hair was short. Their uniforms
tight and black. Two of them wore black glasses. They stepped on
each side of Pike like bookends. Pike jumped up, his chair falling
back and dissolving. Spindle wrapped his arms around me and kept me
from falling.
“You were ordered to back down twice!” Mom
shouted. “YOU WILL NOT BREAK HIM!”
“I am in charge of this preliminary!” Pike
retorted with equal venom. “You have no right to be in here!”
“He is my son!” Mom shot back. “And this has
become a psychic lynching! You were not authorized to probe
deeply!”
“There is a traitor in the Garrison. I will
use whatever methods necessary.”
“This preliminary is over. You will be
removed from this assignment.”
His face reddened. “I am primary minder. I
decide methodology. I assess traits, my decisions are final.
Understand, civilian , I will not go.”
“You can have this conversation with the
Commander, if you like, but either way, we are finished.”
Pike turned, the glasses slipped, revealing
white eyeballs. No iris. No pupil. He fixed his glasses and stared
at Mom, but she didn’t flinch. She stood in front of me, her hands
clenched. Veins pulsed in Pike’s neck. Tension hissed.
“Try it.” Mom stepped closer to him, her nose
almost touching his. “Go on, get inside me and try it.”
The room charged with static. Her hair
floated out.
“If you dare to penetrate my mind, you will
not see the outside of a prison cell for eternity, I will see to
that, personally, Agent Pike. If you do not contain yourself in the
next few moments and leave this room, I will bring a team of
minders in here to incapacitate you for the rest of your life. If
you don’t believe me, then try it.” Her lips were very thin. “Back.
Down.”
The vein throbbed on Pike’s neck. A bead of
sweat rolled down his temple. He calmly adjusted his black glasses.
He sucked air between his teeth, took his time turning and glided
through the wall. The two black glasses-wearing men followed as did
three black suits. Two men stayed in the room, hands behind their
backs. At attention.
My mind was still cleaning up the memories
Pike uncorked, trying to put them in their rightful places. They
swirled like papers finding their way back to the ground.
“Get him to the infirmary,” Mom said to
Spindle and the men. “I want a medical minder to begin
decompression wave therapy immediately. Have the medical mechs
monitor his vitals and administer sedatives but do not put him to
sleep. Once normal brain activity resumes, I want him asleep for
twenty-four hours. All activity is to be sent to my office, keep me
updated of every second, Spindle. And I mean every second.”
A stretcher floated inside the room. Servys
laid me on it, guided it down the short hall to the leaper. Mom and
Spindle walked along side.
“I will be updating Commander Diggs with what
just happened,” she said. “Contact all my appointments for the rest
of the day and reschedule for tomorrow.”
“But you have an appointment with the
Director of—”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I need some time
with the Commander.”
I took her hand. It was hot. Wet.
She pushed her hair back. The rigid muscles
loosened along her jaws and around her eyes. She stopped the
stretcher before it went inside the leaper, squeezed my hand and
pushed the hair off my forehead.
“You made it,” I croaked.
She nodded, feeling my forehead. She
whispered, “Get some rest.” She stood back. “I’ll be with you
soon.”
We moved onto the leaper. She watched from
the hallway. She would not rest. Not tonight. There was too much to
do.
* * * * *
PART II
Time does not exist.
There is only the present moment.
The past and future are merely thoughts about
the present moment. If you think about it, you have already missed
the point. One must live life in the present moment to be real;
otherwise, your life is a collection of thoughts.
No different than
tight and black. Two of them wore black glasses. They stepped on
each side of Pike like bookends. Pike jumped up, his chair falling
back and dissolving. Spindle wrapped his arms around me and kept me
from falling.
“You were ordered to back down twice!” Mom
shouted. “YOU WILL NOT BREAK HIM!”
“I am in charge of this preliminary!” Pike
retorted with equal venom. “You have no right to be in here!”
“He is my son!” Mom shot back. “And this has
become a psychic lynching! You were not authorized to probe
deeply!”
“There is a traitor in the Garrison. I will
use whatever methods necessary.”
“This preliminary is over. You will be
removed from this assignment.”
His face reddened. “I am primary minder. I
decide methodology. I assess traits, my decisions are final.
Understand, civilian , I will not go.”
“You can have this conversation with the
Commander, if you like, but either way, we are finished.”
Pike turned, the glasses slipped, revealing
white eyeballs. No iris. No pupil. He fixed his glasses and stared
at Mom, but she didn’t flinch. She stood in front of me, her hands
clenched. Veins pulsed in Pike’s neck. Tension hissed.
“Try it.” Mom stepped closer to him, her nose
almost touching his. “Go on, get inside me and try it.”
The room charged with static. Her hair
floated out.
“If you dare to penetrate my mind, you will
not see the outside of a prison cell for eternity, I will see to
that, personally, Agent Pike. If you do not contain yourself in the
next few moments and leave this room, I will bring a team of
minders in here to incapacitate you for the rest of your life. If
you don’t believe me, then try it.” Her lips were very thin. “Back.
Down.”
The vein throbbed on Pike’s neck. A bead of
sweat rolled down his temple. He calmly adjusted his black glasses.
He sucked air between his teeth, took his time turning and glided
through the wall. The two black glasses-wearing men followed as did
three black suits. Two men stayed in the room, hands behind their
backs. At attention.
My mind was still cleaning up the memories
Pike uncorked, trying to put them in their rightful places. They
swirled like papers finding their way back to the ground.
“Get him to the infirmary,” Mom said to
Spindle and the men. “I want a medical minder to begin
decompression wave therapy immediately. Have the medical mechs
monitor his vitals and administer sedatives but do not put him to
sleep. Once normal brain activity resumes, I want him asleep for
twenty-four hours. All activity is to be sent to my office, keep me
updated of every second, Spindle. And I mean every second.”
A stretcher floated inside the room. Servys
laid me on it, guided it down the short hall to the leaper. Mom and
Spindle walked along side.
“I will be updating Commander Diggs with what
just happened,” she said. “Contact all my appointments for the rest
of the day and reschedule for tomorrow.”
“But you have an appointment with the
Director of—”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I need some time
with the Commander.”
I took her hand. It was hot. Wet.
She pushed her hair back. The rigid muscles
loosened along her jaws and around her eyes. She stopped the
stretcher before it went inside the leaper, squeezed my hand and
pushed the hair off my forehead.
“You made it,” I croaked.
She nodded, feeling my forehead. She
whispered, “Get some rest.” She stood back. “I’ll be with you
soon.”
We moved onto the leaper. She watched from
the hallway. She would not rest. Not tonight. There was too much to
do.
* * * * *
PART II
Time does not exist.
There is only the present moment.
The past and future are merely thoughts about
the present moment. If you think about it, you have already missed
the point. One must live life in the present moment to be real;
otherwise, your life is a collection of thoughts.
No different than
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