Socket 1 - The Discovery of Socket Greeny by Tony Bertauski Page B

had at the Rime, the first time I
sliced time. I searched this part of my being but felt nothing but
chaotic energy. I imagined I was a traveler, hunting a valuable
gem, flying through inner space. Lights blurred past, curled out of
my grasp like hyper fireflies. I went after them, one direction
then the other, but they were nothing but tiny lights. No
spark.
    “You cannot chase it,” the tester said. “You
must allow it space; then, it will appear.”
    So I sat there. Minute after minute went by.
Pretty soon I was thinking of lunch because the food in that place
was outstanding. I could order just about—
    “Bring your focus back.”
    I went back to my mid-section and let the
fireflies do their dance. They stopped running away and began
circling around me. Faster and faster they went, streaking inner
space with curves brilliant and lasting. There was a twinge. My
ears pricked with excitement. A bright light sparked. It was small
and intense, like a quasar glowing somewhere inside. I brought all
my awareness to this tiny flare.
    “There.” The tester barely spoke. “Wrap
yourself arounddd…”
    My hands involuntarily clenched. The spark
grew brighter. Brighter, still. And then it happened. The spark
ignited, engulfing me in a psychic blast. When I opened my eyes,
the tester was still, his mouth partially open, caught in
mid-sentence. I looked around the room for more proof, but I turned
cold. And hungry.
    “You are not strong enough to sustain a
timeslice.” The tester was standing over me with the hint of a
grin. “But you found it. Nicely done.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    No one would tell me what they were looking
for when they tested. Told me nothing, in fact. Not who the
Paladins were or what they were trying to protect the world from.
Mom was the least helpful. I saw her more in those months than I
had the previous year, but she had only one answer for every
question: “I can’t tell you anything right now, Socket.”
    I thought about Streeter and Chute a lot.
We’d been friends forever, like family. Chute and I were, as
Streeter put it, a girlfriend-boyfriend thing. I missed them both.
Maybe I should’ve missed her more. I tried to call them, but the
nojakk no longer worked. The Paladins shut it down. Standard
procedure. Maybe they were afraid I’d call and say You’ll never
guess where I’m at! I can stop freaking time! I probably
would’ve.
    I wondered if they were worried. Not so much
Streeter, but Chute. What was she going to think when she heard I
was a freak? Who was I kidding? She was never going to find out.
She might never see me again, even if Mom said I would see her
soon. Soon . That was as specific as she got. That could mean never .
    In between tests, Spindle and I played games.
We played chess with holographic pieces and ping-pong on a table
that materialized from the floor, complete with paddles and ball.
He taught me a game called Reign. The animated pieces moved around
seven levels of chess boards and chopped each other to pieces.
Blood would squirt and the pieces would die moaning. Very cool.
    I was restricted to the transforming rooms,
leapers and corridors. No matter what shape or form they became or
what illusory views I could see through the windows, it was stuffy.
It beat school, yeah. And it beat sleeping in front of the TV on
empty pizza boxes. But no matter how big the room, I was still
inside a mountain. I hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. Pictures
of it, sure, but not the real thing.
     
    * * * * *
     
    “You have been cleared to enter the
Preserve,” Spindle announced in the third month, I think. For all I
knew, we weren’t even on a twenty-four hour schedule anymore. He
waited for me outside a testing room where a man had asked if I
could move a set of round objects with my mind (he gave me ten
minutes but all I did was stare at them and wonder what he did for
fun). Stupid.
    I stepped quickly to keep up with Spindle,
his gait so smooth and effortless. “Recreation is