Chapter 2

My head pounds as I start to come to. With my vision still blurry, I try to make out any sounds. Distant voices reach me as I struggle to get my bearings. I try to sit up only to find my body completely paralyzed. My vision begins to focus enough that I can make out the room. From my vantage point, I can tell this room is lightly furnished, with only a bed and a couple of chairs nearby. On either side of me is some kind of screen separating me from the rest. Despite it looking like it’s from some remote village, I can tell this room must be an infirmary with a tray of medical supplies on a table next to my head. I’ve gotten so used to the cold steal and stone rooms that this one almost feels homey for some reason. A group of voices starts to grow louder as they approach this room. I try to move again only to remain stuck like a vegetable. With no other option, I release my psychic energy to get a feel for my surroundings. Three people are making their way directly to the infirmary, with dozens of others milling about. They all possess the same energy in the air inside their bodies, though it’s more refined.

A door opens to the left, with the three coming inside. I can now clearly make out their voices though they speak in a language I have never heard before. The three finally come into view, each wearing clothes that seem straight out of history. A young man with black hair tied into a ponytail stands at the end of the bed with his hand on the hilt of a sword on his waist. An older man wearing a light blue and white robe with an emblem of a ball encased in smoke on the left side walks up to my side and seems to check my pulse. A young woman stands closer on the opposite side looking down at my face with concern. The young woman and man’s clothes are more bright and ornate than the older man’s. The older man sets down my arm and turns to the others. He says something that causes the young woman to breathe a sigh of relief and the man to nod approvingly. I guess it’s good news.

“W- Who are you? W-Where a-am I?” My throat is rough and speaking takes more effort than usual. The three look confused at each other. The woman speaks first seeming to ask a question, the older man’s response causes the woman to worry more. They seem to be unable to understand me either. The young man says something before turning to leave. The older man leaves for a different place in the infirmary while the woman stays behind. She sits down beside me and begins to speak. Though I can’t understand her, I can tell she is trying to be comforting. She bows slightly as she stands before leaving herself. I’m left alone again as a wave of exhaustion hits me. An incense stick seems to have been lit at the foot of my bed burning a relaxing smoke. I let my eyes close as sleepover takes me.

I can’t tell how much time has passed when I wake up again. This time the older man is standing over me with a sleeve rolled up as he carefully pushes an acupuncture needle into my body. He notices me awake, giving me a warm smile as he says something. It’s getting annoying that I can’t understand them. I try to move again only to find I’m still paralyzed. The older man lays a gentle hand on my arm, speaking softly. That strange energy travels through my arm, spreading across my entire body. It feels incredibly strange with it flowing through me. His expression turns grave as he retracts the energy. He stands and leaves the room in a hurry. I sigh deeply as I turn my gaze to the ceiling. I start putting together all the information I’ve gained. The building I’m in is old and made of wood which is only found in the older buildings on Earth from before the occupation. The clothes the people here wear are straight out of Chinese history from the texts we could recover. They also speak in a language I’ve never heard of.

The teleporter succeeded but sent me somewhere I can’t tell if it’s Earth still. When the Sun Lords came it was clear we weren’t alone in the universe. Could that be what has happened here? I was teleported to an alien world? If so why do these aliens look exactly like humans? I still don’t have enough information to make a good guess. I close my eyes again, this time deciding to use the meditation method for psychics. It isn’t anything special it’s a basic meditation used by even civilians. The first step is to empty your mind of all thoughts, which is easier said than done. To control psychic energy, you must keep a calm and strong mind. Clearing your thoughts is a good way to train that kind of mind. My mind races with events that have happened, filling me with anxiety and dread as I let my mind free. Every thought that enters my mind, I let it slip slowly. The soldiers panic, the gunfire, the sparks, and chaos. Each thought enters and leaves without leaving a trace.

