Chapter 13. We know you're a telepath

Nighttime brought peace to the base. All the voices quieted down, the light got dim and stars were shining in artificial windows. Those hours were perfect not only for rest, but also for training. So far, it didn't bring the result Arriz was hoping for, but he refused to give up.

He knew that human strength wasn't enough to keep up with hybrids. He had to bring his telepathy to a whole new level.

He was already pretty good at dealing with emotions; now he had to learn to enter other people's minds. That was true power! Arriz kept reminding himself that he needed that to defeat hybrids, but in his soul he didn't fully believe it. That gift could be used against the Organization too…

He was staying away from any form of destruction so far, preferring to follow the instructions from the textbook accurately.

The night gave him another advantage: it was easier to get into the minds of sleeping people. He'd never guess that without the information from those books, but he was ready for action now.

Initially the results were depressive: he could see nothing but the darkness of his closed eyelids. But after weeks of constant practicing he was able to project complex images… When that first happened, he thought it was just his imagination, but those images were too weird, he'd never be able to make them up! They could only be bits and pieces of someone's memories!

They were flashing so fast that he had to put all of his energy into slowing them down to see something. And even so, it didn't make much sense. He saw separate pictures, like scenes from a movie, and he had no idea whom those memories belonged to.

A luxurious house filled with gold, crystals and paintings. A tiny apartment that was so cold one had to sleep under three blankets there. Some gray alleys, covered in dirt and puddles. An old teddy bear left on a window sill on a planet far-far away… Those were pieces of lives of those around him. Human lives… They'd be different when they returned to Earth – if they managed to return!

Arriz was watching the hybrids carefully during the day, trying to figure if they noticed his prying or not. He asked a couple of questions about it to Alex and Norman, but they didn't feel anything. Even Iutah, who was especially gloomy lately, didn't approach him about anything.

He continued… Until one day he felt someone opposing him. It was so sudden that it almost hurt him. As if someone threw him out of the memory he was looking through!

Arriz, who was sitting on the floor, fell on his back in surprise. It wasn't an illusion – or someone's instinctive reaction. He was pushed back as confidently as he was getting into someone's mind.

There was another telepath on the base. Arriz had no idea about it before now, though he'd spent months on this planet! On the other hand, no-one here but Iutah knew about his telepathy, hiding it wasn't too difficult.

The presence of another telepath was a serious discovery. Was it a hybrid or someone from the staff? Could it even be a hybrid? That would grant him with too much force! Could he control it? Or was it a she?

Arriz didn't have any hints about it, let alone answers. He had no idea whose memory he was entering when he was pushed away. He wasn't sure whether the second telepath recognized him… He noticed the intrusion, that's for sure. But could he sense exactly who was breaking into his mind?

The situation was tricky. And it got even more complicated when Arriz understood that he was no longer alone. He was still sitting in the library that he usually used for his training, and it was quiet and filled with darkness. But that didn't matter, because by now all students knew how to move soundlessly and find their way in the dark.

He could sense the presence though – and he knew exactly who it was. But he couldn't call her by the name, because that would give his powers away. He just said:

"Who's there?"

She didn't try to hide, approaching him at once. Her embarrassment was so strong and obvious that Arriz couldn't suspect her of being the second telepath.

"That's me…" Olivia whispered. "Please don't get mad…"

He wasn't too surprised to see her there. He had noticed long ago that Olivia was trying to keep closer to him, she was using any opportunity she had to be by his side. It wasn't like she was trying to become his friend – she didn't talk to him at all. Her main priority was just being beside him or even touching his hand lightly.

If he wasn't a telepath, he'd be disturbed by such behavior. Even now he couldn't fully believe himself when he read her emotions. It was hard to accept someone could feel this way about him… It was flattering and alerting all at once. He was afraid of illogical acts on her behalf, but Olivia was very peaceful. She was his silent shadow, nothing more.

However, her presence in the library at this time wasn't entirely welcome.

"I'm not mad at you, I just don't know why you're here!���

"I started suspecting that you come here at night," she confessed. "I'm always watching the books you take, and I noticed that some of them were misplaced after the night."

"Someone else could've taken those books."

"Sure, but… You're the only one who's ever been interested in them. I decided to check it – I've been here yesterday and the day before, but you didn't show up. And now you're here, so I was right."

