Chapter 15
"What do you mean The Mistress is your mother?!" Jen asked.
"Mutants don't consider their parents the same way humans do," Lucas explained. "Dash told me once."
"Right, Lucas," Nadira said. "When I say she's my mother, I mean she's the one who bred me."
"Bred you? Aren't mutants the product of accidents?" Trip asked.
"Some of them," Nadira said. "But there are way too many scientists playing around with genes, they play, they create mutants who don't match their theory and they leave them to die in a sewer; then they go around saying Time Force should work harder to put all mutants under control, but they don't stop making them."
"There are scientists creating mutants?" Jen asked.
"Yes," Nadira said, a bit angry. "Human scientists. There was this one who tried to make humans breathe underwater, so he added a couple of fish genes to the 'DNA recipe', and there you go! He created Fat Catfish."
The Rangers looked at each other. "Nadira, do you happen to have any names, by any chance?" Jen asked.
"Names?"
"Yes, of the scientists, I have the feeling these are unregistered experiments, so they are illegal. If you have any names, you can tell us and we can stop them."
"No, Jen, sorry," Nadira said sadly. "I don't have any names, but perhaps Daddy."
Jen nodded. She took Ransik's hand again. Since he had stopped the Mutorgs he looked like a human, but he was still a mutant, he still could fire energy balls, but he no longer could pull weapons out of his body, for which Jen, and the rest of the Time Force, were very glad. She was focusing on entering his mind, when somebody opened the door to the cubicle. It was Alex.
"Whatever it is you are doing with Ransik, I think you might want to take a look at Brynn first," he said. Jen stood up, ready to leave, when she was stopped by a hand that grabbed her arm.
"It's not safe, Jen," Nadira warned.
"Why not?"
"Her mind has been scrambled, you might get lost in there forever."
"Her mind has been scrambled?" Jen repeated.
"Yes, I saw it, but I couldn't help her."
"Why not?"
"Because I couldn't see who was attacking her."
"Were they doing it from afar?" Lucas asked Jen. She shrugged.
"No," Nadira said. "He was there, he talked but I couldn't see him."
"Catgat," Jen said softly, suddenly understanding.
"Who?"
"Catgat," she repeated louder. "The psychic mutant who attacked me in my mind," she explained. "He said he was invisible and blind in the real world."
"I think Tatag could see him."
"Who's Tatag?" Jen asked.
"The other mutant," Nadira said. "He's worked for the Mistress for years, in fact he was the one who delivered me to dad," she said.
"Tatag? Catgat?" Alex repeated. "It's an awful lot of a's, g's and t's."
"Later," Jen told him off. "If you think it's not safe for me to enter Brynn's mind, I won't," she told Nadira. "Alex, I honestly think waking Ransik up is priority, because he has valuable information, and valuable informants."
"Informants?"
"Yes, he knew about the attack on Brynn, didn't he? He must have an insider," Jen said.
"Right, wake him up," Alex authorized. He turned to Katie and Lucas. "Did you find out anything on those posed bodies?"
"Not yet," she said. "But we found the bodies of the kindergarten children, and they were posed as well."
"Posed to look like what?" Jen asked.
"That's what we are trying to find out, Jen," the black girl said.
"Any ideas?"
"No, Alex, only questions," she said. "Why are they feeding on children, and what do these children have in common, why have they been fed to these mutants, why them and not others? Why not adults?"
"The building they attacked is inhabited mostly by scientists," Trip remembered. "Maybe that's it."
"I think that's only part of it, Trip. But it might be a start," Jen said, looking at Alex.
"Ok, stay here, doing your thing," he said. "We'll go to the office and bring you the case file."
"No need, I'm getting out tomorrow."
"How? I thought you were going to be left in for observation, because of the OD."
"Now I'm no longer depressed, am I?" she asked smiling and kissing his lips softly. "I'll take care of the doctor, and leave tomorrow, for now go to sleep, if we don't rest we can't think." The others nodded.
