《Memories Unbound》 The City The city bellow spanned the horizon as far as the eye could see, but the silence of the morning was a rare treat indeed for Sophia. Usually she woke to the hustle and bustle of shuttles, drones and transport, shouts of a million minds flooding her own into an instant wakefulness. They say the city never sleeps but as she stood on the metal edged roof looking down at the world bellow her in the pre-dawn light it felt like the world slept. Waited. As if it held its breath and any minute the sound would suffocate her in a tidal wave. But now in this perfect moment as the wind blew past her with the delicate touch brushing against her, it was a moment of perfect calm. A tranquil hour. A breath of silence before the storm broke. And maybe it was that sense of peaceful calm that hid the truth from Sophia¡¯s mind. With war on every side and the press of a dying star just hanging over them all, moments of peace were all too rare and almost unheard of. Yet in this one single moment in time Sophia felt at peace with her life, her world, her future, her past, and herself. There was no fear, in that moment she could have existed forever. But moments don¡¯t last forever. They only last for a moment then their gone onto the next. The silence ends. The world awakens with an abundance of noise. Sophia scurried down the fire escape to join the growing crowds. The buzz of drones. The clang of machines. The shouts and clamour of vendors, tourists, citizens going about their business: talking on phones, advertising wears, ext. The dull roar of the industrial plants starting up. All came together to form a loud and persistent buzz in Sophia¡¯s head. The headache grew as Sophia ran through the gathering crowds. Dodging vendors and pickpockets alike until she reached the industrial complexes. There the crowds thinned out and became a steady throng of people. Each intent on their destination. No one paid her mind as she wove through them quickly. Even those who knew Sophia didn¡¯t bother her as she tried to get to her station before roll call. Her breath came in gasps and her body warmed in the chill morning air from the exertion. Making her grateful for her normal routine of running to and fro about the city. Sophia wasn¡¯t an exceptionally tall woman, but she was well build, muscled, lithe and physically fit. Her long black hair was covered by a veil that trailed behind her. The purple material matching the violet shade of her dress. The fabric thin and un-hindering to her rapid movement. Her movements were rapid and sure. Her steps light. Barely landing before pushing off to the next long stride. Her light slippers nakedly making a whisper of sound in her wake against the concrete. Sophia was a handful of seconds late as she arrived at the nondescript metal door marking the industrial building where her life was spent whittling the hours away building industrial military cloth. Weaving and imbedding the miniaturized electronics into the delicate fabrics. She slipped inside unnoticed and made her way to her work station. A handful of the other girls were already working away on the machines in the section when she entered. Her eyes ghosted over them all, not bothering to make eye contact. Not caring that they never regarded her at all. Some even going so far as to turn their backs on her. Sophia was used to being treated as an outside in the workers quarters. She was. Ever since she learned of her ¡®gift¡¯ she¡¯d felt what others had always told her, that she wasn¡¯t like them. That she didn¡¯t belong. How wrong they were. She walked over to her station and slid down into her seat. Removing her veil from her hair which was spun up atop her head in a wild bun. She set the material aside, it was unneeded here indoors where no one but the other workers could see her. Sophia thought today would be just another regular day. Oh how wrong she was. Just as their boss Lady Millany walked onto the floor. Her all black outfit flowing around her like the wings of some majestic creature Sophia felt a cold chill of dread filter through her spine. Lady Millany was a study in contrasts to Sophia. Where Sophia was tall Lady Millany was short. Where Sophia had sharp delicate features that was just a little too thin Lady Millany was filled out and pure curves. Her clothing dark and sharp as her hawk like eyes. Where as Sophia wore gently soft colours and preferred pastel shades that matched her pale baby blue eyes. Lady Millany hid her brown hair behind a headdress of delicate black filigree and draped fabric that gathered at her throat in a tight filigree broach. Sophia turned her gaze away from Lady Millany and saw a guard from the biotech-lab standing there. The guard wore a polished black battlesuit with a white helmet that obscured his features, his build however gave away that he was male. It was muscular and tall and broad. He exuded power and danger in his military relaxed stance. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Her worse nightmare. Lady Millany walked swiftly to the man¡¯s side and the two hissed out a conversation far too low for Sophia to hear, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was obvious to her that they were here for her. Unable to do more then watch in growing horror as Lady Millany finished her conversation and made her way to Sophia beckoning her to follow her outside. It was there that Lady Millany confirmed Sophia¡¯s growing fear. Someone knew about her gift. Sophia wished she could vanish. Learn to teleport. Anything!!!! But no such luck. Instead she was forced to take steadying breaths and relinquish her fate to her doom. She gave a slow nod to Lady Millany who squeezed her shoulder gently before leaving her there standing facing the door. Or the three story drop¡­. Knowing that she might survive the fall, but that it would be useless as there were likely far more guards outside the building. A quick look down proved her right and she sighed resigned. So much for laying low. Saying a silent prayer to whatever god(s) might be listening in vein hope she walked over to the guard who wordlessly hustled her out of the building with little more then a confirmation of her identity. He walked by her side and with a firm grip on her upper arm, began leading her towards the central building. The lab. Sophia felt like she was walking to her doom with each step she took. ¡°Relax,¡± The guard who held her said gently. His voice resonating inside her skull. As if he spoke both aloud and in her mind all at once. It was so easy for him to say. She was panicking! It wasn¡¯t like she could just relax at will thank you very much! ¡°Breath,¡± he said. She would have glared at him, if she wasn¡¯t too busy working herself up into a state. He sighed from beside her and kept marching her towards The Lab. The lab. It was a gorgeous building with clean metal walls and brightly lit. As she walked into the breathtaking building she froze. Her breath caught and somehow that kickstarted her mind out of her panic. This place was amazing! Calm. Quiet. She stared around in shock. What the hell was this place? Sophia stared wide eyes as she was led over to a line before a door where more guards lined each side of the door. She studied the people around her. They seemed a mix bunch. Some bore the look of the rich side of town, others the poor neighbourhoods and still others were like her, workers. They ranged in age from old to young. Nothing about them screamed different. Then again nothing about Sophia screamed different. And nothing about this place screamed death. Which had Sophia confused. If the leaders were going to end her for her gift, then why was she in this beautiful building where research and cutting edge technology clearly happened? Just what was going on? Sophia couldn¡¯t piece it together. Not from the rumours she¡¯d heard, not from the stories her mother had told her after her father was taken. And certainly not from what she¡¯d seen. One by one they were led through the door and through an ice cold spray of water and chemical cleaner that stung Sophia¡¯s nose and burned in her lungs. Leaving her coughing and soaking wet as she stepped out into a sterile bleak, white windowless room lit by overhead bulbs. ¡°Change,¡± That one simple word was barked out from the guard at the doorway. He didn¡¯t look at any of them. Although they all looked at him. Sophia felt a chill run down her spine at his uncaring voice. She looked around her. A bench on the far wall held cubbies with identical white tunics. She slipped hers on shedding the cold wet cloths she¡¯d been wearing. With no idea what else to do she returned to the centre of the room and suddenly she was dropping. Staggering she crouched down to regained her balance and gapped. The floor was a platform elevator that took her down and then forwards. The conveyor took them through a room where they were photographed and tagged. It felt entirely surreal to Sophia as she reached the end of the line and a blue mask was placed over her face, her vision was not impeded by the apparatus. She wanted to scream. She wanted to move, but she found herself frozen in place. Her arms held out before her for inspection. Her eyes looked at the guard and tried to communicate her fear. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and her breathing became laboured. Seriously what the hell was going on? This place was both a dream and a nightmare! Gasping for breath her eyes closed and she began to silently sing the song her mother used to sing to her when she was scared as a child. She could almost feel her mothers arms around her. The Lab The lab was nothing like Sofia had expected. Although she was terrified and alone here. In a place where she would never see her mother again it wasn¡¯t the worst place she¡¯d ever been. Far from it actually. It was clean and bright, industrial, but somehow it gave off a sense of order, calm, peace. She was shaved bald and wires were attached to her head and wired into the mask. Sensors were attached over her body. The robots worked with an efficiency that was astonishing. Clinical. After the initial bout of fear she began to relax as she remained unharmed. All in all it took less then half an hour before she was released from whatever prison held her body unmoving and told to step through the door opposite the docking platform by an electronic uncaring voice. Sophia walked through the door with hesitant steps. Her mind a whirlwind of activity. Even though she didn¡¯t feel as anxious now that she could move and that she wasn¡¯t hurt. The site of the lab that lay before her was both magnificent and terrifying. Clean. Industrial. Filled with machines that made odd noises or moved in odd ways. Displays of glowing holograms and much more sophisticated technology then she was used to was everywhere. Large chambers where people slept in specialized solutions tucked into every available space in the hallway she walked. Most were not human in appearance. ¡°Welcome to The Lab Sophia,¡± A gentle male voice said startling her from her wide eyed wonder. She turned to look at the male who stood not three feet away. His hands folded before him. He wore a white coat over a simple white tunic much like her own. His identity bade clearly marking him as upper level staff. His pale skin mostly hidden behind a white mask. His green eyes and white blond hair both easily visible. His hair was longer then she¡¯d expected for a male, tied back behind his head, but otherwise left to fall loose. He was tall, muscular and even the mask couldn¡¯t deter from his handsomeness. He had a chilled jaw, high cheekbones and a broad forehead with thick eyebrows and deep set eyes. She was stunned that he looked so normal, yet oddly reassured by it. That and the lack of upper-tier fashion went a long way in calming her nerves. She¡¯d seen a lot of staff as she¡¯d walked down this hallway. Staff tending to the tanks. The machines. The tech. But none that had looked quite as human as he did. Or as gorgeous. ¡°Why am I here?¡± She finally had the courage to ask after looking at him for a few minutes. ¡°You are here to begin your new life, you are special Sophia. And now you are old enough to become a member of the elite unit.¡± He answered. He smiled at her, but his smile just felt off to her. It didn¡¯t look right. She had no idea what to say to that. How could he know. ¡°I¡¯ve known you before you were born Sophia, I engineered you,¡± he said. And she gaped at him. No that couldn¡¯t be. He nodded. ¡°Your mother and father worked here up until fifteen years ago, when your father tried to sneak you off-world and was arrested for steeling government property. It is your destiny to become a weapon unlike any other Sophia,¡± He went on. He indicated the wall before him and it opened he started walking. Curious she followed him, because where else could she go now? Might as well learn what she could. ¡°Soon your training will begin, but for tonight we need to check your baseline readings. You¡¯ll be put to sleep in a tank for observation. Don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t feel a thing. It¡¯ll be the most restful sleep you¡¯ve had.¡± He added before leading her to an open bed. She didn¡¯t want to be in a tank. But looking at the guards and with no other choice she reluctantly complied. ------ Sophia woke slowly to the dawning city light through the glass of her pod. It was odd to feel the light through the murky liquid around her. To be able to breathe without struggling. Sophia wanted to scream. To struggle. But something being fed to her by one of the tubes was keeping her calm and tranquil. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The man from the day before, who¡¯s name she STILL didn¡¯t know, was standing there at the glass moments later. He smiled at her, his face distorted through the murky liquid. His hands fiddled with the controls she knew where to the side of her tube and the chamber slid out. Letting her take a breath without the murky fluid. The calm vanished and she felt vaguely dull. Floaty. But oddly refreshed and alert. ¡°Good morning Sophia,¡± the man said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Sophia demanded without returning the polite greeting. ¡°I am called Amon here,¡± the man answered. Sophia sighed knowing that Amon wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s real name, but that it was the only one she would get. He watched her for a long moment holding the blue mask from yesterday out to her. Her hand closed around it before he spoke. ¡°You have free reign of the main floor of The Lab, as long as you wear this at all times outside this room you¡¯ll be fine. This is your room.¡± He indicated the small circular space that contained barely enough room for them to stand amongst the bank of equipment and the pod. ¡°What¡¯ll happen if I don¡¯t wear this thing?