by S Mays
“She said that you were now ready to submit to the Stalker Test. I can’t believe that’s true. You are not even sixteen yet. Surely, it was the medication talking.”
Jessica relaxed, relieved that her secret was safe. “She…did tell me that our training has concluded and that she wanted me to take the test.”
“You haven’t trained long enough! It’s far too soon!” her father bellowed, rubbing his hand on his forehead. “I won’t allow it!”
“Jake, you know Faith has seniority on this. If she wants Jessica to take the test, then it’s time,” Bilford said, putting a calming hand on his grandson’s shoulder.
Jake took a deep breath before turning back to Jessica. He moved to her bed and sat on the edge. Taking her hand, he looked her in the eyes.
“This test… It’s not like anything you’ve done before. They tailor it to each applicant. Many have died or been maimed or crippled for life. Some have been infected with vampirism or lycanthropy and had to be destroyed. I don’t think I could bear to lose you, too. Not after Abigail.”
Jessica looked down at her father’s hand. She’d rarely seen him express his emotions like this. Perhaps he’d hoped she would fail Faith’s training or quit. Now, he had to face the reality that she was on her way to becoming a full-fledged Stalker. “Father, I wish you’d have more faith in me. I’ve grown so much over these past few years. Whatever this test is, I will conquer it. I’ll fight for you, and I’ll fight for the memory of Mother. I have confidence in my abilities and my faith.”
Her father looked at the hand he was holding. “Your hand is calloused, scratched and bruised. It is the hand of a warrior. Of someone who has trained and fought hard.” He looked to Jessica’s face. “You’ve become a woman over these past few years. You remind me so much of your mother now. It makes my heart ache all over again. Especially the prospect that I might lose you, too.” Tears filled his eyes. “Jessica…I believe in you. You have made me so proud. I’m sorry for undermining you all of these years. Your path is your own. You’ve fought so hard for this. I thought I could keep you safe, but that was not your destiny. If Faith says you are ready, then you are. You’ve grown into a powerful warrior. I’m sorry I haven’t noticed it sooner. I didn’t want to see it.”
Jessica fought to keep her own tears in check, determined not to let her father see her cry after he’d just said she was a warrior. She failed. She cried as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around him. Her leg and head protested, but she ignored the pain.
“I’ll notify the Council that you are ready. It will be up to them to decide when and where the test will be. It could be anywhere. They’ll wait until you are healed.”
“Thank you, Father.” She then noticed Bilford was leaning around the edge of the bed.
“Can a weary old man get in on this loving moment?” he asked sheepishly.
“Well…” Jessica started to say, but then the elderly man was already embracing both her and her father in a massive hug.
“I’ve wanted to do this for so long!” he shouted at the ceiling as tears streamed down his face as well.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Jessica, I need you down in the lab,” her father’s voice announced over the house intercom.
For the past few months, he’d spent most of his time working on his nanite program. It was as if he’d become consumed by his research. He’d missed most of her rehabilitation. After his show of affection in the medical ward, she’d thought that perhaps their relationship might become closer, but it was as if he was going out of his way to avoid her now.
Faith was still in the middle of her recovery, but had decided that since Jessica’s training had been completed, she would rather recuperate in California. Jessica couldn’t blame her. She looked out the window at the snow that was now several feet deep. She wasn’t particularly fond of snow. Without any friends at the Farm, she’d never played in it as a child, and other than play, snow served no purpose other than to hinder travel and make a mess of the floors in the old farmhouse. Hilda was constantly mopping as people came and went. Perhaps Hilda’s hatred for snow had influenced Jessica as she grew up.
The elevator to the research and development sector opened. Her father rushed to meet her. “Jessica! I’ve done it. The nanites function perfectly now. I’ve been able to create weapons from them. Unbelievable weapons.” Jessica had never seen her father so excited. He was almost hysterical. From his face, it was obvious he was on the brink of utter exhaustion.
“Look at this!” he said, moving across the room to grab a long haft. It looked as if it belonged to an axe. Picking it up, he calmed, focusing intently on the weapon. “Fang: bite,” he said.
Jessica began to question her father’s sanity. Perhaps he’d gone mad, isolated deep under the ground? She then noticed small particles exiting through the haft, quickly forming a curved blade on each side. Her father was now holding a battle axe.
“I-I can’t believe it,” she said, examining the weapon.
“The particles are powered by chi. The weapon’s strength is based on your focus and willpower.” He turned to a small anvil that appeared to have already been cut in half. He stood in front of it, readying his stance. Breathing deeply, he raised the axe above his head. Jessica noticed a bright glow on the edge of the blade as well as a low hum. “HAH!” he shouted, swinging the weapon down on top of the anvil’s surface. It split in half, along with the block of wood it rested upon.
Jessica inspected the remaining metal. The cut had an almost mirror-like finish. “Amazing.”
“Imagine if all Order agents had weapons like this. There’s almost nothing it can’t cut. I’ve also infused the particles with small bits of silver and genetically modified hardened wood, so they are lethal to a wide range of supernatural creatures. And look at this!” he said, moving the weapon in front of a Spectral Analyzer.
