The Fire In My Eyes

by Christopher Nelson

  “Sounds interesting. Are we going to go over anything else tonight? I'm not too tired yet,” I said. Telepathic training was tiring, but not like telekinetic practice. I didn't have the physical exhaustion, just a dull slowness to my thoughts.

  He hunkered down on the concrete block that had figured so prominently in my early training and looked at me over his sunglasses. “I was thinking of giving you a rest, but if you insist, we'll cover something new. I'll even give you a hand with your current obsession.”

  “My obsession?”

  “You're obsessing over that girl because she's avoiding you,” he said. “It distracts you. In the interests of getting you less distracted, I'll show you a way to find her.”

  “That's possible?” We had only discussed basic telekinesis and telepathy so far. Anything beyond those topics was dismissed as advanced training.

  “Of course it's possible. Private investigators can track people down by talking with people they know, looking through public records, following them and watching their movements. If you really wanted to, you'd be able to find this girl.”

  “I could, but I don't want to be a stalker. Or obsessive,” I pointed out.

  Shade flicked a hand dismissively. “Semantics. Do you want to learn how to stalk her psionically, or do you just want to keep obsessing over her?”

  “I wish you wouldn't phrase it that way, but yes, I'd like to learn that,” I said. As creepy as it sounded, being able to find people would be a valuable skill to learn. At least that was some sort of justification.

  “Fine. It's a bit sooner than I expected, but it's the last basic concept you need to learn, so what the hell. It's the cornerstone metasensory concept, what we call Sight.” He placed extra emphasis on the last word. “Think of it as an enhancement to your normal vision that lets you see psionic phenomena. That could be anything from looking for a specific person to scouting for latent traces or energy flows. Learning to focus it on something is just like focusing on what you want to manipulate with telekinesis, or on who you want to contact with telepathy. You've got a solid grip on both of those, so I figure you can learn this easily.”

  I didn't have a clue what latent traces or energy flows were, and I suspected that he wouldn't tell me if I asked. “So this Sight thing is like augmented reality?” I asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “Sci-fi concept. People have miniature computers implanted and linked to their optic nerves and their brain. Sort of like a heads-up display that's always there,” I explained.

  “Never heard of it explained quite that way,” he said. “Seems like a good way to describe it. But yes, sounds like you have an idea of what it is, and that should make it easy for you to learn. It's a foundation topic, just like what you've been learning. Once you get this down, we'll spend more time perfecting the basics, and then we'll be able to move on to advanced concepts.”

  I nodded. “What do I need to do?”

  “First, you need to understand the concept of interconnection.” He sketched in the air, drawing a series of glowing green lines pointing in every direction. “Everything connects to everything, including you. It's what you instinctively manipulate with telekinesis and telepathy. Metasensory powers allow you to visualize or otherwise sense that interconnection. It's limited in distance just like telekinesis or telepathy.”

  “What's the practical distance limit for this power?” I asked.

  He shrugged and the lines dissipated. “Everyone's different. Average psions can resolve their Sight out around a thousand feet away, maybe a quarter mile. Eventually all the connections start to blur and you can't tell one from another. If you can't distinguish them, you can't accurately focus on them.”

  “How do I use it?”

  He sighed. “Impatient as always. Listen, Parker, it's an important, dangerous concept. Just like your power in general, you don't want to rush into it. Your brain has no reference for this. It's sensory overload. People have fainted, blacked out, had seizures, even minor strokes when they first use their Sight. It's confusing and you need to focus quickly. Do you understand?”

  “I think so. I want to give it a try,” I said. How could someone have a stroke doing something like this?

  He shook his head. “All right. Turn around.” I faced away from him and looked toward the city. “Now, call up your power, but keep it low. Too much will burn your eyes and that's a bitch to recover from. My last trainee managed to do that. He was crying blood. Not pretty.” I tapped into my power, keeping it low and stable as he had instructed. “That's fine. Now focus it inwards toward your vision. Imagine that you're going to see the world through a filter of psionic power. You don't have to get too fancy. Just concentrate and tell me the moment you start to see things.”

