1
Type: Gate
The Divergence Zone - By Stephen Kennedy
It was around 1 in the afternoon at the Todson group home in New York when one of the
children decided he would run away. He was about 15 years old, one of the older ones, with
dark brown hair and green eyes. He was small for his age and rather weak-looking, but the usual
companion features, tell-tale bruises and maybe a limp, were not present. The home itself was
not all that horrible. It was one of the lucky ones to be well funded by various charities and the
staff were nicer than most, but it was far from an ideal place to grow up.
Walking down the hall on his way to steal a wallet and some food, it occurred the boy
that he had never really found his life in the home unpleasant. At least, not in the way he
assumed the other kids did. He stopped briefly to help up a freshly beaten little girl off the
ground, who then ran off without even looking at him, likely to find someone smaller than her to
hurt. Despite himself, he almost envied her. He had spent his whole life here, and not once had
he been bullied or picked on. It wasn't that the others were afraid of him, or being nice (they
were never nice), it was simply that he didn't exist. How incredibly odd this was had occurred to
him before, but was it was the way he could perceive himself. It felt nice to help someone now
and again but there was no real reason to.
Sometimes he wondered if he was some sort of ghost. It would explain quite a lot. He
would try to talk to people, but they either didn't hear him, or looked at him as he were the most
inconsequential thing in the world. Still, someone had dumped him here as a baby. Someone
who likely cared as little about him as everyone else. He did have a name in the register, but he
had little use for it. James, he was called, not that it mattered. He felt as much connection to the
word as anything else in this place.
But then, something changed. It started as a simple dream the previous night. He didn't
remember what it was, but it awoke a feeling in him that he hadn't thought was possible. In this
dream, he was home. Before, "home" was just an abstract concept he didn't fully understand.
The idea that there was somewhere he could belong was beyond fantasy. But now, it was the
only word he knew that he could attribute to what he now desired. It was time for him to leave.
He would need a few things, of course.
One of the adults was cleaning up some vomit in one of the bedrooms. He was new to
the staff and didn't know not to leave his belongings in the car. It was his mistake to think that
his money was safe on his person. Swiftly but casually, James walked up behind him and
2
reached into his pocket, not even trying to be subtle. The man felt it immediately and turned
around, but it was a full three seconds before he noticed James was there.
"You, kid, have you see my wallet?" He asked without a trace of irony. James shook his
head, but the man had already forgotten about him and was on his hands and knees, probably
thinking he must have dropped it.
James would have been amazed at this stupidity, but he wasn't particularly surprised.
The same had occurred earlier in the kitchen as he took some soup cans and again when he stole
a backpack from the staff closet to put it all in. He thought it would be harder to break away
from the place he'd lived his whole life, but by the time he was almost out the door, he wasn't
feeling anything close to regret.
After taking whatever extra clothes he could see lying around, he was prepared to leave
for good but, there was one last thing he wanted. A picture on the wall near the entrance showed
the some of the children on the playground across the street with the Todson group home behind
it. What was particularly special about this picture was that James happened to be in it. He was
there, off to the side, on one of the swings. It was one of the few things in his life that proved he
really existed, that he might in some way matter. He pulled it off the wall, stuffed in into his
pack, and stepped outside.
There was a bus stop nearby. It would be quicker to take the subway but he wanted to
see where he was before deciding to get off. After all, it didn't really matter where he was going.
Only that he had finally left.
~
Transmission Record #3287 – 15 aug. 22 ADv
Outlook 15 North – 6:32 pm - Divergence time
"This is Outlook 15 North to Command. I'm getting a reading and I want to
confirm."
"This is Command post Alpha acknowledging request to confirm reading.
Checking with posts 14 and 16... No readings reported. You still getting
something?"
"Negative, Command. But it was a definite CFA."
"Outlook 15, a Cognition Field Anima reading is no joke. You better be damn
sure that your equipment isn't bugging out or we're both on scout duty. I
like my limbs where they are."
3
"This sensor was just replaced, there's no way the reading was false.
Only...hm."
"Outlook 15?"
"Sorry Command, but I'm looking over the data and it was...kinda weird."
"Weird how?"
"Well, it was weak but that's not surprising. But it was...Command, is there
any way one of the subjects could be outside the Divergence Zone?"
"Outlook 15, I think we'd know if one of them managed to get out. Even MAGIS
can't cover up that big a disaster. Not to mention there's no way for them
to escape without blasting apart every sensor in the city."
"Yeah, I know but...Command I know what I was looking at. It was just on the
other side of the slip but I didn't catch whether it had already crossed or
was about to."
"Send me the coordinates and I'll dispatch a drone, but it's my ass on the
line here."
"Sorry Command. I'll file a report but I know something was there."
