Mentally - 11. Obliterator 101

“Train us?” I gasped. But Obliterator seemed too bored to reply. Aiden and I were still tied together and were still hanging on a tree. The Asian man’s scarf was still hanging around his neck and stretched to great lengths. It looked like a harmless piece of cloth but Obliterator was actually using it as a weapon. “What for? We’re capable already.”

“Idiot. He managed to follow us.” Aiden snapped at me. I wanted to kick him in the guts but it wouldn’t be too good of an idea. We were both immobilized and we had no ways of fighting against the man. “That means something went wrong with your construct. For short, it was your fault that it didn’t work as it was supposed to do.”

“Nothing wrong with his construct. It was placed fine.” Obliterator suddenly explained. He said in in a matter-of-factly tone. Aiden just moved his eyes away from me. However, I was already thinking how the man managed to get away from my alarm. “I felt it before I even get to alert its program. So what I did was to cancel what it was supposed to do and let it exist on its own. That way, you won’t be alerted. I was following the both of you when I noticed the car suddenly stopped. Your actions were commendable the way you planned on getting away. But you still have problems when it comes to Erasers.”

“So what are we going to do?” Aiden asked. He seemed to be fixed on getting all the help at his disposal. I had no other choice but to follow his lead. If only I had more experience with this kind of stuff, I could have been a bigger help. “If you say that you are going to train us, I want to ask you something. What are we really up against?”

“Providence is already moving as we speak.” Obliterator grimly spoke. Aiden and I on the other hand were still clueless. “This time, that organization is no rumor anymore. They have already made a big move and announced themselves. However, the leaders of the nations are still waiting for the next move. They can’t be aggressive either.”

The man then pulled his scarf and let us go. We both landed with ease. I didn’t feel much of the impact when I hit the ground. Plus, my body feels a lot lighter as if my strength was being amplified. The only reason I could think of was the suit I was wearing was added strength to every fiber of movement.

“Please, do explain what Providence is before we start.” Aiden demanded. Obliterator just sat down on the ground being indifferent to what he was asking for. “That name rings a bell. But I had no idea who they are.”

“They are a terrorist organization.” Obliterator spat. Then he took out his phone and read something. “So far, they are getting funds mysteriously. Their agendas are still unknown but we are sure that most of them are Mentals. They want to establish their superiority over human beings and ruin the peace.”

“But you also said that they made a big move.” I replied. So that was what Sergeant Snyder told us. There were rumors of an underground organization but it was kept even amongst the military ranks. “I have heard of them too. But what would they gain of announcing themselves now?”

“If they want to be recognized now, then that means they have enough support to put up a war against everyone.” Aiden added. His voice was a bit agitated. “But I’m sure not all Mentals share the same sentiments. Most of us just want to be with our families.”

“Aiden is right. Starting a war would be pointless. We have a few rogue Mentals here and there but they are easily contained since there are also Mentals that work with authorities to take them down.” I explained. The two of us just stood a few meters before Obliterator who just looked at us as if we were being analyzed. We still had no idea if he would be a friend or a foe. But if he is a foe, he could have killed us with ease. “Plus, if it is a big war then it has nothing to do with us.”

“Well, that was a big denial.” The man sneered. “The heir of the world-renowned Helix Corporation which is the lead company of promoting peace between human and Mentals plus a boy who has the second highest H-Score in history and had tremendous potential are working together. Sure, it has nothing to do with you.”

I was taken back. “How did you know?”

“You may have escaped Helix Corp from being experimented. But SIGMA had its eyes on you ever since.” He answered. “When the both of you were found working together, Genesis decided to make his move and proposed to join our organization. You’re both important pieces in the bigger scheme of things. So don’t think it has nothing to do with you.”

Aiden and I were speechless. The dark-haired boy just looked at me with disgust in his eyes. His eyes were seething with anger. His fist was curled up. “It was stupid of me to work with you, Kieran. I was supposed to save my brother in utmost secrecy.”

