Tales of the Canterbury Nebula

The Powerful Psychic Race.

Diron reluctantly rose his hand. “Well, for me, as father had said it all started with a silly game we had learned from the various transmissions from Earth. It was called hide and seek only we changed up the rules a bit. I was the one to hide while my friends, Turk from planet Myraj and Sala from planet Root were to seek me out. To win, I would have to hide, sneak passed my friends and make it unseen to the starting point. Only I had picked a poor hiding spot.”

Kyteen purred in amusement. “What a strange game. What purpose does it have to the humans?”

Norida gave a bemused smile. “Hunt and hunted. The humans teach their children at a young age how to survive on a death world.”

Kyteen gave a low yelp. “That actually makes sense.”

Norida nodded then turned to Diron. “Please, continue.”

Diron sighed…

Normally, all of the escape pods are kept closed unless there was an emergency onboard. Honestly, I thought I was running into another hall rather than a malfunctioning escape pod. I realized all too late what I had run into. The internal sensors detected my presence and sealed the hatch before launching itself clear from the ship. I remember telepathically screaming while screams were echoing in both my mind and from the communication module. Screens and panels were flashing red with warnings while alarms blared all around me. The pod was violently tumbling, its small thrusters literally struggling against Earth’s higher gravity. Orbital debris hit the shields, making it worse. I was forced to reform again and again as each hit against a wall turned me into a grey splatter. I was getting battered, thrown about like some child’s toy. I wanted to reach the controls, to stabilize the pod but it was impossible. The last thing I knew before darkness took me was a violent jolt. The pod had crashed onto Earth with a resounding thud at great speed. I have no idea how long I was out but regaining consciousness was a struggle. My entire body, inside and out was in torturous pain. It was not surprising; my body had been flailed around like food in a blender. Then there was the sudden stop when the pod crashed. I heard myself moan, which hurt my vocals.

I paused as I heard an unfamiliar feminine voice. “I think he's finally starting to come around.”

I do not know who it was but it was definitely female, speaking in an odd dialect of English. At least I understood it, thanks to my uncanny ability to understand multiple alien languages.

Another voice chimed in, this one far lower. It had to belong to a human male. "Already? The kid is tougher than he looks."

I felt something cold touch my chest, causing me to moan again as even the slightest touch seemed to cause me agony. I was glad when the object was lifted and listened as the new male voice spoke. “Sorry; you are going to be very sensitive for a while.” He paused. “His heart rate has returned to normal, the worst seems to be over."

I heard sighs of relief around me and then a low 'beeping’ sound from somewhere nearby. By this time, I was conscious enough to realize that it was coming from some form of vitals monitoring equipment meaning I was in a medical facility. Startled, I tried to get up. Every fiber in my being was screaming to run to hide but it hurt too much to move at all. I only managed to flinch and twitch before another wave of pain forced me to moan again.

I heard the female speak again in a hopeful tone; she sounded young, near my own age. “He's starting to stir. Hey, there; if you can hear me, try to open your eyes."

Now more or less aware, I realized that no one was screaming or panicking like in the broadcasts I had seen about alien contact with humans. This meant that I had to have been in a solid form close to that of a human. I made an attempt to open my eyes but the light of the room stabbed my optics, causing another moan to escape my vocals. I snapped them shut then soon felt the lights dim a moment later. I then hesitantly made a second attempt to open my eyes. This time, I was able to keep them open and allow them time to adjust. I saw a number of humans, all smiling with tear stained faces. They were standing around the small odd bed I was laying on, looking over me. I did not understand why but the humans seemed to have been very worried about my wellbeing. There was a tall and muscular man, a slender but fit woman and a petit but fairly attractive adolescent girl. I could only guess that they were a family unit. Then there was the other, shorter, older man. He had grey hair and wore half-moon glasses over his blue eyes. I assumed, by his attire, was a medical practitioner.

The woman smiled at me then spoke with a soft, melodious voice. “Welcome back to the world of the living, young man. My name is Nada; this is my husband, Tor and our daughter, Sky. You are in a hospital just outside of Arrow River, Oklahoma. We found you in a car among the ruble after the tornadoes struck last night."

The man, Tor, nodded at me. "You gave us all a real scare, son; it’s a miracle you survived. How do you feel?"

I wanted to answer but it hurt to even moan. Still, I managed to quietly say two words. "All hurts."

Tor did not hear me and asked me to repeat it but Nada cut him off. "He said everything hurts, Tor."

Tor turned to her, surprised. "You heard that from the other side of the bed?"

Nada gave a rueful smile. "When you work as a child counselor and field medic for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for ten years like I have, you too will develop a good ear. I'm not surprised that everything hurts. Three entire neighborhoods had been literally flattened by that F-5 tornado." She turned to me with a low chuckle. “It had to have been one hell of a ride in that compact car we found you in.”

I weakly laughed at irony of her statement. They believed that the damaged escape pod was a smashed up ground vehicle. Only my laugh came out sounding like a raspy cough, though I had a grin on my face as I thought, “If they only knew…”

Seeing my goofy grin, the teen girl smiled. "I'm glad that you can still laugh, kid. I know you want to rest so, for now, just listen." she turned to the medic. "Doctor Hoss..."

The medic, Dr. Hoss, wearing hospital scrubs walked into my line of sight. "Yes, you arrived here in critical condition; many of us doubted you would last the night. Then you surprised us all by healing at a miraculous rate. One moment, you were bruised, cut and mangled. The next, you did not have a single scar as if you were never injured in the first place. What puzzled us more were the first run of tests. None of the results made any sense. Nothing about you seemed human. We ran them again to verify only to find that you were a perfectly healthy boy. Still, just to be safe, we sent the samples and test results to a better equipped lab for further analysis.”

