Subject Seventeen: Wraith Among Shadows
Chapter 15

I’m walking through a field. The grass is black and it tilts backwards as the wind blows. Looking around I see the grass continues further than the eye can see. The sky is grey with no sun. It gives off an eerie feeling of abandonment, like the darkness is screaming out and trying to take me in. I slowly turn to look at the few clouds in this distorted sky. All of them are a bright red. I’ve never seen such a beautiful red before. I can’t help but stare at the clouds and wonder how it would feel to touch them. Would I pass right through them or would they feel like cotton candy?

I tear my eyes away and look around me again. This time I’m in the middle of a street. There’s no one else around and there are papers littering the entire road and curb. In front of me is a large run-down building, similar to a church. My eyes cross over and examine the brick walls. The white paint covering the bricks has faded and several scratch marks now decorate it. There are large dents in the wall which my eyes come across every now and then. Dust sometimes pours out of cracks in the wall in small streams. I look at the large door which leads inside. It’s made of thick mahogany. Small scratches decorated this also. The sign at the top of the door has fallen off and rests on the floor in front of the door, too rusted over to read.

It take me a while to notice the silence. There isn’t even any wind here. I take a step forward and pick up the nearest piece of paper. Turning it over I see the words ‘EVACUATE’ written in bold red letters. I turn my attention to the picture underneath. It shows nothing but ruins and smoke. At the bottom of the picture it says ‘New York’ and my mouth drops. I read the words underneath.

‘Following the recent nuclear attack on New York city in the U.S and the declaration of war from the allied nations of China and Russia, an evacuation decree and martial law has been declared. All civilians are to report to their assigned evacuation stations where they will await further instructions.’

I let the paper fall down to the ground and bow my head in shock. I was right. The third world war has begun and I played a hand in starting it. I look up as I hear a small humming. Two jets fly by and one of them releases something from its belly as it glides away. It takes me a while to make it out. It looks like a shell or missile in the beginning. It makes a whistling sound as it descends and when I realise what it is my eyes widen. It’s a bomb.

I have no time to escape and watch helplessly as the bomb falls. It hits the run-down building in front of me and the next thing I see is a flash of white which causes me to shut my eyes in defence. But I don’t feel anything. No sudden burst of heat or pain. After a few moments I open them again and the scene I see makes me feel sick.

Everything around me is in ruins. Debris covers the entire expanse as far as I can see and thousands of bodies are flung everywhere. I can see men, women and children alike, all lifeless. Their mouths are open and eyes are open in shock. It’s the eyes which get to me most. They’re so empty. Pale and void of any warmth. To my left I can see a little girl laying down dead. Her left arm clutches a pink teddy bear to her chest while her right arm is sprawled out on the ruins. Her face is facing away from me. The sight repulses me.

Then the girl’s head turns. Slowly it begins to face me, although her body still remains lifeless. When her head has fully turned I fall backwards on my hands. She has no face. No eyes or nose or mouth. Nothing.

She raises her right hand to point at me and I watch as the skin peels off and all that’s left is her bones. Looking around I see that the skin on all the bodies is slowly decomposing and turning them all into nothing but a pile of bones. And I’m right in the middle of this.

Then they disappear and suddenly I’m in front of a tall white structure. It takes me a while to realise I’m in front of the Washington Monument. Just in front of it I see a man I recognise from the papers and the T.V. It’s the president. His head literally explodes as a gunshot rings out. Looking up from his dead body I see a hand wearing a white glove clutching a green revolver and I instantly recognise the man holding the gun. It’s the same dark skinned man I saw talking to the Doctor when I first woke up. Next to him I see Sanders, the Chinese military men I saw at the headquarters and two other people.

The first one of the two I see is Three. Her long black hair whips around in the wind and her katana is attached to her waist. Her face is blank and lacks emotion. Next to her is the person I expect the least. Sky. She stands next to Three with her head held high, but a single tear rolls down from her left eye.

I wake up screaming. My entire body is covered in sweat and the sheets of the bed I’m on are soaked. I replace myself struggling to breathe as I come to my senses. I look around and notice that I’m back in the same room I woke up in before I fought Nine and Three. I think back and try to remember what happened.

We had just returned from the mission to save Thirteen and Eleven and I was sedated. I remember them injecting me with something after that and running tests. I still have my memories. Or some of them at least. I can remember most of what’s happened in the past week. I remember Sky. Sky? Wait, who’s Sky?

My head rings as I try to recall who Sky is. Didn’t I just see her in that weird dream? I can’t remember things I knew just a second ago. What the hell is going on?

