by Chad Kunego
“Okay… Moving on then. What did you learn?”
Zarina paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. After partially sanitizing the memory by removing the emotions of terror, she gestured for the two of them to come closer.
“Will be easier to show than explain.”
“So what do we need to do?” Rick asked.
“Just relax mind, almost like dreaming during day, da? I will project what I saw through your third eye.”
Reaching up, she lightly placed her fingertips on their foreheads, between their eyebrows. Concentrating slightly, she mentally pushed the memory out through her fingertips. She involuntarily moaned slightly when Rick’s aura suddenly switched to match hers. Compared to Kaitlyn, the memory transfer to Rick felt effortless, almost like she was in her own mind.
This is so cool…
The sudden intrusion of Rick’s thought caught her off-guard, but she quickly recovered, withdrawing her fingers before dropping her hands to her sides.
He has such potential as psionicist, but he seriously lacks training.
“Holy shit!”
Zarina jumped slightly from the unexpected exclamation. She saw Kaitlyn gripping the door frame in an apparent effort to stay on her feet. Walking over, she placed her hand on Kaitlyn’s shoulder. She noticed the other woman flinch slightly at the contact.
“It’s so real… Like it was me experiencing it instead of her,” she said, gesturing toward the woman restrained in the bed, “I had no idea it would be like that. How do you deal with that?”
A small smile crossed her lips before she responded.
“I actually toned it down a bit so it would be less likely to overwhelm you.”
“THAT was toned down?”
“Da,” she said with a short nod, “I removed her feelings of terror before sharing memory. I was trained on technique, so able to, how you say, stay myself during memory.”
She shuddered slightly.
But just barely…
“So,” Kaitlyn started, looking toward Rick, “does that match what you experienced, or are we dealing with multiple beings?”
Zarina watched Rick scratch the back of his head, considering the question. After her experience with the memory transfer, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was recalling the memory with perfect recall and clarity. An eidetic memory was one of the first things that developed once she started being trained as a psionicist. With his potential, she’d be surprised if he didn’t surpass that and develop a full-fledged autobiographical memory.
“It’s hard to tell. I never saw anything humanoid in the storm or heard any voice, but it feels like the same person.”
Feels?
Zarina quickly reviewed the memory again. With concentration, she realized she could faintly make out a mental impression, like the one from the diner.
How did he pick that up so easily? Even I missed it.
Before she could ask him, he cocked his head to the side slightly. With a gesture, the tv suddenly clicked on. Channels rapidly cycled by before stopping on a news broadcast. Video footage of a large storm was playing on repeat while a reporter described the scene.
<… there wasn’t any warning before the small town of Islip was ravaged by an EF4 that suddenly developed and tore through the center of town. We’re still getting reports in, but so far, there haven’t been any fatalities listed, but there are a lot of injured residents that are beginning to overwhelm the local first responders. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available. Back to you Dan.”
The TV flicked off again as Rick wordlessly strode out the door. Exchanging glances with Kaitlyn, they quickly moved to catch up with him. Striding up to the nurses station, he cleared his throat to get someone’s attention.
“Can I help you?”
Zarina could hear the tension in his voice when he responded.
“Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me how far away Islip is?”
“Sure hun, I’m guessing you heard about the twister that just touched down about an hour ago. It’s about thirty miles west of here. From what the reports are saying, they got hit by some weird actin’ storm that was traveling northwest to southeast. We should be fine though since the storm’s already broken up.”
“Thank you,” he said tersely before spinning back toward them. Again, without a word, he stormed by and headed toward the exit.
“What is wrong?” she asked, trying to catch up.
“I know there is possibility it was caused by our suspect, but did we miss something?”
“Yes,” he said, turning stiffly to face them, “I went through that town last night after my run in with the angry storm. He’s sending me a message! He’s not afraid to hurt innocent people to get my attention! To call me out again!”
§§§§§§§§§§§§
“Wait! Come back here! We need to come up with a plan first!”
Rick spun back toward Kaitlyn, slamming the tip of his staff into the sidewalk. A burst of power rushed out, turning the cement into dust. At the last instant, Rick managed to regain control himself, containing the dust before it rose into the air.
“No dammit! Every second we waste here is another second he has to hurt people if I don’t show up!”
Rick struggled to contain his anger, causing his energy field to pulse off him in waves. It was taking everything in him to shunt the energy harmlessly into the ground instead of destroying everything around him.
Why the hell did I not unfuck this guy yesterday. I knew where he was and I let him go. He threw his best at me and all it did was singe me. I could have finished this yesterday but instead, I ran away! I just reported back to Kaitlyn like a good little soldier instead of doing what needed to be done. Now this happened. All those injuries are my fault!
“Rick! Pull your head out of your ass! This could be a trap, one you’re all to eager to rush into! If he somehow takes you out, then what? You’re the only one strong enough to have a chance against him!”
“That town being destroyed is my fault. It wouldn’t have happened if I’d just ended him yesterday! The worst he can do is throw lightning at me! I coulda shrugged it off, but instead, I tucked tail and ran away.”
