Fanfics | PSME Page | Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

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Chapter 2
The secret

"We failed in our mission." Daisuke said quietly, staring down at his sneakered feet which vibrated with the motion of the van. He sat on the cushioned bench that ran along one windowless wall, Sakura, and Haru on each side. Jinpachi sat directly across from him, arms crossed in anger, Alice and Issei each looking away from him.

"You were the one who blabbed everything." Jinpachi accused.

"Alice's confused dissembling attracted more attention. And if you had kept your anger to yourself, they would have believed our story to be nothing more than a joke." Daisuke pointed out.

"That's not any better." Haru said quietly. "They have to know the truth. How else can we stop Shion?"

"That's the point. WE'RE supposed to stop him! Not the United Nations!" Jinpachi exclaimed. "They're not supposed to know we even exist!"

"For what we were `supposed' to do, we should just have had normal, Human lives." Issei spoke for the first time since they had been forced to board the van outside the UN building in New York City.

"I wonder if our parents know where we are." Alice broke in, her worry as always, focused on her home.

"Probably not. I bet we're totally top secret." Sakura sighed, "And they won't know if we're killed either."

"Stop it!" Issei shouted at her, "That negativity is not going to help."

"Then what is, Enju?" Sakura answered.

"I know where they are taking us." Issei responded.

The other five glared at him. "How?" Jinpachi demanded.

"Ever since Shion activated the moon base, my powers have become stronger, somehow."

"And when were you going to mention this? Between you, me and Haru, we should be planning an escape!"

"And then what, Jinpachi? Do you have a space ship? How else are we going to get to the moon and beat Rin?"

"Stop it! He's just a little boy!" Alice interjected.

"A little boy who's threatened to destroy chunks of the earth!"

Alice looked away from Jinpachi, her eyes filling with tears. It was no use explaining to them the heartache and despair poor Rin felt. Not Rin, Shion. The elder self trapped and frustrated in his tiny body. Since regaining her memories, she understood what now drove Shion, but such a thing was much too personal to share.

"Shh! I think we're stopping!" Sakura hissed.

They grew quiet, as the van slowed to a stop, and the vibration of the motor suddenly halted. The back door swung open and Jinpachi made a break for it. The other five stayed seated, having a good idea what was about to happen next.

Jinpachi backed up into the van, his hands raised and his eyes focused on the barrel of the gun that was pointed at him.

"Oh, Jinpachi," Issei signed.

"Easy, kids." Ling entered the van. "We really don't want to hurt you. This was the only way I could get you to Area 42."

The tiny woman who had demanded they leave the UN building introduced herself. They were glad she spoke fluent Japanese, though, she told them, she was actually from Hong Kong. "And raised in New York," she joked, with an easy smile. "I wanted to speak to you first before I led you into the complex. Mainly, to reassure you, but also to press upon you that this place is very secure. This is a serious threat we are dealing with."

"And you believe us?" Sakura questioned incredulously.

"Of course. The US ESPer Corps have been training for this for a long time."

The stared at her blankly. Haru spoke up, "You mean, you've found others, human ESPers, right?"

"More than just found, child." Ling frowned. "I want you guys to understand this right now. I will be completely honest with you, if you do the same with me. That is the only way we can save this planet, right?"

"Hai," they nodded.

*

"Welcome to Area 42." Ling announced as she ushered her charges into the "lobby" of the massive complex. They did not answer, too busy staring up at the great domed skylight, specially designed so that the sun shown brightly, but never oppressively through its clear panes. She smiled to herself knowing they would never guess the other purpose of this room. The silver lined couches along the walls, huge potted plants and other strategically placed furniture would turn away, as the floor began to move, revealing a hidden missile launch pad underneath. However, not knowing this, the room looked deceptively solid, with "marble" flooring, and stone pillar columns along the perimeter.

"I'd like you to meet our premier ESPers." She gestured toward the group of people who stood at attention across the large room. "Natalia Hernandez, Svetlana Gordeva, and Joe Waterson."

The three came forward. Hernandez was a tall, heavily built woman, her muscled arms crossed tightly against her chest. Gordeva seemed her mirror paradox, tiny, blonde, and friendly, her face brightly smiling as she greeted the teens. Waterson winked at them, scratching his dark head embarrassingly.

"It is good to finally meet you," Gordeva said, continuing to smile.

"You speak Japanese too?" Alice wondered aloud.

"Not really," she could not hide the sparkle in her blue eyes. "I am an empath, but one of my few telepathic tricks is instant language understanding."

"An excellent gift, especially if we come into contact with any `aliens'." Ling said with a laugh.

