Chapter 3: The Other "Recruit"
"Good morning, Michael!" came a cheery cry from nearby.
"Whazza?" I mumbled. I was waking up rather slowly. It had been nice to spend a night in my human form, but I was reminded that I had never been a morning person.
"Its time for you to meet the other recruit," Silver said from where he was sitting.
"Silver? How long have you been here?" I asked.
"Not too long, just a few hours. You must realize, when you're in your human form you may keep most of your abilities, but you are also subject to the limits of the human body. You still need just as much sleep as you used to need before we changed you. So, if you wouldn't mind assuming your lugia form so that you can be alert, we can continue this talk." Silver told me. Groggily, I tried to remember how to get back to my lugia form, and then I applied the energy where it was needed. As the transformation progressed, my drowsiness faded rapidly.
Sorry about that. Why do I need to meet the other recruit now?
"We kept her as a human while you adjusted and trained. You see, for the transformation to work, every lugia on a particular planet has to be involved in it. Its a limit placed on us so that one of us couldn't just convert everyone they met. Anyway, Ryujin and Bozu have been keeping up the illusion of a research lab for the benefit of the other recruit, but now its time to introduce her to what she is really needed for.
"You already have knowledge of the ritual involved—it was packed into one of the knowledge bursts I gave you, and its not something you need to practice—but it is time we change her and give you some time off while she adjusts. Then we'll let you both know about our policies in more detail, and how we're changing them."
I vaguely recalled Silver mentioning two recruits and changing policies when I was first changed, and was interested in knowing how they had changed. First, though, I wanted to see who this other recruit was. Thankfully, the answer wasn't long in coming. Silver reverted to his lugia form, and we flew off to a nearby beach, where we both changed back to our human forms. We walked to the road, and then drove off to a restaurant. I was surprised to notice it was the same one where I had had lunch with Silver, Bozu, and Ryujin. I walked in with Silver, and the waitress took us to a table for five. We only had to wait a few minutes before Bozu and Ryujin walked in along with a girl that...I KNEW her!
"Sarah?" I asked, surprised.
"Michael? What are you doing here?" she asked me. "I haven't seen you in class for the last week and a half, and I didn't see you at the lab either!'
Silver sent me a worried reminder to not tell her what was going on just yet. I sent back, I know. I'll handle it, just give me a first name to use. Silver told me to use Jason,and I said "I was doing fieldwork with Jason. We were studying sea temperatures to examine how well they'd support algae."
"You just left without telling anyone! Dr. Scott was worried about you! And Mr. K wasn't too happy about you missing class again..." she said reproachfully.
"It came up at the last minute. I was a bit too eager to get into the fieldwork, perhaps, but I'll explain to them what's going on. So what have you been doing at the lab?" And with that, the conversation shifted to small talk about our "field data" and the theoretical work at the lab. I was relieved to notice that Sarah had ordered sushi. That would probably ease the transition a bit, since she couldn't be entirely averse to raw fish. Eventually, we finished eating, payed the bill, and left. We drove Sarah out to the beach, and asked her if she wanted to take part in some field work. She agreed, and we began the ritual.
Silver, Bozu, Ryujin, and I spread out around her, and as we began applying the necessary psychic energies, our eyes began glowing blue. Sarah managed to say "What are y..." before the energies reduced her to unconsciousness. We continued to apply the psychic energy along the patterns designated by the ritual, until we were left with an unconscious lugia in the center of our square. Silver and I supported Sarah's unconscious body as Bozu and Ryujin reverted to their "true" lugia forms, and then they took over the psychic lifting as Silver and I reverted. Then, the four of us flew to the same island I had been left at, and Bozu and Ryujin flew away to mind their duties while Silver and I assumed our human forms, and waited.
Eventually, Silver said "You don't have to wait here. I can handle introducing her to her new form, and you don't have any duties just yet. You can return to your school for a while, now."
"No," I replied. "I know Sarah, and I think I should be here for her."
"Were you in a relationship?" asked Silver.
"Not really," I said. "We knew each other from classes, and we formed a study group. We've become good friends, but it never progressed beyond that."
"I see," said Silver. "Well, it'll be a long night. You're welcome to fly free for a while if you want to. She won't be awake until a bit after dawn."
"That would be nice," I said. "I think I'll do that." Reverting to my trueform, I dived out the underwater tunnel and then up into the open air. I reveled in the ease of flight, and the sensation of it. The sense of freedom was still intoxicating. I realized my parents would be worried about me, so I cast my mind out, searching for theirs. I found them, sleeping but still knotted with worry. I applied my powers to removing the worry, and leaving them with a reassurance that I was fine. Eventually, the last of the worry left their sleeping minds, and I returned to flying aimlessly around. Around an hour before dawn, by my internal clock, I flew back into the cave. I sat with Silver, waiting and contemplating what I was going to say.
