A desire for freedom

Chapter 3-Skyler

Watching the other Connected spar, Skyler felt a lump rise in her throat, all of these teenagers will need to fight and kill the enemy Numbers, when they weren't even strong enough to fight each other, let alone hundreds of Numbers in one on one combat.

'Surely Second wouldn't send us all to our deaths. Right?'

The thought of her brothers dying before her brought tears to her eyes.

She stuck to that thought, she stood straight and looked around but didn't see what she was looking for.

Walking around Tarence she realized there was no other female connected beside herself, Skyler wondered why that was.

"Could the connection process be too hazardous for female psychology or do Numbers have a preference of gender? Maybe being connected takes away the ability for women to bear children? "

Lost in thought she crashed into Mason, who toppled over in shock.

"What the --"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" he said quickly, "First needs you now!"

They raced to the sanctum. From the outside, the Sanctum, the command building of Tarence, looked like a small two-story house with a three-car garage. It didn't seem like much, and the Connected weren't allowed in, so no one knew what it was like on the inside, which made it that much more fun to sneak in. Mason pointed to the building and told her First was waiting inside. She turned the doorknob but the door wouldn't budge. A black block rose from the porch floor and asked her to place her hand on it. The pad on top of the block examined her handprint and the door swung open.

She crept inside and the door shut behind her, she continued into the building until she heard First call her into a side room.

She stuck her head in to be rewarded with First smiling at her on the other side of a long table, It motioned for her to sit next to it.

All the major Numbers were seated around the table, silently watching her as she walked to First's side.

She felt First boost her telepathy, so she activated it. A sudden bombardment of thoughts invaded her mind, she could tell the Numbers were outraged because of her presence. First told her to remain quiet and calm so they wouldn't know she could hear them, and their conversation could be known to her.

"Why are you allowing this First, t-this, girl," one of the Numbers stammered, clearly outraged "has clearly manipulated you," Fifty-six said

"How dare She enter this place." Sylf pushed

"What is the meaning of this?" seventy cried out

"That mere human has defiled our sanctum with her presence" eight hundred and twelve declared

The bickering grew to a crescendo in her mind.

Skyler smirked, they were unknowingly letting her hear everything they were thinking about. She looked up at First questingly, It shook its head,

"Not quite yet, young one."

Currently, First was wearing a long skirt, a sweater, moccasins, and a ponytail. It looked rather normal. Except, for its one eye right in the middle of Its forehead

First enjoyed taking on abnormal forms to amuse her. This time was obviously a test of her composure so she held in her giggles.

She nodded and turned back to the group of Numbers.

They continued their questioning of First's uncalled-for actions. First just looked at them and sighed like a preschool teacher when they lost their class's attention.

One voice quieted the rest,

"Enough."

Skyler's mind went still, the voice wasn't commanding or strict in any way, it was small and gentle and couldn't have been the cause of the abrupt silence.

"We are here to discuss war, not sanctiveity. I condone this Connected's presence only for the sake of the war. I was told by First that it would do this, and it is for a reason. You would do well to allow First to explain before you continue this babbling and bickering."

It spoke aloud so she could hear, though It didn't need to.

She looked around the room again to see who was speaking, there were around eighty Numbers in the room, all of them had turned to look at the head of the table.

Sitting at the end of the table was a Number Skyler recognized but had never met. It took the form of a small boy, it was blond and shirtless, as most Numbers were. From far away It looked rather handsome, looking closer, its eyes were purple and red. It was fairly muscular but that was no accomplishment.

It was looking at her with a gleam in its eye as if amused by her. However, that would soon change.

"First if you will. Please explain your plan to us."

"It would be my pleasure friend"

Skyler took her eyes off of the 'boy' and looked up at First.

'Now?'

Her telepathy link, now fully active, rang through the rank of Numbers, who only then realized that Skyler could hear them.

"If you wouldn't mind, it's time."

A smile broadened on her face, she could feel her abilities brimming with power.

According to First, allowing any normal connected to use all of their power at one time would drive them insane, because of the strain the power puts on their mind.

But First had decided she wasn't normal a long time before. They had concluded that because she connected at such a young age, the side effects of the power grew weaker as she grew older.

Normally she kept her power use at or below 5% as using more power could put too much strain on her physical body. But today was a special day, and she was going to use all of it just the way First had directed her.