That sent ripples of unease through my mind. I imagined Dr. Hoss suddenly smiling as he took up a chair near my bed. There was a manic look in his eyes. “Your uncanny ability to instantaneously heal from critical injuries could revolutionize medical science as we know it overnight! We could be on the brink of discovering the cure to all illness and injuries! This could bring me a high medical acknowledgement…"

Tor cleared his throat, pulling me out of my daydream. I looked around, startled. There was no chair by my bed and Dr. Hoss was standing by the door with a stoic expression. Had I imagined the whole thing? I looked around lost for a moment before Tor placed a light hand onto my shoulder.

“The doctor is going to order you some morphine for your pain. It should help but we need to stay with us, okay, kid?”

I could have sworn I saw Dr. Hoss give a false smile. "It is not going fix the root cause of his pain. Still, it should make the recovery more comfortable."

With that, he walked out of the room with Nada following behind. "I'll make a few calls." She turned to me. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Once she was gone, hopefully chasing Hoss, Tor sighed shaking his head, muttering. I could not hear what he was saying but my fear and imagination gave a voice to it. "You find a new medical mystery and the leading doctor is more worried about writing a study about it than the patient who is suffering. Unbelievable!"

Sky took a seat on the other side of the room. “I'll take the first watch. Mom just finished a fourteen hour shift you have to be back on duty in four hours, you should both go home and get some rest."

Dad shook his head. "We’re not done with the relief effort here. I made a few calls so we can watch over our mysterious friend. He smiled. "I will take mom home for some rest."

Ten minutes later, I was injected with a dose of morphine by a nurse before Sky’s parents, Tor and Nada, made their leave for the evening. I heard Sky promise them she would stay in with me. After she saw them out, she turned in my direction. "They will both be back first thing tomorrow morning, tough guy."

I struggled for a moment to speak but only finally managed to squeak out, "Sk... Sky?"

Sky lightly placed a finger against my lips. "Hush. You need to rest."

I was familiar with all of the medications and procedures they had used on me. I doubted they would work on my unique biology but they somehow seemed to help. I woke up several hours later with a low moan. I was still in pain but I did not feel as bad as before. Sky, who was watching some broadcast at the moment, heard my moan and turned to me as I opened my eyes and saw her.

She seemed relieved. "Good evening, kid. You are looking a lot better than when we brought you here. How are you feeling?"

I winced. "Everything still hurts; just not as bad."

Sky smiled. "At least you can talk now. You've been out cold for nearly twenty four hours, it's seven at night."

My eyes widened in surprise. "I slept the entire night and through the whole next day!?"

Sky turned serious. "Yes, you did. I was really scared when you turned into a puddle of goo earlier. I almost called for a nurse but you somehow pulled yourself back together just as suddenly." She paused. “Who are you? What are you?”

I sighed; my mind reeling. I could have simply dismissed what Sky had claimed to have seen. Only, I was alone on a world where I knew no one and no one knew me. I needed an ally; one I could place my trust in. Sky could have reported I had reverted to my liquid form but she didn’t. That counted for something and I had learned through experience that it the small gestures that speak the loudest.

I decided to take a chance. “My name is Diron; I am an Omniform from a planet we call Teranor. I can take on any shape or form comparable to my size.”

I then reluctantly went on to explain what had occurred prior to me crashing on her planet. Sky listened intently, occasionally nodding or tilting her head as if to take everything in. When I had finished, she reached for me. Before I could even react, she gently wrapped her fingers around my hand and gave it a light squeeze, smiling at me. I froze, not knowing what to think or do but it somehow felt comforting.

Sensing my awkwardness, she released me and quickly changed the subject. "Do you feel up to having something to eat, you haven't had anything since Lord knows when. Do you think you are able to digest our food?"

I winced, trying to find the right words. "I’m sure I can digest any of Earth’s organic food. We just eat food differently than most beings. It might make you lose your appetite."

Sky leaned on one foot, giving me an unimpressed look. "That is a lame excuse, Diron. I could run across the street and get you a nice nutrient shake. You have to eat something; you need to build up your strength."

I did not like the idea of Sky leaving me alone for any amount of time. Not with that over enthusiastic Dr. Hoss running about. I did not know if what I had seen and heard was real or not but my pride would not allow me to admit it to her. Trying to sit up, I replied, "Maybe... Maybe I can try some form of liquid nourishment to start with."

Sky smiled. "That’s better. The cafeteria should still be open. I'll give them a call." She dialed the proper number and got the kitchen on the second ring. "This is Sky Storm in room 418. Our mystery patient finally woke up. His name is Diron and he would like to order a bowl of chicken noodle soup."

I cocked my head, confused. “Chicken noodle… what?”

Sky, still talking on the phone, suppressed a giggle and turned to me. "Would you like some crackers with it?"

I winced, not knowing what crackers were. "Some form of fiber would be nice. Maybe a cold drink to help with the digestion."

Sky nodded then turned back to the phone. "He would like a few slices of white bread and a carton of white milk with his order, please… Me?... Oh, I'll have the same, thank you."

After ending the call, she turned back to me, maintaining her gentle smile as she found that I had managed to figure out the bed controls and sat myself up. "It's good to see you sitting up after lying down all day. You better try to get to the bathroom before your dinner gets here."

I looked at Sky, uncertain. “Bath-room…?”

Sky looked at me confused. “Don’t tell me that your people don’t relieve themselves…”

I did not know what a bathroom was but I sensed Sky was feeling awkward so I decided to humor her. "I might need your help."

Sky nodded. "I'm right here, Diron. "I won't let you fall."

Slowly, painfully, I managed to slide off the bed and stand onto my own two feet and still keep my form. As I did, I gripped the bed rail and, without realizing it, I became that metal for a brief moment. Sky winced under the added mass but recovered as I did, becoming human again. Sky stayed right beside me, helping me to steady myself as I took my first step. My body rippled as I struggled to keep my form. It was as if I had to relearn how to walk again.