*Sigh* "Copy that. Command out."
~
James was beginning to wonder why he had stolen the wallet. The bus driver hadn't even
looked at him when he got on, so his greatest worry at this point was being sat on. If this
continued for the rest of his adventure then would he ever need to pay for anything?
After a hour or so of dodging inattentive passengers and perusing them for snacks, a
strange sensation began to swell in his chest. It was nothing at first, easily pushed aside, but
eventually he could no longer ignore it. Having been on a roller coaster once, a small one but it
had terrified him just the same, he had felt this kind of apprehensiveness before, just before the
plunge, but there was nothing he could see that would be causing it. He decided it was time to
get off the bus. Who knew what kind of germ exchange was going on?
He got off at the next stop, leaping out as soon as the doors opened so to not get caught in
the stream of people boarding, almost knocking over a man in a suit and the old woman behind
him.
"Hey, watch it!" The man said reflexively to no one in particular. James apologized on a
whim and headed off, but only a few steps in, the sensation he had felt on the bus peaked, forcing
him to stop for a breath.
4
He couldn't see anything but he had the distinct feeling of standing at the edge of a vast
chasm. No one else seemed to think anything was strange. People brushed by him without
caring just as they always did. He turned on the spot and looked down, then up. Nothing
seemed different behind him, but in front... He turned forward. The ground was solid and the sky
was blue. Why did that feel so wrong? A well of excitement began to overflow inside him.
He took a step forward. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his face on the pavement.
In his excitement he had failed to notice an uneven slab in the sidewalk. He must have fallen
hard because he felt dizzy and his ears were ringing. Maybe he shouldn't have taken such a large
backpack. Seeing straight was one of those things he had always taken for granted. “I should
just lie here,” he thought, “until someone trips over me.” He had a short chuckle and waited for
his senses to return.
But as his vision came into focus and his hearing returned, it gradually dawned on him
that he was absolutely alone. The noise of hundreds of feet hitting concrete had disappeared
along with the smell of car exhaust. He stood up. The silence was overwhelming. There was no
one. Not a single person. No birds, no animals of any kind. There wasn't even wind. And the
city...the city was... He almost fell over again. It looked like a tornado had raged through. A
tornado made of bombs. Craters were everywhere and massive holes had been blown through
the larger buildings. Some had fallen over completely and others were mere husks of their
former selves. The sky was...he looked up again...red. The sun, which had almost been directly
overhead, was much closer to the horizon.
~
Transmission Record #3288 – 15 aug. 22 ADv
Outlook 15 North – 6:39 pm - Divergence time
"Outlook 15 North to Command. The reading is back. It is inside, repeat,
inside the zone."
"This is Command. You sure? 14 and 16 still aren't getting anything."
"I'm sure. It's probably too weak for them to pick up."
"Standby for orders. Wait for confirmation from the drone. Do not, repeat,
DO NOT attempt visual confirmation."
"Copy that. Should I also assume the fetal position?"
"You wouldn't laugh if you knew what happened to the last guy that got a
visual. Command out."
5
~
It didn’t take him as long as he thought it would to realize he wasn’t dreaming. The pain
from the fall was certainly real enough. His first impulse was to go back the way he came, but
he had only taken a few steps before he decided he’d probably regret it, assuming it was even
possible. No, he was stuck here and he might as well make the most of it. “In that case," he
decided, "the first thing I should figure out is where “here” is." This was a mistake. Thus far,
his brain had been able to function because he hadn’t yet attempted to apply logic to his
situation. Now that he had, the sheer insanity of it all attacked his mind with almost physical
malevolence, rendering him incapable of coherent thought.
This was probably why he was unable to register surprise at what happened next.
Without warning something slammed into him from behind. After a moment of vertigo, he was
back on the ground breathless with his shoulder in pain. Had he been less confused, he probably
would have realized that the weight on his back was too heavy to be his backpack, and his
shoulder hurt because his arm was being twisted to near breaking by someone sitting on him.
“Who are you?” A woman’s voice said.
“Uglh bhlu.” He garbled back, drooling a little. It was a reflex. Even he didn't know
what he had tried to say. He hadn’t even comprehended that he was being directly addressed.
“Where did you come from? Are you MAGIS? Answer me!”
“She’s talking to you.” he finally deduced. He was about to turn his head to see who was
sitting on him when she grabbed the back of his shirt.
“How did you get so close!” He felt himself lifted into the air. “TELL ME!” She hurled
him, backpack and all, at a nearby block of concrete. He might have been seriously injured if the
clothes and sandwiches hadn’t cushioned the impact. It was the collision with the ground
afterwards that finally knocked him out. This, it turned out, was just what his brain needed.
