Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins

by Queen, Grayson

  “Dry dock,” the man answered. “That ghost, it warned us about that too. It's the soul of all those sailors who got it out there in the ocean. They came back to protect us.”

  The sailor fell off his chair, and Jess decided that was all she was going to get out of him. From the bar, they could reach the port by foot in a couple of minutes. Fugen hopped onto Jess's back, and they left. The shore front reeked from the summer heat. Rats skittered into alleyways feasting on discarded fish.

  Finding the man's boat was easy. Dry dock only had room for two ships. One was a coastguard cutter that was being repainted. The other was a shrimping boat with a small hole in its side. It was late, and the only other people on the dock were too busy to pay Jess any attention. She made her way up a flight of stairs and onto an elevated platform. From there, she crossed a gangway to the boat. No one was on board, so she searched without interference.

  The boat had three different levels, the wheelhouse, the living quarters and the engine room. Jess started with the wheel house and climbed up the narrow stairs. A lot of the crew's personal possessions had been cleared out. Odds and ends were scattered about; charts, books and some trash. She poked around a little, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When she went down to the crew quarters, it was pretty much the same story. It was messy, but nothing to indicate ghostly or Super-Human activity. It was possible that one of the crew was a Free Flight. Maybe he had saved his crew mate and used the ghost story to hide the truth. On the engineering level, she paused to find a light switch. The huge machines and dark corners gave her the creeps.

  Fugen agreed with the feeling.

  “Let's split up so we can get out of here faster,” Jess suggested.

  Fugen grabbed onto the overhead pipes and swung through the compartments. Jess went in the opposite direction. The creaking and expanding metal around her added to the feeling that she wasn't alone. As she searched, she thought she heard a door shut in the distance. Jess hoped it was only Fugen. Along the side of the boat, she found a small storage room. It was hardly wide enough for a person. Jess had to shimmy sideways and push through the shelves of junk. There was old fishing gear, some emergency supplies and cardboard boxes. At the back of the room, a bunch of wool blankets had been piled on the ground. The shelves back here had been cleared out and organized. A number of cans and bottles of water were stacked up. It was obvious someone had been living here; a stowaway. Jess searched the room some more and found a small hatch in the wall. She pulled it open and heard something. For a good minute, she crouched there listening for the sound to come again. Her instincts told her it was a person, more likely a child; based on the size of the hatchway.

  “Hello,” she said. There was no reply, so she said, “My name is Jess. I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I heard this story about a ghost and decided to see for myself.” Still nothing. “Well, okay, I'll be out here.” She resolved that she was going to wait things out. There was plenty of food on the shelves. Hopefully, whoever was in there would get hungry soon. Or she could send in Fugen.

  Later

  One hour turned into two. Then two hours into four. Jess had Fugen keep watch while she slept. He woke her in the morning. Whoever was in the hole started to shift around.

  “I have to pee,” a boy's voice said.

  “Well then come out and go to the bathroom,” Jess said with an annoyed tone.

  “You're with The One, right?” The boy questioned.

  It occurred to Jess that the voice was speaking English with a British accent. She answered, “Yes. I'm with Super-Human Tracking. We go around looking for people like you.”

  “My father sent you, huh?” The boy asked.

  That took Jess by surprise. “No. Who is your father?”

  “Lieutenant Joseph Brown,” the boy replied. “He was stationed at the French headquarters. If my father didn't send you, then who did?”

  “No one did,” Jess replied. “I'm kind of rogue. I'm supposed to report in and follow leads that my CO hands me, but I like working on my own.” Jess chuckled. “I think I'm actually still officially stationed in India.”

  “I didn't like where I was living either,” the boy said.

  “Oh, why is that?” Jess prodded.

  “They sent us to the States,” the boy said disgustedly. “My dad said it was our duty, but I just wanted to stay at home. I was okay living in France.”

  “You got all the way here from America?” Jess asked.