The book said that some strong telepaths had the power to alter people's memories. Arriz could use that now! But he didn't have it, and he had to find another way.

"You were right. So what? I broke some rules?"

"Of course not," she gave him a scared look. "I just thought that you might need anything and wanted to help you! Please, forgive me!"

Her fear of upsetting him was so sincere that Arriz couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"It's okay, I appreciate your desire to help," he assured her. "But that still leaves us with one problem."

"What problem?"

"You brought us company."

Olivia's presence wasn't a big deal, she was so loyal to him that she'd never give his nightly visits away. But he could feel two other auras approaching the library. They were calm, they weren't attracted by some noise, they knew exactly why they were going there. They were tracking Olivia, no other options!

"What company?" the girl's huge eyes became even bigger in astonishment. "Someone's been following me?! But why?"

"I'd like to know that too… We'd better hide!"

He put the book on the shelf quickly, took Olivia's hand and walked her to one of the darker corners of the library. Her aura was filled with guilt, but Arriz couldn't blame her for anything, it was all his fault. So much for a secret agent! He should've taken better care of his privacy!

He hoped that the second telepath wasn't among these two. That left a chance for him and Olivia to escape.

He heard the library doors close. Olivia had probably left them open, and now it was obvious she'd been here. Then there was a sound of footsteps approaching: those two weren't trying to hide their presence.

"You can come out now!" Dark called. Arriz could tell these two apart through telepathy. Those who didn't have such gift rarely managed to figure who was who in that duet.

"Yeah, we're not going to hurt you!" his brother added. "We just wanna know what you're doing here at a time like this! Olivia!"

Arriz could feel the girl squeezing his hand in fear. She wasn't afraid of the Silver twins – but she was afraid of giving him away to them. The very thought of doing something to upset him brought panic into her soul.

Meanwhile, the telepath was thinking over the options they had. There were only two basically: to come out and talk or try to escape. The second one was attractive, but very unlikely: Light and Dark were among the strongest warriors of the generation, even Iutah respected them.

He had to choose the option that he didn't like in the slightest: he made a step forward, dragging Olivia with him.

"She's not alone here. What do you want?"

The twins shared an amused look. One of them whistled, the second one smirked.

"Whadda you know!"

"Surprise-surprise!"

"Why have you been following Olivia?" Arriz asked, ignoring their reaction.

"We were bored," Light clarified. "Insomnia, you know… Curse of most hybrids. We grew tired of ghosting around the base, and we didn't want any more training. Then we heard someone leave their bedroom. We checked – and it was our little quiet mouse Olivia! It was intriguing."

"Me and her have a date here. Happy now?"

Olivia, who'd been silent all this time, keeping her head low, just shuddered at his words, but she didn't say anything.

"Why should we be happy about it?" Dark laughed. "It's not our date! Though we're all for the healthy share of romance on this planet. How about proving your words? Like kissing her or something?"

Her nervousness reached its peak, resulting in a non-stop trembling he could feel by holding her hand. She had probably thought he was going to put a show for them here! But the telepath wasn't going to abuse her feelings like that.

"If you want some romance, kiss yourself!"

"Was that a hint?!"

"An advice!"

Dark was the more impulsive of the two, and his aggression flared up in an instant. He moved towards Arriz, but his brother stopped him.

"Wait! If you two fight, we'll attract unnecessary attention!"

"Who's talking about a fight? I'll just kill him and that's it!"

"He has no points to lose and you do," Light reminded him. "Do you want to drop in the rate so much that some Iutah will be considered stronger than you?"

"Not happening!"

"I wouldn't check if I were you."

Dark didn't calm down, but he stopped, standing still beside his twin.

They had always been a perfect team, their qualities being a well-balanced match. When one was angry, the second one remained calm. No telepathy was enough to understand what was going on in their heads. Some people on the base believed the brothers who were using nicknames instead of their real names were simple and predictable – like Iutah who was sure he could use them. He had no idea that the twins were hanging out with him merely to fight their boredom. They truly trusted only each other.

"Why should we fight if he can help us?" Light winked at his brother.

"What are you talking about?" Arriz asked.

"About the common interest we have. And the name of that interest is Karajo."

They knew what they were talking about. Karajo was still a mystery to Arriz. Not only was she the best student, always receiving the highest points possible, she was also very hard to detect telepathically.

