Timeline: Past

Point of View: Claudia & Lisa

Location: Red Planet

As they walked down the hall, Lisa checked each room. Claudia didn’t want to tell her what she could see with her sight, but felt that Lisa already knew the truth. All others in this prison were already dead. Claudia listened as more of the creatures screeched from outside, some entering the mound and beginning to move down the hall. They were royally fucked.

“Lisa, we should go.”

“I need to know for sure,” she said as she opened the next door. She disappeared inside for a few seconds, then returned. She had a dead look in her eyes. She seemed a defeated woman.

“Can’t you see the essence?” Claudia asked, seeing Lisa's essence glow in the vision she’d used to find her.

“I don’t have that ability," Lisa said, moving to the next room.

Can’t I teach it to her as you taught it to me?

No. Some abilities are unique to each person. Vision is something unique to you.

“Lisa, I can see if there is anything living in there. Don’t you trust me?” Claudia asked as Lisa opened the next door.

“It’s not about trust,” Lisa said as she disappeared inside.

“Then what the hell is this about? We should go.”

Lisa emerged again. She looked into Claudia’s eyes with a fire that momentarily scared her. She thought about how Lisa’s bones had emerged from her arms like shotgun pellets, exploding the face off the buzzsaw lying in a wet heap several doors down.

She turned away from Lisa without saying anything and approached the opening to the prison. She didn’t intend to leave, not until Lisa was ready, but she would be ready for the creatures when they came through the door. She could hear them scurrying, approaching.

How many do you hear?

A lot of them. More than I can count by the sounds of movement alone.

Fuck. They’re going to slaughter us.

I don’t think so. I think they’ll try to keep one of us. However, Lisa’s ability…

She can’t just keep throwing bones at them. She’ll kill herself. Didn’t you see how long it took to rebuild her arm?

Not that ability.

It took a moment to consider what her mind was suggesting. Lisa reappeared behind her, then disappeared into another room. She had three, maybe four rooms left to check. The monsters would be here before she got here.

She remembered Lisa's second ability. Self-detonation.

We can’t ask Lisa to…

It’s only an option. If there are too many, she could take out quite a few of them with her self-detonate ability. Maybe enough for us to escape. If it’s likely that both of us will die, it might be worth the sacrifice for at least one of us to get out of here.

Claudia felt raw, a buzzing on the edges of her senses. Contemplating the suicide of another human being, solely so she could survive, made her feel wrong. But it wasn’t only the suggestion that made her feel this way. It was the realization that a cold part of her agreed with the suggestion. It made sense really, from a logical point of view. They'd escaped the sick entrapment of the buzzsaws, had discovered a power that needed to be shared with the world. It was more important that at least one of them survived, then both of them lived. Wasn’t it?

No, it couldn’t be only that. She’d come back to save Lisa, to bring her with. How could she abandon a friend so quickly?

Friend? When did she become a friend? She'd someone you only met a day ago.

Jesus, how can you be so cold.

Remember that I am only you. I am you amplified. Don’t get mad at me. You understand the stakes. I’m just helping you see.

It’s not an option. We will all get out of here.

The first buzzsaw appeared at the door. It had the blunt weapon in its hand that was starting to seem common to the creatures. Claudia attacked, taking the moment of surprise as she’d intended. She focused her essence into her palm and used the effort to pop the creature in the throat. She was careful to avoid its spinning teeth, knowing she’d easily lose a hand if she even graced one of those shark-like teeth. The moment of surprise was effective, and the creature fell backward against the wall beside the door opening. Surprisingly, she found that the essence hadn’t had any impact other than apparent minor blunt trauma.

What happened? Why didn’t I blow a hole through its damn neck like the one outside the prison.

You must have tapped into an ability unexpectedly, an ability you haven’t yet learned.

Okay, so how do I unexpectedly tap into it again before I fucking die?

I don’t know. You also traveled here without being aware of your power, remember. There must be something there we haven't learned.

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Claudia improvised. She took hold of the creature's hammer and twisted. However, despite her enhanced strength, she was unable to wrest the hammer free from its hold. With her free hand, she focused her essence and again began to strike it beside its head. Even so, the creature was recovering now. It didn’t seem she was strong enough to quickly disable or kill one of the creatures with her enhanced hand to hand abilities alone.

Damn it, I need more power!

One problem at a time…

The creature dropped its hand to her throat and gripped. In seconds, she was lifted off the ground, her ability to breath restricted. She let go of the creature's hammer and started to squirm in its grip. She used her fists to hit at its wrist, but found herself unable to break the strong grip. She couldn’t focus her essence, either. She couldn’t focus… She couldn’t… Her vision was beginning to fade.

A splatter of warm liquid blasted her in the face, and she felt herself topple to the ground. Her vision slowly returned. She could see the creature's head was no more. She turned to look behind her and saw Lisa there, her hand a mangled wreck.

“Doesn’t that fucking hurt?” Claudia asked.

“I don’t feel pain. Get the damn hammer. There’s more coming.”

Claudia picked up the hammer and stepped back from the door. Another buzzsaw appeared before her, and she swung the hammer down onto its head. The creature squealed with the impact, stumbling slightly, then turned to face Claudia.