Gordeva chuckled along, apparently the two shared some private joke.

Hernadez said softly, "It's not that complex. Issei there could mimic the gift."

Issei froze, "How do you know my name? Or about me?"

"Natalia is a `knower.' She has a tendency to know certain things, but can't explain how."

"Comes in handy when she suddenly `knows' a 2 foot thick wall is going to come tumbling down just before it does." Waterson shrugged. "Saved our lives on more than one occasion."

"And what do you do, Mr. Waterson?" Sakura challenged.

"Name it." He declared arrogantly, emphasizing each word with a different hand. "Teleportation, telekinesis, astral projection, psychometry. I got it down pat."

"Not to mention, egotism." Hernandez busted in.

"And she `know's' that too." Sakura couldn't help joking.

"That's enough of that." Ling said calmly. "What about you kids?"

Silence.

Ling tilted her head pointedly. "I know about you," she pointed to Jinpachi.

"Well, Jinpachi can't really control his powers very well." Daisuke supplied. "They only seem to appear when they are the least wanted."

"Thanks a lot." Jinpachi growled.

"Issei's a telepath," Sakura chimed in.

Issei sighed, "Haru is an all around ESPer."

"But my heart is very weak. I can't teleport very far," Haru whispered.

"And Alice can make plants grow."

"Oh, I haven't done that in ages." Alice said softly, gazing at the potted plants along the center of the room. "Your plants are very sad, Ling-san. They fear uprooting for some reason."

Ling coughed, "Well, um, ah yes. How about you two?"

"Me? Well, I was an engineer on the moon base."

"Translation, no powers," Jinpachi pounced on Sakura's answer.

"Depends on your definition of `power.'" She answered haughtily.

"I was in command. On the moon base." Daisuke told Ling.

Ling nodded thoughtfully, "Ok, I'm going to have my soldiers show you to your quarters. After we all get some rest and hopefully some dinner, I want to hear everything about this moon base, is that clear?"

Issei wondered at Ling's ability to command them. Each had answered in the affirmative, almost as if it were expected. If he scanned her mind, he received mere fringes of her thoughts; perhaps she had some conditioning to prevent her mind being read. He could `read' that she was a general, and well accustomed to being obeyed. But a general in what? Not an army, something else. The puzzle perplexed him, this entire place, the ESPer corps? It was out of some strange movie.

The only human ESPer he had ever met was the enigmatic free spirit Mikuro. And he was as different from these three as, well, Japan from America.

The rooms were at the end of a long elevator ride, and Issei could tell they were not merely traveling up or down, or even left and right, but some strange combination in between. If he didn't know better, the hall they exited into could have been from any random hotel. They trampled over dull orange carpet, dragging fingers along clashing wallpaper that was decorated at various points with cheap, poorly done paintings of flowers and dogs playing poker.

"So, do we get our own rooms?" Sakura asked as they finally reached a place with some doors.

"Yes," their escort said noncommittally. "Before you enter, place you eye at the black panel to the right of the door. The door will now be coded to your retina pattern only."

"Cool." Jinpachi tried it out, picking a random room to his right. The others spread out, each choosing likewise, three rooms across from three others.

The guards let them be.

*

"I can't believe we have balconies too!" Sakura smiled, leaning against the iron railing.

Issei smiled, staring out into the very green forest beyond the complex. He had knocked and entered Sakura's room shortly after checking out his own place. "This is a little bit too luxurious."

"Have I made you a skeptic too?" she began braiding her long hair absently.

"Never." He pressed his hands tightly to the railing, clutching his fingers as far around as he could. "Shusulan, I, I think Jinpachi is actually glad Rin has gone."

Sakura let out a frustrated breath. "What? Does he think he can move in on Mokuran while Shion is threatening the world? If so, he doesn't know her very well."

"None of us did, you know. Back then. She was too perfect, too pure."

"Are you caught under her spell too?"

He laughed, "Not at all, and you know better. I guess, I think the only one who did know her very well was Shion."

"And Gyokulan doesn't think Shion deserves her. What are you really getting at Enju-kun?"

Issei smiled at the odd nickname, half female, half male, just like he himself. "I'm thinking about Destiny. Like what if Shion and Alice are really meant to be together? I mean, then nothing could get in the way of that happening again."

"Destiny? Bullshit," Shusulan declared, "We make our own choices in each life, Issei."

"And our own mistakes," he whispered, staring up at the moon. It was barely a sliver in the sky. How could something so small hold something so, so wrong? "We are not safe, you know."

She sighed, finally satisfied with her hair. "No. We are in more danger than ever. And I'm not exactly sure which is worse. Shion, or those Espers downstairs."