  “And on that note, I’ve got to go,” Sal said ejecting herself from Brad’s cruiser.

  She didn’t want him to say anything else that would offend her.

  “When are you coming back to FB? I've missed that face of yours, even if it is all covered in that white scary stuff.”

  “I’ll see you around for sure,” Sal said knowing that the next time their paths crossed she would be in her full Tachion form and Brad would never want to talk to her again.

  ***

  “I can’t believe we’ve come this far and you took a stupid risk like that.” Jet yelled.

  We were back to our regular appearances trudging through the undergrowth to the rendezvous spot. Just like Sal had said, the Capsing only lasted a few hours.

  “If Max wasn’t there, why’d you have to leave a message for him?”

  “Because if he comes to meet me, then everything will fall into place,” I said quietly.

  “What!” Jet stopped dead in his tracks. “Have you lost your mind? He can’t
be trusted. If you’re ever going to complete the mission and escape to freedom, Max is the last person you should see.”

  I held my brother’s face gently in my hands, the way our ma always did to us. It was a very calming feeling.

  “That is the exact reason why I need him to come.”

  ***

  Mindy and Cindy sat wide-eyed on the bed trying to absorb everything they were being told. When Sal and Skye stopped speaking each blinked wildly and looked at each other and then to the bag of candy between them and then at the matching pink keyrings. Mindy’s was a pale pink, Cindy’s was a bright fuchsia.

  “The difference in shades is so that you don’t get them mixed up. Kid said that you would both like the pink, so I got different shades.” Skye said.

  “Like wow!” The Twins said in unison,

  “This like has the future on it!” Mindy said excitedly.

  “That is like so-oo cool,” Cindy attempted to match her sister’s enthusiasm.

  “So do you two think you’ll be able to meet with Kid or not?” Sal asked.

  The Twins looked at each other before Mindy spoke for the both of them.

  “A lot has happened since we first found out about The Prophecy, we’re all very different now.”

  Sal nodded, she of all people knew about changes.

  “We’ve got to like figure out what’s going on in our own heads. We can't help Kid out with this one. But we miss her and wish her the very best.”

  “Fair dues,” Sal stood up about to leave. “Oh yeah Minds, when we saw Philippe he told me to tell you something about your heart being prettier than your face,” Sal said taking the whole romance out of the sentiment.

  “Oh. Like, where did you see him?” Mindy asked trying to sound casual.

  “We met him at his house. He was packing. He’s leaving town tomorrow.”

  A million things rushed through Mindy’s mind, but she could not think of anything else to say other than, “Oh.”

  “He said to give you this.” Sal handed Mindy a nanochip.

  “It’s the receiver to his router. It will track wherever he is in the world. He said whenever you need him all you have to do is signal him, and he’ll come running.”

  “Oh,” Mindy said again.

  “That’s, like, the most beautiful thing ever!” Cindy gushed.

  She wished Philippe liked her as much as he did Mindy.

  “Oh,” Mindy repeated in a speechless under drive. “Like, I mean wow, like…” she tried to think of something fitting to say to match Philippe’s gesture, but couldn’t.

  And there it came again, strictly against her Code Type genetic programming, a solitary tear rolled down her face.

  ***

  “I can’t let you do that Kid, it's lunacy. You’re the Soul Survivor; the whole world is depending on you. I won’t let you jeopardise the entire mission because you want to see your neeky boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said. “I’m not doing anything on a whim. It’s all calculated Jet. You have to trust me.”

  Jet choked on his frustration as he tried to speak, “No good will come from meeting Max. He will lead you to harm. You can’t,” his voice broke, “you can't trust him, sis.” He bit his lip hard to stop himself from crying.

  “I’m the chosen one remember, and my decision is final,” I said, turning my back on him.

  I didn’t want to hurt Jet, but I knew him to well. I knew it had to be this way. Predictably, his emotion switched instantly from sadness to anger.

  “Well, you didn’t get this far by yourself!” He snapped. “Skye helped you, Sal helped you – and they’re risking themselves for you now. Wain helped you, and he’s dead! Max, Philippe, The Twins, Brad, The TL, The Res, Dr Stoneway, Lady Zono, Ma, Dad - everyone along the way got you to where you are now. That shows you don’t always know best!”

  “I know they all helped me, but you forgot the most important person in all of this.”

  “Who?” Jet mumbled miserably.

  “You,” I said quietly. “You led me to Underground City, you began all of this, and you’ve been the catalyst every step of the way. Everyone’s looking at me when I’m not even the most important part of The Prophecy. You are.”

  “What do you know that you're not telling me?” Jet asked slowly.

  “Look,” I said fishing in my pocket and pulling out a metallic keyring. “This IM holds a special message for you. I know it doesn’t all make sense now, but it will. I’ve listened to my Inner G, and I know what I’m doing. I'm not the key to save the world. I just had to unlock the door for you to walk through.”

  Jet took the keyring. “So what happens with this?”

