A Whateley Academy Tale
The More, the Merrier
( Merry #5e )
By Renae & Doctor Bender
(With editorial thanks to Warren and Babs Yerunkle.)
Saturday, November 4th,
2006(GMT+1)
Deep under the Vatican, Vatican City, Rome
A Mixed Deck
“The cardinal responsibility of
leadership is to identify the dominant contradiction at each point of the
historical process and to work out a central line to resolve it.”
Mao Tse-Tung
“Warm body / hot
cross, false judgment / cold grave. On the cross I’m lying now they pound the
nails into me. The fire cleanses my soul and a mouthful of ashes remains. ”
Ashes to Ashes - Rammstien
“I honestly do
not know what surprises me more,” Cardinal David Fitz-Hugh said with a hint of
amusement as he placed the clouded glass orb gently in its place. “The fact
that the Ring’s selection process is still as mysterious as ever or that it
promoted such an unusual candidate into service. Untrained, so very,
very young and over the others.” He closed his brown eyes briefly as he
blessed the newest Orb, and after a space of time he turned to regard his
companions.
The three of
them were standing in a huge vault where row upon row of wooden and velvet
lined racks held similar orbs. The air hung heavily with the ages and the scent
of fresh incense which overlaid that of long dried roses. Though the ‘active’
rack, as it was so labeled, held only seventeen softly glowing Orbs, while
other racks held other Orbs some glowing brightly, some dimly.
Arturo shook
his head then flicked a bit of dust from the black clerical suit he wore, “I
don’t know, Peter said she was fairly remarkable, if not a bit of a puzzle.” He
chuckled, “I have no doubt she is going to make things a bit lively once we
sort out her training regimen.”
“Well if you
ask me it’s long over due, and about time we got another hen amongst all you
roosters,” stated the lady as she fished about in her habit and then produced a
lighter and a pack of cigarettes. “Daemon Mark or no.”
“Constance, you should not smoke down here,” David chided.
Constance’s green eyes blazed from under the starched white coif of the
habit, her British accent clipping her words sharply; “David, you know well and
damned good I don’t do mornings unless the situation is dire…”
“… Or you deign
the need ‘great enough’. Yes, yes I know.” He gave Arturo a longsuffering look.
“Well the need
was great,” said Arturo. “It’s not like the Enemy to poke his head in and
challenge a candidate thus.”
She picked out
a cigarette from the pack and lit it, sucking at the thin brown cylinder for a
moment. “I would have thought that he would have gambled to draw attention away
from this one. Though, it might have been an effort to skew our perception of
the girl.”
David
nodded as he toyed with his red cope, “The Librarian did determine that the
Daemon in question was not among the Fallen.”
“The
Great Old Ones don’t always hit it off with the Enemy,” stated Arturo grimly as
he tapped an Orb in the same row, “Brother Bartholomew, for instance carries a
Mark of Vendetta, bestowed upon him by such, against the Enemy.”
“The
enemy of my enemy is not always my friend though,” said Constance as she punctuated her words with a flick of ash.
The
Cardinal winced as the ash fell upon a crack in the floor and seemed to be
swallowed by it. “Well, if Beth is correct, of which the Heavens only know where
she gets her information; that Daemon’s Anomic Aspect has changed. Whatever that
means.”
Arturo snorted, “Never did trust magicks, give me a solid sword or gun
any day and I’ll get things sorted out…”
“Well
the ring has accepted the girl,” Constance paused to indicate the some of the other
Orbs, “they on the other hand are not likely to accept her, willingly.”
“Stuffy bastards can’t see past the surface of an issue much less the
heart of a person at times,” Arturo spat out disgustedly as he motioned to the
exit.
David
nodded and started walking, pausing briefly as the others lingered to look at
gaps within the active rack. “From what I understand the child is quite
personable, though she might chafe a bit at our instruction.”
Constance smirked and the lines around her eyes
reflected the humor in her pursed lips, “Good thing I am not her mentor.”
“Actually
I was considering both you and Arturo for that very task,” David favored her
with a bland smile as she sputtered.
“David,
no,” she sighed, “not now. Haven’t I put up with enough?” asked Constance as she glared at Arturo, “You put him up to this?”
Arturo
shook his head in mirth, “I am not as schooled in the women’s mysteries as
you are.”
“Schooled my eye, you bastard,” she said without any real heat, and
then she pointed a finger at him, “And how many women have you seduced over the
years?”
“Not
nearly as many as Lazarus…” he shrugged, “it’s not like we have her here for
training in any case.”
“No
we don’t,” said the Cardinal angrily, “we are fortunate she is even alive at
this point. If ever I had a reason to remark on the lack of morals within the
CIA, it is now.” He waved a hand to the guards and they fell back into position
and proceeded to secure the vault.
The
chamber outside of the vault seemed to carry the words in soft echoes, the air
itself carrying the sounds as if to drop them into the ages. The huge vaulted
ceiling was decorated with gold leaf and paintings that had slowly faded under
the onslaught of years. The floor while clean had not ever truly been polished,
though the years had stained it some from the odd bit of traffic it bore.
“Well
I expect it may bite them in the arse this time,” said Constance with a wave to a row of armored statues, “At least we don’t
have to contend with the double stigmatism of a woman as a knight in this age.”
“Precisely,
which is why I would like you both to be her mentors, if time and events should
allow.” David walked past the many tapestries that hung along the corridor
walls leading them towards a bank of elevators. Arturo held his hand out to
keep the elevator door open as a pair of men moved a large crated box out of
the elevator. He then motioned to the others to precede him. Constance nodded her thanks and continued, “I have no qualms about her
nature, though if from what I read of the reports is correct, she is not
entirely sane at the moment.”
