by Cohen, Bryan
Ted tried to take the almost-compliment as they walked into the meeting. Erica spared them a momentary glance from the front of the room. She was looking a little better after not touching the book for almost a day, but her pale skin continued to worry the living soul.
Erica looked down at her table. "Thanks for joining us, you two. I have something important to tell you."
Yoshi leapt to attention. "One of you has stolen our supply of food."
Erica raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
The samurai continued and paced about the room. "You know the power that the seaweed from our planet possesses. We had enough supply to last us months. It's all gone."
Dhiraj chuckled and put his arm on Jennifer's shoulder beside him. "Somebody should have told him that seaweed is really popular in the States right now."
Jennifer pulled her shoulder away. "We're not in the States. We're in international waters."
Dhiraj looked awkward as he shrugged. "Same difference. They don't have fad diets in international waters?"
Yoshi stepped right up to Dhiraj. "If you know something and you aren't telling me, then me and my people will make you very sorry."
Erica cleared her throat. "This wasn't the news I planned to share, but we will look into this situation as well, Yoshi. Now, if you'll let me continue."
The samurai stared down Dhiraj for another moment before he took his place. Ted kept his attention on Yoshi for an extra moment as the protector spoke.
"Last night, somebody removed the books from their room."
A wave of nervousness crept up Ted's back. "They're gone? Did the cameras catch anything?"
To his side, Dhiraj gritted his teeth. "It seems as though in the hubbub yesterday, somebody conveniently disabled the feeds on the books."
Ted ran his hand through his hair. "That was our best play with Riu. The books turned him into a powder keg."
As Erica gave him a pained look, he couldn't tell if it was from the death of their plan or actual pain she was experiencing. "Needless to say, our idea to take him to the capital is off."
The collective energy of the room dropped all at once.
The only one who didn't seem to duck his or her head was Natalie. She stepped forward. "Wait a second. The seaweed and the books disappearing at the same time seems too convenient for them not to be related."
A light bulb went off in Ted's head. "That's right. I couldn't look inside Erica's mind yesterday. Dhiraj called out to me with his mind today, and I didn't hear it. And I wasn't able to look in Nat's mind just a few minutes ago."
Natalie stared in his direction. "What did I tell you about looking into my mind, Ted Finley?"
Ted's face reddened even more than usual. "Sorry. Force of habit."
Erica's sigh drew attention back to her. "You two are adorable, but I think Natalie is right. Yoshi, whoever stole the seaweed must have been putting it into the food or water." She looked at Ted. "Without your mental powers, you won't be able to get clues from anyone on board."
Natalie crossed her arms. "Lover boy over here is useless without his stalker brain abilities."
Ted's voice cracked as he spoke. "I'm not a stalker."
Yoshi's voice was deeper than usual. "So, what do we plan to do about it?"
Erica looked around at the members of the room. "When everybody is a suspect and you can't mess with people's minds, you interrogate and you torture."
While Ted and Dhiraj looked at each other to express concern, everybody else in the room nodded in agreement. Ted was surprised to even see Jennifer agreeing to the potentially painful solution.
13
With word of the upcoming interrogations spreading through the ship, Dhiraj put his heart and soul into a slideshow presentation. The news about the seaweed and Ted not having access to his mental powers was distressing, but for Dhiraj, it was almost more upsetting that Jennifer brushed him off once again.
His bottom lip quivered as he moved pictures around with his mouse on the screen. "Even if we lose this war, I'm not about to lose you."
It had been difficult to cobble together all of the pictures with a spotty connection, let alone a secure one. But Dhiraj was able to get what he needed for his last-ditch effort to secure Jennifer's attention.
Dhiraj hadn't even realized how much of the day had gone by until he stepped out of his room for the first time in hours. Evening had settled into a difficult day most of his shipmates probably wished was almost over. But in the darkness, Dhiraj felt a bit of hope.
"This is it. It's either going to work or it's going to be over."
Dhiraj tucked his laptop under his arm and plotted the quickest path to Jennifer's room. He was walking so fast that he didn't see the beefy Doren as he ran straight into his chest. Dhiraj toppled to the ground, but he kept the laptop close to his chest like a wide receiver cradling a football.
The light soul laughed at the display. "Watch out there, little buddy. You humans and your computers are like me and my guns."
He reached out his hand and helped Dhiraj to his feet. "What are you so excited about?"
Dhiraj felt flustered, as if he had a deadline to deliver his slideshow. "Thanks for helping. I can't stay and chat, I have a PowerPoint presentation to deliver."
Doren cocked his head sideways. "PowerPoint? Is that some kind of laser?"
With butterflies taking over his stomach, Dhiraj tripped over his words. "Let's hope that it's a laser straight to her heart. Talk to you later."
He kept walking at top speed until he reached his destination. He tried to ignore the annoyed look on Jennifer's face when she opened the door.
"I hope you brought some dessert."
Dhiraj stuttered. "I did—I did—I didn't. But I brought something better."
Jennifer frowned. "A mask to put over your mouth for five seconds?"
He laughed nervously. "Good joke, Comrade Jen. Actually, I wanted to take you back down memory lane."
