Chapter 14:
The Assassin

	Training was set to begin as soon as Tobias got an examination from a 
doctor. That wasn't for a few days. Vu and Shivana were also set to be 
examined, just in case they posessed something of the like. "I'd better get 
one too," Samantha told him as he was making his appointments. "I'm due for 
a physical anyway." He nodded and proceeded to make an appointment for her 
as well. "So what do they think you have?"
	"I dunno," he said. "They probably think I'm telekenetic or 
something."
	She smiled. "Move things with your mind?"
	"Of course." He put the forms down for a second. "Do you know what 
kind of pranks I could play if I had telekenesis?"
	"No. What?"
	"Can you picture Sven tripping over his pants after I will them down 
to his ankles?"
	She laughed. "Finish the forms!"
	"All right...all right! I'll save you my sadistic pranks for later."

	That night was filled with apprehension. Samantha and Tobias remained 
cuddled up together, gazing at each other. They weren't the usual dreamy, 
foggy gazes, however. "Tobias," Samantha said.
	"Yes?"
	"Are you nervous?"
	"Do fish swim?"
	"Oh. I see."
	"Are you nervous?"
	"Very. I'm not sure what to make of this whole situation?"
	He smiled and kissed her. "Don't worry about it. We're all gonna come 
out of this all right. You hear me. It'll be okay."
	She sighed. "I don't know. Something isn't right. I think something is 
going to happen."
	"Something is going to happen. We're gonna get checked out and 
Swift'll start training me. That's all."
	She shook her head. "I know that. But I think something else is going 
to happen to you." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't think I 
could stand anything happening to you."
	He smiled and rubbed her back gently. "Don't worry. The guys'll be 
escorting us. If anything happens, they'll take care of it. And I'm more 
than capable of defending myself, am I not?"
	She nodded. "I guess you're right." She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry."
	"You're forgiven." He held her close to him. "It'll all be okay."
	She smiled. "If you say so." She dragged a finger across his chest. 
"Tobias?"
	"Yes?"
	"Do you wanna crack open the tin box under the bed?"
	He chuckled. "You can't seriously want to do it."
	"Oh, but I do."
	"Well...." She looked up at him adoringly. "Well, we're gonna have to 
move it to under the pillows so we don't have to lift the mattress next 
time." She squealed with joy and kissed him passionatley.

	The wall slid open the next morning. "Tobias?" Sven called out. There 
was no answer. "Tobias?" Still no answer. "Samantha?"
	She sat up in bed and stretched. "Who's there?"
	"Whoa. Nice rack Samantha."
	She blushed and covered herself up. "What do you want Sven?"
	"I was giving you two a wake-up call. Now I wanna know if that's how 
you two sleep together."
	She nodded meekly. "Is that a problem sir?"
	He laughed. "Perhaps we should check you two for VDs as well!"
	"Please....stop it....sir...."
	"I'm only kiddin' Samantha. How's your boyfriend doing?"
	She smiled. "Well. He's resting up from last night."
	"What happened-" He smiled. "Was it his idea?"
	"No. Mine."
	"Well, looks like we gotta tell Rivera not to go through the 
relaxation part of the exam. He'll be relaxed enough as is."
	She giggled. "Oh you! I'll get him up so we can meet up with Crash and 
the others."
	"It's a plan. Swift will also be joining you, just in case she's 
needed."
	"All right. Thank you Sven." The wall slid shut and she turned to 
Tobias. She smiled. "I've always wanted to do this." She started to nuzzle his 
neck. He smiled and got more comfortable. "Tobias," she whispered into his 
ear. "Time to get up." He quivered with joy, but remained asleep. She 
nuzzled him some more. He stretched and wrapped his arm around her. "Oooh!"
	"Good morning Angel. How did you sleep?"
	"Probably as well as you did."
	He smiled. "Say, you up for a repeat of last night."
	She giggled. "C'mon. We've got a doctor's appointment today. We really 
shouldn't."
	"It's not like we're off to see the gynecologist."
	"That's right! Is your gift still wrapped?"
	"Let's find out." He kissed her.

