Jupiter's Rising, page 65
Today, a fresh group of refugees were arriving. Jones and I pulled all our trainees to the hangar bay. We had tried to prepare them for what they were about to see but there was never an easy way to help someone see bloodied and broken people.
When the ship doors opened, medics carried the liters of bleeding children first. Some had bad head wounds. Others were missing limbs.
My first cadet let out a sob, “That’s horrible!”
“What happened to them?” Marcus, one of my telepaths called out.
“Shrapnel bomb,” answered the medic.
Some didn’t know what that was, so I explained it, “The Fallen and their loyalists pack a box with hundreds of pieces of small, sharp metal. They set a bomb timer on it and when it goes off, the bomb explodes the pieces forcefully everywhere. Sometimes it only gets as far as a meter, other times it can go over twenty. You can bleed out if it slices an artery and a medic can’t reach you fast enough.”
“Why can’t we put shields around them?” Another asked.
I gave them a tight-lipped smile, “They drop hundreds from ships. Sometimes they place them around homes and let children find the boxes and open them. They’ve gotten clever about how they deploy the bombs.”
“Will your mental shield protect us from that?” Macie, one of our telekinetic’s asked.
I squared my shoulders, “I’ve never tested myself against it. I also don’t have it around me twenty-four seven.”
More bodies were pulled out. These were conscious individuals. Most were moaning in pain or calling for loved ones. The last to exit were those who could walk. Every single person was heavily bandaged. Some had looked like they’d walked through an acidic gas. Their arms and faces were covered in pus-filled burns.
When the ships were unloaded, we returned our group to the gym. They were disheartened. We’d been doing very well with their individual talents but seeing the result of a war that was too hard to fight cleared the illusions they’d subconsciously built.
“Why did we show you these refugees?” Jones asked them as they sat on the ground together.
Mandy, a seer raised her hand and spoke, “To give us realistic expectations?”
Thomas, an empath shook his head, “It was to show us that we can’t win.”
“Absolutely not,” I declared, “We can win this fight. We need to understand how they think. We must find ways to prepare ourselves against these things. The way to win is to know how your enemy thinks. We can beat them by understanding and out-smarting them.”
Jones nodded, “War is ugly. the things they do are despicable. We don’t fight dirty, but we understand how to play in their orbit.”
When the group wrapped for the day, they were still downtrodden. I gave each a gentle shoulder squeeze on their way out. Some smiled with hope, but most walked away with tears in their eyes.
“They’re right,” I muttered to Jones when they were gone.
“Don’t say that,” she complained
“Why haven’t we -” I paused and pulled her hand after me.
We were running out of the training grounds. I yanked her to the engineering dome. A security guard I didn’t recognize greeted us.
I didn’t explain what I wanted; I had already asked Francis to meet us. She was walking down the hallway as I paced. She smiled at me but was surprised.
“Great to see you, Reyna,” Francis called.
I rushed to her, “We have an idea!”
Jones shook her head, “I have no clue what she’s talking about.”
“Marie, can you get them a visitor’s pass?” Francis asked.
We wasted five minutes getting our omni’s updated and rushed to the lab. Amada was typing furiously on her keyboard, programming something. I greeted her but she was lost in what she was doing.
“Okay, Reyna. Spill,” Francis said.
I pushed my shield out, “Throw something sharp at us.”
Jones backed up but I laughed, “It won’t touch you, babe.”
“Are you sure?” Francis asked skeptically.
I nodded and she picked up a blade and tossed it at my shield. It clattered to the ground. Interested, she walked up and ran into it. She felt around it for several minutes.
“What is this?” She asked me.
“A telepathic shield extended past my body. From what we’ve seen in our groups, everyone except the seers should be able to create one. But they’re not easy to maintain. After an hour or two, I’m exhausted. What if you found a way to help them create one as soon as they put on their armor vests?” I asked.
Francis felt my shield again, “Drop the shield.”
I obliged her and she grabbed a black band that had patches attached to it. As soon as I recognized it, I defiantly crossed my arms. She smiled apologetically.
“It’s to see how your gift manifests while you shield. Can you shape it to not close around the wires?” she asked as she went to her omni monitors.
“I can make it any size we want and put it anywhere. It doesn’t have to form a bubble around us. I can make it malleable, but I normally don’t.” I told her.
“Put your shield around Jones only then, as dense as the one you did earlier,” she instructed.
I followed her command, and she made several thinking noises as the data pulled from my mind, “Okay, now put it at your feet.”
“Hmm, move it to your hands only,” Francis asked.
“Is this with your telepathy or your empathy?” She asked after I followed her request.
“Telepathy,” I replied.
She nodded, “Okay drop the shield. Can you easily switch to empathy?”
I thought about it, “Let me try.”
I imagined the emotions in the air forming the shield. It had an aurora of grey, blue, green, and streaks of purple. I didn’t ask if they could see it. It was a newer ability of mine and if they weren’t empaths, they’d see nothing. I pushed the barrier over Jones and wrapped her in it.
“Try throwing something soft, just in case, at Jones,” I smiled sweetly.