It was humbling, having to rely on the aid of a human just to take a few steps. "I feel like a youngling taking my first steps from the birthing pool. This is so embarrassing."

Sky’s face turned stern. "Your body literally melted into goop before reforming a moment later. Any human would have died from that instantly. To my perspective, it's a miracle that you are even alive right now. Look at yourself, surviving a horrendous crash, literally falling all apart then reforming back to normal within minutes. I have to admit, I don’t understand it one bit but here you are, more than a full day after we found you, already walking to the bathroom."

I blushed at that comment. Sky was right, she did not understand Omniform physiology in the least but her concern was genuine. "I didn't think about it that way. I guess I am very lucky."

Finally in what they called a bathroom, Sky blushed as she pulled down the drawers I was wearing and slowly guided me into a sitting position onto the toilet. She then washed her hands. "I'll give you some privacy. Just call me when you are ready to go back to bed."

I nodded as Sky left what she called the bathroom, leaving the door open ajar. I watched her walk over to the bed and saw that I had accidentally crushed a small section of the rail. I sighed hearing her whisper, "What am I going to tell dad?"

Humans had an interesting method of disposing of their bodily waste. Omniforms did not waste anything, we used every bit of every nutrient digested. Still, to give Sky a sense of normalcy, I went along with it. Soon, I was back in bed. I turned to Sky who looked very worried. I knew she was concerned about me.

I offered a tentative smile. “I trust you, Sky Storm. Please use your better judgement.”

Sky looked at me for the longest time before sighing. “I really appreciate that you trust me, Diron. My concern is what will happen if someone outside of my family learns about you.”

I sighed. “Once my family unit discovers I have gone missing and the malfunctioned escape pod had been ejected, they will know what had happened and come to retrieve me. For now, all I can do is wait and hope they come for me soon.”

Sky could only shrug. "Let’s hope then, Diron."

I shrugged back then turned as someone had knocked on my door...

A young woman entered the room with food a tray in hand. I noted her name tag; she was called Sarah. Whatever was on the try had an enticing odor. "Room service. I heard that our Jon Doe had finally woken up and is a little hungry."

I turned to Sky who carefully whispered, “That’s you.”

Although confused, I shyly rose my hand. "That's me. I'm not sure if I will be able to eat much. I'm still hurting."

Sky giggled, looking at me. "Well I haven't seen anyone drool like that since mom last cooked dad’s favorite homemade pizza." She winked. "Or are you finding the nurse here attractive?"

I blushed brightly at that as Sarah giggled with Sky. Sarah then adjusted the bed controls so I was sitting up and pushed the bed table into place. She smiled as the put the tray in front of me. "I'm sure he's starving. I'll get your tray so you both eat.”

Sky grinned at me as Sarah gave her an identical try then left the room, closing the door. Sky then turned to be with a wry grin. "I want you to eat every last bite, Diron. You need the nutrients if you are going to get better."

I smiled at that. "Yes, Sky…"

Sky gave a knowing smirk. "Don't you sass me, Diron. Mom and dad told me to make sure you eat."

I chuckled though I somehow knew she was serious and lifted the cover off the main dish. The aroma that kissed my senses brought about a low moan of delight. Before I knew what was happening, I was literally placing my face into the bowl, absorbing the soup. If I had not been so mindful, I would have devoured the bowl and spoon as well. As Sky worked on her own meal, she occasionally glanced over to me. Surprisingly, she did not seem disturbed in the least. When she saw I had finished the soup, she giggled. I could not deny that I was hungrier that I was willing to admit.

After finishing the soup, I muttered, "I’m surprised my way of eating didn’t gross you out like it does other species.”

Sky shook her head. “I have seen messier eaters here on Earth; you have not allowed a single drop to get away.”

I let out a resounding belch, making me blush. “I think I’m going to need another order of that soup."

Sky giggled. "There is a twenty four hour take out restaurant just next door."

I nodded then quietly absorbed the bread and milk. "I can't believe I'm still hungry. That was a fairly good sized meal."

Sky shook her head, thoughtful. "I'm not; those changes you went through must have burned an insane amount of calories. As soon as mom comes to relieve me I'll run out and get you more.”

I smiled but it flattened as a thought came to me. "Um... Sky, what will happen to me if I am discovered? I mean, will it be like the television transmissions I had seen from your world? I think they were called movies."

Sky shook her head. "I'm not sure. There was a lot of excitement in the ER while you were being treated. When I saw them bringing you out to be admitted, you were still unconscious. Still, I did not see anyone from the police or any federal agency I know of come looking for you. We should be safe, at least for a while."

I shuddered. "Unless Dr. Hoss is one of them. He seems a little too excited by my condition, if you can call it that."

Sky laughed. “Dr. Hoss does have a tendency to babble a bit but he’s really a good doctor. You were still pretty out of it when he was talking to us about the tests. He told us the first tests were all inconclusive and they would have to take them again.”

Her words gave me some reassurance but I could not help feel a little wary of the one human. “So, he is not going to study me or take me away somewhere…”

Sky was silent for a moment before she giggled. “You watch way too many of our movies, Diron. We humans are divided and we can seem scary, that’s true. However, we are all like siblings; we will fight each other at the drop of a hat but if an outsider attacks one…”

I shuddered. “That will be when we see your real scary side.”

Sky nodded. “Exactly.”

Early the next morning, Tor and Nada arrived, looking tired but maintaining kind smiles. I hesitated seeing a small, doll like girl with them. She looked up at me with wide, curious blue eyes but said nothing verbally. She gave me a cute smile and then I heard her voice within my mind. *Hi. I’m Rain.*

Nada sighed. “This is Rain, she is nonverbal autistic. We will talk more about it later.”