  “What sort of things?” I asked.

  “Everyone's Sight manifests differently, but most people describe the first time as a massive spiderweb of lines. Without the spider. Usually without the spider.”

  “What do I do when that happens?” I asked.

  “Focus on me,” he said. “Don't let it drift. If you do, cut your power as fast as you can.”

  I focused as he had instructed and tried to visualize a way to look at the world through psionic energy. A simple way to visualize it was to think of it as a pair of glasses that I could put on and take off at will. I imagined myself putting glasses on, where the lenses were filters of psionic energy. They slid on and I could feel them pressing down on my nose and ears, heavier than I had thought, and my vision suddenly changed.

  Out of the city of Troy, flickers of light suddenly rose toward the sky. At first, there were only a couple, but within seconds, there were hundreds, then thousands. All around me, everything grew tendrils of light, tiny threads that glowed in myriad colors, defying any attempt to focus on them. Everywhere I looked, more grew, from the buildings, from the individual parts of buildings, from the bolts and rivets holding those parts together, from the molecules and atoms that made up everything around me. I clapped my hands to my face, covering my eyes, but I could still see those threads, everywhere around me. Even closing my eyes didn't hide them. I could hear them sliding against each other, chiming with the wind, shimmering music that resonated in my bones.

  “Focus!” Shade roared.

  I could barely hear him over the fury of the infinite number of threads, but I forced myself to follow his instructions. I had to think of him, my trainer, his dislike for me, his devotion to orders and duty, the way I saw him, the way he wanted to be seen. The more I concentrated on what I knew of him, the quieter the threads got, and suddenly they all vanished. All of them except for one, thicker than any others I had noticed. When I looked closer, I realized that it was actually several threads, braided together. It originated at the center of my chest and curled around to my left, traveling behind me. I turned around to see that the other endpoint terminated at Shade's chest.

  “This is amazing.” I lifted a hand to touch the thread, but it wasn't real. Or was it? A tingle ran through my fingers as they passed through it, but I wasn't sure if it was something I felt or just a reaction from my mind as my fingers passed through something that looked solid. “What else can this do? What else can I see?”

  Shade stood up and stepped away from his seat. “See for yourself. Lift the block.”

  I tapped more power and gripped the brick with my telekinesis. More threads appeared in my field of vision, a link from each fingertip, coiling together into a tight braid that connected right to the heavy block. I lifted it and the thread pulsed with green energy. When I lowered it back to the ground and let myself rest, the thread vanished with a distant tinkling sound. “This is amazing,” I said.

  “You're getting the hang of it,” Shade's voice came as a telepathic message. I looked at him and noticed a new thread appear between us, this time connecting us forehead to forehead. It shimmered green again as he sent another message. “Go ahead and let it go.”

  I twisted my power off. My vis
ion flickered and returned to normal. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. My breathing was a little ragged, not like it had been when I first started training, but I was more tired than I had been lately. My vision was blurred and I saw sparks every time I blinked. “Takes a lot out of you,” I said.

  Shade shrugged. “Just like everything else, the more you use it, the easier it gets. Unlike the other techniques I've shown you, this can actually injure you if you’re not careful. Telekinesis and telepathy will tire you out. You run out of juice, you fall over. It's self-limiting in the amount of damage you can inflict on yourself. Your Sight is something your brain isn't prepared to deal with. Your brain needs to integrate the metasensory senses with your normal senses. Over time, you might start sensing psionic phenomena by sound, scent, touch, even taste. Vision is the easiest way to see it and that's where we have people start.”

  “Is this where you're going to tell me not to use it until I'm used to it?” I asked.

  He snorted. “Of course not. You're going to use it to find that girl no matter what I tell you, and I don't care if you burn your eyes out in the process. People only make that mistake once. They spend a week with our medical staff, getting their retinas rebuilt. If it gets out of control, force your power off and try again. It's the only way you can get comfortable with it.”