She looked up and seemed to say a silent prayer before she turned her back and walked into the room.
Dhiraj took it as a cue to enter and shut the door behind him. He set up his laptop screen on Jennifer's desk and opened it to the first slide. The picture that was front and center showed Dhiraj and Jennifer in their finest attire from junior prom.
She folded her arms. "What is this?"
Dhiraj advanced the slide. The new picture that showed was from all the way back in 7th Grade when his fundraising efforts had gotten the field hockey team an all-expenses paid trip to England.
He smiled through his nervousness. "You may recognize this nerdy little fellow as the boy who helped you earn over $10,000. What I didn't tell you at the time, was that I really did it just to impress you."
Jennifer looked toward the image and then back to Dhiraj. Her face remained neutral.
Dhiraj cautiously advanced the slide. This one was just a picture of Jennifer looking off into the distance. "I'm not sure if you knew I was taking this, but it was just after we found all of that evidence about Adam. You were so happy about your discovery, and even though we were about to get captured, you seemed to have this optimism about you that was absolutely infectious."
Jennifer's features seemed to soften a bit. He was hopeful that she was finally listening.
Dhiraj advanced the slide to a picture of them together with Ted and Erica. "I can't remember exactly when this was taken, but the four of us were on a double date together."
Jennifer took a step toward Dhiraj and took the remote in her hand. She looked into Dhiraj's eyes. "This is really sweet of you, but I don't think it's the right time for a PowerPoint presentation."
Dhiraj's throat felt tight as he cracked a smile. "It's always time for a PowerPoint presentation."
Jennifer handed the remote back and turned away from him. When she faced him once again, she had an old looking book in her hands.
Dhiraj's stomach dropped. "Jen? Where did you get that?"
As Jennifer placed her hand inside
the book, Dhiraj could feel the control of his mind slipping away. The remote fell from his hand and cracked against the floor.
Jennifer walked toward him and waved her hand in front of his face. He didn't even blink.
"Good. Now, will you be a dear and jump into the ocean for me?"
Dhiraj nodded, his brain absent of thought. He spun on his heels and walked out the door. Dhiraj continued to place one foot in front of the other without his mind triggering any warning signs. He took the stairs up to the main deck and continued to reduce the amount of space between him and the edge.
Fifteen feet. Ten feet. Five feet. Dhiraj was just one step away from tumbling into the ocean when a voice called out to him from behind.
"Stop." Jennifer came up from behind and placed her arm around his midsection. "I want us to have the appearance of still dating without you trying to get in my pants every five seconds, okay?"
Dhiraj couldn't help it, the words tumbled out as if he was on a truth serum. "I wasn't trying to get in your pants. I was trying to show you that you once loved me and could love me again."
Jennifer shook her head. "It would be so easy to throw you overboard right now." She patted his head and looked around at the empty deck. "Can it with the courtship. It's going to be really inconvenient to change up our mission because of your feelings, okay?"
Dhiraj nodded, some part of him understanding the dark soul in front of him.
"Good. Care to have a little fun?"
The images that stuck in Dhiraj's brain didn't seem to make sense. He could see Jennifer leading him somewhere, but he didn't know where or why. He couldn't tell what time it was or the last time he'd eaten. All he could see were the books in Jennifer's hand and the knife in his own. When they entered the room of the two angels, the creatures stayed silent and unconscious. Jennifer's hand was on one of the books the whole time, no doubt keeping the angels from making any trouble. The words that tumbled out of Dhiraj's mouth didn't make sense either. But before long, the symbols appeared on the angels' backs. Dhiraj took the knife in his hand and prepared to thrust it downward. Somewhere deep inside, he resisted the action, but after Jennifer cooed in his ear, he brought the blade down with impressive strength.
After the two acts of murder had been accomplished, the angels rose up and joined Jennifer's ranks. Dhiraj's eyes watered as his very being attempted to fight the commands he was given.
Jennifer placed her arm around him and kissed his cheek. "I was wrong. I like our relationship just the way it is."
Before Dhiraj could reply, he felt the thoughts being pulled from his mind. The images of death and dark souls vanished without a trace.
14
Riu stood in the hallway outside of Erica's command post. It was the third time that day he'd been told to wait, and his lack of success at getting an audience with the protector was starting to get to him. His fingers scraped against the metal wall behind him as he did his best to concentrate like Yoshi had taught him. Using his mind and his focus did allow him to channel some of the glowing green energy in the direction he wanted. But when word spread that the books had gone missing, his ability to concentrate had waned significantly.
He pointed his finger toward a small black spot on the opposite wall. "Come on, concentrate."
A small wave of energy moved across the room slowly. But before it reached its intended destination, it fizzled and evaporated into the air.
Yoshi breathed heavily. "You need to work. Let me have my destiny."
The boy attempted again, but this time yielded an even worse result. He couldn't get the light started in the first place.
The moment he hung his head, the door opened up to Erica's office for the first time in hours. Flanked by two soldiers he didn't know, Erica walked methodically out of the room.
