5. “ESPER”
A great escape. Unlocking latent power.
超能力者
An unconscious Mina lay inert, suspended in a tank of unknown liquid.
A skinny, gaunt man in a sterile-white lab coat nodded, pursing his lips as he circled the tank like a shark, examining the subject’s face.
“Finally,” he breathed, as his bird-like fingers caressed the glass gently.
“After all these years, it’s mine.” The man’s lips curled into an ugly grin.
For the better half of a generation, Haram had been desperately searching for what other researchers in the energy sector had referred to as the ‘Esper’ factor.
Fifty years ago, in 2194, a phenomena in which the planes of our universe and an alternate one (where Mina was from) briefly intersected for about fifteen seconds. Nothing disastrous occurred. In fact, it almost didn’t even make the news.
Then there were a series of videos of a huge chasm of blue and lavender light opening up and shooting a small dog out of it in St. George’s Parish, Bermuda. The dog died upon impact.
There was actual footage of what scientists confirmed was an actual Einstein-Rosen bridge appearing on Earth, multiple witnesses, and an actual alien dog from an alternate timeline. Upon further postmortem examination, scientists found that the dog breed was unidentifiable (solidifying theories of an alternate universe), and that the radioactive wavelengths from the portal permanently had caused its cells to evolve dramatically, turning them into what could’ve been an infinite energy source. Unfortunately, when the organism died, so did this capability. The circuit was closed.
Humanity, for a brief summer, became absolutely obsessed with general relativity and how these wormholes were the secret to an infinite energy source.
After all, it could be the actual final solution to the energy crisis on the home planet. Not everyone had the privilege to just escape to Mars or the Moon. Some people actually had to live in the trash heap that Earth had become.
Exactly five years later, in July 2199, a portal appeared again.
This time, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. No dog or creature shooting out of the sky this time around, just the wormhole and a couple rocks. It just showed up for a few seconds, then disappeared. Think tanks and scientists across the interplanetary network were all stunned by the repeat occurrence.
Haram, the young, handsome CEO of an Earth-based biotech company at the time, became completely transfixed, but for reasons unlike any other.
In his teens, Haram had secretly designed an unfathomable weapon, a ray gun powerful enough to completely eradicate a planet. Powerful enough him to utterly destroy the elite, who lived on Mars and on the Moon. Fortunately and unfortunately, the device couldn’t be powered; he had engineered a product that would never work with sources that humanity had access to.
When Haram learned of the ‘Esper’ phenomenon, he realized the future of his childhood vision. An energy source that would power the instrument for a violent vengeance for how these people had left the rest of mankind behind.
He completely changed the direction of his company, deciding to commit the rest of his time and money for this cause. Employees quit. Investors dropped out. But Haram was convinced would happen again in the next five years, and that he knew it would happen again in Miami. ‘The universe is thinner here at the apices of the triangle’, he posited.
Employees quit. The general public ignored him, called him an idiot.
The portal didn’t happen again at all, and never happened again.
-
Until July 22nd, 2254.
Haram smiled again as he basked in the thought of his certain victory.
It was a shame too that the energy source had to be a human. But for revolution, he was willing to pay any price. He kept grinning at the thought of destroying the corpulent elite. Of killing the oppressors.
His expression then turned into a grimace when Mina’s eyes fluttered open in the tank, glowing a brilliant white.
He gaped. This was bad. ”Wait a second, how is the subject awake? We gave her enough sedative for a horse!”
Haram turned and grabbed one of his hazmat suit-clad assistants by the sleeve.
“Quickly, we need to sedate her again!” Haram barked as his men ran frantically about like worker ants.
But it was too late. Mina’s eyes turned angry as she realized she had been captured. With a grunt, she rabbit punched the impact-proof glass viciously.
It cracked.
As the liquid began to leak out of the tank, Haram brought his fist up.
”Prepare to subdue,” He muttered.
His hazmat men drew their weapons.
Mina’s eyes narrowed, and she brought her right thigh all the way up to her chest. Blue light swirled around her body.
Then, her heel came down in the form of a vicious axe kick. With a loud bang, it cut right through the ballistic glass.