by J. D. Hale
He watched in amazement as the gel took affect, and my skin knit itself back together. The muscles in my arm flexed themselves, and my arm was healed in moments. I was immediately invigorated from the healing, and triumphantly pressed the ‘go’ elevator button.
“Let’s do this!” I half-screamed, the sudden burst of adrenaline making me excited for another fight, “Ross, here you go.”
I handed him one of my guns.
“I don’t even know how to shoot a gun!” Ross exclaimed.
“I’m sure you can figure it out, and if you can’t…just look like you do and I’ll cover your back.” I assured him. We reached the top floor, and were instantly surrounded by security guards.
I counted them quickly.
Eighteen.
Short, sweet, and simple.
“Alright boys, let’s dance.” I cracked my neck and took them by storm.
The moment the first guard let out a shot, civilians began screaming. Chaos abounded, filling the room with yells of terror.
In a wicked arc of destruction, I slashed my dagger from the top of one man’s head, down to the last man’s chest, and each of the six fell to the ground in pain. I grabbed the throwing knives and pinned two of the men to a wall, classically stabbing their sleeves in. The hold was so tight they couldn’t break free. A shot rang out, and I turned to Ross. He had accidentally shot one of the guards in the leg. The nine mobile guards ran at Ross, suddenly seeing him as a threat. I cut three of them in the back of their necks as I ran to Ross. In a rare moment of being shielded by someone else, I expanded my Rizer.
“Come on, Ross!” I yelled over the commotion, “Run to the Wasp! I’ll be right there!”
Ross looked at me and, against his better judgment, ran out of the room with the two bags. I followed suit, drawing the guards after me. But, the moment I stepped out of the building, I shot a ball of sheer energy out of my Rizer and slammed the door shut.
The shockwave of the energy thrust me backwards near the wasp. I flew back, attempt-ing to ride the undulating ball of shock safely. I was near the Wasp when I landed gracefully on the road. I jumped into the cockpit and turned on autopilot.
June 26th 1:15 pm
Dunham Mountain Lodge, Loco, Neolis
“I could kiss you right now!” I exclaimed to Ross, ecstatic.
“Go for it,” He said, tapping his cheek.
I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“International Saizian symbol of-”
“Friendship and greetings.” Ross cut me off.
I grinned, appreciative of any human who knew Saizian culture. Earth was the most oblivious of all planets. Even with hundreds of different alien species living there, the humans hardly noticed them.
“Now,” I said, turning serious, “I have to show you something.
Ten minutes later, we sat in the lodge’s library, looking at Mental Powers in the Especially Gifted Humans.
Ross flipped through the pages until I told him to stop, and then I began reading.
“‘Section Eight: Telepathy.
Part One: An Overview of Human Telepathy: Telepathy, or thought transference between individuals (commonly referred to as ‘mid reading’ or telecommunication) is especially common in teenagers with an IQ above 210, who carry it their whole lives. In most cases, the subject has heightened memory abilities (either natural or artificial), and very high psychic readings.
Part Two: ‘Symptoms’ of Telecommunication: Before the discovery of their latent power, most subjects experience the one thing many schizophrenics do – hearing voices. When a thought will come into their minds, they might think it sounds like some else whispered it in their heads. Some may even experience migraines when overrun with other people’s thoughts.
Part Three: Dealing with Telepathy: Though it can be overwhelming, telepathy is a gift, more than anything else. And, with the proper training, telepathy can be harnessed and mastered. You can learn to tune out and in on certain thoughts.” I stopped reading and looked at Ross. His eyes were wide as he took it in.
“So…you think I’m a mind reader?” he was somewhat shocked.
“Wrong.” I said.
He gave me a confused look.
“I know you’re a mind reader. How else would you have known the password to the elevator?” I asked him rhetorically.
He shrugged, “It was just a guess.”
“Don’t be naïve. I have a test for you.” I said.
His eyes widened, “I love tests!”
I snickered, “I know. Now, what am I thinking about right now?”
He had to concentrate for a minute, and I watched him. His caramel eyes flicked from my eyes to the wall.
