Chapter 35 – The Harbingers

Various medical devices and monitors went about their business as they worked in concert to keep the young woman alive on the hospital bed. Her eyes were closed and it looked as if she was peacefully asleep and the only evidence of her suffering was her sunken eyes, bald head that once had lustrous blond hair and her wasted shrunken figure.

May looked upon her best friend Tracy Adams and could not stop the flow of tears. It had been over a year and a half since she actually laid eyes on Tracy and her mind recoiled at what she saw. How could someone so beautiful and so vital change so much?

“Hello May. Come to see the nearly departed?” Tracy’s eyes were still closed, but there was a small smile on her lips that hinted at her once boisterous personality.

“How long have you been awake?” asked May.

Tracy opened her eyes and looked at May. “Since you ran into my bathroom and tossed your cookies.” Tracy’s smile expanded until she was practically beaming. “My best friend is pregnant! I’m so happy for you!”

“How did you know?” asked May curiously. “Maybe I have the stomach flu or something.”

“I used to volunteer in the maternity ward remember?” asked Tracy. “You can’t fool me.”

The two girls shared a chuckle although Tracy’s sounded more like a tiny hiccup. May’s expression grew serious as she said, “How are you?”

Tracy managed a weak smile and said, “Not bad, considering everything. My parents found me passed out on my floor last night and rushed me to the hospital. They took more scans this morning and I’m just waiting for the doctors to come in and tell me what I already know.”

”And what do you already know?” asked May gently.

Tracy looked at May carefully and then said, “I think you know too.” When May nodded, Tracy said, “Michael doesn’t know yet. Don’t tell him, ok?”

“Why not? Doesn’t he deserve to know?”

“It will drive him crazy,” said Tracy with certainty. “He would try to do everything possible to change the outcome. Watching me die while knowing that I will die will be too much for him. I’d rather that the end came suddenly. Right now he still has a little hope and it’s that hope that is keeping him going.”

May was about to retort angrily but then remembered what had happened earlier that day. She wasn’t sure that Tracy was entirely wrong about Michael’s possible reactions. Besides, after today’s revelations, she wasn’t sure if now was a good time to pile on more bad news on poor Michael. “You’re right. I won’t tell him. But don’t string him along for too long, ok?”

Tracy closed her eyes for a minute and then said, “It wouldn’t be fair to him either way.”

“Fair to him? What about fair to you?” cried May suddenly. Fresh tears streamed down her face.

“I may not be a Clairvoyant,” said Tracy sardonically, “but I’ve always known that this day would come. Ever since Death passed me by the first time, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Death came knocking on my door again. I have no regrets. I’ve done everything I set out to do, and even fell in love – something which I never expected to happen to me.”

May reached down and held Tracy’s hand tenderly. “I looked in on you from time to time over the last year. It was so hard to see you suffer and not be able to do anything about it.”

Tracy gingerly cocked her head to one side and said, “Oh? How did you do that?”

May glanced over her right shoulder at the three woman with identical faces and then turned back to face Tracy. “These are my bodyguards, Yen Nian, Yen Yueh, and Yen Tian. Yen Nian is a Clairvoyant. One of the things I’ve learned is that I can link up with her and see what she sees when she uses her gift.”

“You spied on me?” exclaimed Tracy with mock indignation. “You have a serious voyeuristic streak in you girlfriend!”

May laughed out loud and protested, “The images weren’t really all that sharp! In fact, they were only marginally better than when I spied on you and Michael in bed at the school.”

Tracy gasped, “I’m shocked May! Maybe you’re sexually repressed or something. I hope you didn’t spy on me when Michael and I were – “

To her credit, May actually blushed as she said, “Um…well…sometimes…well, ok, a lot of the times when I looked in on you, you were…umm…kinda busy…Don’t you and Michael ever do anything else?”

“May Hua Li!”

“Hey if I’m not going to have sex, I might as well enjoy it vicariously through you!”

Tracy narrowed her eyes and said, “You’re going to tell me exactly how you got pregnant aren’t you?”

May shrugged her shoulders. “Not much to tell. As I said in my letter, Chun Po could teleport. Use your imagination. I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out for you!”

“Don’t tell me…ewww”

“How’s that gross? I don’t think it’s nearly as gross as some of the things I saw you do with Michael!”

Tracy sputtered incoherently for a few seconds and then said, “Ok, maybe you have a point. But…you mean…he teleported his sperm into you? Where’s the fun in that? I mean, you’re going to go through nine and a half months of pregnancy, plus god knows how long a labor, and you never even got to enjoy the actual conception! You’re going to be a virgin mother!”

May shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes it is!” insisted Tracy. She thought for a moment and said, “Well, you’re back now and Phoenix is a shape shifter after all right?”

May gave Tracy a questioning look and said, “Where are you going with this?”

Tracy pointed her right index finger and slowly raised the tip until it was pointing at the ceiling. May followed the movement until she understood what Tracy meant. “Ewww! Tracy Nicole Adams! That is disgusting!”

“What?” asked Tracy innocently. “He could, couldn’t he? I mean, as long as he’s in his other form and not using Michael’s body, I can’t get jealous right?”

May shivered and said, “I don’t even want to think about it. When I touch Phoenix with my gift and he responds…it’s like making love with our souls…we don’t need anything else.”

“Speaking of the devil…where is Michael anyway? I would’ve thought he’d heard the news by now.”

May’s mind raced as she tried to think of an answer. She’d never ever lied to Tracy before now, and she wasn’t about to start. How was she supposed to explain what happened that afternoon? She would have to settle for a partial truth. “He, Phoenix and Mary had to visit an old friend.”

Tracy nodded her head. Her eyelids were getting heavy and her next words were a little slurred. “That’s nice…friends…how was their reunion?”

May examined Tracy’s relaxed state with her gift and said truthfully, “It was explosive.”

Tracy didn’t give any indication that she had heard. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. May gave Tracy’s hand a gentle squeeze and then bent down to kiss Tracy’s cheek. “Rest well my soul friend. I love you.”

May wiped any remnant of tears from her face and nodded to her bodyguards. Without a word, the four women silently left the room.

---

In the middle of the frozen war torn city, the young woman confronted the old blind man once more. The young woman angrily accused the old blind man, but all the heated words shattered against the old blind man’s cool countenance. It got to the point where the young woman seemed as if she would back up her angry words with her fists but then she suddenly backed down. Instead, she resignedly said one word.

“Why?”

“Because it must be so,” said the old blind man.

“But why? Why can’t I save them?”

“Because it is impossible to save them from their own foolishness. Their time has come. Now is the time for psions.”

“I don’t believe that!”

“It does not matter what you believe, but understand this. If you try to save them, if you try to hinder the beast, it will only bring tragedy and sadness upon yourself.”

“I’ve read your journal. In it you kept talking about the beast and you kept talking about the storm. Are they not one and the same?”

“By now, you have seen the beast and you have seen the storm. You know the answer to that question. Ask me another.”

“So I’m to do nothing while the beast feeds and grows larger?”

“Leave the beast to his prey. Concentrate on saving the psions. This is the only way.”

“That’s ridiculous!” cried the young woman. “I can’t sit by and do nothing. It’s my fault the beast was created. I’m to just sit by and watch it feed?”

The old blind man opened his eyes and his empty sockets glared directly at the young woman. “Heed my words. Should you attempt to stop the beast, he will turn his attention upon you and everlasting grief will be yours.”

“I…” said the young woman. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

The old blind man sighed and shook his head in obvious disappointment. “Then the future is not set. Your choices will affect the outcome and you alone must face the consequences of your choices.”

“Won’t you be there with me?”

The old blind man shook his head. “My time is up.” The old blind man spread his arms wide and said in a voice filled with longing, “Will you give an old tired man one last hug?”

The young woman took a step forward and reached her arms up and then hesitated. The old man sensed her hesitation and his face grew sad and careworn. “So be it. I understand. Good bye May. Please don’t hate the memory of me.”

The young woman opened her mouth to protest when suddenly, blinding light flashed out from the old man’s eye sockets and engulfed her.

May Li suddenly sat up in her bed and looked around the room in disorientation. As the darkness slowly revealed the familiar lines of her room, she let herself relax.

Then door to her room suddenly opened and Yen Tian walked in. “Are you ok Empress?”

Surprised to see her, May blurted, “What are you doing here Tian? Are you standing guard outside of my room? I’ve told you not to call me that.”

Tian smiled in the darkness and replied in accented English. “I felt your terror as you woke from your nightmare. Mohit warned us that you may not have full control of your gift when you sleep. My sisters and I take turns guarding your door during the night. What else should I call you? You have proven that you are the Empress of the prophecy.”

“Surely I’m safe in my own house though!”

“No one is truly safe.”

May could not think of a counter for that and instead changed the topic. “Are you and your sisters ready for tomorrow?”

