A week later

Kevin’s going to kill me. “Aw shit!” That just didn’t happen to me. Man, I’m so dead.

“Shit!!!” I shouted watching the purple liquid mass where Kevin’s gun had just disappeared.

I was about to get my hand in there but the strong smell stopped me.

What are you doing, man? You can’t get your hand in there. You have no idea what’s in that place. Why this keeps happening to me? I’m gonna die if I don’t get that laser back. This time Kevin’s really going to kill me.

Suddenly I got an idea and ran back to the ship.

“Brian! Brian!”

He came out from the ship, gun in hand and with Nick just a couple of steps behind him.

“Where are they?”

“Who?” I asked trying to recover my breath after the long run.

“You asshole!” Nick said. “We thought you were being chased or something. You can’t come screaming like that.”

“Great, NOW you react. The other day I was really needing you and you never appeared.”

“Why were you screaming?”

“I…” Wait, if I tell Nick he will make my life miserable. He would probably even tell Kevin just to make me suffer. “I just needed to say something to Brian.”

“Let me guess. You don’t want me to hear it.” he mocked and I just gave him my biggest smile. “Fuck you! Like I care,” he practically yelled.

“Nick!” Brian scolded him but Nicky was already inside the ship.

“Now what’s going on AJ?”

“I had an accident.”

“An accident? You got hurt?”

“Not that kind of accident. I was just investigating and...”

“Investigating? When you became Nick?”

“Very funny! I was just looking around and accidentally dropped Kev’s gun into some kind of lake or whatever they call it here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Kev’s gun? How do yo… Oh, no AJ tell me that you didn’t take that second laser he keeps in his room?”

“Well...”

“Man, are you nuts? And how you drop a laser in a lake?”

“I was practicing my aim” again “near this lake, I decided to take a look at it because, you know, its purple and smells funny and I was curious, but I stumbled and almost fall and down goes the laser. It was the laser or me, Rok.”

“You are even talking like Nicky. It's purple and smells funny, you know.” he mocked me.

“Brian!” I pleaded.

“What do you want me to say? Practicing your aim? You are already the best shot I know; you are obsessed with your aiming. If Kev hears this you will be joining that laser.”

“That’s why you have to help me.”

“Doing what?”

“Use your powers?” I murmured.

“Naha!”

“Come on Brian you have to levitate that laser.”

“Man, you ARE nuts. You know there’s a big chance Kevin could sense me using my powers.”

“He is not here, he didn’t feel it the other day when you used them with Nick. If you hadn’t told him he had never known.”

“AJ I don’t think ...”

“Please Brian.”

He licked his lips and took a deep breath.

“Okay, show me the place.”

“Thank you, bro.”

“I can’t believe I’m gonna do this” he said walking with me.

“Is this a lake?” he asked some minutes later looking at the big and nasty purple liquid mass in front of us.

“What would you call it?”

“I don’t know. A big purple puddle of yuckiness? Where’s the laser?”

“Near those rocks” I replied pointing to the path of rocks that crossed the lake.

“You were walking there?” He smacked me on the head. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Ouch! What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? Why you hit me?”

“Because I can’t believe you were doing that. That’s something Nick would do.”

“Would you stop comparing me with Kaos.”

“Would you stop acting like him?”

“Look who's talking. You are the one who always defends him.”

“No, I don't when he does something dangerous or stupid like the things you are doing recently.”

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“Alright. Tell me where’s the laser.”

“I already told you. Near those rocks, probably close to fourth or the fifth to the left.”

“Exactly where?”

“How should I know!”

“AJ I can’t see a thing.” he complained standing very close to the bank.

“Rok, please just do it.”

I saw him closing his eyes and concentrate.

“Very logical, Rok. First you tell me you can’t see a thing and then you close your eyes.” I grinned.

“Shut up, Bone.”

Why he closes his eyes? He is always closing his eyes, he probably could do the same things without closing his eyes.

Next thing I knew some kind of rock popped up.

“Rok, that’s not the gun.”

“I can’t do it. There are lot of things down there, including some kind of creatures. I have no idea which one is the gun and I don’t wanna know what are those other things.”

“It’s not like you’ve never levitated something without knowing where exactly it is.”

“Tell me what I have levitated like that.”

