Dimensional Warrior
Chapter 10
Harry and Lily strode down the busy streets of London's business district. They walked in silence, maneuvering around the mass of people, their arms sometimes brushing against one another.
A dense fog hung heavy in the sky, giving everything a dreary look.
Damp air chilled their skin.
Reaching out with his mind, Harry wove a psychic shield around them.
Lily coughed as car exhaust filled her lungs.
She frowned as another person bumped into her.
It had been a long time since she came to the mundane world. The last time she had been here was when she toured a medical college to absorb the spiritual energy left behind by the teachers.
A tingle ran across her skin causing goose pimples to rise on her flesh.
People began subtly shifting around them, their eyes flowing away to look somewhere else as they passed.
"So," Harry began his gaze locked forward, "tell me about yourself."
"I think I'm the one that should be asking you questions," Lily countered, pushing her glasses up on her nose, "after all according to my parents if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be born."
"So, what are you? What does your business do, and why do you do it?"
Inhaling deeply, Harry allowed his mind to filter through the sense, making sure there was no one around that meant to harm them. Moving closer, he wrapped an arm around Lily's waist.
She tensed but didn't pull away, her curiosity more than enough to allow this closeness.
"I am a mutant from another universe, born from a powerful psychic taught magic, and a mutant reincarnated into the body of a god. My world was overrun by alien parasites that took control of the populace," he glanced at her, "I seek to make sure that doesn't happen here."
"To that end, I seek to help the people of this world reach their full potential. The elves have a strong connection with nature, so I gave them the technology that will help it recover from humanity's cruelty and ignorance. As the earth recovers, the elves will grow stronger in the overall life of the inhabitants of this planet will be better."
"The dwarves are master crafters, so I gave them tools that will allow them to get what they need without having to tear up the earth."
"What about the mutants?"
Harry exhaled, slowly shaking his head, "Our people are so spread out that I don't know how to help them. Each one experiences pain, but not always the same way. That makes it harder for them to trust others, even those of their own race."
"Our people?" Lily questioned.
A small smile spread across Harry's face, he glanced at her, "I have heard what you have done for the mutants that have moved into the wizarding world."
"You have used your knowledge and position to give them a semblance of a normal life. Here, they are wanted even if it's just for their abilities."
"You have given them a place to belong, even if they are being used by society it still better than the way they were treated by the mundanes. From what I understand, whether you have the X gene or not, the mutants of the wizarding world see you as one of them."
Lily pulled away as they stopped before the doors of his building, "it's not right that they are being used, but I had to make the case for them to be allowed into our world. Besides, I know what it's like to be different."
She looked up at the building, it was a pure white rectangle. Windows wrapped around the building, reflecting the lights of its neighbors.
Smooths silver doors stood before them, a seam running down their middle.
–XX –
The doors slid open, and the two stepped inside.
Turning, Harry leaned back against the rails of the elevator.
"Do you regret being born?"
Lily looked at him, light reflected off her silver-framed glasses, "Sometimes I wish I could be normal. Especially after seeing what mutants go through," she shifted her head so that he could see her purple eyes, "but then I realize I'm lucky, I look normal, and my extraordinary abilities are easier to hide. With that luck comes a responsibility to help those that are not so lucky."
The elevator jerked, moving forward.
"That's very noble of you."
"We all have a purpose in life."
The elevator stopped and rotated. With a clunk, the doors opened.
Taking a step forward, Lily paused, looking back at Harry, "I just realized you didn't press any buttons, so how did the elevator know where we were going?"
One corner of Harry's mouth curled, "Magic."
–XX –
Lily entered a large circular room.
Glass panels covered the walls, reflecting her image a dozen times throughout the room.
A table with runes etched into it sat to one side.
A pit lined with stone brick sat a short distance away, cylinders of liquid metal sitting on a runic circle around the pit.
Moving deeper, she caught sight of bookshelves containing vials and ingredients lining the wall beyond the table.
With a click, panels slid away from the walls, revealing row upon row of books.
Moving past her, Harry stood before the philosopher's table. Unlike his first design all those years ago, a holographic runic circle appeared before him. Glancing over his shoulder, he called too Lily.