Yoshi's neck snapped straight up. "Protector. A moment of your time?"
Erica shook her head. "Not now, Yoshi. We've got something more important to deal with."
Riu willed his legs to keep pace with the trio. "You don't have enough time to use my powers to win the war?"
Erica stopped and turned toward him. "Show me. If you can use your powers to do exactly what you did last time with the books, then I'll give you more than enough time."
Riu's throat constricted as he put out his hand and motioned toward her. "Ted told me that my powers were a work in progress."
"No excuses. If you can use your powers without enhancement, then we'll take you to the capital immediately."
The boy wasn't sure if the pressure helped or hurt as he attempted to focus. A stream of green light emanated from his hand and moved toward the center of Erica's chest. The light spread over the protector's body, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
Riu tensed every muscle he could think of as he attempted to force his magic to send Erica out of her body. When nothing happened, Erica put her hand on Riu's wrist.
"It's not your fault. We should have kept better watch over the books. But when we get them back, the plan is back on, okay?"
Riu internally cursed at himself. "Okay."
"And you're going to leave me be and focus on getting stronger?"
Riu nodded.
Erica's smile seemed a little forced. "Good. Thank you for being here, Riu."
Erica and the troops walked away, leaving Riu alone with his extremely negative thoughts.
As Riu lay awake in bed that night, he thought of his home. He wondered what his mother was doing at that very moment. Was she thinking of him with pride? Did she somehow know that he was failing at his mission? Was she crying?
"I'm sorry, Mother. I just wanted to be a hero. I just wanted to show everyone that I had a purpose. Other than the green glowing laughingstock of the village." He sniffled as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I guess I was wrong."
That night, Riu dreamed in vivid colors, sounds, and smells. He could sense the thick cloud of smoke from an aircraft carrier not so different from their own. But this one seemed different somehow. It was darker and full of planes with a frightening mission. He could feel the sand blow into his eyes from a desert castle. But even with the pellets lightly brushing his face, he knew that not everything was right. The castle was under attack, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His bare feet brushed against the green grass on a long manicured lawn. In front of him was a huge, white building, the likes of which he'd never seen. But something was missing. The front of the house had been torn off and it lay only a few dozen feet from where he stood. The images continued to cycle until his frustration at the lack of understanding woke him up.
What does it mean? How does it show me my fate?
The following day was a full 12 hours of practice alone in his room. Despite his attempts to become stronger, there simply wasn't enough power in his meager body to control his abilities the way he wanted. His frustration sent him to the ground sobbing on multiple occasions.
The only time he ventured out of his quarters for a little food, he learned that nothing had been solved. The books were missing and the hours of interrogation had led Erica and Ted nowhere.
After dreaming the same series of images once again, Riu stormed out of his room and stomped his way through the ship until he reached Ted's door.
He slammed his tiny fist into the metal until the sleepy living soul opened up.
"Riu. Don't you know what time it is?" Ted rubbed his eyes. "Or do you guys use sundials or something? I'm not sure."
Riu stormed straight past him.
The living soul shook his head. "Fine. Come in. Have some hot chocolate or something."
Riu turned toward Ted and put his hands on his hips. "You brought me here to do nothing!"
"That's not exactly true."
Ted rummaged through is drawer until he found half of a chocolate bar Dhiraj had swiped for him during one of the missions. "Would you like some? Your mom might get angry with me."
Riu stared laser beams into Ted. "My mother would only be upset because you ha
ven't used my talents. When are we going to save the world?"
"Will you sit down with me for a second? I think you're going to want to hear this."
Riu resisted, scrunching up his face tighter and angrier. "If it isn't a plan to stop the dark souls, I don't want to hear it."
Ted sat down on his mattress. "That's fine. I'll just tell a little story, and if you happen to be in the room for it, then maybe you'll hear me."
Riu felt his heart rate slow as Ted began to speak.
"While I've never been as gung ho as you have been about saving the world, I know that it isn't always fast and it isn't always satisfying."
Ted leaned his head back and looked up. "You don't remember the people you saved so much. You remember the ones who didn't make it. Sandra. Travis. Van Housen. Some of those people died because I thought that a fast, heroic decision was a good one. But before you even came into the picture, a little bit of patience might have saved this world."
Riu's body softened. "I'm sorry about the friends you lost. But if you don't find a way to use me now, maybe I'll never reach my destiny."
Ted smiled. "But it's not about you, Riu. This war affects everybody. And the second you try to get something just for yourself, that's exactly when you stop becoming a hero."
Riu walked over to the bed and sat beside the living soul. "My grandfather saved our planet. Everyone loved him and talked about him even after he was gone."
"But he didn't do that for the fame. I was on TV interviews and Dhiraj had novels commissioned about my adventures. But what really matters is that the people you love are safe." He put his arm around Riu's back. "Your grandfather saved his world because he wanted your mom and you and your kids to live happy lives. If you decide that you want to save this world, truly, then you need to do it for the people you care about."
Riu sighed. "But I want to be a hero now."
Ted nodded. "Being a hero doesn't mean you're a hero every single moment. You will have your opportunity. I promise you that."