On the screen, she could see her father’s aura flowing through the weapon. “Does this mean it might affect spiritual enemies?” she asked.
“Yes! I believe it will. It will most likely disrupt them or at least be very unpleasant to their forms.”
Interacting with spectral entities usually required a medium or bulky equipment. A portable weapon would be very useful.
“This is amazing, Father. But not many agents have that kind of chi power. How will they power them?”
“I know. We’ll start with the Stalkers and Slayers, then work on amplifiers for other agents. We’ll have to make chi training mandatory.”
“Have you notified anyone else of your breakthrough?” she asked.
He calmed. “Not yet. I have some concerns about whom to trust with this. I believe that we may have some leaks in the Order, and I don’t want this research to get out until we’ve locked down security. If this gets into the hands of anyone else, it could be disastrous. These handheld weapons are just the beginning. In the wrong hands, this technology could destroy the planet. Imagine a grey goo that overtakes the entire surface world. I’ve got a few select people I want to give these weapons to for field testing. In the meantime, the research is split between my computer system, my notes, and my head. Unless you have all of them, you won’t be able to replicate it.”
“Can I ask a question?”
“What is it?”
“Why an axe? It seems like an unusual choice of weaponry. Especially in the modern era.”
“I tried several other weapons first. I started small. A dagger, then a sword. They each failed to imprint. On a whim, I decided to fashion an axe, because there’s something that’s always impressed me about a good, solid axe. Great for felling a tree or a gargoyle. While the other weapons failed to take shape after hundreds of repeated attempts, Fang formed after only two. I believe there is something within a person that determines what the weapon will be.” He handed Fang to Jessica. The particles retreated inside the handle. “I’m going to call them God Particles. I believe the Lord has blessed us with this new technology in order to f
inally wipe out the supernatural scourge once and for all.”
Jessica focused on the weapon, channeling her chi into it. Nothing happened.
“Each weapon works only for the person it has imprinted on. You need to develop a bond with it, so it recognizes your commands.” He retrieved a sword base and handed it to Jessica. It was similar to her katana’s hilt. “Would you like to try to imprint one?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Come this way.” He moved near the back of the room and pulled the cover off a large, transparent tank. Inside the tank rested innumerable particles. The top of the tank retracted. “Put the handle into the tank and focus your thoughts on forming your weapon.” Her father moved to a console not far from the tank and activated a series of programs. “Try to keep your energy level even and your thoughts calm.”
Jessica lowered the hilt into the tank. Her eyes closed as she focused on her energy flow. Her thoughts turned to her training and her fight with Faith. The connection to Faith caused her memory to leap to Lyle. Her heart thudded.
“You are losing it — calm yourself,” her father said as he stared at the computer monitor.
She thought back to her fight with Faith, then backtracked to hours of meditation under the cascading waterfall. The water pulsed around her, caressing her body. Her chi synced with the flow, and her blood pumped in unison.
“Very good! That’s amazing. Hold it just a bit longer, Jessica. Hold it!”
Although her father’s tone indicated that she should be struggling, she was now in perfect balance. It took no effort to continue the tranquil thoughts and energy flow.
“Done!” he shouted.
She opened her eyes and pulled the hilt from the gray sand. A blade emerged from the mound, as if she were pulling a sword from a stone.
Her father rushed to her side. “Amazing. It imprinted on the first try! What is her name?”
Jessica looked from his face back to the weapon. “Name?” The vision of the waterfall and its power reappeared. “Her name is Casca.”
“You should be able to issue commands to her now. Try a few. As long as the particles understand your intent, they should follow your orders. You will need to use verbal commands. I haven’t developed the psionic interface well enough for purely mental orders. The weapon will learn what different commands mean over time.”
Jessica examined the blade. It was smaller than her regular katana. It weighed much less. “Is it possible to make it larger?” she asked.
“The size and form of the weapon are a combination of your willpower and the available chi. At your current level, this will be Casca’s size.”
She swung the sword a few times, getting a feel for it. It felt…natural. She walked across the room to swing at the anvil piece that was remaining, but the sword didn’t cut it.
“You’ll need to put it into combat mode. Think of a phrase you’d like to use for that. You can have more than one.”
She thought for a moment. “Casca: dissect.” The edge of the blade whirred into motion, glowing a faint red. She could feel a small amount of heat emanating from it. Again, she sliced the anvil. This time, the blade cut halfway through it. She pulled it free and analyzed the blade. It was unharmed. A regular sword would have chipped or shattered. “Casca: retract.” The blade slid back into the hilt.
“It’s unbelievable you bonded with a weapon so quickly. I should have had you wired up to the machinery to analyze your thought patterns and chi levels. But I never expected it to imprint immediately.”
“It’s…marvelous,” she said, turning the weapon around in her hand. She hugged her father.
“This is just the beginning. We can develop armor, projectile weapons, even medical applications from this technology. I’m going to invite certain candidates from the Stalker and Slayer pool during over the next few months to run further tests and work out some problems.”