"Do you mind bringing the package over here please?"
With a wave of her hand, the mechanical half of the alien body floated out of her pocket, enlarging until it was back to its normal size. Another flick of her hand and it settled onto the table before Harry.
"What is that thing?" Lily asked as she closed the distance between them.
"The table or the half of a body?"
Lily gave him a hard look, "The table."
"A tool that helps me break down objects and find out what they're made of."
Placing his hands in the center of the circle of runes, his eyes shone with a sea green light.
Thin green beams of energy began moving from the top and bottom of the table. As they scanned over the body parts on the table, the body dissolved away into small particles of silver dust.
A bright flash temporarily blinded Lily as the two beams met in the middle.
When the light faded, panels of glass were filled with golden curved writing.
"What do you know?"
Harry's eyes moved back and forth along the panels as he spoke, "It appears we're dealing with some kind of organic technological virus."
With a thought, the runic circle shifted into a keyboard. His fingers danced across the keys with the ease of long practice. Runes etched into the table flared, and the silver dust piled on the table floated into the air.
"What are you doing?"
"There's not much I can learn from this since most of the data was erased at the moment of death. What I can do is create something that will allow me to see if there are any other hidden agents on earth," he turned to Lily, "but I'm going to need one thing."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Lily stared back, her eyes narrowed, "what's that?"
"I'm going to need to meet the man that discovered the alien was not John Dawlish."
Lily's lips thinned, "Why?"
A small thin rectangular card floated towards Harry from off the philosopher's table, "Your telepath felt the brain pattern of the alien, I need that brain pattern to find the others." He raised an eyebrow, "Unless you think your telepath is strong enough to scan the entire planet?"
Lily stared at him for a long moment. As far as she knew he had never hurt anyone, but could she really trust him with a ministry asset?
She shook her head. he wasn't an asset, he was a human being, someone that like her knew what it was like to be different.
An image of him flashed in her mind.
He was 5'2" with a lean but emaciated frame. Yellow skin was stretched taut over bone, yellow eyes glowed with an inner light, and blonde hair sat atop an earless skull. Large hands were wrapped around his legs, holding them against his chest.
She shook her head, "I'll do what I can, but be warned, he's," she hesitated, "different and doesn't like visitors."
Harry inclined his head.
"I'll make the call then." Without another word, she turned and strode back into the elevator.
Harry watched her go, with a mental push, he sent the elevator to take her back outside.
Turning to face the shelf lining the back wall, he curled the fingers of his left hand.
A small cylindrical bottle floated through the air, the silver capsules inside rattling against the glass.
Wrapping his finger around the bottle, he shoved it into the pocket of his black slacks. Turning, he made his way to the elevator, "Well, Kevin, let's see if I can make your life a little easier."
–XX –
An hour later, the two walked down the stark white hallway of Saint Mungo's long-term ward. Grey doors were set into stark white walls. Thick blocky black letters proclaim the occupants within.
"Why is a ministry asset in a place like this?"
Lily spoke without turning to look at him.
"He has trouble controlling his abilities. We're trying to teach him to develop his abilities, but until we succeed, he has a specially designed room that keeps the world out."
They stopped before a blank door at the end of the hallway. Copper-colored runes were etched into the metal.
"Is he trapped in there? Is he your prisoner?"
"Of course not," she snapped still staring at the door, "he can leave anytime he wants to. He's just afraid." She finished softly.
Reaching forward, Lily gripped the door handle.
"Are you alright?"
Her back straightened, her lips firmed, and a hardness appeared in her eyes.
"I'm fine."
With a twist of her wrist, the door opened.
–XX –
White padding covered the walls of the small room. Runes had been burned black into the Padding in a specific pattern along the back wall. A desk with a small chair sat on one side of the space.
A bed sat along one wall, and recesses in one corner held clothes and a small assortment of books.
A yellow-skinned man turned in the chair of the desk as they entered, his beady yellow eyes locking on Harry. He rose to his feet, revealing his 5'2" frame.
"Brother," he asked, the movement of his mouth showing off an assortment of missing teeth.
"I am Harry and yes, I am a fellow mutant, so in a way that does make us brothers," he stepped forward, "Hello Kevin."