"I'll stay with you," Alex said. "Just in case."
"Ok, you guys go to sleep, please," she insisted.
"Let's go," Katie said. "Come on, Trip, I'll give you a ride."
"Nadira, are you staying here?" Lucas asked.
"Of course," she answered.
"Then I'll stay with you. Come on, let's get something to drink," he invited. Nadira looked at Jen, who smiled softly.
"He'll be alright, I promise, try to get some sleep, you too." Nadira left with Lucas and Trip with Katie.
Jen sat on the chair Nadira had left and took Ransik's hand. She looked up at Alex. "Whatever happens don't shake me or wake me up."
"I know."
"I love you," she said.
"And I love you," he answered, kissing her softly.
She closed her eyes, and entered into Ransik's mind.
********
It was dark and cold. She walked, hearing voices, lots of voices. Some of them laughed, some of them menaced, some of them screamed, scared. She saw a light and walked to it. She saw herself telling Ransik: "Come and GET me!"
"Time Ranger?" she heard Ransik ask. She turned around, he was sitting on the floor, dressed in rags, and covering his face. "Please help me, don't run away, don't run please!"
"It's ok, Ransik, I won't run," she assured him. "I'm here to help you, you have to come with me," she told him.
"NO, I-I can't," he said.
"Why not?"
"The Mistress, she'll kill me!"
"Who's The Mistress?" Jen asked.
"Someone powerful, someone very powerful."
"Who is she? Do you know her name?"
"Nobody does," he said. "She's always covered, she's always lying, you can never know. what's true and what's not.The Mistress knows it all, and she's always lying! ALWAYS!!"
"All right, Ransik, calm down," she said. The mutant was really scared. "I'm not going to hurt you or let anyone hurt you," she assured him, stretching her hand. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then he took it.
"Save me!" he said.
"Don't worry, Ransik, Come with me," she said.
"The Mistress is after me, she's after me," he kept saying.
"Don't worry; she won't be able to hurt you while you are with us," she said, patting his hand. "Go this way." She pointed to the front. "You'll get out of here, you'll wake up, and then we'll talk, okay?"
"Okay," he said and walked.
She got out. He woke up.
*******
"The Mistress is after me," Ransik growled.
"Why?" Alex asked.
"She wants Nadira back."
"Ransik," Jen started. "How much do you know about The Mistress?"
"More than I should," he said, shaking his head. "I know more about her than she thinks."
"Can you tell us anything?"
"No," he said. "That's out of the question."
"Why not?" Alex asked.
"Because she'll know he knows," Jen said. "The only mutant willing to tell us this kind of information is him."
"Right," Ransik said.
"So, what do we do now?" Alex asked.
"We go to sleep," she said. "And next time we see Tatag or Catgat, you make sure to capture one of them and I'll do the rest."
They left when Nadira and Lucas got back. They got to Jen's room upstairs, and she got into bed. "I'm tired," she said.
He sat next to her on the bed. "You must be, get some sleep, but not too much."
"I would never get too much sleep now," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed for a long time.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," Jen said. She lay back on the bed. "Get some sleep."
Alex lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He soon felt his eyelids falling heavily over his eyes and fell asleep.
Jen smiled in the dark. Now she had made herself sure Alex was asleep, she was free to think about the case all night long. She closed her eyes, and focused on her new challenge. She started to review things backwards, starting with Ransik.
If he knows something more than we think about The Mistress, and that something's got anything to do with Nadira, then he won't tell. Especially if telling us puts Nadira in danger. But what is it he knows about her that he can't tell us? Does he know who she is? No. I have the feeling there's something else, something deeper.
Then she went on to the children.
What's so special about those children? Why them and not other children? Then again, why not adults? Does their parents' profession have anything to do with it?
Finally, before she fell asleep, she thought of the most important questions: Who's The Mistress? And why did she attack ME?