“I didn’t know that I was being followed!” I defended. He looked like he was about to punch me anytime. But Aiden was holding himself back. He knew I was right.”

“It’s not his fault.” Obliterator suddenly said. Then he faced Aiden. “Plus, it would be impossible for you to save your little brother alone. So stop putting all the weight of the world on your small shoulders. Your self-pity just shows how big your pride is.”

There was a sudden silence among the three of us. Obliterator finally stood up and I just noticed that he was wearing his suit underneath his casual attire. It had an identical texture as ours and had the same color.

“Providence attacked a US government official and almost killed him. It was a planned attempt and the media had to be black out or else they will panic. Unfortunately, they had an Eraser with them so the authorities were powerless against them.” He suddenly said. Aiden and I were shocked with the sudden revelation. “It just shows how serious they are with this. But if they do this again then there would be certain domino effects.”

“And what were their demands?” Aiden asked. “Terrorist organizations often have demands.”

“Nothing. No demands. No whatsoever. They just made a failed attempted and escaped. We knew it was Providence because they left a note which says that they’ll be back.” Obliterator just stared at us. He took out his phone and showed us a picture of the note they left. It says ‘We’ll be back. -Providence’

“Weird.” I quipped. “We’re completely in the dark. Were there any records from your surveillance cameras?”

“That’s another problem we had.” The man replied. Almost in a groan. “The men that were tasked with that suddenly deleted all the lead we have then killed themselves. We had Mentals that specialized in forensics and stated that there were traces of brainwashing. As for now, we’re conducting a check-up on all agents to check for constructs insider their heads.”

“Looks like they’re very careful.” Aiden said. “They even got to implant construct on an organization such as yours. That’s kind of disappointing on your part.”

But the man was just silent. He didn’t even flinch at Aiden’s insult.

“The first lesson is not to depend so much on your abilities. Human beings survive on their ability to innovate and adapt to the situation.” He suddenly started. Obliterator put his hands inside his pockets. Aiden and I just looked at each other. We may have some disagreements but we still had some teamwork to a certain extent. “At the count of three, I’m going to attack and I won’t be as merciful.”

I just nodded at Aiden. Obliterator can only focus on one person at a time. So the only way to defeat him was to make sure he can’t see the both of us.

“Three…” My chest thumped. Both of us backed away and made some distance.

“Two…” Aiden and I were in battle positions.

“One…” Both of us were ready to make a run for it.

“Start!” Aiden made a dashed to the right so I instinctively dashed to the left.

We both ran with all our effort to gain distance from ourselves. Aiden and I circled around him and prepared energies on our feet to make a telekinetic jump. That way one of us could close in on him and pin him down. Aiden’s mansion was big enough to be a battlefield. And we had to take advantage of it.

I was about to release for the jump when Obliterator dashed for Aiden. The other boy tried to defend himself with the best of his physical ability but the man had his scarf wrapped around Aiden’s wrist. He twisted in arm and easily pinned him down. It was so quick that I didn’t have time to think so I released my trigger and went for them.

But Obliterator was faster and moved in behind Aiden. In an instant, the distance we covered was gone and we were both in his field of vision again. The man’s hand-to-hand combat experience was crazy. Then he grabbed the other end of his scarf and was quickly thrown towards me. It hit my shin and swept off my feet. I was suddenly confused because the scarf was suddenly hard as metal. It was too late because my body hit the ground and his scarf was already wrapped around my feet.

The man then pulled me closer to him and Aiden who was still helpless under the Obliterator’s weight. Then he jumped over us and one quick motion, both of our arms were twisted behind us and were pinned down on the ground.

The battle was over. Aiden and I lost against Obliterator and we didn’t even last 20 seconds against him. But the other boy seemed to take it harder than I did. Aiden was gritting his teeth in anger while still being pinned down. From the looks of his face, he was ready to explode.

“Well, you need to be more creative than that.” He said dryly. Then he released both of us and slowly walked backwards away from us. I stood up but Aiden was still on the ground. “Get up, Christensen.”