“You did the right thing! If something had happened to you, we wouldn’t have known there was a verifiable threat.”
“I’m going,” he said, stalking toward the car, “and you can either come with me, or I can go by myself and leave you here. Your choice.”
“When this is over, we’re going to have some words… and you’re not going to like them.”
“Fine Kat, whatever.”
He heard the car beep, indicating Kaitlyn had disengaged the security system. He almost tore the door off with his power before throwing himself in the passenger seat. He distantly noticed both women getting into the car from the driver side while he silently continued to berate himself.
Why didn’t I take him out yesterday? If I wasn’t part of a team, I would have dealt with the threat yesterday instead of giving him another chance to kill people. I refuse to make that mistake again. Being part of a team only made me do the wrong thing when it mattered.
Rick sat in silence while Kaitlyn started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Already, he was concentrating on stretching his senses out as far ahead as possible, hoping he could sense the mutant before they arrived on site. Last thing he needed was to be blindsided again, proving Kat right again.
She’s right about one thing though, we’re definitely going to have words when this is over with. She can count on it.
§§§§§§§§§§§§
The car came to a stop with a slight jerk. Before Kaitlyn could even turn the vehicle off, Rick was already out of the car and moving toward the destruction before them. Rick extended his senses out in a globe shape, trying to take in as much information as possible. Walking through the rubble-filled streets, he did his best to avoid all the emergency service personnel working feverishly to rescue all the town folk tr
apped in buildings collapsed by the storm.
“Dammit Rick! Slow the fuck down, will you?”
Rick ground his teeth at the annoyed tone in Kaitlyn’s voice. Spinning back toward her, he stretched his arms out, encompassing the surrounding damage.
“I could have prevented this! All of it! But I didn’t.”
He pointed to an ambulance that had just clicked on its lights and siren before rushing away.
“That person? My fault they got hurt. My fault! I’m responsible for all of it. Every injury, every single building destroyed, it’s on me! I can’t change that!”
“You don’t know that!”
“Yes! I do! Other than surprising me, what this bastard can do to me isn’t even worth mentioning. Lightning? Barely an annoyance once I’m ready for it.”
Kaitlyn shook her hands at him in frustration.
“How do you know that’s all this threat can do? Huh? Are you an expert on him now?”
“He controls weather. What’s he going to do? Pummel me with snowballs? Ruffle my hair with a stiff breeze? I can take this guy without breaking a sweat.”
“Oh! The almighty Rick has spoken,” Kaitlyn spat before looking over at Zarina.
“Since he’s got this all under control, I guess the two of us should go back and pack up since we’ll be headed back home within the hour.”
“Fuck you! You wanted me to join your merry little organization. If you don’t like how I operate, then leave. Or I’ll leave. But not before I end this psycho.”
“No, fuck you! God, you’re being such an asshole! This isn’t just about you,” she said, gesturing around her, “Our job is to protect people from threats they can’t imagine. One person can’t do that, no matter how powerful they are. If you can’t get that, then maybe you’re right. Maybe we should go our separate ways. After all, you obviously can do everything with that monster ego of yours.”
Rick started to open his mouth to reply, but Zarina interrupted them.
“Stop,” she said, gesturing between the two of them, “whatever this is, save it for later. I think he is here.”
Rick snapped his head around, looking in the direction she was pointing. His awareness snapping into a higher gear, his senses reflexively expanding outward to detect threats. The amount of energy he felt coming from that direction dwarfed his own by a significant factor, causing him involuntarily to take a step backward.
“Holy shit…”
“What? I don’t see anything.”
Rick turned toward Kaitlyn, his anger instantly forgotten. His hands started shaking slightly from the adrenaline suddenly surging through his system in respond to the coming battle. The rush was something he hadn’t felt in a long time, not since his powers erupted all those years ago. In the distance, he pointed toward a rapidly growing storm system.
“The mutant is there. I can sense him moving this way. That storm cloud is directly over his head.”
With sudden realization, he stared around him with wide eyes.
“All these civilians are gonna get killed if he attacks us here!”
Kaitlyn gave him a quick nod.
“Get us out there. Maybe we can keep the destruction from spilling over into the town again.”
Rick gathered his power around him like a cloak, the energy level spiking to a level he hadn’t felt before, almost like it was trying to challenge the other mutant’s power. Extending his aura out, he encompassed his companions just as the first screams echoed out. Several people started pointing toward the small funnel cloud forming in the distance. He quickly cast a look at his teammates.
“Be ready!”
One moment they were standing there, then next moment they were gone.
Chapter 15
Rick brought them to a stop just under one hundred feet from the source of the storm cloud. Surprisingly, the air was calm where they were standing, but less than fifty feet away, he could feel it raging around the small figure slowly walking toward them with a hoodie obscuring their face. Reaching out with his awareness, he tried to get a better feel for the person in front of him. In shock, his senses seemed to slide right over them, like they didn’t exist. Upon closer examination, it felt like a bubble of nothingness that extended several inches away from their body. If he wasn’t seeing them with his eyes, he would have doubted their existence.
