*** Author’s Note: Unless specifically noted, Italicized text are thoughts, Italicized text inside parentheses is from Archie’s answer thingy. ***

*** Rebirth Part II ***

I lay there, tears in my eyes, crushing my pillow in a full body hug, and thought about Pap. The man who’d raised me. Loved me. My only family. I tried to call up memories of us working on a project together. All I saw in my head were the burned clumps that used to be people across the Washington Mall.

“Okay.” I sat up and set aside my pillow and that thought. Enough. Pap did what he did. Crying about it doesn’t change anything. I sighed. “Time to be logical. I’m supposed to be a genius. So let’s be about it.” Right now, all I have is me to depend on. Time to girl up.

I got down from the bunk and went over to the computer desk. I started pacing. “I can’t pass for Archie anymore. “ I looked down at my breasts. Girl! “That’s for sure. But I have no ID for who I am now…”

I sat down at the computer desk, and tapped into the WiFi signal from the law office again. I went to my cloud storage and got the information I used for my proxy server. It would take a bit of time to get things set up, but for what I was about to do, I didn’t want to be tracked down. I’d have to use a proxy to find and contact people who could make a new identity for me.

Pap’s friend would be looking for me. I’m sure that fucking gunk they put in me was very very expensive. They’ll want a return on their investment. He’ll be lucky if I don’t Vader-choke him to death if I see him first. Thinking about being pinned on that bed, and the liquid fire pumping in my veins made me angry. No. It made me mad.

Rage. Years of pent up frustrated anger began to flow like a burst water main. Things around me began to shake. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm myself. It didn’t help. I never thought I’d have a full on Akira moment. I stood up, hair rustling like in a breeze, my clothes rippling. Then it was clear.

I knew what to do.

I knew what I was sick of.

I strode to the hatch. That angry purposeful single stride at a time walk. Things flying around behind me. Lights blew out. I smelled the ozone from the electronics after the computer was torn apart. I got to the bottom of the hatch.

Anger I knew. An old familiar friend. Frustration. Hate. I felt it. Reveled in it. Then I took all of it and shoved upward.

Now, lying on top of the bunker’s hatch, were a case of motor oil, a set of original headers for a 351 Cleveland motor, an old Muncie Rockcrusher transmission, and the rear axle from a ’58 Roadmaster.

They never did find both headers.

***

Janelle Lewis twitched, she’d been daydreaming for a moment and caught herself. It was all too easy to let your mind wander in the isolation tanks, but the effect it had on psi sensitivity couldn’t be duplicated as easily or as cheaply. She had been in the sensory deprivation tank for two hours, she had a half hour left in her shift when she felt it. A pulse of raw psionic energy, full of frustration and rage. She felt the anger fueling that blast. It was one of the strongest pulses of psi energy she’d ever felt while scanning.

Where are you… Janelle followed the pulse back towards its source. Her astral self flying towards where the pulse had come from. Fortunately it was close to Chicago where Janelle and the others were located. She got to the northeast side of Indianapolis and the trail was gone. Gone completely, and that shouldn’t be possible. Normally. Quickly, she pulled herself back into her body. Janelle reached out and around, slow-motion flailing in the perfect darkness until she touched the side of the tank. She pounded on the side until she heard the hatch opening.

The Deep Room, as it was called, was always dark. Lit only by a couple of red lights on either side of the room. There were four sensory deprivation tanks, a shower in the corner and a large desk. Deena was on watch, coordinating what the scanners found. The light from her laptop was the only other light in the room.

“What’s up, J?” She asked as she opened the hatch to Tank #4. Deena helped Janelle out of the tank, “You found something?”

“Biggest pulse of Psi I’ve felt in a long time. Not far away, either. Indy.” Janelle went straight over to the shower to wash the epsom salt-heavy water off of her body. Deena took a thick towel from the stack next to the hatch and set it out for Janelle to use.

“Get dry and get dressed. You know the Lady will want to hear what you saw. I’ll call your relief in early.”

Janelle grabbed the towel, dried herself quickly and grabbed her robe. “Thanks, Deena. I appreciate it.” As Janelle put on her terrycloth robe, Deena sent a message to the Lady’s assistant letting her know that Janelle would be on her way.

***

The release of all that emotion and energy had been like a cleansing. It felt good. Draining, but good. Then I realized I could see the night sky through the hole in the ceiling above the hatch.

“Holy shit.” I really need to stop talking to myself. I need to watch my language too. It just sounds weird now.