“How can I save my brother if I can’t defend myself from you?” Aiden asked with his eyes staring at Obliterator. But the man was unfazed. He still had that face that seemed to be bored out of his wits. I was about to pull Aiden up but he swatted his hand away and helped himself up.

“You’re both tired, exhausted and humiliated. I suggest that you both take you rest and we can do this some other time.” Obliterator explained. “And called me Mr. Horikoshi. It would be unwise to use my code name here. I guess, I’ll go help myself out.”
With that, he walked away towards the main gate. Meanwhile, Aiden was still not in the mood to be reasonable. For some reason, he suddenly lost his cool. And that was something that would rarely happen.

“Aiden, let’s go talk this over.” I moaned. I tried to make my voice as gentle as I could. But it didn’t seem to soothe him. Not a single bit.

“Get. Out.” He suddenly snapped. Then he stared at me with killing intent. The hair on my arms stood up from the fear I felt. Something snapped within him that made him lose it. “Get out of my territory!”

My heart was suddenly burdened with the inferiority he was feeling. Even my shoulders went slump from the weight of the baggage he was carrying. Our loss against Obliterator was beyond humiliating. I mean, we didn’t even last half a minute against the man. That must have been a big blow to his pride. So I had no choice but to understand him for the mean time.

“Okay, I’ll see you in school.” I simply said and went inside the house to take off the suit. Aiden didn’t flinch from his position and just sat quietly on the ground.

I went back inside the underground room and took off the combat suit piece per piece and put on my clothes that were neatly placed on a nearby table. There were a lot of things inside the room but all of them were pretty pointless to use. So I went on with my business and left the mansion as soon as I could. As much as I wanted to comfort Aiden, I can’t. The boy suddenly shut off everyone around him. And I wasn’t really on his favorite lists.

But Aiden wasn't around for the next couple of days. Business went on as usual and I almost forgot that we were being spied on by some mysterious inter-government police force that I know nothing about before.

Most of the time, I was with Colin. And he was more than happy enough to keep me company while I was thinking of a plan how to keep looking for Damian. As much as I hate to admit it, Aiden had the necessary connections. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the slightest clue, thanks to Ms. Festus.

"So, what are you thinking about?" Colin boomed right in front of me. "You look like Aiden bit the tip of your dick. How come he got to do that first? You could have reserved that for Damian. Or me!"

"Shut it." I quipped. "Not now. There are a lot of things going on in my head so I am not here to be distracted. They could move Damian anytime. I need information as soon as I can!"

"Can't you relax?" He suddenly asked. "You are over-stressing yourself. He is my friend as well and I love him as much as I love you. Do you think I am not stressed now that we have a lead on Damian?"

"Sorry, Colin." I apologized. Then he showed that sweet smile of his. How could I have missed this cute kid in front of me? He was there every step of the way. And he did not expect anything in return. "You're right. Can I stay and relax over at your place?"

"Finally!" He gasped. Then we just laughed at each other because we felt that we were not being the kids that we were supposed to be. Colin was right, I need to lose some. Aiden's business was getting the best parts of me. Leaving almost nothing to the people who really loves me. And that includes my mom. "I'll see you later by dismissal. Ciao!"

The rest of the day sped up. I was really excited spending some quality time with Colin. For the first time again, I was looking forward to something that wasn't related to Damian nor to Aiden. But it changed when I saw him down the hall.

That one beautiful guy who took my eyes away, walking towards me a brat of an attitude. A harsher version of Damian. Someone whom I know I could lean on because this was one strong kid. A mentally strong one.

Out of nowhere, he swung his fist and connected to my jaw. I saw a few stars flashing before my eyes. It was a good hit. And something I wasn't expecting. My head swung to the other side and I held on to the wall nearby.

"What the hell was that for?!" I roared at him. He was caressing his knuckles and had a smug look on his face. My blood instant boiled and I was tempted to use my abilities on him. Without mercy. Without hesitations. But I didn't. "Explain yourself!"

