Chapter 27 – A Demonstration of Power
Mary Wellington floated in the space created by the Elder being she called Uncle Charlie and reflected on her situation. At first, the Elder being had been amused when Mary refused to call him Big Brother. She had stated that she had never had a big brother before, so the appellation was weird to her. Then, she mentioned that since the mental voice of the Elder being reminded her of her now deceased uncle, she dubbed the Elder being with her uncle’s name. The whole situation was beyond weird for Mary and bordered on the insane. Here she was, in the middle of nowhere (literally), communing with an ancient being that was so old that his age in Earth years would be almost meaningless, and she was calling him by the name of a dead uncle! However, ever since the Elder being invited her to commune with him more directly, the situation began to make much more sense.
At first, though, Mary had been dubious.
“You want me to do what?!” she exclaimed.
“YOU HAVE EXPRESSED AN
INTEREST IN MY NATURE IN THE PAST. TO
HELP YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU MUST MEET ME DIRECTLY.”
“Look, Uncle Charlie, I’m no expert on space and spatial distances, but judging by the monitors on this bridge, you’ve got to be at least several miles away.”
“FIVE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN MILES, TO BE EXACT,” said Uncle Charlie with a slightly amused tone.
Mary, of course, had caught the tone. “Alrighty then, smart ass, how the heck am I supposed to come see you?” She paused, thought for a minute and then said, “Well, I suppose I could take a shuttle out to you or something, and then get into some kind of space suit. But then who’s going to fly me over, and do you have a suit fitted to me?”
“YOU WILL NOT NEED A
SHUTTLE NOR WILL YOU NEED A SUIT. I WILL
BRING YOU OUT TO MEET ME.”
“When?”
“WHENEVER
YOU ARE READY.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m terribly busy right now.”
“VERY
WELL. VAL’YIOR WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CLOSEST
AIRLOCK.”
As promised, Val’yior, the Valean with whom Mary was most familiar, led Mary through the corridors of the ship. Along the way, Mary kept trying to question the Valean leader about the enigmatic ‘Uncle Charlie,’ but Val’yior refused to answer any questions about the Elder.
“You know when time right,” said Val’yior in his stunted and broken English. During her time on the ship, and from her various conversations with Val’yior and Uncle Charlie, Mary had learned that not all Valeans were telepathic. In fact, only a very small number of Valeans had any ESP type powers at all. Those that did, however, tended to play significant roles within the Valean hierarchy. Also during her time on the ship, Mary had started to teach Val’yior to speak English, if for no other reason than to have someone with whom she could speak verbally with.
“Your English is improving very quickly, Val’yior,” remarked Mary. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’ve been cheating!”
“I? Cheat?” Val’yior’s face stretched into a lopsided expression that Mary knew to express incredulity.
“Yes, you!”
“I have advantages, yes. This not called cheating!”
“Really? Then how have you improved in such sort time?” asked Mary. “Don’t tell me all those stories about alien visitations on Earth are true and that you’ve been holding out on me!”
Mary had meant her statement as a joke, but Val’yior’s expression turned serious. “We no interfere with primitive races, not part of war. Our enemies use primitive races in war to fight us. We stop not always. Many innocents die.”
The implications of what Val’yior just said stunned Mary into stopping in mid step. She half stumbled and then steadied herself. “You mean this has happened before? On other planets? Those little green bastards have done to other civilizations the same thing that they tried to do to me and my husband?” Mary had tried hard not to think about David, but now, sudden emotions and memories nearly caused her to choke and brought tears to her eyes.
“In past, enemies only took. Your planet too advanced for them to just take. Must involve others.”
Mary brushed at her eyes and said, “Like what you said before? When you first rescued me? That your enemies were involving the world governments?”
“Yes.”
“Those bastards! Those bloody bastards!” hissed Mary. She flicked her head savagely in an unspoken indication to Val’yior to lead on. Her shoulder length hair whipped around and her peripheral vision caught a flash of grayish white. What had started as simple discoloration had advanced quickly to an outright fading of all color. Her hair, once a luxurious auburn was now almost pure white.
As they started walking again, Mary turned once more to her companion. “Why? Why would they do such things?”
Val’yior shook his head and sent her a mental message instead. “That is for our God to explain to you. We have arrived.”
They finally reached a large doorway. Val’yior touched a panel on the wall, and the door slid open to either side. He gestured for Mary to enter, and then followed her into the room. The room itself was big. Bigger than anything Mary had seen on the ship. Obviously, this was the airlock that Uncle Charlie had referred to. Val’yior walked over to a control panel and hit some keys.
Up ahead, at the end of the long room, a dark inky blackness seemed to materialize at one end of the far wall. The blackness quickly grew in size and with a fearful sinking feeling in her stomach, Mary realized that Val’yior must have opened the door leading directly to space.
She felt nothing though. There was no instant loss of pressure. There was no rapid decompression or anything like that. Nothing like what she had expected after being raised in an era of popular science fiction. When the door completed its task, Mary found herself staring out into the vast darkness of space. As she looked closely though, she thought she could see a faint shimmering glow. Understanding dawned upon her. A force field! That had to be it!
All of a sudden, she felt an invisible force pick her up. “What the –“ she exclaimed.
She looked around and realized that Val’yior was getting further and further away, while the inky black darkness of space was getting closer. Before she had a chance to really panic though, a deep comforting voice in her head spoke up.
“DO NOT FEAR,
MARY. I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO COME TO
HARM.”
Despite the reassurance though, Mary could not stop her rapidly beating heart. Just as she crossed the threshold into space, she felt a moment of sheer terror before she realized that she didn’t feel any different from before. In fact, the only thing that had changed was her perception. The ship seemed to be above her, and the bright shiny orb that she knew to be Uncle Charlie seemed to be far below her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something just wasn’t quite right. Of course, she had never been in outer space before, but from stories she had heard, she knew she was supposed to be feeling something.
“I HAVE WRAPPED A
BUBBLE OF ENERGY AROUND YOU, MARY. IN
THIS BUBBLE, I HAVE RECREATED AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR
RACE. IT WOULD NOT SERVE BOTH OF OUR
PURPOSES IF YOU WERE TO FEEL
Ill nor not, Mary could not shake the feeling that she was rapidly falling into nothing. All around her, she could see bright lights dotting the blackness of space. She knew these lights were actually ships in the Valean fleet. As she turned her head to observe the ships, she had a sudden feeling of vertigo and quickly squeezed her eyes shut. Her brain just could not come to grips that there was no longer a ‘down’ or an ‘up.’
“WOULD IT HELP IF I
WERE TO BLOCK OUT YOUR VISION OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS?”
“Yes, please,” gasped Mary.
“I APOLOGIZE,
MARY. I HAD THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD TAKE
DELIGHT IN BEING ABLE TO SEE.”