	"Where are they?" Crash said. He was standing outside their building 
with the others, staring impatiently at his watch. "They should have been 
down here by now."
	Swift set a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Crash," she said. "If 
they're late, they must have a good reason."
	"Still, what could be taking them so long? Are they fucking each other 
up there?"
	"Shh....don't say that. We don't want that to happen just yet, do we?"
	"True." The doors to the building opened up. Tobias and Samantha walked 
out, arm in arm. "Well it's about time. Tobias, what took so long?!"
	"Eh....woke up late," he replied. "Sorry."
	"No matter," Wrench said. "The transport is waiting for us. Let's not 
be any more late than we already are."
	Psycho chuckled. "We really shouldn't worry. Don't forget, Tobias is the 
chosen one. He and Sammy will get looked at right away."
	Tobias rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I am NOT the chosen one."
	"Sure, whatever you say."
	"Can we get going?" Crash said impatiently. "I don't need to remind 
you guys again that it's Saturday."

	Tobias and Samantha remained silent throughout the trip. They felt 
content wrapped up in each other's arms, just wanting to be close to each 
other. It seemed to be a little too close for the others that were with him. 
Crash, his buddies, and Swift were situated at the opposite end of the 
transport. "I'm starting to get suspicious," Crash said. "Tobias is usually 
more enthusiastic than this. What's wrong with him?"
	"Yeah," Hack said. "He's attached to Sammy all of a sudden."
	"Perhaps they've seen a ghost or something," Wrench theorized.
	"Nah. They can't be spooked by ghosts," Psycho said. "I think they're 
stronger than that." Bomber chuckled. "What's so funny?"
	"Hmm?" He looked at them. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking...."
	"What a surprise," Crash said. "What were you thinking about?"
	"Well, I've seen people act like that that before."
	"You? Paying attention? That IS a surprise."
	"Yeah. Anyway, the last few people I saw like that were in love."
	Wrench nodded. "Now that ya mention it, it is a plausable idea."
	"Okay," Crash continued. "So somebody go ask and find out."
	"You do it," Psycho responded. "I don't wanna tangle with them."
	"I'm not gonna do it. I don't get that personal with my friends." They 
spent the next five minutes squabbling over who was gonna ask. "Hold up a 
second," he said, ending the argument. "Isn't Swift a telepath?" 
	They all looked at her. "Well," she said. "I am."
	"Do you-?"
	"I couldn't. I really should go probing through his mind."
	"C'mon Swift. It's only to find something out."
	She sighed. "I can tell that you're dead set on this. So I'll do it. 
But I want to make it clear that this is immoral and I am against it."
	He nodded. "Go for it." She sighed, not liking the plan one bit, and 
started to concentrate. She pierced and entered his mind.

	Her ethereal self appeared in his mind. She found miles and miles of 
dark, twisted pathways that looped back on themselves hundreds upon billions 
of times. She heard some sort of music playing, a soothing, yet mournful 
piece. "Well, they asked me to find out why he's like this," she said, her 
words echoing throughout the darkness. "But where the hell do I start?"
	"Swift?" Tobias's voice rang out.
	"Tobias?" She looked about and saw him standing there. "But how did 
you-?"
	"Get this form? Swift, I lived on the outside, but on the inside, I 
was free. I adopted my life inside, not outside. It was only second nature 
to gain this form."
	"Oh. Okay. So you know I'm in here?"
	"Afraid so. And I know why you're here."
	"O..oh?"
	"I will tell you what's going on, but you have to promise to lie about 
it to Crash and swear to keep it a secret. You must never tell anybody."
	"I swear it."
	He smiled. "You're honest." He approached her and set his fingers on 
her temples. "Relax. This'll take a second." He concentrated. She winced and 
fell to a knee. "There, you have the knowledge."
	She shook her head. "Whoa. Did you learn to do that yourself?"
	"Nope. I kinda cheated and picked it off of you."
	She got back to her feet. "Let's see....Oh....oh my..." She looked at 
him and giggled. "I was hoping to be able to claim your virginity. Can't get 
what you want anymore, eh?"
	He chuckled. "Be patient. You will understand soon. Now, could you 
please get out of my head?"
	She smiled. "I'll keep it a secret, thanks."

	She snapped out of her trance and tried to catch her breath. She 
looked at Tobias and smiled. He looked up at her and nodded. "Well," Crash 
said. "What did you see?"
	She shook her head. "It was too dark in there. Too twisted. It would 
take too much out of me to find out."
	"So...."
	"If I were to find out what was going on, I'd probably end up dead 
from wandering the darkness of his mind."
	"Whoa. Sorry Swift."
	She smiled. "It's okay Crash. I don't blame you. Now I'm curious." 
That was, of course, a lie. "Well have to wait and see if he's willing to 
share."
	"So in other words, we're out in the dark until they decide to make it 
public."
	Bomber chuckled. "Wait until they marry or something. It'll come out 
then."
	Wrench nearly choked. "Marriage? Them?"
	"It's not impossible. I mean, they obviously and openly love each 
other. It's only a matter of time before he asks her or the other way 
around."
	He laughed. "All right. If you say so."

