Freezing: The Phoenix Limit
Chapter 4: Actions and Reactions.
Houston, TX – Scott Residence – 8 months prior to Davis entering Limiter training
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon as the Scott family was out and about on their property, either clipping the pasture, or the front yard. Davis, was helping his father cut off a few pesky limbs from some trees that kept hitting family members in the head when they rode by on the lawn tractor. He held his father up, in place, as the elder Scott cut the limbs down with a industrial STIHL chainsaw, and Davis eased the limbs down with his telekinetic powers.
"Pops," Davis said to his father, "I think we have company. Coming up the driveway." James Scott looked and saw a black limo coming up the family's gravel driveway, and stop in front of the house. The driver opened the back door, and two men stepped out. One of them, Davis recognized as Dr. Aoi, the one who had enhanced his psionic abilities. The other one, he didn't recognize, but apparently, his father did.
"Howard, this is a surprise," James Scott noted, as his son set him on the ground, "You here to discuss the TAP project we talked about last week?" The TAP project, short for Trans-Atlantic Pipeline, was a monumental undertaking by both British Petroleum and the Boardwalk energy group, bringing American oil to Europe, through Britain, and was mired in governmental red tape from both the American and British governments.
"Actually, James," Howard El Bridget responded, "We want to talk to both you and your son, Davis. It's important, which is why Gengo and I are here in person."
This piqued Davis' curiosity. So, he did a little digging in Howard's mind, and saw his concerns. "Chevalier?" the young man asked.
"Yes," Gengo Aoi answered, "Can we go inside and talk, James?"
"Sure," the Scott Patriarch nodded, "Davis, tell your mom that we've got company, and to meet us inside."
"Already did, Pops," Davis smiled, as the four entered the Scott home, and sat down in the living room. Marie joined them a couple of minutes later, with some tea for each one.
"As you know, the Chevalier is made up of influential individuals from all industrialized nations, and was formed to come up with ideas to combat the NOVA," Howard El Bridget began. "However," he shook his head saying this, "There may be those among the Chevalier who don't really have humanity's best interests at heart. It's that sort of corruption that we want to avoid, but in a group like this, it seems unavoidable."
"I would think that with a global threat like the NOVA, they would put that kind of nonsense aside," Marie Scott commented.
"Greed is something that can't be put aside, in some," Howard continued, "I have contributed a good amount of my time and fortune to the Chevalier, seeing it as humanity's best chance against the NOVA, but some only want to use it for their own purposes. James, I take it you know what I'm talking about."
"I've sat in on some meetings, already, Howard," James added, "And the fact that they only look at the Pandora as weapons is just...sickening. The Genetics system that was put in place as training centers for those who have the ability is a good one, and putting one in each member nation was inspired. However, there are those, especially in countries like Russia, that worry me. After the NOVA threat is dealt with, what would the Russians do with the Pandora already serving at Genetics Moscow? Not going to lie, Howard, but it worries me."
"I worry more about the research side of it," Gengo Aoi interjected, "Those who would take what we've already done and create something awful from it, or would just use innocent people as guinea pigs in some sick experiment to create a more powerful Pandora."
"That worries me, too," Howard noted, "Davis, I know you applied to enter limiter training, but I have a favor to ask. Off the record. If you encounter someone from Chevalier, who you think is doing something unethical, or immoral, during your time at Genetics, I want you to let me, or Dr. Aoi know."
Davis looked to his father, then his mother, then to the two guests, "I don't know what I'll see there, Dr. Aoi, Mr. El Bridget. But since you asked, I can't say no." The young boy walked over to the two, standing before them, "I'm in your minds now, memorizing your mental imprints. I don't know how I can help, but if I can, I will."
"That's all we ask, Davis," Gengo Aoi assured the young man.
Alaska – E-Pandora Base – Davis and Kate's Room.
"This sure qualifies as both unethical and immoral," Davis thinks to himself as he watches Kate try to calm Amelia Evans down, "Alaska isn't far from Japan. I'm sure I can find Dr. Aoi's mental imprint, if I look hard enough. But I need more evidence, first. I guess that means more dumpster diving in Spencer and Ohara's minds."