“I can’t feel him,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“I can physically see where they’re at, but there’s a complete absence of anything where they’re standing according to my senses. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
“Will it affect how you deal with him?”
“No… I don’t think so…” he said after considering it for a moment, “I might not be able to affect them directly, but I can sure as hell put something through the space they’re occupying if I need to.”
The figure came to a stop about fifty feet away, the boundary of rushing air stirring up the dust only a few feet away from where they stood. Over the sound of the growing wind, he could faintly make out bits and pieces of what the person was saying.
“No. I won’t listen to you!”
Rick glanced toward Kaitlyn, who nodded in response to the unspoken question.
Who the hell is he talking to?
Rick pushed his senses farther than he’d ever attempted before, searching for someone else in the area. While he scanned the area, Kaitlyn stepped forward, holding both hands up to indicate she was unarmed.
“Hello. My name is HellKat. My team and I was sent here to find out why you’re attacking unarmed civilians. Are you having trouble controlling your abilities?”
Rick’s eyes widened slightly at the thought.
Could it be something that simple? No… He attacked me. He knows how to use them just fine.
The figure pointed at Rick.
“No. He says he could be a valuable ally, but I don’t trust him. He lies to me.”
Kaitlyn traded glances with Rick.
“Him? Him who? Who else is with you?”
The figure suddenly threw his head back and screamed.
“NO! I WON’T LISTEN TO YOU! HE’S DANGEROUS AND MUST BE DESTROYED!”
Rick sensed the cone of air suddenly expand toward them a split-second before it struck. Grunting with the effort, he absorbed the the unexpected attack, shielding Kaitlyn and Zarina from the effects. In one fluid motion, the cap on the tube on his back popped open. Metal spheres rapidly spilled out before rocketing forward, mirroring the gesture he made with his hand. In shock, he watched/felt the supersonic projectiles pass through their opponent without causing any visible damage.
“SEE, HE TRIED TO KILL US!” the stranger said, his voice transforming into the sound of rushing wind. “HE CAN’T BE TRUSTED.”
Rick felt the hair on his body suddenly stand up. Time slowed to a crawl as he struggled to get his staff up in time to catch what had to be the largest stroke of lightning he’d ever experienced come thundering down from the sky. Concentrating, he forced the current to wrap around his aura, supercharging it.
“Not this time asshole!”
Extending his staff straight out, he pointed it toward their opponent and released the pent up energy. The blast blew the stranger backward several yards before they slowly slid to a stop. A moment later, they started laughing hysterically.
“YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD HURT ME WITH LIGHTNING? I AM THE LIGHTNING!”
Rick watched their opponent leap into the air before rocketing skyward. A huge funnel descended from the sky overhead to meet him.
“NOW YOU DIE! WITNESS THE FULL MIGHT OF THE STORM!”
The funnel cloud slammed into the pavement, launching chunks of asphalt at them. Instinctively, he mentally deflected them away, launching them toward the area he sensed the void hiding in the storm. Without warning, the air inside his shield thumped with a blast of heat an instant before he sensed Kaitlyn launch herself off the ground.
The instant she left Rick’s protective field, Kaitlyn was violently yanked sideways by the two hundred mile per hour winds he’d been deflecting away from them. Rick watched in horror as she was snatched away into the funnel, the rushing winds instantly snuffing her flame aura.
Rick’s reactions snapped into a higher gear. The world around him rapidly ground to a halt, allowing him to assess the situation. Wrapping a super-dense protective cocoon around Zarina, he blasted off the ground, leaving a crater in his wake. Rushing forward, his awareness continued ratcheting higher as he closed the distance with Kaitlyn, actually allowing him to see the surrounding airflows. In disbelief, he spotted a massive downburst rushing down toward her at what he guessed was at least four hundred miles per hour. At that speed, the blast would turn her into paste when she hit the ground. Panicking at the thought of losing her, his adrenaline surged even higher.
The air caught fire around him, launching him forward faster than ever before, the shock-wave easily visible to his awareness as it rippled away through the air around him. In the back of his mind, his internal clock told him a full second hadn’t even passed since she’d been yanked away.
Reaching her, he wrapped her tightly in his arms before hardening the air around them. The world became weightless an instant before they were slammed into the ground, fragments of dust blasting skyward from the force of the impact.
I felt that!
He barely registered the collision before they were struck by multiple bolts of lightning. Without understanding how, he bent the electricity around him without using his staff, but the effort caused his skin to blister slightly before regenerating. Reacting again by instinct, he pulsed back toward Zarina. Fear and doubt began festering in the back of his mind.
I was wrong! I don’t know how, but he CAN hurt me! That shouldn’t even be possible. I assumed the shield I left around Zarina would protect her, but he’s too powerful. She won’t survive a direct blast. We need to get out of here before he crushes us!