“Yes. Your parents received the package that we sent before we left China. Our things are ready. Also, your parents received another package from a man named Robert Clark. It was very large and your parents did not know what do with it. We left it in the basement.”

“Good,” said May. She glanced at her clock and the display read 4:35 am. “Ugh, just five more hours before they get here. That means maybe another couple of hours of sleep…maybe.”

“My sisters are due to wake up soon. If you want, you can join us in our morning exercise.”

“Ugh…I know I should, but I don’t think I will. I’m just glad I’m not feeling nauseous right now. I think I’ll opt for the sleep.”

Tian smiled a small smile and bowed low. “As you wish Empress.”

May flopped back down on her pillow and muttered, “I told you not to call me that!”

Tian did not reply as she quietly backed out of the room and closed the door moments before the pillow hit it with a muffled thump.

---

May sat cross legged on the mat in the basement of her home. Years ago, her parents had finished the basement of their house and furnished it as a workout studio. While not nearly as big as the gym in her grandfather’s school, it was large enough for several people to spar or work out. Seated cross legged beside her were the San Yen Jing.

Footsteps and voices sounded on the stairs and May watched as her team mates came down. They were all chatting amiably with each other and it was obvious that they had all grown much closer and comfortable with each other during her absence.

The first to reach the bottom was her cousin Jade Li. She had matured quite a fair bit. Her figure was rounder where it should be rounder, and she had gained enough height to be about the same height as May. Her arms and legs now sported clearly defined muscles and it was clear that she had not been lax during the last year. Jade giggled at something that the person behind her said and even without using her gift, May could tell that the torch Jade carried for the man behind her was still just as bright – if not brighter.

The man behind Jade reached the bottom and his eyes scanned the basement. When his eyes met May’s, they widened momentarily. May barely managed to not sigh sadly. Again even without her gift, she knew that Brandon Lau was still every bit in love with her now as when she had left for China last year. Being an Empath didn’t mean that you automatically knew how to handle delicate emotional situations, and May really did not know how she was going to handle this one. Both Jade and Brandon were carrying long plastic cases.

The next people to come down came down in pairs. Jeff Burns came down with his girlfriend Catherine O’Hara. Catherine was every bit as tall and beautiful as May remembered her. Her face carried a new maturity that had not been there last year though. Jeff seemed to have matured somewhat as well. His hair was longer and he wore it swept back into a pony tail. Not very many guys could wear their hair in a pony tail, but May had to admit that it looked pretty good on Jeff. She also noted that instead of hovering, Jeff walked normally and that he had had a growth spurt during the last year. He was now only about two inches shorter than Catherine and May thought that they made a beautiful couple.

While Jeff and Catherine walked together with the casual ease of a couple, the last two people to come down had an awkward stiffness that was a polar contrast to Jeff and Catherine. Dominic Pedro walked down the stairs as if he were ill at ease with his surroundings. May quickly realized that the former gang leader was probably more used to wide open spaces and the enclosed basement was probably getting on his nerves. When May saw the expression on Linna Summer’s face though, she knew right away that claustrophobia was the least of Dominic’s worries. Dominic’s and Linna’s one sided relationship had grown worse not better over the last year.

On one level, May was overjoyed to be reunited with Catherine and Linna. Together with Tracy, the four of them had been one of the tightest knit groups in high school. However, May was saddened that Tracy could not be here today, and that Tracy’s future involvement with the group would be very limited.

She gave everyone a large smile and gestured to the floor around her. “Hello everyone. It’s great to see all of you. Please have a seat.”

Everyone complied and sat down in a large circle. They looked expectantly at her and waited with varying degrees of patience. “I’m afraid the rumors are true,” said May seriously. Then, she suddenly grinned and said, “I’m back!”

The group around the circle chuckled but May could tell that they were all waiting for her to get to the point. “I know this is quite sudden, and I know that you’re all pretty busy. I’m sorry to have called you all here so suddenly, and I promise to catch up with each and every one of you later. I have a lot of things to say to you all though, so it’s easier to say it to you all at once. First of all, I’m officially reactivating our group.”

May paused to see if there was a reaction. There was none. Her announcement seemed to have been anticipated. “I am, however, going to do something that I’m sure Dominic wished I had done a lot sooner. I am changing the name of our team. We are grown up. We are no longer children. Our new purpose is far removed from the original purpose of the team.”

Again, there was no surprise from her team. Brandon cleared his throat awkwardly and said, “Um, May, while you were gone, we kind of continued to operate as a team.”