	After a half an hour wait in the doctor's waiting room, Tobias was 
brought into an office. He was shown to his seat and left to himself. He 
waited an extra 15 minutes, quietly musing to himself. Eventually, he was 
joined by the doctor, a young courgar. She smiled at him as he turned to 
her. "Good afternoon Tobias," she said in a soft voice. "I am Doctor Rivera. 
What can I do for you today?"
	He smiled. "A pleasure doctor. I was told that I would be recieving 
a...what was the term...psyche exam?"
	She chuckled. "A test to see if you are telekenetic." He nodded. 
"Well, it's actually several tests. So I advise you get comfy."
	He sighed. "Another set of tests. This stay here just keeps getting 
better."
	She looked at him. "You sound thrilled."
	"Yeah, I do, don't I?"
	She smiled. "Well, don't worry. These tests are very involved."
	"That's what I was afraid of."

	For the next hour or so, he was subjected to mind bending, will 
crushing, sanity tearing trials and tests. He had to, among other things, 
move things with his mind, take those pesky inkblot tests, and meditate (he 
will never to this day understand why). Eventaully the day came to a close. 
"Well," Rivera told him. "I must say, you are a very interesting subject."
	He smiled. "Thank you. You've got your trade down to an art."
	"Thank you. I will have your results for you by the end of th-" She 
stopped and grabbed her head.
	"Doctor, are you okay?" She failed to respond. He went over and gave 
her a gentle shake. "Doctor?" Her hand shot up and gripped his wrist. She 
slowly brought her gaze up to him. Her eyes were glowing red. "What's 
wrong?" At those words, she sank her claws into his wrist. He howled in pain 
and pulled away. "What the hell was that for?"
	"You must die," she growled in a male's voice. "You are the chosen 
one. You must be killed." She pulled from her white coat a scalpel. "I must 
kill you now." He looked at his wrist. It wasn't too badly hurt. He ran to 
the door and tried to open it. "Don't bother. It's psy sealed. You will 
never be able to open it." He shook his head and kicked the door. It made 
no sound.
	"Soundproofing it too," he muttered. "That sucks." His awareness 
kicked in and he rolled to the side as the doctor made a stab at him. With a 
swing of his hand, he sent the scalpel flying. "I don't want to hurt you 
doctor."
	"The doctor is not in right now."
	He raises a brow. "Who are you?"
	"I am Iala. I am a psy assassin. And you are dead meat." The doctor's 
claws popped out of her hand and she made a dive at his eyes. 
	He caught the hand and gripped it. "Doctor Rivera," he yelled. "Stop 
this!" He let out a scream. There was a flash and Rivera went limp.
	"Damn it," he heard a second voice say. "You're too strong for me at 
the moment. We will meet again, Lone Wolf. Next time, you will not survive." 
There was a second flash. He looked at his wrist again. It was still 
bleeding. He turned to the door and opened it. "Can we get a medic down 
here?" he shouted down the hall.

