[ Location: The Woods - En Route to Junkyard ][ Time: 2:20 PM ]
"Are we there yet?" El asked, kicking a pinecone.
"Almost," I lied. My legs felt like lead. My head felt like a squeezed lemon.
We had been walking for hours, sticking to the tree line to avoid the roads. The "Bad Men" were patrolling. We had seen two white vans pass by on the main road, hunting.
'We need to regroup. Lucas is hopefully at the junkyard. But where are Mike and Dustin?'
I stopped, leaning against a tree to catch my breath. I opened a bottle of water and handed it to El.
"Drink. Stay hydrated. Psionics burn calories."
She took a sip, watching me with those intens eyes.
'I need to check on them. If Mike and Dustin did something stupid...'
I closed my eyes.
'Remote Viewing. Target Mike Wheeler.'
[ Ability Active: Remote Viewing. ]
The static rushed in. It was faster now. Cleaner.
Wind. Gravel. Water.
I wasn't at the junkyard. I was at the Quarry.
'Why are they at the Quarry?'
I saw them. Mike and Dustin were backed up against the safety rail. They looked terrified.
And blocking their path were two figures. Not agents. Not monsters.
Troy and James. The mouth-breathing bullies.
I zoomed in. Troy had a knife. A switchblade. He was holding it to Dustin's throat.
'Oh no. No, no, no. It's THIS scene.'
I snapped back to my body.
"Vivan?" El asked, dropping the water bottle.
"Run," I said, grabbing her hand. "We have to run. Now!"
[ Location: Sattler Quarry ][ Time: 2:30 PM ]
We burst out of the tree line just as Mike stepped onto the ledge.
He looked down at the water hundreds of feet below. It was a suicide jump. Even if he hit the water, the surface tension would shatter his bones.
"Do it!" Troy screamed, pressing the knife harder against Dustin's chin. Dustin whimpered, tears streaming down his face.
"Mike, don't!" Dustin yelled.
Mike looked back at Dustin. Then he looked at the water. He took a breath.
And he stepped off.
"MIKE!" Dustin screamed.
"EL! CATCH HIM!" I roared, pointing at the void.
El didn't hesitate. She screamed, thrusting her hand out.
[ Ability Active: Psionic Synergy . ]
I felt the connection snap into place. I didn't have the power to lift Mike, but I poured everything I had into her. I became the battery. She became the cannon.
Mike stopped.
He hovered in mid-air, five feet below the ledge. He flailed, looking down at the deadly drop, then realized he wasn't falling.
Troy and James froze. Their jaws dropped.
"What the..." James whispered.
El pulled. Slowly, shakily, she levitated Mike back up, over the ledge, and onto the gravel. He collapsed, gasping for air.
The bullies backed away, looking around wildly.
"Who's there?!" Troy yelled, waving the knife. "Show yourself!"
I stepped out from behind the large rock, El right beside me. I was panting, sweat dripping down my face, but I forced myself to look calm. Cold. Like a villain.
"You really shouldn't play with knives, Troy," I said, walking forward. "You might hurt yourself."
Troy spun around. "Vivan? The rich kid?" He laughed, nervously. "And the weirdo?"
He pointed the knife at me. "Stay back! Or I'll cut you too!"
I looked at the knife.
'Okay, Vivan. Level 1 Telekinesis. You can't lift a person. But a knife? A small, metal object?'
'Grind time.'
I stopped ten feet away.
"Put it down," I said.
"Make me!" Troy sneered, stepping forward.
I narrowed my eyes. I focused on the knife handle.
'Grip it. Twist it.'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
My head throbbed. I ignored it. I visualized my invisible hand wrapping around his wrist.
"Drop. It."
Twist.
Troy yelped. "Ow! What the—"
His hand wrenched backward against his will. The knife didn't drop—he was holding it too tight.
'Fine. If you won't drop it...'
"El," I whispered. "Break it."
El glared. She twitched her head.
CRACK.
"AAAAHH!" Troy screamed. His arm bent at an unnatural angle. The bone snapped with a sound like a dry branch.
The knife fell to the gravel.
Troy fell to his knees, clutching his arm, sobbing. "My arm! She broke my arm!"
James looked at us. He looked at Troy. Then he looked at El, who was wiping blood from her nose with a look of pure murder.
"El," I said. "Break his arm too, Every action has its equal and opposite reaction."
CRACK.
"AAAAHH!" James screamed. His arm also bent at an unnatural angle.
"Monster!" James yelled, turning and running away.
"Wait for me!" Troy scrambled up, cradling his broken arm, and ran after him, sobbing like a toddler.
Silence returned to the quarry.
Mike and Dustin lay on the ground, staring at us.
"Vivan?" Dustin whispered. "El?"
I stumbled, my knees giving out. The adrenaline crash hit me like a truck. El caught me, though she was swaying too.
"We..." I wheezed, sitting down on a rock. "We saved you."
Mike scrambled up and ran to El. He hugged her. A desperate, crushing hug.
"You came back," Mike sobbed. "You saved me."
El hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. "Friends."
Dustin looked at me. He looked at the blood on my face.
"Dude," Dustin grinned, though his eyes were wet. "That was... totally metal."
"Yeah," I managed a weak smile. "Metal."
[ System Notice: Telekinesis Proficiency Increased. ][ Current Mastery: Level 1 (22%) ]
'Worth it.'
"We have to go," I said, forcing myself to stand up. "Lucas is at the junkyard. The agents are swarming. We need to regroup."
Mike wiped his eyes. He looked at El, then at me.
"I'm sorry," Mike said. "About earlier. I was... I was stupid."
"You were grieving," I said. "But now we have work to do."
I looked at the sun. It was getting late.
"Let's go get our Ranger," I said.
[ Location: The Junkyard - The Bus ][ Time: 5:00 PM ]
We met Lucas at the gate. He was pacing, holding a stick like a weapon. When he saw us—all four of us—he stopped.
He looked at Mike. He looked at El.
"You're okay," Lucas let out a breath.
"Yeah," Mike nodded. "We're okay."
Lucas looked at El. He hesitated. Then he stepped forward and held out his hand.
"I'm sorry," Lucas said. "About... the traitor thing."
El looked at his hand. Then she shook it. "Friends."
"Friends," Lucas nodded.
"Okay, group hug later," I interrupted, climbing onto the roof of the bus to keep watch. "We have a situation. I saw the vans. They know we know."
"How do you know?" Lucas asked.
"Remote Viewing," I tapped my temple. "I saw them mobilizing. They're not just looking for El anymore. They're looking for us."
"So what do we do?" Dustin asked. "We can't go home. We can't go to school."
"We build a sensory deprivation tank," El said softly.
We all looked at her.
"A what?" Dustin asked.
"A bath," I translated, remembering the plot. "She needs a bath. To find Will. To find the Gate. The walkie-talkie isn't enough. She needs to go fully into the Void."
"A bath?" Dustin frowned. "Like... with bubbles?"
"With salt," I said. "Lots of salt. To make her float. Like a sensory deprivation tank."
"Where are we gonna get a pool and 1500 pounds of salt?" Lucas asked.
I grinned. I checked my inventory. [ Points: 133 ].
"We don't need to buy it," I said. "We break into the Middle School."
"Again?" Mike groaned.
"It's Saturday night," I said. "No assembly. No teachers. Just us, a kiddie pool, and a lot of science."
I looked at the group. The Party was back together. Battered, bruised, and hunted. But together.
"Let's go save Will," I said.
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