  I nodded. Just as he said, I was planning to use it no matter what he said. This could be handy in everyday life. “Thanks. Are we training on Monday since there aren't any classes?”

  He shrugged. “I'm taking the weekend off. You can come here if you want, but I won't be around.” As usual, he turned his back on me and jumped off the edge of the roof. That always indicated the end of our training for the day. Where he went, I had no idea, but I assumed that the Establishment was based nearby. He probably had a house or an apartment nearby, close enough to make it to campus at a moment's notice.

  I shrugged and walked to the stairwell leading down from the roof. Where he lived wasn't really my concern. I had other things to think about right now, like when I was going to track Nikki down.

  My opportunity came that very weekend. Lisa and Drew organized a Memorial Day picnic for our group of friends. There was a small park near the dorm and we took over a corner of it. Andreas acquired a grill from sources he refused to divulge and Max produced a selection of hot dogs and hamburgers. Drew declared he would man the grill, but only after we played some basketball on the nearby courts.

  Lisa pulled me aside after Drew made his announcement. “I'll give you five bucks if you make sure Drew plays skins,” she whispered.

  I chuckled. “Where's Jess?”

  “Setting up the ambush,” Lisa replied, then held her finger to her lips. I had no idea what ambush she was talking about, but I assumed it had something to do with Max.

  The ambush occurred about halfway through the two on two game. Max and I were down by three, but Andreas was getting tired and there was only so much Drew could do by himself. The first water balloon hit the center of the court, taking us by surprise, spraying me and Andreas with frigid water. The second one caught Max in the chest, soaking his shirt. He swore and his shot sailed past the backboard.

  “Get them!” Lisa cheered, hefting a gigantic water gun that looked as long as she was tall. The back of Max’s car was open, revealing buckets full of water balloons and water guns. Jess and Kaitlyn were working together, one bringing buckets down from the car, the other flinging icy cold water balloons at us from a safe distance.

  “What the hell?” Drew shouted. “Take cover!” We dropped back while Lisa continued to cheer. Kaitlyn took her turn flinging water balloons toward us. One burst only a few feet away, showering all four of us. “Damn, that girl's got good aim!”

  She blew a kiss in our direction before following up with another barrage. Lisa sent a spray of water toward us, falling well short, but the intent was still clear. This was war, and they had declared it with a liquid Pearl Harbor.

  “You let her borrow your car?” Andreas asked Max.

  “I had no idea this was coming,” Max snapped. “She said she was picking up more snacks! Dammit, the seats better not be wet.”

  “You seriously let Jess borrow your car?” Drew asked. Max muttered something inaudible as we dropped back again under fire. Jess replaced Kaitlyn, adding another bucket to their arsenal. “We'll talk about your priorities later, man, but right now, we've got to get this under control. Andreas, you're the master tactician. What's your take?”

  Andreas was already breathing heavily from the game and took a moment to catch his breath. “They attacked at a point of weakness, when we were focused on the game. The car is parked somewhat uphill, a disadvantage if we choose to attack. We have no cover. Our only advantage is that of numbers, three of them and four of us. The only strategy with a chance of victory is to split up and attempt to steal their armament from the car. If one of us can reach it, we can face them on more equitable terms and launch a counter-attack.”

  Drew chuckled. “They're all wearing white. It's like they're daring us to get them wet. Let's do this. I'll play bait since I'm the biggest target, and already have my shirt off. Andreas, you're with me, since you're too tired to run around, right?” Andreas nodded. Max and I exchanged glances. “You guys are going to go for the car from different directions. Kev, go right, Max, go left. If you get a bucket or two, we'll meet back at the court. Just converge on the guy with the bucket. Sound good?”

  Drew's plan was solid. There were at least a half dozen buckets left in the back of Max's car. Kaitlyn was replacing Jess, but instead of a bucket, she had brought down two more enormous water guns like the one Lisa was swinging around. Our only chance of victory was to steal whatever they had left. If we couldn't, we'd have to retreat, and we'd never hear the end of that.