Jumping out of the bed I do a few stretches. My body still feels sore from that last mission. I haven’t completed my full training yet the Doctor thinks I’m good enough to be used in missions. Ain’t that something.

I stagger a little and pause to gather my bearings. I’m clearly disorientated. I walk towards the door and it slides open. I replace myself in the familiar oval shaped room. This time it isn’t active and is grey instead of white. I replace myself walking quickly over to the red door on the other side. The door slides open and I pass through it.

The memory of passing through this room returns to me. The computers and men in white coats scurrying about seems so familiar. It takes me a while to spot the Doctor and his usual horn-rimmed glasses. He walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good,” I reply. “How long was I asleep, sir?”

“Don’t you worry about it. It’s more important that you’re well rested.”

He guides me over to another set of doors which he pushes open. We head down a series of corridors in silence till he finally speaks.

“You performed admirably on your last mission but now we need you need to be trained in combat without using your powers. I hope you take your lessons seriously. Normally it would take the average person years to become an expert in close combat, but I know that you can learn in just a few hours if you put the effort in.”

I nod at him as he guides me into another oval shaped room. This one is already lit up and the walls are all white this time - I assume that means the room is active - and inside is Three, Five and Nine. With that the Doctor leaves and the door shuts close behind him.

Five runs his hands through his blonde hair whilst keeping his eyes fixed on me. He gives me a wry look and smirks.

“You ready for this?” he asks.

“Why not?” I reply.

“Nine,” Three says. “You can have him for now.”

Nine nods and pushes his glasses up. That’s definitely a habit of his. He walks forward and stops a few feet in front of me. It’s almost as if he’s analysing me as he looks me up and down. Stepping forward, he begins to lightly press my shoulders and backs, my biceps and chest. Then he puts his hand on his chin and gives a small nod.

“Well, his lean body is well built for mine or Thirteen’s fighting style I guess.”

I look at Nine. What does he mean by that?

“Oh wow,” Five says. “Won’t that be interesting to see? Someone else who can use that bizarre fighting style?”

“Shouldn’t we get Thirteen to teach him instead?” Three says.

“No,” Nine replies. “Firstly, I can teach him my style. Thirteen’s is too complicated and none of us understand how it works. Second, Thirteen won’t be bothered enough to do this. If he wanted to he’d be down here by now.”

“Speak of the devil -” Five begins.

“And he will appear,” Thirteen concludes, walking in the room. “All of you need to leave so I can teach him.”

“Wow,” Five says. “You actually want to do something that involves work?”

“Let’s go,” Nine says, pulling Five along with him. Three follows after them and Thirteen and I are left alone in the room. He looks at me without blinking for such a long while that I begin to back away.

“Don’t move.”

I stop in my tracks and look into his eyes. I see something I can’t quite explain inside. A sort of depth that pulls you in, as if inside them you can see the entire world and beyond that. So this is Thirteen.

He steps closer to me and moves my right foot back, but tells me to keep it straight. Next he tells me to slightly bend my left leg and raise both my arms. I do as he says. He takes my right hand and pushes it back to the right of my chest with my palms facing forward. Taking my left hand he bends it inwards a little but keeps my palm facing forward so that my hand is about a little over half a metre in front of my chest. He makes me lean forward slightly while keeping my back straight and then stands back.

“Maintain that pose for an hour,” he says.

I stare at him. An hour? He must be crazy. Isn’t this supposed to be combat training?

“I know what you’re going to ask,” he says. “Yes, this is meant to be combat training. No, I’m not wasting your time. Yes, I’m taking this seriously.”

That shuts me up. Guess being able to see into the future is a handy power. He continues.

“Before we go on, let’s talk about your dream.”

This catches my attention. He knows about the dream I had. How is that possible?

“I can see the future, and in the future you tell me about your dream. That’s how it’s possible.”

There he goes again, answering my questions before I get to say them.

“You had that dream because of my power. Don’t interrupt me,” he says as I open my mouth. I close it, irritated and wanting to hit him in the face. “You saw the future because you mimicked my ability. You first need to understand that you don’t have to be near any of us to use our abilities. You and I are different from the rest. We’re connected to the Xerxes. Only in my case the Doctor doesn’t know this, but he’s a fool. It’s natural to assume that one with the power to see across time is connected to the world itself, and as such connected to the Xerxes.”

Wait, hold up. I’m still trying to process have to things you just said and you’re already moving on? Jeez, can this guy calm down?

“I can’t utilise it as great as you however,” he continues. “Everything that happens, every atom that moves, every time the wind blows, watch how the Xerxes flows. Remember how the connection works and you can recreate it under any condition.

