The PulseTeam, Book Two: Evolution

Chapter Eight: Taking Precautions

Part One: Consulting With ShadowKeeper

Yashimoto Private Investigations Firm | Cleveland, Ohio
Thursday, July 7, 2033 | 14:30 EST

A week after the kidnapping incident with Alexa which is a few days into our summer vacation, I take a little trip into downtown, not to visit my father at his office, but to pay Aunt Lian a visit at her private investigations firm. I need to talk to her alone, because what happened last week cannot be allowed to happen ever again.

When I arrive, I am greeted by the receptionist at the front desk, who tells me that I need to schedule an appointment to speak to Aunt Lian. So, I shoot Aunt Lian a text, informing her of my arrival.

She comes out to the front desk and asks me why I didn't just come right in, and I tell her, "Your receptionist told me that I could not go in to see you without an appointment, that's why."

She then turns to the receptionist and reprimands her, saying, "You what?! Don't you know who this is?? This is David Nathanael Allen, III. As in, the son of David Allen, Junior, one of the leading names in nanotechnology? He's on the walk-in list!"

"I'm so sorry, ma'am," says the girl, who looks to be no older than twenty-three, "I didn't look at the list."

"Memorize the names and the corresponding faces that are on that list," says Aunt Lian. "There had better not be a next time that this happens. Otherwise, your job is on the line. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," says the receptionist, and Aunt Lian and I walk back to her office.

"Now that Boss Me is out of the way for a moment, this is a most wonderful surprise! I wasn't expecting you so soon. Now," she says, shutting her office door as we step in, and then sitting in the chair next to me, "what can I do for you, kid?"

"I need your help, Aunt Lian," I say.

"With...?" she inquires.

"I know that you are a grandmaster in the art of ninjitsu. And I know that you know that I know that my father is only a master in ninjitsu, which kind of makes you his senior in that department. That being said, I need your help."

"Okay...?" says Aunt Lian. "Go on..."

"Any idiot knows that good ninja are efficient in the art of keeping to the shadows, the even better ninja are completely adept in blending in with the shadows, but the very best ninja are masters at becoming a shadow. I've observed you in combat. I've seen you perform these exclusive techniques with a level of mastery that only a few humans in the history of humanity's relationship with martial arts have only been able to come extremely close to, and I know that not everyone is able to learn these techniques. But despite there being only a few people who were able to learn, I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me how to shadowshift and shadowbend, and all that comes with it."

"Why?" she asks me. "You have so many other powers and abilities at your disposal. You're strong, you're fast, you can't be hurt, your senses are enhanced, and you can fly. And that's not even touching the bare basics of what you can do. So why do you want to learn how to bend darkness and shift with it and in it at will?"

"Because of what happened to Alexa."

"Oh," she says. "So you think that by learning how to do what I do, you are essentially protecting your friends and the one you love?"

"I know I am, Aunt Lian," I reply. "I've done the math, I've factored in every possible variable, every possible scenario, and every possible consequence. All of my other abilities mean essentially nothing if not one of them is specifically suited to helping me keep the ones I love safe from harm. Trust me, this is the only option I have left."