When he came to a few seconds later he was still confused, but at least able to understand what
was happening. He was being noticed. More importantly, he was being attacked. He heard
footsteps again. She was coming at him.
“Woah, hold on!” He appealed, putting up his hand vaguely in the direction of his
assailant, surprised that he finally had an actual reason to talk to someone. The footsteps stopped
and he attempted to sit up, trying to get his balance back. “Gimme a sec, I’m...I’m a
little…who’s…what...owww.” He had a minor sprain in his left wrist. Amazing, really. He was
lucky not to have broken anything.
“Don’t move! Don’t even-…I’ll … I’ll hurt you.” She sounded unsure of herself now, but
apparently unaware she could have killed him.
6
He shook his head and squinted. “I won’t, just...hold on will you?” His puzzlement grew
as his vision came into focus. Considering how easily he had been thrown he was expecting
some sort of gorilla woman, but she didn’t seem overly muscular. In fact she was rather
ordinary. She seemed a few years older than him, perhaps in her early twenties. Her black hair
was tied behind her head in a pony tail and Her clothes were a little dirty but he could tell they
were a lot newer than his. She was wearing a white long sleeved blouse and jean shorts that
stopped at her knees. He thought he saw blood on them but he wasn’t sure.
Her oddest feature became apparent when he saw her face. She was wearing a strip of
cloth over her eyes that prevented her from seeing. Was she blind? She certainly didn’t seem
like it. There was something else too. She had what looked like a barcode on the side of her
neck. There was a line of characters under it but he couldn’t make them out. She seemed
puzzled. Despite the blindfold he could tell she was staring just as intently as he was. It was
almost a minute before either of them spoke.
“You’re…small.” she said, sounding surprised. He continued to stare. Even if he had
been used to being spoken to he was pretty sure he wouldn’t know how to reply to that. She was
maybe a foot taller than he was but she couldn't really see how big he was could she? Maybe
she'd just guessed his weight when she had chucked him.
Another silent moment passed where neither of them was sure what to say. Eventually,
she spoke again. “What…I mean, uh…how…old are you?” She seemed unused to the words. At
least it was something he had a vague idea how to answer.
“I’m fifteen…sorta. I mean, I don’t really know when my birthday is but-”
“So, you’re a kid?” she interrupted.
“Y...yeah, I guess.” Hadn’t she seen a kid before?
“But…how are you here? I mean, there can’t be..." She pointed at him. "You can’t be
here, you can't.”
"What are you talking about? Where is here?"
"We were the only ones that- what did you say?"
"Where am I? What is this place?"
"You mean, you're not... Oh my God." She took a step back.
He stood up slowly, trying to ignore how sore he was. She pointed again and continued
to stutter. "You're from... You crossed the slip. That's why you suddenly appeared...but that
means..." She froze, a look of intense concentration on what he could see of her face.
7
"Slip? What do you-"
"SHH!" She hissed. She tilted her head, like she was listening for something. He got the
feeling it was coming from the sky. Fear crossed her face. "Oh no. HIDE!" Before he realized
what had happened, she had closed the distance between them, grabbed him by the collar, and
dived into a nearby hardware store. It couldn't have taken more than a second. Again, he almost
blacked out.
~
Transmission Record #3289 – 15 aug. 22 ADv
Outlook 15 North – 6:46 pm - Divergence time
"Outlook 15 North to Command. Surveillance drone 22 has reached the
designated coordinates and is transmitting footage. There appear to be two
people. One's a confirmed runner. Subject 04 code B4-TR4-22. The other's
juvenile, male, doesn't match a profile of any of the subjects. I'm sending
the data."
"Data received. Are you still getting a CFA reading?"
"It comes and goes but yes. I don't think the subject is the source, though.
It's way too weak. If she was awake, wouldn't the other sensors be able to
pick it up?"
"Are you saying it's the kid? That's impossible. Where did he even come
from?"
"That's the thing Command. I think he crossed the slip from the other side.
Don't ask me how, but I can't see any oth- Command, they're gone."
"Gone? They disappeared?"
"No, I'm still getting a signal. But I think they noticed the drone."
"Understood. Squads 5-7 are being deployed. Your orders are to keep them up
to date on the subject's location for as long as you are getting a reading."
"Copy that, but what if they separate?"
"The kid is our priority. If he really is the signal's source then MAGIS is
going to want him captured."
"Captured? I thought we were supposed to kill these things."
"We're supposed to try. I don't think they can be killed."
~
8
"They saw us." She was looking at the ceiling and slowly turning her head, as if
following an unseen dot across its surface.
"Who saw us? I didn't see anyone." James was still wondering how she could see
anything at all, much less things he couldn't.
"There." She pointed up. She seemed to point a lot. "It's passed. But they know we're
here. We have to move."