  “No,” the boy answered. “We were on break visiting my grandparents.” He stopped talking for a moment then continued, “My mom and dad said they were getting a divorce. Only me and my dad got invisible powers, so my mom couldn't stay on base. She packed all her stuff and left for Tokyo.”

  “Oh,” Jess was beginning to understand.

  “I really need to pee,” the boy said. “Will you promise not to arrest me?”

  “On the condition that afterwards you stay out here and talk to me,” Jess said.

  A second later the boy squirmed out of the hole and dashed past Jess. Overhead, the pipes made a strange sound then Jess could hear the rush of water. The boy appeared in the doorway a little later. Shyly he made his way to a box and sat.

  “What's your name?” Jess asked him.

  “Scott,” he told her.

  “You know Scott, these boats don't go out to Japan,” Jess informed him.

  “Well, I learned that the hard way didn't I?” Scott said. “I've been in here for weeks. I don't know Chinese, so I can't figure out what ship is going where.”

  Jess grabbed Fugen from the shelf where he was sitting. He curled up in her arms as she petted him. “Do you have a plan?”

  “I'm thinking of one,” Scott replied.

  “Oh, okay,” Jess said. “You want to eat something while you think?”

  She opened one of the cans and used a hot plate to warm the food. The two of them ate in silence. Later she made lunch and then dinner. They fell asleep without saying another word. Again, Fugen kept watch, but Scott didn't make a run for it. When the sun came up, Jess woke and made dehydrated eggs from a pouch. It was terrible, and they had a laugh over how bad they were.

  During lunch Scott asked, “What is that?” Pointing at Fugen.

  “He's my little demon friend,” Jess said. “He does lots of cool stuff, like he knows every language, and he can change forms.”

  “He makes you look like an anime character,” Scott laughed.

  “I know,” Jess said grumpily, “that's why I don't let him out all the time.”

  “If he can change shape then how do you keep him in a cage?” Scott asked.

  “Oh no, I don't lock him in a cage,” Jess said. “Fugen doesn't have to have a physical form. I can hear him all the time. He knows loads of strange things.”

  “Like what?”

  “He knows that in three days a ship will leave from pier nine headed for Japan,” Jess said.

  “Why would you tell me that?” Scott sounded annoyed and confused.

  Jess just shrugged. The food on the shelf was running thin, but she made dinner. That night she sent Fugen to find more food. He came back with a small sack of crackers and fruit. It was good enough for breakfast in the morning.

  “I'm a Free Flight, aren't you supposed to arrest me?” Scott asked as he nibbled crackers.

  “Free Flight is a catch-all term for Super-Humans that aren't with The One,” Jess said. “A lot of the Free Flights I find don't even know their Super-Humans. It wouldn't be very nice if we arrested them for that. Besides it’s not like we have a prison. All we do is put them in training at one of the Complexes.”

  “Oh,” Scott said. “How much trouble do you think I'm in?”

  “With your dad or The One?” Jess asked. “I'm sure your dad will be upset, sad, happy, betrayed and all sorts of other things. What can you expect? You ran away from him. The One... Well, they'll put a note in your file and keep an eye on you. It's not that bad; my record is filled with n
otes.”

  The last of the food was finished that night, and they fell asleep. When Jess woke, Scott was sitting over her.

  “We're out of food,” he said. “Guess it's time to go.”

  “Yeah?” Jess said questioningly.

  “I bet my mom is worried too, eh?”

  “More than likely.”

  “I'm never going to live this one down,” Scott said. “I remember being a little kid and thinking I was going to be the greatest hero ever. Then I do something stupid like this.”

  “Well, it's never too late to do something great,” Jess said as she got up. “Look at me, I'm about to figure out everything I've been searching for.”

  “Huh?” Scott had no clue what she was talking about.

  “You and I are headed to America, Scott,” Jess took his hand and led him out. “I have a friend out there, so it’ll be nice to settle down. Take some of you ‘troubled youth’ under my wing and guide you like little puppies. I always wanted more pets.”

  “You’re weird,” Scott said.

  2009, Kansas

  Two black SUV's sped along the highway. Bits of debris clattered against the armored metal. Six hours ago Major Barrymore, under the orders of Colonel Porter, deployed his R and R Battalion into Kansas. It was standard Rescue and Relief for the tornado stricken state. Lieutenant Robert Day had been ordered to take his platoon ahead of the storm and warn the civilians.

  He gripped the steering wheel tighter as the wind tried to rip the car off the road. Corporal Alison Cortez was sitting in the passenger seat calling out warnings.

  “Slow down a bit,” she said to Robert.

  His foot lifted off the accelerator as a barn roof came tumbling across the road.

  “You know I like this job more and more every day,” Private Alex Wynn said from the back seat. “Be better if I could drive, yah?”

  “No,” Robert said sternly.

  “Please, dad?” Alex joked.

  “We're gonna need to speed up if we want to beat this twister to the next town,” Corporal Henry Schreier’s voice came over the radio.

  He and Sergeant Anne Marie Godfrey were following in the rear SUV. Henry’s sensor data was predicting the path of the tornado while Angie drove.

  Robert couldn't imagine how much bickering was going on between them. “Roger that,” he replied. “Follow as best you can.” He sped the car up and weaved through the debris. “I'm impressed Henry hasn't cracked any Wizard of Oz jokes,” he said to no one in particular.

  Alison was busy focusing on the potential dangers ahead of them.

  Alex finally spoke, “If you're waiting for me to say something, I should tell you I never saw the movie.”

  “It was a book first,” Robert mumbled.

  In the rear car, Henry was watching the tornado rip up a field of wheat. Then it seemed to wobble and turn. The turn became an arc. In an instant, the storm changed its path. Henry's data confirmed the trajectory.

  “Uh, Lieutenant,” Henry said into the radio. “That thing is turning toward us.”

  “Then the town is out of danger?” Robert asked.

  “That one,” Henry replied. He brought up a map on his mental computer. “But not the other one on our right, through those trees and about ten miles away.”

  Robert stared at the tree line looking for an opening. They were coming up on what looked like a dirt path. “We're going through the trees,” he said. “These are SUVs, right? They can take it.”

  “Tell that to the soccer moms,” Henry said.

  Then Robert steered the car off the highway. They crashed down into a ditch then up the other side. Alex was tossed into the air, landing on his side. He made an ‘oof’ sound as he hit.

  “Told you to put your seat belt on,” Robert chided him.

  “Yes, dad,” Alex moaned. The car was shaking like an earthquake. He had a tough time sitting upright and getting the seat belt on.

  Robert took the car blindly through the trees. “Henry do you have satellite imagery on this area?” He asked.

  “You want I should make sure we ain’t headed off a cliff?” Henry confirmed.

  “That would be nice,” Robert told him.

  After a brief analysis, Henry came back, “Yeah we're totally about to hit a river in five, four...”

  Robert brought the car to a quick stop. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast. Not only was his team stuck between a river and a tornado, but there were a bunch of civilians who didn't know what was coming. He had some expertise with fires and wondered if similar tactics might work. Robert hopped out of the car, and the rest of his platoon followed suit.

  “Henry,” Robert called out, “Is this thing taking the path of least resistance? Can we change its course if we change the terrain?”

  “Sure,” Henry replied, “but we’re talking major... Oh.” He realized what Robert had in mind.

  “We'll use the river as a starting point,” Robert told them. “I'll start carving the dirt. Alex and Angie will take down as many trees as they can. Alison and Henry will take the car and find a way across the river to warn the town.”

  The plan was clear, concise and logical. His team didn't need to question him because they trusted that it would work. Alison jumped into one of the cars, and Henry followed. They headed out while the others stayed behind.

  “Double or nothing I can fell more trees than you,” Alex said to Angie. He had removed his broadsword from the car and had it on his shoulder. Then he turned west toward the trees and started chopping.

