JONATHAN FRAISER

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was back in my room. My bedroom window was open, so I could hear the rushing water from the underground stream flowing through the cavern and splashing against the craggy shore. But I also felt throbbing pain coming from the now closed incision that Doc had made at the base of my neck.

“Welcome back to the world of the living.” It was Mr. Black.

I looked to my right expecting him to be standing in the bedroom doorway. I waited, but he never entered the room.

I sat up a little straighter on my bed.

“Hello,” I exclaimed. “Is anyone there?”

Silence, then, “We’re here, Jonathan.” It was Doc. “Just not there. We’re in your head.”

“How?”

Mr. Black said, “The Slipstream Disc implanted at the base of our necks allows us to telepathically and holographically communicate with each other.”

Doc added, “You’re now a walking smartphone, son.”

They instructed me to put on the black, form-fitting combat suit that had been placed next to me on the bed. I was to report to the training deck. When I arrived, other similarly dressed agents, about seventy-four in all, stood at attention along the edges of the training deck floor. One of the trainers waved me to an open spot.

The training deck floor was the size of a football field, the ceiling at least fifty stories high. I started to step into the spot that I had been directed to, but when I saw Big Nate, I decided to create a spot next to him. He extended his fist to me, and I bumped it with my own.

The ceiling panels slid to the side, and we Adinkrahene agents watched as Mr. Black and Doc slowly floated through the opening and the air to land in the center of the training deck floor. They were also dressed in black, form-fitting combat suits. There were plenty of oohs and aahs from the new agents, but not from me. I had seen it all before, with Selina. I just wanted to know what I had to do to access the kind of power they were displaying.

“Family,” Mr. Black began, pacing in front of us. Doc stood in the background, punching at the virtual buttons on his tablet. “The time has come for us to reveal ourselves to the world. For years, we have stood in the shadows as the Corporate Cabal has demonized us, members of the Black Diaspora. But I’m here to tell you those days are about to end. While we must still exist in the shadows, the time for us to exert more of our influence is now.”

We all applauded at that.

“Each of you has been fitted with a Slipstream Disc. This disc allows us to telepathically and holographically communicate with each other, but, more importantly, manipulate the electro-magnetic energy around us.”

We watched Doc toss his tablet into the air and then grab hold of it with some kind of energy beam to set it on a table twenty-five feet to his right, our left. He then pressed his fists together, extended his elbows out, and released a beam of solidified light from his elbows to his forearms that hit Mr. Black so hard that he was sent reeling across the room toward us. We scattered, thinking he was going to fall on us. But he didn’t. Instead, Mr. Black encased himself inside a cocoon of electro-magnetic energy to freeze his descent and stand himself upright again.

“Y’all see that,” he laughed, wagging his finger at his friend. “He sucker-punched me.”   He then raised his arm to fire two beams of solidified light at Doc. Doc erected a light shield to deflect the blasts.

Doc lifted his right arm to signify his surrender. The two men then met once more at center deck, where they joyfully embraced.

Mr. Black’s attention returned to us. “A great philosopher once said, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ Seventy-five of you have received this power, one hundred of us all together. Now, you must decide how you will use it.” Mr. Black then used his right hand to form a light-blue energy ball. We all became mesmerized by the sight of it. “I believe the most righteous path for Adinkrahene is for our leaders to move more of our people from mediocrity to excellence. Each of us must do our part to build upon the work of Douglass, Dubois, X and King.”

He flung the energy ball toward the opened ceiling, where it exploded to give off something reminiscent of a fireworks display.

“But I must warn you, family. Misuse of these powers will not be tolerated. You must adhere to the Adinkrahene Way. That means you will not use this power to rule our enemies; you will use it to serve, protect humanity from itself. In short, you will use it to restore the Pangean Nation, where all of humanity is once again united in thought and purpose.”

Mr. Black brought his hands together as if in prayer. “Anyone found guilty of not abiding by this principle will be removed from The Grid. Understood.”

“Yes, sir,” we responded, in one voice.

Before any of us could receive the Slipstream Disc and be connected to The Grid, we had to pledge our allegiance to the Adinkrahene Reparations Management Syndicate. But we also received a warning about the Slipstream Disc. Implanting it on our persons was the easy part. However, if it had to be remotely disabled by the ninety-nine other Adinkrahene agents due to an agent’s selfishness, pride or greed, he, or she, would die instantly. To put this in layman’s terms, a disabled Slipstream Disc was equivalent to having one’s heart ripped from his chest. And we all know what that means.

No heart, no life.

Adinkrahene agents’ hearts beat as one due to our connection to The Grid. Black unity at its best. But as I stood there watching Big Nate and the other agents gleefully swarming around Mr. Black and Doc, I wondered why no one had suggested that Selina be disconnected from The Grid. Selfishness, pride and greed were clearly motivating her disregard for the Adinkrahene Way.

Selina had been one of my closest friends, so I knew that if a vote came up, I would have reservations about saying yea. Thus, I knew I had to locate Selina, talk some sense into her, before Mr. Black and the others forced me to change my vote so her kill switch could be activated.

Copyright 2014.  Jeffery A. Faulkerson.  All rights reserved.

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