Nepal awakens

Etten, Breyn, Jueqel, Kefen, and Dru sat in one of the many libraries at House Thero. The muted television showed a parking lot with first responders policing the area. Shot live, the image shook and attempted to refocus on several occasions. It zoomed out, letting the viewers know the camera mounted on the helicopter was a long way off, and panned back to the news anchor.

“They found two officers down on the scene,” said Etten. “One wounded and the other severely disturbed. They don't know if she'll recover.”

“We should have moved faster,” agreed Breyn.

“I don't see how,” Jueqel answered. “Even our precogs had a tough time getting through to this guy.”

Dru turned his head back and forth listening to the volley of words.

“The Yogan have asked us to take them to the scene. I think we should,” Breyn suggested.

“I don't trust them. They have plans for Karden,” Jueqel objected.

“You don't know that, but I can see how you would not trust them,” Kefen said with a knowing smile.

Dru raised a hand up to ask for quiet. “I think this monster, Karden, is a bigger threat than all the Yogan combined. I also think he would be a threat to the Yogan, combined or not. That man thing is a threat to all of us. A psychic with that kind of power cannot be allowed to kill anyone else.”

Jueqel noticed Dru changed Karden from a monster to something more human. They all noticed. “I agree, but what are you saying? We destroy him? I'm...”

He was cut off from a voice at the door. “We have to do something about him.” Nepal's voice was weak. “He'll kill everyone in the world, if we don't.”

Cheshin, who was standing next to Nepal, walked in the room, “I don't think that we would let it loose upon the world. No one here is saying that.”

Jueqel added, “we have to be careful how we go after him. The world cannot know about us.”

“What? We just cover our tracks as usual?” Breyn asked.

“Yes,” Jueqel said mater-of-factly.

Kefen asked, “if the precogs aren't getting much, how can anything be covered up?”

Jueqel quickly answered, “damage control.”

“Impossible,” said Breyn.

“It doesn't matter,” Dru said. “If people find out, we'll deal with it as it comes. We have to stop him. Jueqel, we will help you with your damage control, but I think we have to bring in the Yogan.”

“They can't do anything. They're just muscles and bullies. If they can catch him, they're going to want to keep Kard for themselves.” There. He'd said it. Everyone knew it would eventually come out. Jueqel's mistrust for the Yogan went well beyond dislike and closer to paranoia. He knew it, but he had good reasons. One good reason at least.

The Yogan had tried to recruit Jueqel when he was young. They terrified him then. He desired to see their House gone, and he wanted nothing to do with them now. It had no business scaring people into their ranks.

“They CAN get the job done,” Dru spoke his words carefully to make sure Jueqel heard him the first time. “With YOU, Jueqel.”

The room grew quiet. Dru let the words sink in. Jueqel would realize the necessity of his working with the Yogans of the Green House.

Nepal had been ignored after his brief statement, but he didn't feel left out. The things they were talking about, he knew, involved everyone on earth. He was important for some other reason he could not yet understand. “I want to help,” broke the silence.

They all looked at him, questioning. He could see it on their faces. How could he help? What could he do?

“He was killing you, Nepal,” Jueqel answered.

Nepal was taken aback by the use of his name. “How do you know me? How is it that I've come here?” Then he realized how stupid he must sound to them. Of course they would know his name. They were psychics. They were probably reading his mind right now. He eyed them suspiciously.

Etten who was the closes to Nepal at this point, stood up from his chair and stepped closer to him. He put his hand out in a comforting gesture and sent the thought, “only some of us can actually read minds. But the others have their own abilities.”

Nepal shied away. He had been on the verge of falling back into believing the bits about psychics were just a gimmicks, tricks his mind played. Etten's display of power too much for him right then. He put his hands up in defense of the projected words aimed at him. “As if this could stop telepathy,” he told himself. The absurd gesture.

The room took a breath. Jueqel, who was already standing, replaced his dismayed shock with the look of fascinated horror. Dru and Kefen stood up fast enough to knock their chairs over simultaneously. Cheshin took a step back, and Breyn attempted teleport, but was unsuccessful. Etten fixed his gaze, unmoving, upon Nepal.

The immediate space around Nepal silvered and pulsed with waves of disturbed air. It outlined him in a transparent wrapping of psychic threads no more than an inch thinck. Nepal did not see the silver, but the atmosphere in the room could not have gone unnoticed. He saw the looks everyone was giving him and mistook them for outrage. The silver faded at once. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn't mean to offend anyone.” His muscles ached and skin leathered. A sudden tiredness showered over his already tired body.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke. “How'd he stop me from teleporting?” Breyn asked.

Jueqel smiled, “I knew it.”

“You are an esper,” Kefen declared.

Breyn was not happy, and her tone abandoned nothing as she bore what was on her mind. “What are you so damned happy about? He stopped me from teleporting. Not even Jueqel can stop me without straining himself. Who is this?”

Nepal struggled to make sense of it, and grabbed the door frame to keep himself from dropping to the floor, and to help him keep his thoughts up. The effort helped. “I just did something. Didn't I?”

Their nodding was palpable. “Yes,” said Etten and Jueqel in unison.

“How?”

“You need to rest,” Dru stated. “If you want to help stop this monster, you can help us by getting some sleep.”

“I...”, he tried to think of the words, but they would not come.

“I'll tell you everything, but later,” Jueqel said.

“Later,” Dru agreed.

“Let's get you back to bed. Cheshin, you too.”