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°The gas that¡¯s continuously pumped into the main lab will knock you out and make you horribly sick for fourteen days,¡± he said, ¡°Trust me it¡¯s not as fun as it sounds.¡± Oh she believed that. Sophia watched Amon walk away after delivering those words. Yah so that was great. She either had to wear a mask or be gassed. Fun times. With a sigh and wondering what the hell she was suppose to do now she left the room, after slipping on the mask. As she walked through the halls and rooms, she discovered that even though there were crowds of people she heard nothing but silence in her mind. So the mask blocked her gift. Or her curse whichever you desired to call it. She could have laughed at the sudden freedom from the constant thunder in her head. Only it really wasn¡¯t funny. It was terrifying. Terrifying to realize that they knew her inner most secret to the extent that they even had tech to block it. And what had Amon meant when he¡¯d told her she¡¯d been engineered? So many questions. So few answers. It took five days before anyone came to get Sophia again. Each day she explored more of The Lab. Each day she discovered a new room, filled with people like her who seemed to wander around aimlessly. Each time she tried to engage with anyone they just kept doing whatever it was they were doing as if they couldn¡¯t perceive her. She wondered why that was. She found no answers. By the fifth day she was frustrated and felt like this place was in fact a prison. One meant to torture her with boredom and loneliness. That was until Amon showed up at her pod¡¯s door. ¡°It¡¯s time for your first lesson,¡± He informed her. She wanted to bombard him with questions. So many spun in her head. But she didn¡¯t know where to start. After a long moment of silence she finally asked. ¡°Why does no one respond when I talk to them?¡± As Sophia had predicted Amon didn¡¯t respond. He just looked at her wordlessly. She ground her teeth and crossed her arms in anger. ¡°Answer me,¡± She demanded her words coming out braver then she felt. Her heart pounding against her ribs as she wondered if she¡¯d just made a terrible mistake. ¡°You will learn soon enough,¡± Amon replied evenly and continued on before she could tell him that his answer was utter bullshit! ¡°If you remain here you will be put back in the pod, only this time they won¡¯t deem you ready for training and I cannot guarantee when you¡¯ll wake again,¡± There was something in his voice that almost begged Sophia to cooperate with him. She looked into his face even covered by the white mask he wore she could see the vibrant green eyes pleading with her. She nodded and he led her past the doors that had refused to open for her all week. The room she found herself in was simple, elegant and full of equipment. A single seat was set in the centre with spirals of equipment and at the far side she could see the controls to whatever this room did. ¡°You¡¯ll need to sit in the chair,¡± Amon instructed and Sophia did. Sitting down in the comfortably padded chair. Letting her arms rest on the arm rest as the chair whirred to life and Amon stepped away to the control side of the room. Her head turned to follow Amon with her eyes. Even as she was lifted up and tipped back into a reclined position as straps encircled her limbs and waist before tilting her into a complete standing position about two feet off the ground. Strangely she didn¡¯t feel afraid as a large dome lowered down over her, sending her into darkness as it descended over her head cutting off her view of Amon. Day 1 - The Trials - Amon POV Amon sighed as the glass to the control room slid shut. His eyes closed and he place his hand on the glass that separated them as helmet fell over her head. He felt so many different emotions looking at her. He could remember her bioengineering file from when he was five years old and working in the lab under her father. Learning. He was one of the special children, just like her, but he¡¯d been selected specifically for his abilities to control. To exude his will on others, to read their minds and manipulate their emotions. Yet, when he¡¯d been trying to do it with Sophia something had always felt a little off, like the clam he¡¯d sent her just wasn¡¯t quite ¡®there¡¯. She was special. He could see that. Strikingly beautiful. Innocent. She wasn¡¯t jaded to the world like the others or entitled. He wondered if that was because she¡¯d been raised outside The Lab. A part of him was jealous too, she got what none of them ever could, freedom. He would never leave the lab, not matter how much he¡¯d desire to. He shook his head. He wasn¡¯t some love struck kid. Plus love was forbidden. He couldn¡¯t get close her to. He had to remain impartial, but each day that got harder to do. He drew in a ragged breath and stepped away from the glass taking the three steps down to the bank of machines until he reached the main detector hub. He flicked it on and waited as