Mary opened her eyes again and was relieved to find that she was in what appeared to be some kind of round room. The blackness of space from earlier was replaced by a filmy whiteness. The only odd thing was that she was still floating in the center of this round white room, but at least the floating was something she could deal with. “No need to apologize, Uncle Charlie.” A part of her was still in shock at being thrown out into space, but another part, a more rational part, was quickly beginning to see just how powerful this strange Elder being was. The power he was demonstrating was almost beyond imagining, yet it was surely only a small part of his capabilities.
Because Mary had no notion of movement, she also had no
notion of time. Therefore, it could have
been minutes, or merely seconds before the gentle but powerful voice of Uncle
Charlie spoke in her mind once more. “YOU HAVE ARRIVED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ME FOR WHAT I AM?”
Mary could barely contain her excitement. “Yes, I would!”
Without warning, the filmy whiteness that had surrounded her faded away, to be replaced by something else. Behind her was still the inky blackness of space. In front of her, however, was something else altogether. If Mary were not an atheist, she would have certainly believed that she was now face to face with God. Uncle Charlie was a silvery orb, whose diameter stretched out to either side for as far as Mary could see. She had no way to judge just how big Uncle Charlie was, but from what she could see, he was immense. No wonder she had to come out here to meet him! There was no way he could fit into any of the Valean ships!
“Oh. My. G-“
“IF YOU SAY GOD, MARY
WELLINGTON, I WILL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU.”
“But, Val’yior and the rest of the Valeans all call you God! You…you’re beautiful!”
“THANK YOU, MARY. I TRY SO VERY HARD TO MAINTAIN MY YOUTHFUL
COMPLEXION!”
Despite herself, Mary burst out laughing. “You! You’re such a smart ass!” Uncle Charlie’s humor at least had served its purpose. Mary’s earlier worshipful feelings were quickly disappearing. It was hard to feel worshipful towards something that could crack wiseass jokes on a moments notice.
“THE VALEAN RACE AND
MY OWN RACE HAS HAD A LONG HISTORY TOGETHER.
I HAVE GIVEN UP TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO STOP CALLING ME THAT. AT LEAST THEY DO NOT WORSHIP ME! THAT WOULD BE MOST EMBARASSING.”
Mary reached out a hand, as if to touch the wondrous being in front of her. “Can…can I touch you?”
In response, a point on the surface of the vast orb in front of Mary seemed to shimmer for a moment, and then opened up into a wide gaping cavern. Mary felt the invisible force pull her in, and then the cavern closed up behind her. She was inside Uncle Charlie! The invisible force released her and her feet touched ground. All around her, the walls of the cavern glowed with a silvery light. She sat down upon the ground and stroked the floor with her hands. “So soft, and warm,” she said to no one in particular.”
“YOU ONLY FEEL WARMTH
BECAUSE I AM PROJECTING THE WARMTH TO YOU.
MY KIND MUST CONSTANTLY ABSORB ENERGY IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. SINCE I HAVE BEEN DORMANT FOR SO LONG, MANY
PARTS OF MY BODY HAVE BECOME COLD AND UNRESPONSIVE. I AM SLOWLY RECHARGING MYSELF THOUGH.”
Mary’s mind was running at a mile a minute. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask but she could not settle on any one of them. She desperately wanted ask about Uncle Charlie’s true nature. Her curiosity about him was almost overwhelming. However, due to her recent conversation with Val’yior, something else overrode her curiosity. “You may not be a god, but you are extremely powerful. Can you help me with what is happening back on my planet?” The sudden intense tone of her voice surprised even herself.
Uncle Charlie’s sad tone was equally surprising. “I AM SORRY, MARY. I CANNOT HELP YOU DIRECTLY.”
“Why? Because it’s not your fight?” asked Mary somewhat harshly.
“NO, YOU
MISUNDERSTAND. IN A VERY
“Then what the heck am I doing here? Send me back to Earth. I’ll make some people very sorry for what they have done,” said Mary angrily. Her expression was one of heated anger as memories of her husband flooded her mind.
“MARY, THOUGH I CANNOT
HELP YOU DIRECTLY, I CAN OFFER SOME ASSISTANCE.
VAL’YIOR HAS ALREADY OFFERED TO LEAD A TALION OF STING SHIPS TO AID YOU
IN YOUR
Mary’s expression softened. “That’s…that’s great news. It will not be enough, but I’ll take whatever help I can get. I have seen how effective the Valeans are in dealing with the Praecetorians and the Hydra soldiers.”
“THAT IS TRUE. VAL’YIOR AND HIS PEOPLE ARE VERY EXPERIENCED
WITH DEALING WITH THE KIND OF PERVERSIONS THAT THE PRAECETORIANS ARE CAPABLE
OF. HOWEVER, I TOO HAVE SOMETHING TO
CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR
Mary hopes started to rise at that statement. “Really? What is it?”
In response, a portion of the floor in front of her started to glow. A small bulge appeared in the centre of the glow and quickly formed into a small glowing bump. The bump stretched higher and higher and it suddenly detached itself from the floor and hovered in front of Mary’s eyes as a glowing silver orb. Mary reached out a hand towards it but did not touch it. Instead, she could feel heat radiating from the orb.
“What…what is it?” asked Mary haltingly.
“IT IS A SHARD OF MY
ESSENCE. YOU HAVE SEEN SOME OF MY
CAPABILITIES. WITH THIS SHARD, YOU WILL
BE ABLE TO ACCESS SOME OF MY POWERS.”
Mary’s hopes soared at the thought of tapping into the Elder being’s powers. However, her hopes were nearly dashed with Uncle Charlie’s next statement.
“THERE WILL BE A
FEARFUL PRICE FOR YOUR USAGE OF THIS POWER THOUGH.”
“Price?” asked Mary. “Just name it and I’ll pay it!”
“I WILL NOT BE THE ONE
EXACTING PAYMENT FROM YOU, MARY. YOU
MUST UNDERSTAND SOMETHING OF MY NATURE BEFORE YOU AGREE TO TAKING
THE SHARD.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed and she listened to Uncle Charlie’s words. “Go on, I’m listening.”
“IN THE MOST SIMPLEST
OF TERMS, I AM A BEING COMPOSED OF SOLID STATE ENERGY.”
“What? That’s impossible! That’s an oxymoron!” exclaimed Mary.
“ON THE SURFACE, YES,
IT DOES SEEM TO BE A CONTRADICTION. MY
RACE BELIEVES THAT THE EPITOME OF EVOLUTION IS TO ACHIEVE A STATE OF PURE SENTIENT
ENERGY. THIS
“Larvae?” blurted Mary. “You mean you are a child?”
“NO, ALTHOUGH COMPARED
TO THE BEING THAT MY RACE HAS CHOSEN TO EMULATE, I CAN BE CONSIDERED ONE.”
“What’re you talking about? What being?”
“WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
GODS. THE VALEANS REFER TO ME AS THEIR
GOD. TO THE HUMANS, I HAVE POWERS THAT
ARE EQUIVALENT TO MANY OF THE GODS IN VARIOUS RELIGIONS. IF I WANTED TO, I COULD CREATE A PLANET, SEED IT WITH LIFE, AND NUTURE THAT LIFE UNTIL IT
EVOLVED INTO SENTIENT BEINGS. IT WOULD
TAKE MILLIONS OF YEARS, AND MORE STRENGTH THAN I HAVE AT THE MOMENT, BUT SUCH
IS WITHIN MY POWER. THERE IS, HOWEVER, A
CERTAIN BEING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT CAN DO MORE.
IN FACT, THIS BEING CREATED THE UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN WITH A TITANTIC
RELEASE OF ENERGY. IT WAS AT THAT VERY
MOMENT THAT THIS BEING, WHOM WE CALL THE CREATOR, GAVE UP PHYSICAL EXISTENCE
AND EVOLVED INTO A FORM OF PURE ENERGY.
AS A RACE, WE HAVE DEDICATED EVERYTHING TO BE ABLE TO EVOLVE OURSELVES
TO THIS STATE OF PURE SENTIENT ENERGY.
I MYSELF, AM ONE STEP AWAY FROM ACHIEVING THAT GOAL.”
“Really? What’s stopping you? What do you need to take that final step?”
“RESPONSIBILITY AND
DUTY PREVENT ME FROM TAKING THAT STEP.
WITHOUT THEM, ALL I NEED TO DO IS TO INFUSE MY BODY WITH SO MUCH ENERGY
THAT MY PHYICAL SHELL CANNOT CONTAIN IT ANYMORE. MY BODY WILL TAKE THIS EXCESS ENERGY AND METAMORPH
INTO MY FINAL FORM OF PURE SENTIENT ENERGY.”
“Responsibility and duty? You’re talking the war, aren’t you?”
“THAT IS CORRECT. THIS WAR, WHICH HAS CLAIMED SO MANY LIVES, IS
SOMETHING I MUST SEE TO ITS CONCLUSION.”
“Couldn’t you just take that final step and still protect the Valeans in your energy form?”
“I HAVE LOST CONTACT
WITH EVERY ONE OF MY BRETHREN WHO HAS TAKEN THAT FINAL STEP. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT IF I WERE TO DO THE
SAME, I TOO WILL LOSE ALL INTEREST WITH THE PHYSICAL WORLD AND MERGE MYSELF
WITH THE TAPESTRY OF THE UNIVERSE.”
Mary thought for a minute about Uncle Charlie’s words and then said, “That sounds awfully like death. Lose interest in the physical world? Merge with the universe? Sounds like you would die when you achieve your goal.”
“NOT DEATH, MARY, BUT
ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE.”
“Whatever,” said Mary somewhat impatiently. “How does this all affect me? What is the price you were talking about?”
The glowing orb dipped down a bit and then rose back up to the level of Mary’s eyes, in response to her question.
“THIS SHARD IS NO
LONGER A PART OF ME. WHILE BEING ALIVE,
IT HAS NO SENTIENCE. WHILE YOU WILL BE
ABLE TO ACCESS ITS POWERS, IT WILL HAVE BUT ONE GOAL THAT IT WILL SINGEMINDEDLY
PURSUE. IT MUST FEED.”
Mary grinned impishly and said, “That’s it? All I have to do is feed it? That’s easy. What does it eat?”
“LIKE MYSELF, THE
SHARD MUST CONTINUOSLY ABSORB ENERGY.
ANY KIND OF ENERGY WILL DO.
HOWEVER, IF IT CANNOT FIND ENOUGH, OR IF YOU HAVE DEPLETED ITS POWER TOO
MUCH, IT WILL ABSORB FROM THE CLOSEST SOURCE.
YOU.”
“Me?”
“YES. THE SHARD WILL BOND WITH YOU,
AND YOU WILL PROVIDE THE SENTIENCE OF THIS SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP. IT RETURN, THE SHARD
WILL LEND YOU ITS STRENGTH AND POWER.
HOWEVER, DEPLETE ITS ENERGY TOO MUCH, AND THE SHARD WILL CONSUME YOU.”
Mary suppressed an involuntary shiver. She had to admit that having the Elder being’s power would be necessary in the struggle ahead. But was she willing to pay the price? Her thoughts flashed back to her husband, David, as he lay broken and ripped apart by the Praecetorian machines. As usual, a black terrifying anger rippled through her being. That anger, though, quickly changed to fear as she imagined Serena or Michael on that same table. Though neither of them were children of her body, her maternal instincts to protect them were strong - strong enough that she would to anything to protect them from the same fate that claimed her husband.
When she finally spoke, her voice was surprisingly steady. “I accept.”
“VERY WELL, MARY
WELLINGTON. REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE
SHARD.”
Mary held up her right hand again, and cupped her hand under the orb. The orb was about the size of a soccer ball, and it was hard to imagine Uncle Charlie’s awesome powers in something so small. In response to Mary’s movement, the orb dropped down towards her hand. When it touched, that was when the pain hit her.
Unprepared for the pain, Mary screamed in agony as intense boiling heat and freezing crippling cold engulfed her hand. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut, she did not see the shard slowly melt and ooze down over her hand and along her arm. She fell to her knees, clutching her wounded arm close to her body.
The pain stopped as suddenly as it had begun. It took Mary several moments to realize that the agony was over. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at what her right arm had become. From the elbow down to the fingertips, her right arm was completely encased in silver. She flexed her fingers experimentally. It still felt like her hand, but it certainly didn’t look like it!
“I AM SORRY FOR THE
PAIN YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED, MARY. I HAVE
NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE AND DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE RESULT.”
“That’s ok, Uncle Charlie. I’m just glad that it’s over!” Mary continued to look at her hand. “Ok, now that I have it, how do I use it?”
“I WILL, OF COURSE
INSTRUCT YOU IN ITS USE. HOWEVER, BEFORE
I DO, I HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK OF YOU.”
“Favor? What is it?”
“SOMEWHERE, ON YOUR
PLANET, I HAVE FELT AN AWAKENING. I HAVE
ALSO RECEIVED A BRIEF TELEPATHIC REPORT.
SOMEWHERE, ON YOUR PLANET, IS AN ELDER BEING. I NEED YOU TO FIND IT.”
---
A completely exhausted May flopped herself unceremoniously onto her bed and exhaled deeply. Ever since arriving home, she had only allowed herself a quick refreshing shower before heading for her bed. Her father had met her at the front door of the house, but no words needed to be exchanged. By the time May had made it home from the fight with Diablo, she had worked out much of what had happened behind the scenes. All it took was one look at her father’s face to confirm all of her suspicions.
