Chapter 17

“You’re late, Miss Sommers” Jericho-Two declared as Lilly walked in the door.

“Huh?” Lilly replied, a little shocked to see her patron here so early in the morning. She looked helplessly to her Teleportation tutor, a kindly faced woman she only knew as Mrs Teshimar who shrugged her shoulders. Behind her stood the usual pair of technicians, anonymous under their protective face shields and heavy armour weave aprons.

“Since I am paying for these extra Training sessions, I expect you to be at least prompt, if not early” Jericho-Two continued sternly. He was standing next to the test station, his left hand laying on top of the cage containing today’s teleportation subject. It was a pale white mouse, the creature sniffing the Avatar’s hand with interest through the plastic mesh of its cage.

“Sorry, Mr Jericho” she apologised sheepishly. “Since it was end of term yesterday I stayed up a bit late....err…celebrating with a friend”

“I see” Jericho-Two answered flatly, his eyes hidden behind the ever present dark glasses, yet Lilly knew they were boring into her very soul.

“Perhaps since everyone is here we should begin the session?” suggested Mrs Teshimar, which earned her a look of utter gratitude from Lilly. Without waiting for a response the two lab technicians began setting up the apparatus for her first test Teleportation, using a square box of plastic marked with symbols and graduated lines all over its surface.

“It has been some weeks since you requested that I arrange these extra training sessions, Miss Sommers” remarked Jericho-Two. “I hope to see an improvement in your Ability to justify the investment”

“I wanted to be more useful to my friends” Lilly responded. “It was not just enough to Teleport objects, I realised I needed to Teleport myself and the others to be really helpful. Your patronage is greatly appreciated, Mr Jericho”

The Avatar regarded her silently for a few moments.

“You are already useful as a Grade Two Teleporter” he answered Lilly. “Being able to Teleport living matter without degradation is what defines a Grade Three, so if you can achieve that I will consider this exercise a success”

“Okay, let’s start with the calibration run” interjected Mrs Teshimar. “Lilly, get into the protective suit please. Mr Jericho, if you wish to remain in the Testing Chamber you will need to put on protective gear as well”

He cocked his head and looked Mrs Teshimar up and down.

“You are not wearing any protection” he replied without rancour.

“I am not staying in here” she answered with a smile. “I’ll be observing from the Monitoring station behind that Ceramiglass window”. She pointed to the adjoining chamber, through the window of which the Avatar could see another technician moving about.

“In that case I will join you in there” he decided and Lilly breathed an inner sigh of relief. It was bad enough he was here at all but having him in the actual Testing Chamber was likely to make her flunk this run.

Lilly had approached the Avatar a while ago, hoping he could help her get a few extra training sessions in. The Awakening Centre was booked solid for months in advance but she really did feel she needed to improve her Ability to help her friends.

The incident with the Electric Dragon had shown her how much they needed someone who could Teleport herself, maybe even another person. She could have saved Angelina and prevented the awful wounds that Fiona had received, if only she was a Grade Three.

“Lilly, please lock the sample into your memory when you are ready” her tutor called out over the intercom. Lilly realised the woman and her patron were already sealed into the safe confines of the Monitoring station. She dropped her face shield down and took off her right hand glove, rubbing her bare skin over the heavy apron she was also wearing.

“Uh-huh” Lilly agreed and walked towards the sample. It sat on a raised plinth about a meter off the tiled floor, with a matching receiving point set exactly five meters away. She touched her hand to the square, fixing the object in her memory, registering its weight and size, inner structure and markings with practised ease.

“Teleporting” she announced and the two technicians in the chamber tensed imperceptibly as she gloved her right hand and triggered her Ability.

In the blink of any eye the calibration sample vanished from the plinth before her and reappeared on the other one. It looked complete and undamaged, as she expected, but she waited for the technicians to confirm with their sensors.

“Calibration Test successful” said one of the technicians. “N-Space translation was two point six nano-seconds, no detectable loss of mass”

“Confirmed” added the second. “Scans indicate all markers are aligned at one hundred percent accuracy. Perfect jump” The technician turned to Lilly and gave her a big thumbs up.

“Very good” Mrs Teshimar called over the intercom. “Prepare test subject Twelve for translation”

The two technicians fussed about, removing the plastic calibration object and placing a clear plastic mesh cage on the receiving plinth. On the sending plinth they put the same type of cage, this one containing the mouse.

While the technician held the top of the cage open, Lilly removed her right glove and stepped forward. She took a deep breath and reached in to stroke the mouse gently. On an impulse, she picked it up and held it in front of her eyes.

All of the test mice were accustomed to humans, being fed and handled regularly to keep their stress levels to a minimum. It held her gaze without fear and twitched its pink nose at her, as if wondering why today was different to any other day of its life.

