Risen: Shatterverse

Go Time

As it turned out, the transmitter wasn't half as complicated as I thought it might be. Using the blueprint that Hannibal gave me, which was based on the one he was using, I was able to easily construct one and put it into an available space in my chest, connecting it to my neural stream with a silent command to my onboard operating system. A quick test to make sure it connected to psionic broadband with the good General and we were up and going.

- Okay, part one of the plan is ready, - Hannibal indicated over that broadband, the two of us using a telepathic signal that was being broadcast by Korisahnt to make it happen. - Now, we need the world entities to do a test stream of their resonance signal. Are you and your sisters ready, Korisahnt? -

- We are, General, - Korisahnt quickly sent back, a hint of joyful anticipation in her mental voice. She was obviously excited to use the telepathic signal, something they had little actual experience with.

- Very good. Energize your telepathic resonance streams and focus them on Two. -

- Energizing. -

I unconsciously braced even though I had no idea what I was in for. Good thing I did: a heartbeat after Korisahnt indicated the world entities were energizing their resonance stream, I got hit by something that felt very much like a Mack truck, slamming into me with enough force that despite being somewhat ready for it, put me down on one knee. On top of that, it filled my senses with a rushing roar of sensation and other people's thoughts that was so powerful I thought I was going to pass out from its power.

- Resonance stream formed and targeted at five percent, - I heard Korisahnt faintly say through the roar that dominated my mind. - It's stable, General, and harmonized enough to pull essences from this universe to it. -

- Acknowledged, Korisahnt. Two is looking a bit unsteady; please terminate the stream before he's overwhelmed. -

- Will do. Terminating now. - And I took a staggered step forward as the unrelenting pressure in my mind was abruptly gone, releasing me from the rush that had nearly buried me.

Then Hannibal was there and steadying me with a hand on my arm.

"You okay in there, Two?" he asked, bending close to peer into my unfocused eyes.

"More or less, sir," I managed to reply, giving my head a shake in an effort to rein in my uncooperative senses. "You said that was only at five percent?"

"That's what Korisahnt said, yes."

"Then we're going to have a problem, sir." I straightened enough to look him in the face. "I was powerless while the stream was focused on me. I couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't act. If that stream needs to be even more powerful than that, how will I have the capacity to direct it anywhere if I can't even think at such a low power level?"

A thoughtful Hannibal nodded as he considered what I said for a moment.

"You had the thought streams of over a dozen world entities focused on you, Two," he finally said, hands on hips. "I think that would've knocked Max himself on his backside with that kind of juice. But, during the actual operation, that energy is going to flow through you, not target you, directed down by your own telepathic ability into the holding pen." He reached out to put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "That's all you need to do, Two. Send the energy down, not let it blast you over!"

I resisted the impulse to scrub at my face in frustration and anxiety. Just what the hell was I getting myself into here??

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying."