A Touch Of Lightning (COMPLETED!)

Chapter 35 Ahleena's Revenge 2

Chapter 35 Ahleena's Revenge 2

Drab, whitewashed walls greeted Ahleena. Somehow, the lack of color seemed to fit this place. As if it was so leached of hope and life that not even color could survive. Ahleena glided down the hall, extending her psionic senses outwards cautiously. Even though she felt unstoppable, even though she believed she was untouchable as a Ghost Ninja, she knew better than to walk wide open and unprepared into what could be a trap. Part of her mind hoped it was a trap.

Her senses touched nothing living. Nothing even moved in the massive underground complex. She scowled, not liking this unexpected twist. It made her even more alert, even more focused. Then she rounded a corner and bloody carnage greeted her. The hall was a massacre line. Here, the color of life strewn violently about was painting the walls, the floors, even the ceiling with the rust of old blood. And rotting body parts were everywhere. There were so many piled up that Ahleena understood that it had been intentional.

Whatever had killed these guards, scientists, and lab workers had purposefully brought the bodies here and piled them high up and down the hall. Ahleena glided over them, eyes searching. There was something here...some...message.

The bodies were not piled up randomly. The blood sprayed on the walls began in a random pattern, but as she moved forward she began to notice a geometric pattern. It was a message, she had no doubt. But for who? And left by what?

The bodies and gore on the hall stopped abruptly. There was a clear space in front of one open door. Not just clear, but sparkling bright. As if it had been meticulously cleaned and waxed to a high polish. The walls were equally spotless. Except for one blood pattern across from the open door. It was roughly circular, about six feet in diameter, with sharp edged lines all throughout. It was a work of art, with every line deliberate, ultra precise.

The intensity within the lines, within their relationship to the next, spun her mind almost the very instant she began to examine it. It was like the lines were burning into her, impressing their message into the very essence of her mind. With a fierce snarl, she yanked her mind away, spinning to avert her gaze, feeling as if she had just escaped a black vortex that led forever into nothingness. That was so much more than a simple message!

The pattern was fascinating, and Ahleena wanted to study it further, but her curiosity had her turning to face the open door. The pattern, the message, was obviously meant for whoever would be walking out that door. As she scanned the door with her power, she blinked in surprise. Callin!

This had been Callin's room. She could feel his old psionic signature here. And she knew. She understood immediately. That message had been left for Callin. Her instincts told her it wasn't a trap, either. Not for him. It was designed explicitly for him, for his unique mind.

She could almost feel, through their link, how that psionic imprinted blood pattern would influence his mind. But she couldn't begin to guess what affect it would have. It would definitely have a different effect on his mind than hers, she understood.

She closed her spirit eyes and sent her power soaring up and down the halls, all throughout the facility. Scouring the complex minutely for any sign of life. And on the lowest level, she found it.

Five tiny sparks of consciousness greeted her probing mind. They danced about, flickering like miniscule candle flames amidst the darkness. Ahleena watched in fascination. This was unlike any mind she had ever seen. She sensed great strength here, but severely repressed. But she also sensed the five were working together, building strength together. Something about the way they flickered and swayed struck a chord in her, and she focused closer on them.