Dawn came, what seemed like an eternity later. Soon after the sun was in the sky, Sarah stirred. She opened her eyes, and looked around wildly. She opened her beak, and out came that musical cry that was all too familiar to me. She focused, first on Silver and then on me. I can guess at what was going through her mind, but I decided not to probe her mind.
"Sarah..." I said. "I suspect you're still disoriented."
Again came that haunting cry.
"Look, you'll still be doing the work you signed up to do. Climatology. Only, its a bit more hands on than you might have expected. Also, you may have noticed that you can't actually speak right now.
Sarah nodded slowly.
Its okay. You can still speak telepathically, like this. Just concentrate on the person you want to talk to, and what you want to say. It should come naturally, I said telepathically.
What...what did you do to me? All I remember was you circling around me, and the glowing eyes, and... she sounded hysterical.
"Calm down! I'm very sorry for the slight deception we pulled on you, but it was important that you not be allowed to know exactly what you'd be doing until you were fully committed. I'm not sure precisely why, I'm almost as new to this as you are. All I know is that its policy that we couldn't tell you ahead of time."
What do you mean, "new to this?" Sarah demanded.
I sighed. "I think its time to show you. Silver, do we want to do this at the same time?"
Silver nodded, and we both spread out. Then, we reverted to our true lugia shapes.
What ARE you? Sarah asked frantically.
Exactly what you are, as you're going to find out. We're just a little bit more experienced. Well, I'm just a little bit more experienced, I was transformed just before I stopped showing up to class...for the obvious reason. Silver will tell you more, and train you. By the way, have you ever tried meditation? I asked casually
No...why do you ask? She inquired
That's a pity, it really does help. Or so I am told. I know that it was easier than I expected it to be. But here's the thing: we—what you now are, and what Silver and Bozu and Ryujin and I are—we are involved intimately in moderating the climate. We are here to keep the Earth inhabitable by life. Surely that's a goal you can believe in! Now I'm off to return to class while you train. Then we shall find out about the policies in full and what changes are being made together—starting with why the two of us were recruited to replace the one who was killed. I'll let Silver explain the details to you.
With that, I flew off back to the beach, shifted to my human form, and got in the car we had left there. I spent the drive back to my college going over my cover story, and wondering if I should say anything about Sarah. I finally decided to tell Mr. K that I had an unexpected personal emergency crop up, and just ask Mrs. Goldsmith and Dr. Scott to tell me what I missed.
Eventually, I got back to school, and, as I went into my dorm room, my roommate opened the door and asked me, "Where the hell have you been? I've been worried!"
I couldn't believe it. I had totally forgotten to even consider what to say to the person MOST likely to question my absence. My mind raced through the possibilities, and I settled on telling him only that there was an emergency and I had to leave with no notice for a week. I apologized for not informing him or leaving him a note, and told him that I'd rather not talk about the details just yet. I also called my parents, told them that I was in fact okay, and that I was offered an opportunity I couldn't turn down. I told them I was working on a classified climate-control project, and that I wasn't allowed to discuss the details with anyone not on the team at this time.
Eventually, Monday rolled around and I showed up for classes. Thankfully, I only had lectures which were not attendance-mandatory, so I didn't have to explain anything just yet. Tuesday, though, I had all my classes where I had to explain my absence. I told Mrs. Goldsmith that I'd talk to her after class, and the same for Dr. Scott. I had those classes together, so after the second one ended I waited for the other students to file out. My professors wanted an explanation, and they wanted a GOOD one.
"What did you think you were doing, missing out on two weeks of classes with papers due?" Mrs. Goldsmith demanded. Dr. Scott was slightly less pushy, but no less insistent. I told them that I had an unexpected personal emergency. They were rather skeptical. I believe that Dr. Scott's exact words were "Do you really expect us to believe THAT load of shit? Can't you at least come up with a lie with DETAILS?"
I said, "Well, I'd really rather not talk about the details, but I can tell you one thing if you promise to not tell anyone else about it."
Mrs. Goldsmith said, "Go on. This had better be good."
Oh, its good. But I'm prohibited from discussing it. I might get in serious trouble just for this, I told them.
Their mouths gaped open. "Did...did he just..."
"Just what? Speak into your thoughts?" said Dr. Scott, the more rapidly adjusting of the pair.
"Yes...that might be how to describe it." Mrs. Goldsmith said.
Yes, well, I was quite serious about telling no one. I really hope you won't, I said.
"Of...of course!" Mrs. Goldsmith stuttered.
"And by the way, may I have an extension on the paper deadlines? I need to get caught up. A week from today would work for me."
"I think we could arrange that," Dr. Scott said faintly.
Oh, and by the way...Sarah won't be into class for a while. Similar thing. If you could offer her a similar extension and also not snoop into it, I'd be very thankful. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell you what this is all about in a while, although it isn't very likely, I added while walking down the halls.
(Well), I thought, (that wasn't so bad. I would have preferred to not reveal anything, but I never really was one for impulse control. Besides, I don't think they're going to tell anyone...they think I'd know immediately. Hopefully Mr. K will be as easy.)