I nodded to Nada then turned to her daughter, Rain. I had never heard of a human with telepathic abilities. It was fascinating and exciting. I turned back to Rain and telepathically replied, *My name is Diron. It is a pleasure to meet you, Rain.*

Rain’s eyes lit up and she began jumping and dancing in place, making babbling sounds of excitement. *You can hear me! You can really hear me!*

I smiled at that, chuckling on the inside. *Yes, I can hear you. It is called telepathy. If you want others to hear you, just focus on their minds. Go on; try it.*

Rain nodded then turned to her mom. *Can you hear me, mommy?*

Nada immediately turned to Rain in surprise. “What did you just say, sweetie?”

Then I spoke verbally. “It’s called telepathy. Your daughter Rain communicates with her mind, not her mouth.”

Rain nodded, becoming more excited. *Please tell me you can hear me, mommy.*

Nada began to cry. “Oh, I hear you, sweetie! I hear you!

Everyone else in the room turned to her with surprise on their faces; they had heard her in their minds. Soon the entire family was in a tearful embrace. I could not help feel emotional too; I had found telepathic human. She was likely the first of her kind to succeed in reaching non-telepathic minds. That alone, kind of formed a bond; she too was outside of the norm. When the family eventually parted, Rain swiftly turned to me. I was surprised by her wrapping her small arms around one of mine.

She cooed, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. *Thank you!*

I gave Rain a quick smile then gulped as I spotted a uniformed man standing guard outside. There was a heavy sidearm of some design in a holster at his side. Frightened, I turned to Tor and Nada, my eyes pleading for an explanation. Sky raised a single eyebrow at her parents, noting the guard as well. “Who is that? What is going on here?”

Rain noticed the guard as well. *Mommy, is Diron in trouble?*

Nada urged Sky and Rain to sit. “Your father and I are more than mere rescue workers for FEMA. We are part of a covert government agency called Storm Chasers. We investigate any natural disaster that is suspected to be caused by either an extraterrestrial or supernatural occurrences.”

I teared up, fearful. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “The escape pods are not designed to create such disturbances.”

Tor gave me a bemused smile. “It was not your arrival we were investigating, Diron. We were looking into a series of very unusual storms. Still, I am pleased we did not have to coheres you into admitting you were an extraterrestrial.”

I winced knowing I had revealed I was an extraterrestrial all too easily to the two. Only Nada placed a light hand onto my shoulder before I could respond. I turned to her, not knowing what to expect. Only I was surprised again as she greeted me with a gentle smile.

Then, she replied telepathically. *We knew you were from ‘out of town’ when your body wiggled and jiggled like a bowl of pudding. Fortunately, your escape pod closely resembled a modern compact car… after impact.*

I gulped, possibilities running through my mind as I thought, “What have I done?! Did I inadvertently set off some kind of chain reaction where one encounter with a human telepath awakens another human’s telepathic abilities!?”

I sighed, deciding it best to tackle one problem at a time. “What is going to become of me, Mr. Storm?”

Tor chuckled. “You are simply going to be our secret little guest until your ship can send someone to pick you up.”

Nada suppressed a giggle then spoke verbally. “Yes, we detected your ship passing near Earth thanks to some new technology we had salvaged and reengineered from an old alien vessel that had crashed in a desert back in 1947.”

Tor nodded. “Of course, we got more than just that out of it but I am not at liberty to discuss it.”

A week passed agonizingly slow before the nurse entered the room with a smile. “Good news, Diron. Dr. Hoss has cleared you to be discharged from the hospital. You will be placed into Mr. and Mrs. Storm’s custody for the foreseeable future.”

I managed a smile. “When am I leaving?”


The nurse gave Tor a small stack of papers, ignoring me for the moment. “Someone will come by shortly to wheel him to the exit. Dr. Hoss would like you to bring him back in a few days for a follow up; just to see that everything is okay.”

Tor shook his head. “Thank you but we have already made other arrangements; Dr. Hoss will be informed momentarily.”

The nurse nodded then smiled at me. "It's amazing how quickly you healed up after you got a little bite to eat. It must be the hospital food."

Everyone chuckled at that as Tor followed the nurse out into the hall to talk to Dr. Hoss for a moment. Meanwhile, Nada handed me a stack of clothes and motioned to the bathroom. The clothes, I noticed were strange but not uncomfortable. A few hours later, I was ceremoniously escorted out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Once outside, I was helped into to a large, odd ground vehicle. They called it an SUV. From there, I was driven directly to a house a few clicks outside of the city. It was a relief to be out of that building. I felt as if I were constantly watched; it was claustrophobic.

Still, I felt a pang of unease. “What happens now, Mr. Storm?”

Nada turned in the front passenger seat to face me. “As Tor had explained, you are our guest. Our people within the agency are making all attempts to contact your vessel and inform them of your location and status.”

Rain tapped me on the shoulder. *Think of this as a rest stop before continuing your journey.*

I smiled at that. “That is an interesting way to put it.”

Rain giggled. *You sound like Sky talking through a fan.*

I tilted my head, confused as Sky smiled. *He actually does.*

I did well to hide my unease. As far as anyone in the galactic council was aware, humans were not a psychic race. None of them had shown any extraordinary mental abilities other than a rare case of an ascended mind. Only, through a very brief telepathic encounter with a child, the members of her family seemed to have been discovering their telepathic abilities, one by one. It was startling yet fascinating at the same time.

I could not help smile as I thought, “I can just imagine the looks on the council’s faces when they discover humans are a dormant psychic race.”