Kevin raised his large hands forward, grasping Harry's shoulders, "Your mind is so bright."
"Thank you, Kevin, Are you happy here?" He leaned forward, "do you want me to help you leave?"
Kevin stepped back pulling at the hymn of the grey shirt he wore. "No," he shook his head, his shaggy blonde hair flopping back and forth, "I'm safe here," he turned to stare at the runes burned into the back wall, "That keeps the voices away."
"What if I could help you gain control of your abilities?"
Kevin slowly turned around, hope shining in his pale yellow eyes, "Can you?"
"I would like to try."
Kevin stepped forward.
Harry raised his hands, green energy curling around his fingers.
"Hey wait a minute," Lily called.
Ignoring her, Harry placed his hands on either side of Kevin's head.
Green energy curled along his yellow skin, seeping into his eyes.
Green energy burst from Kevin's eyes, and both of them were pulled elsewhere.
At that same moment, a crescent blast of sea-green energy shot from Harry's body slicing the rune that kept the world out of Kevin's mind in half
–XX –
Harry found himself standing in a vortex of screaming faces made of yellow energy.
Kevin crouched at his feet; his arms wrapped over his head as he tried to block out the noise.
Crouching down, Harry stared into the teen's frightened eyes, "Kevin, listen to me the first thing you need to do in order to gain peace is form mental barriers to block out the world."
"I don't know how to do that," Kevin shouted over the screams.
"This is your mind. All it takes is a force of will."
Kevin closed his eyes, hiding his pale sunken yellow orbs from view. He concentrated the skin at the corners of his face wrinkling. After a moment, he opened his eyes, "I can't do it." He cried desperation and despair filling his voice.
Harry stretched forth a hand wreathed in sea green energy, "Take my hand, and I will guide you."
Kevin half lunged forward like a drowning man, grasping Harry's hand with both of his.
Green energy shot from Harry, creating a tower as it spun through the air. The rotation of the tower pulled in the screaming faces, and for the first time since he reached his teens, it was quiet in Kevin's mind.
Kevin relaxed. He looked into Harry's glowing Emerald eyes, "It's so quiet."
"Now, we can begin."
Over the next four hours, Harry taught Kevin control.
Once his mental barriers were in place, he taught Kevin to form a web within his mind with him standing in the center. Each strand of the web led to a mind within his vicinity.
When Kevin was finally able to conjure the threads of the mind web, Harry stepped back, a wide smile across his face.
Now he felt like he had truly made a difference in the world.
"It's time to go. Why don't you do the honors?"
Standing tall, his body no longer weighed down by his own powers, Kevin's pale yellow eyes flashed with energy.
It exploded outwards, filling the space, and Harry's smile widened as he felt his soul? Mental self? Returning to his body.
–XX –
Lily started awake as Kevin and Harry shifted.
She watched as Kevin straightened as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He stared at Harry, unshed tears glistening in his eyes, "It's so quiet, how can I ever thank you?"
Reaching into the pocket of his dark slacks, Harry pulled out the silver card he had forge from the technological remains of the fake Dawlish. "I need the mental impressions of the alien you found in the ministry of magic."
Lily watched as Kevin took the card. With relaxed ease, thin threads of yellow light weaved across the card forming an image of the alien Dawlish.
Once Kevin handed the card back, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of silver pills. He offered them to Kevin, "Here."
Taking the bottle in his large yellow hand, Kevin stared at it.
"What are they?"
"I call them Shapers. They are pills designed to allow a mutant to take on a humanoid form of what they would look like without the changes their mutation causes. Take these to your friends, it will help you live a normal life."
Kevin's hand tightened around the bottle, "We shouldn't have to hide," he said his voice filled with sadness and anger.
"I know," Harry said laying a hand on his shoulder, "but until we can forge a place for ourselves in this world, we must, or else the humans will exterminate us."
Releasing Kevin's shoulder, Harry turned.
Kevin called out to him, "You know Calypso won't accept a gift."
"Tell her to come and see me in a few days. She is more than welcome to bring anyone she likes."
With his message given, Harry moved forward, only to stop as Lily grabbed his arm.
"What did you do?"
"I gave him hope."