Blackstone

The Battle on the Ocean

                      

Mary's walking stick whipped out and cracked across my knees. I felt a white hot flash of pain and struggled to hold my concentration. I shifted my balance in space/time and maintained my fragile hold on the surface of the lake while Mary watched from the small canoe, a scowl on her face. She readied the walking stick for another strike, but I flipped onto my hands and balanced on the water's surface while executing a shaky hand stand.

            Mary nodded in approval, "Very good, little star. Your command of Time/Space is improving. Soon you will be ready for OutOfTime."

            I opened my eyes, "Do you really think so, Mary?"

            Mary frowned, "I wouldn't have said it, if I didn't think it was so. For that stupid question..." She jabbed me in the belly with her stick.

            I plunged into the icy waters of the lake. The freezing water knocked the warmth out of me and I broke the surface, sputtering for air, shocked and angry when I saw Mary laughing in the canoe. I thrashed towards the canoe and Mary effortlessly lifted me in and wrapped me in a towel.

            "Why did you do that?" I asked.

            "We learn more from our failures than our successes. At least that is what I've observed among humans."

            I shivered in the blanket. Mary handed me a piece of fire bark and I gratefully bite into the sweet tasting root. Warmth filled me and I sat back in the canoe and watched Mary row towards her small island.

           

I woke up to the soft vibrating hum of the beam ship. I looked out the window and saw the Atlantic Ocean streaking by, the wave tops only a few feet below. In the front passenger seat, David napped. I watched him for a moment. His boyish face looked even younger while he slept. I resisted the urge to reach out and feel the thick black curls of his hair. Then I noticed Nicole in the driver's seat, her head eased back on the headrest, sound asleep.

            Fear flashed through me. "Uh, excuse me, who's driving?" I shook Nicole and David. Nothing. Not a word or a sound came from them. They continued to quietly breath and lay perfectly still.

            I looked around. There was nothing but open ocean for as far as I could see. What could have happened? Did someone drug them? Was this a test of some kind?

            "Good Morning. Would you care for some breakfast?" a pleasant female voice spoke from the front dashboard.

            I almost jumped out of my skin. Unless, I was still dreaming, I'm pretty sure the car just spoke to me. I leaned forward. "Uh, yes, hello. Uh, I'm sorry who are you?"

            "I'm sorry, we haven't had time for introductions. It was a busy night last night for you. My name is Cassandra and I'm the A.I. of this beamship, but please call me Cassie. I've found Americans prefer things informal," the beamship said.

            "So you're the brain of the car?" I joked, feeling foolish talking to a car.

            "No, actually, think of me more as the Soul of the Beamship," Cassie said.

            "All right, Cassie. What's the deal with them," I pointed to Nicole and David.

            "They're in a light restorative trance. Blackstone agents are trained to go days without sleep and when they finally get time by themselves, they use the trance to restore their bodily systems. They'll emerge from the trance when we reach the American coast," Cassie informed me.