by Ben White
"I don't know," I said. She sighed.
"I suppose it won't make much difference even if I ask you this, but do you know what we're planning to do tonight at the gym?"
I kind of frowned. "Play ... rugby?"
She smiled at that. "I suppose I should get this one out of the way as well, do you know about Alice?"
"No," I said. Who—or what—is Alice?
"Good," she said. "You really don't know anything about ANYTHING, do you?"
I really tried not to answer this one, but I couldn't lie.
"No, I don't," I said. She REALLY laughed at that.
"One last question, then," she said, after she'd finished enjoying my humiliation. "Because we really haven't been able to figure this out at all. You came from nowhere, you have no reason to be here, and yet you're clearly not quite 'ordinary'. Why here? Why now? Who are you, Charlotte 'Powers'?"
Once more I felt my curse writhe inside me, and my mouth opened, and with neither control or desire I said:
"I'm a hero."
I know it was corny. I knew she'd laugh at me—all of them did, actually. But at the same time I knew it was true, that it HAD to be true, that if it wasn't true then I wouldn't have been able to say it. I'm no longer 'super'. But I am ever a hero. That's not something that can be taken away. I'm doing the right thing here. I'm fighting to stop whatever evil plans they have. I AM a hero.
"Well, then, 'hero'," Veronica said. "This has been amusing, and I'm sure we could get more out of you with further questioning. However, although we're extremely curious about you, we're not SO curious that we'd put our plans in jeopardy in order to sate that curiosity."
I might not have my powers, I might not be super-strong or super-agile or be able to phase-shift, but I still have my training. And as soon as Veronica started to bring her hand up I knew what she was doing; preparing to use a power. I didn't hesitate, I didn't stop to gawk at her to see what kind of power she had, I RAN.
Except there was nowhere to run to.
Except there was.
Heroes ALWAYS find that necessary exit.
And you know something? You don't NEED super-strength to win a fight, not when you're just fighting regular people, and especially not when they're a bunch of brainwashed goons, even if they are ridiculously bulky. I feel kind of bad about it, of course, but I didn't leave them with more than bruises and black eyes, and in return my hands are still aching, punching someone for real hurts. But I got through them before Veronica's flames (turns out she's a firebug) could torch me, in fact they didn't even TOUCH me, because even without super-agility I can MOVE, and I didn't need phase-shifting to get through that window—
Well, it might have helped, actually. The window was REALLY small, it's lucky I'm pretty slim, as it was I scrapped both my arms pretty badly and bumped my head hard and kind of twisted my ankle a little bit, it's okay now but at the time it HURT.
By the way, want to know how I got up to that tiny little window? I ran up the goon standing under it. Seriously, I just ran straight up him, like I was running up a wall. I never even thought of doing that in the training room! It's true what Dad always says, 'it's different in the field'.
There were more brainwashed students and staff in the school grounds, of course, but all my morning runs paid off because none of them could catch me, I wasn't even panting by the time I reached the hills, and soon after that I'd lost them in the forest. Actually it was more that they gave up, probably because they knew there were those annoying motorbike guys in the forest—except a person on foot can go where a bike can't, which is how I eventually came to be here in this gully. Opal tells me it's almost two in the morning, which means I've been running and hiding for about eight hours—and that on top of all the time I spent sneaking around the school. That can't be right, can it? I'm tired and sore but I'm not exhausted, shouldn't I be exhausted? I just feel ... I feel GREAT, I'm still breathing and I'm on to something, I know I am, I just have to keep surviving until I find out what it is.
Okay. Time to think. Which means it's time to write. Why is it so much easier to think while I'm writing? Maybe because—wait, I'm letting my thoughts wander. Focus, Charlotte! It might be easier to think while I write but it's also easier to get distracted. This is serious, here. This is real.
...