Immediately after the fight, May had managed to swear both Linna and Catherine into secrecy with hushed promises of
the full story later on. As the teachers
and students began filing back into the gym, May and
As if sensing that May was at the heart of the disturbance, Mrs. Hoover had taken May aside to ask her pointed questions. May had stuck with the story that she and Tracy had made up but it wasn’t long before she realized that it would take more than a half true story to satisfy her principal. While sitting in Mrs. Hoover’s office, on the other side of Mrs. Hoover’s forbidding desk, May had reached out with her gift and gently nudged her principal. From reading Mrs. Hoover’s emotions, May knew that Mrs. Hoover was already more than half way convinced but had felt that it was her duty as the principal to make further inquiries. May gently allayed Mrs. Hoover’s fears, and promoted calm and belief. It was a testimony of how much May had improved with her gift that she was able to do all of this without the close physical contact she once needed.
While Mrs. Hoover had been relatively easy to convince, the two police officers who had come later to interview her were not. Mrs. Hoover was already inclined to believe May’s story, however, with the police, May had to start from ground zero. However much she tried, though, she just was not able to push either officer’s emotions enough for them to believe her.
Just when May was ready to bolt for the door though, both officers suddenly stiffened and their eyes stared blankly at her. May was about to wave her hand experimentally in front of their eyes when the senior officer, a woman in her mid thirties spoke in wooden tones. The officer recounted May’s story almost verbatim and then asked May if everything was on the mark. While the senior officer was speaking, the junior officer, a man in his early twenties was busy writing on his notepad. His eyes had the same blank look that stared at the far wall while his right hand wrote feverishly with a life of its own.
It was one of the oddest experiences in May’s life. She almost felt like she was in Wonderland having a tea party with the Mad Hatter. The police officers finished their interview and walked out of the room like robots. May was free to go home after that.
Though exhausted, May could not fall asleep right away. She needed answers and she wanted them now. Though not a Telepath, she knew someone who was, and that particular person was probably waiting for her.
“Mother? Are you there? Can you hear me?” Though she knew that her mother was probably waiting for her to initiate the contact, May’s mental question was a little tentative.
Stella Li’s reply was almost instantaneous and further confirmed
May’s suspicions. “Yes, May. I was wondering how
long it would take you to try to contact me.”
May took a deep breath, calmed her emotions and then plowed
ahead. “Mother, about tonight –“
However, Stella had other ideas in mind. “May,
let me answer all your questions.”
If anything, Stella’s mental voice sounded tired and somewhat
relieved. “Yes, your grandfather and I knew all about tonight. Yes we knew ahead of time. No, we did not alert you earlier because to
do so may have affected your decisions and may have ultimately affected the
outcome. Clairvoyance is a tricky gift
and as long as everything remained the way it was, then the vision your
grandfather saw would come true. Make
any small change and the vision could have been invalidated. Yes, your grandfather and I merged our gifts
tonight. Yes we prevented
Though many of the statements made by Stella were
surprising, the most surprising thing of all was how numb May felt in hearing
it. A part of her marveled at the power
demonstrated by her mother and her grandfather when they merged their gifts,
but that thought was balanced by the memory of the blank expressions of the
faces of the two police officers. Then,
there was the way
Without realizing it, while still musing on the events of
tonight, May drifted off into a restless doze.
Half formed dreams and vague images plagued her. She had vague impressions of running in front
of a dark tide. She didn’t know what the
tide was, but she could feel its malevolence.
No matter how hard she tried, the dark tide seemed to catch up to
her. Just before it touched her though,
she suddenly jolted awake. The only
light in her room was coming from the display on her clock radio. It read 3:30 AM. Feeling sheepish for falling asleep while
talking to her mother, she decided to see if her mother was still awake. “Mother? Sorry for falling asleep. Are you there?”
Silence was the only response that May got. May reached out mentally, trying to find some trace of her mother, but could not find any.
Several minutes went by and May assumed that her mother must have fallen asleep as well. May closed her eyes and was about to succumb to the sandman once more when suddenly an alarm filled her mind. Even before the message completed, May had jumped out of her bed and had dashed into her closet. The message itself, chilled her to the bone.
“May! I
need you! Hurry! Your father will take you to the
airport.
---
Sex for
Somehow, Tracy and Michael managed to make it up the stairs,
even though
With considerable effort, she pulled away from Michael’s
embrace. She almost let out a soft
whimper as her body left Michael’s warmth.
At Michael’s questioning look, which was somewhat foggy-eyed,
By this time,
Never before had
Her breaths started to come short and rapid until it seemed
as if she would never breath deeply again.
Michael also seemed to have trouble breathing as their bodies moved
together, faster and faster.
When her shudders subsided, she lay weakly on top of Michael’s chest. She knew that Michael hadn’t peaked yet, and she felt disappointed in her own ability to bring her lover to his fruition. When had she lost control of the situation? When had she lost her power over his body?
Her world suddenly went topsy turvy as Michael pushed and twisted. They rolled together on the bed until Michael
ended up on top.
---
A loud irritating ringing noise brought Michael out of his deep sleep. He slowly opened his eyes as his ears registered the sound of a girl talking. His sleep fuddled mind could not make out any specific words, but the tone was becoming increasingly anxious. There was a sharp beep as whoever was on the phone turned it off. Suddenly, Michael felt a sharp rude shove before the voice of Tracy, his girlfriend and love of his life, brought him into sudden alertness.
“Get up, sleepyhead! We’ve got to move! May’s grandfather had a stroke last night!”
The cobwebs in Michael’s head vanished as the sat up.
“I don’t know exactly when,” said
Michael paused in his search for his boxers to admire the
view of
“Which hospital is Sifu Chang at?” asked Michael as he gave up in his search and went over to his clothes chest to grab fresh boxers.
“He’s not at a hospital. Apparently he’s still at his school being looked after by some friends. Ugh, hey can you spare me a pair of boxers?”
Michael tossed
“Thanks lover. Come
on, get dressed. We have to meet
Michael glanced over at his clock and noted that it was only
8:45 am. “Um
“We can save time by showering at the same time. You can take my shower and I’ll run into the main bathroom. The water pressure might not be great but it’ll be serviceable. I can drive you over to your house before we head out to the airport.”
“Deal!” exclaimed Michael as he rushed out of the room. “Race ya!”
If it weren’t for the grim news and the promise of a sad
day, Michael probably would have taken the time to take certain liberties with
Michael was able to make good on his promise to
As the helicopter flew them to their destination, Michael finally had a moment to reflect on the last 24 hours or so. Some parts of the previous night had already started to take on dream-like qualities, which was enough to almost make him believe that last night was a dream after all.
<<Trust me,
young one. It was not a dream.>>
What? Oh, Big Bro, you’re back!
<<I never left.>>
What?! But you promised that you would go somewhere
else while Tracy and I…uh, that is…you said you wouldn’t peek!
<<There was
nowhere to go, young one. The sensory
inputs coming from your body were enough to ->>
You felt it?
<<I could not
stop the sensory overload, young one. I
am sorry for infringing on your privacy on what was a momentous occasion for
you, but there really was nowhere for me to go.>>
Sigh…That’s
alright. You couldn’t help it. Ha, I bet that when it’s your turn, you won’t
be able to complain if I play the voyeur!