“Jehanne le Pacelle
may not have been entirely sane either; depending on who you asked of
that era. Personally I think she was brilliant, if a bit odd.” Arturo grinned
wickedly, “And she packed one hell of a punch.”
“I do find it
perplexing that the ring would select that patron for her signet.” David
reached out to tap a button, “I had Beth to look up the history of that;
there have only been two others to carry that crest.”
As the elevator
hummed and picked up its pace, Constance prodded David with a finger, “And?”
“And
there isn’t much in the records. One was alive during the schism, though he was
a noted scholar and evidently a swordsman. He died after grievous wounds were
sustained defending the life of Gregory the Just from that rabble.”
“Ah,”
Constance shook her head and glanced to Arturo who was
glaring at the floor of the elevator, “And the other?”
“Is
well, shall we just say Lazarus is a bit worldly and leave it at that?” asked
David with a chuckle. “I don’t think the Librarian will have trouble sorting
out their various missives, given that Lazarus…”
“Oh
Lazarus is ok, I just think he finds the Roses a bit too stuffy and since there
are more Roses than Thorns currently, he stays away.” Arturo offered with a
sigh, “Can’t say I blame him sometimes, though he always turns up when he is
most needed.”
“Unlike
one gentleman who will not take his leave?” chided Constance with a dry expression.
“Well
I am given to the fight until Himself says otherwise,” Arturo paused to
glance upwards, “as it is, someone has to keep the Roses from being too
complacent.”
“I
do appreciate your years of service Arturo.” David paused as the doors opened
onto a dimly lit corridor, and he held his peace until they were a goodly
distance from the guards stationed at that set of elevator doors. “Though I
often find the Roses a tad strict, if not stuffy at times, they do serve well.”
“Yeah,
and they die well too. Perhaps too well, I can’t say I like how many Roses we
lose, compared to the Thorns. Though it seems like their rigidity gets them
killed far too often.” Arturo pointed to a wall where a hint of white
decried the presence of a freshly carved name. “Take MacDougal, he was the last
Thorn to die and since then there have been forty-three Roses who have fallen
while in service.”
“I
know though if it is any consolation, it is fairly obvious this lass will be a
Thorn,” David paused to nod at the wall, “God willing we’ll see more Thorns
arise now, if this girl is any indication.”
“Beth
was fairly besides herself trying to mop up the glowing blue footprints from
the floor of the Library before the other staff wandered in.” Arturo shook his
head in bemusement, “The trial does do odd things, from time to time.”
-----------
Once the other
two were ensconced in his office David closed and locked the door. He scowled
briefly at the neat and organized desk, “I do wish the watch commander’s would
leave my desk alone.”
Constance laughed, “Petty revenge from the Roses?”
“Oh it’s not
petty, just annoying.” David sat with a sigh, “No they are entirely to pious
to be petty.”
“So the girl?”
prompted Arturo.
“Ah ever to the
heart of the matter,” David shook his head and doffed his red zucchetto and
dropped it to the desk, “to think I once nearly ordered this with clam sauce.”
He tapped the skullcap twice, “Since then I wish often I had.”
Arturo glanced
over to Constance, “Ok, now I know we are in for it.”
“Well we know
where she is currently, thanks to her ah, support team from NEXT.”
“She has a
support team?” asked Constance, “Already?”
David sighed
unhappily, “It’s complicated, and she’s got a very unique talent. NEXT
‘discovered’ that, in addition to a her being a superlative hacker.”
“Talent as in
Mutant?” Constant smirked at his nod, “Oh dear is that going to put a bee in
few bonnets.”
“Well the
Church does operate under an equal opportunity redemption program… They will
just have to deal with it.” Arturo grinned widely and leaned back in his chair,
“So which of the Roses is least inflexible in that department? Maybe we can get
them paired up later…”
“You are a
sadist Arturo,” Constance said with an amused smile.
“It’s all
natural talent, I assure you,” he countered as David shook his head grimly.
-------------
Saturday, November 4th,
2006 (ARC)
UNO
“I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you
nobody, too? Then there’s a pair of us - don’t tell! They’d banish us, you
know?” -Emily Dickinson
“Who wants to take time to understand? I would like someone to heal me, with some empathy. I can’t find Nobody, not really.” Nobody Not Really – Alica Keys
This mornings
breakfast had come and gone without much aplomb, though what could I say? It
was hospital food, well balanced, lacking of texture and
bland of taste. Supposedly it was to ensure I didn’t accidentally screw up my
sugar levels. Personally I thought it was a form of torture or revenge; as Kam
had said the cooks were getting ‘grumpy’ about my demands for pastries and my
issues with the quality of their food. Then he gave me a look that
seemed to indicate is was ‘all my fault’.
Though he didn’t seem
too upset about the testing he had to endure yesterday. But then he was still a
bit tired looking when he wandered in to say ‘Hi’, and inflict another round of
blood sugar tests on me this morning. Though he did say something about being
able to buy a new Hummer and still have enough money to lounge in style.
So evidently his day yesterday was as interesting as mine.
I smiled as I thought
about how discombobulated Doctor Otto was after my own ‘test’ occurred. In some
ways I wish Sara could have seen that, as I doubted the Doc had very few things
jar his perceptions of normal that often. I toyed with the ring for a
moment, testing to see if it was as firmly attached, as it was the prior
evening.
Flexing both hands
cautiously, as I remembered the sensation of my flesh charring away from the
bones. I shook my head, part of me wanted to say it was all in my head but
well, the evidence was firmly planted on my finger and on the inside of my left
wrist; when it did not hide itself from view. For a moment my mind was filled
with the name of it, and its origins.
