Chapter 12: Deja Vu
When Teli awoke she was in a little room with thick metal walls. She was sitting in a corner, hands tied behind her back, ankles bound as well. The room she was in looked more like a box, 4ft by 4ft by 4ft. Actually, it was those dimensions exactly, as Teli found out when her brain scanned and calculated the distances. 'Where am I?' Teli thought, suddenly alarmed.
Having no idea how much time had passed; Teli called up her retinal clock. She was relieved to find that it was only a half hour later. That meant she couldn't have been transported far. The oddest sense of déjà vu suddenly swept over Teli as she sat there, adjusting her night vision eyes to the low light level. She knew she had been in a box like this before, but when and why she did not know. The feeling rattled her and she broke out in a cold sweat.
Aside from the déjà vu, which Teli couldn't seem to shake, her brain started going into what Teli could only describe as automatic pilot. In a matter of seconds she was processing information and instructions that were surfacing from her subconscious faster then she had ever thought possible.
Following her instincts, Teli slowly twisted her wrists so her hands were palm to palm. With some careful motions, her left thumb was painlessly dislocated and she slipped her hands out of their bondage, popping her thumb back into place in the process. 'I seem to discover more useful talents right when I need them,' Teli thought, half sarcastically, as she untied the bonds around her ankles. Unable to stand, Teli crouched and tried to move around to detect any weaknesses in the walls. On impulse, she switched her vision to infrared, trying to detect any extra heat in the walls that would indicate a weakness or a stress point.
'I know there's a weakness, there always is one... Whoa! How did I know that?! This is really bizarre. In a corner, that's where the joints are, most likely to be weak there. Where the hell am I?! Have to hit the weak point with a lot of force, best to try a kick, more power that way. Okay, whatever happened to me before I was five... I'm starting to think I really don't want to know...' Teli stream of thought continued as she meticulously scanned the walls.
Finally, the last upper corner to be scanned showed some slight signs of heat, 'most likely due to the friction when I was put in here. Funny, that's just where it was the last time, odd, they've never repeated a spot before...' Teli stopped that thought with a shake of her head; she'd deal with disturbing thought later, now she had to concentrate on getting out. Teli made her body into a coiled spring in the opposite corner and readied for the kick. The corner broke much easier then Teli had been expecting and she came flying out of the box, landing automatically in a defensive crouch.
She was in what looked like a typical unfinished basement. The oddest feeling that this wasn't what she'd been expecting shook her. Teli quickly scanned the room, but no one was there. A small sigh escaped her lips as she spotted some stairs in the opposite wall.
The click of a stopwatch met Teli's ears as she burst up the stairs and through another door. Teli instinctively froze.
"That was impressively unimpressive, 274." A cool, hard voice commented. Teli almost snapped to attention, catching the word 'sir' just before it left her mouth. 'Who?' Teli wondered at the number. A young man, maybe 35 by Teli's judgment, leaned casually against a regular kitchen counter. After a moment, she recognized her adversary. Even in the dark Teli could make out the innate sense of strength and power that radiated from under the leather jacket.
"Are you just more confident in the dark, or were you getting a little recon on your next target when I saw you at the resort last night?" Teli shot out, briefly wondering why her attitude had flared up, then deciding that she liked it - it hid her tumbling emotions well. A slow smile spread over the dark haired man's face.
"Last time you did that exercise it took you exactly 19.8 seconds, and that included leaping through 6 feet of dirt the box was buried under." He said, ignoring Teli's question.
"Guess that would explain why I came flying out of there this time." Teli said cautiously. She wanted information, but was afraid of what she might find out. The man shrugged and continued on.
"Took you 2 minutes 9 seconds this time." He said pointedly.
"Must be outta practice." Teli shot back, defensively. 'Who is this guy?' Teli wondered frantically.
"Yup. And that's why I'm here." The man dropped his casual act, becoming agitated. He shrugged off the jacket and started circling Teli on light feet. Teli's nerves were about shot and this display alarmed her even more. Yet, the whole situation still seemed strangely familiar - as if she'd run through this routine before. Slowly Teli felt her body change to a defensive stance. As he circled, she noticed that what she had thought was a kitchen, was really just a wide-open room in an un-finished house, the counter being all that had been done. What she didn't see was a potential escape.
