Whispers

Belle walked through the crowd as many of the Izigans boarded their clan's mini ships. Some were already taking off. She reached her clan's ship, which looked like the others except for its color. The seats were opposite each other, and there was no pilot, as it was controlled by an AI.

"There is no way I'm entering this alone," Belle said, eyeing the ship. She turned to leave but saw Deborah approaching. Deborah stood still, noticing the look of disapproval and frustration in Belle's eyes.

"I know what you're thinking. You just have to calm down, okay?" Deborah said.

"Calm down? I came here with my family, and now I'm all alone. Sofia, where is she? Dorothy was taken because something happened with the machine reading her clan color at the entrance. And John—I don't even know where the hell that boy is. Screw this. I can't handle it," Belle said, her annoyance clear.

"I knew about John and Sofia, but not Dorothy. What happened to her?" Deborah asked with concern.

"The machine at the entrance read her as 'unknown,' which turns out to be 'strange.' Someone came and told her she needed to follow them. That was the last I saw of her," Belle explained sharply.

"Oh, she may have been taken for proper examination," Deborah said.

"I knew there was something odd about that girl. I guess we'll find out later," Deborah thought.

"Belle, technically you aren't the only one in this clan," Deborah continued.

"Oh, that's some relief. So where are they now?" Belle asked.

"There are only two, and they are currently unconscious. Please follow me," Deborah said, starting to walk.

"This clan is so odd. Why me?" Belle thought.

"They're two boys undergoing treatment. They were found unconscious when they were picked up from Earth," Deborah said.

"Two boys? Jeez, this is going to be tough. Maximum composure. Dorothy is coming to this clan, no matter what," Belle thought.

"I thought you would have a different expression now that you heard you aren't the only one in this clan," Deborah said.

"Oh, it's just that it came in late. I should get used to it," Belle said.

"Another clan should come take me from this one. I already feel empty," Belle thought.

They soon entered the huge research department building. It was long and wide with a silver exterior. Belle admired the well-structured building, noticing people through the glass windows working on different projects. They wore lab coats and goggles as they attended to their tasks.

"We're here," Deborah said as she placed her fingers on the fingerprint sensor by the door. Belle looked at the heavily tinted window of the research room.

They entered, and Belle was surprised to see John in the room. She turned to look at Dave and Lang, who lay unconscious with machines around and above them, displaying readings on the screen.

"Welcome, Deborah, and...," Dr. Helix greeted, glancing at Belle.

"The name is Belle," Belle said.

"She is the third member," Deborah said.

"Third member, third member? What do you mean by third member?" Dr. Helix asked.

"Here we go again," Belle thought.

"Well, it seems we had a smaller number this year. It's the Earth clan, what do you expect?" Deborah said.

"So this isn't the first time we've had small numbers," Belle thought.

"Are you just going to ignore me? I'm right here," John signaled.

"Can't you see you're of no significance?" Belle said.

"I thought you were going to ask how I got here and how Sofia is doing," John added.

"Oh, how is my baby girl doing?" Belle asked.

"Well, I don't know. Why don't you find out for yourself?" John said with a smile.

"You are so annoying," Belle said angrily.

Deborah began to feel something unusual around the room. She looked around, noticing Dr. Helix was fixing a wired device near the two boys. The room was quiet despite Belle and John's loud voices. Deborah heard something faint, like a whisper, only she could hear.

Dr. Helix observed Deborah, then reached for a screen device and lowered the frequency emitter to the lowest setting. As he did, Deborah could no longer hear the whispers and returned to normal.

"That's impossible, the Cosmo frequency. You can hear them, Deborah. I'm surprised and shocked," Dr. Helix said, holding her shoulders and drawing the attention of Belle and John.

"Frequencies? Was that what I was hearing, those unclear whispers?" Deborah asked.

"Those frequencies you heard are an ultra-low frequency, oscillating at 0.98 Hz. It's the first time I've seen this, but what you heard came from these two individuals in front of us. Their Cosmo speaks; it's alive, like a secondary consciousness. This phenomenon is amazing," Dr. Helix explained.

"Isn't it strange that I could hear it? 0.98 Hz is below human hearing, isn't it?" Deborah said.

"These frequencies have been echoing around this room for days. We can't hear them, but with this vibration sensor and infrared sauna, I was able to read the vibration and see the flow of the vibrations around the room. It seems your brain cells are hyperactive, and your cosmic energy around your head area was able to pick up these vibrations, which you heard, almost mimicking real sound," Dr. Helix explained.

"If the frequency is that low that we couldn't hear it, it's possible the vibrations could be stored at the atomic level. Since she had the ability to hear a frequency that low, she may have witnessed a dilation or compression while your brain processed the low frequency. This could alter the sense of time around you," John added.

Everyone in the room turned to look at John in surprise. Belle wasn't too surprised because she knew he was smart, but what shocked her was that he contributed to what Dr. Helix said. Deborah, who hadn't paid much attention to John before, took her first real look at him. Dr. Helix was still processing what John had said.

"Oh, someone is a new scientist," Deborah said.

"John, what do you mean by that?" Dr. Helix asked.

"What I'm saying is, that could be the start of a new ability, I think. Let me ask, when you heard those whispers, can you remember how your surroundings were?" John asked Deborah.

"I couldn't hear the regular noise. It was just focused on the whispers, and everything seemed to slow down, like time slowed down," Deborah answered.

"See, I guess it's something you haven't discovered yet, but you can use your frequency manipulation to alter time if your cosmic energy is strong enough," John explained.

"Did he just say if my cosmic energy is strong enough? Does he knows am a captain." Deborah thought.

"I'm totally lost right now," Belle thought.

"You talk big and knowledgeable. You should make him your new assistant, just a suggestion," Deborah said.

"Assistant? I hadn't really thought of that. I may consider it," Dr. Helix said.

"The remaining two members of the team are unconscious. This one with blonde hair is likely British or American, I guess. The other with black hair is Asian. The Asian boy is cute, though. His fists are clenched, and his face seems angry. I hope we can make a great team."