The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

Surprise Visitor

“Get ready, we move out in one hour. Stay alert and don't go sleeping on me now.” Tony said over the wireless comms and took a casual look at his watch. It was beeping and flashing regularly. This was an important message!

“Incoming teleport request from counselor Thomas White. Please confirm that the coordinates are safe for teleportation.” Nexa narrated the message in her robotic voice.

Tony was on the top floor, lying in prone position over a ledge. He got up and went inside the demolished structure to avoid any unwanted attention. As soon as he was sure that the location was safe enough, he pressed a button on his watch.

“Privacy confirmed by Anthony Rabada, initiating transfer now…” the response was heard almost instantaneously.

Again, a bright blue flash lit up the walls of the half collapsed room and a portal opened in mid air. Thomas was in a better mood now, and dusted off his matching blue suit while the portal closed. Tony looked at the closing portal and thought there was some mistake. Thomas immediately took notice.

“Don’t worry, it’s supposed to close, for now at least.” Thomas said.

“Does that mean you’re accompanying my team on this mission?” Tony asked. His voice had gone from cold to enthusiastic.

“Eh, not exactly. As this is your first mission and I am your counselor, the superiors in the agency wanted me to ‘interact’ more often with you and keep you focused, provide motivation and all that crap. And by the looks of it, you might need some assistance to keep focused.” Thomas said, walking over to the ledge and taking a look at the road.

“So, you're waiting for the night to burn out and move out with the first light.” Thomas said, stealing another look at the city.

“Yes, you're absolutely right.” Tony said, standing in attention.

“I didn’t ask if I was right or wrong boy, I’m always right.” Thomas said, sitting on the ledge with his legs hanging over.

“They told me you were cheerful and charming. But now I’m seeing that you're way more arrogant than any of those.” Tony said.

“I know. Love f***s up your wiring in the brain real good.” Thomas said and sighed silently.

“Come on, sit alongside me and I’ll give you some real good lessons in life.” Thomas said in a warm voice, patting the floor on his left.

Tony immediately took the opportunity to break the ice and went ahead to sit right beside Thomas, who was gazing at the stars.

“You know why I was strictly against sending you guys on a top priority mission like this?” Thomas said after a minute.

“You were against it?! Even after knowing about my capabilities?!!” Tony said in a tone of disbelief.

“Yes I was, because having capabilities and talent is a whole different thing than being actually good at putting that potential to good use. They say that you're almost as good as me. Hell, some say you may even be better in some tests. But we both know that if I were to fight you right here and now, there is not a single chance that you would beat me. You know why that is?” Thomas said, fixing his eyes on Tony’s face and reading his expressions.

“Uhh….because you have more experience than me?” Tony said, shooting an arrow in the dark.

“Exactly, your training is only a tool to fight. The REAL ability to fight comes from actually fighting for a long time. Unfortunately, losing a fight is not an option for people like us. So the first missions are always comparatively easy, you know, just to give exposure. Also, warfare is not as physical as it is mental. All you have to do is read the other person’s brain and make it impossible for him to read yours, and you’ve already won the battle.” Thomas said, deciding in his mind whether he should risk smoking on the dark ledge or not.

“That can’t be true. It might be a secondary factor, but strength is always the primary factor in fighting battles.” Tony said, trying to grasp what Thomas was trying to say.

“Look kid, as I’ve already told you, I’m always right. Right now, I can tell by your face that you're going through anxiety, probably because you killed someone for the first time today. Now I could talk about that and distract you, while I plunge a knife into your balls without you even noticing.

On the other hand, you might judge from my face that I’m more of a cool and not caring personality. You might be even surprised how I pull off impossible seeming missions with this attitude. But that underestimation is where I get you. I notice every small detail, however off-minded I may seem. And THAT my friend, is what really good agents do. It’s all about deception.

If you're strong, look weak and if you're suspicious, act like you don’t suspect anything. It makes you unpredictable and extremely dangerous. The enemy will never know what hit them. Also, if you go along for long enough, you'll be able to read people’s minds by their very face.

So tell me, are these things a major game changer if you're faced by a strong enemy and you’re outnumbered? And by the way, you'll always be outnumbered.” Thomas said and decided to smoke after all. He took out a pack of cigarettes as Tony opened his mouth.

“Yes, these are by far the most vital resources an agent can possess.” Tony said, nodding in affirmation. He was finally beginning to see Thomas' point now.

“Now tell me, do they teach you any of these things in training?” Thomas said, pressing a cigarette between his lips.

“Uh…no I don’t think so.” Tony said.

“That’s my point, I hope that now you get why I was against sending a bunch of newbies on a rescue mission.” Thomas said, searching for the lighter in his pockets.

“Yes sir, I understand now. I think I already had an idea before.” Tony said, brushing the back of his head with his hand.

“Good, that’s what I would expect from an agent of your caliber. Except the fact that you didn’t know s**t!” Thomas thundered, taking Tony by surprise.

“You're through your tests, and you don’t need to give the right answers here. What did I just say to you? I can read your mind through your f*****g face. And it tells me that if you leave tomorrow morning like that, neither you nor your team is coming back alive. You're not thinking straight, and if a leader dosen't think straight, he’s either replaced by someone smarter from his team or they’re dead before they get a chance at replacing him.

Now tell me what’s bothering you, and don’t you f*****g dare lie to me!” Thomas said, pointing the burning cigarette at Tony’s face.

“I…I just can’t…” Tony hesitated. But then, he took a deep breath and looked at the sky.

“I can’t get the f*****g faces out of my head. All the people I have killed, directly or indirectly, had someone who was left behind after them, helpless. One of the soldiers thought I was clicking a picture for his kids while I shot him in the f*****g face with a camera gun.” Tony said and broke down. He held his face between his palms and clutched his hair tightly.

Thomas was watching his expressions carefully, and he just smoked calmly as Tony unfolded his feelings. He knew that this wasn’t the only thing that was troubling Tony.

“And….?” Thomas finally asked.

“And I feel like I’m the only one who is bothered with killing. The others felt bad for some time but they got over it real fast. I just saw Gabriel shoot a man in the head without even flinching or waiting before pulling the trigger. I feel like I’m the weak one and I’m not capable of leading them.” Tony said, sighing deeply.

“I get it, you feel left out. There's nothing wrong with that, it’s actually a good thing. I remember that I used to feel detached and alone back in the day. It just means that you're unique and you have something that the others don’t.

And as for the killing part, feeling bad for committing murder dosen't mean you're weak. It just means that you’ve got a conscience. Everything that you think is wrong with you is actually what makes you unique.” Thomas said, putting his hand over Tony’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Thomas. I was trying so hard to see the silver lining in this disaster, and you just made me look out of the box.” Tony said.

“Well, that means my job’s done. I must get going now…” Thomas said and pushed a button on his watch.

“Commencing world shift in five…..four…..” Zeus said.

“Oh no, we are not finished yet.” Tony said, trying to stop the countdown.

“You'll do good, kid. I believe in you and you should believe in yourself too. Just remember- don't get attached, or you will become a sitting duck. Let the feelings flow....” Thomas said and his body scattered in the air with a flash, just as he finished the sentence.

After an hour, Tony was cleaning his pistol and looking at the endless horizon as the sun rose slowly from from under the earth…..