I'm drawing a blank. I can't focus. I think everything's starting to come back on me, all the exhaustion I should be feeling, I'm getting sleepy—
No, I'm NOT getting sleepy. I can't sleep! Even though those bikes can't get near this gully there could be foot patrols, or even dogs or something, I have to stay sharp. I have to ... I have to remember my training, I have to remember all the advice my parents gave me. What was it Mum said about difficult situations? Well, apart from 'try not to get into them in the first place', it was something about asking questions—yes, that was it. When you're in a difficult situation and you're feeling lost and you're not sure what to do, take a moment to stop and think.
"You just have to find the right question."
That's what she told me, many times. So what's the right question here? What am I not seeing? What am I not asking?
...
I don't know! Is it the psychic manipulation that's making me all fuzzy or is it just me being dense? I need C2! But if she'd come with me I couldn't have escaped the bathroom, I wouldn't have abandoned her—but maybe she's in trouble right now! Maybe she's hurt or even ... even ... I can't even write it, it's too horrible to even think about—
No, this isn't good. Getting hysterical isn't going to help me. Just questions, any questions!
'What's going on here?'
I don't know, I can't answer that. That's okay, next, next!
'Who's behind this?'
NO idea. Next!
'Why am I even here?'
That's not going to help me, self-pity never got ...
Wait a minute.
Why AM I here? Why here, where all of this is happening, as opposed to Green Grove where I was supposed to be going or, in fact, ANYWHERE else? It's like Veronica asked me; why HERE?
...
I think I need to read my first entry again, the entry I wrote the first day I arrived, because I suddenly have some really strong suspicions.
...
The patrolling bike guy asked me if I'd just arrived. But there aren't any roads around here, just the one that leads to town and further into the forest, and beyond that there's only more forest and then mountains. There's no way to get to this forest aside from the road leading to town.
Except by teleporting.
He knew. He KNEW I'd teleported here, except he thought I was part of this whole thing, he referred to me as a 'late-comer'. Whoever's behind this is bringing people here via teleporter. Somehow their teleporter must have intercepted Daniel's teleporter and dumped me here. Maybe that's what took my powers, being switched from one teleporter to another. Oh my goodness it's like Daniel said, he said that my 'phase shadow' would be split from my body, is that what happened? Maybe my phase shadow or whatever ended up in Green Grove along with my powers, and I ended up here! Is that possible? It seems plausible, right? In that case there might be a way to shove my powers back into me, I bet Daniel could do it, he's a genius, he's probably already got a 'phase shadow detector' that can find my shadow and a 'shadow stitcher' to give me my powers back! I have hope again, hope that I'll get my powers back!
But that doesn't help me now. Well, it kind of does, I feel like I just got a huge boost of energy just realising that, but I still have to think about what's happening now, not in the future with a possible reuniting with my powers, but NOW.
Teleporters. Daniel said that the military has teleporters that work on anyone, not just phase-shifters, is this a military thing? But no, I can't think like that, if the military has that kind of teleporter then other people could have them too. To be specific, supervillains could have them.
The patrol guy mentioned 'the head', he couldn't be referring
to the head of the student council, could he? Teamwork Guy? No, surely not. There must be another 'head', maybe the supervillain behind all this—yes, of course, not 'the head' but 'The Head', that's a PERFECT supervillain name! He must have psychic powers and he must have found a way to broadcast them! Maybe that was the guy I heard back at the school, he certainly SOUNDED very supervillainish, that other guy must have been his minion. This is all falling into place so perfectly now, this is great!
Okay, though, calm down Charlotte. Even if that's true, knowing it doesn't help me now. What WILL help me? I should read more carefully, everything I wrote when I first came here, maybe it'll help me remember something important.
...
'Just turn right when you reach the road'.
But what if I turned left? Where would THAT direction take me?
I think I've found the right question to ask.
Thanks, Mum.
xx48.12.01 / 12:25 / Still Thursday
I'm exhausted but exhilarated at the same time, it's such a weird feeling, almost like nausea but a good kind of nausea.
