The Embers Of My Heart, page 22
She stared me down. I stared back. "What mindtwist?" she finally asked.
I threw the glass of water at her. She flicked it aside before it hit her. "What mindtwist? Are you fucking kidding me, Absynthe? Someone locked me down! Every time I tried to use my power, it fed back into the twist! But no, no one warned me about that, and no one thought to keep an eye on it, especially to check and see if I was unconsciously manifesting anything. Excuse me, trying to manifest. I had a month's worth of psionic power feeding back into my brain and it was going to make my head fucking explode!"
She shook her head. "There wasn't any mindtwist."
"You're lying."
"To my knowledge," she said. "Do you want to read me, Kevin? If you're telling the truth, I swear I didn't know about it."
"I'm sure you have plausible deniability. No one checked on me. No one cared if it went wrong."
She stepped toward me. "No one had time to coddle you. You're not the center of the universe."
"No, just the center of a breeding program."
Another step toward me. "Please tell me about this," she said. "It'll be enlightening to see what misinformation you picked up from whatever maniacs you met."
"Maniacs," I said. "Those maniacs saved my life in an emergency situation. The twist was slipping, Absynthe. By the time I got off the plane in Seattle, I was close to stroking out. I think I did have a brain bleed, actually. Lots of weird shit happening in my brain and I still don't remember some of it. They saved me." I stepped toward her and we were suddenly nose to nose. I gave her my coldest smile. "My uncle saved me."
She recoiled and her hands flew to her mouth. "You met your uncle?"
"Todd Green," I said. "He saved my life."
"Meeting with senior members of the Resistance is punishable by expulsion from the Establishment and summary removal of all of your powers," she said. There was no force behind her words. The bright red trim of her uniform faded.
"You mean you'll straight up kill me because I met with him. He saved my life!" I repeated. "He didn't try to kill me! He treats me like a person, not a resource. He's been up front with me. He told me what all the plans for me are."
She stepped back again. "He's been gone for years. He can't know what our plans are."
"Don't give me that shit. He knows more than you, I'm sure."
Her retreat stopped. "You ungrateful, impudent child. Look at what we've given you!"
"Look at the nearly fatal twist that got plugged into my head," I snapped. "Go on. You want to read me, too? We've both got plenty to hide, right?"
"You've received benefits and powers beyond your wildest dreams!"
"I don't know about that. My dreams get pretty wild."
We stared each other in the eyes. "This is getting us nowhere," she said. A chair appeared next to each of us and she sat down. I sat as well. "Kevin, what is your intention with this? What am I going to put in the report? If I mention that you met Todd, you're right, you're as good as dead. If I don't, I'm as good as dead when it comes out."
"I'll leave that up to you," I said. "I'm done being a clueless experiment. If you want my cooperation, cooperate with me too. I know I'm a trainee and I know I'm young, but this is my life at stake here. Treat me like I'm an equal in this project."
"I'll take that under consideration," she said. "We'll talk more later."
The next couple of days were a blur. I arrived home on a Friday, and classes for the fall trimester started on Monday. I hadn't registered on time and had to scramble. Class selection was limited and I just picked everything I could that applied to my major. My horrible last trimester hadn't destroyed my ability to graduate on time, but I couldn't afford another mistake like that.
On Sunday, I received a telepathic summons from Professor Burke. I arrived at the room where the students in the psionic council met. Burke wasn't alone. Rachel and some of the seniors sat around the table, and to my surprise, Absynthe sat with them. "Mr. Parker. Please have a seat," Burke said.
I sat and waited patiently for someone to speak. Absynthe avoided eye contact with me. Some of the students glanced toward her, but it was obvious no one knew her. Rachel was frowning. Her expression was angry if anything, but I couldn't tell if she was angry at the situation or at me. I shook my head and leaned forward. "Let's get this over with, then?"
Burke nodded. "Due to your irresponsible actions over the summer break, your membership on this committee has been terminated. The senior members voted in favor, four to one."
"Irresponsible?" I asked.
"We received a summary report of your actions in Seattle," Burke said. Gazes flicked toward Absynthe, whose face could have carved from stone. "While occasional meetings with members of other factions are acceptable, you crossed the line by deliberately doing so. Your contact being a Resistance agent compounds the problem."
"Don't argue, just accept," Absynthe said in my mind.
I hid my smile. "I had a chance and I took it. I didn't think it'd cause so much trouble."
"You have a tendency to act impulsively," Burke said. "Which causes trouble to follow you."
Rachel snorted at the same time Absynthe did. Burke glared at both of them. I tried harder to hide my smile. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I don't suppose I can appeal?"
"We will review your termination next trimester," he said. "However, the administration has already discouraged us from allowing your return. A distinct lack of common sense seemed to be the consensus."
"Fair enough," I said, making eye contact with Rachel. She shook her head. I didn't know why she would have voted in my favor, but I appreciated it. "Is there anything else?"
"There is. Everyone except for Miss Anderson, you are dismissed." I waited while the other members of the committee filed out and the door shut behind them. Burke's eyes glowed deep green and I heard the door lock, then a buzzing noise in the back of my mind. After a long moment, he nodded. "Mr. Parker. I will not chastise you further for your actions in Seattle. The consequences for your impulsivity are still being decided, but Absynthe's report showed that your intentions were positive and the results should mitigate any of the most severe penalties."
"I appreciate that," I said. "So why are we still here?"
"We are here to discuss your training," Burke said. "Miss Anderson will join your training from time to time. As your previous partner is no longer available, we are assigning you to work together when the situation arises."
"That's fine," I said. "As long as she can keep up."
"Bite me."
"That is actually pertinent," Burke said. "Your training program will be expanding next year. As a newly registered second tier power and impulsive malcontent, much of the administration's recent discussions have been how to deal with you. As of the winter trimester, your training time will be divided between myself and Absynthe."
"You'll be training me?"
"Yes. I have certain abilities that Absynthe does not."
I sat up straight. "You can teach me about the second tier?"
Rachel's eyes grew wide. Burke nodded. "We shall spend the first trimester studying the second tier and examining where your particular talents lie. Afterwards, we will examine practical uses for your second tier talents, under my supervision. At that point, we will need to reassign you, Miss Anderson."
"I can deal with working with a superman," she said.
"Don't be ridiculous. You will hold him back," Burke said. She frowned, but said nothing. "Absynthe will continue to handle your standard training regimen and will contact each of you as appropriate. Any questions?"
"What about Wainwright?" Rachel asked. "Is she gone for good? She's not going to come back from wherever and demand to be his partner again, right?"
"She has made it clear that she will not work with Mr. Parker again under any circumstances," Burke said.
"Good."
"Anything else?"
I shook my head and stood up. "Sounds good to me."
"Dismissed, then." Burke's eyes stopped glowing and the buzzing faded.
Rachel and I headed for the door and I opened it for her. We walked out of the building side by side without saying anything. When we reached the main campus, she grabbed my arm. "Hey. You ok with being partnered up?"
I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me as much as it might have before."
"Same here." She let go of my arm. "As long as you're cool with it. I didn't ask for this."
"I didn't figure you would."
"Good. I'll catch you later. Going to meet some of my friends." She paused for a moment, glanced over at me, then walked away before I could say anything. I headed back to the dorm by myself and headed up to the room. I'd barely seen Max or Drew yesterday, and neither of them had been in when I got up this morning. I wanted to spend a little time with them and relax before classes started.
They were in the room, but both of them were pulling shoes on when I opened the door. "Kev! What up, dude?" Drew greeted me.
"Not much. Where you guys off to?" I asked.
"Got a date with Lisa," Drew said. "She got a car, dude! Early graduation present from her parents. It's hot shit!"
"It's older than mine," Max said.
"Older, but still nicer."
"Shut up. I didn't ask for that thing." He shuddered. "I don't see why you two don't just come with us if we're all going to the same place. My car can fit all four of us."
"Barely, but totally not the point. Besides, Lisa wants to drive, and what am I going to do, say no?"
"Fair enough." They both stopped and looked at me. "Shit. Sorry, Kev."
I shook my head and slipped between them. "It's fine, guys. I'll just hang out with Andreas or something."
"He's already out somewhere with Kaitlyn," Drew said. "Weird as shit. I thought she'd be taking full advantage of having the room to herself for the trimester. She went to see him as soon as she got here. I tell you what, I've never seen him smile so much. It's scary."
"Maybe she's settling down?"
"Maybe," Max said. "Something feels different about her. I don't know. Maybe I'm just crazy."
"Sure are."
"Shut up. Hey, Kev, we should talk with Andreas soon. Right? I figure you've got some stories from your summer trip, right?"
I considered it for a moment. Did I really want to talk to them about my trip? I could remove the memory modifications from Washington and let them know about Star. That would lead to unpleasant questions, though. The best I could do is leave their memory blocks in place and act as if I had met her online or something. I didn't want them to find out about my cheating, and I certainly didn't want Max making the connection to Jess. They already knew too much.
"You there, Kev?" Drew waved his hand at me.
"Sorry, got lost in thought," I said.
"Bet he met a chick," Drew said to Max.
"Here's hoping," Max replied.
"Funny you should say that," I said. "We'll talk about it later. It was a pretty good month."
"Awesome, dude!" Drew's grin was wide and genuine. "We'll have some drinks and chill and talk. Bro night, right?"
"I don't like calling it a bro night," Max said.
"Whatever. We'll catch you later, Kev." They waved and the door shut behind them.
I walked over to my computer and sat down. A wave of sudden jealousy rolled up over me. My friends were growing up in their lives and relationships. I had psionic powers. I lied. I betrayed my girlfriend. I betrayed the group training me. I could die at any moment if Alistair Ripley found out what I had learned. My friends didn't need to worry about any of that shit. At this point, there wasn't any reason to use them against me. Alistair or Burke could just snuff me out like a candle. They'd only go after my friends if they wanted to hurt me, like Shade.
