“In twenty minutes, however, I would like to stop and see Mom and Dad.”
“I can tell by your mental undertone that this trip is not for pleasure.”
“No, it’s not, Rose. I suspect that we will need some time to discuss what I have in mind.”
“Stop and see our parents first. I’ll set aside some time this evening after we eat. I’m curious why you want the Kosiev.” Tommy was startled. “Oh, Tommy, you know I feel your thoughts like they’re my own. I know it has to do with your quest. I’ll be thinking about it until our meeting.”
“Thanks, Rose. I’ll share everything with you; you know I would never mislead you on anything.”
“I know, Tommy. I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too, Rose.”
“She is incredible,” Atlas said.
Tommy smiled and could still feel his sister’s thoughts, “Yes she is, Atlas.”
Tommy was sitting in his parent’s quarters in Castle Gardner and had spent several hours catching them up on all that had happened. Tag had left a few minutes earlier to go with Eric out to the gunnery range. Danielle was sitting next to Tommy and feeling happy to see her “baby”. Danielle looked at him and said, “Have you found anyone you’re interested in?”
Tommy looked at his mother and said, “Mom, Rose saw Michael when she was around four years old. I have very similar abilities to Rose and I have not sensed anyone. I’m beginning to think there is no one out there for me.”
Danielle looked at her son and said, “I hope that is not the case. There might be another possibility though.” Tommy furrowed his brow. “Tommy, your father never sensed me. I never had a clue he existed. How do you think the two strongest psychics on Earth ended up together?”
“Rose and I have much stronger psychic skills than you and Dad.”
“I don’t know if that’s true, Tommy. Do you think you could take Tag in a fight?”
Tommy thought about it for a moment and immediately his sense of danger turned on. He was shocked by the revelation. “Mom, I don’t think I could. My senses tell me that it would be dangerous to take him on.”
“The reason for that is that his psychic aura is totally warrior. Your aura is more diverse, like Rose. Tag senses me now. He seems to always know where I am and miracle of miracles, we no longer need Atlas’ link to hear each other’s thoughts.”
Tommy thought a moment and said, “Are you saying your power has increased.”
“Absolutely! Do you know that before I met Tag, I had glimpses of the truth and didn’t know what caused them to happen; I knew that they did not happen all the time. After I met your father, my ability to see the truth increased a hundred fold to where the ability was there at all times.”
Tommy looked at his mother and said, “How is that possible?”
“Tommy, when Tag and I first met and I shook his hand I felt a small shock. He said at that time that he could not see an aura around me. The old SFT said that the shock from that first contact may have seemed small to us but that they saw the psychic blast on the other side of the planet.”
Tommy began to see where his mother was going. “After we first started dating, whenever we touched we both felt that small shock. After we were attacked in that park, Tag told me that as he ran away he saw an aura around me. This aura continued to grow until not long after we were married the shocks stopped. I talked with Sung Lea, one of the SFT’s strongest psychics, about it years ago and she proposed that my psychic skills were latent and unrealized. It was the physical contact with the psychic field around Tag that brought mine out.”
“Rose saw Michael because he possessed his aura from birth. Are you saying I don’t see my match because her aura may be locked inside her?”
“It makes sense to me,” Danielle said.
Tommy hugged his mother and said, “I’ll think about this.”
“You’re missing the most important point Tommy.”
Tommy turned and said, “What is that?”
“You still haven’t told me how the two strongest psychics ended up together or why Rose had to wait until she was eighteen to finally meet Michael.”
Tommy stared at his mother and then he saw it. “They were not ready for each other before they met. Things had to happen in their development before they could come together.”
“What if Tag had touched me before my psychic ability had developed enough to handle the explosion of that initial touch?” Danielle smiled and said, “It is our belief that our abilities deliberately kept us apart until we were ready but would not let us get so far away that we couldn’t end up together.”
“What are you saying, Mom?’
I believe she’s out there, Tommy. Close but not ready for you yet.”
Tommy looked down at the floor and said, “Thanks, Mom. I love you. I’m going to consider what you’ve said. At the very least you’re telling me that when the time is right, I’ll have no choice. She will find me.”
Danielle smiled and said, “Be ready to be shocked… literally.”
Tommy laughed and left to see Rose.
Chapter 6
Tommy left Danielle thinking about what she had just said. He wondered why he was starting to be bothered by not having someone to share his life. Perhaps his match would be among the new crew members that would be joining him if Rose allowed him to use the Kosiev. He thought about it and then decided that this was an issue that he was not ready to handle just yet. Somehow, he did feel better though. What his mother had said struck a chord with him that sounded true.
He entered Rose’s quarters and Rose was sitting in front of the fireplace where she had spent many hours sitting with her parents watching the fire. “Hi, Tommy, I love this room. It has so many wonderful memories for me. I used to sit right here between Mom and Dad with all my bunnies lined up along the front of this couch.” She shook her head and then looked at Tommy and said, “Come sit with me and let’s see what’s on your mind.”
Tommy opened his mind to Rose. She looked at all that Tommy had experienced since their last meeting and in three minutes she had it all. Then she burst out laughing. “So he’s called 3D now.”
Tommy chuckled and said, “Rose, I thought I would crack a rib I laughed so hard. Even ole stone face Dodd lost it.”
“Don’t be so hard on her Tommy. She really does regret what happened back then. She really thinks quite highly of you.” Tommy stared at Rose and didn’t say anything. Rose looked at the fire for a long time and Tommy let her digest what he wanted her to do. After an hour Rose thought, “There is the real possibility of the Realm being placed in danger with what you’re planning.”
Tommy thought back, “I know and I truly wish that there was another way.” He paused then continued, “We could just place the captor’s entire galaxy under quarantine, forbidding any contact, but when I think about that my senses warn me that it won’t work.”
Rose gave a heavy sigh and thought, “I sense the same thing; when I move toward forbidding you to follow your plan my sense of danger increases.”
Tommy said, “I thought it was just me.”
They looked at each other and then Rose thought, “Dad, can you come meet with Tommy and me?”
Tag thought back, “Sure, Eric and I are at the shooting range and I’m kicking his grump. Can it wait?”
“Dad, it involves the safety of the Realm.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Tommy and Rose sat and watched the fire. Tag entered the room less than fifteen minutes later and sat down between his children. “What has you troubled?”
Danielle walked in a moment after Tag sat down and said, “I feel the need to be here. I don’t know exactly why.”
Tommy looked at Rose and Rose said, “Tommy is going to share what he is planning to do. I want both of you to tell me what you sense when he’s finished.”
Tommy began sharing his thoughts with both of them. When he finished Tag and Danielle sat and said