“You think I have pretty eyes?” He grinned.
Color flew to my face. I nervously ran my fingers through my hair, “Yes. What am I thinking now?” I asked seriously.
Ross laughed, “Yes, I do try to be annoying.”
Now we were both giving each other wide grins.
That was the moment Iesleen burst through the door.
“Rowan’s hurt!” She yelled, exasperated.
I instantly jumped up and followed her through the lodge and up the stairs. The three of us ran as fast as our legs could move, and I was terrified of what I would see when we reached my brother. When we reached the top level, the training floor, I was struck by how cold it was – almost as cold, in fact, as the freezing tundra outside. When we stepped into the sparring room, I saw why.
The far window – one of the floor to ceiling kind – had somehow shattered and there were shards everywhere. Curse my mother for not having the sense to design a building with shatter-proof windows! Wind was rushing in and out, pulling and pushing fragments of glass through the room.
And in the center was my brother.
His right arm was gruesome to look at. Projectiles of glass had shot into his arm, slicing from his shoulder down to his hand. More tiny dregs of glass were plunged into his other arm and his collarbone. Blood was pulsing out of all his wounds, slowly spreading over the slate floor.
“Ross, get the bag from downstairs! Iesleen, get me a ton of gauze! In my bathroom, in a closet! Go now!” I yelled and rushed over to Rowan.
“Can you hear me?” I whispered. Terror gripped my hearts, crushing me from the center of my body.
He nodded.
“What happened?” I asked helplessly.
“The window…it…and…Iesleen was…in the way. I…I jumped…in front…of her.” He gasped with the effort of speaking.
“Shh,” I quieted him, “just concentrate on me, okay? Just stay conscious, and it will all be over soon.”
His eyelids fluttered, and he tried to focus on my face.
It took an excruciatingly long time, but Iesleen and Ross came bounding up the steps. Ross tossed me the bag, and I pulled out the blue tube.
I cursed my own stupidity.
“Too much glass,” I whispered under my breath, “Rowan, this is going to hurt, but I need you to concentrate and tough it out.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I started pulling the glass out of my brother’s arms.
It was painstaking to pull out glass while more blood flowed out of my twin’s arm, but I did the deed as quickly as possible.
When it was over and I had gotten out as much glass as physically possible, I covered his arm in blue gel. Rowan’s gaze became stronger, focused, and he held my eyes as the gel took affect.
But then, the gel stopped working. He wasn’t losing any more blood, but now his energy was gone. His eyes shut and his breath became heavier.
I carefully wrapped his arm in gauze and spent twenty minutes pulling out tiny splinters of glass from his chest and collar while Ross and Iesleen watched behind me.
The freezing room was suddenly getting to me. My arms were covered in goose bumps and shivers racked my body.
I tried to command power in my weak voice when I spoke, “Iesleen, help me carry Rowan downstairs.”
She nodded.
“Ross, open the doors.”
We spent half an hour carefully maneuvering my brother down the flights of steps to the living room.
I had only briefly walked through this room when we first entered a few days ago, but I was struck by how lovely it was. Since my mother had designed the house, the room was elegant and classy. The walls were ivory with golden diamonds around the molding. The floor was deep, chocolate brown, glossy from never being walked on. Tall lamps that matched the floor illuminated the room through gold shades. There was a long, off-white couch made of luxurious, soft fabric. At the end was a therapist-style chair with a chocolate brown accent pillow. A massive marble fireplace loomed in front of the couch, giving off a warm glow. There was a huge black touch screen television/computer above the fire-place.
Iesleen and I put Rowan down on therapist-like recliner.
“Iesleen,” I whispered. In the silence it sounded loud, “what exactly happened?”
“Rowan and I were sparring, and then I asked where you and Ross had gone, and he just set off. Somehow, he knew where you had gone, and…and he was mad. Then…the window shattered. He,” She gulped, “he…jumped in front of me so I wouldn’t get hurt.” Tears were filling her eyes. She sniffled, “I’m so sorry.”
