Lemuria: The City of Mysts

Chapter 47: A Choice is Made

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Chapter 47: A Choice is Made

The Messenger withdrew a few feet from Cheska. He was quiet for a moment. Both were aware that her abilities reacted to her emotions. The Messenger had almost lost his life when he'd approached her yesterday. He didn't want to have a repeat of the incident.

"I can take it", Cheska assured him. "Is this about Fred?"

The Messenger nodded.

She braced herself. "Go on."

"The doctor," he said slowly, "had his gift sealed away.

"What do you mean sealed away?" Cheska's brows drew together. Fred couldn't control his gift when he was angry. It was possible he wasn't even aware that the weather mirrored his anger. Who would do it for him? She eyed the Messenger suspiciously. Was it him? The Oracle? The King? Cheska shook her head and headed to her room. It didn't matter who did it anyway. She'd already decided her next move.

Cheska changed her blouse and skirt with shirt and jeans and put on a dusty pair of boots. She kneeled beside her bed and pulled out a black safe, the size of a shoebox. She entered the passcode on the panel and placed her thumb on the sensor. A green light lit up beside the screen and the lid opened. A laser handgun and a knife lay inside the safe. She took the gun and checked the power. Cheska had only used it once so it was expected that the batteries were fully charged.

The laser handgun was Gerry's congratulatory present to Cheska on her graduation. It was an odd choice for a gift back then, but she understood he was worried about her living by herself. The gun was imported from Germany. It didn't have the Mysts' secret technology which made hi-tech weapons useless in the hands of anyone who bears ill intentions. A safety switch deactivates instead when she aims the weapon; the gun's program registers the pressure on the trigger and reads her fingerprints on the grip.

Between the barrel and grip, Cheska pressed the button with an icon of a bracelet. The handgun's parts reassembled itself to wrap around her wrist. The barrel of the gun was mounted 3 centimetres above her wrist. Underneath the metal mount, she felt something prick her skin. The stinging sensation lasted in less than a second. Then Cheska understood that the gun had injected a bio manual into her bloodstream and connected itself on her nervous system to directly receive commands from her brain. She knew how to activate the weapon in its current shape.

She went to the back of her house and looked left and right. Certain that she was alone, Cheska sighted a medium-sized rock on the sand and commanded, Fire.

The weapon released a blue beam of light. The rock scattered into tiny pieces.

Satisfied, Cheska returned to her room and slipped the knife in her right boot. She rose from her crouching position and saw her reflection in the mirror. The gun was too conspicuous on her arm and her face was recognisable. It would be bad if the enemy realised she was Alfred Roucan's deceased daughter. Cheska took out a cap and jacket from her closet. As she slid her arms on the jacket, Cheska noticed that she had more company; outside her room, the Messenger and Tony watched her.

Tony! She'd completely forgotten her best friend. Her bit her lip as Cheska thought of how to explain the situation to him. She was still thinking of what to say to him when a big black cat pushed past the men blocking her doorway. It bounded towards Cheska and circled her, brushing its body against her legs. The creature stood on its haunches and rested its forepaws on her chest. Then it licked her face a few times. The cat gazed at her with the same intelligence all animal sentries possessed. Welcome back, my lady.