The Storm residence, I noticed, was surrounded by a high stone wall with large metal gates guarding the entrance. Tor pressed a button on his navigation controls and the gates opened, allowing the vehicle to pass. The gates then closed behind us as Tor then piloted the vehicle to a structure. A wide door slowly opened in the front through a similar process. The ground vehicle entered and came to a stop inside the structure before the door closed behind us. I followed Sky and Rain as they exited the vehicle and escorted me inside their residence. What I could only assume was the grand hall was impressively spacious. Strange but quaint furnishings and décor lined the four walls. Along the walls were several cases displaying tools from dozens of classes.

To say I was impressed would have been a mild understatement. “Your family must be of royalty.”

Sky giggled at my comment. “Not even close! My family is simply well off due to two generations of smart investing.”

I motioned to the display cases. “What are these then?”

Sky smiled. “These are all memory sakes of past disasters our parents responded to across Tornado Alley over the years.”

I looked at sky for a moment, considering before I asked her, “What did your father mean by a series of unusual storms?”

Sky sighed. “We have been getting severe storms that just do not behave like storms should. They are not natural, we have no idea what is causing them and they are getting worse.”

I raised an eyebrow, morbidly curious. “Tornado Alley…?”

Sky nodded. “It is a large region through roughly the middle of the United States. Cold fronts from the north collide with warm fronts from the south, generating powerful storms. Those in turn often spawn tornadoes.”

I gulped, getting images of these tornadoes from sky’s mind. Black, spinning funnels of death, destroying all in their path. Still, I was curious so I pressed. “Exactly how strong do these tornadoes get?”

Sky frowned, sadness on her face. “Well, we measure them on what we call the Fujita or EF Scale. The more a tornado destroys, the higher the scale. EF1 being the weakest and EF5 being the most dangerous. An EF5, which can get to be over a mile across, can and will reduce an entire town to nothing.”

I shuddered at the thought. My mind became flooded with images of entire communities being reduced to ruins or worse nothing. Then, images of the strange storms Tor and sky had mentioned flashed in my mind. Pitch black clouds with lightning of every color of the spectrum. Tornadoes moving like a predator, giving off animalistic screams. These tornados were monsters and from what Sky said, they had been getting stronger.

“How long will I be here, waiting for my people to retrieve me?”

Sky sighed then shrugged and replied mentally without thinking. *I guess it depends upon how long it takes those on your vessel to pick up the phone.*

I did not know what a phone was but I somehow knew exactly what she was talking about and gave a half smile. *Very funny…*

Sky giggled, the tension easing a bit, then paused. She seemed surprised at first then concerned. *Did we just talk…*

I nodded. “Yes, we just talked telepathically. Your sister, Rain reached out to me mentally when we first met. I replied in kind and it is sort of spreading.”

Sky was silent for a moment but I could hear dozens of thoughts and ideas running through her mind. Then a startling memory came to the surface. “Where you telepathically screaming when the pod was launched?”

For a moment, I did not understand where Sky was going with her question then her thought reached me. “That last tornado was screaming and it vanished when I hit the ground…”

Sky gulped, her mind racing too fast for me to follow at the time before she asked another odd question. “When exactly do your ships travel through our solar system?”

I had an idea but nothing solid. Only, before I could verbally answer, Tor and Nada entered the room. They both had looks of concern on their faces. I immediately knew what was on their minds which gave me a sense of dread. I saw an unusual storm, moving in a way that no storm behaved. It was as if it were an animal chasing its prey. There were tornadoes spawning here and there at random. There were screams and shouts coming from it making my blood run cold. As the images faded, I suspected the same as the others. My own people were possibly creating these psychic storms by merely coming too close to Earth. If I had not met Rain, I would have laughed at the prospect but she made the pieces fit.

I turned to the others, trembling. “Our ships travel through your system approximately every thirteen years.”

Nada and Tor’s eyes widened and I heard their thoughts, making me nervous. *The tornado outbreaks of 1985, 1998, 2011 and now this year…*

They in turn heard my thoughts. *Those intense weather patterns all hit when our ships came close to Earth.*

Sky frowned, hearing these thought as well. “It may all be just a weird coincidence. We can’t jump to conclusions here.”

Tor gave a thoughtful nod. “I agree; these unusual storms and tornadoes that spawn during these outbreaks are very different. True, the pieces fit but not all the pieces are there.”

At first, I did not understand. Then, Tor’s thoughts filtered in and I saw the pattern. “On those same dates, strange events were happening onboard the exploratory vessels. Our researchers had called it the ‘Sol system curse’.”

Sky snapped her fingers. “A feedback loop! Our dormant psychic abilities must be reacting to your people’s own stronger powers, creating these anomalies.”

It was incredible; insane. Humans had been subconsciously trying to reach out telepathically to alien vessels that passed close to Earth. Only, with my people, the telepathic attempt created a feedback loop. One that caused destruction on both sides without either knowing what was causing it. Because humans were seen as primitive, no one within the fold made the connection.

I could not help chuckle inside in spite of myself as I thought, “The universe is so full of surprises.”

Nada sighed. “Still, it would not hurt to have our friend from out of town to take a look at this next storm that just spawned. He might be able to give us new insight on how to deal with it.”

Rain was thoughtful for a moment. *Maybe you can use your mind to talk to the storm and maybe tell it to buzz off.*

I chuckled at that. *It doesn’t quite work like that, Rain.*

Tor knotted his jaws. “Regardless of what these storms are or what might be spawning them, I have a bad feeling it is only going to get worse before it gets better.”

As if on que, the heavy rumble of not too distant thunder shook the house. Tor stepped over to a window to peer outside. We all were able to see what he did. A number of small storms spawning all over the area, quickly merging into one. Tor knotted his jaws in decision then turned to me. “Would you care to join us on a run of chasing storms? Maybe you can think of something we might have missed.”