I wasn’t used to dealing with situations like this. Most people I work with don’t just break down crying.
So I did a classically human thing.
I wrapped my arms around her and she shook in my arms.
“You need to stop crying.” I told her softly, looking into her mismatched eyes, “Rowan lost his temper, and shattered the window with his mind. He’s the kind of person that bottles his emotions and explodes. That can be really dangerous for someone who uses telekinesis on a regular basis. Don’t worry about it. You’re just lucky he jumped in front of you.” I whispered.
She nodded, and then looked confused, “Why? It wouldn’t have been any different if it would’ve been me…”
“Well,” Ross jumped in, “Saizians have two hearts, which means twice the blood. If you had lost that much blood, you’d be almost completely drained, and-”
“Rowan knew that.” I told her softly, “He’s very protective.”
Iesleen nodded.
I glanced at my diamond-studded silver watch.
“Two o’clock. There’s a news report starting now.” I said.
“That’s it?!” Iesleen was aghast at me.
“About Rowan? Yes. He’ll be fine in a little while. News travels fast in this part of the universe, and I have to stay up to date on what the public knows about us.”
I flipped on the TV and turned it to channel 451. The report had already started, and a middle-aged reporter was talking about the King and Queen of Neolis. I was tuned out, but then I heard this:
“Many of the universe’s best leaders – from Earth’s greatest, Saize’s Prime Minister Nayathi, to Neolis’s own King and Queen Dara – are gathering on an undisclosed location to talk about the most impending threats the whole galaxy is facing today-” He looked directly at the camera, “-the Dunham twins. It’s rumored that they’ve taken on two new accomplices, noted as extraordinary Earthen teenagers. Two days ago, Kairee Dunham offered the Saizian government officials an…interesting challenge to take her life. Confused? Here, take a look.”
I watched the clip of me saying “…I, Kairee Rose Dunham, as your greatest threat, challenge the leaders of Saize to kill me.”
I smiled.
The reporter continued, “Kairee and her twin, Rowan, have been terrorizing their home planet, our sister planet Saize, a lot lately. Just this morning, Kairee and an unknown American invaded the Saizian National Archives and stole copies of “The Big Book of Intergalactic Police Facts,” “Nalakine for Beginners,” “Dunham History: From Joa the First to Kairee and Rowan,” “The Power of Saizian Authority,” “Smartest Saizians,” “The Ministry,” “Police Technology,” “The Greatest Saizian Inventions,” “Xeron: The Truth behind the Technology,” and “Mental Powers in the Especially Gifted Humans, for Those With Them.” It is assumed from these books that she is researching the Xeron’s powers, trying to understand the Intergalactic Police Force, and she is working with an Earthling who has exceedingly high mental capacities. Check out the follow-up story tonight at ten.”
I clicked the TV off.
“So, do these programs reach America?” Ross asked nervously, “Because eventually the whole universe will know that Iesleen and I are working with you, and my mom… Well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty if she found out. And by it, I mean my mom.”
“It’s fine.” I reassured him, “The people on Earth – your people – don’t care what happens on Saize. I mean, they hardly know we exist. All those foolish human scientists only recently discovered that there was life on other planets. The only time they care about what I do is when it affects them. As long as we stay off Earth for a while, we’ll be fine.” I shrugged.
But Ross wasn’t so sure, “I’m sure the humans will care when we steal the Xeron. I mean, come on. Saize is one of the most influential planets in the universe.”
“Alright. Iesleen, would you consider yourself one of the more normal Americans?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She replied.
“So, what’s the name of Saize’s Prime Minister?” I asked sardonically.
“I don’t know. Is he like the British one?” She asked obliviously.
I gave Ross a knowing look, “Iesleen, the Prime Minister of Saize is a woman, and her name is Areesta Nayathi.” I turned to Ross, “See? You have nothing to worry about.”
He shrugged it off.
“Alrighty then. Ross, why don’t you start reading those books you got? Iesleen, meet me in the weapons room in five minutes. I’ll go tell one of the workers to fix the window upstairs.” I said, and, with a last, fleeting look at my unconscious brother, trotted to the staff headquarters on the third floor.
