Live and Let Psi Read online

  “We know that Nicolaitan has resurfaced after ten years in hiding,” the Kilodan began. “We defeated Egon Demiurge, the young Knight who had learned Lynn’s identity. Through the hazards of battle, he is no longer a threat.”

  Andy patted me on the shoulder. Egon was extremely skilled in the Mental Arts, the toughest opponent I had ever faced. He took on Mason and me together, and might have killed us if Susie hadn’t cut loose with a totally uncontrolled Mental Blast. Wiped his mind completely, destroying his Mental Arts capability and all of his memories. He is now resting peacefully in juvie for kidnapping Susie, although he doesn’t remember any of it.

  “Nicolaitan will stop at nothing,” the Kilodan continued. “Last night he kidnapped the mayor’s son. Our rescue attempt was successful, however, we know he has other targets. And he has developed an army of Knights that our Psi Weapons have no effect on. Therefore, tonight’s lesson will enhance our physical skills.”

  Just kung fu. This was uncharted territory for me. The Mental Arts had been so ingrained in me over ten years of intense training that I couldn’t imagine not using them. But my battle with Scallion’s marionette Knights had proved that even the Mental Arts have a weakness.

  “Miss Noelle,” the Kilodan said, “I would like you to demonstrate the physical aspects of battle against a larger opponent.”

  Well, that was confusing. The Kilodan never called me Miss Noelle. He never even called me Rinnie. I was always Lynn.

  I turned to face Andy, ready to do battle in a way that only he and I could do. Andy and I were the main fight demonstrators. I couldn’t really cut loose on anyone else in the Academy, but Andy was my trainer, and he could take anything I could dish out. Although, I’d never admit it to him. I bowed to Andy, but he just patted my shoulder and said, “I think he means the other Miss Noelle.”

  “Oh,” I said, warmth creeping across my cheeks. Susie squealed and went to the center ring, a large circle painted on the floor where all demonstrations took place.

  “Mr. Reynolds, if you please,” the Kilodan said.

  “Mr. Who?” I asked Andy. I knew every student at the Academy and had never heard that name before.

  “Mr. Him,” Andy said, poking a thumb over his shoulder.

  From the line of students behind me, a muscular boy with reddish-blond hair moved toward the center circle. I did a double-take. Drake?

  Drake strutted up to Susie then noticed me standing there with my mouth hanging open.

  “Talk about good luck,” he said. “I’m glad you got to see me again!”

  “I would like you all to meet Mr. Drake Reynolds,” the Kilodan said. “He is with us for only a short time, so his training will be intense. No Mental Weapons, Miss Noelle.”

  “How did that jerk get in here?” I whispered to Andy, who simply shushed me. So, Drake Reynolds was a Psi Fighter. How was that possible? He never trained with us. And as far as I knew, there was no other Academy. I had a lot of questions for Andy and the Kilodan after practice.

  Susie stood at the center of the sparring floor. The Kilodan liked to pair up opponents who were unevenly matched. Susie’s kung fu was exceptional for a ten-year-old, but I had to assume that Drake’s was better because he was older. The Kilodan was also very cautious when it came to the safety of his students, so Susie was in no danger.

  But Drake would be, if he hurt her.

  “C’mon, Susie,” I hollered. “Show him what you’ve got!”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing what you’ve got. Maybe after practice?” Drake gawked at me like I was a glazed donut.

  It was official. I hated him. “Dream on, bozoid.”

  Susie stepped into the practice circle and bowed to Drake. Very formal, very elegant.

  “No need for that, babe,” Drake said, eying my baby sister from head to toe. “Let’s relax and get to know each other better.”

  I stepped toward the circle to give Drake a short but extremely unpleasant lesson in etiquette, when I felt Andy’s hand on my shoulder. “Down, girl,” he whispered.

  “It’s polite to bow first,” Susie said. “But have it your way.”

  She smiled and fired three punches in rapid succession. The first two landed solidly on Drake’s surprised face. The third knocked him to the floor.

  “Yes!” I jumped up and down, clapping, almost peeing myself with glee. The Kilodan turned his emotionless mask my way. Oops. I immediately folded my hands and stood still.