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I do this a couple more times before reaching a trance-like rhythm of entering and clearing. It’s so easy to lose track of time doing this, not that I mind that currently. But this time something seems off about the meditation. Every time my thoughts clear, it’s like my mind is being cleaned. My breathing starts to become much easier, my body starts to feel healthier. A shooting pain rips through my body after what feels like only twenty minutes of meditation. My blood feels like it’s on fire, my bones feel as if they’re snapping. Every fiber of my body is in pain as I struggle to breathe. I look around frantically for anything to help me, desperately trying to move my body as much as I can. A cry of pain tears out of my throat, turning it raw. A commotion begins outside as footsteps pound into the infirmary. The old man and a couple of more people dressed in the same kind of clothes swarm to my bedside. The old man shouts orders at the others as they scramble like a group of mice. Some bring over bottles and jars while others bring towels and a basin of water.

The old man swiftly extracts all the needles in my body. Once the last one is gone, my body spasms violently. Strong hands hold me down as the pain grows. New needles dripping with some kind of medicine are placed into new spots. Almost immediately, the pain stops, and my entire body relaxes. That is something I don’t want to experience again. Panting, I turn my head enough to look the old man in the eyes and whisper ‘Thank you’ before passing back out. Once I finally wake back up, it’s night outside. The light of the moon and stars filter through a window on the opposite wall. The sounds of insects and owls have replaced the distant voices from earlier. My mind keeps wandering back to my meditation from earlier. The pain only began when I felt that energy flow through my body. Either my body can’t handle this energy or my body is too injured to handle it. Until I find out which it is I’ll have to be careful about meditating if that’s going to happen every time.

Now that I’m alone I can explore a bit. I’m still too weak to go anywhere far so I’ll check out this infirmary. Standing up from my bed, my whole body feels ridged and sore. I must have been lying down for quite a while. I check my body over and see no surface wounds or bandages, though I am also not wearing my combat gear. I’ll have to find that along with my weapons later. As I step out of my treatment area, I can finally see how big this building is. Rows of beds separated by wooden screens line most of the walls on either side. A small area towards the center has a desk and chair with books and paper stacked on top with a brush placed carefully next to the chair. Jars filled with some kind of herbs line the shelves on either side of the desk. A door leading outside is further down the hall with another door leading deeper into the building right next to it. I make my way to the inner doors, pulling on them to see if they open. I pull forward and then push but it doesn’t budge. Isn’t that how these doors are supposed to open?

I try to pull it to the side like our automatic doors in the bases. This time the door slides open cleanly, what a strange design. The room this time is more open with rows of shelves going all the way back to a line of tables with metal pots next to them. As I walk down the corridors of shelves a strong medicinal smell hits me. The tables all have the same equipment, some kind of scale, a mortar, and various containers. I move to the far right wall where a larger window sits with one open shutter. A large garden filled with plants I’ve never seen before stretches out. The sound of footsteps interrupts the quiet of the room. I snip around in time to catch the old man coming to the far back wall where the tables are. Taking the opportunity, I quickly hide in the shadow of the shelf closest to me. I peer out, watching the old man making his way to a small set of stairs on the left. I didn’t even notice it when I first came into the room. I stay low and creep closer to the stairs. A dim flickering light casts faint shadows of the old man on the ceiling as he moves further away.

The second floor has a single hallway like the first, only there are full rooms instead of beds separated by a screen. I can make out a staircase leading further up on the other side of the hallway. Sounds come from the third furthest room from the stairs. That must be the room the old man is in. I check the first door on my left, the room is filled with books from wall to wall. Taking one off the shelf I find I can’t read the written language of this place either. I flip through book after book all written in the same language. A couple have drawings of animals and materials that almost seem mystical. I slip the last book back into place before turning to leave.

Right as I step out into the hall the old man is already standing there. I didn’t even hear him move down the hall. He smiles before saying something to me, I give him a confused look. He turns around and begins walking before waving me to follow him. Since it seems I’m not in trouble, I might as well see where he is taking me. If I need to I can always escape, I wasn’t named the ‘Thunderbird’ for nothing.