After he learned that she was a girl, his interest grew. Though thinking about this quirky, bandaged creature as a girl was hard. She was destined to become an outcast here – and she became the best warrior.

The problem was that Light and Dark weren't supposed to know about his curiosity!

"What makes you think I'm interested in her?"

"That's obvious. Ever since the tower assignment you started spending more time with our team. You've been watching Karajo. We can understand that since the likes of her usually turn into biggest challenges for their curator."

He didn't know he was being that obvious, and it was a huge mistake on his behalf. Luckily, the twins found an explanation he could use.

"You got that right, though I can't say she's too important. I simply don't understand her."

"Same thing, buddy," Light nodded. "She's a crippled twelve-year-old kid, but she's beating us at everything there is!"

"How do you know that?" Olivia interfered. "The final rates haven't been announced yet!"

"Most points are given openly, so it's not too hard to count who��s the leader now. She's ahead of us. That's unacceptable."

"Why? We're not rivals, we've got a common goal!"

"Not until we finish training – we can still be expelled!"

The brothers were acting too modest for their sake. Even if they had less points than Karajo, they were among the top students, and being expelled was out of the question. Their interest had nothing to do with the studies, they just couldn't accept a creature they didn't understand beside them.

"We've heard teachers calling Karajo an experiment," Dark kept his voice low. "We want to know what's so special about her. You can help us with that."

"Me working with you?" Arriz couldn't believe that.

"It's easier than you think. Our theory is that she received more hybrid matter than we did. Like, we've been given twenty percent and she received thirty or something…"

"That doesn't explain her superiority," Olivia noted. "Or her bandages."

"That's what you think! Hybrids usually don't get thirty percent because that's too dangerous. Maybe that experiment left her disfigured, and she's hiding that under bandages!"

"So what's your suggestion?" Arriz inquired. "Try to rip the bandages off to see what she's hiding? That doesn't show the amount of the hybrid matter in her."

"Come on, doing that to Karajo is suicidal! No amount of bandages would save us after that. There's another way: the amount of the hybrid matter she's been injected with should be stated in her personal file."

Arriz wasn't impressed:

"And? As far as I know, all personal files are kept in the same place where the transition is performed, they're not brought to Ceres!"

Iutah hadn't told him about the transition after all, the knowledge Arriz had about it was the result of talking to other hybrids. However, now the process was more or less clear to him.

He wouldn't mind studying a personal file of a hybrid – Karajo or any other. But those files really weren't on Ceres.

"Turn the smartass mode off," Dark snickered.

"We know they're not on Ceres," Light added. "But part of those files should be sent to the medical center. We may not know Karajo's past from it, but the percentage of the injected hybrid matter should be there."

"You're well-informed, that's for sure," Arriz nodded. "But the medical center has good locks, that's one. Deshanti's room is right next to it, and we may wake her up, that's two. So even if the file is there, we won't get it."

"You're as adventurous as a spinster, curator! We can deal with the locks, opening them is easier than you think. Breaking into Deshanti's computer will be a bit harder, but we'll manage."

"Then why do you need me?"

"You've already mentioned it: Deshanti's room is too close. You'll make sure she's asleep, using your telepathy."

That phrase was followed by a long and very awkward pause. To Arriz it was filled with shock, while the twins were silently laughing. Olivia just kept shifting her gaze between them and the telepath.

"What makes you think I'm a telepath?" he finally managed to pronounce.

"Do you really believe it's so hard to figure? We understood that after the terrorist assignment. You wouldn't be half as effective if you didn't know where we'd be coming from. It could've been explained by intuition if St. Rio didn't recognize our strategy on the roof. It was clear that someone helped him."

"Alex could've been a telepath himself!"

"Alex is one of us. We've been around him long enough to notice such things. He's not a telepath, but you are – and that explains your achievements."

He was about to tell them that there was a telepath among hybrids too, but decided not to. He wasn't sure he could trust them.

"Chill, we're not going to tell on you," Dark tried to cheer him up. "Though we don't think you'd get punished for that. We'd have no right to call ourselves warriors if a telepathic curator was a threat to us!"

They weren't trying to deceive him or appear braver than they truly were. To them, his telepathy was no mystical force – it was just a circumstance they had to consider.