It was a Gethsemane
Rose, a stark white flower with the exception of the red traces around the
edges of the petals. In the center of the rose the vague outline of a face
could almost be seen. A trail of thorns circled the rose from its green stem.
Idly I counted the thorns, thirteen in all; representing the thirteen
disciples, the last being a sullen red that was almost bloodlike in color.
Legend has it that
the discarded crown of thorns that Christ had worn had been transformed into a
rose bush. Over the years the exact location of that rose bush has been in
question, yet small cuttings thrived to later be planted among the Vatican
grounds. Yet only a handful of the Church Knights know the exact location of
the mother bush.
I shook my head,
getting used to the odd flow of information was going to take some getting used
to. Not to mention that the occasional stray thought seemed to send me on a
magical memory mystery tour. Though in some ways it was much better than the total
boredom that had overtaken me, not even Doctor Palm’s notes brought complete
relief from that.
So I was more than
happy to drop the latest of his notebooks to the side when the door opened. I
reveled in the energy that washed over me from equipment and power lines.
Evidently my hunger for the energy had not abated, yet when the door opened I
was almost prepared to beg them to leave it open for a time. I was really
hungry for the something it provided and I wanted the door open even if
it was so noisy. That is until Sara stepped through the doorway.
Sara grinned and
announced cheerfully, “Honey, I’m home!” She waved a plastic bag, “and I
brought ‘presents.’”
I smiled; then as I
tried to sit up the pain made from my surgery made itself known. “If you
brought a major pain killer or a gun I’d take both or either.” Though ‘all’ of
me was more than happy to see her.
“I’ve
got just the thing for pain,” Sara smiled, sliding close and she kissed me.
I wrapped my arms
around her and kissed back as a warm fuzzy feeling rose up to drive away my
loneliness. “Gods I missed you.”
Sara blinked as she
looked into my face, “Woah... Yes you did, didn’t you?”
I
smiled and nodded slowly as I was completely happy for the first time in a few
days, “Well I think I saw you in a dream, though I am not sure… You were in a
blue swim suit?”
Sara
grinned, “I think I may have managed to prove once and for all that Mai isn’t
as bad as everyone thinks she is. Besides, I hear that they’re getting you off
the drugs to try acupuncture.”
I
felt my nose wrinkle as a frown formed, “More needles, well if it works.” I
sighed, “Now if I could get the lock on the door to stop screaming...” ‘Or
better yet stuck open…’ I added silently under my breath.
“Actually,
I was just about to bring that up, Otto thinks I might be able to help you
learn to ‘shield’ or block that out.”
I
nodded slowly as the faint pounding at my temples was making itself known,
“Well at this point I am ready to try anything, between the surgery and my
headaches I’m more than willing to be knocked out for a few days.
She
hugged me tightly, “How would you like to do something about it? Otto asked me
to give you some lessons in shielding, and I really do think I should. If only
to stop you from being ready to kill people all day long.”
“Well, um, I haven’t
had much luck with the shielding stuff. It makes my head hurt,” I said as I
eased the sheet down to my lap.
“That does happen
with beginners,” Sara chuckled, hopping up to perch on the back of one of the
chairs dropping and her sack into its seat, “And I think I can help you with
the headaches too.”
I
sat up slowly watching as she took her perch, “Careful or folks will think you
are Gabriel, you know? From the Prophecy movies.”
Sara shrugged,
“That’s ok, though I haven’t seen those movies. Ok, shielding. Well, as
you know, I’m psychic. What you may have guessed is that I’m also broadcasting
a fairly specific emotion constantly... a booby prize will be awarded if you
can guess what that is.”
I
closed my eyes for a moment and then smiled wickedly, “Um Sex?”
“Ooh,
so very close. Specifically though, Lust.”
I
scratched at an itchy spot on my head for a moment. “OK, so um I get um, distracted
when you are not here, just by thinking about you. So if you are here, it’s
stronger?”
Sara smiled warmly,
“That’s nice to know, but the answer is: A little bit. Believe it or not, I am
currently shielding most of my projected lust, so only a trickle is getting
through.”
I
smiled as my face grew warm, “Ok, so it’s a –little- bit, what happens when you
let it go wild?”
She
seemed to hesitate briefly then a wicked gleam sparked in her eyes, “Oh,
something like this...”
For
a moment she seemed to really relax, then my world collapsed to contain only
her. In the space of heartbeats I was in her arms and trying to get closer yet.
For what seemed like a time less moment the only emotion I could clearly define
was that of a pure need to be in her. As I breathed out, one word escaped to
fill the room as if defying anyone to say otherwise. “Mine!”
She pulled me gently
to the floor, her lips devouring mine, wrapping her legs around my waist. Then
slowly almost reluctantly something arose to push my need for her down to a
much lower level. “Feel that?” she asked.
As her words slowly
worked into my head, the heat I was feeling for her gave way to another form of
heat, that of embarrassment. “Oh yeah,” I said as I realized that I had come very
close to shredding her clothes and my own. As that thought sunk in the room
grew even warmer. “Did I just about, um…” If anything I think my embarrassment
was going for record levels, “and on camera to boot.”
She brushed some of
my hair out of my face, “When I let go, nothing else matters except me.
In that state, I could ask someone to kill their own mother for me and they’d
probably do it. Of course I don’t want everyone and their sister humping my leg
all the time.” She rolled her eyes and continued,” So I’ve learned to damp down
the effect... I’m curious about something, though. When you jumped at me, did
you want to put your seed in my belly or mine in yours?”
As the room turned
into a complete oven, my voice dropped to where it felt very small, “um...
both. It was like I was sorta you.” I covered my eyes for a moment
hiding behind them as I confessed what it felt like, “Being with you was
the only thing that was important.”