Well, that definitely set off the restoration shop’s silent alarm, and with Pap’s friends in the IPD, it won’t be long before I have company. I grabbed the crazy bag, and started telekinetically grabbed things to take with me. I found great-gran’s journals, and some of her other stuff. Somehow I only destroyed the end of the bunker where the computer and other electronics were. I also threw in a case of canned pasta, a case of bottled water, a box of plastic flatware, and the little crystal golf ball. (Orb), the thingy in my head told me, with a capital O. I didn’t touch it. Even with my telekinesis, I felt like I was holding it by my fingertips at arms length. I was afraid of what might happen. After all, the last time it killed me.

Now packed, I slung the Bag over my shoulder and it changed. It went from a white oversized purse/small grocery bag to a brown leather messenger bag. It looked and felt like old, butter soft, distressed leather. The Orion emblem (Osiris), my brain’s mysterious answer thingy corrected me, was much smaller now. It was a faded gold now, with a circle around it like a logo on the right side of the flap.

I looked at the bag, ran my hand over the logo and then shook my head. I re-slung it cross-body and went to the hatch. Hey, it looks like an Indiana Jones bag, I’m going to wear it like an Indiana Jones bag.

It felt right, wearing the bag like that. Now I’ve got to get out of here. I turned and headed towards the ladder leading out of the bunker, and stopped. In the mirror as I passed the shower, was a different woman. Same hair. Same figure. Different face. My eyes were the same, just a different face. What the hell? What is… I started to feel a little light-headed. I touched my face, seeing my hand touch the stranger’s face in the mirror. My skin was splotchy. Paler in some spots, darker in others. My beautiful wine-red hair was sky blue in places. I stared at my face for another moment, Well? What is going on with me? I waited, hoping that the mysterious answer thingy in my head would tell me something.

Nothing. Thanks creepy answer thingy. I gave my new face another glance. Somehow I had the notion that it wasn’t done changing yet. I hope that it won’t be too bad in the end. Time to go.

I went to the ladder and almost fell against it as I got dizzy. Got to get out of here. I grabbed the rungs and started to climb. Can’t get caught here. I got halfway up the ladder when I heard voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they were in the shop and headed my way. Great. Indy’s finest had a fast response time tonight.

The dizziness got worse, and all I could think of was Agent Dick finally getting to lock me away. Need to run! I thought about being handcuffed again, and my imagination made the jump to light speed. My mind filled with this scene of Agent Dick groping me while I was handcuffed to a chair like in the old cop shows. Get away! I freaked out, my skin crawling and it was all I could do to keep from screaming. I tried to slap away hands only I could see and fell away from the ladder.

***

Janelle padded her way down the long concrete aisle. It was dark, the big overhead fluorescent lights were off. The only light coming from the small wall lights next to each door. She never would get completely comfortable living in a converted ballistic missile silo. She got to the wooden door that led to the Lady’s office. Janelle knocked lightly and waited.

“Come.” The voice was deep, low and melodic. Janelle sighed softly, the Lady had watched way too much Star Trek.

The room was warm and cozy. The floors, walls and even the ceiling were covered in wood. The furniture was wooden as well. All of it handcrafted teak. The light was dim, just like the hallway, with the only light sources the fire in the hearth along the back wall of the room, and the oil lamp on the desk.

The woman stood alone in front of the fire, dressed in a simple gray silk robe and was entirely inhuman. Besides her height, just from appearances, the Lady Urza looked like a an attractive woman of indeterminate years. The kind of beauty that you can’t easily pin down for age. But in her presence, you felt it. She wasn’t human. Her body language was off, she had the oddest habit of tilting her head when she looked at you. It was the eyes though. When you got close enough, you noticed her reptilian eyes. And then there was her voice.

“Tell me, Janelle. You sensed something important, yes?” The throaty deep baritone voice just didn’t match its owner.

“Yes, milady.” Janelle curtseyed. The Lady was very much a stickler for politeness. “East of here. Near or in Indianapolis’ east side.”

The Lady nodded her head, but used her neck to do it. “Thank you, Janelle. Tell me, did what you sense have a flavor? Can you tell me what kind of Psi you felt?” As she asked, Lady Urza tilted her head, staring at Janelle. “Of its wielder, what did you discern?”

Janelle nodded in reply, “Yes, milady. If felt like telekinesis but I’ve never felt a teke that strong before. Also, there was a lot of anger in it.”

“And is this wielder male or female?”

“I think female, but there was so much rage I’m not sure.”

The Lady Urza turned back towards the fire in the hearth and made what sounded like a low hiss. “Thank you, Janelle. Please let Deirdre know that her services I will be requiring. That is all.” The Lady made a gentle dismissive wave with her hand, but did not turn back from the fire.

***

I fell. Oh god! Then there was this moment of nothingness. Nothing, no light, sound or smell. Then I was falling again. I landed on my water bed. At home. Home. Safe. The bed’s motion was turbulent for a few moments, but I didn’t care. I was home. The dizziness was gone, and I was more tired than I’ve ever remembered being. I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute.