War of the Soulites

The ship was on emergency power, which created a far more intimate atmosphere in the restaurant. Several officers talked softly around small tables, laughed and held hands discreetly. The only illumination came from the glow of a portable light in the center. It was so exclusive, very few were allowed to come here. And certainly not a telepath.

She had no idea why she'd opened the doors in the first place, but when she did, all manner of conversation died. The only sound came from the slow music being played in the corner from various instruments. Then, the silence was broken by one voice, followed quickly by others. Occasionally a person would look up at her, and Elizabeth would hear a stray thought tickling on the edge of her mind.

We don't want you here. Go away.

Swallowing, Elizabeth stepped back. The doors closed. Again, she had no idea what prompted her to do that, except for the fact that any thought, even immense dislike, would remind her that she still existed. Although only a few hours ago, the mission and the feeling of being part of something important had faded like some forgotten dream.

Like all her kind, Elizabeth was enlisted but not officially part of the NAVA corporation. Even those who openly hated NAVA had no love for telepaths. Elizabeth would find no friends among either group. She decided to head to the lower decks.

The Vigilant was far larger than the actual crew capacity and few people would go down to the bottom decks. The hall was dark save for the fluorescent blue light in the form of a metal strip along the floor. It was hardly enough illumination to see her way. Elizabeth stepped forward, her fingers touching the walls for balance. She reached the end of the hall and climbed down a long metal ladder. No one would find her here. If she died, no one could hear her scream.

If anyone cared...

Elizabeth closed her eyes and tears fell. She felt so empty, so alone.

"Alone, Elizabeth? It must suck to be you."

Elizabeth turned around, and saw Myers behind her, a class eight telepath. "What are you doing here?"

"Not to visit you, that's for sure." He turned around, and his voice lit up with enthusiasm. "I came to see this place. Can't you feel it?"

Elizabeth frowned. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

But Myers didn't seem to notice. "There are very few things that are blocked from me, sister. I can hear every single thought on this ship. I know almost every secret. And yet, this place calls to me more than anywhere else. Why is that?" He turned on a flashlight. "Your captain tried to enlist us to help him earlier. Isn't that funny?"

Once again, Elizabeth didn't say a word.

Myers smirked and spotted something with his flashlight. "Ah, here we are..."

Elizabeth followed his gaze. Etched on the metal wall were two words in red: Help Us. "When was this written?"

"Several years ago," Myers said. "Maintenance workers have washed this wall again and again. But they can't hide the truth. Not from me. See these words on the wall?"

"They are coming," she read out loud. "I don't understand."

"I told you before, I can hear every thought on this vessel," Myers said. "But even more than that, I can also hear the voices of those that came before. They are screaming in anger, and rage." He glanced around in excitement. "The past is coming back to haunt us, Lizzie. And if we don't learn from our mistakes, we're doomed to repeat them. The crew of the Vigilant is going to die soon. Maybe tonight. Probably tomorrow."

"How can you possibly know that?"

Myers glanced up at the ceiling, and his smile deepened. "If I were you, sister, I wouldn't ask for answers. I would demand them. Rip them out of their minds like I've already done."

"That's wrong!"

Myers snorted. "Believe me, the definition of right and wrong can get a little fuzzy after you've poked around in their heads for a while.