I brought up the PSInet login screen and tapped in my credentials. At least I could do some research while they were gone. Instead of bringing up the search engine, I received an account suspension notice. I read it three times before my blood pressure spiked and I tapped my power, seeking out Absynthe's mind. Before the mental realm even materialized, I was already shouting. "My PSInet account's revoked too? What the fuck?"
"Of course it is," she said. "Actions have consequences, Kevin."
"What if I need it for some sort of mission?"
"Why would you be assigned to any sort of mission?"
"You need me!"
"No, we don't." I clenched my jaw. Her voice was cold. "You're unreliable. You're not trustworthy. You've been a huge pain in the ass since day one. Do you even understand how lucky you are to be alive right now?"
"You mean other than the mindtwist that almost killed me?"
"I mean Alistair was forced to call a vote to terminate your powers for good," she snapped. "It was too close for anyone's comfort. Obviously, you're still here, but the opposition demanded severe restrictions on you or they'd start a vote of no confidence against him. You're lucky your training is continuing. You're lucky, Kevin, do you understand that?"
"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked. "What the hell are you going to do with me?"
"You need to be a model trainee for the rest of your time here," she said. "Stop being a childish brat when it comes to knowing everything. No one trusts you. No one has any reason to trust you. Fall in line and you'll get what you want eventually. It's going to take time. You need to rebuild some bridges."
Her words stung, but she was right. Even if I had an agreement with Todd, I had to take care of business here. "You're right," I said. She raised an eyebrow. "No, seriously. You're right. I'm sorry."
"Good start," she said. "Give it time. Apologize to Alistair in a few weeks."
"Should I really face him?" I asked.
"I think you'll be safe," she said.
"All right." I sighed. "I don't suppose you found anything out about the mindtwist?"
She nodded. "Burke did it once Davidson was out of the picture."
That was unexpected. "He's rusty, isn't he?"
"He underestimated you. Significantly."
"How'd you explain it away?"
She frowned. "You contacted a highly specialized biokinetic in Seattle and your Resistance contact was the reference. No names. He wasn't known for his biokinesis abilities."
"Thanks," I said.
"Don't ever put me in this sort of position again."
"I won't."
She cracked a smile. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I'll try," I said. "I can promise that much, right?"
"You're nothing but trouble," she said. "Do what you can this trimester. I'll request that your PSInet access be restored. I think I can convince them to give you limited access back, for training purposes."
"Thanks again," I said. "Sorry I came rushing in screaming."
"Don't do it again," she said.
The mental connection broke and I snapped back to myself. My screen still showed the suspension notice. I closed out of it, grabbed my keys, and walked out of the dorm. The back garden was still bright and green. Within a couple of months, that would change. Leaves would cover the ground and we'd be wearing layers. I thought back to how I had first met Nikki, teasing me about wearing enough layers to stay warm in the bitter cold that winter. For just a moment, I wondered how she was doing in England.
I wrenched my mind away from her and found the burner phone I kept hidden. My fingers punched in Star's number. "Hey," I said as she picked up.
"What's up, my love?" she asked.
"Feeling down," I said.
"It's only been a couple of days. Missing me already?"
"Yeah. I got in shit with my bosses, so that's fun. My roommates are out on dates. I'm all by myself out here. It sucks. I wish I had dropped out of everything and stayed with you."
She sighed. "I know. You told me all the reasons you couldn't. Your friends and family would pay for it. I don't think we could fake your death like mine. They'd do everything they could to track you down. There's no way they'd believe it was an accident."
"It wouldn't work, you're right. They're going to keep me from doing anything, and they stripped my PSInet access. I'm being isolated."
"We'd probably do the same," she said. "No offense intended."
"None taken. I understand the reasons. I'm trying to be a good little boy now." I kicked at a stray rock. "It still sucks. At least they partnered me with someone else now that Nikki's off training with the Illuminati in England, according to official sources. Not far enough away for my tastes."
"Maybe I can call in some favors for a hit on her," Star said. Her voice turned thoughtful. "I'm pretty sure we have a cell or two out there. Couldn't be too hard, right?"
"I don't think killing her for being my ex is really a good way to abuse your authority," I said.
"I didn't say anything about killing her!"
"It was only heavily implied."
"Maybe."
We both laughed and I sat down on a bench. "You have anything pressing going on?"
"No," she said. "Why?"
"I just want to talk to you for a while. Until the battery dies."
"All right."
Chapter Nineteen
I pulled at my collar. "I can't believe you talked me into this."
Lisa stepped in and grabbed my tie, adjusted it, and then tugged it to lie flat. "You're going to turn all sorts of heads, Kev!"
"Not when I'm surrounded by girls like you three," I said.
"You're such a sweet talker." She smiled up at me and stepped back. Her red dress clung like a second skin. "But you're the center of attention tonight. You're going to have more wingmen and wingwomen than you know what to do with! It'll be great!"