As I walked through the halls of the third floor, I saw tons of staff working on projects. All around, chainsaws screeched, bells and whistles sounded, and blowtorches hummed. In the main room of the staff floor was Daran, the lodge’s Chief of Repairs, working on a set of light switch plates with a blowtorch. He was a tall, burly man, with bulging arms from working on industrial projects his whole life. He had a scruffy red and gray beard under a crooked nose and thin, ever-grimacing lips. His eyes were rust colored and determined.
“Daran?” I yelled over the roar of the room.
When he saw me, he flicked off the blowtorch and bowed, “Hallo Miss Dunham!” He had a deep, friendly voice that carried over all the commotion, “What can I do ya for?”
“Sorry to bother you, but a little while ago one of the windows upstairs collapsed. I was wondering if one of you could fix it for me?” I shouted.
“Of course!” He bellowed, “Runas! Dace! Urian! Come here!”
In a few moments, three strapping, massive men stood in front of us.
“Interns,” Daran said quietly, or rather what seemed quiet above the noise.
Each of the men was more than a foot taller than me – even in my heels – and they had very imposing presences.
“You three need to go up to the sparring level and get to work on repairing the win-dow!” Daran exclaimed, and the trio rushed off.
“Well, Miss Dunham, I don’t mean to rush you out, but I’ve got a lot of work to do.” Daran told me nicely.
“It’s fine.” I smiled, “I’ve got my own people to train.”
I rushed back upstairs with a last grin at Daran.
When I reached the weapons room, Iesleen was already waiting for me.
“So, you think I’m ready for weapons?” She said the word as if it was something she had been waiting for her entire life.
“Yes,” I told her, “you have much more fighting potential than Ross. It’s necessary that at least one of you can take a few Intergalactic Police Officers. I personally think Ross wi
ll be better with telekinesis and guns, since he’s great with mental stuff. You, on the other hand, are extremely graceful and coordinated. So you, much like myself, will be good with a blade. The thing is, swords and daggers take more work to wield properly than a gun. Guns are just lock and load and shoot, while swords take finesse and skill. Daggers take even more work since you have to be quick on your feet and lithe in your movements. But, I know you can handle it.”
She nodded, grimly determined.
“The most important thing is weapon choice. I prefer this,” I removed my personal dagger from its sheath on my back. “My mother gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday, and I’ve used it ever since. It’s a long dagger, which gives me an advantage in a fight.”
I looked at the dagger almost lovingly. The silver hilt was wrapped in leather, the only part of the hilt that showed was the black diamond protruding from the end. The blade was long and extremely sharp silver, engraved with the family crest.
“Your weapon has to become an extension of you. It has to fit naturally into your hand, so naturally you want to fight with it. Not too heavy or too light. Try a few out.” I urged.
She walked along the racks of swords and daggers, hefted a few but set each of them down. After a few tries, she looked at me helplessly.
“What do you weigh – one thirty, one forty?” I asked.
She nodded, confused.
“That means you should have a sword that’s eight or nine pounds. Or, if you wanted, a dagger that’s three or four.” I lifted up a bronze sword and handed it to her.
“That’s definitely closer.” She said, “But not it.”
“Another thing is, I can’t choose for you. You’ve got to find one that matches not only your weight, but your personality and fighting style. You’re more graceful than me – less of a brutal killing machine and more of a jungle cat type. So, choose something thin and deadly.” I advised.
She tried a few more – three beautiful models, each especially carved – but put each down sadly.
After a few minutes, though, she came across the one that was obviously hers.
She unsheathed it from a beautiful black leather casing, and she immediately smiled. It was brilliant Stygian iron, the kind that’s so silver it’s almost white. The blade itself was thin like a fencing Foil, but much stronger. It seemed to glisten the moment Iesleen touched it. The hilt was black iron with a brilliant ikielie, a priceless neon yellow gem, protruding from the bottom. Four flat half moons curved around the blade, creating a small circle around the bottom of the blade.