"What? What passed? What's going on?" She turned towards him and gazed intently.
Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable. People rarely ever looked directly at him. The fact that
her eyes were hidden made little difference.
"Now that I think about it," she said after a moment, "those clothes are pretty used.
You've had them for a while." It wasn't a question. She could definitely see, and well. He
nodded once, even though it was a lie. There was no such thing as owning clothes in a group
home. "Then you couldn't have gotten them here. I guess you really are from the other side.
Come on." She held out her hand. "I don't know who you are but I don't think you're an enemy.
I'll keep you safe."
This gesture, like the rest of this place, was so far beyond his experience he almost didn't
react. He half expected her to throw him through a wall as soon as he grabbed hold. The pain in
his wrist wasn't easily ignored. Still, he decided to trust her. He had been a passive observer of
people his whole life and could tell she was genuinely worried. Despite that, she was waiting
patiently for him to take her hand.
"All right." He said, grabbing hold with his good hand. She smiled warmly and took a
step back. And then she threw him. Not, as he had feared, at a wall, but up. He resolved at that
moment to never again trust someone whose eyes he couldn't see. But the expected impact never
came. He stopped just short of the ceiling before falling back down where she caught him deftly
on her back without so much as a grunt.
"Sorry." She said. "Faster this way. Hang on." He barely had time to put his arms around
her neck before she took off down an aisle and out the back door, leaping over a collapsed wall
as she did so. For a moment, his apprehension at her visual handicap returned, but was quickly
replaced by a general terror at how fast she was running. He didn't catch many of the obstacles
she was navigating until they had already passed. She had apparently turned the shortest
distance between two points into a personal discipline, not that it was difficult when every
building that wasn't a pile of rubble had more holes than a Connect Four set. Still, he wished at
the very least that she would pick a street to follow. Despite her promise, he didn't feel very
safe.
9
Several heart stopping crater jumps later, they arrived at an area that didn’t look like a
major multi-faction war had taken place. The buildings were still damaged but most were still
standing. They were, consequently, more of an obstacle than the barely stable disasters whose
holes she had been utilizing. Now that she was confining herself to streets and alleys he had
time to consider his indignation at being carried around like a six-year-old. By a girl, no less.
As she began to slow down he considered voicing his complaint but thought better of it. His
injured pride was the least of his issues at the moment, but what to ask first? How to ask it? He
had been this full of questions before, so why were the words so hard to form? Having never
developed proper social skills, he was finding it difficult to actually initiate a conversation.
“You’re a quiet one.” She had slowed down to a walk. “They’re farther away than I
thought. We can talk.”
“Uh…yeah.” He said weakly. Having to speak at the back of her head wasn’t helping.
“Don’t you have questions? I know I do.”
“Okay…umm.” He began putting words together, trying to find a good way to accurately
express the scope of his confusion. “How did…I mean, what…sorry, uhh-”
“Actually,” she interrupted, “let’s save the big questions for later and start with the
basics. You got a name?”
Here was something he dearly wished he could adequately answer. If his parents had
named him they hadn’t told Mrs. Todson. ‘James’ was just the first thing that had popped into
her head when it came to labeling him. And since no one ever used it he had never even thought
of it as his name.
“Really? No name?” she said with a smile. Thankfully, she seemed more amused than
insulted by his silence. Although she probably wouldn’t understand, he decided there was no
harm in the truth.
“No, not really. But I’m called James.” She would definitely think strangely of that
answer. What was his name if not James? Why didn’t he just say that? Hopefully, she would
assume it was some kind of joke and ask him for a real answer.
She did laugh, but her reply astonished him. “Ha, we’re the same then. I don’t have a
name either, except for this.” She indicated the barcode on her neck. “But you can call me
Sonya.”
Again, he was too confused to answer. She acted as if having a name that was not a
name was the most natural thing in the world. She must have been used to his silence by this
point so she didn’t press him for a reply, alarming him slightly. Regardless of the circumstances
10
someone was actually talking to him. It was unfair of him to wait for her to speak again but what
was he supposed to say?
“Sorry about earlier.” She said, to his relief. “No one’s ever been able to get that close to
me without my knowledge. I was a little scared.”
“Close? I didn’t see you anywhere when I...uh…got here.”
“Well no, you were a good half mile away. For me, that’s close. Still, I did overreact a
bit. Did I hurt you?”
“A half mi-. Never mind. My wrist hurts, yeah.”
“You mean it hasn’t- hold on.” She stopped, looking forward at something he couldn't
see. Then she turned left and continued down another street. “Not safe that way. Anyway, why
haven’t you healed yet? I didn’t throw you that hard.”
“You knocked me unconscious!” He almost said, but held back. She was an odd person,
that’s all there was too it. “It was…kinda hard. But it’s not broken. Just sprained I think.”