He reminded Teli of a cat circling its prey before it pounced, all graceful motions and sinewy strength. Teli pivoted along with his circles, waiting and ready. Her mind seemed to settle and understand the exercise. Then he pounced.
In a frenzy of whirling motion the man came at Teli, almost to fast for her to follow. Almost. Teli whipped back, at first simply staying out of the rain of punches and kicks - blocking those that got too close. But soon, Teli began to see (or was that remember?) the logic to his moves. For that moment, Teli forgot any thought of escape and she jumped into the assault. The first few times, Teli tried an attack of her own, but she was avoided or out maneuvered with a knee in her side or a punch in her face. After a moment there was a sudden pause in the action.
"What are you waiting for? You're faster then this." The man said. The pause caught Teli off guard and being flung across the room was her reward. Her body crashed into a wall and she slid down to the floor, waiting. A questioning glare on her face as she stared at the strange man.
To Teli's surprise, he relaxed from his freighting stance, walked over and offered a hand to pull her up.
"You got an awful funny way of being friendly." Teli said warily, ignoring the hand and standing on her own.
"There are things you need to be reminded off. This is the best way." He stated.
"I suppose that's your justification for locking me in that box earlier too." Teli snapped, emotions taking hold again. The man just gave her a cold stare.
"You're Manticore. It was the fastest and most effective way to remind you of your training. Now it's time for you to go home." He gave her a shove towards the door.
"What?" Teli snapped, suddenly confused at the turn in the conversation.
"Go home." He ordered. "Oh, and I'd recommend not sleeping for a few days, you'll probably have some interesting dreams if you do." He finished. Another light shove sent Teli towards the door. The urge to be home and in her own bed abruptly washed over Teli's senses. She started to head out, but her mind stopped her.
"Wait, who are you?" Teli asked sharply, turning back. The man paused, looking for an answer.
"A friend." He said simply. And then, almost before her eyes, he disappeared. But Teli found herself too emotionally exhausted for the display of speed to impress. Instead, she sighed and headed out the door to jog quickly back home before she was missed.
When Teli awoke she was in a little room with thick metal walls. She was sitting in a corner, hands tied behind her back, ankles bound as well. The room she was in looked more like a box, 4ft by 4ft by 4ft. Actually, it was those dimensions exactly, as Teli found out when her brain scanned and calculated the distances. 'Where am I?' Teli thought, suddenly alarmed.
Having no idea how much time had passed; Teli called up her retinal clock. She was relieved to find that it was only a half hour later. That meant she couldn't have been transported far. The oddest sense of déjà vu suddenly swept over Teli as she sat there, adjusting her night vision eyes to the low light level. She knew she had been in a box like this before, but when and why she did not know. The feeling rattled her and she broke out in a cold sweat.
Aside from the déjà vu, which Teli couldn't seem to shake, her brain started going into what Teli could only describe as automatic pilot. In a matter of seconds she was processing information and instructions that were surfacing from her subconscious faster then she had ever thought possible.
Following her instincts, Teli slowly twisted her wrists so her hands were palm to palm. With some careful motions, her left thumb was painlessly dislocated and she slipped her hands out of their bondage, popping her thumb back into place in the process. 'I seem to discover more useful talents right when I need them,' Teli thought, half sarcastically, as she untied the bonds around her ankles. Unable to stand, Teli crouched and tried to move around to detect any weaknesses in the walls. On impulse, she switched her vision to infrared, trying to detect any extra heat in the walls that would indicate a weakness or a stress point.
'I know there's a weakness, there always is one... Whoa! How did I know that?! This is really bizarre. In a corner, that's where the joints are, most likely to be weak there. Where the hell am I?! Have to hit the weak point with a lot of force, best to try a kick, more power that way. Okay, whatever happened to me before I was five... I'm starting to think I really don't want to know...' Teli stream of thought continued as she meticulously scanned the walls.
Finally, the last upper corner to be scanned showed some slight signs of heat, 'most likely due to the friction when I was put in here. Funny, that's just where it was the last time, odd, they've never repeated a spot before...' Teli stopped that thought with a shake of her head; she'd deal with disturbing thought later, now she had to concentrate on getting out. Teli made her body into a coiled spring in the opposite corner and readied for the kick. The corner broke much easier then Teli had been expecting and she came flying out of the box, landing automatically in a defensive crouch.