  “Ow,” Drake said, sitting up from the spread-eagle position he had landed in. He shook his head, pulled himself to his feet, and smiled at me. “Your sister is a good warm-up.”

  “You’re a good practice dummy.”

  Susie grinned, then attacked Drake with a flurry of kicks and punches that drove him completely out of the circle. I was amazed at how skillful Susie had become. I had to admit, though, Drake was an excellent fighter. He wasn’t going all out against Susie, but I could tell he was being very cautious. Not being able to use Mental Weapons should have put Susie at a real disadvantage against Drake, whose kung fu skills were impressive. But Susie fought like a little tiger. Her legs flashed like sabers, blasting Drake’s armor, knocking him around like a limp hacky sack.

  He ducked a particularly vicious side kick aimed at his face. “Ha ha, missed me,” he taunted.

  Susie was too cool. She dropped to the ground and swept his legs out from under him. Before he hit the floor, she was on him and wrapped a Sleeper Hold tightly around his neck. Just as his eyes started to roll back in his head, Susie kissed him on the cheek and released him.

  “You’re cute.” She smiled and stretched his cheeks into a grin. “But too old for me.”

  Drake pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his neck. “Nice work, babe.”

  “Thank you,” Susie said, bowing low.

  Then Drake turned to me, whispering. “She’s not bad.”

  “You are,” I said, probably louder than I should have.

  “I’m not what I seem,” Drake said, giving me one of those stupid looking-at-you-over-my-glasses-even-though-I-don’t-wear-glasses looks. “I let her win because she’s a little girl. I think it’s good for her self-esteem.”

  “Noble of you,” I said, squeezing both hands into fists. “Maybe you’d like to spar with a big girl. Let’s see how that works for your self-esteem.”

  Drake shook his head. “No offense, babe, but I’d like a real challenge.”

  Andy raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  “A very nice demonstration showing the power of controlled physical technique,” the Kilodan said, then clapped his hands. “Miss Noelle, please return to your station. Mr. Reynolds, if you will be so kind, please lead the class in a light warm-up. Five hundred sit-ups followed by the same number of push-ups, then thirty minutes of yoga.”

  Drake did a palms up at the Kilodan. “Five hundred? Are you—”

  “Five hundred,” the Kilodan said calmly as he turned and left the front of the room. He took me by the shoulders and pointed me toward the side corridor. “Walk this way.”

  Andy and the Megadan followed us.

  “I would like you to participate in a surveillance mission,” the Kilodan said. “Nicolaitan wants the Morgan girl. He knows that she is in your high school, and he’ll stop at nothing to lure her out.”

  “Why do you talk about the Morgan girl like she’s not in the room with you?” I asked politely.

  “Because, as far as the world knows, she is not, and I would prefer to keep it that way,” the Kilodan said.

  “Oh. Okay. Got it.” I suppose I still wasn’t used to the fact that, with the exception of a very, very few, not even the Psi Fighters know I am the Morgan girl. They know the Kilodan calls me Lynn instead of Rinnie, but they think my last name has always been Noelle. That’s how intense our security is. There is no way Nicolaitan will ever figure it out.

  The Kilodan took my shoulders and turned me to face him. “He knows you’re the Morgan girl.”

  “
He what? How?”

  Andy shook his head. “He recognized something about you last night. Your posture, your movements, who knows? It probably didn’t help that you said ‘Oh, by the way, I’m the Morgan girl.’”

  “Oh.” My chest started to tighten. “How do you know?”

  “He gave up too easily,” Andy said. “If he had thought you were someone else, he wouldn’t have split us up. He’d have killed us.”

  “I don’t get it. If he knew I was the one he wanted, why didn’t he just try to capture us?”

  Andy laughed. “He knows the Psi Fighters almost as well as we know ourselves. He knows he would have had to kill us to take us. He obviously wants you alive.”

  “I suppose that’s a good thing.”

  “No,” the Kilodan said. His electronically altered voice shook ever so slightly. “Death would be better. He wants to force you to become a Knight. Not a Proletariat. A Knight.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, right. That’ll never happen.”

  “One word,” Andy said. “Psychedone 10.”