the tendrils and wires whirred to life in the lab. Winding out and connecting to the dome, or neuro-drive as they called it, that rested over her head and some connected to the ports on her arms, legs and down her back. Ports he¡¯d installed last night while she slept in the pod. The tubes glowed a vibrant storm of colours before settling to a florescent greenish-blue. Data flooded his controls. Information on her bio signs and on her progress through the assignment. Today would be an easy assignment more or less anyways. As the neuro-net activated cables and holographic tubes flowed down around him. Pulsing with their elusive light. The machines came on and the datastream began to flow in ever increasing increments. Each time a new port was activated more data came in. Amon activated the recorders and started collecting the baseline data. He turned his gaze to the monitor that showed what she saw. Nothing yet. Just the deep black of the neuro-drive. It might take a few minutes for the mind to engage the neuro-drive and picture to form. Either way he was ready. It was just a matter of waiting for her. He leaned back in his seat and looked at the flow of her vitals across the screen. Her heart beat a steady thumping rhythm. Her breathing was a relaxed fluid line that didn¡¯t seem to move much from sleep base. He flicked the screen to her neural response to the feed and smiled. She was lit up across 60% of the scan. If this went well she might hit a new lab high today. If she could breach 75% access. It was almost unheard of for anyone to reach 65% access to begin with. He wanted to see her exceed that. To see her rise above everyone else that had come before her and se the bar so high that no one else could touch her standards ever again. ¡°Morning Amon, is she prepped and ready?¡± A female voice broke him from his thoughts. Amon turned from the screen to look up at the women who¡¯d just entered. Tall, lithe and blue skinned the women had three large eyes that seemed to dominate her giant oval face with no nose and wide bubble lips that formed a tinny mouth. She was smiling. Dressed in the same white as everyone else here with a lab coat just like his. She too was senior staff, in fact she was the lead scientist. Humanoid in appearance even though she had four arms and two legs. She seemed far too tall and stretched out with her torso being twice the length of her legs. She walked forwards and peered over his shoulder. ¡°Good morning Lilla,¡± Amon replied cordially as one does to a fellow teammate or co-worker. ¡°Yes Sophia is ready to come online. She¡¯s still working through the uplink of the neuro-driver, but she should stabilize into output soon.¡± ¡°Very good, cary on Amon,¡± Lilla said walking away to her own station. Following Lilla was Alazar, a tall man with a razor thin build and a metallic arm. The man¡¯s face was covered in a visor with a series of holowindows that hung down around his head. His eyes were darting around the different screen way to fast for Amon to follow. Alazar was their lead coder, there wasn¡¯t anything this man couldn¡¯t code. However Alazar had never said a single word in all the years that Amon had known him. Alazar just nodded and settled down in a corner right under the bright light that reflected on the pipes that held the neuro-wires when they were dormant. He sat cross-legged on the floor. Alazar was different like that. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Following Alazar was the last member of their team. A tall, lean, muscular man named Gabix, the man¡¯s head was bald and he wore a yellow robe, he didn¡¯t wear a mask like the rest of us, even in the main lab, he didn¡¯t need to. Gabix didn¡¯t breathe air like we did. He had no mouth, no nose. His face was simply flat where those should be. His two eyes were large and round and vibrant yellow. His head was oddly shaped with the top of it being twice the size as the base making him look like a baseball sat in an ice-cream cone. Gabix spoke alright, but never aloud, he could telepathically link anyone no matter how far away they were, he just had to know the person intimately. It was disturbing to know that no matter the thoughts in your head Gabix knew them, as long as he was near you that is. To Amon it didn¡¯t matter much most days. Today however it made the hair on his neck stand on end. Good morrow Niasham, this one will prove of much interest I fear, not only to you The odd thought voice of Gabix floated into Amon¡¯s mind. He shuddered as Gabix said his last name. A name that Amon had done his hardest never to share with anyone at all. He nodded to the man. ¡°Morning Gabe,¡± Amon said with a wicked grin. He always used the nickname he knew Gabix hated, but as long as the man insisted on calling him ¡®Niasham¡¯ he would use the man¡¯s nickname and be damned if he¡¯d let the other get under his skin. At least that¡¯s what Amon wanted to believe. Gabix¡¯s features turned blue in the labs light as he shed his yellow robe revealing a bio-exoskeletal-suit that covered his limbs and allowed him to function in this level of gravity. We are green across the board, no neuro-feedback detected proceed to uplink phase. His voice projected into everyone¡¯s mind at once. Amon turned to the monitor before him. Sophia¡¯s vitals held steady. Still no picture showed on the Neuro-driver-cam-feed but that was normal. He pressed the channel that would open the coms between himself and Sophia in the lab. Picking up the headset he placed it to his ear. ¡°Sophia, are you read?