She was in what looked like a typical unfinished basement. The oddest feeling that this wasn't what she'd been expecting shook her. Teli quickly scanned the room, but no one was there. A small sigh escaped her lips as she spotted some stairs in the opposite wall.
The click of a stopwatch met Teli's ears as she burst up the stairs and through another door. Teli instinctively froze.
"That was impressively unimpressive, 274." A cool, hard voice commented. Teli almost snapped to attention, catching the word 'sir' just before it left her mouth. 'Who?' Teli wondered at the number. A young man, maybe 35 by Teli's judgment, leaned casually against a regular kitchen counter. After a moment, she recognized her adversary. Even in the dark Teli could make out the innate sense of strength and power that radiated from under the leather jacket.
"Are you just more confident in the dark, or were you getting a little recon on your next target when I saw you at the resort last night?" Teli shot out, briefly wondering why her attitude had flared up, then deciding that she liked it - it hid her tumbling emotions well. A slow smile spread over the dark haired man's face.
"Last time you did that exercise it took you exactly 19.8 seconds, and that included leaping through 6 feet of dirt the box was buried under." He said, ignoring Teli's question.
"Guess that would explain why I came flying out of there this time." Teli said cautiously. She wanted information, but was afraid of what she might find out. The man shrugged and continued on.
"Took you 2 minutes 9 seconds this time." He said pointedly.
"Must be outta practice." Teli shot back, defensively. 'Who is this guy?' Teli wondered frantically.
"Yup. And that's why I'm here." The man dropped his casual act, becoming agitated. He shrugged off the jacket and started circling Teli on light feet. Teli's nerves were about shot and this display alarmed her even more. Yet, the whole situation still seemed strangely familiar - as if she'd run through this routine before. Slowly Teli felt her body change to a defensive stance. As he circled, she noticed that what she had thought was a kitchen, was really just a wide-open room in an un-finished house, the counter being all that had been done. What she didn't see was a potential escape.
He reminded Teli of a cat circling its prey before it pounced, all graceful motions and sinewy strength. Teli pivoted along with his circles, waiting and ready. Her mind seemed to settle and understand the exercise. Then he pounced.
In a frenzy of whirling motion the man came at Teli, almost to fast for her to follow. Almost. Teli whipped back, at first simply staying out of the rain of punches and kicks - blocking those that got too close. But soon, Teli began to see (or was that remember?) the logic to his moves. For that moment, Teli forgot any thought of escape and she jumped into the assault. The first few times, Teli tried an attack of her own, but she was avoided or out maneuvered with a knee in her side or a punch in her face. After a moment there was a sudden pause in the action.
"What are you waiting for? You're faster then this." The man said. The pause caught Teli off guard and being flung across the room was her reward. Her body crashed into a wall and she slid down to the floor, waiting. A questioning glare on her face as she stared at the strange man.
To Teli's surprise, he relaxed from his freighting stance, walked over and offered a hand to pull her up.
"You got an awful funny way of being friendly." Teli said warily, ignoring the hand and standing on her own.
"There are things you need to be reminded off. This is the best way." He stated.
"I suppose that's your justification for locking me in that box earlier too." Teli snapped, emotions taking hold again. The man just gave her a cold stare.
"You're Manticore. It was the fastest and most effective way to remind you of your training. Now it's time for you to go home." He gave her a shove towards the door.
"What?" Teli snapped, suddenly confused at the turn in the conversation.
"Go home." He ordered. "Oh, and I'd recommend not sleeping for a few days, you'll probably have some interesting dreams if you do." He finished. Another light shove sent Teli towards the door. The urge to be home and in her own bed abruptly washed over Teli's senses. She started to head out, but her mind stopped her.
"Wait, who are you?" Teli asked sharply, turning back. The man paused, looking for an answer.
"A friend." He said simply. And then, almost before her eyes, he disappeared. But Teli found herself too emotionally exhausted for the display of speed to impress. Instead, she sighed and headed out the door to jog quickly back home before she was missed.