"Can we do this later? I still haven't recovered from all the disruptor blasts I was hit with."
Natalya was the last person Mark wanted to talk to, and his tone clearly portrayed his frustration.
"What the hell was that in there?" she yelled.
"What?"
"You heard me right. You were holding back, but then you lost control, didn't you?"
Mark slapped his head with his left palm. His head began to ache.
"I'm sure we can discuss this some other time…"
He tried to walk past Natalya but she quickly grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"You could have killed Drey!"
"But I didn't. You're welcome."
Natalya was not sharing his sense of humor.
"You know damn well that no powerborn can survive three sonic blasts. If Savanna didn't stop you, Drey would be dead right now."
Mark had long figured out that Drey and Natalya had some sort of entanglement, so he tried not to let her words get to him. He slowly headed to his room, his headache persisting.
He was about to walk into the main hallway when he figured that some powerborns would be waiting on him to congratulate him, so he decided to take a different route through the med-bay.
Natalya followed him closely, making sassy remarks at intervals, but soon he got fed up with the negative comments.
"Did it ever occur to you, that Drey stopped holding back?"
"Spare me that crap. We both know there were many ways you could win him without using electricity. Instead, you chose to hide your new powers from Captain Savanna."
Mark was perplexed.
"Yeah, I know about that. I also know you've been tampering with our digital equipment and altering your lab results."
"What? How?"
"You just admitted to it."
Something within Mark snapped. A spark of lightning appeared in his left hand. When he spoke, his voice had grown cold and hostile.
"It will do you a lot of good to stay away from me right now."
Natalya took on an equally cold expression.
"What is it? Are you afraid the captain will find out you're a telepath?"
Mark quickly grabbed Natalya by the arm and dragged her into a storage room. Inside, he pinned her to the wall, with his elbow firmly planted at her neck.
"How much do you know?"
Natalya remained mute; her cold expression unchanging.
"Speak!"
"I know enough."
"Humor me."
"I know what you really are. And I know why you're keeping it from Savanna."
Mark swallowed hard.
"You're more dangerous than she realizes." Natalya continued, "If she finds out what you can do, she'll put you on a permanent leash."
The sound of footsteps walking along the corridor reached the room, causing Mark to lose focus.
Natalya used the opportunity to free herself, twisting Mark's arm behind his back and kicking him with her full strength.
He crashed into a shelf at the opposite wall and fell on his butt.
"Next time, you lay hands on me, you'll lose them."
Mark gripped his abdomen. His broken ribs were yet to heal, and the falling impact stung like a stab wound.
"If you knew all this time," he groaned "Why didn't you tell her?"
"I have my reasons, just as you have yours. But make no mistake, if you don't learn to control your rage and keep your powers under control, I'll do whatever it takes to put you down."
Mark noticed a sudden drop in the temperature of the room. His body began to shiver, and his teeth chattered as he spoke.
"You know I'm a telepath. So what's to stop me from erasing your memories, right now?"
Natalya scoffed.
"If you knew how to do it, you would've done it already."
Mark stood up, his left hand still clenching his abdomen.
"I need to find the man who murdered my mother, and I won't let Savanna, or you, get in my way."
"I have no intent of stopping you, Mark. Not yet."
Natalya threw her hair back and straightened her uniform.
"Just be careful not to leave any bodies behind on your way, or the man who killed your mother is going to be the least of your problems."
She marched to the door, gracefully of course.
"Rest well, Thornwell."
Then she disappeared down the medbay.
For the next few moments, Mark slowly pondered upon Natalya's words. She was right after all. His powers had been developing rapidly, and his new skills were more powerful than his body could handle.
If Captain Savanna found out about the system — what he was truly capable of — she'd have no choice but to confine him to the bunker, until she found a way to control him.
He could leave, but he was a wanted fugitive, cursed to be hunted by the PCA wherever he went.
The only option he had was to keep his powers hidden until he achieved his goal.
"Aries, remind me to copy a Lifeborn when there's a new slot."
*****
Mission Report No. 1356
Day 1282
P-449 has completed his training today. He has been appointed an officer of the Resistance.
P-449 demonstrated creative use of his powers but failed to control his emotions during combat. He is evolving rapidly, developing new powers, yet he desires to keep it a secret from Alpha. He is afraid of future confinement.
P-449 still pretends to be innocent of CT's murder. Vows to find the real murderer. I am yet to confirm if the subject is truly innocent or deluded. However, I shall maintain constant surveillance to see how it unfolds.
Gamma is holding out fine. She is strong-willed and stable.
Following 449's promotion, Alpha has decided to initiate Operation Exodus. I am yet to confirm the first location.
Hold off on Trojan until I also confirm the location of Omega I.
Please send word on Theta's status. I hope to hear from him soon.
Upon request, I shall commence installation of …
The door opened gently, and Captain Savanna peeked in.
"That's odd. I assumed someone else was here. Who were you talking to?"
"No one at all, captain. Just making an entry for my journal."