¡± Amon asked gently, it was pretty typical to start the coms recording with this question, it was both confirmation of neutral voice pattern and that she could in fact hear him. ¡°I guess,¡± Sophia replied her voice shook slightly with uncertainty. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll hear my voice the whole time, I¡¯ll answer any questions you have that I can, the first part of your training will be held in the simulator for you to acquire a sense of your unique abilities. Today we¡¯re just going to do a baseline run. There won¡¯t be any guidance or input from me, you¡¯ll just have to try and solve the puzzle on your own,¡± Amon said gently, he hated that he was pressuring her. But he had no choice. It always made his skin crawl to watch the first simulation. No one succeeded the first time around. And the pain they received for it was excruciating. He should know he¡¯d been there when he was a child. Although it was different for everyone. Her¡¯s would be a fight sequence. She would have to defend herself. If she could. Amon looked over to Lila who gave a nod. Her could already see Sophia¡¯s nervous system and DNA markers up on her screen being mapped out. With a deep breath he flicked the switch that initiated the uplink. The neuro-driver-feed spun up with static and resolved quickly into the typical hexagonal pattern that everyone saw when they first dropped into neuro-sym. ¡°Your doing really good Sophia, breathe through it and you¡¯ll be alright.¡± Amon reassured her as her bio-stats began to move into a heightened stress response. Instead of words in response to his words Amon¡¯s bio-screen flashed once and then a digital life version of Sophia filled the screen. Her digital eyes pierced into him and wires made of data packets spun out from her and filled his screens. He couldn¡¯t help but stare at this result. How could Sophia be here in their systems?!? ¡°Initiate sequence Amon, NOW!¡± Lilla barked out, there was panic in her voice. Something that sufficiently shocked Amon into flicking the switch from uplink to initiation sequence without thought. He¡¯d never gone from uplink to initiation so fast. For one terrifying moment Amon feared he¡¯d made her catatonic. Or worse. As everything went dead. The images from the feeds faded and her bio-signs went silent. ¡°Someone get me the damned feeds back,¡± Lilla barked, but Amon couldn¡¯t have done it even if he¡¯d wanted to. He just didn¡¯t know how? He could feel Sophia, sense that she was still alive, but he had no idea what was happening. Alazar walked calmly over to his station and began entering sequences that meant absolutely nothing to Amon. It only took three heartbeats but then suddenly the screens were back. All her stats were normal. And he was seeing the test run it¡¯s course on the monitor next to his desk. Day 1 - The Trials - Sophia POV Sophia tried to breathe thought the fear that being trapped in a dome of blackness, she¡¯d been expecting much worse when the helmet came down. The device didn¡¯t actually touch her head and it wasn¡¯t as tight as it appeared coming down. It was actually loose and allowed full movement of her head. It seemed to only be blocking her sight. This calmed her greatly. She wasn¡¯t afraid of being blinded after all during the storms she¡¯d often worn scarves over her face so she was used to having to rely on other senses to experience her environment. Or having very limited visual input. She started to let her body relax until she felt the first sharp piercing pain. Followed almost immediately by one more and then another and another and another. It seemed as soon as she''d feel one another followed and it kept her disorientated as to what was going on. The sharp pain dulled to a dull itch that seemed to squirm just under her skin. It took all of two minutes for a series of wires and connections to inject themselves into her body. But soon it stopped and took away the searing pain that had been electrocuting her from the inside. Her nervous system felt overloaded and strained. She had no idea what was happening to her and as much as she wanted to ask she didn¡¯t know how. This was entirely new. Sophia didn¡¯t have long to wait however, in moments she heard Amon¡¯s voice over some form of communication device, but it was as loud and clear as if it had been spoken right next to her. His words soothed her and made her reach out towards him with her gift. She just wanted to see him. ¡°Sophia, are you read?