“Next. Do not talk about what you saw in the future. I’ve learned the hard way that visions which come to you in dreams are key events in the timeline which must never be changed. Trust me, after interpreting a vision trying to change it just results in another problem and I really don’t like stress, so just don’t give me any more work to do. Oh and speaking to someone about it is only asking for trouble.”

Thirteen holds a finger up to his mouth signalling for me to to shut up before I even talk. I reluctantly snap my mouth shut. He knows exactly what and when I plan to ask him questions. The constant stream of new information he’s feeding me is circling my head.

“Yes, I’m on your side, but for now you will do and act only as I say. Do not comply with Nine and Two - or Sky as you refer to her. That’s all I’ll tell you. You’ll do well to heed my warnings. Now on to your training.”

Did he just say Sky? He’s saying too many things at once for me to understand it in the slightest. And who’s Sky? He’s not even making sense right now.

I stare at Thirteen with my mouth open. That’s too much information for someone to hear in an instant. How does he expect me to remember all this and follow his instructions?

“My fighting style is unique to me because of the Xerxes. It is also unique to you. With the Xerxes we can not only see the connections of the world, but also the energy. Our combat style focuses on utilising this energy. If you look at me and focus, what do you see?”

I focus on him. I let everything else fade into the background and focus on reading his energy. I notice that his energy forms all sorts of patterns in his body, as if it were a labyrinth. The paths of energy cross paths at several points in his body where they would form small balls of energy.

“Where the energy crosses paths is what I call the chi points. It is different for every person. By reading the flow of your enemy’s chi and disabling these points you can disable them in turn. Things such as their thoughts or movements or muscles. They all are connected to the chi points. Taking them out can help you quickly incapacitate your opponent.”

I try to process all the information Thirteen has just given me. I understand the theory, but how exactly am I supposed to disable the chi points in a person?

“By manipulating your own energy,” Thirteen says. I hate how he answers my question before I ask it. “First you need to be fast. This stance utilises the spring in your legs. I’ve made you stay in this stance for the past hour so you can get used to it. You’re going to do this every day until it becomes natural. Also, I’m going easy on you now because it’s the first day. Tomorrow you have to do this for four hours.”

He holds his finger up before I can complain at the absurdity of his training.

“Close your eyes and feel your own energy. Let it wash over you and direct it to where you want it to go. In this case, direct it to your fingertips.”

I do as he says. I breathe slowly and feel for my energy. It feels like years before I’m able to sense it. It feels like a warm ray of sunlight covering me just before the sun sets. I let it wash over me like he said. Then I gently will it to flow towards my fingertips and to my surprise it easily flows there.

Thirteen stands in front of me and takes the same stance he put me in. He’s still for a moment before releasing a deep breath.

“Your palms are to deflect and repel. The tips of your fingers are to attack,” he says. “I’m slowly going to show you how to use them.”

He starts by forming his right hand into a fist and slowly begins pushing it forward towards me. He uses his left hand to move my own left hand which is just in front of my chest. By slowly rotating my wrist inwards and moving my hand slightly to my right, my palm pushes his fist away.

“You’ll move only as much as you need to. Don’t waste movement. Your hands are to remain as close to their original position as possible at all times. By simple movements such as the slight rotation which I just showed you, it is possible to deflect attacks such as that.”

I slowly begin to understand exactly what he’s saying. I never knew there could be such an effective but simple stance to counter attacks.

“You need to be quick on your feet too.”

He suddenly sweeps my legs with his foot and I crumple into the floor. I quickly jump back up to my feet, annoyed. However he does it again, and again the next time I try to get up.

“How am I supposed to learn if I keep getting knocked down?” I say.

“Do you want to know why you keep falling down?” Thirteen says.

“What do you mean?”

“You keep falling because you haven’t learned how to get back up. You need to be quick on your feet. To do that first you have to learn how to get to your feet instantly without being knocked back down.”

I take a breath and nod. I guess I shouldn’t question the expert at his own style. I keep trying to get back up to my feet but Thirteen keeps kicking me down. I’m about to give up when I realise something. He keeps saying I need to be quick on my feet. However I keep my feet in the same place as I get up. I’m not thinking about moving them at all. Maybe he means I should be more flexible in my thinking and actions? I decide to try something.

This time I push myself up off the ground and flip onto my hands just as Thirteen’s attack skims below my feet as they leave the ground. I flip back up to my feet and jump back as Thirteen aims for my feet again.

“Better,” he says. “But still not good enough. You need to be faster. You need to make use of the energy around you. Move as if you are the air. A ghost. A wraith even. By merging your energy with Xerxes you can feel the flow of the air and even move as if you’re the embodiment of the wind.”