<<My turn?>>
Yeah! With May!
<<….>>
Oh come on! Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.
<<To be
perfectly honest, yes, I have. However,
how would I ever be able to consummate with May? I cannot borrow your body.>>
I…oh…you’re
right…Normally I would be fine, but if you did, then how would we preserve our
secret then?
<<I do not know,
young one. I do not know.>>
Michael could hear the sadness in his mentor’s voice. He could tell that the thought of never being to be as close to May as he was able to get to Tracy was obviously causing Big Bro some anguish. Try as he might though, he could not think of a way out of this situation. Instead, he tried to change the subject.
So, what’s
your thoughts on the fight last night?
<<I would not
call it a fight, young one. I have
measured the power levels of the one called Diablo, and it is insignificant.>>
No, no, I don’t mean
your fight with him. I meant the May and
the Children of the Night.
<<I believe that
May and her team conducted themselves as true warriors. I am especially proud of May. She learned how to counter the powers of her
nemesis and used her strengths and those of her team to her advantage. I do not believe they have anything to fear from
Diablo ever again.>>
Yeah, I saw the look
on his face just before you tossed him.
He won’t be a problem again!
---
The big man staggered drunkenly as he bumped into a large tree. He rebounded off but kept moving stubbornly
in a northerly direction. He muttered
softly to himself as he traveled. All of
a sudden, he bent at the waist, clutched his hands to his shaven head and
howled, “Get out of my head!
Stella! I’m coming for you!”
Images and half memories flashed through his head. There was an image of a shining winged being, followed by a terrifying flight into the night, followed by a last ditch desperate attempt to prevent himself from crashing into the ground. He had managed to save his life, but the strain it had put on his Telekinesis had been tremendous. His head currently felt as if someone was slamming a sledgehammer on it. He clutched his head tightly and fervently wished that the pain would go away.
“You know what you
have to do. Do it. You know what you need. Use it.”
“Get out of my head!” roared the man as he raised his face to the sky. The midday sun, though, did not care about his plight.
“You know what you
have to do. Do it. You know what you need. Use it.”
The ghostly voice in his head seemed to be mocking him. “Who are you? Where are you?”
“I am you. I am everywhere…everywhere…everywhere…The drugs, Toby. Use the drugs…”
Drugs? What drugs? However, though his mind was still befuddled, his hands began to move as if on their own volition. With practiced ease, they reached into his leather jacket, into the hidden pocket on the left side. They pulled out a small packet and withdrew a small syringe. With mechanical movements, his hands jabbed the syringe into the side of his neck and pushed the drug within into his system. Almost instantly, his pain went away and his head came up. Diablo was back!
He remembered now. That freak of nature had tried to kill him. But it had failed. He was strong again. Saving himself with his Telekinesis had strained that gift. Then, after he was on the ground, he had pushed his Empathy and Clairvoyance to the maximum. His bitch was somewhere and he had to find her. He still had many lessons to teach her. More importantly, with her in his possession, he could finally add Telepathy to his repertoire of gifts. Try as he might, however, he could not find her. He stalked aimlessly through the night, vainly pushing out with this gifts but always came up with nothing. Finally, inspiration struck. That little girl…she was Stella’s daughter. He knew her. More importantly, he knew her spark, thanks to their little tussle. Instead of focusing on his bitch, he turned his gifts to the memory of the little girl’s spark as she wrapped her gift around his and prevented his use of his psychic fire.
There! Right there! His Clairvoyance had picked up her psionic traces like a bloodhound sniffing out a trail. An unlucky passerby who was just getting into his car found his face being smashed into the ground. Diablo had driven his stolen prize until it ran out of gas. The long trek in the cold night, as well as having overused and strained his gifts had conspired to bring him down to the drunken-like stupor that his drugs had cured.
Diablo grinned and chuckled evilly. Ahh, those drugs! He had forgotten how potent they were! He glanced up at the mid-day sun that was just beginning to hide its face behind some dark clouds. He pushed out his Empathy net and was pleased at the lack of pain. The drugs were doing their thing!
Up ahead, he felt several pulses, indicating psion presences. Looks like he was almost there! Many of the pulses were unfamiliar to him, but three in particular were the ones he was looking for. That yellow-skinned traitor, his bitch and the little girl were all there. At last! Vengeance would be his!
Diablo started a quick loping jog. His impatience fueled his muscles. A large non-descript building came into view. He ran right up to the front doors. With a mighty heave of his Telekinesis, he ripped the doors off their hinges. Somewhere inside the building, an alarm began to ring. Diablo ignored it. He didn’t care who came to stop him. The three special spark pulses were somewhere in the heart of this building. Nothing was going to get in his way!
He stalked through the foyer and was confronted by three different hallways. He considered briefly, but ended up taking the hallway on his left. That was the direction is which the spark pulses were. He was about halfway through the hallway when the door at the far end opened up and a young man in dark clothing emerged. The young man looked familiar but at the moment, Diablo didn’t care who it was.
The young man, though, did care. “Diablo!” shouted the young man. His voice was tinged with surprise and fear.
Diablo felt the fear and smiled. His smile grew even bigger when something dark flashed towards him. The merger of his Clairvoyance and his Empathy was automatic and it warned him of the possible area where the thrown knife would hit. Diablo snaked out with his Telekinesis and stopped the knife in mid-flight.
The young man was strong; there was no doubt about that. However, Diablo could tell from reading his emotions that the young man was also very tired. Diablo, on the other hand, was anything but. The drugs he had taken had revitalized his system. With an almost negligent mental twist, the snatched the triple bladed throwing knife from the control of the young man and sent it back to its owner.
The young man tried to twist and dodge, but the hallway didn’t afford much evasive maneuvering room. He grunted as the knife buried itself into the side of his torso. He collapsed to the ground with a painful gasp and watched with trepidation as Diablo approached.
Diablo stood above his young opponent and a flash of memory coursed through him. He recognized this young man! The memory, though, was fleeting and in the next instant, Diablo couldn’t remember where he had seen the young man before. He shrugged and delivered a savage kick to the young man’s head. He didn’t have time right now to properly dispatch him. Later, after he had acquired his prize, he would come back and roast himself some human flesh.
He continued walking and eventually came upon a large gymnasium. It was empty, but he made a beeline to a door on the far side. He went through that door and passed by several more corridors. After several more minutes, Diablo stood outside one very special door. Physically, it was non-descriptive, but on the other side, Diablo could sense several psion sparks. More importantly, the three he had been searching for were there as well. Excitement and anticipation raced through his veins as the ripped the door from its hinges and stepped inside.