“Good luck, Mr Snuffles the Twelfth” Lilly said to it and laid it carefully back in the mesh cage. The technician sealed the lid and took a few steps back, their eyes just visible through the face shield. They nodded to her in silent support and she tilted her head in reply.

“Teleporting” she called out and they all tensed once more. She could not help but notice the mop and bucket waiting next to the receiving plinth but shut that thought out of her mind. She triggered her Ability and held her breath, fearing to hear that awful wet pop she had heard eleven times before.

“Translation successful!” the voice of the technician rang out triumphantly. “N-Space translation was two point five nano-seconds, no detectable loss of mass”

Lilly opened her eyes and looked at the receiving plinth. Mr Snuffles the Twelfth was sniffing around his new cage, unhurt and unconcerned it seemed about his almost instantaneous teleportation through Null Space.

“Congratulations, Miss Sommers” came the voice of her tutor. “You just made it to Grade Three”

Yolanda Brackenridge was watching the morning joggers and surfers in the distance as she sipped her tea. A lone runner puffed along the wet sand close to the water’s edge until he reached the Ward she had emplaced. He stopped suddenly as if struck by a random thought, paused, then turned and ran back the way he had come. His footprints were soon obscured by the lapping waves as they surged up and down the beach.

Yolanda smiled to herself over her steaming herbal tea, assured that her Ward was keeping her pristine beach frontage clear of any unwanted visitors.

“How bad was it last night?” she asked of her Head Maid, Monique Shaw. The woman stood like a silent statue at her left shoulder, only her eyes roving vigilantly over the portion of land and sea before them both.

“Three deliveries were intercepted and the concealed cargo was exposed. The head office is already handling queries from the Police Auxiliary over the items uncovered”

“What about the Freelancers we set to watch the Hargreaves boy?” Yolanda asked.

“They encountered an individual we believe to be the original Intruder. One Freelancer was killed and the other is in Police custody” Monique responded. “Miss Tengaki has promised she has located the Intruder’s home base but is looking for alternative sites to engage the individual”

“Is that so?” mused Yolanda. “What makes their base of operations so dangerous to attack?”

“It is the Little Angels Orphanage” her Head Maid answered.

“Ah, the Order of Michael” pondered her mistress. “No, we don’t want to stir up that little hornet’s nest. Tell Miss Tengaki to continue looking for another venue to take our Intruder down”

“Indeed, Madam” Monique answered dutifully. “On an unrelated matter, Miss Angelina has advised that she will be attending the Levitator races at Archimedes Tower today. She will be in the company of her school friends and her English Teacher, Miss Abrams”

“Hmm” murmured Yolanda. “Is a security detail going to be in attendance?”

“Only Miss Fiona Smith, in a purely non-professional category” the maid answered.

“Then I shall attend to Miss Angelina” announced Hammerton, appearing from the doorway that led into the main living room. Yolanda managed to conceal her involuntary shudder and Monique scarcely qualified as alive so she was unaffected. “It has been too many days since I last watched over her”

The Witch regarded the butler with hooded eyes and carefully placed her tea cup onto the saucer that lay before her. It was with some pride she saw there was not even a tremor in her hand, the tea not showing a single ripple in its surface.

“I am sure Angelina would prefer to spend the time with her friends without having someone watch over her shoulder” Yolanda suggested.

“It has been too long” insisted Hammerton and for a moment her Witch Sight showed the darkness that squirmed inside his shell of a body. She swallowed and forced a smile onto her lips.

“In that case, please go attend to her, dear Hammerton” Yolanda managed to say in an even tone. “Angelina always enjoys your company and I know you get on well with her friend Carmody too”

“Thank you, Madam” Hammerton said, once again the family butler and guardian to her daughter. Yolanda nodded her head in silence and watched until he had left her sight. She breathed a little easier and looked towards Monique.

“Has there been any reply from the other one?” she asked in a hushed tone in case Hammerton was lurking close by inside the house.

“No Madam” Monique responded. “There has been no message from that one”

Yolanda picked up her tea cup and drained her now cold beverage in one gulp. Even after years of wealth and luxury, she still refused to waste a scrap of food or drink. She remembered all too well the hungry years of the last Global War, before she had found the Major.

Sometimes she yearned for those days, before Angelina was born and the terrible agreement she had made with her Master.

“Do you yearn for the old days, Monique?” she pondered aloud.

Monique Shaw, or at least the vessel that had once been named Monique Shaw, regarded her with flat eyes, devoid of any emotion or empathy.

“I am your Familiar, Mistress” she answered. “I yearn for nothing but to serve you”