May nodded her head and said, “That’s good. I had hoped that you would.”

“Um, well, we originally started out by protecting Dominic’s people and that quickly grew into something much larger,” said Brandon.

“What Brandon is trying to say,” broke in Dominic impatiently, “is that we are now called the Nightstalkers. We have dispersed most of the gangs operating out of the harbor front area and the rest have come to fear us. Even the cops leave us alone most of the time cause our activities saves cop lives.”

This surprised May and she was suddenly unsure about her proposal. A leader only led by the unanimous agreement of the team. What she was about to propose may not come across that well since her team was obviously proud of their new name. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “That is great. I’m very happy to hear that and I look forward to hearing more of the details. However, I have learned some things while in China, and I’m afraid that our purpose is going to have to change drastically. There is a storm coming and we must be ready for it.”

Jade frowned and spoke up. “We keep hearing about this storm. What the heck is it?”

“The storm is like nothing we have ever seen. Before I tell you about it, I need to know one thing. Are all of you still with me?” May looked out at her team anxiously because this was the turning point for her. Would they all still agree to be led by her?

Brandon spoke up right away. “I’m still with you. I’ve been the defacto leader while you were away but I’ve found that I’d rather fight than lead.”

Jade didn’t quite roll her eyes at Brandon’s words. She looked directly at May and said, “I’m with you. It’s what my brother would have wanted, and it’s what I want too.”

“As long as my people are protected then I’m with you too,” said Dominic.

“As long as I get to wear my suit, I’m happy,” said Jeff.

“Where Jeff goes, I’ll be there with him,” said Catherine as she leaned over to kiss Jeff’s cheek.

“I’m with you too,” said Linna quietly. She barely managed to not look at Dominic.

“Thanks everyone,” said May gratefully. “Jeff, you’ll have to forego your suit though. It’s useless against our enemy.”

Jeff frowned but said nothing. May stood up and walked to the wall behind her. She opened up the large case that Robert Clark had delivered and took out several long objects. Then she carried them to the circle and reverently placed them in the center.

The group all leaned forward and there was a collective ripple of surprise as they saw the sheathed swords that May placed on the floor. May stood in the center of the circle, above the swords and said in a very serious tone, “Our enemy is called Hydra. A Hydra can only be killed by decapitation. Should you all choose to remain with me after I am about to say, then you must all become proficient with these swords, and in particular, you must all be learn how to cut someone’s head off with one blow.” This time, there were gasps of shock as the group responded to May’s tone and words. May wanted to feel pity for her friends but knew that she could not. They had not seen the enemy yet. They had not fought and killed Hydra yet. But she had. “One blow, my friends, because one blow is all the chance that you will have. If you miss or fail to kill a Hydra, then there is a good chance that you will die.”

Brandon was the first to recover from his shock. He quietly opened the long plastic case beside him and took out the special custom made sword that had been made for him. “So this is why you left me a message to bring this.”

Jade opened her case too and pulled out a long object that looked like two long leather wrapped rectangular sticks stuck together. “RC and I spent many hours designing a weapon that would suit me. We got nowhere. But suddenly, a few months ago, he suddenly said that he had an epiphany.” Jade stood up, made a motion at one end of the weapon in her hands and then suddenly swept it out in a single practiced motion. The leather wrapped handles separated and there was a flash of steel as the thirty inch blade that had been hiding between the handles was revealed. Jade kept a firm grip on one of the handles and expertly grabbed the other one as it swung back down and securely latched it with the first handle. In her hands was a very mean looking weapon. The blade was straight, single edged and a little wider than a Japanese katana, and the re-combined handles resembled a short bo staff. Put together, the weapon that Jade expertly wielded resembled a short halberd.

“Someone’s obviously been practicing,” said May with an approving smile.

“Yeah, but you should have seen the cuts on her face and arms before she got the hang of it,” quipped Jeff.

Jade glared at Jeff as everyone else chuckled. She gave him a good natured kick on his leg. “What about you doofus? I don’t see you with a sword!”

Jeff shrugged and said, “Hey, what does the Tinman need a sword for? I’m a walking tank!”

May held up a hand and said, “I’m very glad you brought that up Jeff. Unlike your previous foes, Hydra cannot be stunned for long and optic and sonic grenades will only slow Hydra down temporarily.” May sent a silent mental message to the San Yen Jing and as one they stood up and walked to the large case behind her. They came back carrying a large flat oval shaped object.