He sits down in a lotus position and closes his eyes. Searching through the minds of everyone at the base, to find Ohara and Spencer, wasn't difficult, given the fact that he memorized their mental imprints as well. This time, though, he decided to have some fun with Dr. Ohara, as he went through her memories.
Research Lab
Dr. Scarlet Ohara looked over the results of the stigmata compatibility test she had run on Gina Papelton as the girl slept. "85% compatibility," she wondered, "When she wasn't compatible before. Also, what about that limiter? What did he mean, 'above my pay grade'? What is he?"
"Oh, you are a curious one," came a voice in Ohara's mind, as she felt every bit of the impact of the psionic invasion of her mind, "But I'm afraid that there are some things that you just will never understand. Oh? What's this? You're making clones of Maria Lancelot in your spare time, and using project funding to do so? Oh, this is rich. I'm sure someone will LOVE to see this. Then there's the Mark III, and Mark IV experiments. You've been a naughty girl, Doctor Ohara. But don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you soon enough."
Ohara then relaxed as the invasion of her psyche ended, and the voice quieted. "What was that?" she asked herself, "And how did it know about...wait, it was in my mind?"
Mark Spencer's Office
The Chevalier chairman sat at his desk reading over the reports of the incident involving Gina Papelton. He pondered what to do about the limiter who stopped the NOVA transformed E-Pandora's assault, but then felt a surge of pain in his head. He gripped his head between his hands as an unseen force wreaked havoc on his brain.
"So, these people are just useful to you as guinea pigs, eh?" a voice asked, "They're not even human anymore, are they? Only useful to give you data to continue this project. Human lives have no meaning to you, do they? Well, I've seen all I need to, Chairman Spencer. Get ready, because your world is about to come crashing down."
Spencer released his head as the pain ceased, and the voice left him. "What was that?" he wondered.
Davis and Kate's Room
"Well, That was fun," Davis said out loud, as he stood up and stretched his legs.
"What'd you do?" Amelia inquired.
"Oh, just invaded their minds, as painfully as I could, and got all the evidence I needed on the E-Pandora project. Now, I just need to contact the right people."
"Spencer and Ohara could retaliate," Kate noted.
"Doing what's right is never easy," Davis replied, "But, if it was, it wouldn't be doing what's right, as my Grandpa always said." He sat down in a lotus position, again, this time erecting a telekinetic barrier around the inhabitants of the room, closing his eyes, and stretching out, to find a familiar mental imprint.
Hokkaido, Japan – Dr. Gengo Aoi's office.
He was reading over all the reports that had come out of the E-Pandora project over the past two days. He had asked the Chevalier to be kept aprised of happenings, and since he was the groups foremost expert on the NOVA, they kept him in the loop, by sending any reports that come their way to his desk in Hokkaido. Soon, Gengo Aoi felt his consciousness slip away, and his head went to the surface of the desk.
Elsewhere...
Gengo Aoi looked around and could only see an endless starfield spreading out as far as the eye could see in each direction. "Where am I?" he pondered, "What's going on?"
"We're in the deepest levels of your subconscious, Doctor," came a young, male, voice, "You and Howard El Bridget asked me to contact you if I felt something happening around me was either immoral or unethical." Davis Scott stepped out of the darkness, and stood in front of the scientist. "What I've seen at the E-Pandora project qualifies as both," he added, "I could tell you, but it would be easier to show you." He placed a finger to Gengo's forehead, and all his memories, and the information he retrieved from Ohara and Spencer's minds, flooded into Aoi's mind.
"I've been receiving reports from Alaska, but none of this is mentioned," Aoi stated, "You're right, Davis, this needs to be stopped. I'll get a flight out there as soon as we're done."
"Since we're in your mind," Davis added, "Hardly any time will have passed since I pulled you here, and the moment you awaken. I'm sorry for this, Doctor, but it had to be done this way. Too many lives are at stake for me to use a non-secured method of communication, and this way, I could give you all the evidence I've gathered."
