by C C Sommerly
“Oh, I see.”
“Can we see your wings?” asked the Boss carefully.
“Sure, but I don’t know how to use them yet. Can one of you just spread them open?”
Ginger reached out and grabbed one wing while Manny grabbed the other. They spread them out and a hush filled the room. At least someone was appreciating them.
“They are so beautiful,” responded Ruthie.
“Thanks. I just gotta figure out how to use them.”
Ginger smiled and did a funny little twirl of what I assumed was happiness before grabbing me in a crushing hug.
“It will be so nice having a flying buddy. We can work on flying once you get out of here. When does she get out Boss?” Asked Ginger.
“Dr. Mendel, can Teagan be released? We were in the middle of an active investigation and we need to start with her training now that she’s been activated.”
“Please don’t leave me down here. At the rate the good doctor is taking my blood, even a being such as myself won’t last long,” said the demon in my head. I felt some measure of guilt. He was getting to me. I still think something was off about him. If he wasn’t a demon, then what was he and what did he mean I was like him? Was he something else that we hadn’t seen before? Only demons showed up post-Sundering. Part of me expected to see witches, vampires, shapeshifters, fairies and any number of mystical beings or biblical ones like the angels. But it was always just the demons that infected earth like a plague. Filthy beasts.
“You can take her now. Let me unhook her IV and she can leave with you. I have important things to do and don’t need to be playing nurse maid. I do expect a full accounting of anything irregular given her reaction to the activation. Can you manage that?”
“Of course, doctor. And, thank you,” said the Boss.
I walked out with the group and we made idle chit chat. I didn’t want to talk about the doctor until we were away from the lab and anyone that could eavesdrop. We met back at the quad Merritt shared with Hunter, Wiley, and Reese. We found him in his room, staring at a partially packed suitcase.
“Merritt, the Frankenstein doctor let me go. Did you know I had wings?”
“I heard something about that,” he said not meeting my eyes or even checking out my new winged appendages.
“So, you’re leaving us?”
“They told you? Well, I’m leaving, but not sure it’s to go home,” he said.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” asked the Boss.
“I can hear them. They are talking to me. They speak in my mind and ask me to join them. I’m one of them now they say. Why do I hear them? Shouldn’t I be cured?”
With a worried expression, the Boss crouched down next to Merritt and ever so carefully asked, “Who do you hear talking?”
“The demons. I can hear the demon horde. It’s like a giant collective. I feel urges and cravings for things I can’t even begin to mention,” he shuddered. “The cure didn’t work. “I can’t go home now,” he said, shuddering and tearful.
Stunned, I looked at the others, who looked worried.
“It was the same with Mason,” said Ginger. “These are the same voices he spoke about before he left,” she added.
“What does this mean? Are you saying he’s going to dement? How can that have happened? I thought the cure was proven,” I said.
“We hoped that after Mason, Dr. Mendel fixed the issues. Mason and a dozen others took the cure. All of them demented, but Mason was the only one that came back to us,” said the Boss.
“Can Dr. Mendel fix him? Maybe more of that one demon’s blood can help? He said he used it to help me,” I offered.
“We’ll need to let Dr. Mendel know. Merritt, you should come down to the lab. Have him look at you. Maybe, that new demon’s blood will help,” said the Boss.
“I think you’re right. Can you all just give me a few minutes, alone, to gather my thoughts. This changes everything,” asked Merritt.
We left Merritt and gathered as a glum group in the central area. There wasn’t enough room on the couches for all of us, so some sat on the floor, touching for reassurance more than anything.
“This is awful. How can things have gone so wrong?” I asked no one in particular.
“We thought after Mason that this was fixed, and we wouldn’t have to lose anyone,” said Ginger with tear-filled eyes.
“We haven’t lost him yet. Talking like he’s gone doesn’t help anyone, especially Merritt. He deserves our support,” I said.
“I’m all for kicking that doctor’s ass. How’s that for support,” said Hunter.
That brought a smile to my face. They were being supportive in their own ways. I would certainly enjoy seeing the creepy doctor get a beat down.
“And while I’m sure Merritt would appreciate that sentiment, it certainly wouldn’t enable the doctor to help him, especially if he was too injured to work. You’ll have to take your aggression out on something else,” said the Boss.
“You can go a few rounds with me,” said Manny.
“Ohhhh…the Crusher makes an appearance. Bet Teagan will love to see more of your rocky ass,” said Reese. “Not sure how long you will last against our own ‘Human Torch,’ but we’ll certainly enjoy the show.”
“You all go to the practice arena and I will escort Merritt to the lab. All of us crowding him and babying him won’t help. You should see if you can get Teagan up and using those wings,” said the Boss.
Yeah, my wings. Amazing that I managed to forget about them. I was a freak. Even though they were cool, I was still a winged freak. I could kiss off going out in public — like ever. Not that I was the biggest social butterfly but hitting a town bar would have been a nice change of scene. And, this meant I was pretty much stuck here at The Underground.