Jeff stood up with an expression of wonderment on his face. “That looks like a surfboard!” Jeff stepped out of the circle as Yen Tian took the object from her sisters and telekinetically floated the surfboard-like object to Jeff. Jeff was so amazed at the object that he didn’t comment on Tian’s ability. He quickly found a latch at the bottom of the leather case and opened it. Then, with obvious reverence, he pulled out his new weapon.

His first observation was quite close. His sword did resemble a surfboard. In fact, that was where May and RC had gotten their inspiration from during their telepathic conversations. The sword was over six feet tall and had a sharp point and very sharp edges all around. The only part of the weapon that was not sharp was near the bottom. Near the bottom of the weapon, RC had carved out part of the metal alloy to leave a central handle that was long enough for Jeff to get both hands on. Jeff grasped the handle with both hands and then grunted at the weight. “It’s really heavy! How the hell am I supposed to use this…unless!” Suddenly, Jeff was brandishing the weapon as if it weighed almost nothing.

May gave him an approving nod. “You figured that out pretty quickly. Similar to the way you use your telekinesis to move yourself while in your suit, you can swing that monstrosity with ease.”

Jeff nodded almost absentmindedly. “But why a surfboard? Unless…” Jeff suddenly placed the weapon flat on the ground and hopped on top of it. He concentrated on his gift and suddenly he and his weapon rose up into the air. “This…this is incredible!” cried Jeff. “Why did I never think of this myself? I’ve used my gift to help me surf in the past, but I never thought I could fly with it!”

May grinned impishly at his obvious enthusiasm. “That’s not all Jeff. Focus your gift on your surfblade, near the handle.”

Jeff did as he was told and suddenly, the edges of the weapon snapped outwards to nearly ninety degrees. The two wings were doubled edged and longer than typical swords. Jeff looked like a lethal mobile weapon.

“Tank and RC have managed to scale down your suit as well,” said May. “Your new suit is much lighter and smaller and has no built in weapons.” May looked around the group and said, “In fact, I’ve got protective gear for all of you. Our enemy will not hesitate to kill any of you, so I want you all to be protected.”

Jeff laid his surfblade reverently down on the ground and then sat back down. May stepped into the circle created by her team and began to speak. “Ok, here’s the deal. I’m going to lay everything out for you right now. If, after hearing what I have to say, if you want to leave the group, you may with my blessings. However, if you decide to stay, keep in mind that this is serious business and that it will have to take priority over everything else in your life.”

There were some frowns from that last statement but May forged ahead. “A lot of what I’m going to say is going to sound crazy, freaky, and even downright paranoid, but I guarantee that everything is true. Too many people have died for it to be not true.”

May looked around once more and then took a deep breath. She went back to the rear of the basement where she had picked up the swords, opened a small metal case and pulled something out. She stepped back into the circle and held up a small glass tube. “This is Hydra. As far as we can tell, Hydra is a biological nanomachine.”

Brandon raised a hand and said, “Huh? Excuse me?”

May gave him a hard look and said, “Yes, just like something out of a bad sci-fi flick.”

“I’m familiar with what nanomachine is,” said Brandon testily, “but if it’s biological, does that mean that it’s self replicating?”

“Yes,” said May grimly. “If injected directly into the brain of a victim, Hydra quickly replicates and takes over all autonomous functions of its victim and in effect, takes over the person it was injected to.”

“Sounds like something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” quipped Jade.

May glared at Jade and Jade seemed to wilt under May’s intense stare. “This is more serious than that. Whoever controls Hydra can take control of hundreds and thousands of people. I have seen it.”

“So who made it?” asked Jeff. Out of everyone on her team, Jeff seemed to be the only one taking May’s words seriously. “Is there like a madman bent on world domination or something?”

May shook her head. “It’s worse that that Jeff. Hydra was engineered by an alien race called the Pracetorians, with cooperation with various governments worldwide. I can’t prove Canadian or American government involvement yet, but in China, we traced Hydra back to several highly placed military and civilian officials.”

“Aliens? Are you out of your mind?” exclaimed Dominic.

There was a chorus of bewildered comments from the group and May sighed to herself. This was proving to be harder than she had anticipated! She couldn’t really blame them though. She’d be just as hard headed if she were in their shoes. She held up a hand and the group quieted down. “I can understand your disbelief but everything I’ve been saying is true. But, you don’t have to take my word for it. I can show you what I’m talking about.”

