The Fortress

Chapter 5 - Discovery

JARED WAS AWOKEN by a resounding synthesized female voice coming from a speaker located at the edge of the high walls of his room.

"How come I didn't notice that?" Jared  grumbled as he sat lazily on his bed. He took a quick peep at the table clock beside him and dashed into the bathroom. He didn't hear what the synthesized female voice had said but it woke him anyway. He could find out from Alex later in the day.

Just as he came out clean from the bathroom, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Jared are you ready?" Alex asked, raising his baritone voice a little bit high.

Jared looked at the table clock before him. It read seven fifty. He was supposed to be awake since six forty-five. "Give me ten minutes," he yelled back.

Exactly ten minutes after, Alex was about to knock again as he had not expected Jared to keep to the time he gave, the door swung open.

"Good morning, Mr Alex," Jared grinned.

"There's nothing good about the morning boy, you woke up late."

"I couldn't sleep last night," Jared replied, looking down at his feet.

"Well, let's start fixing you already. We are going to run a few tests and if it matches with what I created last night, it's a good start for you. At least, you won't have to fill your ears with wools anymore," Alex said.

"Really? I would appreciate that very much, it's getting really tough each day."

"Come with me," Alex urged him and he followed behind.

"Am I supposed to get in here?" Jared asked again, just so he doesn't lie in the wrong place.

"Yes, yes. You don't have to worry, there's absolutely no pain in this," Alex assured him as he punched the computer's keyboards.

"What does it do actually?" Jared asked again feeling reluctant to get into the transparent tube shaped coffin".

"It's called a magnifier Jared, Just relax and get into it.

Jared reluctantly got in. After he got in, there was a whirring for few seconds then he felt wires connect to his head followed by a beep.

"You can come out now," Alex said as the door of the magnifier slid open.

"Have this." He stretched out a wireless earphone to Jared as soon as he was out of the magnifier.

"It's better than having wools stacked up in your ears."

"Thank you," Jared replied, smiling.

"It's definitely better than the earphones." Jared quickly removed the wools stacked up in his ear and replaced them with the wireless earphones and grinned.

"How does it feel?" Alex asked.

"Super comfy and light. Can't feel anything and I hear you speak more audibly and clearly. Thank you very much."

"You should go get your breakfast." Alex patted him by the shoulder.

Just as Jared was about to step out of the laboratory, Alex called out to him.

"Jared. You've got a very powerful ability with no bound. It's a rare kind of ability. If you know how to use it well, use it for right. Never use it for selfish purposes."

Several thoughts crept through Jamie's mind hearing this. Curious thoughts and thoughts of disbelief. But he decided this wasn't the right time to let his thoughts, feelings and curiosity be known to Alex.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Take care of yourself, it's going to be a long day ahead," Alex added as Jared walked out of the laboratory.

* * *

"Okay, so, what's the help you want to render me again?" Evan asked Michael rudely as he got up from the couch he had been sitting.

"Relax, take this," Michael stretched out a mug containing coffee to him, he collected it reluctantly.

"But how am I sure you all are not just like Randy and Rick? trying to use me for your own selfish interest."

"Shut up kid!" Ian yelled at him. Irritated by his constant nagging.

"Listen, we are offering you what Randy and Rick couldn't offer you. I mean look around you, you are in a ship that is beautifully furnished, you get to eat whatever you want and whenever you want to, you have a large room, your own space. I mean what else could be better than this?" Michael asked rhetorically.

Evan was quiet for a moment, Michael was kind of right, here seemed very comfortable but he wasn't used to people doing nice things for him without them expecting something vast in return.

"And most importantly, you have a family here. One thing everyone in here have in common is the absence of family and friends, but we are each other's family now." Michael added.

Even Zoe who had been using her phone without paying attention to the constant nagging of their newest member looked up at Michael, touched by his speech. He was absolutely right and Henry must have chosen them all consciously aware of the fact that they had no one.

"Michael is right Evan. If you leave here, where will you go? You fought your counterparts already, they are out there right now looking for you. Will you go back to being a thief? Is it really worth it with all the potentials you have? It might not look like it but we all here are one big family and we will like you to be part of us," Zoe added.

"Thank you. I was just scared," Evan replied calmly and in a remorseful manner.

"We all understand, trust us. Most of us were worst than you," Ian also chirped in.

"Nice speech everyone. I suppose we all get some rest because in the next few hours, there's going to be a lot of training and retraining," Henry interrupted,suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

* * *

Jared hurried to the Lyceum and saw most of the other extraordinaries he admired combating. He thought there had been a misunderstanding between them until he realized there was an instructor and the combat was uniformed. They were being taught martial art.