“If it’s any
consolation, Merry, that’s what I feel all the time,” she shrugged with a smile
that warmed me to my toes. “Like other Empaths, my feelings leak out to others,
but I am in control of it.” She paused with a shrug of one shoulder, “you just
have to learn to do the same trick with electricity and your powers.”
With
a sigh I felt the edges of my world crumble slightly, “But I’m not like an Esper,
as I don’t read minds. I’m, I don’t know; just linked to the web.”
“Merry,” she
whispered softly, “I know things about the Universe that you can only dream
about at the moment. Just let me say for now that there isn’t that much
difference between a computer and a human brain, they just use a different
operating system.”
I
nodded slowly, “So if the computer and the brain are alike why isn’t everyone
doing what I do?”
“Why doesn’t everyone
access the Net just by thinking about it, like you do? I don’t know, though I
am betting Otto is very happy your are the ‘first’ that he ‘knows of.’
Maybe the only for a while or not, powers are funny that way.” She wiggled a
finger at me motioning that I should sit up. “For a time there were so many
psychics that all had the same tricks they started calling them PDP’s: Package
Deal Psychics.”
She
shrugged, “For me, Empathy is just a another trick. What I think you are
doing is trying to pick up a signal, any signal and make it connect to the Net.
Needless to say the wiring is not quite the same and because it isn’t the same,
it hurts.”
I
sighed I looked down to my hands. “So if I had access to the Net, I would not
be having this problem. Or is it because of this and the computer stuff my
problems are worse?”
“What the hell is
that?” I looked up to see Sara’s glaring frown upon me as she pointed at my
gown.
Feeling confused I
looked closely at the gown, “Huh? It’s a hospital gown, like the rest of the
lousy gowns I get stuck wearing.”
I blinked in surprise
as she bopped me on the nose, “Psyche!” she said as she winked at me, “Don’t
get so serious on me. This is a good thing, Merry. Whether it’s because
of the deprivation of computers or just a weird wiring problem, its
something you can get past.”
I blinked not quite
remembering an episode from the night prior. I smiled at the image of Doctor
Otto in cartoon land, then in Bugs Bunny’s voice added, “Eh, what’s up Doc?”
“That’s better. Ok,
as much as I like holding you, I think we need some space for this. Otto said
you’d learned some rudimentary shielding techniques; I’d like to have a look at
them. Why don’t you sit in one of the chairs? Are you warm enough? Need a
blanket? It’s easier to do this being as comfortable as possible. It helps the
concentration too.”
Reluctantly
I unwrapped myself from around Sara, then got up to fetch a light blanket from
the bunk. Then I slowly limped over to one of the over stuffed chairs, “It’s
not as cuddly as you, but if you think it’s the best way to start.”
Sara smiled ruefully
as she sank into the chair opposite of mine and crossed her legs, “I hate to
say it, but I’d be more of a hindrance than a help, sitting in the same
chair as you. Just steel yourself and think about that booby prize I promised
earlier.”
I
grinned wickedly, “I don’t think that will help my concentration, anticipation
yes, concentration. “ I licked my lips, “I doubt it will help that.”
“Did I ever tell you
how sweet you were?” After a small shake of her head as if redirecting her own
thoughts, she pointed a finger at me and said, “Ok, no more stalling. Show me
this shield of yours.”
I
closed my eyes and tried to resurrect my bubble, separating myself from the
ambient electricity in the room. I ignored the faint rustling of her plastic
and bag and a slightly audible click and focused. To some extent I was almost
successful. Almost in that I could feel the energy of the room trying to get in
as something else tried to get out.
“Yikes! Ok, stop,
stop, stop!” she fairly shouted at me.
In
my surprise I let it go with an audible pop. “Um?”
Sara rubbed her
temples while looking at a small box with a hoop on the end, “You nearly fried
it, and supposedly –that- is not easy.”
I
sighed in resignation, “That bad, maybe they should just...” for a moment the
image of the frozen sleepers filled my mind.
Sara
leaned back and uncrossed her legs, stretching meaningfully, “They should just
what, Merry? Let you die? Do you want to die, Merry?”
I shook my head,
“Sorry, no I don’t want to die, it’s just. I have seen what they do to
people here. They put them on ice if they can’t fix them.”
“That’s not what those
people are there for, Merry,” Sara shook her head, “some of them did very hideous
things. What’s left of Dr. Palm is down there, the rest are very much like
him.”
For a moment, she tapped one of her fangs in thought, her claw
clicking against ivory, “Ever see a movie called Red Beard, Merry?”
I
shook my head again, “I don’t think so, there was a crazy Mouseworld pirate
movie with fuses in his beard?” Part of me was unsure where she was going with
this, but that was the only pirate I could think of aside from Johhny Depp in
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.
Sara grinned, “That’s
Yellow Beard, a great movie in its own right. Remind me to show you Red Beard
sometime; it might help give you some perspective on Otto and this place. Ok,
from the look of your shield,” She waved the box in my direction showing a odd
image on its screen, “you’re simply erecting a wall between you and the energy.
There is no real flow going from you to the shield. It’s a very neat
trick and maybe once you get everything sorted out, useful. But for right now,
I don’t think it’s working for you. What you think about when you put it up?”
“Keeping
a bubble up and inflated so the energy stays out. More or less I just want
it there.” Then I added, “The book I had wasn’t very helpful, so just I guessed
at it.”
“Ok,
so you haven’t done any energy work at all?”
I
giggled at that. “Aside from blowing up a few transformers, various electronics
and light bulbs?” I asked, and then I sighed. “I don’t think that counts,
though the book mentioned a lot of stuff but none of it seemed to apply
to me. I thought I was just a flaky Energizer of some sort.”