This seemed to confuse her. “Hold on, you…but it should be fine by now shouldn’t it?”
Very odd indeed. “Nnnno? It’s a sprain. It’ll probably hurt for a few days.”
“But then…how did you…you must have a field. You can’t cross the slip without a field.
Why aren’t you healing?”
“What are you talking about?” It seemed the more frustrated he got, the easier it was for
him to talk. Still, he didn’t like getting angry.
“Here. Watch.” She moved off the street and grabbed a shard of glass from a smashed
window. “Do it like this.” Without so much as gritting her teeth, she casually gashed open her
palm straight down to the wrist. Blood ran down her arm and soaked her sleeve. “Oh.” She said,
without nearly enough concern. “I should have thought before I made it that deep. Anyway,
look.” He was looking. Gaping, actually. He hoped she minded puke on her shirt as little as she
did blood, because he wasn’t sure he could hold back the reflex for long. Even if she did mind,
at the rate she was gushing he was pretty sure she would be unconscious soon anyway. Far from
being alarmed, this was causing her some mild frustration at best. “Damn, why won’t it…sorry
I’m not the best at this when I’m sleeping. Ah, there it goes.”
He didn’t have time to wonder at her latest de-railer. Right before his eyes, the gash
began to heal. He even thought he saw some of the blood flow back in. After a minute it had
closed completely. A few seconds later and there wasn’t even a scar. “There.” She said, as if she
had just shown him how to tie his shoe. “Do that. You should be fine.”
11
If he had been speechless before, he was a genuine mute now. He was nearly as shocked
as he had been when he first arrived at this place. As she waited, comprehension began to creep
across her face. She stopped walking. “You really don’t know do you. What you are.” He
remained in shocked silence.
“I can’t believe this. I mean…wow.” She started forward again, both amazed and
amused at his ignorance. “Ha ha. This is incredible. I can’t even- hmm.” She stopped again,
looking concerned. “Weird.” She turned back the way they had come and started jogging.
“Sorry, I need to concentrate. Try to keep quiet.”
No problem there. No words could express what he had just seen. Maybe he really was
dreaming. It just wasn’t possible to heal that fast. “Unless...” He went over what he knew about
her. “Super speed and strength. Fast healing. Heightened senses…or something. Is she…?”
Once the idea took hold, it would not be shaken. Was it really impossible? It certainly wasn’t
any more ridiculous than everything else that had happened. Then again, she didn’t feel dead.
Vampires were supposed to be cold. Also, it was daytime wasn’t it? He looked up. It was dusk.
The sun would be gone in an hour or two. Now he was scared. Who could really say whether
vampires were actually dead or couldn’t stand sunlight? Maybe it just hurt their eyes and that's
why she had the blindfold. “I know what I am.” He thought with a chill. “I’m food.”
He had to get away. Even if there was nowhere to go, the only thing that mattered was
that he escape from her. But how? She was much stronger and faster than him. Maybe if he
knocked her out? But all he had were his fists. He had he put a flashlight in his backpack, didn't
he? Only now he realized that he had left it behind. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He chastised
himself. How was he going to survive without food? Even if he did somehow escape there was
no way for him to find his way back.
As he silently panicked, she stopped and backtracked for the third time, again picking up
her pace. Not long after, she repeated this for the fourth and fifth time. She seemed distressed
about something. The intervals between stops were getting shorter and she was cursing under
her breath with increasing frequency. Maybe whoever was chasing them was closing in. He
didn't know who or what they were, but if they were her enemy, would they also be his? He
decided to take that chance. He was convinced far beyond any logic that she was going to eat
him. Childish perhaps, but any evidence to the contrary had long been displaced by her display
of clearly supernatural powers.
But the problem of how to get away had not vanished. By this point she was running far
too fast for him to safely dismount. His only chance would come at one of her stops. But what
would he do? Even if he could hit her hard enough for her to drop him, she could recover right
away. It didn't matter. He had to get away somehow.
12
She stopped in a small backyard and swore, punching a nearby garbage bin. He would
have seized his chance right there if it weren't for the impressive dent she put in it, but he did not
have to wait for another. Instead of backtracking again she simply wandered around the yard in
a tight circle, gazing around at something he couldn't see. It was now or never.
"Put me down." he said.
"Please, quiet."
"I said put me down!" he pushed off her back. She let go in surprise and he fell to the
ground. He got up and backed away. "You stay away from me."
"What's gotten into you?" She grabbed his arm. "We don't have time. They're..."
"LET GO!" He kicked her shin and she released her grip. "Just stay the hell away!"
"Okay." she said blankly. A strange look on her face.
He blinked. "What?"
There was no reply. With a start, he suddenly realized he had seen her expression before.