My mind raced and I found myself exchanging thoughts and ideas with the entire family. I got the full report from their minds. These tornadoes were indeed unusual and getting worse each time they are spawned. They should not be appearing let alone be as strong as they were. Worse, no one seemed to remember the storm after it had passed. This meant there were no witness accounts of the storm’s behavior when they struck. It was a true mystery.

Finally, let out a sigh and nodded. “I don’t know how much help I can be but I will try.”

Nada seemed startled. “We’re taking the kids with us?”

With a low sigh, I produced two bracelets from inside an unseen pouch in my abdominal area. It was like a pocket, allowing me to carry things while keeping my hands free. “Put these on; they’re personal force fields. They will keep you safe from most harm.”

Nada gave a rueful chuckle. “You wouldn’t happen to have two more of those, would you?”

I smiled and produced two more. “I act as a babysitter to the kids of other world diplomats. I have to be ready for anything.”

Tor nodded, a grateful look on his face before he turned to his family and I. We all heard his unsaid command. *Saddle up!*

I did not know what saddle up meant but I had an idea, thanks to our shared minds. We all ran to a second garage where a modified four door truck silently waited. Tor got into the driver’s seat with Nada in the passenger seat. Rain, Sky and I got into the back with Rain in the center seat. We each securely fastened our seat belts as the garage door opened and tor drove the truck out of the garage and onto the road.

Sky pulled a data pad from a pouch on the back of the front seat and tapped it a few times. I smiled sensing her surprise as she found she was able to work the device with the force field on. “The disturbances are all converging onto some farm land about a mile to the west.”

Tor nodded. “Roger that.”

The truck did a reckless turn to the left and sped down the road towards a number of funnel clouds in the distance. I looked out the window at the storm. It was just like the vision I had seen moments before. The multiple lightning flashes were a multitude of different colors. The tornadoes were turning clockwise then counter clockwise almost at random. The storm itself acted as if it were alive; hunting or looking for something or someone.

The very sight of it left me feeling shock and awe. *Is that the disturbance you guys were investigating?*

Sky nodded. “One of them, yes. Could it really be a telepathic feedback loop?”

I sighed, feeling anxiety building within me. The tornadoes were all slowly moving towards us. “It’s a localized feedback loop!”

Rain let out a scream then I heard her telepathically yell out, *Go away; you’re scaring me!*

To my surprise, the tornadoes stopped approaching. They just spun in place as if confused. They then slowly, dissipated and vanished. The storm was gone, leaving clear skies. Inside the ground vehicle, Rain was panting. She pale with fright, but she was unharmed.

Tor and Nada looked about, shaken and confused. Rain was still too frightened to think. Sky alone spoke. “What the hell just happened there!?”

It took a moment for me to respond. Rain, the first nonverbal human telepath I had discovered was the focus of the strange psionic storm. What was more ironic, she had dissipated it by doing exactly how she asked if I could. She told the storm to bug off. It was unprecedented and so improbable that I was left stunned just like the others. Then, a thought occurred to me; one that left me breathless. The people in the area might have been at least subconsciously trying to respond to her telepathic pleas to be heard. Hence this one storm was searching and then moving straight for her.

When I finally found my voice, I turned to Sky. “Your sister, Rain was the focus of this storm but I do not think it was her who started it.”

Sky, sensing my thoughts gasped in shock. “If you are right, Rain was being heard but no one knew how to respond on her level but was trying.”

I nodded. “When I responded to her telepathically, it amplified her ability and unlocked the ability of her family members.”

Sky smiled slightly. “Which was just enough to spark a localized feedback loop. That loop brought on the psychic storm.”

We soon entered the town of Arrow River. The residents were in the process of making repairs. The damages were not as severe as I had feared. A few damaged homes and businesses, some severely but no loss of life. Rattled nerves all around and a total loss of remembering what had hit them. Rain looked around, a pang of guilt on her face. Noticing this, I knew that she felt at least partially responsible. Truth be told, I was the one who started the ball rolling. However, these unusual storms were hitting all over the country. That meant Rain was not the only human who had unlocked their telepathic abilities.

I gave her a reassuring smile. *You are not the one causing these crazy storms. But, you can help bring them to a stop.*

Rain looked up at me, hopeful. *How?*

Sky giggled, catching her attention. *Talk to them like the way you talked to us.*

The truck came to a stop near dinner were a number of other vans, campers and heavy trucks had been gathered. Many of them had odd pieces of equipment mounted on them. A group of humans were gathered around them working on data pads. Then there were some people were thoughtfully looking up at the sky. Then the answer came through my link with the Storm family. These people were real storm chasers. Insane humans who quite literally chase these storms. Their passion was to give cities and towns as much an early warning as they could when tornadoes were on the move. My thoughts drifted back to the wormhole that had brought me to Earth. It was like a tornado in space. I wondered if the nebula could use their own form of storm chasers to warn of wormholes.

Tor and Nada were the first to reach the group of storm chasers. They greeted each other with a loud short cheer. One member of the group approached Tor and Nada. “Hey, Tor ‘an Nada! Glad you could come to the party!”

Tor chuckled. “We met the bouncer on the way in. Rain scared it so much, it ran off.”

Rain blushed. *I just told it to go away.*

Everyone around her stopped talking at once; turning to her with their mouths half open. In the same breath, they turned to each other even more stunned. Rain giggled excitedly, jumping around. I could not blame her. Everyone around us had started talking to each other telepathically. After what had to have been years of frustration, people heard her and could talk back on her level. I jumped when the group suddenly cheered and surrounded Rain, asking one question after another. Rain beamed, tears falling as she heard them all.