Chapter 41
At the training arena, Hunter faced off against Manny. I was finally getting to see the team’s powers and the excitement had my leg bouncing up and down like a junkie jonesing for his next fix. Until now, the team trained separate from me, so they didn’t injure me, or so I was told. Evidently, once activated, I was much harder to injure and kill. That did provide some level of reassurance if I was expected to someday face off against a dragon and whatever other powers the hybrids had.
I sat next to Ginger and Reese. Ginger leaned over, “We normally pair off, but since this is sure to be a good show, we are waiting until they are done. We don’t normally get to see these two face off, so enjoy,” she said.
“Now that you are activated and are completely one of us, we will be training you hard to hone your powers. We know you can fly or at least have that capability, but we still haven’t seen what other powers you may have. Watch these two. Each has different powers.”
“Okay. Thanks for the explanation,” I said.
Manny turned into a rock monster. He looked like a bunch of boulders cobbled together to make a person. His eyes were the only thing that stayed the same. He took a swing at Hunter, who dodged and threw fire in his direction. He rolled to the side and laughed, a deep rumbling sound like rolling thunder.
Hunter dodged the fist he threw at her and launched a ring of fire around him, melting the sand into glass, which Manny slid on, hitting hard enough to shake the bleachers around the arena. Yeah, that hurt, but would it hurt rock man was another question.
He swung at Hunter, who covered herself in flames at the last second, which caused Manny to swear and try to put out his hand. Those were some serious flames if they could set rock on fire.
“Just what kind of fire does Hunter have,” I asked Ginger.
“We suspect it’s hell fire, but it’s not like we have extensive resources or experience with hybrids. Many of us have similar powers, but not even one of us has the same powers,” she explained. “And, I suspect yours will be different from the rest of ours. You already have wings, which none of us have. I mean, I have my dragon wings, but I can get rid of them. We should see if yours can disappear. Maybe you are shi
fter like me.”
“That would be nice. I was not looking forward to a lifetime confined to The Underground because I’m a winged freak.”
“You’re not a freak,” said Ginger defensively.
“Easy for you to say. You can look completely human. How many humans are rocking enormous wings and mine are this weird color? And they are heavy. How do you handle the weight of your wings? My back and shoulders are really starting to feel strain from the weight of these bad boys. Who knew feathers were so heavy?”
“My case in different. When I have my wings, I’m in dragon form, which is anatomically designed for wings. Humans aren’t. We will have to see if we can get a sling or something to wrap around them to take the weight off you until you get more accustomed to the weight. We can also do strength training focused on your back and shoulders to ease the burden on carrying them.”
“Thank you. That would be awesome. I should have thought of that with my military background, but it’s hard when I’m still freaking out. I never planned on being activated so soon and then to find out I have some adverse reaction and now wings. It’s a bit much.”
“Oh look, Hunter has Manny completely engulfed in flames. He won’t be able to put himself out. Her flames can be smothered only if she does it. She sort of turns them off. If she doesn’t, she will destroy whatever she sets her flames to. It’s cool, but spooky at the same time. While, I totally love having powers, it’s also overwhelming at times how inhuman we are. There isn’t anything like us Teagan. Makes me feel lonely at times.”
“I thought I was the only one who was lonely. You all seem so close and I’ve felt like such an outsider, especially when I wasn’t activated.”
“I’m sorry you felt that way. It wasn’t intentionally, but it can take us a bit to warm up to people, especially after what happened with Mason. It’s hard to let people in and potentially lose them when they don’t activate. But now you’re activated, so let’s see what we can do with those wings.”
I vaulted over the last row of seats the arena, joining Ginger. Butterflies were making a mosh pit out of my stomach and bile was rising in the back of my throat courtesy of their thrashing. I haven’t been this nervous since my court martial. I was going to see a real dragon and fight her or fly with her or whatever Ginger had in mind. We should have really talked over what the approach was to this.
Ginger starts taking off her clothes. And, while boot camp and close quarters with other Marines killed any sense of modesty, it was still slightly unnerving to see her strip down in front of all of us. I mean anyone could see her. And of course, she had a perfect body — curves a swimsuit model would be envious of and not an ounce of fat on her petite frame. Then again, if I looked that good naked, I’d be down with stripping in public too.
I watched as her skin rippled and a flash of light revealed a ruby red dragon that was nearly the size of a small house. Incredible that such a tiny person could grow to such a size and so quickly. These were some incredible powers even if they came from demons. Dragon Ginger swung her head in my direction and her golden eyes locked on me.
“It’s on now Teagan. Enjoy your flying lesson. When Ginger is in dragon mode, her reptilian brain takes over,” said Manny with a chuckle.
“Yeah, thanks for the warning.”
Dragon Ginger picked me up by the back of my shirt and threw me on her back. Her scales were cool and slippery, making it difficult to get any kind of grip. There was just enough time to grab onto one of the spikes that ran along her back as she launched us into the sky.
“Holy Hell,” I yelled. This wasn’t like flying in a plane. The closest thing I had experienced was racing along in a motorcycle where the wind buffets you from all directions, except this was faster than any man made anything with maybe the exception of a fighter jet. We hugged the ridge line of the mountains. She did a sudden roll and I was falling.