I do as he says and feel for the energy around me. It comes surprisingly easy. I feel the familiar warmth of my energy surround me as I think about connecting with the energy in the air around me. My body begins to feel lighter. The next time Thirteen attacks me I’m ready for him.

I take the stance again and somersault backwards into the air, even surprising myself. The next thing I know is that Thirteen is coming after me again and this time I can see his fists clenched, just poised to attack me.

“Palms!” he shouts at me. I regain my composure and take the stance again. Thirteen’s right fist flies forward at me aiming right for my jaw. I do exactly as he taught me and move my left hand slightly to my right and rotate my wrist inwards and redirect my energy to my hand. The force at which I blow his hand away amazes me. His hand flies to the side, his body spinning as an after effect of my deflection.

“Good,” he says. “You’re getting the hang of it. Nice to see you’re a fast learner. Now let’s get a bit more serious. I like to think that the best experience you can get is from actually using it in a real life situation.”

Thirteen takes the same stance he showed me. I suddenly feel a cold chill as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end just watching him. He’s giving off a dark and dreadful aura, threatening to consume my entire existence right now. Something is telling me that I do not want to be in Thirteen’s path right now.

He takes two small steps forward, but very slowly. All of a sudden he’s rushing towards me and I can barely keep up with him. His right palm thrusts into me from his chest into my stomach, pushing me several feet backwards. He continues moving towards me. Next he does something I don’t expect. He jumps and spins in the air and the heel of his right foot heads straight for my face. I duck as he lands and compose myself just as I see his right hand about to thrust into my stomach again.

I try to deflect it with my left palm, but as soon as I move my palm inwards to deflect his attack his left palm brushes my hand away. That short moment is all he needs. He changes the form of his right hand so that only his index and middle finger are pointing outwards whilst the rest is clenched. I don’t have enough time to react as his fingers hit my right shoulder.

I feel the sudden change in my energy and gasp as my muscles go limp and I slowly drop to my knees. I can’t feel my arms anymore as they droop down to my sides.

Now I understand what he meant my disabling chi points. By directing his energy to his fingertips and forcibly pushing it through my chi points, he’s temporarily stopped the flow of my energy for certain parts of my body. As a result I can’t move my muscles.

Thirteen straightens and looks down at me.

“Well,” he says. “Not bad for your first lesson. I’ll see you here the same time tomorrow.”

With that he walks away, leaving me in my paralysed state. I don’t know whether to admire his skill or be annoyed at him leaving me like this. I count down the minutes before I can move again. When I reach twelve minutes I’m finally able to feel my hands again. I slowly force myself to my feet, sighing.

Now that we have finished training I have time to think over everything that Thirteen said. It seems absurd, but if that dream really is the future then we shouldn’t let that horrible future come true. He told me that dream visions are significant events in the timeline and that trying to change them would be catastrophic. What could possibly be worse than what I saw? It was world war three! It may be the end of the world as we know it.

Also, Thirteen can see the Xerxes too. Not to mention that according to him I can use the powers of the others without needing to be near them. I just need to understand the way the Xerxes works when they use it.

Thirteen feels like the type of person who knows everything going on but chooses not to do anything because it’ll be a bother. And it feels like he’s hiding things. A lot more than he’s letting on to say the least. And with his personality I think he’s the last person who should know so much.

I pause as I try to remember exactly what it is I’m thinking about. What does Thirteen know too much of? I can feel it on the tip of my tongue but can’t quite pin it. Then it floods back to me. The children in the military base. China. War.

As I head towards the door I groan. Something is messing with my head. I might be losing my mind. It feels as if there are more things I’m forgetting. Things even more important than all of that. A single word on the tip of my tongue, just lingering, waiting to be uttered.

The door slides open and I pass through it. The path is definitely familiar and I somehow replace myself walking down a corridor marked B within five minutes.

I place my left hand on the wall and come to a halt. Thirteen had shown me a truly amazing ability. The power to manipulate both my inner energy and the energy around me. The Xerxes must have so much more to it - how many possibilities and ideas thought impossible to achieve could be done through manipulating it? Thankfully, I and Thirteen are the only ones who can use it. Or at least as far as I know.

The silence around me becomes increasingly apparent. Closing my eyes, I control my breathing to a slow and steady rhythm. My skin tingles as I feel the energy of the air all around me and let it wash over me. It’s as if the energy of the Xerxes is taking over my mind. It feels as if I’ve experienced this once before and it takes me a while to remember. It’s the same feeling I had when I first woke up and fought against Nine and Three. That instinct or force which had taken over must be the Xerxes.

