Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 36

Being officially recovered was no excuse to not spending the night in the recovery chamber. I had physical training I needed to keep up with and mastering the hovering exercise Krato gave me was not something I had any intention of putting off to later. While there I could recover my psionic energy much quicker, so training anywhere else was far less efficient. I still spent some time on the exercises Peter and Victoria had taught me and cycle through my psionic notes. It would help me keep each part of my psionic voice strong and to improve.

I took a different approach to hover training than I had with Krato. Instead of pushing off the ground and trying to hold myself aloft for as long as possible, I focused just on the take off and the early stabilization process. After that, I’d fall back to the ground and try it again. It only took a few seconds for each round so I could go through the motions numerous times. This way I’d became more familiar with arguably the most difficult part of the exercises.

I messaged Victoria goodnight and was able to get a few hours of sleep. I had Destiny help me plan for the next day. My time in the Jungle with Mara would allow me to expand on what I was learning from Krato, and I was excited to see what I could do now that I’d recovered. The problem was that it could easily drain me of energy, so I needed to return to the recover chamber as soon as I was done to recover for Krato’s training later in the day. Then I had to throw in physical and combat training. All of this was before my responsibilities with Prodos’s expansion. Tonight was the night that I’d meet with Kline, Mel, Barrel, and a few others to do experimental training. There would probably be a lot of sparring involved, but that wouldn’t be the focus. What we needed most was creativity. It gave me an idea as to who else I should invite to the group. Too many people would just hinder the processes, but there were so many unique perspectives and I wanted to include all the important ones. Narrowing things down was proving to be difficult.

***

Mara was waiting for me by the counter. Today’s leotard was black and pink. She kicked off from the wall she was leaning against and stood there expectantly with her hands on her hips. “Ready?”

Her neckline was already glistening with sweat, so she mustn’t have been waiting for me long. That didn’t keep her from acting as if she needed another warmup.

I cracked a grin and replied. “Are you, Optima?”

She clicked her tongue then bowed her head solemnly before inclining it to look off into the distance. With a hand over her heart, she spoke. “I would like to apologize to the world for emasculating this once fine man. We now know that he is but a child who is tempted by silly things.”

I let out a long whistle. “You actually went there… And for just saying a word? You do realize I’ve completely recovered, right? I was going to take it easy on you today, but now there’s not a chance.”

She mouthed, “Oohhh.” Coughing into her hand, she cleared her throat. “The silly-man feels his honor has been questioned and seeks to prove himself.” Teetering her head back and forth she taunted me. “Go on then. Prove me wrong.”

I stopped as I moved to walk past her. “You’re having way too much fun with this.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“You asked for it.”

“Yay,” she said, clapping her hands together like a cheerleader with a smiley bob of her head to the side.

As always, in order to enter the Jungle’s main area there were the three elevated platforms before us. The first was six foot tall, the second eight, and the third ten. Twenty-four feet in total. The main difficulty was the distance between each platform, but with enough speed…

I’d been daydreaming up countless things I wanted to try with my time in the Jungle today, but Mara always insisted things had to be fun, and I knew there was something to her words. So fun I shall have.

My aura blinked fiery red into life then faded. It blinked into life a few more times as I appreciated the sensation. Then I let it light and billow, before capping any energy leakage. I looked to the very top of the three platforms to judge the distance.

“Lucius, maybe—”

“Mara,” I said, cutting her off. “This is something I have to do. The world is watching. I wouldn’t want them to think badly of you.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t all of this because you came up with such a sweet nickname for me but then got embarrassed after using it? Don’t worry, Optimo will prove to everyone that you’re right.”

With teeth clenched and hands curled into fists, she made an intense squeal of displeasure. “That sounds so stupid,” she replied, shaking her fist as she pleaded. “Never say that again. Please. I beg you.”

“Perhaps, but I think I can get away with sounding stupid if I can do things like this.” Imitating her head bob from before, I stuck out my tongue then took off running.

There wasn’t a lot of room to work with, but enough for a few long strides. My aura ramped up to full strength rapidly as I ran the first two strides aggressively with inhuman agility. As my foot touched down at the end of my third and final step, I enhanced my body until the last moment when my aura went out like a light and Othisi exploded my foot.

I’d practiced such basics like psionic jumping back in Freedom, but that was on flat ground. I’d also only had rank F psionics at the time, so my concept of what to expect now at rank E was sketchy. The acceleration and weightlessness I felt in the moment was unlike anything I’d ever felt while using my own two feet. It felt like my stomach and heart were trying to switch places.

Perhaps it was because Mara had distracted me, or that I was giving in to her concept of fun, because I hadn’t put much thought into leaping. My judgement of the height and distance came far more natural than I could’ve guessed.

The single best part about jumping that high was also what made it the most frightening. The time I was in the air wasn’t short. It was long enough to think about where I was and what was happening. At the arch of my leap I was a few yard above the three platforms floating there. It was a surreal experience.

As I fell toward the platform, I was sure I was going to remain on target, but my landing was still questionable. I considered using push or my aura, but realized my fall really wasn’t that high. I was just landing on a high platform which made it intimidating.