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know if she was. She sighed Drawing in a deep breath she said, ¡°I guess,¡± her voice shook with uncertainty and it made her wish she could see Amon again. Just to be sure she wasn¡¯t alone in this. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll hear my voice the whole time, I¡¯ll answer any questions you have that I can, the first part of your training will be held in the simulator for you to acquire a sense of your unique abilities. Today we¡¯re just going to do a baseline run. There won¡¯t be any guidance or input from me, you¡¯ll just have to try and solve the puzzle on your own,¡± Amon said and she felt so reassured by his words that she couldn¡¯t help it. She pushed her mind out towards him. She could feel the link that he¡¯d established with his computers to her body and she sent herself along it until she was looking out at him. Her eyes couldn¡¯t see anything at all, but her mind saw him. Saw him as if he were standing in the same room as her. Suddenly she began to relax. Until something slammed into her conscious mind and launched her out of the computer system and back into her body and shoved foreign links into her mind, making her see something completely not ¡®there¡¯. She screamed out in pain and fear. Her voice screamed until she couldn¡¯t scream anymore. Even as Sophia¡¯s voice was beginning to die and the pain was intensifying Sophia could see images, shapes, indistinct things filling her sight. Things that her mind told her were not real. The grassy meadow sweeping out in front of her wasn¡¯t really there, but it felt and looked so real. She tried to bend down to run her hand through the grass and did. She could feel the wet blades against her fingers. Dew clung to her skin and when she brought her hand up to her face it was her hand she was looking at. Her hand wet with the dew from the meadow. How can this be? She wondered. She turned her head and although her vision still had swirling hexagons and weird geometric lines dancing in it from whatever was forcing her mind to be ¡®here¡¯ wherever here was, the meadow was all around. She was standing, well crouching really, in a meadow. A meadow that was slowly crystallizing into clear everyday reality. Weird. ¡°Sophia can you hear me?¡± Amon¡¯s voice came through from no where. He sounded strained, shocked, anxious. ¡°Yah?¡± Was all she could manage after screaming her head off earlier. By now the meadow had completely made itself real in front of Sophia. In the distance she could see a tall weird tower that had a strange geometric and spire structure with lots of twists and turns. A town seemed to be even further in the distance. Sophia wondered what she should do. ¡°Good, good. I can see everything you see here Sophia, don¡¯t be scared. This test is simple. I won¡¯t be able to guide you through, but your objective is to create a mental projection, you will face a series of three puzzles as you progress through today¡¯s session. This is the first part, the testing will commence in T minus 5 and counting,¡± Amon¡¯s words had become emotionless and clerical. That scared Sophia more then she cared to admit. She was left in a simulation without knowing what she was suppose to do. However, reminding herself it was a simulation was actually supper helpful, it helped to calm her and allow her to think a little easier. Taking a few deep breaths set Sophia¡¯s mind at ease. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This was suppose to be a test of her abilities. A baseline reading, so if they knew about her mind-link then maybe that¡¯s what she needed to focus. Shutting her eyes Sophia let her mind slip outwards sensing for lifeforms, she felt none. Ok so there was no one ¡®alive¡¯ here. Weird. Maybe she could manipulate the world. She thought of the spaceport she¡¯d always watched from her window at work whenever she could. She pictured the details in her mind¡¯s eyes and willed the world to shift and become the spaceport. She opened her eyes and found herself still in the meadow, but appearing around her were people and a ship began to form, the strange architecture of before was gone, replaced by the architecture she was used to. The shimmering hexagonal shapes were back, showing her that even though she hadn¡¯t completely succeeded in shifting the world, she¡¯d done something. ¡°Very good Sophia, keep going,¡± Amon said encouragingly to her. Yah as if she was gunna just quit! She¡¯d gotten this far. She wasn¡¯t about to give up now. As the reality solidified around her again she found it kind of peaceful. The half-space-port-half-meadow reality was kinda soothing and clam. She studied the scene around her, the shadow people that seemed to mill about the meadow-space-port didn¡¯t seem aware. Either of her or of themselves really. They seemed like sleeping people. Their mind weren¡¯t there. How bazar. She tried