Samori
I looked toward Bean just as a heavy thud echoed through the cavern. The skinny woman who had been approaching Bean moments ago was now lying face-down on the jagged stone floor, her limbs splayed at unnatural angles among the scattered coal chunks.
[That's too much, Bean!] I yelled telepathically, alarmed by how quickly she'd acted.
But Bean didn't falter in her movements, continuing to place rocks in the transport bins with mechanical precision.
[Now how would they know I did that?] Bean's mental laughter carried a cold edge as she set down another rock with deliberate care.
Her blank expression and robotic movements made her appear like some kind of automated worker expressionless, focused solely on her task. I had to admit she was right. Who would suspect the girl who looked like she'd been lobotomized by years of hard labor? The other workers barely glanced at the fallen woman, too focused on their own survival to care about another casualty.
"No more, Samori! They will come and kill you both!" Light wailed, his voice cracking as he looked over at his collapsed partner.
He was still standing in the middle of the cavern like a statue while people moved around him, continuing their work as if he didn't exist and the woman wasn't bleeding on the rock floor. The indifference of broken people was sometimes the most chilling thing about this place.
Light turned his head toward me, and suddenly the gravitational force was back, stronger than before. His smile returned, wider and more predatory. The air between us seemed to thicken again, making my pulse quicken despite the danger.
"You both just confirmed to us and to them watching that you have full understanding of your potential. For the observers, that's all they needed," he said, his voice carrying a mixture of admiration and regret.
I stopped moving and looked at Bean, who had also frozen mid-motion. Her head tilted slightly, as if she were listening to something beyond normal hearing. The way she held herself reminded me of a hunting cat detecting prey from miles away.
[Samori, there's a lot of people headed this way, and they don't have the best intentions for either of us,] Bean said.
Her mental voice maintained its usual blank tone, but underneath I could hear the worry she rarely allowed herself to show.
"Light, we don't want any trouble. We just want to get out of here," I said quickly, locking my eyes on him and moving toward him.
I needed to make physical contact it was the only way to properly use my ability to turn his own power against potential threats.
His eyes met mine and he smirked, clearly misreading my intentions. I felt his compulsion wash over me again, and this time I didn't fight it. Light suddenly became the center of my universe, making everything else in these suffocating caverns fade into background noise. I wanted to know his story, where he came from above ground, what dreams he'd given up to end up in this place, and most of all, what he would taste like if I pressed my lips against his.
I let the manufactured feelings wash over me, and looking into his eyes, I could tell he felt the same magnetic pull though in his case, it was my reflected power making me irresistible to him. His tense shoulders relaxed and he leaned toward me with desperate hunger. We were inches from embracing when the sound of heavy boots crunching over loose rock brought reality crashing back.
The steady crunch, crunch, crunch of military-grade footwear grew louder, echoing off the cavern walls and drowning out the usual sounds of pickaxes and grinding machinery. Other workers began to notice, their movements becoming more nervous as they recognized the approach of authority.
"Samori, they're here to hurt you, but I won't let them. I promise," Light said, his voice thick with emotion as he grabbed my hand. His gravitational pull made me want to melt into him completely, and I knew he felt the same overwhelming attraction because of my potential reflecting back at him.
[Bean, over here. Now,] I ordered mentally.
She moved with fluid speed to my side, abandoning all pretense of being a mindless worker. Her blank expression had been replaced by the sharp, calculating look she wore when violence was inevitable.
Five officers came into view, emerging from the deeper tunnel entrances like predators stepping out of their dens. They were dressed head-to-toe in dark green tactical gear that looked both expensive and well-maintained a stark contrast to the threadbare rag core that clothed the workers. Each officer had a sidearm holstered at their hip and dark goggles that hid their eyes, making them look more like insects than humans.
All of them appeared to be older, maybe in their late twenties or thirties, with the kind of healthy complexion that spoke of regular meals, clean water, and medical care. Their skin had a vitality that was completely foreign in this underground world of malnourished shadows. Their confident postures and the way they carried themselves suggested they'd never known hunger, never felt the crushing weight of desperation that defined everyone else in this place.
Looking at them, I felt something I rarely allowed myself to experience: jealousy. Raw, burning envy for people who had been born into comfort while others were condemned to break their bodies in darkness.
The cavern began to vibrate subtly, dust falling from the ceiling as loose stones shifted in their ancient places. Bean shot me a worried look that cut through the growing tension.
[You'll kill us all if you do that,] she warned, recognizing the signs of my power beginning to manifest involuntarily.
She was right. If I gave in to my anger and started turning things to stone, the structural integrity of the entire cavern could fail. These tunnels were held up by a delicate balance of natural rock formations and government-installed supports. One wrong move could bring tons of earth and stone down on everyone.
"Samori and Beanette, do not move," commanded the lead officer. His voice carried the kind of confidence that came from knowing you held all the power in a situation, backed by weapons and authority that could end lives without consequence.
I squeezed Light's hand tighter, and as if he could read my thoughts, he began to speak. Whether he was about to help us or betray us remained to be seen, but the warmth of his palm against mine felt like the only solid thing in a world that was rapidly spinning out of control.