That seemed to get the group’s attention. May gestured to the three women with identical faces. Without a word, the three women went back to the rear of the basement where they had retrieved the weapons and pulled some more weapons out of a smaller box. When they came back, they were all carrying different weapons. Yen Nian was carrying a pair of identical Chinese broadswords. Yen Yueh was carrying a strange short staff that had two wicked looking curved blades on either end. Yen Tian’s weapons were the strangest. She had several flat bracelet-like rings on each of her forearms and two larger rings hung from her waist.

“These women are Yen Nian, Yen Yueh and Yen Tian. Together, they are the San Yen Jing, or The Three Eyes. Among other things, they are my bodyguards. By the time we are done here, I will be integrating them into our team. Not only that, they will be taking over your physical and psionic training.”

There was an angry mutter to this comment. There was a chorus of shouted questions.

“What do you mean more training!”

“What do I need training for?”

“You’re letting more kids into our group?”

May reached out with her gift and linked up with Nian and Yueh. She merged with both of their gifts and quickly created an audible illusion.

The thunderclap reverberated through the minds of everyone in the room. All angry muttering stopped immediately as everyone gripped their heads and looked around in amazement.

“The problem with talking is that it’s too slow,” said May. She had a serene expression on her face as her team looked up at her with incredulous expressions. May sat back down and took the hand of Nian, who was sitting on her right. Nian reached out with her right hand and took the left hand of her sister Yueh, who repeated the movement and linked up with Tian. “Linna, please take Tian’s hand. Jade, be a dear and come over here and take my other hand please.” As the two girls complied, May looked around at the group and said, “Everyone, please take the hands of the people next to you. Trust me, it will become clear in a moment.”

May waited until the circle was completed joined by hands. Then, she closed her eyes, reached with her gift again, and since she had not unmerged from Nian and Yueh after her thunderclap illusion, she only had to merge with Nian’s telekinesis. She found that she was getting used to the bloated feeling of carrying a total of four psion sparks within herself. She could feel her body start to float off the ground but forced herself to stay grounded. Then, she spoke into the minds of her team.

“While in China, I passed all the trials set before me by the Psion Nation. My last trial was to merge all four psionic gifts. As you can see, I have succeeded. When I merge all four gifts, the psion world opens up to me, and I in turn open up to it. My friends, we are about to share something incredible. Through this communion, you will be able to experience everything I have experienced while I was in China. At the same time, you are free to share anything that you wish to share as well. For as long as this communion lasts, we are one.”

May entered the minds of everyone on her team. One by one, she linked with each mind before moving on to the next one. Just like having everyone hold hands in a circle to form a physical link, she now created a psionic circle of communion. At first, she encountered some resistance from certain people as they realized the implications of the communion. Some, like Brandon and Dominic, feared that their dearest secrets would be revealed. May soothed these fears by promoting feelings of trust and love. She reassured Brandon and Dominic that only the things which they choose to share would be revealed during the communion. From others, May sensed other kinds of fears. For example, the relationship between Jeff and Catherine was actually more fragile than it appeared. Each was secretly afraid of the other’s true feelings. Each was secretly afraid of that the relationship would not last. May soothed these fears by reassuring Jeff and Catherine that the communion would help them open themselves up to each other and promote their feelings of love for each other.

For herself, May decided to share almost everything. She had to if she wanted to gain the trust of her team. Memories flowed from her. Memories of her time in China, of her trials and battles swirled around within the bond of communion. Even her emotions, like her fears about the future as well as her love for Phoenix was not held back. The only thing she held back from her team was the events that had transpired a couple of days ago at Michael’s house. That was not her secret to tell, and until Phoenix, Michael and Mary came back from their appointment with the truth, there was no point in bringing it up.

During the communion, May had no sense of the passing of time. It was if the communion itself was timeless. Time, however, had a way of expressing itself. Feelings of hunger circulated within the communion. Communications passed between everyone, and with unanimous agreement, the communion ended. May opened her eyes and looked around. One by one, her team mates were opening their eyes too. Many of them were looking around in amazement.

Without a word, Yen Yueh stood up and left the basement. May waited patiently until Yueh came back down. Yueh sat down in her spot and addressed the group, “The pizza will be here in twenty minutes or it will be free.”

There was a soft chorus of chuckles and sighs of relief, but no one seemed willing to be the first to actually vocalize what they were thinking. May knew that they were simply overwhelmed by everything that had just happened and that there had been a lot of information passed around during the communion.

Jeff and Catherine turned to look at each other in the eyes before sharing a soft passionate kiss.

Linna, who had not released Dominic’s hand yet, gave his hand a hard squeeze. “I’m not Adrianna. I can take care of myself.”