Reaching my target, the trajectory was just right, but I was tilted forward too much to stick the landing. Instead, I rolled with it as Mara had had me practice a hundred times.

Walking over toward the edge, I stood there looking down at her with my arms crossed.

She waved and called, “I’m coming.”

An orange aura engulfed her as she sped toward the first platform. With what seemed little effort, she hurled herself up. Landing in stride, she sprinted toward the second stair eight feet up, two feet higher than the first. She jumped again as if she was hopping from stair to stair and neared the last one.

I saw her look of absolute focus as she drew near. Stepping to the side, I moved so she wouldn’t plow into me when she jumped up.

She planted her foot and leapt. She bicycled in the air before pulling her legs up and threw them forward. She had the height, but only just. When she touched down, I feared she was about to fall back, so I stepped forward, but she stabilized herself and stood in a gymnast’s salute.

With a huff, she looked at me. I could tell she was relieved she’d made it.

I clapped hard and slow.

“I guess I deserve your scorn.” She huffed even harder.

“My praise is genuine. You know you’re awesome.”

“Nah. At this,” she said, spreading her hands to encompass the Jungle. “I know I’m mediocre. All I have are my looks,” she paused for effect before adding. “Style, class, hundreds of millions of fans, some of the best friends in the world, my fam, and a puppy named Kitten.”

Chuckling at the swagger she used while naming them off, I had to goad her. “Your personality isn’t terrible either.”

“That’s class you foolish boy. I’m classy through and through.”

“There you go again. Calling me a boy…”

“If it causes the whole world to benefit each time you prove me wrong, why would I ever stop?”

“Fine, person-who-named-their-dog-Kitten,” I retorted, eyeing the obstacles below. My psionics and Krato’s teaching had unlocked innumerable new options. I’d already been thinking that if I could master movement in terrain like this then opponents, theoretically even on Krato’s level, might be possible to defeat.

“What are you doing?” She alarmedly asked.

I turned to see her backing away slowly with her eyes on my feet, or lack of ground beneath them. I’d been practicing my hovering takeoffs as often as possible and had taken off while I was observing without thinking.

As soon as I consider why she might be reacting the way she was I cut off my push and dropped the few inches to the ground.

“Mara,” I called.

Her eyes jerked away from my feet as she snapped out of it. “Yeah?”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said, softening my gaze and waving her to take my hand.

She still seemed a little startled, but there wasn’t any hesitation when she saw reached for me. With her hand in mine, I pulled her into a side hug and squeezed her tight.

I felt her let out a pent-up breath.

“I’ve been trying to imitate the Ekseliksi elite’s movement techniques,” I started to explain. “No one I have fought has even come close to being able to move like him. I haven’t gotten very far yet.”

“Oh. That’s—really smart actually. Can I see it again?” She replied, pushing away and looking at me expectantly.

“Sure.”

By now I had practiced my take off a hundred times or more, so using the right amount of force without tripping up was easy. With what looked like a little hop I was suddenly suspended a few inches above the ground.

“Hmmm,” she said, looking from where I was hovering to the obstacles below. “You’re using push, right? The same when you jump?”

“Yup.”

“That really opens up the lines you can take…” She started tracing the building type obstacles with her finger as she thought.

I dropped back to the floor and smiled. I hadn’t even had to ask her, and she was already considering the new possibilities.

“I’ve been wondering…” I said, hoping to pull her attention.

“Yeah?” She replied, still mostly focused on the Jungle.

I was tempted to tease her, but I decided against it. I really needed a serious answer. “Mara.”

“Mmm?” She looked at me.

“I’m putting together a team to experiment with unique uses of psionics and determine best practices. I think you would be a good addition. Are you be interested?”

“A team? Are you trying to demote me to researcher or something?”

I shook my head fervently–fearful she was hiding some insecurity I didn’t know about. “Not at all. I would be a part of the team, Kline, Mel, Barrel…”

She held an uncertain look, but, and I should’ve expected it, she was soon cracking a smile. “Just messing with you. Sure. I’m not exactly proficient with psionics though. Are you sure?”

“What I’m looking for is imagination. Your world famous for your creativity, and I’ve personally witnessed it. Besides, I think we’ll be able to help you unlock other abilities much faster. That will be one of the things we focus on.”

“If that’s the case, then how could I say no? For a second there I thought you were just interested in me for my not so terrible personality.”

“Emphasis on terrible.”

She jabbed me on the arm with her middle knuckles. “When do we meet?”

“Tonight is the first meeting. I’ll add you to the list and send you the details. Victoria is working out a schedule that should allow us to meet consistently without interfering in our main duties.”

“That works for me. Ready for some building hopping? I’m not even going to try to follow you. Let’s figure out our lines where we end up in the same place, but I’m sure you have some things you want to try, and I have some ideas.”

“Great.”

She stepped forward to get a better look but turned when I stood back.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Stepping forward, I held her eyes with my own. “How are you holding up?”

She diverted her gaze at first, but then looked back up at me. “I’m okay. Probably.”

I snickered. “Very convincing.”

“I think what I really need is to have some fun. You’re joining me, right?”

“Let’s do it.”

Turning toward the Jungle’s cityscape, we began to plan. In a few minutes, we were off.