“I’m not making it through the
program,” Jack was looking toward the night sky. Ward could tell that his
thoughts were far away. In fact he could tell that his thoughts were about his
mother, his father, and his ancestors. Whatever the trainers were doing to get them
to read minds seemed to be working even if he wasn’t quite ready to trust it.
Over the last few days the entire group had been training and studying at least
sixteen hours a day. One day it would be self-defense instruction, rigorous and
demanding. On alternative days they had been watching tapes of psychics documenting
the clues they had picked up on their mark, cram courses on reading body
language, and then some very controversial and unusual EEG trials and trainings.
The last had been the hardest to understand but also the most wearing on them.
Funny how that could make him so dead tired, both body and mind, where the physical
challenges of the self-defense courses only tried his body. Today had been a self-defense
day and their bodies had been pushed to the limits, his muscles aching and
complaining about not getting the rest it so wanted right now.
“What makes you think that?” Ward
asked even though he already knew. Jack had been able to take him down a number
of times today during the drills. In fact, he had taken down many of the people
here, after all he did have an advantage; he was already an agent and trained.
The trainers were using that advantage.
“You are reading what I am
thinking right,” it was a statement. When Ward didn’t answer he continued, “A
moment ago I was thinking of my family, especially my mother and father, but
you know that. I’m pretty sure,” Jack said this more to help Ward understand
how his skills were so much farther developed than his. Jack sat down,
crossed-legged on the ground, focused on nothing but letting nothing get past
him. The bugs had gotten quiet off to his left.
“You just need to give it time. You’re
top of the class in defense,” Ward stretched out on the ground as he was not as
accustomed to the physical demands as Jack was. His muscles collectively melted
into the ground. Ward had been in shape coming in but this was way past that;
getting up was going to be difficult. It has shocked him to know that he had
been spot on with his reading. He could even describe the features of both of
Jack’s parents, but he wasn’t going to share that. He was beginning to trust
what he was seeing from other people’s minds. Suddenly, at the edge of his conscious
he could tell they weren’t alone, and that whoever was there was very
interested in their conversation. A face floated through his mind, it was Pat’s.
“It’s okay, it was a stretch that
I made it this far, and they won’t take me out yet,” Jack was sitting on the
bench, “I get the feeling I will be kept on for a while because of the
self-defense skills I bring to the training. Important skills once they put you
out in the field, but I just can’t get past getting only general feelings from
people and not solid thoughts. But that’s not why I wanted to talk with you,”
Ward wasn’t sure what he was going to say next, so he waited. He decided to try
and focus on reading Jack’s thoughts. At first it was just fuzzy, static like the
way old television signals used to be. Slowly though as if using a fine tuner
the images and thoughts cleared. What he
read was surprised him. Jack didn’t trust Bobby even though he had never given
him, or anyone else, reason. Ward was picking something up on the edge of that
television screen that seemed to form in his head. He refocused on the thoughts
of another person nearby, he could feel their thoughts and presence in his head.
This picture was much harder to tune in but he could feel the overall emotions.
More interesting was the fact that this person, Pat, had reservations about Bobby
as well.
“Why don’t you trust Bobby?” Ward
ventured, working off his read.
“Not sure,” and this time Jack
looked back to the stars, “just a feeling, a guess. I can tell by watching the
trainers just how interested they are in the both of you, but that’s not a
surprise to you either.”
“I feel like they are pushing
some of us harder and farther,” in fact what Ward had felt was extreme interest.
Up until now he wasn’t sure exactly why but complete picture as to why the
interest was beginning to form. He has started to guard his thoughts more, if
it was really possible to read minds they he had to be sure to keep his
thoughts as secure as possible. He was beginning to see that a few of them
might be progressing faster than normal.
“There is something both of you
are doing that has caught their attention, I’m not sure what but there is
something about the both of you that has put you both in the bullseye. I know you two have teamed up a bit but I need
you to watch yourself. I may be off, my skills are not as good as yours or theirs,
but there is something.” Jack got up, “It may be nothing by the time we finish training
but...” and he left it there. Jack looked around as if he knew there were
someone else there.
“I’ll be careful,” not just referring
to Bobby as Ward felt the shadow of thought move out of his range raising more
questions than answering them.
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