So much for his secrecy! He thought he had a sufficient advantage – but they had figured it out way too easily.

"Who else knows?" Arriz asked sullenly.

"I do," Olivia answered quietly. "I understood that when you became so interested in telepathy books as to read them at nights… But I think it's a gift you should be proud of!"

"I think Karajo guessed it too," Light noted. "And Iutah Kerengree, he's smart. I'm not sure if it's worthy of pride, but you should use this gift. So you're coming with us or what?"

To them, his uncovered telepathy wasn't a topic worthy of discussion. Karajo's file was more important, and Arriz had to adapt to that quickly.

"If you think I can make Deshanti go to sleep, you're overestimating me. I barely control this power!"

"Pity you won't sing her a lullaby, but that's okay. We were expecting you to simply keep an eye on her… or whatever you telepaths call it. Can you sense whether she's asleep or not?"

"I can…"

"Then it's settled!" Dark shook his hand before Arriz had a chance to react. "If we go there alone, one of us will have to deal with the computer while the other is making sure the doc is asleep. That's two times less efforts on breaking the computer. You'll be our safety net here."

Olivia got involved in the talk again:

"But this is wrong! I mean, I know why you're interested… But you shouldn't do that! Even if Karajo is a strong opponent, you have to play fair instead of trying to find her weaknesses like that!"

She wasn't raising her voice and only because of that her scolding didn't cause the irritation it could have otherwise.

"We're just trying to figure if Karajo herself is being fair," Light stated.

"But you're planning to break the rules for that!"

"Rules are made to be broken."

"If they catch you there, you'll lose all your points, then you'll really be among the candidates for being expelled! Unless you get expelled right on the spot!"

"They won't catch us, we're taking a telepath with us for that. But if a certain someone goes to Lady Laura and tells her…"

Dark started walking towards the girl, never breaking eye contact with her. She had already been scared, so she started to retreat slowly, not able to take the psychological pressure. Arriz hurried to interfere, standing between them.

"Leave her alone, she won't tell anyone. Right, Olivia?"

""Right…" she echoed. "Though I think what you're doing is wrong."

"Think what you want as long as you're not under our feet!" Dark laughed.

"You'd better return to your room," Arriz suggested. "We'll deal with everything."

She nodded sharply and went towards the exit. Arriz was sure that once she got to her bedroom, she'd start crying and wouldn't be able to fall asleep till the morning. He felt sorry for her, but he couldn't change anything. He had to know the truth.

He wasn't ashamed of what he was about to do. He was more worried about the twins: would they keep their word? What if they led him to the infirmary and left him there, setting him up?

But it was worth a try. This file was a unique source of information.

"Shall we go there right now?" he asked calmly. "Or do you need some time to prepare?"

"We don't need any more preparations than a human! And we have insomnia, remember?"

They left the library together. Instead of using the elevator they took the stairs; once they were on the medical floor, Arriz remembered about the cameras. He wanted to warn the twins, but that wasn't necessary. Dark helped his brother to reach the ceiling, where Light cut a couple of wires. Soon the lights that were identifying the functioning of the cameras went dim.

"Can you turn them back on?" Arriz wondered.

"Easy! Everyone in the Black Team can do it. In the Red Team too, I think."

They were dealing with local equipment so proficiently that the chances of this little mission for success were growing rapidly.

Deshanti was the only one who lived on this floor. She had to stay close to the infirmary all the time in case someone needed her help. She probably didn't like that, she'd been wound up and bitter most of the time Arriz saw her.

Dealing with the infirmary lock, which was considered especially complicated and trustworthy, took the twins ninety seconds. They were moving simultaneously, in a perfect rhythm, and such unity was mesmerizing.

As soon as the door was open, Arriz walked inside together with them.

"Where are you going?" Light asked in surprise. "You're supposed to watch the doctor!"

"Do you even realize how telepathy works? I don't need to stand in the hallway and stare at her door to know if she's awake or not! I just feel that."

That night Dr. Deshanti was sound asleep, unaware of what was going on behind the wall.

The twins just shrugged in unison, but didn't insist. They headed straight for the computer while Arriz remained by the door.

"You're good at breaking things," he noted. "Is that a typical thing for the Black Team?"

"Nah. Life taught us that."