This time, focus your essence into your arms when you swing. You need to get used to honing your essence during battle. You need to constantly be aware of how much you have, and where it is focused.

Claudia did as she was instructed, felt the strength in her arms. She lifted the hammer for another swing just as the creature began to scurry towards her. Its teeth spun angrily, its gaping maw opened wide, ready to consume her.

She dropped the hammer into its mouth and watched as its teeth shattered where the hammer impacted. The creature gurgled as its mouth filled with its dark blood. Claudia lifted the hammer for another swing, and this time its head burst like a pumpkin.

Quick, before more come…

Yes, I know.

Claudia touched the two bodies on the floor, taking in their essence. Lisa was beside her now, then pushed her aside.

“Don’t get greedy.”

“Sorry.”

Another appeared in the doorway, but this one was quickly dispatched as Lisa’s remaining fingers disappeared into and through its skull.

“You go ahead, I need to…”

“I know,” Claudia interrupted. “You guys gotta stop bossing me around.”

As Lisa was missing both her hands now, the first one slowly rebuilding, Claudia knew she was out of the fight. Claudia stepped into the doorway, hoping to protect her friend until she had fully recovered. With the essence she had taken in, she felt fully strong to take on one of the creatures. Two at once, though? Absolutely not.

She checked her essence. She was three quarters full.

What happens if I exceed that maximum?

Your vessel cannot contain more than it’s trained to handle. The essence will seek escape as soon as you absorb it.

Does that mean… Whatever happens to Lisa would happen to me?

No, just a sudden burst of essence. You actually might be able to control it. Do you think that’s how you blew a hole in the first buzzsaw you killed?

Since when did you start asking me questions? I thought you were the expert.

I am only you ampli….

Dammit, stop saying that.

Claudia couldn't see down the dark hallway, but she could hear more approaching. They wouldn’t be fighting them one on one anymore, it seemed. They were stuck in a trap, unable to escape until they got through the opening back the way she’d entered, beyond this dark tunnel. How would they escape if the whole buzzsaw village rained down upon them?

“Lisa, how are you doing? I need you.”

“I’m good now. Claudia… Step aside.”

Claudia did as she was commanded. Her eagerness to be the one in control was tamed by the understanding that Lisa was the more powerful one here. At least for now. When and if that ever changed, there would be the time for Claudia to assume control. Until then…

Lisa stepped into the darkness.

“What are you doing?” Claudia asked.

“Stay back. I’m going to do something.”

Claudia thought again about the second ability Lisa was storing. She opened her mouth, ready to speak an objection, ready to urge her friend not to sacrifice herself. But she stopped. She stopped because she remembered, and still she couldn’t argue the logic. She hated herself already, giving into that cold aspect of herself that didn’t care about human life. There was something inside of her that was deadly and scary, something that lacked humanity, and she worried that it could take control of her at any moment. With each increase of her newfound power, that part of her would slowly creep from the shadows, and she’d lose her own humanity as it did.

And that trek toward inhumanity began started here. By letting Lisa sacrifice herself so she may survive. Because she needed to survive to bring this newfound power out into the world, back to Earth. To protect more people than just Lisa. Because the mission was bigger than each of their own individual lives.

No, she thought to herself, No, I can’t do that.

“Lisa, don’t do it. Don’t sacrifice yourself,” she said, “We can find another way."

Lisa turned and looked at her, a smile on her face. It wasn't a sad smile, but a knowing smile. Then she disappeared into the darkness beyond the doorway, chasing the sounds of the incoming buzzsaws as if she were a soldier charging into battle.

“Lisa!” Claudia yelled out into the darkness, but there was no response. She considered her options, considered running out there, considered trying to help her friend, because yes, Lisa was her friend now.

Don’t be stupid. If you go out there, and she uses that ability, you would both die. Then this would all be a waste. You know this. Don’t be stupid. Suck it up and do what must be done. There is more at stake here than you and your feelings.

I can’t be this cold and harsh on the inside, Claudia thought, and for once, the voice didn’t respond.

In the darkness, there was squealing and cutting, the sounds of the buzzsaws. Then there was the sound of Lisa screaming. More scattering sounds, possibly the sounds of Lisa being surrounded. Then, it came. It wasn’t the sound of a bomb. There was no explosion, no flash of light. It was only a sick splattering sound that echoed throughout the tunnels. A wetness that echoed through the darkness. Then there was silence.

Claudia fell to her knees and started to cry.

Wait. Stop. Stand up.

No. Not yet. Give me a moment.

Lisa isn’t dead. Use your vision.

Claudia wiped her eyes, but didn’t stand. She focused her essence and looked out into the tunnel. Lisa’s essence glowed across the walls like a scatter plot. There were bits of her everywhere, but there was more of her coalesced into a single point, and… yes, the rest of her was approaching that single point.

It seems she can use the ability without dying. I wonder how she does it.

But Claudia knew how. She knew now because it made sense. Lisa could do what Claudia could not. She could control how much of her essence she used. She could leave some of it somewhere in her core, and then absorb the rest of it from the bodies surrounding her before that core died. It was how Claudia had found her in her cell with such little life, whereas everyone else had died.

Lisa could control her essence.

As the essence coalesced back into a human form, painfully slow, Claudia used it as a guiding beacon as stood and stepped into the hall.