"It's alright, Davis," Gengo reassured the young limiter, "It's understandable. Spencer has a reputation around Chevalier, and apparently, it's well deserved. I'll be there in a few hours. Just hold out until I get there." Davis nodded, and closed the connection between himself and the Doctor.
Davis and Kate's Room
Davis stood up from his seated position. "The evidence is in the right hands," he told Kate. He noticed that his partner and soulmate had just hung up her cell phone.
"None too soon," she responded, "Apparently, someone else found out what's going on and sent out word on a non-secured line."
"Who?" Amelia asked.
"Elizabeth Mably," Katharyn answered, "Davis, she's a friend. We've got to do something."
"We will," Davis nodded, closing his eyes, then dropping to the floor, gripping his head in pain, "Spencer, you've just signed your termination papers. Kate, you and Amelia stay here. I'm taking care of this myself." His uniform changed colors to the red and gold of the Phoenix, as the golden energy aura stretched out around him again, as it had with Gina. Davis strode out of the room with purpose.
Command Headquarters - Hallway
Davis runs into Andre in the hallway, trying to find out more about Elizabeth. "Andre," he said, "Go back to your quarters." He placed a hand on the young frenchman's shoulder "Elly will be back soon. I guarantee you that, my friend."
Andre turned around to see the steely look in Davis' eyes, and the change in the colors of the American's uniform. "Give them hell, Davis," he replied.
"I will." Davis then strode past Andre and used his telekinesis to blast a hole in the wall, and send the pandora guards flying off in each direction. Surrounded by a powerful telekinetic barrier, he calmly made his way through the halls of the command building, sending one guard after another flying away from him, but not killing anyone. They are just doing their jobs after all. It's not their fault that they work for an immoral piece of human refuse. It didn't take him long to find where Elizabeth was being held, and blasted the door off it's hinges. What he saw, though, made him cringe. It's no wonder he felt such pain when he reached out to Elizabeth's mind. She had been stripped to her undergarments, strapped to a chair, and had electrodes placed on her head, receiving electric shocks to her brain. If he wasn't furious before, this made him even more so. His energy aura stretched out, forming the form of the legendary bird of fire, as a telekinetic blast rocked the entire chamber. Davis reached out and caught Elizabeth, before she could hit anything else, and brought her down into his arms, carrying her as he continued to wreak havoc on the torture chamber. He then looked around and found Spencer. The psionic American grabbed the man in a strong grip and pulled him out into the open.
"You think you can just torture someone, for blowing the whistle on your immoral, unethical project, Spencer?" he asked out loud, "I know everything already, and have alerted people in the Chevalier who are above even you. I'd kill you, myself, but I'd rather see you live with the thought that you were found out. Human lives aren't meaningless. All lives in this world matter in some way. You and Ohara are about to find that out. But first, I have a friend to attend to." He telekinetically removed his shirt and placed it over Elizabeth's form, then turned and walked out.
Spencer, not to be made a fool of, reached into his jacket and pulled out a Baretta M92F handgun, aiming at the psionic limiter, and firing off three rounds. None of them hit, and Davis looked back, an enraged look in the young man's eyes. Spencer then went flying backwards through the wall, and the two walls behind that. He got up, but soon felt an immense pain in his mind.
"You think you can kill me that easily, Spencer?" Davis' voice said, "I still won't kill you, but I have no reservations about making you regret that decision. Feel the pain you gave Elizabeth, amplified by a power of 500." Soon, every pain receptor in Spencer's body flared. The corrupt man writhed on the floor in such immense pain that he could barely stay conscious. The pain faded for a matter of a few seconds, before another round hit him, the power of the first flare amplified by a power of 30. Spencer's screams could be heard all over the building. He screamed so loud that his throat felt raw. The immense pain he felt soon rendered him unconscious. His job done, Davis walked out of the room, carrying Elizabeth back to her quarters, and to Andre.
End Chapter 4
Next Chapter 5: Holiday Cheer