“I know that,” said Dominic. “You have to understand, the safety of my people must take a top priority.”

“Don’t you realize that they’re at the top of my priorities too?” asked Linna. Dominic had no response, but he made no attempt to withdraw his hand.

Jade gave Brandon a hard look and then smacked him on the back of his head with an open hand. “I’m not a little kid anymore even though I’ll always be Jared’s little sister. I know where your feelings lie right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give me a chance to change them.”

Brandon couldn’t bring himself to look at Jade and instead stared at an empty spot on the floor in front of him.

Jade snorted and then looked over at May. “You’re pregnant?!”

That exclamation seemed to break the spell that had fallen over the group. As one, Jade, Catherine and Linna broke from the circle and dashed to May’s side. The fired several questions at May and May laughingly deflected them by saying, “Hey, you guys now know everything that I know ok? If you really want to know what it’s like to be pregnant, I can share my experiences with the porcelain throne with you!”

The girls all shared a laugh at that and then May held up her hand to get everyone’s attention. “Ok everyone, you have seen what I have seen. You now know what I know. What I need to know now however, is this: Are you all still with me?”

There were several moments of silence and then as one, everyone cried, “YES!”

May couldn’t help the tears that rolled down her face. She brushed them aside and then spoke with authority. “Our mission is now this. We must prepare for the storm. We must bring the news of the storm to all the psions everywhere. Chun Peng and her husband Mohit is taking care of things in the East. We must do the same here. We are talking about the survival of our race here.”

“What about Hydra?” asked Brandon.

May opened her mouth but then hesitated. A brief memory of a dream seemed to flicker in her mind. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it so she let it pass. “Hydra poses a threat to everything and everyone. We will fight and kill Hydra wherever we meet it. After we’ve all had a chance to eat, we’ll have a brainstorming session to figure out how we can best use our resources.” May took a deep breath and then forged ahead. “We are not Children anymore, and we do not stalk the night. We bring word of what is to come and we must prepare for the future. We are Harbingers.”

---

Sifu Chang’s school stood deserted. Never again would young bright students come to learn about their special abilities. Never again would the chatter of children brighten its halls. Never again would the dormitories be filled with excited youth, talking to each other about their experiences with bright eyes. Those days were forever gone. Sifu Chang’s school had closed down.

Many people had speculated on the reasons why the school had been closed. They thought that Sifu Chang’s failing health was the root cause and could not understand why the old blind man didn’t just pass the management of the school to someone else. Though people sympathized with the old man’s condition, no one knew the real reason. The real reason, of course, was much more sinister.

Hydra Prime stalked through the deserted halls of the school. He had vague memories, images really, of an event that had happened in this very school. The details though, were somewhat blurry. He could remember a fight of some sort with a stubborn opponent but that was pretty much it. There was, however, one very clear image in his mind. It was a image of a girl, blond and beautiful, pointing a gun at him and pulling the trigger. He didn’t understand it yet, but at the moment, he didn’t care.

Somehow, Hydra Prime had felt compelled to come to this place. The compulsion was so strong in fact, that it overwrote the orders that were imprinted in his brain by his masters, the Pracetorians.

The compulsion led him through the school, and even though he was not familiar with the layout of the school, his legs purposefully brought him to an ordinary looking wooden door, deep within the heart of the building. Hydra Prime tested the door, found that it was unlocked and then stepped in unceremoniously.

The room was large and a strong sterile smell permeated throughout the room. In the middle of the room was a large hospital type bed, and on the bed was the shrunken frail figure of an old blind man.

“You!” exclaimed Hydra Prime, even though he had no idea who the man was.

The old blind man turned his head to face Hydra Prime. “Yes Toby. If I had eyes, I would say, long time no see.”

“My name is not Toby! It’s –“

“Hydra Prime, yes I know,” said the old man calmly. Your name may change, but you are still at heart a beast.

“A beast! I am no mere beast! I am a –“

“God, yes I know that too.” The old blind man took a deep breath and said, “What you really are is a puppet - a puppet of your alien masters.”

Hydra Prime took an angry step forward but then stopped. What was wrong with him? Why was he still standing here debating with this old man? Why wasn’t he fulfilling his mission and converting this old fool into another Hydra Head?

“It would not work even if you tried,” said the old man. “I am a psion and psions are immune to the Hydra nano virus. Well, actually, let me rephrase that, psions cannot be converted, we died immediately if exposed to the virus.”