I accept the energy as it flows through me. For a moment nothing happens and I revel in the peace and quiet. This all changes however when I begin to see things. My eyes are still closed so I know I can’t be hallucinating. Images of stars and planets I’ve never even seen before rush through my mind. I see exploding suns and darkened moons flashing through my mind before I finally see the Earth.

It’s beautiful. The purest blue I have ever set my eyes on. Almost as if I’m seeing into the eyes of my past. I don’t have time to admire the beauty of it as it quickly vanishes. Now I see clouds of energy, wisps of colourful smoke and strange shapes dancing around each other.

Deep down I know exactly what I’m seeing. I’m connecting with the Xerxes; the very world itself. This is nature in its finest form. At its core. I feel my mind pass through all these and I finally replace myself back in the corridor I’m standing in. Only this time, I’m looking at myself.

Puzzled, I try to touch my body but I pass right through it. My mind has synced with the energy around me. Is this some sort of ghost form?

Looking around I can see the familiar string-like connections of the Xerxes and two in particular catch my attention. The first isn’t colourful or bright like the others, but more of a pale orange wisp. The energy surrounding it is not moving. The flow of its energy has been stopped. As for the other, all I can see and feel from it is darkness. A deep growing hunger for bloodshed and suffering. twisted and foreboding. Yep. Definitely staying away from that one.

I begin to follow the first connection, trying to replace out its point of origin. It takes me past several winding staircases leading up and to a floor above the one my actual body is on right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a higher or lower floor in the headquarters before.

In front of me is an enormous set of brown metal doors. The left is marked with the letter ‘A’ and the right is marked with the number ’β14’. They open just as I’m about to try and touch it and two people walk out. The first person is Three and the other person is Sanders.

I start stuttering, trying to explain how I got here but stop as I notice something strange. Neither of them have even acknowledged my presence. It's as if I’m not even here. Is it because they're not connected to the Xerxes too?

“Well,” Sanders says. “He’s still under. There’s no longer any point of trying to use the borrachero on him.”

“So do we kill him?” Three says.

“No, we do something better.”

“Which is?”

“Since he has all his memories it’s more beneficial for us to just hold hostage someone dear to him. Let’s say, for example, his mother.”

“Are you sure? Keeping her in this facility could be a big risk.”

Sanders laughs as he pushes his thumb against a pad on the side of the wall. It scans his prints for a few seconds before turning green. The doors close behind them as they walk to my position slowly.

“My dear daughter,” Sanders continues. “Of course not. We’ve planted powerful Nano-tech explosives into both his mother’s and his little sister’s necks. If he disobeys us, even for an instant, then boom. But for now we’ve wiped his memories again just as insurance. Of course, given the nature of his abilities it'll probably return within a day or two, but the Doctor feels the need to continuously wipe them until we replace a more permanent solution. We both don't wish to put an end to Series Fourteen with only Beta. Especially not now when we've only just started Series Seventeen.”

“I see. What about our other problem?”

“Ah, ignore the Director. He saw the success of Seventeen’s operation in person. He knows Seventeen can get the job done.”

“Not that, father. The Director’s other problem.”

Sanders comes to a stop as he glances at his daughter. He then places one hand on his hip and the other covers his face as he sighs. Straightening his back, he continues to talk.

“The data?”

“Yes. Nine was in charge of extracting it from the bio-medical research center.”

“Some of it was corrupt, I know. There were also traces of some of the original files being extracted by a third party source.”

“Should I treat him as a suspect? He is after all smart enough to pull of such a stunt.”

“For now? Yes. Although Nine really should be smarter than this. He must have known we’d replace out sooner or later.”

“And if I discover it’s really him?”

Sanders remains silent for a while as if he is thinking. He takes a moment to consider what to do before seemingly making up his mind.

“Then kill him. You failed to take out Four and Six. That was unfortunate. As for Fifteen, we still expected her to be alive based on your report. How unfortunate she only got away with that scar. We have a weapon that would be effective against her in Special Weapons Holding Room B, next to you squad's personal armoury. As for Nine, don't let him survive if he should turn out to be defective. I have enough on my hands trying to explain how we lost three of our Shadows this fall already. The Director isn't too pleased with having to start work on another Series already. Hopefully we won’t make it four.”

Three nods and walks off down the same route I entered through. Sanders waits for her to leave before quickly looking around. After he’s done inspecting the area he puts his hand up to his mic and begins to talk.

“Let Noah and Director Henshaw know that we can move on to phase five. It’s time to prepare the Forgotten.”