I walked along the paths, and ate some lunch without really paying attention to the food. I couldn't stop thinking about Sarah, and what she must be going through around now. She'd probably be learning how to hunt just about now...I hoped she wasn't too squeamish. Then again, Silver probably would have removed that tendency if she was. As I was walking back to my dorm, I stumbled upon Mr. K.
"Michael, I hope you can explain why you missed all those classes. That's nearly a 50 percent absentee rate you have right now." he said, his face darkening.
"I have an explanation, but I don't think you'd believe it. Can I just leave it at having a personal emergency pop up?"
"No."
I sighed. "Well, that's the short version. There was a bit of a personal crisis, and I had to go away for a bit. I'm not allowed to talk about it in any more detail."
"Michael, I hope you don't expect me to fall for such a flimsy lie."
I never was a good liar, I reflected. The problem was, that was the truth—or at least as much of it as I was allowed to tell. "Can you keep a secret, Mr. K?'
"Excuse me?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course!"
"Well," I said. "So can I. And it just so happens that this emergency was a secret, and I can't talk about it."
Mr. K stopped and stared at me. "Okay, so you can rip off lines from Terry Pratchett. That doesn't prove anything."
I really hope you weren't lying about being able to keep a secret, I said telepathically. At the same time, I said "Just because Terry Pratchett had a quote that applies doesn't mean that I'm lying, it just means that I've been meaning to use that line for a while!"
Mr. K was tongue-tied. He finally managed to get out, "Did...did you say something?"
"Of course. I said that just because an applicable Pratchett quote exists doesn't mean that I concocted the whole scenario just for an excuse to use it."
"I mean, besides that."
"What?" I asked, masking my amusement.
"It sounded like there was...some kind of voice. In my head." Mr. K said.
"Voices in your head? I think there are medications for that nowadays," I deadpanned. It seemed that my experience hadn't deprived me of my snarkiness.
"Nevermind."
"Well then, can we just accept that I'm not allowed to talk about what called me away? I have proof that I could show you, but then I'd have to kill you."
"WHAT?"
"Sorry, it just seems like a quote-dropping day for me. I wouldn't actually have to kill you, just make sure you couldn't tell anyone. Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me what I missed and give me some time to make it up?"
"No, I can't do that!"
I sighed. "Please, could you reconsider that? I'd rather like to be able to make up for lost time here."
"I don't think so. Not unless you tell me what is going on."
"Didn't I already say that I couldn't tell you, Mr. K? You know what, just drop it, and tell me what I missed and might have time to get done before the due date"
"Mmmhmmm, first why don't you tell me why you couldn't have worked on anything during this 'emergency' of yours."
"You know what? This conversation is going nowhere. I have to get to calc lab now. I'll see you in class." I said. Then, I walked off to my calc lab. Thankfully, the TA there is pretty easygoing and didn't ask me about my absences, he just passed me the project I missed and told me when it was due.
After calc lab came my class with Mr. K. He looked intensely at me when he walked in. He didn't do anything odd in class, but after class he told me that he'd rethought his position, and here were the assignments, and would I please get them to him by Friday? I told him I'd do that, and left. When I'd gotten to my dorm room, I dropped my books off, left a note for my roommate saying I was heading up to see my grandma for the evening, and walked out to the parking lot with my homework. I dropped it off in my car, and then locked up my car and kept walking away. When I'd gotten far enough away, out of sight of everyone, I reverted to my true form and flew off to the island.
As I flew to the island, I was humming with anticipation. I was going to be able to see how well Sarah was adapting to her new circumstances. I hoped she was doing well. I reached the island quickly, and dove underwater. I swam rapidly through the water in my lugia form, then shifted into my human form around ten yards from the exit into the cave. I swam quickly to the surface, and broke the surface of the water with a gasp.
Michael? Sarah asked.
"Sarah! Its good to see you again," I said. "How is your training coming along?"
Its been intense. I've got an acceptable level of control over my body now, but I miss being human.
"Don't worry, you'll learn how to return to your human body soon enough. I take it you haven't gotten to your other abilities yet?"
Other abilities?
"Didn't Silver tell you...of course not, sorry. He didn't tell me what they were until we started working on them. I think you'll appreciate them." As I headed back to the cave's exit tunnel, I added, "I wonder who you'll have for your healing practice..."
What do you mean?
I dove underwater, and replied telepathically: You'll find out. Just...try your hardest at the training. I transformed again underwater, and swam out to the open ocean. I floated underwater for a while, lost in my thoughts. Then, realizing that it was getting late, I flew back to the woods. Resuming my human form, I walked to my car. I got in and drove away. I found a motel around an hour out, and rented a room for the night. I opened my laptop, sighed, and got down to my homework.
A/N: Edited, because this website doesn't like the percent character. Apparently, it doesn't like anything that looks like a url--even the site name --
Also, I did a bit of dialogue editing.