Deciding to act before she became overwhelmed, I let out a loud whistle that caused everyone to turn to me. Only before I could speak, a number of unmarked vehicles came speeding in and came to a stop outside of the dinner. Men in odd uniforms piled out with their leader, a man in a similar uniform leading the way. Tor and Nada saluted the man to which he saluted back. The man then turned to the crowd before turning to Tor.

“Are these the only ones affected?”

Tor nodded, motioning to Rain. “It turns out that my daughter is a telepath. Diron communicated with her and it has been steadily spreading since.”

A tall man walked up from the group. He was lean but his lined, weathered face showed experience. “What’s this all about, Tor? Who are these guys?”

Tor was about to respond but the man stopped him with a wave of his hand. “It’s alright, Tor. We can use all the help we can get on this one.” He addressed the group, still huddled around their trucks and vans. “My name is General Brad Summers of the United States Marine Corps. I am also the head of a covert government agency known as the Storm Chasers.”

The tall man grunted. “My name is Tex Wilder; this is my crew. The man in the overalls is Steve Hawk. He is in charge of the second crew.”

Steve, the shorter more muscular man nodded. “So what does this covert government agency want with us?”

Tor sighed and turned to Brad who nodded then turned back to the two groups. “These unusual storms and tornadoes are being fueled by a feedback loop.”

Nada gave me a discrete wink then explained, “Rain is a telepath who has been desperately been trying to reach all of us the only way she knew how. Today, she succeeded and now we are all slowly becoming telepaths ourselves.”

I looked around and realized that everyone’s minds were quickly falling into sync. It was only a matter of time before they knew the truth of my identity. That was when I made the decision to simply tell the two groups the truth. With a sigh, I reverted to my normal form, causing everyone, including the general to jump slightly in fright. A tiny grin touched the corners of my mouth. It was the fastest I had ever gotten anyone’s attention.

I called out telepathically so everyone in the groups would hear my voice. *Listen up. My name is Diron. My people, the Teranors, are a race telepathic shapeshifters. We had no clue your people were dormant telepaths. When our ship passes near your world…*

Brad sighed, shaking his head. “The point is his people are looking for him. They are under the assumption that he is the only telepathic being on the planet. However, they do not know where on our planet he is. And, due to our dormant abilities, their search is causing the powerful feedback loop.”

Tor raised his hand, getting everyone’s attention. “This is happening all over the globe. We need to get the attention of Diron’s people before these storms get worse.”

Nada then smiled, nudging Tex in the shoulder. “However, we have one strong advantage over other nations.”

Rain giggled and called out, *Storm Chasers!*

The crowd cheered in response and Brad did well to hide a grin. “We need you guys to do what you do best; follow these storms. We need to use our combined growing telepathic abilities to tell Diron’s people where he is.”

Tor smiled at Nada who smiled back as they then turned to Tex and Steve. “Welcome to the storm Chasers.”

Tex and Steve turned to each other before turning to Tor and Nada. “Alright, what’s your plan?”

Brad sighed, giving a grateful look. “Thank you, people. We are going to need all hands on deck.”

With that said, the work began. The dinner became headquarters as that was where everyone had met anyway. Inside, Brad unrolled a map of the surrounding area and motioned to several points, miles apart from each other. The people all knew what they were; places that were the hardest hit by storms and tornadoes in the past thirteen years. Brad then pointed to cell phone towers and power substations that were in those areas.

While the others looked at the map, Brad began briefing them. “As you are all aware, the strange storms over the last thirteen years that had come through Oklahoma all stopped in these areas. It was as if they had hit a wall and fizzled out.”

Tex looked at the map, thoughtfully. “Those cell towers may have given our telepathic abilities a boost but I’m not sure about the substations.”

Brad motioned to the map again. “Yes, the cell towers in these areas are boosting telepathic abilities. It explains why they are the busiest during these situations. When the substations are hit, the electrical charge destabilizes the psionic storm and it falls apart.”

Tex studied the map. “Okay. If we were to shut down these towers and use our telepathy, we may be able to wrangle the tornadoes into a localized area. Only how do you plan to have our alien friend here call for a ride home.”

Brad turned to me, serious. “You got any ideas, kid?”

It was the very question I had asked myself time and time again only no answer came. Then Rain cut in. *I think the storms are like a psionic telephone. When I told the last tornado to go away, the storm disappeared.*

Brad turned to Rain, surprised then gave a nod. “You might be on to something there, young lady.”

Tex looked confused and, without thinking, telepathically asked, *So, we are supposed to use the tornadoes mentally ‘dial’ the aliens number?*

Steve let out a chuckle and responded in kind, *With our luck, we’ll some kind of mental answering machine.*

This brought on a chorus of telepathic laughter from the others; causing me to pause. They were communicating with their minds. They were all doing so automatically, without realizing it as if it were a second language to them. Before, Rain was the odd one out because she could hear the community’s collective thoughts and ideas. Only, she was unable to communicate verbally. I was the odd one out because I could talk to others one on one with either my voice or mind. However, I was unable to communicate with my community. They all telepathically spoke as one; I could not discern one thought or idea from another.

Then, I remembered my ancient history. The Teranors were once all one singe, impossibly massive organism. It lived in space and consumed most life from one planet to another. Survivors had called it ‘The Terror’. One ancient, psychically powerful race placed a simple thought into the creature’s mind; Individuality. Surprisingly, it caused the creature to explode into trillions upon trillions of individuals. The ancient scrolls all spoke of these individuals scattering across all of space. Ten billion of them, my civilization, settled on planet Teranor. I wondered if the same principle would work on these storms.