	"An assassin?" Sven asked. Tobias had just gotten his wrist patched up 
when Sven burst into the field hospital. "There was an assassin about?"
	"Yes," Tobias said. "But I-"
	"But nothing. I'm going to have your detailed tripled."
	"That is unwise."
	He quirked a brow. "Explain please."
	"The assassin....took control of Dr. Rivera. She was under his 
control. Whoever it was, he had a great knowledge of that psy stuff."
	He nodded. "So increasing your guard..."
	"...Makes it easier for me to be killed."
	"So what are we supposed to do?"
	"Add Swift to my detail. She's the only one we know....that we can 
trust....that can counter this." He grabbed his head. "Can I get an asprin 
please?" A doctor brought him one. "Thank you."
	"Tobias, is something wrong?"
	He popped the pill in his mouth and took a sip of water. "I dunno. 
These headaches have been getting worse since I shocked Rivera out of the 
assassin's control."
	"You....what?"
	"Here, give me your hand." He took Sven by the hand just like he had 
taken the doctor. "I had her like this. I shouted 'Doctor Rivera, stop it!' 
and...." There was a flash. "That happened." 
	Sven pulled his hand away. "OW! What was that for?!"
	"Sorry Sven. I wasn't trying to do it to you."
	"It's called psy shock," Swift interrupted. "When a certain command 
word is given, in this case, any word fueled by Tobias's want for someone to 
stop something, there is a release of energy from that person. In those not 
skilled in psy, it causes them minor shocks, pains, or burns at worst. In 
those who are skilled in psy, it interrupts the concentration needed to 
perform their talents."
	"So how does that explain what happened with Dr. Rivera?"
	"There is a talent that allows one to control others. If psy shock is 
used on one who is posessed, that person will fall unconcious and out of the 
control of the other."
	"Ah."
	"But what amazes me is that you were able to do that."
	He shrugged. "I'm surprised myself."
	"First you show defensive possibility, then offensive possibility. 
You're becoming a superhero Tobias."
	He laughed. "No thank you! I'm already a prophesy, right?"

	Kaitlyn popped up for dinner that night. Stir fry was on the menu 
again (probably the 8th time that month), so she ate only lightly. "I wanna 
know something," she asked as Tobias collected the plates. "The only times 
I've seen you angry is when one of your friends is threatened. Why is that?"
	He looked at her. "Why should I be angry when nothing is wrong?"
	"I know that, but it isn't healthy to keep the anger supressed."
	He sighed. "Kaitlyn, I've done that for 5 years of my existance. 
Please understand that I can never, ever change that." He went over to the 
sink and deposited the dishes. "I know that it sounds stupid, but it's my 
way of life."
	She leaned on the back of the couch looking at him. "Tobias, is that 
entirely wise?"
	"In my case, it's best that I keep the anger supressed."
	"Why?" He remained silent as he sat back down. "Tobias, why?"
	"It is a good idea that I keep that secret."
	"Tobias....I told you my secret. Tell me yours."
	"If I could, I would. But I can't."
	"Why not?"
	He closed his eyes and leaned forward. "Because...it's a dark chapter 
of my past. My past is closed."
	She nodded. "I understand." She leaned back.
	Samantha put a hand on Tobias shoulder. "Do you know what you're doing?" 
He didn't answer. "Tobias?" He shook his head. "Tobias, what's wrong?" He got up 
and went to one of the windows. "Tobias, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
	"Bad memories," he said. "Resurfaced. It's not a big deal. I'm sorry 
ladies." He looked out at the city. "It's too much for me sometimes. I can't 
stand it."
	They both got up and went to his side. "What are you talking about 
Tobias?" Kaitlyn asked.
	"I learned to control my anger really early in life. However, the 
skill got too good. It always took some adjusting, but I managed. Oh, did I 
ever manage." He turned to the two. "I never got too close to anybody. I 
knew that they would end up betraying me. But you two...."
	"We would never betray you," Samantha said.
	"I know. That's why the memories of Earth are bad." He turned to 
Kaitlyn. "You were the first person that reached out to me. You were the 
first to know why I hate Earth. I suppose that I have you to thank for my 
being comfortable in these surroundings." He took her hand. "I know that 
you'll say I've been making it up to you in the free meals, but I want to 
repay you for that someway else."
	She smiled and hugged him. "You don't have to do that."
	"I feel oblidged to. I...I cannot let this go without repaying."
	Samantha smiled. "Tobias, you are a loving person. We couldn't ask for 
more."
	"I see...."
	"Yeah," Kaitlyn added. "It's okay if I don't get repaid."
	He shook his head. "Are you sure about that?"
	"For the most part."
	"All right." He looked back out the window. "I guess it'll come up 
again another time."

	Kaitlyn returned to her apartment soon after. She quickly made her way 
to her bathroom and started the water for a bath. She closed the door and 
stripped down to nothing. And it would have been the end of that, had she 
not peered into the wall mirror that she had. She saw the figure standing 
there, her body with the odd scratch-like markings, and the scar running 
down her belly. She touched the mirrored scar, and closed her eyes. "It was 
right for me to tell him about it," she said. "If I had shown him the scar, 
he would truly know what I've had to put up with." She held onto her arm. 
"And he wouldn't know what to make of these marking all over my body." She 
turned for her bath. "Then again, I don't know what they are either." She 
climbed into the tub and relaxed. "I hope we can find out together."