Sara
nodded then cast an odd look at the camera, “Very well then, I want you to sit
back and close your eyes. Breathe steadily in and out and relax. Start by
letting go of the muscles in your scalp, then work your way down, unclenching
with each and every muscle you encounter, right down to the tips of your toes.”
I
took deep breath, and then closed my eyes. After a few false starts it seemed
like I was slowly relaxing. In some ways I could not think of when the last
time was that I had actually relaxed.
“Remember, I am here,
I am watching everything around you. Nothing can harm you while I am here, can
it, Merry?”
I
smiled and said, “Nope, you’re a goddess, nothing can stop you.” Then I took
another breath working at letting my guard down further.
“That’s right, if at
any time you feel nervous, remember to think of me and let go of your muscles.
Now, I want you to reach out and feel your surroundings and tell me what it’s
like. Don’t look, just feel.”
For
a moment I struggled with the various images that floated though my head, some
of which have absolutely nothing to do with a room. Then a picture started to
form, made of thin glowing lines in rectangular patterns. Among that pattern
there were dimly glowing blobs that moved. Though one was stationary and fairly
close to me, it had a deep blue glow that felt like sunshine to me.
“Remember, I said
don’t look, feel. If you can’t stop looking, concentrate on me... feel
the energy around you, the stuff that hangs in the air and blows across your
skin like the wind.” Her voice sounded slightly amused as she walked me through
it.
I felt the muscles in
my eyebrows wrinkle up, then I took another breath, banishing that image. I
took another breath, and then another, feeling my muscles unclench further. For
a moment I felt like drifting off to sleep and then I forced myself to take
another controlled breath. I reached out with something to the door trying to
tastes the energies that leaked in from around it. Then as I relaxed what ever
it was that I was using to ‘taste’ the door, a wash of something flooded back
across me and filled the room.
Silently I felt her
mark warm, then her voice was inside my head, ~^That’s right, between
everything in this room and beyond it is energy, maybe not a lot, but it is
there. All atoms spin with electrons, remember your high school science
classes? The shield in the walls, well they shield you from the grosser forms,
but the finer waves still get through and out. Though to really understand those,
you will need a serious physics course or three. You can’t feel those yet,
though maybe you will in time.^~ I felt a hint of warmth in the mark that felt
like irritation at something or someone.
“Problem?” I asked.
~^Not
with you love, just dealing with my own baggage, and getting a few things out
of the bag I brought with me. Anyways, between you and the door is a sea of
energy that acts as the conduit for the power. I want you to feel that energy,
but only what is between you and the door. Feel it wash, back and fourth like
the tide...^~
For a time I wallowed
in the flood then as I tried to move in it, a wave echoed out from me as if I
had dropped a stone into a pool of water. For a moment the wave seems to try
and push past the room, then it rippled backwards. I could feel the wave stir
the other ripples as it crested higher for a moment then it dropped back down.
~^That’s what you are
feeling, Merry, that’s what your ‘bubble’ stopped. The pressure inside would
build and build with each wave, the resonance nipping at your heels, for want
of a better expression.^~ She paused and sent a wave of warmth through me,
~^It’s like my lust, locking it in just won’t do, and if I try and stop it,
like I think you were, it’d build up until I popped or something else did.^~
“Joy, so what do you
do when that happens?” I asked hesitantly.
~^I try not to
let it happen, but sometimes even the best of us ‘lose it’ though.^~ For a brief instant I was looking down at
different lady with red hair in what was obliviously a bathroom stall, I had
the vague sense of intense embarrassment at the ladies disheveled clothing,
then that scene winked out as if it had not been there. ~^Now, I want you to thing about computer graphics,
Merry. I want you to think about those old 3-D wire frame spheres and build one
around your body, visualize it, feeling surrounding you.^~
For a moment I had to
fight for a few seconds of peace, as everyone had a suggestion on how to
do it. Once ‘I’ could think again I bit my lip, and worked at calming back down
and then I focused on the wire frame ball’s formation. For a moment I had it
formed in what seemed to be mathematically perfect ball, then as everyone
–else- butted in. It shifted into something that looked like a child would
draw, before I could get the others to go with what I wanted, it melded into a
cross between the two.
I could hear a few
things going click from where I thought she was sitting, though I managed to
keep my eyes closed.
~^Excellent. Now, I want
you to put more lines in. More and more and more, until the wire frame looks
like a tight screen door all around you, then build more wires. Build them and
build them until the holes in the frame are microscopic, so tiny only atoms
could leak through...^~
I started slowly then
everyone seemed to want to help get it sorted out, with an alarming rapidity
more lines and circles start to fill the shell of the globe. For a moment the
shell almost felt real, in that moment I could taste ozone as I took a breath.
There was a faint vibration in the air as static seemed to crackle near my
ears.
~^Very good, but
you’re pumping way, way too much power into it, Merry, you don’t need
that much for this. Relax and feel the globe cool slightly, let it
solidify like an adamantite net.^~
I took a breath and
told everyone to relax, for a moment I felt like the elephant in that old joke
about a mouse designed by committee. Once we more or less sorted out what the
game plan was, I was able to relax. For a moment the ozone scent spiked then it
started to fade, several deep breaths and I could feel the globe becomes a very
cold, though occasionally a bright spark flared out of it at randomly.
-----------
Sara slipped into
Merry’s mind, forming a schoolroom complete with wooden tables and chairs just
like in Whateley. Standing up the front, she addressed the four students in
front of her from the top of her desk, crossing the shapely legs of a
twenty-year-old over the edge, “Ok, now comes the fun part. I need the four of
you to build a button. There needs to be a stand with a big red button on the
top and a symbol on the button that means something to all of you. Can you all
do that for little old me?”
Chaddy held up his hand, “Um, Teacher,
what’s the button for?”