It was the look the man had given him at the bus stop. The look that man had given him when he
stole the wallet. The look every single person he had ever met had been giving him for as long
as he could remember. An inconsequential half glance that betrayed a mind concerned with
other matters. He wasn't important. He was barely even noticed. As much a person as a piece
of furniture. It was the closest thing to normal that had happened to him in this place.
Without a word, she turned away and disappeared into a nearby cellar, apparently having
already forgotten about him. He stared after her in astonishment. Thus far she hadn't betrayed
even a hint of the typical reaction towards his presence. That she did so now was an impossible
mix of comforting and terrifying. For a brief moment, he almost felt like he was back at the
home, complacent and anonymous. It would have been nostalgic if it wasn't so disturbing. His
mind snapped back to reality and he realized what he had done. He had been consumed by an
irrational fear and pushed away the only help he was going to get in this place. It was so
humiliatingly ridiculous he couldn't believe it. He had to call her back. He had to apologize.
"Wait, come back!" He ran after her into the cellar "Please...uhh" "What was she called
again?" "Sara! Stella! Uhhh, Samanth- no..." The door up to the ground floor was hanging open.
He ran upstairs, still trying names. "Salena? Sheila? Sydney?" He didn't see her in the living
room. Maybe the second floor? Hold on, this probably wasn't her house. Maybe she was out on
the street. He ran for the front door. Wasn't it something Russian sounding? "Sophie? Sandra?
Wait, San...Son...Sonya? Sonya!" He burst out into the street and froze.
13
Eight men in armored suits and night vision goggles had him surrounded. They didn't
look as surprised to see him as he was them. He was grateful for this because the guns they had
trained on him were very strange, but clearly quite deadly. They looked like some kind of
assault rifle but the barrel was far too wide for regular bullets. This gave them a slightly
cylindrical shape that would indicate a grenade launcher of some sort but he couldn't see where
the magazine was.
He remained frozen in terror for a moment more before one of them finally spoke. "It's
just a kid. Let's move on." They lowered their weapons and silently proceeded into the house.
He couldn't be certain but he thought he might have seen that familiar expression of apathy on
their faces. It took several seconds for him to process what had just happened, and a few more
for him to remember to breathe. He gasped explosively. They had ignored him. Why? Even if
they hadn't been looking for him, wouldn't they at least think it was a little odd for someone to be
here?
He didn't remain still for long. Without looking back to see if they were watching, he
took off down the street. This place was dangerous. Something about those men hadn't been
right. He didn't know how, but he knew he should be dead right now. Whatever those guns
were, they weren't meant for pacification. Why they had passed him by he had no idea, but he
was going to put as much distance between him and them as possible. It was almost dark and
there were plenty of places to hide once he got tired. Then he could start thinking about what to
do next.
He was about two blocks away when a blood soaked arm reached out of an alley and
pulled him out of sight. Before he could scream, another hand clamped over his mouth. He
struggled for all he was worth until he heard Sonya's voice in his ear.
"Shhh calm down. It's just me." She took her hand off of his mouth and let him go. He
was about to express his relief but she silenced him with her hand again. "No. Shut up." she said
icily. "I've decided I want my questions answered now." He nodded obediently. "Number one. I
don't think you know the answer but I'm going to ask anyway. Are you asleep right now?"
He stared blankly, wondering if he would ever understand her. She nodded in self
affirmation. "That's what I thought. I suppose you aren't, otherwise they couldn't be tracking us.
Number two." She held up two fingers. "What did you do to me back there and why?"
He had no idea how to answer this one either, but something in her voice made it clear
that 'I don't know' was not an acceptable reply. "I...thought...you were a...vampire?" was his
hopeful answer that he immediately regretted. Her expression didn't change, but he wasn't sure
he had imagined the red glow that had briefly flared behind her blindfold.
14
"Un...believable." She said, fire raging behind every syllable. "You have got to be the
absolute most clueless..." She put her palm to her face and shook her head silently before
continuing. "No. Sorry, it's not your fault. We should- oh, hell." She looked around the alley, but
he was pretty sure by now that she was using some sort of x-ray vision.
"I don't suppose you could do that thing again." She said, turning back to him.
"What thing?"
She groaned. "Never mind. Wait here."
He watched as she went back out into the street wondering what she had meant. She was
definitely angry at him but he felt his rejection of her help wasn’t the entire reason. Her reaction
was more apropos of some kind poison or drugging. Had he really done something to her back
there?
His musings were cut short by shouts coming from the street. She had told him to wait
there, but moving a few feet to get a better view wouldn’t hurt. There was a wooden pallet
leaning against a wall that would provide some concealment if anyone glanced over. He crawled
under it and watched.
