Void's Psionics (30 page)

“
Don’t twist my arm.” Steven
said as the helmet broke down into a collar to wipe his sweaty
brow. He sat straight on the soft ground to catch his breath. He
shook his head to see Oliver still fresh after all that. “Let’s
play a little Zalie.”

The three men spread out far and wide, their
sharp hearing able to cross the distance without need to rely on
coms or yell. Roughly standing a hundred meters apart in a
triangle, being watched closely by the birds of prey.

Zalie was shown by the Creelin to humanity to
share how they let their children play and develop control of
powers at the same time. A game similar to the egg toss, but a bit
more tricky as it had rules and a scoring system. Zalie required
three individuals set in a triangular position. A person could not
hold a ball of water for more than five seconds and must throw it
out to another before time is up or risk starting over at zero. The
person with most after ten minutes wins. The way to make points is
doing acrobatic tricks with the water by reshaping it, returning it
to a ball and sending it back to another always to the left, In
Oliver’s case being Stone. Stone would send to Steven who would in
turn launch it to Oliver. The game hones psionic speed in addition
to the body. Getting wet results in penalty of ten points even by
one drop so maintaining shape of the water was also an added
challenge. Only ten proper moves were allowed in the game, each
scoring one point more than the next and also increasing in
difficulty.

One point is given successfully where the
water is turned into a ring the person jumps through it like a
loop. Gets up and sends it.

Two points go to someone who makes another
ring, but horizontal and must be done by levitating themselves in a
summersault three times.

Three go to a person able to form a tunnel
five meters long and jump through it backwards, feet first.

Four goes to a person able to devise five
staggered rings and fly through it.

Five is awarded for a successful dancing
fountain that splits ten ways and the person must dance. This one
allowing the only bend to the five second rule, but only for an
additional three seconds.

Six is to make it into a five pointed star
and punch through all five sections before jumping through the
center.

Seven points required splitting an incoming
ball of water ten ways with the eyes closed and guiding the streams
behind the back of the person and blindly throw it while doing a
one footed spin on the non-dominant leg.

Eight needed the person to stand on the water
and make it pressurized to lift the person all without sustaining
any droplets.

Nine’s difficulty centered on forming water
into ten different animals in five seconds completely clear enough
to identify it by all three players.

The most difficult was in turning water to
steam, chilling it into fog by removing heat and air with a barrier
so tight that when it spreads out it makes a vacuum as well as
removes heat before slamming heat and air to condense it back into
water and go. And the key to five additional points is to keep the
sound below seventy five decibels.

The men activated their cameras to record as
the ten minute game was fast. At normal, a person gets sixty
chances if it comes to them every ten seconds. More if the game is
faster. And the number one rule is no physical touch, due to going
back to zero again because a droplet counts.

Stone started them of as he was closest to
the pool. His bandaged hand stretched out and up came the measured
ten liters. Since he didn’t need to touch, he was able to play.
Oliver and Steven hunched over, arms low and spread. “Satellite,
ten minutes starts at your call.”

The falcon placed a talon on a timer zeroed
out and set for six hundred seconds. Ten minutes. “In Three. Two.
One! Start!” he pressed down and the count began.

Stone began with a six point, making a star,
punching and jumping. As soon as his feet cleared the star
collapsed and whipped in Steven’s direction before Stone even
managed to hit the ground.

Steven closed his eyes for a seven point as
the lobbed H2O separated without looking, gathered and he spun on
his left leg once and threw it.

Oliver, still new even after playing for
three months after being introduced went for a three point as he
hollowed out the incoming projectile and jumped up enough to spin
and let the water slide over his feet, gather back just above his
head and threw it to Stone upside down. Thankfully he remembered to
change out of the cape or it would have been soaked and he would
have started out without change.

Stone captured it and jumped up to make it a
geyser to rise a meter and made a kicking motion while falling to
send it to Steven for an additional eight points.