My girlfriend eyed me suspiciously. Francis risked it and threw her knife. It dropped to the ground by my feet.
“Hey!” Jones demanded, “She said soft!”
“I heard knife,” Francis muttered while pretending to take a note.
“Interesting,” the engineer murmured, “Do the same thing, Reyna. Feet for a minute, then hands.”
We swapped between the two gifts often and repeated the process for an hour. Amada came over and asked us additional questions and had me do more moves. She had me wrap the energy around an object. She put pads on a spoon and had me protect only the spoon.
“You see it?” Amada asked Francis.
Her lover nodded, “We can make the transference pads across the suits. We just need to make sure the front collarbone and spinal cord connect properly so it protects the head.”
The two looked up from their screens, “Come back tomorrow. We’ll program the printer to make what we need tonight and have it sewn into a suit. I’ll make sure you have clearance. You might have done more than you’ll ever know. All someone will need to do is a trickle of energy into one pad and it could shield every inch of their body.”
“I wish I could take credit for it. One of our trainees asked why we couldn’t just make shields around us. The brilliant minds of the future,” I smiled.
Jones and Francis chuckled, “What?” I demanded curiously.
Amada scolded me, “They gave you an idea, but you knew what to do with it. You both came up with a solution. Take some credit, Reyna.”
“I’ll give it all to Macie if I’m asked,” I told them honestly.
We returned the next day and Francis had me try on the suit. It was a normal space jumper. It adhered to me with a form-fitting pattern that was flexible and comfortable against my body. Nothing looked different to me.
“Where do you feel your gifts most prevalently?” Francis asked.
I tapped between my brows, “Here.”
“Okay, anywhere else?” She questioned.
I thought about it, “It flows through me everywhere, but I suppose also by my heart.”
She nodded, “Good, there’s a node right here,” she pointed between my breasts, “Concentrate the smallest amount of your power there. Nothing flashy!”
I did as she requested and felt the shield snap around me. I wasn’t in a bubble of protection like I normally was. Instead, the shield moved with the fabric.
“Brilliant,” I smiled at them, “Throw the knife.”
Jones stepped forward, “Woah, can’t we try something else?”
I rolled my eyes and Amada tossed her blade at me. It bounced off the jacket harmlessly and fell to the floor. I looked up with wide eyes.
“Did you make one?” I asked.
Francis nodded and I rushed out, “Do you have a testing room?”
She grinned and I excitedly requested, “Put me in it!”
Jones demanded protectively, “What are you doing? Testing what?”
I turned to her, explaining, “Testing a shrapnel bomb on me.”
She shook her head, “Absolutely not. Are you all insane?”
“Someone needs to test it. We have other things we can do first though, before the bomb. To make you feel better, we can start with rocks or diamonds,” Francis smiled.
“How about pillows? Feathers? Maybe a book or two?” My girlfriend countered.
“Thumb tacks?” I asked.
Amada pulled open a drawer and grinned, “Deal!”
“Reyna, think this through!” She demanded.
“Go get the General and Ka’ed! They will love this!” I told her as I allowed Francis to push me through a doorway.
It took half an hour for the room to get set up. We decided to drop the tacks high from the ceiling with an electronic push. This way it would be hard enough to be slightly dangerous.
“What’s this about?” Stacia demanded.
Francis and Amada had the mic open so they could talk to me freely. I was standing in the brightly lit metal box. They sat behind a shatterproof window while looking in on me.
“Reyna helped us design a shield. This is the first test,” she said.
Amada looked at me, “Ready?”
Jones was standing in the back corner with her arms crossed. If Ka’ed had tagged along, I couldn’t see him. I grinned and nodded at Amada.
“Hit me hard, girl!”
She pressed a button and one hundred tacks dropped from the ceiling. I had my arms spread wide. The sharp ends didn’t touch my suit. They bounced as they hit the shield and dropped noisily to the floor around us.
I looked down and back up, “We might have to consider making sure we all have impenetrable boots. But I know a girl who knows a guy.”
I winked at Jones. She rolled her eyes. Stacia leaned forward, curious.
“Those didn’t touch you?” she demanded.
I shook my head before asking, “Hey Francis, can I give it more of a boost? Will it expand the shield further?”
She rolled her shoulders, “That’s the theory. We’re going to suck up the tacks, put your gravity locks on.”
I pushed the button on my wrist, locking my feet down. Then I sent another ebb of power into my suit. As the tacks floated up, they bounced around the slightly thicker shield. Once they were sucked into the tube, I looked at them.
“You said you had concrete or brick or something?” I called.
Jones walked forward, “This is foolish, Reyna!”
Francis ignored her, “Yeah, we have clay bricks. I loaded them last night. It’ll be ready to drop in two minutes.”
Stacia stood up and crossed her arms. She was ready to see me get crushed by them all. Although, she also looked like she was happy to see we had a potential solution to our shrapnel problem.
“Ready, Reyna?” Amada asked.
I put my arms out straight and nodded. The crash of the clay bricks was loud. I closed my eyes, but they also bounced around my shield. Some cracked across the floor or shattered loudly. Most landed hard around me.