The shouts were coming from the men he had run into earlier. Only this time there were
a lot more; at least fifteen approaching from both sides. Some were yelling into their radios
while others shouted at Sonya, who was standing in the middle of the street with her hands in the
air. Laser dots patterned all over her body, most positioned on her head. They weren't taking
chances. Her mouth was still pursed in anger but her lip quivered slightly. She was nervous.
Was she turning herself in? The thought terrified him more than anything that had happened
previously. It was his fault this was happening to her. The one person who had ever given him a
second thought was about to be killed because of him. He had to do something.
They were moving to surround her, so one of them might come near and he could jump
him or something. Maybe that would be enough of a distraction and she could run away. It was
a long shot but what else could he do? He tensed up as one began to wander close. They were
all focused solely on Sonya, so he was certain he had the surprise advantage. Then she shot him
a look that firmly rooted him in place. It was an intense mix of accusation and frustration, and
also a reminder of her earlier command to wait, but that wasn’t why he didn’t move. He was
certain now that it hadn’t been his imagination before. Her eyes were indeed glowing red.
Then something strange happened. His eyes became unfocused and he lost track of her
for a second even though she hadn’t moved. The strangest sensation crashed over him like a
tidal wave. It was as if a soundless, painless, invisible explosion had gone off where she was
standing. A massive, inexplicable pressure began to crush him. He couldn’t see, hear, or in
15
anyway feel what it was with any of the usual senses. Only that it was there. He began gasping
for air. Not from breathing difficulties but because his heart had begun pounding at an incredible
pace. He instinctively backed away. Whatever it was, it was emanating from her.
~
Transmission Record #3290 – 15 aug. 22 ADv
Outlook 15 North – 7:56 pm - Divergence time
“Command! CFA readings just exploded!”
“Acknowledged. Sensors 9 through 21 are picking it up as well. Subject 04 is
awake.”
“So she’s fighting?”
“The squads are reporting they have her surrounded, but she's never given a
reading this strong before. I doubt they'll be able to take her down. Your
orders are to lay low and keep track of her field for as long as you can. A
mage is being deployed.”
“A mage? Holy shit. How long until it gets here?”
“Too long. Hopefully, she won’t be able to get far before then.”
~
At first the soldiers seemed unaffected. But then one of them yelled in surprise, turned to
the one next to him and fired. The gun was almost completely silent. James thought he heard a
low hum as the trigger was pulled and the barrel began to dimly flash white but there was no
sound of gunfire. However, the sharp thuds of bullets hitting a human were unmistakable. The
man’s body armor could not protect him at that range and he fell to the ground screaming as the
projectiles ripped through his torso.
The other men were just as surprised as he was and trained their weapons on their
seemingly traitorous teammate. In that moment, Sonya sprung into action. Almost faster than he
could follow, she leapt straight towards one of them and kicked him in the stomach. He flew at
least a dozen feet before smashing against a wall, shaking several bricks loose. The others
immediately opened fire but she was too fast. The asphalt where she had been standing exploded
as bullets ripped the street to shreds. Before they could get her in their sights again, she had
reached another one. Grabbing his arm and twisting around, she swung him into his teammate
and let go. James cringed as a crunch sounded from the impact, and again as they collided with a
street light, knocking it over.
16
Again, they fired on her. This time she had to regain her balance from the throw and
didn’t move fast enough. As she leapt out of the way, two or three shots caught her in the leg.
He almost cried out as she fell forward but she tucked into a roll to keep up her speed and came
up beside her next victim. He tried to hit her with the butt of his gun. She ducked under it,
grabbed his wrist and put him in an arm lock, using him as a human shield. The others ceased
fire, but only for a moment. Her eyes flashed red again and this time not one, but three soldiers
yelled and shot their teammates. The several that remained turned their weapons from Sonya to
their teammates in panicked confusion. What was she doing to them?
Without waiting for them to recover, she cast her hostage aside and leapt right into the
middle of the group. If anything, she was even faster than before. He could barely perceive
anything but a flurry of kicks and punches. Four more went down before they fired again and
missed. There were now six left.
Suddenly, she stopped and stood perfectly still among them. “What the hell’s she
doing?” He wondered. She was presenting way too easy a target. Except, they didn’t shoot.
They didn’t even point their guns at her. Instead they began turning in all directions and calling
out to each other. They must have gone deaf because none of them answered. It was as if they
had all suddenly become invisible to each other. Eyes still glowing, Sonya calmly walked up to
each of them and softly punched them in the head and stomach. At least, softly compared to how
she had hit the others. They were still knocked off their feet but they didn’t appear to be dead
afterwards.