to reach out to them until her head ached and blood streamed from her nose. Great. She whipped at it angrily and wondered what she should do. Until the peace was shattered by a loud boom. The ground shook. Rippled outwards and something huge shot out behind her. Effectively trapping her between her meadow-space-port and this new giant ship building thing that was emerging from the ground and spilling fourth humanoid creatures that threw exploding bombs towards the peaceful side. Tearing the meadow¡¯s grass away into burnt ash and leaving behind craters. The grass seemed to heal itself nearly instantly however. Bizarre, but the people began to advance weapons drawn and the intent was clear. If she didn¡¯t find a way to stop them, whoever they were, her peaceful meadow-space-port would be destroyed. She was certain of this. Sophia started trying to breathe. Trying to focus her mind on them, but just like the people of her meadow-space-port they didn¡¯t have any conscious minds. Right simulation. This wasn¡¯t real. Damn! Sophia cursed in her head and maybe outloud too she didn¡¯t really pay attention. That was it. She couldn¡¯t reach them, because they were not really here. So she had to interact with the environment. She could alter the environment. But it seemed the environment could alter itself too. So just wishing away the problem wasn¡¯t going to cut it. She¡¯d have to deal with it. Ok. She needed a weapon. She looked around and realized she didn¡¯t have anything except meadow anywhere near here. Great. So she had to make one. She focused her mind and closed her eyes. Forcing herself to concentrate and create. Picturing a long ion-canon she¡¯d seen guards use. The force of the mental strain as she pushed her mind to shape hr creation caused her legs to give and forced her to her knees. Panting for breath as her mind strained and her heart pounded she felt the glow of something extremely hot above her. Her eyes shot open and she looked up. It wasn¡¯t an ion-canon she¡¯d created at all. More like a sphere of raw energy. Ok she could work with that. She slowly reached up to handled the sphere. Still pushing her mind out towards it. Trying to contain and shape it even as it pushed back trying to rip out of the mental cage she had around it. Her hand reached out and gently touched the orb the sphere instantly solidified into a series of shapes and lines, most of the lines formed into hexagons, but it glowed and shimmered through the cracks as they sealed. Until the glob became a sphere of hexagon panels that glowed bright blue that she could hold in her hands. She tried gently manipulating it with her mind and hand. Slowly moving her hand down from above her head the sphere followed her movement and when she pushed it forwards gently it moved forwards just a touch. With a final deep breath she pushed it hard away from her and towards the invaders. Who were already reaching the middle of the clearing around her. Fights were breaking out. The sound of screaming and clanging of weapons was almost overshadowed by the sudden deafening boom of the exploding sphere as it struck the ground sending the groups flying. The invaders seemed to fade into the ground and disappear, but the others just lay there stunned. Realizing this wasn¡¯t going to be enough she closed here eyes and began to gather more energy to herself. Until she felt the next sphere form and then she opened her eyes and threw it as hard as she could at the next group. Each time she repeated the process it got easier and less draining to hold the sphere, but her head was pounding and she wasn¡¯t going to manage to do this forever. After another three explosions She looked around and was relieved to realize she only needed to do it twice more. Another Ragged breath. This time she kept her eyes opened as she formed the sphere and launched it before it had finished fully forming. The explosion knocked her backwards with a harsh thud and a wosh of air. Staggering to catch her breath she pushed herself up and looked around slightly confused to find the clearing empty of everything except green grass and trees in the distance. Relieved she flopped back onto her back and stared up at the impossibly blue sky. Sophia doesn¡¯t know how long she lay catching her breath and trying to ease the pain and pressure in her head, It wasn¡¯t until the sky began to turn into small hexagonal squares of vibrant blue light and fall down towards her that she knew the simulation was coming to an end. Instead of on her back as she expected to wake up she was still strapped into the chair and hovering upright in the centre of the empty lab. Though now the dome that had been over her head had lifted up back into the ceiling. She looked around at the darkened lab and wondered how long this had lasted? It had felt like minutes to her. A rapid moment that was already beginning to fade just like the pain in her head leaving in it¡¯s wake an exhaustion that reached to her very bones.