“Is Faith one of them?” Jessica asked.
“Yes, Faith will most likely be the next one I select. I feel like we owe her a debt of gratitude for returning here to train you, especially after the accident.”
“I think so too,” Jessica agreed.
A voice over the intercom interrupted their conversation. “Overseer Luvkrafft, we have a situation. Can you report to the mission room? It’s regarding that problem we’ve been having.”
“Not again,” her father muttered.
“What is it?”
“For the past month, our shipments have been attacked. We think it’s Underworlders trying to get their hands on some of our more advanced weaponry. However, it’s mostly been shipments I need for the God Particle project, and these attacks have slowed down my research. We either have a leak, or they have a powerful seer working for them now, predicting our shipments in advance. It’s uncanny how accurate their attacks have been.”
“Is it something I can help with?” Jessica asked.
“No. I think I will have to handle this myself. I need to get back out into the field, anyhow. I’ve been cooped up down here for too long, and my muscles have turned to mush. My mind has been getting exercise, but my body has languished. You know my policy on —” he said, but she cut him off.
“Strong mind, strong body, strong soul,” she finished.
He smiled. “I’m glad to see my wisdom hasn’t been wasted on you. If you keep those three pillars as strong as granite, there’s nothing in life that can defeat you.”
Jessica nodded. She attempted to hand Casca back to her father, but he shook his head.
“She’s yours now. When I’m not there by your side, she will be there in my stead. Keep her safe, and she’ll return the favor.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go investigate why no one in this organization seems to be able to catch a few simple pests.”
***
“What do you mean, the entire shipment is gone?” Jake bellowed at the monitor. “That shipment just arrived yesterday, all the way from Japan. I’ve been waiting a year for those parts!”
On the screen was Overseer Hetfeld, stationed in California.
“I’m sorry, Jake. This was a very professional attack. Our turrets and drones were taken out before they could record any activity, and the guards stationed at the warehouse were killed. It’s like they knew everything about our security measures.” Overseer Hetfeld was a wiry man with dirty blond hair and a thin mustache with a goatee. He reminded Jake of a Musketeer.
“Damnit, Hetfeld, am I going to have to come out there? That’s the second shipment in the past two weeks that you’ve let slip through your fingers.”
“I’d advise against it. You don’t know the supernaturals out here on the coast. They are a bit wilder than you are used to out there in the South. You’ve got no authority out here, so I’d prefer you stay in your region.”
“Don’t hand me that bullshit. Paranormals are the same everywhere. Do you think you are speaking to a country bumpkin? I’ve seen more battles than your whole facility put together. I’ve also got seniority and jurisdiction, because those are my shipments being raided. That makes those warehouses my responsibility, and I have every right to see that they’re guarded properly. Am I going to have to go out there and kick some paranormal and Order butt?” Jake said.
Overseer Hetfeld became visibly paler. “I’ll…double security for the next shipment. It won’t be necessary for you to fly all the way out here.”
“Forget it. I’ve got another shipment arriving from China that was my backup for this past shipment. I’m coming over. Expect my arrival in two weeks.”
“Yes, Overseer Luvkrafft. I…look forward to your arrival. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.”
Jake stormed out of the room. The incompetence of certain facilities made him wonder if the Order’s mission was doomed to failure. Faith was already on her way to receive her GP weapon, and he was waiting to hear from three others. Now this. He wouldn’t
have enough materials for any more weapons if the next shipment failed. It would take months for the laboratories in China or Japan to produce the parts he needed. More worrying: why the attacks on these shipments? Was someone aware of the God Particle project? If so, there was a leak in the Order. That was why it was better for him to go himself. He couldn’t risk that someone on the West Coast was compromised.
He exited the war room, heading toward the elevator. The intercom activated once again. “Overseer Luvkrafft, please return to the war room.” He grumbled, walking back the way he had just come.
“What is it this time?” he asked when he arrived.
“Incoming transmission from the Council. For your eyes only,” the technician said, then took off his headset and left the room.
Jake sat in the empty chair and hit the accept icon.
“Hello, Jake. It’s good to see you again.” The image on the screen was an older man in his sixties. His gray hair was buzzed short. His smile was warm and sincere, and his aura of experience and respect was undeniable.
“Prime Overseer Cavilera. It’s an honor, sir. What can I do for you today?”
“Jake, I’ve just gotten word from the Synod of Seven. It’s time for Jessica to become a Stalker. Her test is in Rome, two weeks from today.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Two weeks? That’s not much time to prepare,” Bilford said, stroking his beard.
“The real problem is, I have to go to California to protect the next shipment. I won’t be able to go with her. I’m beginning to suspect someone knows what these parts are for, and may even be attempting to duplicate our research, which could be disastrous. I’d like for you and Sam to accompany her in my stead.”
“You-you won’t go with her? You know…you might not see her again.”
“I have no doubt Jessica will pass the test. My research depends on this shipment.”
“Are you sure? She’s worked so hard for this. She’ll be disappointed if you aren’t there,” Bilford said.
