Freezing - The Phoenix Limit - Origins
Prologue
Denver, Colorado - 9th Nova Clash
"Cover me, I'm going in," came the thoughts of Katharyn Brant through the team's mental link. They had been coordinating their tactics through her telepathic limiter since it was discovered that he had such talents. The dark haired Pandora accelerated, activating her triple accel turn, and rushed in, hitting several shots with the massive Halberd that served as her volt weapon, which exposed the Type-S NOVA's core. However, just as she was about to retreat, back to the safety of her team, the gargantuan, interdimensional, monstrosity released an energy attack that pierced right through her chest, and knocked her back into her limiter. He held her in his arms, his eyes showing that he was in shock, before letting out a gutteral shout of pain and despair.
Chapter 1
Nashville, Tennessee - Vanderbilt Medical Center
"The boy has no idea who he is, or whether he has any family," said the doctor at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, "He's damn lucky to have survived that crash."
"No one else survived it," the agent of the National Transportation Safety Board responded, "Yet he did with nary a scratch, except for a severe case of retrograde amnesia? How does this happen?"
"The mind is a strange thing," the doctor advised the government agent, "He could start remembering, or he may not. There's no telling with this severe a case of amnesia. Besides, at his age, I doubt he could tell you anything useful. It'd be best if we can find him a family, and soon."
A woman walked in on the conversation, after overhearing the majority of it. She had auburn hair, and green eyes, and stood 5 foot 7 inches. "My husband and I will take him in," she said, "We've got plenty of room, and had discussed adopting a child."
"Who are you?" the NTSB investigator inquired.
"Marie Scott," she replied, "My husband, James, is the CEO of the Boardwalk Energy Conglomerate. He has no idea who he is?"
"No idea at all," the doctor reiterated, "And airline passenger manifests have no physical descriptions, ages, or any way of identifying him."
"Then, we'll give him a new identity, and a new name. How about naming him...Davis," Marie Scott smiled, then walked into the room with the small brown-haired boy.
Houston, Texas - Scott Residence - 4 years later.
"Davis," his mother called up the stairs, "It's time for school. Come on down."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Davis screamed, seemingly in pain. Marie and James ran up the stairs to find their son holding his head, and gritting his teeth, as tears welled up in his eyes. Marie knelt down and wrapped her arms around the young boy.
"Davis, what's wrong?" she asked. "What's happening to him?" she thought, looking up at her husband with a look of concern in her eyes.
"I don't know what's happening to me, Momma," Davis told his mother, "But I'm hearing so many voices in my mind, and I can't shut them out."
"Voices," James thought, "What voices?"
"Your voice, for one, Daddy," Davis answered again, making his father do a double take, and his mother's eyes widen.
"Son, how did you know that?"
"I heard your voice, Daddy."
"This can't be right," James Scott pondered, "Could he be reading our minds?"
"Why would I be reading your minds?" little Davis queried of his father, "How can anyone do that?"
"That settled it," James said, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder, who still held their son, "Marie, he's a telepath."
Over the next few hours, Davis would learn that he's not only telepathic, but also telekinetic. It would take him two years to learn how to control his psionic abilities.
2 years later, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN
"I know you're scared," the strange woman said to Davis, "but the Doctor wants to know more about your power. It could save all mankind."
"How?" Davis asked, "I can only read minds, and move things by thinking. How can that kind of thing save mankind?"
"That's what we're going to find out, Davis," Dr. Gengo Aoi stated, looking right in the boy's eyes, and showing him a single crystaline item that he had no idea of it's use, "This is called a 'stigmata'. We're going to implant this at the base of your neck. It should have a beneficial effect on your mental abilities. You'll be asleep when we do the actual procedure."
Davis just nodded, and the doctor put a mask to his nose and mouth. As he breathed in the gas, he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. Only, when he woke up, the voices came back in greater numbers. He remembered what his teachers told him about setting up a block to make the voices go away, but the more he tried to block them out, the more he heard them. It would take him another 2 years to re-learn how to control his psionic abilities.
Coronado, California, 3 years later.
The Chevalier limiter training facility at Coronado was once a United States Naval Base that served as the training school for the Navy's Special Warfare command, known better as SEALS. Davis Scott stood at rigid attention as his troop's instructor's spoke. Over the last 3 months, he and 23 other boys had been put through a trainin program that would appear, to most, similar to the SEALS' training that was once taught here.
"Most of you will be transferred to Genetics facilities around hte world," the chief instructor continued his speech, "While others will be sent to Genetics U.S., outside Tempe, Arizona. There, your education and training will continue, as you grow into your new roles as limiters, and pair with a Pandora partner against the NOVA. As of this moment, gentlemen, you are a part of humanity's first, best line of defense against this threat from another dimension. Good luck, Gentlemen." The boys snapped off a quick salute to thier teacher, which was quickly returned, before the chief stated, "Dismissed."