He took a peep from the window and realized a larger amount of extraordinaries all sitting on the grass outside like a monk with their eyes closed. He was confused, he didn't know where he was supposed to be. He opted to go back to Alex to find out where he really belonged.

"Master Alex," he called out as he opened the laboratory door.

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea where I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to be doing now?"

"Well, I suppose you should be outside with the others observing meditation. Believe me, it's the key to shutting out all those noises you hear," Alex replied, punching his keyboard without looking up at Jared.

"But there are few others in the Lyceum practicing martial arts."

"They've attained the level. After sometime, you would attain the level."

Just as Jared was about to leave the laboratory, Alex called out to him.

"Come, you don't have to join them. I will teach you personally," he added as he got up from his seat and moved to the open space in the lab.

Jared sat on the bare floor and folded his legs in just had he had seen the others sit outside.

"Good," Alex commented as he sat the same way too, facing Jared.

"Have you heard of the sixth sense?"

"Yes, I have, in books and movies, don't know what it actually means."

"Your sixth sense is just like every other sense organ you have. And for an extraordinary like you, your sixth sense is what makes you hear those sounds that you think are noises."

Jared's face twitched. "Okay."

"I want you to be conscious of every breath you take. Take in a deep breath and let it out slowly". Alex instructed taking the lead. "Repeat it," He added.

"I want to ask you a question Jared."

"Go on."

"You stack your ears with wools, put on earphones. That's supposed to block all sounds right?"

"Yes!" Jared replied wondering where the question was leading to.

"Then how come you still hear when people speak? That's you controlling your sixth sense subconsciously cause you are indirectly choosing what you want to hear without totally being aware of it."

Jared gasped. That's sort of mysterious and the same time true, he thought

"Listen, I need you to close your eyes, let's focus on you controlling your sixth sense the same way you control your eyes and mouth. Open your mind, don't listen to anything but my voice, at the same time, try to find a sound very pleasant to you. Focus more on hearing that sound than hearing me."

Jared's eyes was tightly shut. He felt like he was soaring in the dark. He tried to find the sound of a running lake accompanied with a gentle wind. He found it and smiled. He felt hands pick out the wireless earphones from his eyes. He was marveled that he could only hear the running of a lake accompanied by a gentle wind. Just the way he wanted it. He opened his eyes and saw Alex still seated before him with his eyes tightly shut. Few seconds after, all the sounds hit him all at once. He yelled and tried to reach for his earphones.

"Don't!" Alex also yelled. "There is no way you will pass this stage if you can't endure the pain. Just don't listen. Ease your mind by taking a deep breath and choose the sound you want to listen to. I believe in you, I believe you can do it," Alex said calmly with his eyes still closed, maintaining his sitting position.

Jared endured the pain and with a squeezed face, he followed every step Alex had said. The sounds seemed to be louder than before. After few minutes, it faded gradually till the only sound he could hear was his heavy breathe.

"I did it," Jared said with excitement filling his voice. "No more noises." He jumped to his feet.

"Relax Jared. You have to be very conscious for now till you master it. Any destabilization of any form will make you loose control and all the numerous sounds will come again. You have to be conscious of what you are trying to listen to. You can listen to anything, anything can speak to you, just be conscious," Alex advised.

"What do you mean anything can speak to me?" Jared asked with expression of shock written all over his face.

"Any living thing can communicate with you Jared, that's what I mean both plant and animals and with time you will learn to communicate with them to."

Jared was very excited with his achievement. Little did he know that this was just the beginning.

Jared decided to join the meditation outside the building but as he passed the lyceum, Jamie appeared right in front of him.

Jamie was tall but not as tall as Jared. He had thick dark hair and looked pale with red lips. His eyes were dark blue and his eyebrows were thick. He was no doubt handsome and had Jared thinking if he was gay.

"Hey! I'm Jamie," He waved trying to get Jared's attention who seemed lost.

"Hey! I'm Jared," Jared replied snapping back to reality.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I never meant to..."

"No don't bother about it, I know you didn't mean to, you thought the earphones were cool and you wanted to try them on, I totally understand."

"You don't have the earphones on any more? Alex told me you used them to keep the numerous sounds that kept ringing in your head," Jamie asked.

"Yeah, Alex thought me a trick to keep the voices out of my head," Jared replied.

"Come, let me introduce you to the rest,"Jamie said as he pointed to the other people Jared had seen earlier combating and the day before.

"Okay,"

"You know, Alex is a very good teacher."

"Yeah, I can't agree less, I mean under an hour, he has taught me to keep those numerous sounds out of my head," Jared replied as he tried to keep up with Jamie who picked up his pace immediately Jared agreed to meet his counterparts.