Power of the Mind

Chapter Two

Trinity nodded at Dalian, and the walk continued in silence until they came to the dreaded Glass Room that Trinity despised so much.

Dalian took one last look at the other, watching her tremble in fear. "Trin."

She locked eyes with him, taking in all of their reddish-brown hues. He grabbed her hands and gave them a quick squeeze.

Trinity could feel his hands heat up.

"872 Breezehome."

Dalian let go of her hands, his smile fading as he did. He casually readjusted the lanyard around his neck and opened the door, pushing Trinity in.

"Ms. Director? 814 is here for Screening."

"Good. Thank you, Dalian." The Director sat in a tall chair, facing the interior of the Glass Room. "Just one more for me: get Sera and have him transport 309 down."

Dalian nodded and swiftly left the room.

The Director span around in her chair to face Trinity. "814, into the Testing Bay."

The door into the true Glass Room slid open, and Trinity walked inside on shaky legs. There were two others in the room, one that Trinity recognized and one that she didn't.

She gave a quiet wave to her current partner-in-crime, Caspar. He nodded back in return, looking almost as nervous as Trinity felt.

"Cas, hey, remember!" Trinity said, attempting a smile. "Cell jelly, great on toes."

Caspar smiled a little at the joke and gave Trinity the thumbs up. Then he pointed to the other person on his side.

Trinity called out another greeting to them.

They responded with a flourish. "Nice to meet ya! They call me Ara, professional shapeshifter at your service! They and them, please."

"Yeah, no prob. Just don't start cryin' too much when I kick your butt into your throat."

"'At's nasty."

"I know."

At that moment, the door to the Glass Room slid open, and a silver-haired doctor dragged in a boy Trinity's age, who was screaming and kicking the entire way in.

As the doctor rudely deposited him on the floor, the boy threw off the oversized headphones and blindfold on himself. The doctor then exited the room.

Trinity stood almost shellshocked, then realized what just happened. Standing in front of her was a beaten, bruised Cozmo.

"Coz!" she shouted out, running over to help him up.

"-e's dead. So dead. I'm gonna kill him, I swear to..." he was muttering as Trinity pulled him up.

"Hey-hey-hey! Snap out of it!" She snapped her fingers a couple of times in front of his face in an attempt to wake him back to his reality.

"I'm here," he grumbled. "Don't you worry..."

"Good. If this is like year 9, I'm gonna need you."

"If this is like year 9, we're dog food," Cozmo shrugged. "Hey, are you gonna let go of my hand or do I have to F.B. you?"

Trinity could feel her face grow red with embarrassment as she shook her hand out of his. "Sorry."

"No worries, it was just strange."

"What can I say? After the crap these fricks-" She pointed out the frosted window, flashing her middle finger for the second time, "-pulled, you deserve some level of.... eh, affection? Friendship? I don't know man, just trying to help."

"Fair."

There was a buzz of interference in the intercoms, and then the Director's voice broke in. "Test? Can you all hear me?"

There was a grumble of affirmation from the four of them.

"Good, good. Now, as you probably figured out by now, this will be a 2-on-2 training battle. 814, if you would kindly look to your left?"

Trinity glanced over to see two hatches in the floor open to reveal two large pools of water.

The Director continued to talk. "That is for your benefit, as now you will not have to pull any moisture from the air around you.

"Furthermore, you will be partnering with the person beside you. You will have 3 minuted to meet with your teammate and discuss your talents. Starting... now."

Cozmo groaned. "It IS like year 9!"

"Yeah, but that was a free-for-all," Trinity replied. "We've got each other this time."

"So what's the plan then?"

"Are you... battle okie-dokie?" Trinity asked nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, they put me on med blocks."

Cozmo's scream echoed in Trinity's head. "Did it... hurt?"

"Like Hell."

"...Oh..."

"Trin, it's fine. I've had worse." He held out his hand. Trinity took it, and it morphed into their secret handshake. Cozmo had made it when they first met, modeling it after some 100-year old game code.  Trinity had taken that code and turned it into battle strategies a couple of days later.

"So," she said. "What'cha feelin' today? Mi? Ko?"

"Remember Up-Na?"

"That was the...?"

"I block, you attack."

"Yeah, yeah! I was thinking we might be better with B-Mi, but hey, that sounds pretty good."

"Oh, hey, hold up, what if we..." Cozmo trailed off in thought.

"Start with Up-Na, then move to B-Mi?" Trinity finished.

"Yeah! But do we have the power?"

Trinity glanced back to the pools of water. "Eh, probably?"

"That works."

"Yeah, just make sure you're ready if we need to switch up the plan."

"Hey, why don't we start with a-"

The intercom chimed in again with the director's voice. "Please stand in position and ready yourselves. The match ends at a forfeit or when a subject loses consciousness. When the alarm sounds, that is your cue. Good luck, and make me proud."

Trinity planted her feet firmly on the ground and took a deep breath.

This is fine, she thought. Just remember the-

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

"Oh, God."