The wind tore at my hair and wings, which flopped like a broken chicken. As the ground rose up to greet me, the dragon swooped under me and we went back up. At the same spot, she dropped me again. We repeated this process and after a dozen attempts and still no luck getting my wings to work, we flew I was brought back to the arena.
“Whoa, you have some balls,” said Hunter. “I’m not sure I could have handled being dropped by a dragon without losing my lunch.”
“Ah, yeah, it’s not like I have a choice. But it didn’t work.”
“Perhaps we are going at this wrong,” said Ginger. “Just because you have the wings doesn’t mean they are ready to work. Maybe you’re like a baby chick and you need to strengthen them through exercise before you can leave the nest,” she continued
“That makes sense. I still don’t really know how to make them move. They just kinda hang here.”
“Hmmm…we need to figure out something. No point in trying to learn about other powers you have before we tackle this flying,” said Ginger.
“I’m okay with mastering one power at a time. At this rate, it’ll be months before I can attempt another power.”
“We all took a while to learn our powers. Each of us uses a different technique to channel our power. We’ll teach you when you’re ready,” said Ginger. “All you guys should get to sparring. I’ll work with Teagan. I have some ideas.”
She grabbed my arm and brought me to the opposite side of the arena. “Let’s test your reflexes with these bad boys. Tell me when you can feel my touch.”
I waited and after a few minutes, Ginger huffed out her frustration. “You didn’t feel anything. I even grabbed them hard.”
“Sorry, still nothing.”
“But they hurt you said. Are they still hurting?”
“Falling through the sky tends to wear on your body, so yeah, they are still hurting.”
“At least you are feeling something, even if it’s just pain. I don’t get why you can’t use them or feel touch or anything other than pain. Do you feel hot or cold?”
“I never really thought about it. I don’t feel either. I just feel the weight of them and of course, the pain.”
Let’s try something different. Maybe you couldn’t use them because I you were trying to fly from a downfall. What if you tried to take off from the ground? I can morph into my dragon form and see about blowing hot air to get you some propulsion. You game with trying that?”
“Sure.” Although, I am not sure about any of this. At least she was trying something, and I hadn’t the slighted clue about what we could try.
Ginger transformed into the dragon and I was struck at the sheer beauty. Her scales were iridescent shades of red. While she appeared a solid color, she was a mixture of various hues. She hunched low to the ground and waited for me. I guess I needed to be closer. I walked to her mouth and prayed she remembered who I was, so I didn’t get eaten. Did she eat people? I should have thought to ask that. How much of Ginger was still present in Dragon Ginger? I was close enough that if she was gonna eat me or barbecue me, that she certainly could. Taking a deep breath, I closed the distance between me and dragon girl. She carefully blew a draft of air that sent me several feet in the air. I wobbled and landed on my butt without my wings doing a single thing. Figures it wouldn’t be that easy.
Dusting myself off, I approached her again. This time, she kept a continuous breath and I felt a flutter behind me and then a lurch as I was pulled backwards. It took me several moments to realize that she stopped with the air drafts. I was flying, well, more like floating, but I wasn’t falling and that was a definite plus. I could feel the pull and push as my wings worked the air. This was progress. A smile split my face. Floating, flying would come soon enough. Although, now I had to figure out how to get down. I wasn’t too high, but maybe I just pushed and pulled less. As I tried that, I plummeted down ten feet. At the last moment, Dragon Ginger catches me in her paw, hand, whatever it is called. So, floating is possible. Landing, just like a plane is much harder. My back and shoulders were burning with fatigue. As much as I wanted to keep going,
I was physically spent.
“Not sure you can understand me, but I need rest. We got me up there, but can I talk to human Ginger.”
The dragon nodded and I found myself with human Ginger. “We did it Teagan!”
“We did, well dragon you did, and I just floated. Gotta figure out the landing. Were you exhausted the first time you did dragon mode?”
“Oh, heck yeah, we all get exhausted when we are first using our powers. Flying was especially tiring for me. It’ll be the same for you. Look, I’ll walk you back to the quad. I have more training to do, but you need sleep. Don’t be surprised if you sleep most of the day. We can grab some food on the way — something quick from the pub. They keep sandwiches on hand during training days because they know we’ll come back famished.”
“Oh, good. I couldn’t even bring myself to microwave anything. Just getting back to the quad will take all the energy I have left.”
“Good thing you can eat on the way to the quad then. Oh, and you’ll burn through thousands of calories a day. I think it’s worse for shifters and now you as a flyer. Our bodies require more energy that the others’ powers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, although, sleep is screaming my name. Thank you for helping me. I did have some questions.”
“Sure, ask away.”
“When you are in dragon mode, are you still you? I mean, do you know what you are doing? Will you eat me?”
Ginger laughed until we had to stop walking because the tears were making it hard for her to see.
“Yes, I’m still me, well sorta. It’s like someone else is controlling you, but you can give your input. We are the same, but also different. I can also talk to dragon me, so you don’t have to worry that I will eat you or any of the other hybrids. I haven’t yet eaten anyone. Although, I did woof down a bison once, but I don’t think it felt much pain.”