To be continued.
"What do you mean The Mistress is your mother?!" Jen asked.
"Mutants don't consider their parents the same way humans do," Lucas explained. "Dash told me once."
"Right, Lucas," Nadira said. "When I say she's my mother, I mean she's the one who bred me."
"Bred you? Aren't mutants the product of accidents?" Trip asked.
"Some of them," Nadira said. "But there are way too many scientists playing around with genes, they play, they create mutants who don't match their theory and they leave them to die in a sewer; then they go around saying Time Force should work harder to put all mutants under control, but they don't stop making them."
"There are scientists creating mutants?" Jen asked.
"Yes," Nadira said, a bit angry. "Human scientists. There was this one who tried to make humans breathe underwater, so he added a couple of fish genes to the 'DNA recipe', and there you go! He created Fat Catfish."
The Rangers looked at each other. "Nadira, do you happen to have any names, by any chance?" Jen asked.
"Names?"
"Yes, of the scientists, I have the feeling these are unregistered experiments, so they are illegal. If you have any names, you can tell us and we can stop them."
"No, Jen, sorry," Nadira said sadly. "I don't have any names, but perhaps Daddy."
Jen nodded. She took Ransik's hand again. Since he had stopped the Mutorgs he looked like a human, but he was still a mutant, he still could fire energy balls, but he no longer could pull weapons out of his body, for which Jen, and the rest of the Time Force, were very glad. She was focusing on entering his mind, when somebody opened the door to the cubicle. It was Alex.
"Whatever it is you are doing with Ransik, I think you might want to take a look at Brynn first," he said. Jen stood up, ready to leave, when she was stopped by a hand that grabbed her arm.
"It's not safe, Jen," Nadira warned.
"Why not?"
"Her mind has been scrambled, you might get lost in there forever."
"Her mind has been scrambled?" Jen repeated.
"Yes, I saw it, but I couldn't help her."
"Why not?"
"Because I couldn't see who was attacking her."
"Were they doing it from afar?" Lucas asked Jen. She shrugged.
"No," Nadira said. "He was there, he talked but I couldn't see him."
"Catgat," Jen said softly, suddenly understanding.
"Who?"
"Catgat," she repeated louder. "The psychic mutant who attacked me in my mind," she explained. "He said he was invisible and blind in the real world."
"I think Tatag could see him."
"Who's Tatag?" Jen asked.
"The other mutant," Nadira said. "He's worked for the Mistress for years, in fact he was the one who delivered me to dad," she said.
"Tatag? Catgat?" Alex repeated. "It's an awful lot of a's, g's and t's."
"Later," Jen told him off. "If you think it's not safe for me to enter Brynn's mind, I won't," she told Nadira. "Alex, I honestly think waking Ransik up is priority, because he has valuable information, and valuable informants."
"Informants?"
"Yes, he knew about the attack on Brynn, didn't he? He must have an insider," Jen said.
"Right, wake him up," Alex authorized. He turned to Katie and Lucas. "Did you find out anything on those posed bodies?"
"Not yet," she said. "But we found the bodies of the kindergarten children, and they were posed as well."
"Posed to look like what?" Jen asked.
"That's what we are trying to find out, Jen," the black girl said.
"Any ideas?"
"No, Alex, only questions," she said. "Why are they feeding on children, and what do these children have in common, why have they been fed to these mutants, why them and not others? Why not adults?"
"The building they attacked is inhabited mostly by scientists," Trip remembered. "Maybe that's it."
"I think that's only part of it, Trip. But it might be a start," Jen said, looking at Alex.
"Ok, stay here, doing your thing," he said. "We'll go to the office and bring you the case file."
"No need, I'm getting out tomorrow."
"How? I thought you were going to be left in for observation, because of the OD."
"Now I'm no longer depressed, am I?" she asked smiling and kissing his lips softly. "I'll take care of the doctor, and leave tomorrow, for now go to sleep, if we don't rest we can't think." The others nodded.