"That was for being weak." He muttered. Then he wrapped a bandage around his knuckles. It got red from the impact. "We were together and yet that damn teacher still got the best of us. If that was the Triad or my father's henchmen then we were done for. We can't afford any weaknesses right now."

I gritted my teeth and did my best to hold myself back from exploding. Instead, I wiped the blood off my lips and took a deep breathe. With a wave of my hand, I used my powers on him but he countered me back and we both felt the force that hit us like a small truck. Both of us jolted away from the ground and hit the walls opposite of each other. I fell with a hard thud and he smashed to one of the trophy cases.

Something was wrong. Aiden was a powerful Mental, but he wasn't this powerful. I heightened my senses and tried to feel what was under his clothes. It was that moment I realized that he was wearing the new armor he mentioned before. And it looked like it could augment his powers to some extent.

"Great." There was a sly smile on his lips. I didn't believe what I saw. He provoked me for the sake of an experiment. "My invention worked against you somehow. But I am not sure if it can last for long periods of time."

"You know, Aiden, you're something else." I firmly said. Then walked out. I ignored the students who were flocking out to check what happened. Aiden won because he got what he wanted. And I took a punch to the face for it. "Just look for me when you find him."

When I got out of the school gate, Colin was already waiting for me. And since he saw me frowning again, I braced myself because he was about to ask questions. But he didn't. Instead, he just checked out the small bruise at the corner of my mouth.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked. But his voice wasn't the gentle voice he would always use on me. Not this time. Colin actually used a firm and angry tone. "Just say the word and I'll beat the crap out of that guy."

"Let's just go." I replied. But Colin was still frowning and I knew he wasn't the one who will easily shut up. This person can be fierce even if he didn't have any powers of any Mental. "Colin, let it go. It wasn't really personal. Aiden just tried a certain experiment on me and it worked. We can go toe to toe with other powerful Mentals now."

"Enough of that." He quipped. Then he put a hand over my shoulder and squeezed it enough to give me a bit of comfort. "Let's just go home. Our goal here is to relax and have a few hours off from whatever you were dealing with."

Our walk home was very silent. Colin knew I was really feeling down. When I arrived at the door, we both noticed that no one was home. Even if I used my abilities, there were no human beings that were inside. We immediately went to his room and I threw my backpack on his bed and crashed. He was one of my closest friends and I knew that he wouldn't really mind.

"Thank you, Colin." I smiled at him. Then he smiled back. The silence between us was somehow soothing. And both of us were just simply thankful that we still had each other. "I don't know what I could've done without you."

Then he sat beside me and touched my hand. Colin leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. He didn't let go after his soft lips touched my hand. Then one of his hands moved and caressed my cheek. The interaction alone sent a chill to every hair on my body, hidden or not.

After that, he backed down and stared into my eyes. This boy in front of me was the angel I needed. And yet I was easily deceived into liking Aiden because I missed Damian so much. In short, I was very cruel to Colin and I clenched my first for being so stupid.

"Kieran. For a very powerful Mental, you are such an oblivious son of a whack." He whispered. I just leaned forward and let my forehead touched his. Colin was right. I was so blind from that. "I have no idea why you never noticed that. You also never noticed how I was so thrilled when you told me you're coming back here. I guess just because you're a Mental doesn't mean you're really better than everyone else."

"Colin, please." I groaned as he grabbed my crotch. My boyhood was really hard and I can't move because it was getting tighter by the second. He caressed it over and over again, almost bringing me to the edge. I gasped for air as he took that single opportunity to kiss me again.

We both locked lips and laid down on the bed. Then we stopped and looked at each other. His blue eyes were dazzling like never before. Colin never let go of my tool down there as he continuously played with it. Slowly, he opened my zipper and let it fly as my nakedness was exposed to him.

"Kieran, do you want me to?" Colin asked with a pair of eyes begging me to agree and let him have it. One of his fingers was playing with my pre-cum on the tip of my tool which sent more shudders to my back. His voice sounded so alluring that I could barely contain it. ”Please?"

He almost got me there as I gasped for air. "You ask too much. Let just get this over with.”