Flow Master

Chapter Three

By Jacob H Bechtel V

I awoke to find myself in a hospital room. I started to jump up but felt myself strapped down to the table. "Master Starlington, you are not going to be going anywhere anytime soon," made me notice that I was not alone in the room. I was in the company of the Dean. "It seems we have ourselves quite a dilemma. You see the only items we have to charge you with are working late on a school project. At least according to the last five Psychics to have Mind Swept you. But Teacher Christopher insists that you have been trying to see if he knows of how to get in contact with any alien race. However, we have yet to find any items like that in your mind. Now it is fairly common knowledge that you are a very forceful mind and you might even be able to hide your true intentions from us. But even thought you are a remarkable young man I very much doubt you are that Resourceful.". I was still in shock from just having met The Dean when He dropped the next bomb on me. "I feel that we might be able to use you to help us find the real spies, if there are any. But you do have a choice of course. You can either help us, or take your chances with a disciplinary review board." I won't waste your time by saying I had to think about it. I have always had a firm belief in Justice but I was not stupid.


I woke up the next day to stare down the barrel of a jet gun. "Don't move Michael. It would be a shame to bloody this room before you even now why. You see we really did want you to see our side of things. Thomas still doesn't know how you escaped his Mind both of those times, but it won't much matter when your mind is splattered on the wall behind you. It is well known on the Campus that you were 'spying' for some alien race and it won't be hard at all to believe that some student, their family or just some law-abiding citizen came in to make sure you would never share the secrets of 'slipping' with your 'friends'."

"Give it up," I told him. "I've got more folks guarding me than all of the old Fort Knox. Someone will come in here any minute," I told the chameleon.

"Actually, my associate has already taken care of them. You see it is much easier to put Humans to sleep than to control their minds," Teacher Christopher explained. "So just before I came in, he put them to sleep."

"Wait you never did tell me what you had been planning. There's no way you could have gotten the secrets for him. It would arouse too much attention for a Philosophy teacher to be sneaking around the Labs. Just how did you plan to get the technology to them?" I asked.

"My simple, simple fool. Don't you remember you Ancient Earth history? 'Capture their hearts and their minds will follow.' All I had to do was to plant the seed in my students to sympathize with the aliens. Already, several students have spoken out that we should give the technology to them. Do you really think you Humans will have the technology for yourselves for that much longer? In the next graduating classes we have planted several seeds in the students mind that will bear ripe, juicy, rich fruit for us. We Chameleons and Vantora will have the technology soon enough and use it to enslave your pitifully limited race before you even know what happened. But it seems you have lived long enough and I will have to hurry if I am to finish the task I am here to do before the guards awake."

It was then that he fired into my bed half a dozen times, emptying the clip. I have to admit he seemed a bit shocked when I was still screaming when he was done. Also there wasn't much blood to speak of (actually none at all). I would say that it was probably even more of a surprise when he felt the first bullet pierce him from behind. And even more of a relief for me to see that the Psychics weren't as easy for the Mind Bender to take down as he had suggested. It was just after that point though, when I felt the pain in my leg start burning again and the warmth spread under the armor plate that was hidden in the mattress.

"Get him down to surgery. NOW!!" some doctor must have said. And again I felt the darkness swallow me up.


I awoke again in a hospital bed, except this time there were no restraints.

"Master Starlington, good to see you made it." I looked up to see the head Dean again. "You had us a little worried for awhile and I am very sorry about what happened. It was just bad luck that one of the rounds went through the Armor Plate that we had under the mattress. But on the good side we already replaced the knee you lost with a new one, and it should make do nicely."

It was then I looked down and saw that one of my legs ended at the kneecap and was replaced with a standard mechano-limb. I still felt my feet and in fact it felt like it was totally natural. "Sir," I said, "How long should it be before I can return to my classes? I would like to try and get back to my normal life as soon as possible."

"Well Master Starlington, that is entirely up to up. You haven't actually missed any yet. And none are scheduled until next week. We are giving all the students a little time off to absorb everything that has happened and to try and settle down again. Also, your Philosophy teacher has some questions for you about how you feel about the whole experience. And some of our Psychics would like to speak about the way that you kept the Mind Bender from reading controlling your mind. But none of that is too important for now. Have fun, spend some time with your family and get rested for school again. It will be a busy schedule making up this lost week," He said with a smile as he walked out of my room.

All of that was just a short three months ago. I never would have dreamt that any of that was possible. In fact even now it looks like something out of an ancient Earth Science Fiction story. But the people of that time had a saying: "Truth is stranger than Fiction." I don't think they knew how right they were.


By Jacob H Bechtel V.

Copyright © 1989, 1997, 1998 Jacob H Bechtel V. All rights reserved.

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