"I'll stay with you," Alex said. "Just in case."
"Ok, you guys go to sleep, please," she insisted.
"Let's go," Katie said. "Come on, Trip, I'll give you a ride."
"Nadira, are you staying here?" Lucas asked.
"Of course," she answered.
"Then I'll stay with you. Come on, let's get something to drink," he invited. Nadira looked at Jen, who smiled softly.
"He'll be alright, I promise, try to get some sleep, you too." Nadira left with Lucas and Trip with Katie.
Jen sat on the chair Nadira had left and took Ransik's hand. She looked up at Alex. "Whatever happens don't shake me or wake me up."
"I know."
"I love you," she said.
"And I love you," he answered, kissing her softly.
She closed her eyes, and entered into Ransik's mind.
********
It was dark and cold. She walked, hearing voices, lots of voices. Some of them laughed, some of them menaced, some of them screamed, scared. She saw a light and walked to it. She saw herself telling Ransik: "Come and GET me!"
"Time Ranger?" she heard Ransik ask. She turned around, he was sitting on the floor, dressed in rags, and covering his face. "Please help me, don't run away, don't run please!"
"It's ok, Ransik, I won't run," she assured him. "I'm here to help you, you have to come with me," she told him.
"NO, I-I can't," he said.
"Why not?"
"The Mistress, she'll kill me!"
"Who's The Mistress?" Jen asked.
"Someone powerful, someone very powerful."
"Who is she? Do you know her name?"
"Nobody does," he said. "She's always covered, she's always lying, you can never know. what's true and what's not.The Mistress knows it all, and she's always lying! ALWAYS!!"
"All right, Ransik, calm down," she said. The mutant was really scared. "I'm not going to hurt you or let anyone hurt you," she assured him, stretching her hand. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then he took it.
"Save me!" he said.
"Don't worry, Ransik, Come with me," she said.
"The Mistress is after me, she's after me," he kept saying.
"Don't worry; she won't be able to hurt you while you are with us," she said, patting his hand. "Go this way." She pointed to the front. "You'll get out of here, you'll wake up, and then we'll talk, okay?"
"Okay," he said and walked.
She got out. He woke up.
*******
"The Mistress is after me," Ransik growled.
"Why?" Alex asked.
"She wants Nadira back."
"Ransik," Jen started. "How much do you know about The Mistress?"
"More than I should," he said, shaking his head. "I know more about her than she thinks."
"Can you tell us anything?"
"No," he said. "That's out of the question."
"Why not?" Alex asked.
"Because she'll know he knows," Jen said. "The only mutant willing to tell us this kind of information is him."
"Right," Ransik said.
"So, what do we do now?" Alex asked.
"We go to sleep," she said. "And next time we see Tatag or Catgat, you make sure to capture one of them and I'll do the rest."
They left when Nadira and Lucas got back. They got to Jen's room upstairs, and she got into bed. "I'm tired," she said.
He sat next to her on the bed. "You must be, get some sleep, but not too much."
"I would never get too much sleep now," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed for a long time.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," Jen said. She lay back on the bed. "Get some sleep."
Alex lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He soon felt his eyelids falling heavily over his eyes and fell asleep.
Jen smiled in the dark. Now she had made herself sure Alex was asleep, she was free to think about the case all night long. She closed her eyes, and focused on her new challenge. She started to review things backwards, starting with Ransik.
If he knows something more than we think about The Mistress, and that something's got anything to do with Nadira, then he won't tell. Especially if telling us puts Nadira in danger. But what is it he knows about her that he can't tell us? Does he know who she is? No. I have the feeling there's something else, something deeper.
Then she went on to the children.
What's so special about those children? Why them and not other children? Then again, why not adults? Does their parents' profession have anything to do with it?
Finally, before she fell asleep, she thought of the most important questions: Who's The Mistress? And why did she attack ME?
To be continued.