Sara smiled, “Excellent question, Chaddy,
you get a gold star. When completed, the button will act like a post-hypnotic
suggestion. Any time you want to turn the shield on or off, all you have to do
is flip the big red switch.”
Merry looked at the others, “Umm, ok. Ideas?”
Mai offered, “How about a lightning bolt, you
know from Arc?”
Merry looked at Chaddy, “You?”
Chaddy grinned, “It needs to say ‘don’t
push me’.”
Merry rolled her eyes, “How about ‘Don’t
Panic?’”
Chad looked like he wanted to beat his head on
the desk, “How about just ‘Power On’?”
“Try to keep it simple, guys, as simple as
possible. Your first time isn’t the time to get creative... besides, you can
always go back and change things.”
Merry nodded, “Not like we prolly will get
it right the first time, but ok. Big red button with ‘On’.”
Sara shook her head, “I don’t advise that.
If all goes well, you’ll be installing other buttons later. ‘On’ doesn’t
exactly tell you what it does. How about a circle? It’s nice, simple, and
represents a shield.”
Merry tilted her head and the others
echoed her movement, “OK, just as long as we don’t stick a button in there that
says, ‘act like a chicken.’“
“Darn... that was lesson two...”
Chaddy giggled, “Well you turn her on all
the time,” he points to Merry, “I just hope she can keep up with you... Girls!”
Looking the other way, Sara wriggled her
fingers at Chaddy and his boy’s uniform turned into a catholic schoolgirl’s
uniform. Then with a snicker she looked to Chad, “You can
talk about things like that when you’re Chad’s age... can’t he Chad?”
Chad looked back at Chaddy then blinked rapidly,
“Um, yeah... What ever the teacher says, goes...” He was obviously biting his
tongue, trying not to laugh. “So, that’s a new look for him.”
With a hint of impatience Sara swiped at
the air with her pointer stick and it slackened into a whip, of which she
immediately cracked, “No more stalling. Button. Now!”
Merry’s eyes widened at the ‘snap’,
“Right, button.” She reached towards the others and they reached back to her
hand. Slowly a squat tower grew up from the floor and a red button slowly
formed on top of it. On the button a shiny silver circle appeared.
Sara threw her whip away and clapped
girlishly, “Excellent! Ok, Merry, from now on, this button turns the shield on
and off. Try it.”
Merry got up from her seat, wincing as it
screeched loudly on the floor, with a half turn she placed her hand on the
button with a look that clearly said she expected implode or something. “Ok,
boom!” Then she pressed it down.
Sara tapped her foot after a few idle
moments when nothing seemed to occur, “Well?”
Merry, evidently confused looked around at
the room, “Um, how am I supposed to know if it’s doing anything?”
“Feel the Force, dummy!” Sara quipped with
a slight hint of exasperation in her voice.
Merry blinked and then closed her eyes as
if trying to feel for something, after a moment, she opened her eyes, “I
think it’s up, I can feel stuff trying to poke its way out of something,
anyways.”
“Ok, that’s a good sign. Press again, and
feel it turn off like a light, then turn it back on again. Do it a few times.”
With a dubious glance at the button she
flicked it on and off several times, in one instance she winced as if something
jarred her, then she slammed the button back down. “Ow, who’s playing games?”
With a devilish grin, Sara whistled
innocently.
Briefly it seemed like Merry looked around
the room for something, anything she could throw, “That wasn’t funny!” she
protested.
Sara hopped off the desk and hugged her,
“I wasn’t being funny. I was testing to see if you felt the difference. You
looked like you were just going through the motions and not actually doing
anything. Now we know it’s working, right?”
Merry hugged her back, “Yeah, I guess I
wasn’t expecting it to work, I kept screwing it up before.”
“One of Murphy’s Combat Laws: If it’s
stupid, but it works, it ain’t stupid. Ok, lets see how this works in the real
world...” Sara pulled out of Merry’s mind and looked at the peaceful, relaxed,
Merry before her, “Ok, Merry, open your eyes. I want you to open your eyes and
turn the shield on and off for me.”
--------------
I blinked a few times, “Ohhh Kay. That was
a new trick.” I wiggled my nose trying to head off a sneeze, then I focused
inward for a second bringing the shield down, “Ok, down. Yes?”
“Oh, yes,” Sara answered with a wide-eyed
glance to the box, in her other hand in another was a walkie-talkie. I blinked
as she shook her head in bemusement. “Maybe I should call you Sparky…” she
commented as the box gave off a small puff of smoke. “And so much for that
toy.”
Sorry.” Then I focused on pushing the
button, “Up?” I asked hopefully.
I saw her relax, dropping the boxy object
to the chair with shrug, and then she chuckled. “Yep, it’s up. You really are
quite strong, you know? Ok, this sort of shield that I’ve just helped you
create is a permeable shield. It dampens your power output, cutting back on the
energies, both coming in and going out of you.”
She dug into her bag, “Close your eyes for
a moment and try not to breath too heavily, I want you to be able ‘see’
something in a bit.
I did so and then I could hear a hiss like
a can of spray paint or hairspray for a long moment or four.
“Kill the lights, Kam?” I heard her ask
the room. “Ok Merry open your eyes and hold your breath for a moment this
should be neat.”
I opened my eyes to see her pointing at a
blue haze that surrounded me, “Just watch for a moment, see the flow of cloud
in the light? If not give it a moment to become evident to you.”
For a moment it just seemed like the
‘cloud’ was random then it seemed to have a rolling motion in and out to me. “I
see it I think, big rolling loops?”
“Yes, in some ways it’s like the pattern
that iron fillings and a magnet make on paper. The pattern you see is the
static charge that revolves around you. If you look at your hands or rest or
your body; you are ‘brighter’ there.”
