“I can’t. I have to find Hawk.”
“Why?”
Lion stared at her, then rocked back on his heels as he chose his words carefully. “He’s been odd lately. I don’t think he’s taking to school life very well.”
“Odd in what way?”
Lion shrugged. “Quiet. Preoccupied. Distant.”
“How long has that been going on?”
“Almost since we got to school. I talked to a counselor there. She said some of us have a harder time adjusting than others.” Lion looked away from Selena, then lowered his gaze. “I don’t think that’s what he’s going through. His personality is different. He’s not himself. I thought, maybe, he got into some drugs, but that’s not it.”
Selena gripped Lion’s sleeve. “I know what’s happening to him, but we can’t talk here. Let’s go to the den. I’ve asked Kit to call the team together.”
“No. I don’t want to talk about this in front of them. They’ll yank him from school and kick him, us, the pride, out of the house.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“If it’s drugs, it is.”
“It’s not drugs. Trust me. This is a big problem, but he’s not the cause of it.”
Lion shot a last glance upstairs, then followed Selena down. The team was coming in from all over the house. Kit and Owen were already in the den when Selena and Lion got there. Val was the last one in. He closed the door behind him.
“You’re up, Sel,” Kit said.
Selena looked around at her teammates, wondering how to broach this subject. “Bastion’s enemy, Brett Flynn, has possessed Hawk.”
Silence met that revelation until Val said, “Yeah, like I said, we left Kansas long ago. We’re in the Twilight Zone now.”
“What does that even mean, Sel?” Kit asked.
“How could something like that happen?” Blade asked.
“I don’t know how it happened or what it means, but it’s something that Bastion isn’t surprised about. Liege is coming over to get rid of Flynn.” Selena crossed her arms. “I honestly don’t know what any of this means, other than to state the obvious, which is that the Legion’s enemy has been using Hawk to spy on us.”
“For how long?” Owen asked.
“He’s not been himself for a while now,” Lion said. “Since shortly after we started at the community college. A month. Maybe less.”
“You know, Lion, you can always come to us,” Max said.
Lion’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t know it was anything at first. I thought he was just having problems getting used to school life. And then I caught him following women. Stalking them. We started to fight. His behavior changed so much, I was afraid he was doing drugs.” Lion looked at Max. “I thought you’d kick us out.”
Max’s smile was sad. “You and the pride are part of our team, for as long as you want to be. We aren’t going to kick you guys out. You got problems, we’ll figure them out.”
“Lion,” Selena said, “Hawk will be fine.”
“What if he’s been permanently damaged?” Lion asked, voicing the worst of his fears.
“We’ll know after Liege is done,” Selena said.
Max gave the kid a sideways hug. “Don’t borrow trouble, Lion.”
“The truth is that things have changed rapidly for all of us,” Kit said. “With these human mutations, new skills and abilities have been brought forward, and they aren’t all being used in ethical ways. We’re still learning about these new capabilities, so we’re as naive and unprotected as you boys. All I can say is that you have to be on the lookout for changes in personalities and behaviors—in yourself and others. Listen to your gut. Instinct is your best guide—now more than ever.”
“We were trained to infiltrate and observe,” Owen said. “But these new modifications are out-gaming us. So stay aware. If something doesn’t make sense, don’t ignore it. If something seems odd, pay attention to it. Bring it to the team.” He looked around at the group. “That goes for everyone.”
Hours later, Bastion looked up as Liege joined the crew in the bunker, a cautious Hawk right behind him. The group had moved to the conference room to wait for news of Liege’s work with Hawk.
“Hold it,” Owen said, standing. “I don’t want Hawk in here.”
“He’s clean," Liege said. "I've pushed Flynn from him. And I reinforced Bastion’s protection on the house. Flynn won't be able to get back in. Nor will he be able to use Hawk again. He may, however, try to hit someone else.”
Bastion was glad Liege had brought Hawk down to the group, though the kid looked shaken and fatigued. Lion waved Hawk over to sit next to him at the table.
"I'm glad you're better," Angel said. “Can you tell us what it was like? We need to know in case it happens to us."
Hawk looked around at the group. Dieu, he looked haunted as all hell. "I don't really know. It felt crowded in my head. I wasn't in command of my own body. I knew what I was doing, and I knew that I wasn't choosing to do it, and I knew that I was incapable of going to Lion or anyone for help. It's like Flynn owned me." Hawk looked at Liege. "If you hadn't pushed him out of me, I would have done something terrible." He shot a glance at Selena. "I would've hurt you. Flynn knows you."
The quiet that came over the room at that revelation held for a beat.
Liege nodded. "As I said, I put a protection on Hawk and on the house, but Flynn’s coming for Selena.”
Bastion was torn between what Selena had told him in confidence and what this team needed to understand for their own safety. “Flynn has attacked many women, but Selena’s the only one who survived. He’s coming to take care of that oversight.”
"Then I have to leave," Selena said.