Most important and exciting thing first: there's a HUGE facility hidden in this forest. Well I guess TECHNICALLY it's not 'hidden', maybe 'secluded' would be a better term for it. It's at the end of the road, unbelievably close to the clearing where I arrived, just around ten minutes walk I'm guessing. I've been sitting here in a tree on a kind of rise in the forest for the last few hours, resting and observing. There are patrols here, but apparently they've never heard of looking up, and none of them have come near my tree anyway. Mostly they stay near the facility, or further out in the forest. I'm sleepy, but at the same time TOTALLY pumped up. The excitement of anticipation fills me, because I'm going to infiltrate that facility. It has to be the evil headquarters for everything that's going on here. The answers I need are inside, and all I have to do is go grab them.
Before that, though, I need a plan. I have to be realistic about this; I am a single unpowered girl, and although I've recently discovered that I'm neither slow nor weak, I still can't expect to just walk into that place without getting discovered and captured and then ... well, it's best not to think about that sort of thing. Fighting isn't an option either. I've seen eleven guards and they all have guns.
I should write this down, anyway, I'm still auto-uploading all my journal entries to the local repository. A description of the facility might be useful, and it's good to get a solid visualisation of the place.
It's big. Flat, but wide. Mostly white, some black, no obvious external windows. The trees around the facility grow higher than the roof, because it's in a slight 'dip' in the land, the surrounding forest rather hilly. There are also trees growing on the roof, carefully groomed to match the height of the trees surrounding. From the air, it wouldn't be noticed. That has to be deliberate. Someone wants to keep this place hidden. There's some kind of dome on the roof, in the middle, I think it's the kind that hides and protects a transmitting tower. If there is a transmitting tower under there it's really small, it can't be more than ten metres high even if it starts at ground level. There are several dozen trucks parked outside the facility, all of them painted forest green, all of them with the sleek blue corporate logo for "NeoTerra Corporation" on the side.
NeoTerra. That sounds familiar, don't they make food? Replicated food? Yes, yes of course, "Eaten today? Thank NeoTerra Corporation!", what are they doing here, hiding in this forest, brainwashing the students of a local school? And why keep the corporate branding, isn't that a little obvious? Unless NeoTerra is just doing the catering for this facility—no, don't be ridiculous Charlotte. Maybe it was too much trouble to get the trucks repainted. Maybe they just didn't think anyone would find them here. In any case, it doesn't matter. All I have to think about
[ENTRY TIMED OUT]
xx48.12.01 / 12:53 / Still Thursday
The last entry timed-out, some people walked right under the tree I'm hiding in. Not guards, technicians from the facility walking and smoking. I caught a snatch of their conversation:
"—should have a good time. It's not like we're paid extra for it."
"We shouldn't have to get paid extra for it, it's part of our jobs."
"Wasn't in the job description I read."
"So what were they gonna put, 'must have unusually strong stomach and flexible viewpoint on ethical issues'?"
"I just hate pulling that shift. Don't you?"
"Of course I do. There's no one in there that WANTS to—"
Then they were gone and I could breathe again, except then ANOTHER technician walked over to my tree and actually leaned against it. He wasn't smoking, thankfully, just looking down at the facility and kind of humming. I guess he picked this tree for the same reason I did; it has a good view of everything down below. I'm not sure why HE was looking at the facility, though, it's not that attractive. Anyway, he stayed there for at least ten minutes, then THANKFULLY he moved on, leaving me to try to stop my heart from beating so fast and write some more. Now I'm trying to
[ENTRY TIMED OUT]
xx48.12.01 / 13:33 / Still Thursday
You will NEVER believe why that last entry timed out. I got caught! Not by a guard, of course, I'm sure the first thing that would've happened if I'd been caught by a bad guy would be the confiscation of my Opal (speaking of confiscation I never got my guitar back, I guess that's kind of a petty silly thing to be thinking about now but there you go, My Mind Does Wander). No, you'll never guess who DID catch me. Give up?
It was Daniel! My brother came to get me!