The room was spacious, but felt cramped with all the people there. Most of the people were standing around a large bed that contained the wasted figure of an old man. Even in his current state, Diablo recognized his old enemy right away. Many shocked and fearful stares met with his gleeful grin. He recognized some of the people in the room. There were two young men – boys really, three young girls – one of which was the little girl he had used to find this place, and several adults – specifically, his little bitch. He took in her terrified expression and felt his heartbeat quicken. Time had been good to his bitch. She still looked good. Dozens of surgical procedures combined with over-use of powerful drugs had killed his libido long ago, however, there were other pleasures to be derived other than sex! Then, his attention was caught by the other adults in the room. Many of them were wearing white lab coats. There were beeping machines with blinking lights around the bed, and one man in a lab coats mouthed a single word, “Toby?”
Though Diablo didn’t recognized the white haired and aging face, a name popped up unbidden to his lips, “Dr. Stevenson!” Diablo wasn’t sure who the man was, but he knew what he was: A doctor from the Center! Here, in this very room, were the people who could complete his evolution to godhood!
The little girl, the one who had beaten him the night before reacted first. “Mom, get out of here!” She slapped one of the boys on the back and said to him, “Jeff, get him out of here!”
The boy took a non-threatening step forward that didn’t trigger Diablo’s sixth sense. With his next step, the boy launched himself into the air. Diablo’s sixth sense screamed a warning, and even interposed a Telekinetic shield between the flying boy and himself. However, the shield only served to help in the boy’s favor.
Jeff hit Diablo’s shield with his own Telekinesis. He only had one thought in his mind at the
time - get Diablo out of the room! He
didn’t know what happened to
Diablo’s surprise at Jeff’s unorthodox attack allowed Jeff to push Diablo out of the room. Once outside, there was still no resistance from Diablo so Jeff just kept pushing. Walls were not an impediment as Jeff pushed Diablo through several of them until they came to the school’s gym. As they crashed into it, Diablo finally recovered from the attack.
Diablo pushed backwards with his Telekinesis and berated himself for becoming so distracted that he allowed this little boy to push him away from his goal. He stopped his backward movement and grinned as he realized the boy was still straining. This little boy suffered from the same condition as his previous opponent! Though strong, the boy was too tired to be able to use his Telekinesis in a prolonged fight. Diablo pushed the boy away and wasn’t surprised to see the boy prepare himself for another attack. Diablo chuckled as he reached inside of himself, found his Empathy and Telekinesis sparks, and merged them together.
Jeff halted his next attack as soon as he saw Diablo’s hands ignite with reddish flames. His eyes widened as the ethereal flames from Diablo’s hands reached out to him. “OH CRAP!” He dived out of the way, but Diablo just followed his motion with his hands. The psychic flames hit Jeff head on just as he rolled to his feet. “AWWWW SHHHHIIIITTT!” His body was wracked in spasms and he unconsciously tried rolling on the ground in a vain effort to put out a fire that was not there.
“Jeff! Hold on!”
The voice of May Li broke though the pain and gave Jeff hope. After what seemed like an eternity, the burning pain eased up and then disappeared entirely. Jeff jumped back to his feet just in time to see May go flying across the gym.
---
May couldn’t believe her eyes. Diablo was here! She had thought that her system was immune to shocks after all that had happened since the fight the previous night. The first had been the shock of her dear grandfather having a stroke. She couldn’t even remember the frantic flight back up to the school. The next time she was able to experience coherent thought was when she stood by her grandfather’s bed, staring down at his helpless form. It was strange seeing him like that. He had always seemed so much larger than life, and so very vital despite his advanced age. Her mother was standing vigil beside his bed too. The next big shock for May was the presence of all the doctors – or at least she assumed they were doctors because of their clothing and the purposeful way in which they moved around the room. Who were they? Her mother had explained that during the night of the psion rebellion, some of the normal doctors actually fought on the psions side. They defected to the psion cause, even though it meant that they would never be able to go home ever again. To these dedicated individuals, learning about the psion gifts the natural way meant more than anything else in the world. They had been here, all along in the school, observing the various students as they learned to use their gifts. The various cameras, situated all around the school, which May had always thought was for security, were actually so that the doctors ands scientists could study their subjects without interfering in their lives.
The arrival of Tracy and Michael late the next morning had
helped to ease some of May’s emotional stress, and she found herself leaning
heavily on her best friend’s love. With
After Jeff managed to push Diablo out of the room, May
directed the evacuation of her mother.
She sent Jade, Michael and
After she had given her orders, May followed the path that
Diablo and Jeff had taken. It wasn’t
hard to miss all the holes in the walls!
As she ran, she berated herself harshly.
They had been so stupid to let down their guards so fast and so
completely! She hadn’t seen
May arrived at gym just in time to see Diablo burning Jeff with his psychic fire. As she had the previous night, May reached out with her spark and enclosed Diablo’s Empathy spark within her own. Cut off from his Empathy, Diablo’s psychic fire petered out. The next thing that May knew, she was flying through the air as Diablo proved that even without his psychic fire, his Telekinesis was still formidable.
The ground rushed to meet May, but then suddenly, a body interposed itself between her and the ground. Jeff had saved her!
As the two young psions faced their nemesis, they joined their hands together. It was more than a show of affection or mutual support though. Even though May and the rest of her team had never managed to successfully merge their gifts, she knew that making psychic fire of their own was the only hope they had in stopping Diablo.
Diablo saw the action and began to stalk forward. The leering grin never left his face. May focused her will and tried to concentrate on her spark and that of Jeff’s. When she saw the green and red sparks clearly in her mind, she pushed them together and into Jeff.
Jeff felt the push, raised his hands and willed the psychic fire to burn the evil grin off Diablo’s face.
Nothing happened.
Before they could try again though, a giant invisible hand picked them up and threw them across the room. Jeff tried in vain to save May once more, but his Telekinesis was taking too much of a strain on his tired mind. It was all he could do to land somewhat safely on the ground. May, on the other hand, landed with a sharp shriek of pain.
Jeff looked over to see May sitting awkwardly with one leg twisted at an obscene angle.
From the center of the gym, Diablo was still grinning evilly and began to stalk towards them. Jeff rushed over to May’s side and knelt down beside her. Her face showed the pain she was feeling but her voice was steady as she said, “Give me your hand! We have to try again!”
May grabbed Jeff’s right hand and clutched it between both of hers. She couldn’t understand why Jeff couldn’t produce psychic flame. She had felt the merging of the two sparks and had felt the heat of the merger within the combined sparks. Why couldn’t Jeff create the fire? What was he doing wrong? What was SHE doing wrong?
Something Diablo had said long ago echoed in her mind. She had parroted the words back to Diablo during their fight last night. Empathy was the key. She closed her eyes for a moment, found both hers and Jeff’s sparks, and merged them together once again. She opened her eyes to see that Diablo was only about ten feet from them. She couldn’t understand why Diablo just didn’t smash them with his Telekinesis, but if he was going to get in close, then she was more than willing to let him.
If Empathy was the key, what did it open? What was the lock? That was when it hit her. It was her. It was always her. Empathy was the key that unlocked the psychic potential in the psion wielding it. She was the lock!