“Me! Remember that time we had that 'powers war'. I kept scaring you exploiting things around you and you kept levitating me any other minute without even been in the same room. We did it for weeks until Kevin found out and told us not to do it anymore.”

“I can levitate you like that because I can sense your presence. I can’t feel the presence of your laser because it’s a thing. All the things are the same if you are not watching them. I need to know the exact place where it is.”

Damn! “And how can we know it? I wont put my hand in there, less my face.”

“Well, we need eyes down there.”

“Oh no, Rok, you are not really considering....”

“It’s the only choice. We need Nick, AJ.”

“I know. Damn, he is going to make me pay for this.”

He was about to call Nick through the communication device but I stopped him.

“No, let me go to the ship and bring him here.”

“Don’t forget to program the shields.”

“Okay” I said hurrying to the ship.

“Nick! Nicky, where are you?” I almost bumped into him. He was coming out from the kitchen eating some kind of sandwich.

“Be careful! You almost make me drop the plate.”

“Sorry!” I said and looking at him I knew he wasn’t expecting and apology. I didn’t know he could open his mouth and his eyes that wide.

“Did you just say that you were sorry?” He brought his hand to my forehead. “Are you sick, AJ?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” I replied smacking his hand “What wrong with me apologizing?”

“A lot, considering the fact that you never do that,” he answered starting to walk away.

“Nick! Wait a minute.” Here goes nothing. “I need a favor.”

He turned around with a big grin on his face. Aw man, he will enjoy to see me in trouble.

“You NEED a favor? I knew it! I knew there was a reason behind that apology.”

“Yes, I need a favor, and you could at least pretend you are not enjoying it too much. Could you come with me? Brian is waiting for us.”

“Of course.”

Without a single question? He IS enjoying this too much.

“Wait a minute. I’m going to program the shields of the ship.”

“No, let me do that, I’m faster with that kind of things.” he laughed and disappeared in the control room. Why is he the one with the power I need? He is not going to help me for free.

A few minutes later we were next to Brian.

“What’s the problem?” Nicky finally asked. He hadn’t made any questions on the way to the lake. He had just walked with that stupid grin on his face, probably trying to bother me.

“I lost Kevin’s laser in there.”

“Kevin’s laser? Doesn’t he always have his laser with him?”

“No that laser.” I replied and he immediately knew what I was talking about.

“You are kidding, right? You took his ATX-5 laser? Oh man. I have to see his face when he hear this.”

“You are here because you are suppose to help us, that way he will never know it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Brian can’t levitate the gun without knowing exactly where it is. We need you to get in there.”

“Why don’t YOU go in there?”

“Have you seen that thing? It’s not water Nick. I don’t know what the hell it is but I’m not going in there.”

“And you want ME to go in there? Jeez, thank you. I love you too AJ.”

“Don’t be an idiot. You know what I’m talking about.”

“You mean astral projection?” See, you are not dumb. “You want me to use my powers? Brian?” he said looking at Rok who until that moment had remained in silence.

“Well, Nicky, it seems like the only way...”

“I can’t use my powers without Kev sensing it and you know it. You can do it Brian but neither AJ nor I can.”

“I will deal with that when its time.” I assured him “Kevin will know you are using your powers but he won’t know why. He is on the other side of the planet. When he comes back we will have an excuse prepared.”

“You will lie?”

“Nick, come on, now you have a problem disobeying Kev? You do it all the time.”

“That ain’t true.” He looked offended by my words.

“Just do it Nick” Brian said giving him a reassurance tap on the back.

“Okay. But if something happens it will be your responsibility.”

“Just tell me where it is and I will levitate it, Frack.”

Nick walked to the lake and sat on the bank. The next minute he was in some kind of trance. I think what I like most about Nick’s power is that he remains quiet when he uses it. That means no Kaos chatting and running. Kevin had told us that someday Nick will have enough control over his power and he will be able to remain active during these “astral projection” moments. In the future he will do things at the same time that his astral projection but for now Nick isn’t too good for that. Neither he nor his astral projection are active. He just uses his powers to see things that are too far away or that are impossible to see under other conditions. He likes to travel with his power. He just told me the other day about a visit to Venus.

“He found it.” Brian’s words took me out of my thoughts. Wow, these two really know the meaning of telepathy. The only ones in the family who can have entire conversations without saying a word. “Let’s see.” he added closing his eyes and I saw the laser levitate over the lake. Less than a minute later Rok had easily placed the gun near me.