The water flew round and round, never
stopping. Stone and Steven competed for points, but they began to
notice Oliver went for simpler and strived for accuracy. They also
saw how hard he concentrated by expression, never overdoing
anything. They began to understand he was releasing minute
quantities rather than go for the bragging rights. It was fun, but
also a necessity to see him learning limits for small things.
Precision was difficult for him with so much power at his
command.

“
Time!” Satellite called out
just as the area buzzed by a ringing of metal on a bell.

“
Alright guys, I’m going to
chip into your recordings and view from all three of us.” Oliver’s
eyes unfocused as Steven held a hand up to keep the water afloat.
His mind flew through the images of five minutes and examined it
all in three to four seconds. “Steven, you win at sixty two points.
Stone you got sixteen. On your twenty ninth attempt you got a
splash to your left calf muscle.” Stone looked and noticed a little
moisture. “From each of your views I managed only five points. My
second to last splashed three droplets to my left
cheek.”

“
How many resets?” Steven
asked.

“
You had one. Sixth pass.
Stone had two and I had thirteen throughout where my points zeroed
out.”

“
Why do you sound happy you
made so many mistakes?” Visor voiced.

“
Because my average is
usually in the thirties for little mistakes.” Oliver brushed his
hair back with his fingers. “Guess a sound sleep does me some good.
Let’s keep going and see if it’s not a fluke.
Satellite?”

The falcon dipped his little head. “Three,
two…”

Renee smiled as she walked down the hall
alongside her large Drake who also seemed fully at ease as she was
wanting to do a surprise when they both could tell Oliver was
preoccupied.

She paused at the door till feeling a spike
in his emotions to know it was anticipation and flung open the door
to yell “SURPRISE!!!”

Oliver’s concentration slipped as the
water-ball was in his possession and its momentum continued as the
liquid left his barrier.

Incoming water had Renee gasp and freeze for
just a moment before ten liters slammed directly in her face and
soaked her chest. She was knocked back into Sparky’s broad chest by
the sheer speed, force and shock before losing footing and slipped
hard on her rump.

“
Direct Hit!” Steven
crowed.

The hellcat reared her head as anger replaced
shock and embarrassment.

“
Uh oh.” Steven’s cheer
changed to dread, knowing that look. “Run!!!” he ran.

Emerald irises vanished behind blazing
evergreen as she lifted herself off the ground as if wind had
lifted her like a leaf, glanced at the pool and lifted all its
contents to slam it into Steven’s retreating figure. To make sure
the point came across she lifted a hand and shot a bolt of
lightning, but suddenly an even greater force snuffed it out
midflight. She glared to the source to find a solid mountain
staring right back. “That’s enough, Red. I won’t let you
electrocute him, no matter how mild you made the bolt.”

“
No one makes fun of me.”
Her anger had full hold of her. “Not even you.” She raised her hand
but suddenly his hair shot up and blindingly went golden. His eyes
blazing.

“
You calm the fuck down
right now, Renee. You cannot bully me. You can be mad, but harming
others for a comment no matter how well timed, isn’t justified to
do it. It was your own fault for breaking my concentration. Settle
the fuck down before I am forced to do it for you.”

Determination and the cold command was
nothing comprehend to the disappointment she felt emanating through
the link he had placed upon her. Renee never wanted to feel such a
profound emotion come from him by her own actions and that is
exactly what happened. Her nickname hellcat was crushed by the
weight of guilt she had just disappointed him with and she bit her
quivering lip. Her hand lowered and she didn’t bother running like
a scolded child. She held still and watched as his hair returned to
normal and his eyes dimmed to the neutral soft glow.

Sparky said nothing, many times scolding her
temper in a similar way.

Steven flew out of the water surrounding
himself with the best barrier he could manage from another attack,
but touched own as Renee’s eyes went back to iris green. It didn’t
disappear though.