  “That’s two words. Oh. Do you mean what I think you mean?”

  “I do. He’ll shoot you full of Psychedone 10. If you were an ordinary high school student, he could control you like a puppet. But our Mental Arts abilities make us especially susceptible to Psychedone 10. It will alter your mind and bring out your darkest emotions. Nicolaitan will make you battle his Knights, knowing you’d use the Dark Emotions to defend yourself. He will force you to fight over and over again, until you kill one of them.”

  “I could n-never do that,” I stammered.

  “You wouldn’t be able to help yourself. Enough Psychedone 10 would put you over the edge. You would become just like him. A full-fledged Walpurgis Knight.”

  “What do we do?” I whispered. “I could live with being killed. But turning me into a Knight?” I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the tears to stay where they belonged. I wasn’t about to go all girly at a time like this. “Andy. Tell me what I have to do. I don’t care how creepy and powerful Nicolaitan is—I’ll never be a Knight!”

  “We have to infiltrate the Proletariat,” the Kilodan said quietly. “Learn their operations. That is why I need you on this reconnaissance team.”

  “The Proletariat is comprised of my students,” the Megadan said softly. “We must stop the person who is recruiting them.”

  “Okay. A team, though? Andy will be a little obvious following me around the school, don’t you think?”

  “I was not referring to Andor,” the Kilodan said.

  “But I always go on missions with Andy.” Then it hit me. “Oh, you mean me and—” I pointed to the Megadan. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

  The Megadan folded her hands. “Sorry, dear.”

  “Actually”—the Kilodan tilted his head toward me—“I was not referring to the Megadan, either. Andor, would you please bring Mr. Reynolds to us?”

  “With pleasure,” Andy said, and he skipped back to the training room, whistling the theme song to Get Smart. He returned, followed by a very slow-moving Drake Reynolds.

  Drake sauntered over to us, out of breath, and stopped right beside me, nodding as if he’d just had a lobotomy. His hair was damp with sweat, and his arms were shaking. He gazed into my eyes and smiled like an unlit jack-o-lantern.

  A sick feeling filled my stomach, and I shook my head. “No. Please. Surely not—”

  “I am afraid so,” the Kilodan said.

  “Why?” I whined. “I can’t be a Psi Fighter with him. All I can be is annoyed.”

  “Which is exactly what we need you to be,” Andy said. “It’s the perfect cover. And you’re so good at it.”

  “Let him do it,” I said, pointing to Drake. “He’s better at being annoying.”

  “I’m starting to get the impression you don’t like me,” Drake said, frowning.

  “Starting? What’s your IQ?”

  “This isn’t a request,” the Kilodan said, somewhat sternly.

  “Oh.” My first instinct was to stomp the floor and scream and throw the worst temper tantrum I could imagine. But that would give the Kilodan the mistaken impression that I was immature. So, I pinched Drake’s cheeks and pulled his mouth into a wide Cheshire cat grin. “Okay, then. I assume I will be receiving the standard fee for babysitting this little guy.”

  “You underestimate Mr. Reynolds,” the Kilodan said.

  “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

  “You underestimate how much that hurts,” Drake mumbled.

  “No, I don’t.” I let his face snap back to normal.

  “You’re beautiful when you don’t get your way. This will be fun.” Drake puckered his lips and blew me a kiss.

  I fake-smiled at Drake and said, “Would you please excuse us?”

  “No problem,” Drake said. He backed up a few steps to give us some room.

  “Let me rephrase.” I took Drake by the shoulders, turned him toward the door, and shoved.

  “Oh, right.” Drake stumbled then disappeared through the door.

  I turned to Andy. “Let me get this straight. Nicolaitan plans to hunt me down, pump me full of mind-altering drugs, and turn me into a stupid, mindless beast that hates Psi Fighters and knows all their secrets. Is that what I am to understand?”

  “Actually,” Andy said, “you’d be a highly intelligent, fully aware beast that hates the Psi Fighters and knows all their secrets.”

  “And how is infiltrating the Proletariat with Drake going to prevent that?”

  “It could lead us to Camelot,” Andy said. “I’m beginning to think you have a problem with this plan.”