I picked it up and took a time for examine it. I seemed to be intact, although completely covered with that gross purple goo. “That liquid is sticky” I said trying to clean the gun. “I hope it still works guys or you will have to help me to fix it.”

“Good to see how you follow my orders!”

Shit!

“Kev, what are you doing here?” I said turning around to the direction the voice came from.

“Is that my laser?” he said pointing at the gun I was trying to hide behind me. “Let me guess...” he muttered angrily “AJ?”

“I…”

He started to walk towards me but when he was a just couple of steps away he had to stop.

“AJ!” he groaned.

“I can’t help it. It was a reflex.”

“What? Do you think I’m going to hit you? Man, if you could see your face you would be scared too. “Take the shield off Alex. You are not making things better using your powers.”

“Sorry” I said and the power field disappeared.

“I can’t believe you are taking part in this, Brian.”

“Someone had to get your laser back Kevin. If you were in my place you would have done the same thing.” Rok argued.

“I…shit! Someone is coming. Isn’t that your friend, AJ?”

“Jeff? What’s he doing here?” I asked following Kevin’s gaze.

“Hi guys!”

“Hi Jeff! What are you doing man?”

“Just walking. I never thought I would find you here. What did I say to you when we met the first time? We humans tend to bump into each other, right?” he said smiling to the rest of the guys.

“Let me introduce you to my cousins. This is Kevin, that’s Brian and …” Where the hell is Nicky? That coward. He probably ran to the ship when Kevin appeared. “It seems that Nicky had something else to do.”

“Jeff Vaughn” Jeff said shaking hands with Kevin.

“Kevin Littrell” Kev replied. Did Jeff just turn pale?

“Littrell you said?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Nothing, is just that.... Is that your last name too, AJ?”

“Yes. Littrell was my mother’s last name.”

Kevin was giving Jeff the weirdest look.

“Have you heard the name before?” he asked Jeff.

“Uh? No, not at all. I just noticed that AJ never told me his last name before.”

“Didn’t I? Kevin, stop looking at him like that! Did he just hear me? So NOW my telepathy is working, or else I don’t understand why Kevin is giving ME that weird look.

“Excuse me Jeff, but there are some things I need to do. AJ, I will talk to you later.” Kevin suddenly excused and walked away.

Now, THAT was weird.

“Did I interrupt something?” Jeff said after a while, he hadn’t taken his eyes away from Kevin until he disappeared in the horizon. “I never imagined I would find you here.”

“No, don’t worry.” Brian smiled “So you are the famous Jeff, the man that saved my little cousin here.”

“I guess you could say that.” he laughed.

“Nice to meet you Jeff.”

“Nice to meet you too, Brian. AJ is always talking about you. I feel like I already knew you. Are you sure I didn’t interrupt anything? I think your brother was bothered by my presence.”

Brian and I exchanged a look.

“No, that’s just Kevin being Kevin.” Rok replied. “He hadn’t been in the best of the moods lately. We probably should be going though.”

“I understand. But I would love to have a last drink with you later today or tomorrow AJ, and maybe you can join us Brian.”

“Last?” I asked.

“I’m leaving the planet in a couple of days.”

“Where are you going?”

“I find a place in a Gris’ cruiser which is going to Albatrian. Since I didn’t find a job here there’s no point on me staying any longer. These Grises will take me to Albatrian and in exchange I just have to do some works in the ship. I’m broke and that’s the only way I can travel these days.”

“What’s in Albatrian?”

“No idea but I will find it soon.” he said laughing “What do you say? Tonight?” I looked at Brian but he didn’t say a word.

“Maybe tomorrow” I finally accepted. “I will meet you at the same place from the other day.”

“At 20 hours”

“Perfect.”

We shook hands and Brian and I walked away.

“Are you seriously considering going tomorrow? I don’t think Kevin will accept it.”

“Maybe if you go with me?” I shrugged my shoulders.

“He seems to be a nice guy.”

“He is a nice guy, no matter if Kevin thinks otherwise.”

“Why you say that?”

“Didn’t you notice the way he looked at him.”

“As I told him, it was just Kevin being Kevin.”

“I really don’t think so” I said as we entered the ship.

----
Copyright ©2004
All Rights Reserved
No part of this story may be copied or reprinted without the author's permission.