She turned back towards him, her eyes no longer glowing. He realized the pressure was
gone too. But, he was more afraid of her now than he had ever been. Before, he had been scared
that she was going to abandon him. Now he was terrified that he had been the one to make her
angry. Was he going to survive the next few seconds? But as she approached, his fear began to
dissipate. She had taken several more hits and was bleeding from her stomach and both arms.
Those wounds had been taken for him. She had risked her life to protect him and had become
gravely injured. He was about to apologize but she spoke first, smiling as if she had just taken a
stroll through the park.
“Well, now I feel better.” She said cheerfully. “Don’t worry about me, I'll will heal in no
time. But it’s not over. I probably just freaked the hell out of every sensor outpost from here to
HQ. There’s far worse than them coming.” She indicated the fallen soldiers.
He began to feel that strange pressure again, but this time it wasn’t coming from her. It
felt much farther away, but it was growing steadily. She groaned again. “Crap, that was fast.
Tell me you can at least feel that.”
He nodded. “What is it?”
17
“That is a field. You and I can sense it because we both have one too. You felt mine
earlier right?”
He nodded again, vigorously.
“Good, well that one is much, much worse. They’ve sent a mage after us.”
“A…what? You mean like a wizard?”
“Not exactly. But we’ve got to go. Wait just a second.” She stood still and seemed to
gaze at nothing in particular. What was she doing? They had to leave right away, but they had
to stay? Granted, it wasn't the strangest thing she had done in the last few hours, but a strange
dread was beginning to swell in his chest and he was getting anxious. The pressure was
growing, getting closer, almost suffocating.
“Sonya! What the hell’s going on?” James jumped in surprise. He didn’t hear the words
exactly. More like he thought them involuntarily.
“Tell Switch to get over here. I’ll explain later.” That was Sonya. The thoughts he heard
seemed to have a distinct flavor of sorts, depending on who originated them. Somehow, he
wasn’t all that alarmed at this new development. In fact, it felt almost natural.
“You’d better.” Was the reply, and then James’ head went silent. “Who was that?” He
asked.
“Huh? Who was what?” For once, it was she who looked surprised. “Could you hear
that?”
“Yeah. He sounded mad.”
She stared incredulously for several seconds. “I cannot wait to find out what field type
you are. None of us have ever been able to listen in on Meyer when he doesn’t want us to.”
“Who’s Meyer?”
“That was him just now. You’ll meet him when we- ooooh crap.” The pressure was
growing at an alarming rate. It had almost matched what he had previously felt from Sonya.
“Shouldn’t we get moving?” He said, failing to hide the worry in his tone.
“Come on Switch, come on.” She said to no one in particular. She sounded just as
worried as he was. And then, he felt another field in the alley with them. It wasn’t Sonya or the
one that was approaching, but he still jumped when he heard a voice from behind him.
18
“Who’s he? Sonya, what’s going on? Why’d you make them send a mage?” James
turned to see a man who also looked to be in his early twenties. He had dark hair and was
wearing a trench coat. Like Sonya, he had a barcode and some kind of number on the side of his
neck.
“Switch, thank God! I’ll explain later, just take him first.” She pointed at James.
“Hold on, I don’t even know who-”
“Now!”
Recognizing how serious the situation was, the man called Switch put his hand on James’
shoulder. “I’ll be back for you.” He said to Sonya.
“Wait,” James said “What are you going to do?”
“Already, did it. Be back in a sec.”
“Huh? What do you-” Switch vanished, leaving James confused. But he was used to that
by now. It was then that he noticed that Sonya was gone along with the enormous pressure of
the approaching field. He was also no longer in the alley, but in what appeared to be a living
room. The change had been so smooth and sudden that he hadn’t even registered it. The place
looked old and it had a stale scent to it, like nothing had lived there for quite a long time. He
realized he still felt that pressure but it was much farther away that it had been before. There was
a window nearby and he went over to look. He was about five stories up in some kind of
apartment complex. How had he gotten here?
“Who’re you?”
James whipped around to see a very strange group of people in the room with him. They
had been there the whole time, but he hadn’t taken the time to look around. The one who spoke
took a step forward. He had a large, worn cloak draped over his body that concealed something
massive on his back. Or, maybe that was his back, James wasn’t sure. There were two large
humps over his shoulders that made it seem like he had a rocketeer style jetpack under it all. He
face was mostly concealed under a hood. James was about to answer when a large metal spike
floated out from under the cloak and pressed itself against his neck, drawing a little blood.
“Answer me or you’re dead.” The man demanded. The others stared intently.
James couldn’t find the words. So far everything had been happening so fast that he had
almost convinced himself that he was getting used to it. But, having a deadly spike hovering in
front of him poised to stab him through the neck finally broke his resolve. His knees gave way
and he sunk to the floor, a dampness between his legs. The figures in the room faded away and
he drifted into sweet, terrified unconsciousness.