I was so happy to see him I almost yelled, I managed to stop myself, though. I also almost yelled when he first appeared, RIGHT beside me on the branch, he was phased-out when he approached and climbed up then he just kind of phased back in slowly, grinning. I didn't notice until he was halfway done and then, like I said, I almost yelled and also almost fell out of the tree. Luckily he caught my arm and even more luckily I managed to stop myself from making any kind of loud noise, we're not SO close to the facility here but definitely close enough that someone might notice any kind of loud sound. Really, it was completely immature and ridiculous and stupid of him to pull such a childish stunt when we're deep in enemy territory, but that's just him I guess.
"Daniel!" I whispered, once I'd recovered. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" he said. "Looking for you, stupid."
"How did you find me?"
He grinned even wider. "You told me where you were."
"I'm REALLY not in the mood for your word games or whatever—"
He held up his Opal and summoned the screen: "I've been sitting here in a tree on a kind of rise in the forest for the last few hours—"
I gasped. "My journal! You'd better not have read any—"
"Relax, I went backwards from the most recent entry, you know I wouldn't read any more than I had to. Your writing style is kind of painful anyway."
I scowled, but in a good way. He grinned at me, then went back to his Opal.
"You'd better not be—"
"I already told you I wouldn't do that," he said. "I'm calling Mum and Dad to tell them where ..." He trailed off, then frowned. "I can't access the greater net, just local ones—"
"I could've told you that!" I said. "Why do you think I haven't called you?"
"We actually thought you must've gotten in trouble and been arrested or something," Daniel said. "That's if you weren't dead."
"Well THANKS," I said. "It's nice to know my family has SUCH confidence in me—"
"Calm down, jeez, it's obvious you did okay. What IS all this, anyway? Why is outside access blocked? What's this facility, you mentioned brainwashing in your entry—"
Daniel stopped himself, then suddenly disappeared—phased-out. More technicians wandering under this tree. They didn't stop, though, and soon they were gone and Daniel phased back in, frowning at me.
"Why didn't you phase out?" he asked. "I know you're supposed to be hiding your powe
rs—"
"I lost them, your STUPID teleport took them away from me," I said. "Or maybe it was when I got intercepted by the teleporter here—I figured it out, I figured out that they must be teleporting people here, and that must have 'grabbed' me when I passed by or whatever the proper term is—"
"Well, 'ported' is pretty standard, but 'rezzed' is getting popular—"
"I wasn't asking for an explanation!" I said. After that it was me who did some explaining, telling him the basics of what was going on here and about how I'd lost my powers. I finished with my theory, about how my 'shadow' must have been split off and gone to Green Grove while the rest of me ended up here. By the time I was done he was frowning, clearly thinking.
"That ... actually isn't a bad theory," he conceded.
"So it's possible that's what happened?"
"... possibly," he said. "I'd have to do some experiments to confirm, it's an interesting idea, anyway—"
"Interesting?" I hissed. "My powers are gone, that's not 'interesting', that's TERRIBLE!"
"So you've been completely unpowered this entire time?" he asked. "You've just been normal?"
"Yes," I said, grumpily. "It's been really difficult."
"I bet, especially with this mind control thing. It's a shame you couldn't just phase out—"
"Huh?" I interrupted. "Why?"
"Don't you listen to anything I say? I've told you at least a dozen times, phasing out is an extremely effective defence against psychic manipulation unless the psychic manipulator can ALSO phase-out or otherwise make their psychic energy go out-of-phase, it's because—"
"I'm REALLY not in the mood for one of your impossible-to-understand explanations," I said. "This doesn't seem relevant, anyway. I can't go out-of-phase and that's that."
Daniel let out a slow breath. "So what now? You're pretty set on infiltrating that facility?"
I nodded. "I have to—and now that you're with me—"
"What?" he said. "Are you nuts, I'm not going in there!"
"Huh? What? What are you talking about, you HAVE powers, you have the power to BE COMPLETELY UNDETECTABLE, you're the PERFECT INFILTRATOR—"
