Vivi

V

"What?" yelled the masked man.

Serenely, Vivi looked down at her feet. She was standing on a crystal platform shaped like an old fashioned silver tea tray, decorated with curly flower and vine patterns. The names of everyone she loved were etched in cursive along the edges. There were so many, she realised.

Vivi tensed her legs a little, then jumped. The platform augmented her leap – it was springy like a trampoline, yet far beyond a normal trampoline, accelerating her like a rocket. She kicked at more imagined springy steps in the air, each time adding more power to her flight.

Then Vivi laughed. I can fly, she thought. I can just fly. She forgot about the steps and platforms and just let herself fly wherever she imagined to go.

The masked man pointed at Vivi and blasted at her again. Vivi was as if possessed by the spirit of freedom, laughing as she dodged and weaved.

The man roared and made a fierce gesture, loosing all of his power at once in a shockwave that could be heard like a cannon-blast as far as Denver.

Vivi was right in the middle of that storm of power. This time, though, instead of breaking, her body turned into light. Vivi stayed close to that feeling of herself, kept feeling and knowing all the love and meaning that she was made of, remembering it so deeply and viscerally that that energy became her flesh itself...

The masked man screamed in frustration. Vivi flew upwards quickly. The man followed, blasting at Vivi again and again.

There were helicopters in the distance. Vivi stopped and faced the masked man. He was breathing heavily, the set of his shoulders hinting at a terrible rage. Somehow, Vivi felt sad for him.

"Stop running and fight me!" yelled the masked man.

Vivi had a new, powerful inspiration. The most comforting safety. The most precious truth. She felt it like a deep and powerful and inexorable symphony emanating from her heart. The symphony was as if perfectly conducted, each instrument played as tenderly as one would touch a lover.

Material started weaving itself around the two of them. A large crystal box encapsulated the masked man. He blasted at it, but the material absorbed his energy harmlessly.

All around grew a palace made of white and red crystal and marble. Vivi imagined bedrooms, living rooms, meditation rooms, a gym, gardens, pantries, kitchens. She saw food, showers, towels, clothes, toilets, a power generator. Everything was beautiful, flowing, and yet solid and serious, not overly ostentatious, at least not by her standards.

The sound of a helicopter grew louder. Vivi looked out the window and saw police livery on the machine. "Don't worry," said Vivi softly in the helicopter's direction. "We'll be fine." At those words a ripple of power went through Vivi's palace. Vivi felt an increased weight in her body – an upwards acceleration.

The G-force was mild at first, but quickly became so strong Vivi could barely stand. She dropped into a reclining chair, which held her increased weight so comfortably it was as if it had been designed just for the purpose. Her captive had one too; Vivi gestured for him to use it.

With difficulty, Vivi got out her phone. She wrote to Celine and Peter: "I'm safe. See you soon." She saw the two ticks indicating that the message had been sent, and then her phone's reception went out.

After many long, uncomfortable minutes, the G-force eased off and Vivi could get to her feet. She could see stars through the window. Her captive was watching her; despite his mask Vivi thought she sensed shock and awe. "I'll be back in a moment," said Vivi.