She drew the merged sparks back within herself. She could feel the combined powers coursing through her mind. Yes! This is the way it was supposed to be! She stretched out her right hand and directed it at the approaching Diablo. His grin froze when he saw this. He started to raise his hands in front of him but it was too late. May let the fire burn hotter within her mind, and then directed it through her arm and out through her hand. Red fire engulfed her right hand, the flames licked around her fingers like a wolfhound eager to be unleashed. She could feel the heat, but it didn’t harm her. She looked Diablo straight in the eyes and said, “Burn in Hell!”
She unleashed the wolfhound, unleashed the fire and let it play over Diablo’s form. There was loud whooshing sound in her mind, not unlike the sound of a gas fireplace going at maximum burn. The flames hit Diablo like a solid wall, stopping his advance. She had a moment to see him hunch his shoulders before the flames blocked him from her view.
How long she kept the flames going, she didn’t know. All she knew was that the psychic fire was taking a terrible toll on her mind. With every second, she could feel her strength draining out of her system. Sooner than she would have liked, the psychic fire began to weaken. That was when she realized something. When she had been hit with the psychic fire before, she could not stop herself from screaming in pain. From Diablo, there had been no scream. Not even a murmur. What the hell?
As the flames died down, May felt completely drained of strength. Diablo emerged from the flames with his signature evil grin, but otherwise none the worse for wear.
“Nice try, little girl. I didn’t think you had it within you!” said Diablo. “But ultimately futile. See, I’ve learned a couple of tricks from you too!”
May dropped her arm to her side and could feel Jeff collapsing in exhaustion beside her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, all Diablo had to do was to submerge his consciousness within his own Empathy spark, much like how she did last night, and ride out the storm. He didn’t bother trying to stop her because he knew the psychic fire would drain her.
May mentally cursed herself.
Her mistake was going to cause her not only her life, but that of Jeff
as well. She didn’t know where
She felt a heavy tread in front of her and raised her head tiredly and looked up at her executioner.
Diablo wrapped one huge hand around her throat and lifted her up. May could feel her air supply constrict and struggled feebly but that only hastened her suffocation. Her eyes began to roll up and she could feel blackness beginning to claim her
“Any last words before I squeeze the life out you?” asked Diablo almost innocently. “Oh, I’m sorry, you can’t talk? Too bad! Before you die, I want you to thank you for leading me to my bitch. I’m going to make her scream just like before, and I’m going to enjoy it! Then, I’m going to rip her gift from her and turn myself into a god!” Diablo threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
May’s heart seemed to sink into her stomach. She had failed. She had failed her team, she had failed her grandfather, and most of all, failed her mother. All of a sudden, she felt her body swing around and the iron vise around her throat let go. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath. She looked up just in time to seem someone streak past her and hit Diablo with a thundering body check. It was Michael!
---
Michael couldn’t believe what he was doing. After Jeff had pushed Diablo out of Sifu
Chang’s room, May had given rapid fire orders to everyone else. He had marveled at how calm and collected she
had seemed. He had followed her orders
without a second thought. Together with
Michael knew what that look meant. However, he couldn’t bring himself to take a
gun. He had always had a healthy respect
for guns, and he wasn’t sure of his ability to handle one without hurting
someone inadvertently.
Then
Without waiting for a reply, she had taken off back upstairs
and headed towards the gym. Michael had
a hard time keeping up with
Go young one!
The sudden authoritative command from Big Bro, as well as
seeing
He charged across the gym and threw himself at Diablo. Diablo had seen him coming and had contemptuously thrown May off to the side. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Michael hit an invisible wall several inches in front of Diablo and bounced back. From the look on Diablo’s face, Michael could tell that Diablo was feeling the same amount of confusion he himself was feeling. With his shields up, he had thought that he could body check Diablo and send him flying. Instead, Diablo had seemed to be unaffected while Michael had rebounded back several feet.
What the hell?
Michael didn’t have much time to ponder the mystery though. Diablo threw a titanic punch at his head and if it weren’t for the fact that Michael still had his shields up, that one punch would have ended the fight right then and there.
Still, even with his shields up, the force of the blow
snapped Michael’s head back. Holy shit!
I think I felt that! This guy’s a
monster!
Memories of the fear Michael had felt when he first saw Diablo came back to haunt him. For Michael, Diablo was like the epitome of every bogeyman that had ever haunted his worse nightmares.
While Michael was still reeling from that punch, Diablo threw a massive combination of punches and kicks, all of which were turned aside by Michael’s shields.
<<Change, young
one, change! Let me take care of him!>>
I can’t, Big Bro! May and
Michael backpedaled desperately, trying to get some breathing room. He was somewhat surprised that Diablo didn’t press the advantage. He forced himself to look into that demonic face and what he saw there gave him heart. Diablo had an unsure expression on his face, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was dealing with.
What’s wrong with
him? Why isn’t he pressing the attack?
<<I think, young
one, that the physical attacks Diablo threw at you would have incapacitated any
normal person. I believe he is
re-evaluating your potential.>>
Really?
<<Really. I
think that you should re-evaluate your potential too. If you will not change, then make use of the
powers that are available to you in your current form.>>
Before Michael could respond to that, Diablo gestured with his hands and Michael felt something like a great gust of wind lift him off the ground. Michael reacted instantly and pushed his senses out and spread them out like stabilizers. As a result, he landed smoothly on his feet and was rewarded by a look of incredulity on Diablo’s face.
Ha, he wasn’t
expecting that! Let’s see if he’ll
expect this!
Michael charged in, with his senses ranging forward around Diablo. His first punch was so fast that it streaked past Diablo’s blocking hand, but was still stopped by an invisible force several inches away from Diablo’s body. His senses warned him of Diablo’s counter attack and he blocked a right cross with a shield-wrapped left arm.
Diablo backed away momentarily and narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are you, boy?”
Michael smirked at the look on Diablo’s face and said tauntingly, “I’m your worse nightmare!”
Diablo roared in rage and charged in. Despite their physical size differences, it was actually a very evenly matched fight. Neither Diablo nor Michael were great martial artists, and Diablo’s psionic gifts were offset by Michael’s extraordinary powers. The fight quickly dissolved into something that resembled a barroom brawl. However, it became clear to Michael fairly quickly that if the fight continued this way, he and Diablo would be at a stalemate. Apparently, Diablo felt the same way.
In a surprise move, Diablo leapt straight up in the air, and as he came down, he feinted with his fist, as if he were about to deliver a mighty overhand blow. When Michael started to raise his arm to block, Diablo suddenly lashed out with his foot.
The kick slammed into Michael’s shields with enough force to send him flying. Michael pushed himself back onto his feet just in time to block a straight kick and punch combination.
As the fight wore on, Michael began to become increasingly frustrated. Diablo kept throwing unorthodox moves at him, and Michael’s very basic instruction at martial arts was not enough to give him an edge. If it weren’t for his shields, Michael would have been pummeled into pulp by now.
After another blistering unorthodox combination that was obviously only made possible by Diablo’s Telekinesis, Michael decided that he finally had enough.
Alright, this guy thinks he’s pretty funny, eh? I’ll give him something to laugh at!
Michael threw all the basic martial arts instructions he’d ever received out of a mental window and reached into his memory for his favorite all time video game that he had played endlessly as a child.
Michael charged in and noted that Diablo had set his body for any kind of attack.
Not this kind!
Michael launched himself up into the air and twisted his body into a spin. His right leg snapped out and hit Diablo’s Telekinetic shield by his head. Such was the force that Diablo was forced back a step. However, before Diablo could recover, Michael increased the speed of his spin and his right foot came arching back around.
“TATSU MAKI SEN PUU KYAKU!!!” No matter how cheesy it sounded to exclaim out loud in any other situation, at that moment, nothing else would have felt right as Michael delivered a picture perfect Hurricane Kick.
The rapid succession of kicks smashed through Diablo’s defenses and sent him sprawling. Michael saw his advantage and charged straight in. He reached Diablo just as he was getting to his feet. Diablo managed a half-hearted swipe that Michael ducked. Then, with his knees bent, Michael held his right fist in front of his face and heaved upward with all his strength and power behind his punch.
“SHOU RYU KEN!!!”
The massive blow caught Diablo on the point of his chin and sent him flying back. He landed solidly about twenty feet away. Michael watched breathlessly as Diablo lay still.
I got him! I got the bastard!
Michael’s elation was short lived though. Stiffly and painfully, Diablo slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. As usual, his Telekinetic shield had absorbed the brunt of the attack.
Diablo swiped at his chin with his right forearm and disdainfully said, “That all you got, freak boy?”
He’s a goddamn monster! He’s right! I’ve got nothing left that can hurt him!”
Diablo raised both arms out and both hands ignited in unearthly spiritual fire. Like a human flamethrower, Diablo sent twin streams of red fire at Michael.
Michael saw the flame approach like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. The flames hit with an almost physical force and Michael’s world disappeared into a sea of pain.
ARRRRGGHHH!!! I’M BURNING!
SHHIIIITTTTT!!!
He writhed on the floor, trying in vain to escape the fire. Dimly, in the far corners of his mind, he heard Big Bro calling anxiously to him.
<<Michael! It is all in your mind! Michael, focus!>>
Big Bro’s authoritative use of his name managed to catch his
attention. I can’t! It hurts so much!
<<Yes it hurts,
Michael. I can feel it too. But think!
We have felt worse pain. You have
felt worse pain than this and conquered it.
Remember?>>
I…I…yes…you’re
right. The night I killed the Valeans
and exploded from absorbing too much energy!
That was painful!
<<Yes, and you
were burning up for real that time. This
is nothing in comparison!>>
You’re right!
Slowly at first and then with more confidence, Michael
struggled to his feet. The burning pain
was still there, but as Big Bro pointed out, he had felt much worse. Compared to burning up for real, this psychic
fire was like a small matchstick. The
psychic fire petered out and Michael could see real fear on Diablo’s face. Michael burned that expression into his mind
as he realized one awesome truth about that moment. He’s
afraid. He’s afraid of me! Me!
<<Yes, Michael,
he seems to be very much afraid of you!>>
But I’ve got nothing
that can hurt him and he’s got nothing that can put me down. We’re stalemated!
<<Are you? Are you really? Think, Michael! Use your imagination!>>
My…but…can I really…
<<You will never
know unless you try.>>
Ok, here goes!
Michael pushed his hands together until his palms were only a few inches apart. He focused on the area between his palms and concentrated all his power there. Nothing happened.
Diablo’s look of fear changed to caution, and then slipped back into madness. He threw his head back once more and roared his rage at the ceiling. The ceiling lights, inanimate and uncaring, glared their impassiveness down at him. Diablo fixed his stare at his opponent, the freak of nature that dared to oppose him, and charged.
Oh shit! Here he comes! Come
on, come on! IGNITE!
A small bright spark flashed into existence between Michael’s palms. Michael quickly pulled his hands further apart and the spark grew to the size of a basket ball. Even without examining it, he could tell that the power sphere he had created was under strength, compared to the ones he and Big Bro were capable of when in their alternate form. However, somehow, he knew that it would be enough. He drew both hands back to his left waist for a moment and then pushed them straight out in front of him.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound! In a loud strident voice, Michael yelled, “HA DOU KEN!!!”
The power sphere left his hands and flew straight at Diablo. Diablo’s eyes widened as he watched the approaching sphere of raw energy. His six sense screamed a warning and even threw up a Telekinetic shield. The power sphere paused for a fraction of a second and then blew through the shield and impacted high on Diablo’s chest.
The explosion threw Diablo back even further away than before. This time, he did not get back up. As Michael approached cautiously, he could see that the power sphere had burned right through all of Diablo’s clothes at the impact zone. Underneath, Diablo’s chest was burnt black and red. His chest still pumped up and down with haggard breaths though.
I did it! This time I really got him!
<<Congratulations,
Michael. You have triumphed! You have kept everyone here safe from this
piece of trash!>>
Alright! I hope everyone is ok!
Michael turned around to survey his friends. However, instead of triumphant smiles of
congratulations and grateful expressions on their faces, all he saw was shock
and fear.
What’s wrong with
them? They look like they’re looking at
a monster or something. I beat the real
monster. Why aren’t they happy?
Michael was about to open his mouth ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue when he suddenly stopped. He knew why his friends were staring at him like that. In his fight with Diablo, he had used his powers openly. Not at first, but as the fight progressed, it was clear to any observer that the fight had gone well beyond normal definitions. What clinched it though was what had happened at the end of the fight. Nothing human could have produced the power sphere.
Shit! They saw!
They know!
<<Indeed.>>
Shit! I can’t face them like this! I’ve got to get out of here!
<<Michael! Wait!>>
No! I can’t!
I can’t face them. I can’t face
her!
Everything that Michael feared would happen if his secret
was ever known suddenly surfaced at that point.
How would
Michael reached inside of himself for that power source that
had become second nature to him. He
pictured his alternate form and applied the power to the image in his
head. He vaguely heard the shredding of
his clothes when they fell off his body as he changed. It didn’t matter anymore though. He didn’t need to keep his secret
anymore. His little demonstration of
power had destroyed any chance of a normal human life with his friends, and
more importantly, with
At last, he stood before his friends. His head resembled a blend of three different types of predators, and his flattened blue V regarded his friends impassively.
“I’m sorry,
With that one final message sent, he flexed his wings and launched straight up into the air. A quick but powerful power sphere blew a hole through the ceiling. The gym area of the school had only one story so that Michael didn’t have to blow through any more floors. He sailed out through the hole that he made and into the late afternoon sky.