"Davis Scott," Another instructor called out. Davis looked and nodded to the man, who handed him an envelope with the seal of the Chevalier in the upper left corner. "You're headed to Arizona," he advised the young limiter trainee, "Your flight leaves NAS Miramar at 13:00. Good luck, Son. I've never seen a limiter with talents like yours. You'll surely do well, once you find a partner. Just treat her with respect."
"Thank you, Sir," Davis responded, "What about your partner, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I married her," the instructor answered, "You'll find that the Ereinbar set creates a special bond between you and your partner. Many pairs who live long enough to leave active service do wind up getting married." Davis nodded and gave a salute to his teacher, which was returned, then walked away to pack for his trip to Genetics U.S.
Tempe, Arizona - Genetics U.S. - One Week Later
Davis sat in class, listening to the teacher talk about the specifics of stigmata, and the abilities it affords the user to combat the NOVA. Most of his classmates were at least 6 months younger than he was, if not more. He has to hold back a year, because his birthday was 2 months after the cut off date to enter service the previous year.
A question from another classmate brought hte topic of discussion to the Ereinbar set. The more he pondered this particular aspect of his position as a limiter, the more he wondered how much it would either effect, or be effected by, his own mental abilities. He'd have to ask the teacher about it after class. He continued to listen for the duration of the class, and when the group was dismissed, he walked up to the blonde, blue-eyed pandora who served as the instructor. "Instructor Grey," he said, getting her attention, "I have some further questions about the Ereinbar set, if you have time."
Instructor Dianna Grey llooked up from her desk with a smile. "Sure," she nodded, "What's on your mind, Davis?"
"Has the Ereinbar set been attempted by a pair that consisted of one or more partners with other mental abilities? Telepathy for example," Davis inquired.
"Are you a telepath?" Grey asked of her student.
"Considering that I can tell that you've had an old Guns and Roses song stuck in your head all morning, I can only surmise that you've been listening to the local classic rock station," Davis noted, getting an incredulous look from his teacher.
Grey laughed. "Answers that question," she stated, "And the answer to your question is no, Davis. We've never encountered any pandora, or limiters with any psionic abilities. True psions are more rare than stigmata compatible pandora, and as you know, less than .01% of the total population of Earth has any kind of stigmata compatibility. Most telepaths wind up going completely mad from the thoughts of the people around them forcing their way into the telepath's mind. When did your abilities manifest?"
"I was 10 when my telepathy and telekinesis manifested," Davis explained, "My family helped me learn how to block out the thoughts of others, and I had an instructor who taught me the proper control over my abilities. That took a couple of years." He then explained about his powers being enhanced by the single stigmata at the base of his neck, and the time it took to relearn his control.
"Seriously, Davis," Grey said, giving him a look of genuine puzzlement, "This is what we'd call 'virgin territory'. We've never encountered something like this. We'll have to monitor your first few attempts at the Ereinbar set to judge any potential effects. As it stands, I can't even begin to speculate on the potential benefits or risks to a telepath from the Ereinbar set. You students have a two week break before we get serious with your training. Take that time to find a partner, and we'll go from there."
Davis nodded and walked out of the classroom, pondering what he'd been told. He left the building his class had been in, and wandered around for a while, before finding himself in the commons.
"Excuse me," came a female voice, with a similar, yet markedly different accent from his own, "Can you give me a hand?" Davis looked and saw a girl standing near a pole witha banner hanging loosely off it. "I need to tie this banner off, and Roxanne ran off with my ladder," she continued. She stood only a few inches shorter than Davis, and had piercing blue eyes that stood out from her waist length hair, that was darker than the midnight skies, and had a scarlet band just off her forehead.
"Sure," Davis answered, "Just don't freak out."
"Why would I...WOAH!" she exclaimed as she felt herself being lifted off the ground, floating in mid-air where she could finish her work. With the banner tied off, she felt herself gently floating back down to the ground. "How did you do that?" she asked, "That was incredible."
"I'm telekinetic," Davis explained, "I can lift people and objects with just the power of my mind. I can also create a defensive barrier with that power, should the need arise. I'm also telepathic."
"Wow," she smiled, "That must be a handy power to have. By the way, where are you from? I couldn't help but notice your accent."
"Texas," he answered, "My family has a ranch outside of Houston. You?"
"Georgia," she replied, "Savannah. What's your name?"
"Davis Scott," the young man introduced himself, "1st year limiter."
"Katharyn Brant, 2nd year Pandora," she stated, "pleasure to meet a fellow southerner. There's so many here from up north that it borders on ridiculous. You find a partner yet?"
"Not yet," Davis smiled, "I've found one girl that I think would be a good match, though."
"Really?"
"I'll tell you more later, but it's looking good so far," he smiled, "Want to grab a bite of lunch?"
"Sure," Katharyn laughed, "Let's go."
End Chapter 1.
A/N - This is the start of a total rewrite of "The Phoenix Limit". I found that I wasn't completely happy with the way the original writing went, and that I wanted to explore things more with certain characters, so, here we stand. I've got a few more chapters hand written, and will be uploading them soon.