Hydra Prime reached into his pocket for a glass vial but then seemed unable to withdraw his hand. Immune to the virus? Impossible!

“They didn’t tell you, did they?” asked the old man with humor. “They didn’t even tell you why you were chosen to be Hydra Prime.”

Hydra Prime had no idea what the man was talking about so he remained silent.

“Allow me to enlighten you then. Any strong Empath, has the potential to become Hydra Prime. If you value your vaunted position, you would do well to avoid the psions, and Empaths in particular.”

Hydra Prime snarled. Steal his godhood? Never!

The old man nodded as if he could see Hydra Prime’s reaction. “Good, I see there is still some semblance of intelligence left in your barbaric mind. Hear me, Hydra Prime. Your masters wish for you to take control of the human race and place them in their service. They have given you much freedom in how you accomplish this but in this one directive and one other, you have no choice. You are not truly free to do as you wish. You are not a god yet.”

Hydra Prime clenched his fists. He wanted to deny what the old man had said, however he could not. He had already tested his mental directives and found that he could not act against them.

“The other directive is that you must remain loyal to the Pracetorians, right?” The old man didn’t wait for a response. “What would you say if I told you that it didn’t have to be so? What if you could be truly free? Humans are pitiful creatures. They are forever bound to Earth. The Pracetorians though, have space travel.”

Intrigued, Hydra Prime finally spoke up, “Where are you going with this old man?”

“I can make you truly free,” said the old man. “I can remove these directives.”

“Do it!” barked Hydra Prime.

The old man was silent for several minutes. At first, Hydra Prime didn’t feel any different, but suddenly, like a heavy weight lifted from his mind, he felt the Pracetorian directives disappear from his mind. “How?” asked Hydra Prime somewhat tentatively.

The old man raised a weak tired hand to his head and tapped his temple with a finger. “I have certain advantages. You probably don’t remember me fully. Those memories were probably taken from you so that you do not get distracted in your purpose.”

“What memories? What can’t I remember?” demanded Hydra Prime.

The old man shook his head. “I’m not unlocking them. I don’t want you to remember either.”

Hydra Prime took another step closer to the bed and said menacingly, “Then what do I need you anymore for? What’s to stop me from injecting you with the virus?”

The old man smiled. “You cannot convert me, remember? In fact, since I am a powerful Empath in my own right, I have a chance of defeating the virus and wresting control of Hydra away from you. Do you really want to take that chance?”

“Are you threatening me? Maybe I should just kill you now and be done with it!”

“I would take that as a favor. You would only be hastening the inevitable at this point. I’m dying already.”

Hydra Prime looked at the frail devastated body on the bed and realized that the old man spoke the truth. “I hope you suffer as you die old man!” Without another word, Hydra Prime spun on his heel and stalked out of the room.

“I will not have to suffer long,” said the old man in a whisper. He waited several minutes and tried to relax. The pain in his body was almost more than he could bear. Just a little longer, he thought.

About ten minutes after Hydra Prime left, a section of the wall beside the bed slid open to reveal a hidden room. A pretty Asian woman came out and sat on the bed of the old man. “Is it done Ba Ba?”

“It is done, my child,” said the old man. “It is all up to May now. I do not think she will avoid contact with the beast though. She thinks the beast is her enemy.”

“May always was stubborn once she sets her mind on something. She will need the beast before this is all over, right?”

“Yes, she will. She is headed for heartache and she does not even know it. Stella, my child, I will not be there to guide her. You know what must be done, right?”

Stella gave her father a reassuring nod, even though she knew the old man could not see it. “Seeing that vile man once more, even through the monitor, made my skin crawl. But I know my duty, Ba Ba. The psion race will prevail in the end.”

“Good,” said the old man. His body seemed to relax as all the strength began to fade from his body. “Then all the sacrifices that have been made, and all the sacrifices that will be made, will not be made in vain.”

Stella leaned down and kissed her father’s cheek one last time. “Know that I have never blamed you for anything that has happened Ba Ba. Know that I have always loved and respected you.”

Sifu Chang caressed his daughter’s face with a loving caress. “You are the jewel in my unfortunate life. The greatest guilt that I carry is for the pain that you have suffered. But, the greatest joy I have ever experienced was having you as a daughter, and being able to merge with you one last time. I love you too, my daughter.”

Sifu Chang hand fell to his side. He took one last shuddering breath, and then released it. Alone in a building that represented one of her father’s most controversial achievements, Stella Li buried her face in her father’s still chest and wept.