“Weird but ok.”
“Not really, even you have to obey some
natural laws, it’s complex; but essentially your body is similar to a huge
coil, the glow, is the electron flux that surrounds you.”
“Fun, but if you say so,” I wasn’t exactly
sure if I was a coil, but the odd loops in cloud said something was happening.
She smiled, “I’ll see if I can get a book
on electronics and maybe a decent physics book or two for you. In some ways it
will help you to understand what it is you do. Now watch what happens when I
click a radio on and off near you.”
She held the radio out and pushed the
button. In an instant I saw a ball form around the antenna then the ball sprung
out to hit my bubble, it hit, then deformed as part of it leaked in. I watched
the radio for a moment for a moment seeing the light from it fill the room and
wash around me, “Did you feel that?” she asked.
“No, not really.” I sagged in relief
somewhat when I realized what I had just said, “Though I could see it fill the
room.”
“That’s what I did to you when your shield
was down. “ She let off the switch, “They say this is a fairly low powered radio,
and that it will only reach half a mile…”
“Oh gods, lovely, a Cell Phone reaches way
further,” I closed my eyes and tried to remember how bright Philly was
to me.
“Makes you wonder doesn’t it?” she asked.
“No kidding,” I opened my eyes with a
sigh, “so now what?”
“You should be able to keep that shield
up, with practice for hours on end. Without the incapacitating headache from
the build-up of energy.” She poked a finger in my direction then poked randomly
about the air, “That what those little holes are for, so the pressure doesn’t
build up so much. You’ll feel a little more tense when the shield’s up, but if
you focus, you should learn to relax your muscles while it is up.”
I sighed in relief, “So I won’t get
blasted half silly when they open the door. All that junk in there is so
-noisy-.” I glanced around, “What happens when I wanna go, you know? Do I take
it down or is it going to screw with that?”
“When you want to go?”
I grumbled slightly, “I guess I
don’t have many secrets in -this- place,” I stopped long enough to flip off the
cameras, “Into the net.” I shrugged, “If they’ll even let me have a computer.”
“Ah, that. If I what I read your of your
powers is right, it shouldn’t interfere with the connection, however you won’t
be at full power with that particular shield up. In the future, I can teach you
how to form and control more advanced shields. For example: My lust aura. To
shield it, I envisioned a control that was both a button and a dial, so I can
flick it on and off, as well as fine tune the intensity when it is on.”
“However, shields can also be reflective,
absorptive, or even act like a two-way mirror, allowing you to control the
input and output like a router or a firewall.”
“Sounds like Gibson’s books.” Noted Chad
aloud, and forcing a giggle out of me, ~:Talk about ‘Mona Lisa Overdrive’.:~
he added silently.
“But um, can’t folks knock it down too? I
mean I blow through firewalls with almost no effort. All of this is what, a
random offshoot of my tricks?”
“Random or not, if you or your shield can
give off ozone like a arc-welder, trust me, you can pump enough power into a
shield to ward off an attack. And yes, people can break down a shield Electrical
or Mental, and very likely you will be able to batter through other people’s
shields, the electrical ones that is, eventually; if you had too. It’s like a
game of Poker, you watch the other person for signs of what hand they’re
playing and you formulate an attack that will penetrate the defenses. Guess
right, and you’re in. Guess wrong...”
I winced, “Bug splat. I am not sure I want
to play ‘Veteran’s of the Psychic Wars’ with folks. I have got enough loose
marbles in my head as it is.” I looked at the bland gown with disgust, “I mean,
can you imagine what a few solid lumps into my head would do to add extra
voices?”
Sara nodded slowly, “It’s very dangerous.
Self-defense psychic and other wise, is taught all over the place, but they
often ignore the ingenuity of attackers. Those who go in for that sort of thing
are generally mad or obsessed, both the good guys and the bad guys. Or, they
have an ace up their sleeve.”
I blinked remembering Doctor Lenston’s
tricks, “Oh great, now I have more things to add to my list of new tricks to
learn?” I motioned to the area in general, shrugging as the lights came back
up. “I bet he’d be just thrilled if I experimented here, too?”
Sara hopped up on the arm of my chair
briefly then slid into my lap forcing me to bite my lip for a moment, as I wanted
her close, even if it hurt. “Actually, it’s Doctor’s orders. Empaths
like me and ‘Flaky Energizers’ like you.” She poked me with a finger, “Though
you may be more a hybrid of Energiser and Psi, they just don’t have a handle on
what to call you yet.” She paused, “However, we don’t have the luxury
of not practicing. If you want to get out into the world and not become a
target for angry mobs…”
I watched her frown in thought as she
continued, “You may have to learn how to mirror first. As you are rather unique
you know, and some sensors might be able to find you by your flavor.” She
closed her eyes as in thought for a few minutes, “Chris says your ambient
energy level changes rapidly but has a ‘pattern’ to it.”
I sighed, “Peachy, so now my body is my
betrayer as well.”
“Well you are rather unique looking
too, you know? Not all of that glow was from the stuff I sprayed in the air.”
I looked down at my fingers as they glowed
bluely, what could I say? She was right.
“Anyways you’re probably going to have to
rebuild your shield, time and time again as they tend to deteriorate
frequently, particularly with beginners, like yourself.” She grinned and tapped
me on the nose. “Once you get used to it, your subconscious will rebuild the
shield as a matter of course, and, as well you have ME. I’m good at this sort
of thing, and it’s not like you could hurt me if I don’t let you.”
I hugged her tightly, “Always nice to be
indestructible, I don’t know why things are taking so long to heal, they broke
my pelvis and I was walking, not very well, but walking in three days. It’s
like I’m not getting enough of something.”