I grinned, “Okay, diamonds?”
They nodded, “Come out though, we’ll sweep it to the back, and you can go again.”
After three minutes, I was back in place and watching diamonds clatter around me. I didn’t even feel them hit the shield. Stacia clapped her hands and we all looked at her.
“We’re testing the shrapnel next, right?” She asked.
“Yeah! I’m ready!” I declared.
Jones shook her head, “Are you all crazy?”
“Someone get the baby a tissue please!” I teased.
“This is your life we’re talking about, Reyna,” my guardian pleaded.
I sighed, “I love you and we need to know if this will work. Is there something else we could try that would make you feel more secure with this? We’ve tested several things. What else do you want us to test?”
She shook her head, “Fine.”
I walked out for the girls to push for the robotic cleaners around. When it was done, they pushed the button for the door to let me back in. I held my arms out and waited in the middle of the room. Stacia nodded at Amada, and she dropped the bomb from the ceiling.
The box dropped over my shield and opened at the contact. I closed my eyes, slightly afraid. The shrapnel scattered across the floor. If it hit my protective layer, I didn’t feel it. When I opened my eyes everyone, except Jones, was grinning.
“How fast can you make more?” I demanded.
Stacia nodded and Amada and Francis waved me in. I walked in while they were discussing numbers and timelines. We had a group who would be shipping out in a week. They already had fifty suits made and were going to be able to make double that overnight. It would be my job to teach them how to channel their power. We would begin in the morning.
After I changed, Jones walked us home. She didn’t look at me as we marched through the brisk air. We reached my mom’s first and I paused.
“Are you going to pout all night or am I going to my place?” I asked, keeping myself at arm’s length.
She sighed, “Let me cook you dinner.”
I grinned, “I love when you say those words. They’re such a turn-on.”
“Funny,” she rolled her eyes, and we went to her home.
As she cooked, I washed fresh carrots and chopped them up for a snack, “Want to tell me why it upset you so much?”
“I’m your protector, Reyna!” She aired grumpily.
“Yeah, and I’m your girlfriend, okay?” I retorted.
She sighed, “You don’t get it. If you die... how do I live? If you keep putting yourself in positions like this, how can I prevent it from happening? My bond to you makes me driven to put myself in harm’s way before you; it hurt physically to watch those things crash around you and not be there trying to stop it or shield you.”
I wrapped my arms around her back, “We did the tests first. We made it as safe as possible.”
“I know,” she murmured, “It doesn’t change how scared I was for you.”
I pulled her away from the stove and put her arms around my waist, “I love you too. You won’t always be there to save me. This princess can save herself,” I teased, using the word she always wanted to.
Her mouth hung open, “You’re evil.”
“Want me to prove it?” I asked, walking my fingers down her chest.
Her lips widened as I slid my hand under her waistband. Her mouth collapsed on mine. We burnt the noodles as we made love on top of the counters.
Chapter Thirty-Five | Service Award
Stacia had called on the top one hundred gifted enlisted to attend our display. Each had been given a new suit and had been instructed to put it on. I requested one for Macie and Jones. When Amada and Francis questioned me, I told them it was Macie’s idea, and she should be there with me. I explained I would be Jones’s shield but that she would have to stand beside me for every test. She smiled at this, and I won my requests.
Macie was standing beside me at the front of the large gym, “Reyna, why did you bring me here?”
“Because I want you to look at what your words have done for us,” I told her.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
I squeezed her shoulder, “Do you remember asking why we couldn’t just shield everyone?”
She nodded and I explained, “I took your request to the engineers and showed them how I do mine. This suit you’re wearing will make a shield. I’m going to show everyone how we do it. Any telepath, telekinetic, or empath can do it. All thanks to you.”
She shook her head, “You took a smart-ass question and turned it into a ‘Way be Damned solution!”
“Thanks for being there to inspire me, Macie.”
Stacia cleared her throat and Jones waved Macie back, “Thank you for joining us today. Each of you has been issued improved uniforms. We have a special teacher who has gone through several rounds of testing with hers. We believe they are the solution for the shrapnel bombs. Many other issues have been solved with these. Reyna, please step up and model your suit.”
I nodded and hummed power into my suit and Jones’s. We stepped up together, side-by-side, and I addressed the crowd.
“By running a small trickle of my power through the small nodes sewn into our suits it will create a shield. After we demonstrate this, I will teach all of you how to do the same thing,” I called loudly.
The room hummed with concern, but I marched down the stage into the center to the room and adjusted myself and called to Francis, “Knives.”
She threw fistful after fistful at me. Each clattered when they hit the mental shields. Even the ones that would have hit my guardian didn’t land.
“Guns,” I called loudly.
Amada stepped up with an automatic rifle. Everyone took five steps back. She fired and bullets clattered loudly to the floor, crumpled from the force of hitting my shields.
I turned to face the crowd, “There are nodes sewn across our suits. I use the one closest to my heart and push a trickle of power into it. This power can be telekinetic, telepathic, or empathic. We are still working on a way to pull on our seer’s abilities but haven’t uncovered it yet. If you push too much power, the shield will expand, too far.
