TFF: Ovion Archives

I had unknowingly added a few improvised stanzas and extended the finale with a resounding flourish of beats.

The sound had drummed into my very heartbeat.

My blood had sung.

My entire being had strummed along its tune. I had been drenched in sweat from the exertion, my upper body protesting from the strain as I had let the last beat sound out.

The silence after had been spell bounding.

I had taken a while to regroup and regain awareness of my surroundings. It had almost been an out-of-body experience. The return had grounded me. I had torn my gaze away from the drum to face my spectators. Never before had I seen so many shocked-looking Johuans. It had been a great moment. One I would remember always.

The satisfied smirk on my face was a dead giveaway, so Xion acknowledging it with an appreciative smile, "I've seen the visuals of your drum playing. It had indeed been impressive." It was the first smile I'd seen on his grim-reaper-like face. All right, that was a slight exaggeration. If I recalled correctly, he had himself smirked a couple of times.

I beamed up my own wide smile at him. Thinking about the drums made me happy.

"I am getting off topic here," I bravely took the initiative to steer us back on course. I deliberately turned my thoughts back to the unpleasantness that was Alfred Smint.

"So where was I . . . yes, eventually, things got physical," I said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean by physical?" he interrupted.

"We copulated." Then I added, "He was my first," still disgruntled by that fact although somewhat relieved to have that unpleasant act over with even if it had been with someone as unpleasant. It may have even been better that way. I shrugged indifferently.

I watched Xion's tight nod of understanding and then continued.

"Looking back, I have to admire his methods. He was steady in drilling me down, each act was well spaced so that it all appeared very gradual, till I found myself handcuffed in his lab and about to be experimented on. It all made sense then. He had planned it every step of the way. Building on my humiliation, my low self-esteem, all so he could get off on his sick pleasure ride.

I got angry.

The buzzing I always felt at my fingertips grew proportionately. I had always assumed it was simply because of lack of circulation that my fingers were often cold, and I had that buzzing feeling.

I truly did not know what it was. What I was capable of." I paused in my narration.

Xion leaned in and took my hand. "Tell me what happened."

So I continued matter-of-factly, explaining how he used his knife to shred my clothing, every touch, every violation that felt so paralysingly degrading.

"I was stiff with humiliation and mortification. I just snapped. I realise now, on looking back, that Alfred Smint was psychotic, his time as a fearsome interrogator over the war with the Erols must have warped his thinking to some extent," I theorised compassionately. I could be compassionate now that he had been literally obliterated.

"How did you do it?"

That, I could not easily explain, so I said, "I'll show you instead."

I moved back on my seat, and he took my lead and did the same so that there was sufficient space between us. I focused and formed a blue ball of pure energy in the palms of my hands.

Xion leaned forward, gazing into it as if transfixed. I too stared into it, mesmerised. Ever since I realised I could do this, which had not been all that long ago. I figured it out shortly after I blew Albert Smint to pieces. I've tried various things with my blue but the blue ball was my best trick. It was entrancing. Then Xion shifted his gaze back up to mine. I reluctantly tore mine away as well and met his. Then he gave me a nod of respect and I extinguished the ball of energy.

"It had happened so fast. One minute Albert was leaning over me, his scalpel bloodied with my blood, and the next, he was all over the walls. It wasn't even from my hands like I did just now, but that blue glow came from every part of me and just flew up into and through him till all I saw of him were bits and pieces.' I paused to recollect that moment. 'I was very shocked after that. Shocked by what I had unwittingly done and yet glad...glad that he was gone. I was fiercely glad. Even so I still had some moments of intense regret. Perhaps it hadn't needed to have happened that way. There was every chance, if I had just not turned up in the first place, I would not have his blood on my hands." I finished.

There was a momentary silence as we each contemplated over events past.

Then Xion said, "There were recordings of you."

"What?"

"He kept records, both visual and audio, of every incident he had with you. Even the final incident when he was killed. It's on record."

Oh my stars.

"We have, of course, kept it under lid. I will come clean with you. That incident," Xion said with a dramatic pause, "was a once-off as far as we are concerned. Those visuals portrayed Vnetor in a bad light. Vnetor and the Smint people have agreed to let matters be. There have been no intentions to press charges against you from any party. Those visuals have, I believe, mostly been destroyed."

"Mostly?" I asked, once again in control of my faculties.

"We kept the last incident," he said. "To hold over you if need be," he further explained.

"Naturally," I said sarcastically.

"I am willing to have that destroyed if you promise your unconditional cooperation," said Xion, offering me an olive branch.

"What do you need me for? You've got everything you needed. I've told you all I know," I said helplessly.

"We want Bimas," Xion said determinedly.

"Well, I don't have him." I did a crazy like laugh, and then shut myself up resolutely.

"We believe we can locate him."

"Through my blood?" I queried, somewhat confused by now.

He waited until he caught my gaze, and then agreed, "Through you."

It was several sunrises before I was in the loop again. I spent my time off, as I preferred to think of it, idling away coming to terms with all that had happened. I took on to joining the Ovions in their regular basic exercise regime. I decided if I was to be hanging around the very best that Johua had to offer, then I may have to well get myself in shape for I suspect the action around this lot would be a lot heavier than what I was used to.

I started off light using the simulation to get into shape for basic workout level. I had a lot of levels to plough through before I even made it the level that an Ovion would consider as basic.

I was getting into a state of intense frustration that all this idleness and waiting brought about. The exercise kept me physically occupied and in pain but it did nothing to resolve my lack of mental stimulation and the frustration of having so many unanswered questions.

So I finally decide to take on actual combat training, thinking maybe more pain was the way out of this endless waiting. Thankfully, it was just about then that Xion contacted me again. He had gotten a lead on the whereabouts of one Bimas Chawley.