Clone Earth : MELVIN

New feelings swirled inside Trevon. Hope, because Ari was being searched for, not only by the Military but by a friend. Pride, that Ari actually had a friend. How she’d managed to secure that friendship Trevon wasn’t sure. And true ZIG could be a middle aged terrorist hiding behind a powerful computer, but today Trevon chose to put that paranoia aside. ZIG was actively looking out for Ari, and that’s all that mattered.

The next emotion was helplessness. There was nothing for him to do but wait.

And last, he felt cold.

Seasons changing was an aspect of planet life Trevon was about to experience for the first time. As temperatures cooled around him he found it more difficult to stay warm, especially while he worked.

He and his new emotions went through the conditioned job procedures. It’d been two months since he’d set foot on the planet. Two months since Russ helped him find a place to work, so that he could stay. Though the pungent smell of horse manure was taking some getting used too, the work itself was getting easier. The horses liked Trevon and he found them therapeutic. A welcomed distraction from his own cluttered thoughts.

Having finished brushing down the large animal, Trevon finally noticed Russ standing quietly at the stable door.

“Hey, Russ.” Trevon acknowledged his roommates presence. His roommate nodded once and watched Trevon send the horse out into the open pasture. Once Trevon returned the red head shifted his stance.

“No updates?”

Trevon reached for his personal Comm. He kept it propped up nearby, volume on high just in case any message came through. There was nothing from General Bishop or from ZIG. He did have a formal invitation from the desk of President Warrington. The next semester was several months away but the message was calling him to the President’s office tomorrow morning for a status ruling but that wasn’t what Russ was asking about.

Trevon shook his head.

“How’s your water manipulation coming?”

Trevon shrugged, “I dropped it. I couldn’t focus. Plus you and Nicki were right There’s plenty of other skills I should focus on that will help me specifically with healing.” Though at the moment he couldn’t think of any. Draping his arms over the wood fence rail Trevon watched the horses grazing out in the pasture. Russ joined him.

“There’s a lot they haven’t touched on yet. I’ve seen Nicki’s grandma use a combination of chemistry and mana to create tonics. The books call them potions but it’s an outdated term.”

Trevon nodded. There were many words that they used in Magic text that weren’t common to his space station education. In fact, Trevon referred to them as Origin Earth words. No one remembers exactly where they came from or who first said them, just that they were used on the planet that humanity left behind.

“In my Introductory to magic class we’ve started to talk about objects that amplify mana. It’s not as exciting as moving water but we at least get to practice powering objects and using only mana to block the advances of others magic.”

“Show me.”

Slow on the uptake, “huh?”

“Block me.”

Days ago Trevon had been itching to show off what he’d learned but the motions for a beginner were complicated, and a bit embarrassing for someone as reserved as Trevon.

Russ reached out with his right hand toward the dirty trough of water. As easy as breathing, a faint blue [What color is Russ’ Mana?] glow slid from his fingers and touched the water. With swift rotating arms he pulled and lifted the water into the air, collecting it in a large pool above his head.

Trevon stumbled back from the fence, eyes on the water above. “All you have to do is use your Mana to shield you from the water. Don’t worry I won’t do anything tricky.”

The tone Russ used gave Trevon pause, but he at this point he had no other choice. Trevon widened his stance judging the weight of the water and compensating for gravity he suspected he would need to brace against several pounds of thrust. As both his arms rotated backward he felt his mana shift through his body, pushing it out he thrust his palms up toward the pool of water. He forced the power to thread together, layer after layer into a thick shield that resembled the plastic protective barriers in space. Expelling the large amount of energy into the thickness of the barrier, only put the saucer of Mana large enough to cover his head and shoulders.

“Ready or not -” Russ said, winding up and throwing the water right at Trevon.

Bracing for impact Trevon crossed his wrists to reinforce his created barrier, closed his eyes and waited to be soaked by foul smelling water.

He waited, and waited some more - why is it taking so long?

SPLASH. Trevon heard it but he didn’t feel it.

Peeking out from behind his arms, Trevon noticed the pool of water was no longer in the air, but Russ’ bright red hair was matted to his forehead. Stunned at the sight, Trevon dropped his arms to his said allowing his green protector shield to vanish. “What happened?”

Fury painted across Russ’ face, he did a complete 180. “ROBIE!”

A new face chuckled gleefully, 3 meters past the barn. He was between Russ and Trevon in height, skin evenly tan, with an untidy mess of muddy brown hair. But his smile was interestingly charming after what he’d just done.

“The poor guy obviously can’t defend himself. And you know how I feel about attacking someone that can’t defend themselves.” The new boy, Robie, stated. His tone was sincere. It was interesting, but Trevon knew instantly that he trusted this guy.

A sarcastic laugh emanated from Russ, stomping his foot onto the flat ground causing it to ripple. Trevon stumbled backward as the uneven wave of concrete tossed him, but he managed to stay standing. Gentle movements of his arms Russ pulled every drop of water from his body, leaving him completely dry. Before again throwing it. This time at Robie.

Robie stopped it with the same arm movements Russ had, “Think carefully, Russ. Do you really want to do this? I’ve been holding back for weeks.”

“Is that an excuse for being slow?” Russ’ fists tightened and his movements changed from the gentle flow of water to the solid force of rock. Robie dropped the water and jumped back just as the ground he was standing on dropped from sight.

“Not slow.” Robie pressed his fists together, quickly got a wide stance and then pushed them toward Russ. The ground cracked toward Russ, creating a bigger hole where Russ had been standing -

“STOP!” Cried Gilad stepping in between the boys. Confidently straddling the crack in the ground. Both boys sheepishly shoved their hands in their pockets allowing the ground to still. “You scare my horses.”

Looking around Trevon saw the same five horses carelessly grazing in the nearby field. Not a one had budged since the commotion began. Even the horse directly behind Gilad seemed immune to the elemental battle that had occurred.

“I’m sorry, Gilad.” Said Robie.

Still eyeing the two mages, Gilad handed the reins of the large horse to Trevon. Muttering something in a language Trevon didn’t understand, the old man disappeared again into the stables.