"I thought you said everyone could deal with those cameras!"

"Dealing with cameras and breaking locks is not the same," Dark specified. "It's our little hobby."

"I like your idea of hobbies! Where did you learn that, if you don't mind me asking?��

He expected them not to answer – but they did.

"You get such hobbies once your life depends on them. We grew up on the street, you know. Back there, if you don't know how to break locks, you won't survive in winter."

Light's revelations weren't appreciated by his twin. Dark punched him on the back of his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"You're talking too much!"

"What's so special about that? I'm not ashamed of our past! So we ran from home and lived on the street, big deal! It's better than the daily beating."

"You don't have to tell me that," Arriz said. "But you already know I'm a telepath, and that's the only secret I've got."

At moments like that he was glad that hybrids couldn't sense him lying. Well, apart from the second telepath, but he wasn't around.

"What is it, a truth or dare moment?" Dark cringed. "Why are we even sharing secrets?"

"He doesn't like going back to those days," Light admitted quietly. "But I think that we did what we had to do. Some kids tolerate such humiliation for years… And we found a way to finish it!"

"How old were you when you ran away from home?"

"Five," Light pointed at his brother. "And he was also five!"

"Stop fooling around!" Dark rolled his eyes.

That short moment of revelation made many things clear to Arriz – like their nicknames that everyone got used to. Waifs and orphans often used those… they had good reasons for giving their real names up. What they'd gone through was their memory and their experience… and sometimes a scar on their souls That was why they stayed together and didn't trust anyone.

He didn't ask them how they got into the project, he was aware of that. The Second Breed was paying special attention to orphans, organizing tests and exams for them right on the streets. They were considered good material – not parental permission to receive!

"Were you happy to get here?" Arriz asked.

"Sure!��� Light smiled. "Good food, clean bed, our own clothes… that was a miracle!"

"Why are you talking so much today?" Dark grumbled. "What, is he using his telepathy on you or something?"

"He's not using anything! I just don't like pretending that it didn't happen or that we're not grateful to the Second Breed! Those were the changes for the better! That's why we must finish this training and become real hybrids. And even studying Karajo is part of that!"

"Then let's concentrate on Karajo!" Dark looked at the computer monitor. "I've finally managed to get into the archive while you were busy with the fairytales of our glorious past!"

Photos of hybrids were flashing on the screen one by one. Arriz would gladly read through any of those files, but the presence of the twins stopped him. He had to wait patiently until they found Karajo.

At the same time he kept monitoring Deshanti, and that was a wise decision – because the medic decided to wake up!

"Not a sound!" Arriz warned his companions. "Or else we'll get some company!"

The Silver twins' reaction was momentary. One turned the computer off, the other looked around the room, choosing a hiding spot. The medical office itself was rather small, and to get into the room for patients they had to break another lock. They didn't have enough time for that: Deshanti rose from her bed and was heading towards the door.

They had to act fast. The brothers jumped up to the ceiling and settled there by holding onto the pipes and wires. They helped Arriz to get up; he couldn't grab onto anything from his current position, so he basically depended on their strength.

A couple of seconds later the door to the infirmary opened and Dr. Deshanti looked in.

"Hello?" she called uncertainly. "Is anyone there?"

Arriz was too scared to even breathe. She'd notice them the moment she looked up! Then what? It would be obvious that they were there not to see the doctor! He used his telepathic abilities to fill her with tranquility and sleepiness, making her go back to bed.

"You haven't heard anything," he kept thinking. "There was no sound here. It's late and you're tired. Go to sleep, dammit!"

The medic yawned, covering her mouth. She didn't enter the office completely, didn't even turn the lights on. Arriz sensed that she calmed down. She closed the door and went back to her room.

The hybrids lowered him to the floor carefully and then climbed down.

"We need to be very quiet now," Arriz whispered. "She's not asleep, but not alert either. We must leave immediately!"

"We didn't come here to jump around and leave!" Dark dismissed.

"Are you insane?!"

"We're ambitious. We invested our energy into it, so we should get some result. You may go, we're not holding you."

His mind was begging him to do just that, but he stayed. Even though the wait was agonizing: they wasted another hour on searching through the archive! But the worst thing was that they achieved nothing through that. The archive had all files – except for Karajo's. It seemed that someone had already deleted all the records about this hybrid.