  “He’s annoying. He’s egotistical. He has bad breath.”

  “Your point?” Andy asked.

  “Whose side are you on? Why can’t you be my partner? Drake Reynolds is more full of himself than a bean burrito. He can’t help me infiltrate anything. He’ll brag about it to the whole school. He needs to learn humility. It’s a foundation of kung fu, right? And I’d be happy to teach him. Let me spar with him. Right now.”

  “No,” the Kilodan said. “I need him alive.”

  “For what?” I said.

  The Kilodan just stared at me.

  “Drake is perfect for this mission,” Andy said. “The boy is not what he seems.”

  “I certainly hope not, because he seems like a muttonhead.”

  “We brought Drake in at a bad time,” the Kilodan said, leaning close to me. His emotionless mask seemed to stare right through me. “That is why I need you on this reconnaissance.”

  “What exactly am I reconnaissance-ing?” I asked.

  “Not what,” Andy said. “Who.”

  “Okay, who?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Of course, what?”

  “No, who,” Andy said.

  “Who?” I asked a bit more loudly.

  “Exactly.”

  “Andy, who am I watching? Who?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Andy!”

  “Sorry, I thought we were playing ‘Who’s on First?’”

  The Kilodan shook his head. “You are watching Mr. Reynolds.”

  Andy got an uncomfortable look on his face. “Drake is here as a favor to his father, who is a friend of ours. Drake was one of the children kidnapped by Nicolaitan ten years ago, two weeks before you.”

  “I was training at the Academy then,” I said. “I don’t remember him.”

  The Kilodan shook his head. “He wasn’t a Psi Fighter, his parents were. Drake was one of the first kidnapped children we rescued. We put his parents into hiding because Nicolaitan had not yet been defeated, and the Four didn’t want Drake to become a repeat target of the Knights. Drake has received his Mental Arts training at home from his parents over the past ten years. However, the Mental Arts are difficult to teach outside the safety of the Academy. We always run the risk of detection. When his parents came to town on business, they asked us to continue his training, and the Four a
greed.”

  “So, why put him on a mission with me?”

  “Drake’s Mental Arts skills are not his only weakness.”

  “I know, he’s stupid, too.”

  The Kilodan’s mask did that deflating whoopee cushion sound it makes when he’s annoyed with me.

  “I want Scallion stopped,” the Megadan said. “We know he is working through Tammy Angel.”

  “So you want me to get recruited? Good plan. Except that Tammy hates me. Too bad, so sad, she’ll have to get over it. Once I’m in, it should be easy to learn Scallion’s identity and shut that operation down. Then straight to Camelot. We don’t need Drake for that.”

  The Megadan shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, my dear, but we do. You have a reputation for being a goody two-shoes. I say that as a matter of utter pride, and I truly wish we had more like you. However, no one will recruit you. Drake, on the other hand…”

  Okay, got it. “Nobody knows him. He’s the new kid. Just the type the Knights would want. Being a jerk totally works in his favor. I can help Drake get in.”

  “No, he needs to do that himself,” the Kilodan said. “The problem is Drake doesn’t have the same fear of using the Mental Arts while unmasked that the rest of us do. He needs to learn how to avoid detection. He’s a bit of a showman, and we need you to make sure he doesn’t do anything in school to give himself away.”

  “Got it,” I said.

  “And not kill him in the process.”

  “There went my first lesson plan.”

  “That’s why I brought it up,” the Kilodan said. “You realize if we are successful, and we are able to bring in Scallion, we will be one step closer to finding Nicolaitan?”

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better segue to bring up Mason’s mom.”

  The Kilodan and Megadan both leaned toward me like bowling pins about to topple my way. “Ruth Draudimon?” they asked together.

  “Seg-away,” Andy said.

  I shook my head. “That was really awful, you know?”

  “It’s a gift.”

  “Well, you know how Nicolaitan told Mason that his mother is still alive? I know it’s a lie, and you know it’s a lie, but what if it’s not a lie? Mason thinks it might be true, so he wants me to help him find her, but to tell the truth, spending that much time with him might be distracting for me, and I need to concentrate. Especially now that I have another mission.”