I was pulled from my thoughts when everyone suddenly fell silent and turned to me as if I was heard thinking aloud. By the time I realized what had happened, a loud clap of thunder shook the sky and everyone ran for their vehicles. Everyone was in telepathic sync and a plan was being put into action. Tor chuckled as he mentally called out, *Okay, people let’s get our visiting alien friend home!*

What followed was what I could only describe as a chaotic dance over rough roads and rouged terrain. The four teams, Tor and Nada being one, chased after the tornadoes. I could hear them all yelling with their minds, causing the tornadoes to turn and chase after them in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The plan was simple; get the tornadoes in the center of the four cell towers. Once there, they would use their recently discovered telepathic abilities to call out to the star ship, hoping it would be just enough to reach them. There were more than a few close calls as the storm intensified. The drivers had to swerve around debris flying everywhere, including a tree or two.

I heard Brad’s voice echoing over everyone’s thoughts. *We are only going to get one shot at this! Everyone send the message!*

Without missing a beat, everyone not focused on navigating the chaos called out in their minds. The combined voice was almost deafening. *Diron is safe! *He is here!*

Nothing happened. The storm was still raging. I turned to Rain who seemed fearful. She was not crying out with the others and it made me wonder why. Then her soft tearful voice came into my mind. *You were the first to hear me. I don’t want to lose you.*

I smiled at that and gave her a one armed hug. *Your abilities are far stronger than you realize. You won’t lose me so long as I am in your heart.*

It was a bit cheesy, taken from some older movie broadcasts I had seen but it was enough to make rain smile and find the determination she needed. *I’m going to miss you.*

I will never forget what Rain did next. She placed her fingers against her temples, crying out with her mind. What she said was chillingly familiar. *Is anyone out there? Please talk to me!*

It was a voice I had heard in my dreams several nights in a row before the incident that took me to Earth. Rain had been trying to reach out to someone, anyone who could hear her. That was when I realized why the voices close to me were so loud, so hard to decipher. My telepathy was so in tuned that I was picking up thoughts from everywhere in the council worlds. So many thoughts that they became jumbled together. I worked hard to block them all out, to get some silence some peace.

In doing so, I caught a single, powerful thought from the edge of the galaxy. *Is anyone out there? Please talk to me!*

Instantly, the tornadoes all stopped their chase, dissipated and then vanished. The heavy storm quickly evaporated and was gone, leaving clear skies overhead. For a moment, there was complete silence; just the sound of the wind and the idling of vehicles. Then new telepathic voices began echo from literally everywhere. People were voicing concerns, asking where Rain was, if she was okay if she needed help. I smiled at her, proudly as she seemed shocked by her accomplishment.

I roughed up her fair, causing her to blush. *It looks like you woke up the entire world, kid.*

Before Rain could respond, the ground began to deeply tremble as brilliant towering cities and Infrastructure quickly rose from the Earth. Everyone watched in awe as the entire landscape as far as the eye could see had completely changed. Somehow, I knew that it was happening all over the planet. As the minds of the planet’s population began to sync with each other, I discovered they were becoming more clear, focused. Their psychic strength was impressive to say the least. That was when a startling truth settled into my mind. Humanity’s ancient ancestors were the ones who had stopped The Terror. With a single idea, they had forever changed us into what we had become, a new race. I was shocked by this revelation and turned to Rain.

She looked up at me with those big blue eyes and smiled as tears began to form. *I think your father is calling you, Diron.*

I focused my mind and found myself taking the advice I had given rain what seemed a lifetime ago. “If you want them to hear you, just focus on their minds.” *Father… Can you hear me?*

I felt my father’s relief; his response was immediate. *Diron! I feared your life was terminated!*

I was crying as I responded. *I almost was but these brave humans mended me back to health.*

More waves of relief came through then confusion. *Diron, we are sensing powerful psychic powers on the Earth.*

I chuckled with others following. *It is a long story, father. It will all be in my report.*

I heard my father chuckle, albeit nervously. *I have a feeling it will be a long report.*

With not another word said, a small shuttle came down from the living ship and landed a few feet from me. I said my goodbyes to the two storm chaser groups and the Storm Family. I gave each of them a hug then paused after hugging Rain. *Stay in touch, kid.*

Rain giggled. *You too.*

I looked around, confusion entering my mind. General Brad was nowhere to be seen. Picking up on my thoughts, Sky replied, “General Brad had to leave. He said something about having to greet another out of towner.”

I giggled on the inside, knowing exactly what she meant and made my way to the shuttle. Taking one last look around I could not shake a foreshadowing feeling. I somehow knew that I was going to see the Earth again very soon. With a final wave and thoughts of gratitude, I stepped into the shuttle. Taking a seat as the ramp closed behind me with a hiss, I quickly made certain to buckle myself in. I could see everyone waving goodbye through the view port as the shuttle took off. It carried me up out of Earth’s atmosphere to the living ship we had named Locust.

Once safely onboard, I exited the shuttle to be greeted by my father alone. I had expected to receive the lecture of my life. Only what I got instead were thoughts of begrudging respect and a sense of awe. *Everyone on board knows what you went through, what you experienced, Diron. Truth be told, I would have done the same thing.*

I relaxed slightly, knowing everyone on board knew the whole story of my little misadventure. *Am I still in trouble?*

My father’s laughter echoed in my mind. *You are not in trouble but you will have to answer a lot of serious questions before The Fold and the Galactic council.*

I sighed, nodding at that. The trip back to council space was more pleasant than I had expected. Turk from planet Myraj and Sala from planet Root came running to me the instant I left the shuttle bay. My father verbally chuckled at the chaotic reunion as the two literally knocked me over. After a brief jumble of flaying limbs, I managed to get back up as the two were still embracing me from both sides…

Back inside the vessel, heading towards Earth, Gnosarac smiled with a father’s pride. “The human’s ancient ancestors changed us forever and now we had changed them forever for the better.”

Princess Kyteen nodded, thoughtfully. “The story of your races had come full circle.”

Gnosarac nodded, still smiling. “Indeed. Now, who would like to tell their tale next?”