“You’re likely not sucking in enough
electricity. The cage they put up to shield you from computers is limiting your
intake. Heck, the body needs fuel to work, hence all the huge meals you eat.
Like other Energizers, flaky or not,” she poked me gently, “some of my
friends make your meals seem absolutely light in comparison.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, “Figures,
its bad enough I can’t get out, but they want to starve me as well. If
that is the right term for it.” I opened my eyes sorting out what she had said
about eating, “How do you keep from starving to death if you miss um, a
meal?”
“I don’t die if I stop eating and missing
one meal won’t hurt me that much. My body will go into ‘Torpor’ I guess you
could call it, an enforced state of sleep. Of course, I’d go psychotic with
hunger and eat the first thing that came along a for awhile before that...”
I had to think about that considering my
appetite, “An if I blank out from a lack of energy would the same thing happen
with me? I mean people have some electrical power in them as well?”
“I don’t think you’re like me, Merry. You
still eat regular food, right? I don’t. I think the electrical energy you suck
in just powers your other abilities.”
I groaned, “Yeah, I eat and eat and eat.”
I felt an odd smile form; “I used to think sports power bars would be the bane
of my existence, now it’s bad hospital food.” I traced a small circle on Sara’s
knee, “so do we start importing elephants to keep you going or buy up a huge
cattle farm?” I grinned and gave into my urge to nibble on her ear. “If you
could have anything for X-Mass or your birthday. What would it be?”
I felt her sigh as she rested her head on
my shoulder, “What do I want?”
“Yes, you. I mean if you don’t need money
or power, what does one get you for a present?”
I toyed with the hem of her dress, “I,
mean, you know. It’s kinda hard to shop for a girl who has everything.” I
traced the lace that followed the edges of her skirt, delighting in the
different textures then I purred into her ear, “I’d give you me, but you sort
of have me already.”
“I, I don’t know myself. Books are good, but
I have so many. And yes I have you any time I want you.” She smiled and kissed
my cheek, “But what do I want? Once I would have said Power.”
I smiled and tweaked the underside of her
knee, “I used to think the ultimate thing to have was a head start on the
bullies.”
“No, the ultimate thing is having someone
to love.” Sara stated with absolute certainty in her voice.
I hugged her tightly then kissed her
softly on the cheek, “I think you qualify then. I feel better when you are here
or,” I tapped the mark on her head, “when I feel you. You are the only good
thing that’s -really- happened to me since this whole mess started.”
She looked sad for a moment, “Good, but
with a price, Merry. I wish I was like Nikki sometimes, she would have done all
this and more and wouldn’t have charged you a thing.”
I raised her chin up slightly and kissed
her firmly, “Every thing has a price, Nikki, whoever she is, just hasn’t
dropped the bill on anyone yet. Or has she?”
Sara smiled, “I love
you, Merry, I really do. I’m glad I gave you my mark, but... I can’t help but
feel like I took advantage of you.”
With a small shrug I held up my left wrist
watching the Rose flare into view, “You were what I needed when I needed it,
sort of like Father Pete’s trick on me. If I were into Zen I’d say it was fate
or someone’s plan. If so they are playing with fire. I -do- have this problem
with authority figures.” I smiled wickedly, “Or so I am told.”
“Do you see me as an authority figure?”
I claimed her lips for a kiss then looked
into her eyes, “Not like that. It’s, I dunno, it’s like we are partners
in crime and I am the crazy sidekick or something. But that isn’t quite right,
I never really had a real friend or friends for that matter, much less a peer
or whatever fancy word they use now-a-days.” I traced the pattern of my ‘other’
mark touching each of the thorns, feeling each bump of raised flesh as it
circled around the rose, “I am not a exactly a leader, but I’m not an ant. Does
that make sense?”
“You’re an individual. You don’t want
followers but you can’t exactly take orders like an ant.” She snuggled closer
and kissed me.
I nodded slowly, “In some ways all this
craziness was good for something: Chad always had to take it.” I paused to kiss her
back, “its not orders that I can’t take, it’s the blind obedience my -family-
wanted. Do this, don’t do that, suck up the pain and never show it. That
kind of orders can take a merry jump to hell or wherever. I want to be free of
that sort of thing. A new life, right?”
She seemed to soften somewhat, at times I
wished that she never had to be wound so tightly, then she said. “I’ll
never ask you to do something you don’t want to, ever. I promise.”
I held her tightly, “I know, it’s not you
I worry about. Everyone else wants a part of me, so I just hope the
right person has the controlling interest.” I giggled and I tickled her for a
moment, “Thus far the chairwoman of the board has not failed me.”
Sara smiled weakly, “I’m sorry that I
can’t be yours alone.”
I placed a finger on her lips then kissed
her on the nose, “You said you had another wife, of which means sharing.” I
shrugged slightly, “not to mention some furry fellow.” I laughed as my
eyebrows arched upwards, “is there a time share on your love or do I have to
steal the moments when I can?”
Sara shook her head, “My love never
abates, for any of my wives. As for my time, I regret that I have but one body
to serve you.” Sara grinned for a moment, then she sobered, “they’ll love you
as well, you know. Donna will like your fire and she’s as easy going as it
gets. Hippie will take a little working on, but she’ll come to respect you.
Gypsy can tell your fortune, she’s nice, but a little freaked out by the whole
‘loving another girl’ thing.”
As she named names I held up a finger for
each one and wiggled them experimentally, “I am not sure I need my fortune
told, there are moments I can pretty much guess which direction things will
roll.” I cocked my head to look at the cameras, “So aside from these three, now
four, or is it seven loves of yours if you count my merry menagerie? How do we
pick days?”
“Well, it’s not like I have a formal
schedule. Besides, we can double up occasionally,” She winked and batted at my
fingers.