“
I’m sorry.” She looked to
the burly Hunter.

“
Uh… do I have water in my
ears… Ms. Void
never
apologizes to me.” None answered him. “Uh, thanks, but none
needed. It was worth it to see you bust your ass…”

“
Enough, Steven. Don’t make
it worse. Laugh later.” Oliver said with a flat tone and walked
toward Renee without looking back. “So, Red, did you have a real
surprise or is a wet white dress a consolation surprise for scaring
me?”

Renee, when having it
pointed out looked down and was embarrassed as water turned the
thin material transparent and the cool air made her nipples pucker.
With a thought she changed into jeans and a flannel long sleeve
while expressing out the moisture. “Actually I had something… where
did I drop it…?” she bent over, thankful for the abrupt change of
conversation.
There!
She thought and reached behind Sparky’s paw to hold up a
silver container.

“
What’s this?” he asked
opening it and inside was a locket. One large enough for his large
thumbs to open. On one side was a beautiful picture of Renee
smiling with such love and adoration it was like she was really
looking at him. The other side was blank.

When he looked up he saw her lifting a
similar silver locket up from between her bountiful breasts. “Papa
and Andrea had them made for us when we got back. The sneaky
bastards included Jessica in and they searched through all footage
on the Dogenox’s memory banks to pick ones where we made goo goo
eyes at each other, but the other side that’s blank will hold
visuals of any pictures we download of any little hellions I may
squeeze out one day. Papa said its to make sure we see each other
all the time even if we get separated.” She smiled and her cheeks
blushed, feeling a flutter about future children.

Oliver looped the locket and let it rest with
the leather necklace holding the Salamander spike from his first
kill. He tapped his ear. “Captain Dorgen.” A soft beep sounded in
his ear before connecting to the recipient. “Captain, thank you for
the gift and extend my thanks to Andrea.”

“
Eh, by me recollection ye
don’t have her com link. I’ll give it and ye can thank her yerself…
and yer most welcome and I expect to see the empty side filling up
soon with me grandchildren. Ye know her name, Lad, but her password
is Tumbling and Back Handspring.”

“
Thank you.” Oliver tapped
his ear. Waited a second to tap it twice for a double beep “Andrea
Loke. Code: Tumbling and Back Handspring.” Followed by a single
conformation beep. “Andrea?” it sent since there was no other
Andrea in his com’s files.

“
Why
who
could have given my future step
son-in-law my password I wonder?” Andrea teased. “What do you need,
Handsome?”

“
To say thank you for the
gift. I’ll treasure it. By the way, my code is
Forgotten.”

“
Now that is just depressing
for a code. Why not Bad Ass Solarian? Or Hellcat’s
Leash?”

“
For one thing, Renee would
kill me for the latter and the other, I don’t think my code is
depressing. It reminds me I’ve gotten a second chance and don’t
want to have it happen again.”

“
Fine. Fine. You just do
what you want and you’re welcome. Later.” She ended it
first.

“
And what would I kill you
over?” Renee crossed her arms across her chest.

“
She wanted me to change my
code and one of them was Hellcat’s Leash.”

One thin strawberry eyebrow quirked. “Oh,
you’d be right. I’d definitely be pissed.”

“
So do you want to play a
game of Zalie, Ms. Void?” Stone invited.

Her gaze narrowed on bandaged hands. “And
what the hell happened to you?” She noticed the new sparkly weapons
and raised a hand “Never mind. Got it.” Turning to the water
flowing back into the pool by Steven’s power she added “No thank
you. Maybe tomorrow. I came to get my idiot and go fish for supper.
It’s twenty one hundred.”

“
Sure is!” Stone admitted in
surprise. “We’ve played for six whole hours. Mind if I come? I’m in
the mood for a little Piranha if possible.”

“
Ditto! Wouldn’t mind doing
a little spear fishing myself.” Steven said, lengthening the weapon
by which would be utilized.