Bastion could feel the emotion behind her statement. He knew the sorrow that decision brought her—the isolation, the stress of being separated from friends. It was why he hadn't entered the service alone, why he’d talked his brother into following him. Why he brought his brother into the medical trials. He hadn’t known they were going to be genetically modified, only that they were volunteering to test an intense new health regimen that would help their fellow soldiers. His need for connection had gotten his brother killed.
Selena’s attachment to her team was exactly the same as he with his team. The relief he’d felt when he met Liege, Merc, and Guerre in the camps was huge. He wasn't wired to be a loner, and nor was she. "You can come to the fort with us."
Liege shook his head. "It won't matter. You are, of course, welcome at the fort. And I think perhaps it is where you belong now. But Flynn saw you here, and here is where he'll return again and again to find you."
"But you put a protection on our compound,” Blade said. "Can he get through that?"
“He can't get through it, but he will track every single person who leaves here, watching where they go, seeing who they interact with. Flynn”—Liege looked at Owen—“as are all mutants like us, is wired for persistence. And while Bastion and I have a protection on Hawk and the property, he may find a way through. He hasn't yet—I have the same protection on my daughter's shelter, which he hasn't broken through. But you have to know that our skills are still evolving—he may find a way in.”
"So what does it mean when you say you put a protection on Blade’s property?" Owen asked.
"Everything is energy,” Liege said. “You know that what appears as something solid is really a collection of atoms bouncing around at different frequencies. Whether that matter is living biomass or nonbiological, science has proven that what we think is solid isn't. You also know that there are different kinds of energy waves around us: cell phone signals, radio waves, Wi-Fi, microwaves. We are surrounded by energy that we either can't comprehend or don't see. Everything is energy, and the enhancements made to us help us see energy. We can observe it and use it to our benefit. Setting a protection over people and property is nothing more than creating an energy field using rules we define.
“When something that is specifi
cally excluded from entering the energy field comes near it, all kinds of alerts sound—figuratively, of course—within the being who set the energy field. It isn't something the uninitiated would even be aware of. My team knows the feel of my energy and would know if I'd put a protection on someone or someplace. Energy fields are as unique to the individual as any other biometric measurement."
"So that should stop Flynn from slipping back into the house or the grounds,” Greer said. “But what if he doesn't piggyback in someone he’s possessing? What if he does what Bastion did and comes in as an astral traveler?"
"It should work for that as well. He hasn't yet been able to penetrate our protections yet, but it doesn't mean it won't happen. As mutants, our abilities are always changing, and he is a very strong mutant."
"So we need to figure out some sort of a sensor that can respond to a foreign energy entering the compound,” Greer said.
Bastion shook his head. "There is no sensor yet created that can sense thought. Astral travelers are not as substantial as ghosts; they are nothing more than thoughts."
"But you can sense the energy another being projects," Blade said.
"We can," Liege said.
"So how do you do it?" Blade asked.
"It's different for each of us,” Bastion said. “Some sense energy in a vague way that gives them goose bumps—this level of sensory perception is common among regulars. Others can see energy, like I can. Others hear energy—each of us emits an energetic sound that is unique. Some taste energy and can distinguish between different entities based on their flavor, as regulars can taste different apple flavors. By tasting, I just mean that that is how some mutants experience the energy, not that they actually taste someone.” He shook his head as he looked around at the group. Trying to explain enhanced mutant senses to regulars was like teaching someone to tie a shoe when they had no hands.
"We were taught to use our higher-level senses after we were modified,” Guerre said. “Training to master all of our new abilities was the purpose of the camps.”
“Bastion," Owen said, "you are able to astral travel, right?"
Bastion nodded. “Oui.”
"I want you to work with Greer and Max to come up with a technological sensor that we can deploy so that we know when we are being visited."
"I mean no disrespect," Bastion said, "but there is nothing yet developed that can sense thought. Yes, thought is a vibration and therefore an energy, but it is out of the spectrum of human sensors. An astral projection is nothing more than a thought. It has no heat signature; it doesn’t change light waves. And even if, in the future a tool were to be developed, an astral projection could disable such sensors in the same way that I disabled cameras when I was coming through the house."
"But animals are more sensitive to these types of energies than humans, correct?” Blade asked.
"They are," Bastion said.
“My girlfriend, Eden, trains dogs. Could she train one to sense an astral visitor?" Blade asked.
Bastion smiled. "Indeed. I do think it would work. The dogs who live here did sense me, but I was able to assure them I meant no ill will. I think we could find a way to get dogs to patrol for unwanted visitors."
“That’s an excellent idea," Liege said.
Blade checked with Kit, who checked with Owen, to see if it was going to fly. Owen nodded. Blade took out his cell phone and called Eden, who was at her kennel on the property. “Hey, babe. Can you join us down in the bunker? We need to talk to you about something. Right. Sounds good.” When he hung up, he told the group, “She’s just finishing up and will be here in a few minutes. So while I admit it’s a great idea, I have no idea how to implement it. Or even explain it to her."
"Everyone on my team can astral project. We’ll all be able to help as needed on this,” Liege said. "It won't be a fast solution, but it should be a viable one. I like the idea of having a resource like this as we move forward in our fight against the Omnis.”