  “When the time is right a message from me will guide you. It may seem crazy now, but I promise you it will all make sense.”

  “What do you mean? I thought the plan was that we leave the Upper Worlds together tonight? I thought we were all heading to Ethereal Bridge. Why do I need to read a special message from you? Where are you going to be?”

  “Trust me, ok?” I said.

  “But - ”

  Two aero bikes crashed through the undergrowth. They skidded to a halt inches from Jet and I.

  It was Skye and Sal.

  “Ms Lush called the Authorities. The Officials are after us. We have to get out of here right now!” Sal yelled.

  Jet ran and jumped on Skye’s bike. “You go. We'll run a diversion.”

  “How?” Sal asked.

  Jet grabbed handfuls of chocolates from Skye’s backpack and shoved them into his mouth.

  “Jet, no!” Skye rasped, “I told you what eating too many would do.”

  For once Jet didn’t listen to Skye and stuffed another handful into his mouth.

  “What are you doing? This is not the time to get the munchies.” Sal shouted.

  Jet fell to the floor writhing in agony and began to change instantly. His braided hair unravelled and grew straight from his scalp. His limbs lengthened, his skin turned a few hues darker.

  “What’s in that stuff?” Sal called out recognising the Capsing process.

  “Humanity,” I said, running to Jet’s side. “I asked Skye to get this particular candy made up from a dealer she knows in Zero. Each is laced with a trace of the essence that makes me wonderfully Human. Eating just one drop will give the taster a sense of what that means. No top scientist, not even my dad, could do that.

  “I want everyone to experience what I have. To master themselves and unleash their Inner G. To be the chosen one isn't unique to me. It's a state of consciousness that anyone who truly believes in themselves can achieve.”

  I picked up Jet, and my mirror image stood in front of me.

  “With this, you are taking on so much more than just looking like me. The identical appearance will wear off, but a special part of me will be with you forever. Are you sure you want to do this?” I whispered in his ear.

  “Yes, Kid. I can handle whatever my part in The Prophecy is.” Jet said.

  “You’re powerful beyond measure and more remarkable than you know,” I told Jet as I pulled a band from my hair and tied his new long locks into a high side ponytail, just like mine.

  We hugged each other tightly. Energy emitted from us so intense that we glowed.

  “Go, capture the last eye. We’ll run a diversion.” Jet said.

  I jumped on the back of Sal’s Speedster. Jet saddled up next to Skye. The two aero bikes took off in different directions to face their destiny.

  I took one last look at my brother and smiled. Jet beamed back. There was no time left, and in any case, nothing more needed to be said. At that very moment, we both understood that the power of love was beyond language or logic. And there was nothing one wouldn’t do for whom they truly loved.

  United as one we are unstoppable.

  Together we can achieve the impossible.

  Nineteen: Me, Myself &…

  Explosions erupted, setting the world ablaze as Jet squared up t
o Zyclon in an arena watched by millions of people.

  “You impertinent fool,” Zyclon warbled acidicly. He gnashed his pointed dagger teeth and flexed his talons menacingly, “Do you think you can defeat me?”

  “Wrong question,” Jet glared back, “Do you think you can beat me!”

  Zyclon blasted Jet with an electric red force that sent him hurtling backwards, crashing through time and space.

  “Finally. It ends!” Zyclon shrieked triumphantly.

  Jet floated in the abyss that was the Vortex of Souls. As the book had taught him, there were levels to this game, and he had been in training for too long and sacrificed far too much for it to end here. The battle for planet Earth was not something he was prepared to lose.

  In a flash of blue light, Jet burst back into the arena to face Zyclon.

  “Level Up.” Jet instructed, the energies from all of the life forces he had captured gave him the power to go one last round…

  “Ha-Uh.”

  I sat bolt upright, awakened by the cold breeze that whipped around me. I rubbed my eyes half expecting to see Jet battling Zyclon by my side. But I was out in the woods, and there was no one to be seen for miles around but Sal.

  Sal sat on a rock in the wilderness, stoking up the fire and keeping a watchful eye on me.

  “I think you were having one of those bad dreams again,” she said.

  “No this dream was better. A major piece of the puzzle. It’s what I needed to be sure of.” I yawned.

  Sal nodded and poked at the flames. The campfire blazed keeping us warm and the wild animals at bay. Many strange beasts were fabled to roam the Outer Limits, but we hadn’t encountered any, except the gaggle of unsightly birds who circled our spot now and then.

  “What a time we've had together eh?” I said.

  “Unlike any other,” Sal nodded. “It's a far cry from you worrying about fitting in with those awful Prees.”

  I cringed, “I can’t believe Madeleine Stone and those mean girls were ever a priority.”

  “Don’t worry. I gave you enough stick about it.” Sal laughed.

  I laughed too.

  “You know I couldn’t have done this without you, Sal. You being by my side helped me get through the toughest of times. I didn’t mean to drag you into all of this. But I’m sure glad you came.”