  Angie stood for a moment. “Fell?” She asked Robert. She didn't wait for an answer. Turning east, she brought her claws to bare and started cutting.

  Robert jogged along the dirt path until he came to the river. It wasn't very wide, but it had cut a deep ravine into the earth. He needed to make that ravine deeper by at least a dozen feet. He hesitated for a moment. Robert was about to unleash an enormous amount of power, something he didn't like doing. Taking in a deep breath, he pointed his palms toward the ravine and blasted it. Despite the power at play, it was still a precision job. The dirt and rock weren't being disintegrated but shoved up the other side. For every foot he cut down; he pushed the earth a foot higher. Still, it was taking longer than he wanted.

  Robert stopped blasting and grabbed his radio. “Angie. Alex. I need you to cut and move the trees to guide this thing to my position.”

  “Copy,” they replied.

  There was going to have to be a change of plans. He would need to gouge a path into the ground, deep enough to coax the tornado to this spot, like a funnel. Robert continued to work on the ravine as his people cut and moved the trees into position. When the wind was almost too much to stand, he ordered Alex and Angie back to him.

  “I need you two to start running for it,” Robert ordered.

  “The trees aren't going to be enough,” Alex yelled over the noise.

  “I'm staying behind to blast another trench,” Robert told them. “A big one.”

  Alex and Angie understood that they needed to get clear, not only of the tornado but Robert. Angie made to go, but Alex stayed put. She grabbed him by the shirt yanking at Alex to move.

  “You won't have time to get out,” Alex argued. “I'll stay and get us both out.”

  Robert’s training said not to risk two lives. But a small part of him thought Alex's plan made sense. Alex was strong enough to carry him while jumping clear. He gave the okay and Angie drove off in the remaining car.

  “Get behind me.” The wind was picking up and dirt was blowing into his eyes making it hard to concentrate. Robert let out a ray of energy that started as a narrow point from his hands and spread wide toward the tornado. He had successfully cut a path for the tornado to follow.

  “Time to go,” Alex said with a smile. “All a...”

  A log came barreling and flipping in the chaos. It swung over Robert's head then came down hitting Alex. In the blink of an eye; Alex was gone. The storm had gotten on top of them, toss
ing debris at sixty miles per hour. The impact would have been like being hit by a car. Robert blinked again; that was his only hesitation. Fourteen years training under Colonel Porter had turned Robert's mental process into a machine. Now was not the time for thought or emotion. Now was the time for a plan to save himself. It was for moments like this that The One had trained them. Free Flights had abilities that made them better than Norms. But Super-Humans in The One had the intellect to implement those abilities in ways others could never imagine.

  Robert looked at the ground, drew on his energy and calculated the best he could. Back at the Complex they had theorized about this trick. The difference between theory and actuality when it came to a lifesaving technique meant nothing. He would have to make sure that the blast was facing outward, that it was contained and he'd take the brunt of the concussion. Most of all Robert would have to make sure not to pass out.

  The explosion hit him in the stomach like a freight train. It threw him into the air and over the tree tops. Flying at thirty miles per hour and thirty feet up was going to make the landing tricky. All he wanted to do was vomit. What he needed to do was target the ground and use his energy blasts to slow his descent. With one hand, he slowed his forward momentum and with the other his downward fall. Robert had no doubt that this was going to be painful. He hit an open area that was more rock than dirt. His body tumbled and rolled for several feet.

  After passing out, he woke on his back, staring at the sky. Robert shifted slightly to see how badly he was hurt; broken ribs, dislocated arm, concussion and a variety of lacerations. There was no point trying to get up, he trusted his people would find him shortly. He had to assume the tornado had been diverted because the sky was clear. As he lay there, he struggled to find the right emotions. Robert thought that Alex might have survived, but knew it was only his brain trying to ease the suffering. The thoughts that it was his fault... Well, those could be argued either way. Then there was the anger, sadness and after that, came the duty. Robert grasped onto that thought as he formulated the words he would say to the others, how he would tell them Alex was dead.