Meltdown Ophilion - Book One

26_TENSION

Five minutes slowly passed, then ten, then fifteen. Nothing.

"Maybe we got something wrong," Orion said, at last. He didn't want to give up or give in to the possibility that they were wrong about the whole thing. Not yet.

"Maybe something happened to whoever we were supposed to meet," Fel offered, "or maybe they're late for some reason; the summons was made a hundred fifty cenro ago after all."

Celli felt panic beginning to rise within her. What if the whole thing really was just an amazing chain of coincidences? What if, by trying as hard as they had, and taking the chances they took, they had brought themselves here and no one was ever going to meet them? This could be our doing... She turned her head and looked at the Regalan. Jenna's doing, she thought, and it made her sick to her stomach. Confusion set in, and with it fear. Her breathing became shallow and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. The others noticed.

"Celli?" Jenna said and touched her hand. Celli jerked it away. Jenna slowly took her hand and held it. "Celli, control your breathing," she instructed.

Jenna seemed to know exactly what was going on. Celli looked into her eyes. Jenna could see the fear clearly written there. Celli could see in Jenna's eyes the opposite: confidence, poise. Celli's fear grew momentarily. Who is Jenna? Who are the Regala? Is this all their doing? Did they bring us here? Why? She was looking for someone to blame, something to blame. She couldn't have allowed herself to become the victim of some bizarre deception – could she?

At that moment Celli was aware that she was holding her pendant in her free hand. She involuntarily shifted her gaze to it. In a torrent, the events of the last six days rushed into her mind. Her eyes widened and her breathing slowed. No... it's true. Everything. It has to be – too many coincidences... this feeling. Last of all she re-lived the relay she had experienced early that day, on the transport, as Hanthran was rising above the free-zone. That alone was enough to tip the scales. Her confidence was returning. She was holding a pendant with her name on it. The episode had passed.

Celli wondered how many more of these insanity sessions she would have to endure in order to find what it was they were searching for - and why they were searching - what it was that was driving them. This was the worst episode so far and she didn't like it. She had never lost contact with reality before they had found that safe. Of course, her concept of reality was changing by the day.

"Celli," Jenna said. "Did this ever happen to you before we met?"

Celli looked at her apprehensively and nodded. "When we found the sphere," she said in a low voice, "that was the first time."

Orion and Fel exchanged concerned glances.

Celli understood their meaning. "That wasn't the first time?" She asked.

Orion reached up and scratched the back of his head uneasily. "It happened in the forest on the way to find the crater. We didn't tell you about it. I guess we realized something was happening, but... then everything happened and I forgot about it till now."

Jenna gave her a reassuring look. "I don't think it's anything to be worried about, Celli. I think it comes with the mental abilities you have. Maybe it's the rapid adjustment you are going through." Jenna looked at her with a blend of admiration and envy. "You are the first non-Regalan that has ever been chosen by the agents for a relay; as far as I know. I think that means something. All of us that are relays for the agents have difficulties that others do not. It comes with the job." Jenna half smiled. "But I think it's worth it."

Celli began to realize what this might mean for her now, and in the future. If she really had been chosen by dimensional entities because of her special abilities – abilities she had only recently discovered even existed – then she wanted to figure it out as soon as possible. She hated being in the dark about things and that's why this whole adventure agitated her as much as it intrigued her.