  Max slapped my shoulder. “I'm ready. You ready?” I nodded. “Let's go!”

  I jogged to the right, Max to the left. Drew broke into a sprint right for them, shouting and waving his arms. Lisa responded with a stream of water that he barely dodged. Kaitlyn launched a barrage in Max's direction, then in mine, then aimed another toward where Drew and Andreas were closing in. Drew sidestepped and the balloon caught Andreas right in the forehead, dropping him to the ground in surprise.

  This was perfect timing. I sprinted in just as Jess launched a surprise barrage from the back of the car, aiming for Max. While no one's attention was on me, I decided to sneak in a little telekinesis. Her first balloon went a little wide, her second a little short. Of course, no amount of telekinesis could make up for being a klutz. Max slipped on a patch of wet grass and went tumbling. I let my power go and didn't bother deflecting her next shot. He deserved it. The balloon caught him in the stomach and he flopped over backwards, holding his hands up in surrender..

  Drew was trying to defend Andreas from further barrages and was taking fire from both Kaitlyn and Lisa. I saw one balloon glance off his shoulder before I was too close to the car to waste any more time focusing on the others. Jess spun toward me and I dodged around to the far side of the car, trying to fake her out and keep her distracted until I was sure my eyeglow was gone. She flung a pair of balloons in a high arc over the car, then stepped sideways to fling one straight at me. It barely missed and she scrambled for another one just as I got to her.

  “Oh no you don't!” she declared, throwing her arms out in front of the array of buckets. Some of them were empty, but there were two that were full. I stepped in and she stepped right in my way. “You can't touch them without touching me.”

  “You make that sound like a bad thing,” I said. She reached back and grabbed a balloon, holding it in front of her and twisting it slightly. “Oh, you're willing to soak yourself in order to get me?”

  “Mutually assured drenching,” she told me. “I'm not afraid!”

  “You know, all I need to do is this,” I said, then held my hands out right in front of the balloon. She brought it up, then down, but I kept both hands as a shield
between us. She growled and pushed the balloon right into my hands. It burst between us, splattering my hands, but most of the water reflected back at her. She yelped at the cold splash and I snagged the two full buckets while she was distracted. “Now we're going to get our revenge,” I informed her.

  She grabbed another balloon from one of the remaining buckets as I jogged away with the two heavy buckets. The first one barely missed me, but her next shot took me right between the shoulder blades. The cold splash was a shock, but a sacrifice I was willing to make.

  The others had already withdrawn to our meeting point. Jess pulled the last buckets out of Max's car, then slammed it shut and ran downhill to join the other two girls. “We can't stick with a long range plan,” Drew said. “They've got more balloons. We need a sure thing. Andreas?”

  Andreas nodded, panting for breath. “The only way to make sure, attack point blank. Launch at range. Hope for lucky hits, then charge. Just like what Jess tried with Kev. Our last, best hope.”

  “Let's do it!” Drew whooped, then flung a pair of balloons toward the girls. I followed suit, but my throws were nowhere near as accurate as his. Kaitlyn squealed as a balloon burst close enough to spray her, but none of us took any more direct hits. When we were down to two balloons each, Drew sounded the charge. “For wet white shirts!” he bellowed, and tore off toward the girls.

  Max and I exchanged glances. “I'm sure as hell not repeating that war cry,” he said.

  “Neither am I,” I said.

  “Wet shirts!” Andreas shouted.

  Our charge was met by a hail of balloons and streams of water. We took our hits and charged directly in. The girls scattered as we got close, but we caught up to them. Drew broke both of his last balloons right over Lisa's head, soaking her from top down. Max tossed a balloon at Jess's back as she ran, and when she turned around to yell, we both broke balloons right at her, drenching her. Kaitlyn taunted Andreas, daring him to get her soaking wet. He did.