A few minutes later, Eden came into the room. She looked around at the group, visibly working to keep her cool. Bastion supposed being summoned to the conference room rarely meant good news.
“Eden, we have a new project for you,” Blade said. “We need you to train dogs to sound an alert when astral travelers are somewhere on the compound."
Eden started to chuckle. “Fuck you, Blade." She turned and headed toward the door.
“Eddie,” Owen said, stopping her. "It sounds outrageous, but we're serious."
Eden was halfway to the door when she slowly turned back to face the room. "You're serious?"
In the time he’d been surveilling this group, Bastion had learned that Owen didn't have an ounce of humor in his body, so his assertion hit home.
Blade slipped an arm around her waist and walked her back toward the group. "You know that mutants have extraordinary mental capabilities. We've just discovered that the Legion’s enemy, Brett Flynn, may begin visiting our compound while in a state of astral travel. There are no physical sensors that can identify anyone doing that, or at least one that couldn't be tampered with. That means we need a reliable source sensitive to certain energies that humans can't perceive. I was wondering if you could train some dogs to do this for us.”
“I train them to sniff for ordnance and drugs. Not ghosts.”
“Astral travel isn’t the same type of energy as ghosts,” Bastion said. “The dogs here sensed me when I was visiting. If they could sense me, they can sense Brett Flynn.”
"How long do you think it would take to train dogs to patrol the house and the grounds for this new threat?” Kit asked.
Eden shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re actually having this discussion.” She looked at Blade as if hoping he’d bust out laughing and tell her she’d just been punked.
No one laughed.
“Well, supposing we have access to astral travelers on demand, three to six months. I don't know. This is way out of my area of expertise.”
"But it can be done, correct?" Owen asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Eden said. “I’m willing to give it a go. I’ll need to visit some shelters to find dogs that might fit this new agenda. It’s not going to be a fast program, since it’s new to me and filled with unknowns.”
“Get started,” Owen said. “Blade, go with her. Take the time you need, but be quick about it.”
37
The skeptical vibe was heavy in the room the next day when Bastion began his astral travel work with a subset of Selena’s team. He kept his amusement to himself, but he was really looking forward to this session. Stuff like this was second nature to all Legionnaires. He intended to have fun with it, while still demonstrating the power of astral travel.
He had the group push the long conference table off to the side, giving them room to work. “Let’s start with the basics. Are you all familiar with what astral travel is?”
Greer was the only one who felt comfortable with the topic, so Bastion explained it to the others. “Astral travel is where someone’s consciousness leaves their body to go to a physical destination elsewhere. That is about the only thing in common with most mutants, because every mutant can bring with them into their astral travel additional skills. For instance, I can still manipulate physical material telekinetically while in an astral state, though it takes some intense concentration. Some cannot do that. Others can do even more, like bi-locate. They can split their consciousness into multiple instances, allowing them some level of continued activity in their physical bodies, while also manipulating their astral self in a way that simulates their physical bodies. Flynn can do the latter. A regular encountering him in his astral state might comprehend him as a physical being. They could touch him, see him, fight him. He is a very powerful foe.”
“So how are you going to train us to do these things?” Kit asked.
“I’m not.” Bastion shook his head. “Unless you take the human modifications, you will need years to conquer the ability to astral trav
el. Instead, I’m going to work on broadening your narrow perception of reality so that you can know when you are in the midst of a mutant in his astral state.”
The guys swapped tense glances. Bastion wondered where they were in their discussions among themselves and with their families about becoming modified fighters. He wished he could talk to the Ratcliffs to see if Selena was right, that significant improvements had been made in the science of human mutations, making them safer. Nick had come through the change successfully, as had the Ratcliffs themselves.
If, and only if, it was much safer to do now than it had been when he and his brother took the changes, Bastion would be in favor of having these fighters undergo the procedure. And if Merc was able to find and retrieve Santo to oversee their mutant training, then it wouldn’t all be for naught.
“Let’s begin. It’s important for you to understand that an astral body is not limited as a physical body. In my astral state, I can walk through walls, travel great distances at the speed of thought. I’ll show you.”
He took a seat at the conference table, choosing one that was stuck in the corner so it would be harder for his physical self to get in and out of. Everyone in the room turned to face him. He had to fight to keep his smile off his face as he closed his eyes. He just wished he could see their faces when he did what he was about to do.
In astral form, he popped up behind them, keeping himself visible. They stood in a semicircle, waiting for something to happen to happen with his body in the chair. When nothing did, they got restless, thinking he was playing a joke on them.
“Yo, Bastion, wakey-wakey,” Max said. “Lousy time for a nap.”
Bastion’s astral self laughed audibly, shocking them.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Kit barked, looking from Bastion’s projection to his physical self, which was still sitting peacefully in the chair.
“Hi,” Bastion said, laughing so hard inside that it was difficult to keep his concentration. Each of the four men came over to his astral projection and tried to touch him. Their hands went right through.
Bastion: O-Men: Liege’s Legion Page 34
