The constant beeping lulled Kellen from his slumber. That and the quiet, but angry voices that felt familiar.
"-supposed to just be tested. What is the meaning of this?"
"I can explain. It was simply an accident. I apologise."
"Apologise my ass! You want to take advantage of my precious children, don't you? I know Gwen wants to join your guild. Over my dead body will I allow you to have either of them, especially now!"
"Honey, keep your voice down. You know how sensitive Kellen is to your raised voice. Look, I think I see his eyes moving." Groaning, since his body felt like a war zone, Kellen opened his eyes.
"Mom? Dad?" He asked, but it came out as a whisper. Within seconds he felt a straw pressed against his lips, his Mother coming into view and the smell of incense filling his lungs. It was such a comforting, nostalgic smell that he felt his body relax. Kellen took a few sips before trying to sit up, and his Mother was all over him, helping him slowly sit up as if he was a small, injured bird.
Once sitting up, and having had a couple of sips of water, he tried to gather his bearings. He was clearly hooked up to hospital equipment, but this wasn't a hospital. Confused, it must have shown on his face since there was a soft chuckle from the Captain that startled him before he spoke.
"You're in the Saturn Guild's headquarters. Ms. Green is making sure to take care of you after you...fainted at your test." Kellen's Mom snorted.
"Fainted my ass! You drained him! Intentionally! Like a damn monster!" Kellen watched as the Captain flinched.
"Mom." Kellen chastised, and the older woman shut her mouth. Kellen took in his surroundings a bit more now that he had more information. It was a rather large room, with a window against the left hand side of the room. A chair was next to the window, but to his right was a doorway that was open, showing the bathroom inside.
Near the bathroom was a small table that sat four, and a door was on the far wall, across from the bed. He assumed that would lead to the hallway since it was closed. There was a rail around the bed, and he could tell it was for curtains. Everything around him was high tech.
Which left the Captain. The man was still in his formal uniform, like always, but he had tucked himself into the corner furthest away from him. He kept his face down, and wasn't meeting Kellen's gaze, even though he was sure he could feel the younger man's eyes on him.
"Your mother is right, Mr. Woods. I wasn't being very civilized. Even if I have a decent excuse, it still isn't enough. I am truly sorry. I never meant..." The Esper shuddered, exhaling shakily. "I didn't want to harm you." Harm him? How had he done that? Sure, being drained two days in a row wasn't ideal, but it wasn't as if the world was ending. Why was everyone behaving as if the world was coming down?
"Captain, it happens. I could tell you hadn't had a proper guiding session in a while once I was in there, so I am not going to blame you beyond chastising you for not taking better care of yourself. It's alright Captain." Kellen's Dad sighed beside him, shaking his head. He reached out a hand and gripped his son's in his own tightly.
"Son, it's more than that. The Captain has a...peculiar disposition. He didn't simply drain you. The Captain...he has a chance to take others' powers. You...You won't be able to guide anymore." Kellen's Mom broke down in sobs while the man himself stared blankly at the three people in grief around him.
They seemed to be out of their damn minds.
The Captain jerked as if he had been shot at the sound of Kellen's Mom's cries, while Kellen sat in silence.
"Um, are you sure?" He asked tentatively, and it only spurred on his Mother who began wailing. His Dad gave his hand a squeeze, while throwing a look at the Esper in the corner.
"You aren't the first case of this, Kellen. We were informed that this has happened before. The Captain has done it to others in the past, unintentionally. You are the first to cause such a strong reaction though." He spoke firmly, like he was trying to hold back his own tears. Kellen, still dazed, turned to the Esper in the corner.
"Captain, can you give me your hand?" He asked, and the Esper jerked.
"I-I shouldn't. It could be more dangerous and-" He cut off and Kellen was shocked. He'd never seen him so flustered before.
"Please. I want to test something." He thought for a moment, and once he stepped forward Kellen worried his Mother was going to block him, but she let him come closer to her son. They knew what their son wanted to test, and since his parents were Imprinted, he couldn't test it on them. If he truly was without powers, he would know after attempting to guide the Captain again.
The Captain's hand shook as he offered it to the man on the hospital bed. Kellen took the hand in his, this time being the one to give it a comforting squeeze. Taking a deep breath, but trusting his gut, he poured his guiding into the Esper.
Within seconds of his powers touching the other, the Captain had ripped his hand from the Guide's and was across the room, back in the corner, staring at his hand in wonder and shock. Kellen stared at the man for a moment before speaking. "Dad, remember when we talked about climbing mountains before? I think I might have just jumped up several hundred feet." When he glanced at his parents, they were in shock. His Mother had even stopped crying.
"What on earth happened?" His Dad asked, and Kellen was at a loss as well, so he just shrugged.
"I think when the Captain drained me, my powers came back and filled me up even more. I'm not sure, but that's the only thing I can think of happening. I feel like I have more guiding power inside of me than before." He grinned, turning to the Esper who was still tucked into the corner. "So you don't need to look like you've ruined my life, Captain." The Captain finally looked up and Kellen got the shock of his life. "Captain, your eyes!" Kellen exclaimed as the man wiped a tear from his cheek.
It wasn't the fact that the man was crying that had surprised him, but the fact that the Captain actually had normal coloured eyes. His eyes weren't always yellow like he assumed, but instead a beautiful hazel colour.
"When I finally let go of you, I turned to look at the monster that I was, only to find that you were the first person to change my eyes back to their original colour. I knew then that not only were you not a C Class, but I had ruined your life by taking away your promise." Kellen shook his head strongly, stunned at the vulnerable look on the Captain's face.
"You didn't do that, Captain. Granted, I didn't like the feeling of being drained, nor do I like how I feel right now, but, my life isn't ruined. I don't know what Class I'm at right now, but it isn't C Class." He hummed. "I wonder if I do this a few more times if the power you drain is equal to your level? Like, will I max out at your level or will I go higher? How much of a power jump do you get?" He pondered.
"Don't even think about it Kellen Woods! You've already given me enough scares for my lifetime. I don't think I can handle anymore." His Mother was becoming inconsolable, while Kellen couldn't keep the grin off of his face.
"Mom, if there is a next time, we'll just have to make sure I'm set up like this again. We can ask Taylor to keep an eye on me and everything." She sniffed.
"You're going to be the death of me." She muttered and he laughed, reaching out and hugging the woman. Her grip on his back was tight, and he held her back just as tightly.
"Sorry Mom. I might be a little power drunk. That was quite a bit of whiplash you guys just gave me." He teased while his Dad shook his head at his son's antics over his wife's shoulder.
"As much as it is amusing to ponder, I do not want to find out if the next time I drain you for real Mr. Woods. Especially since-'' The Captain cut off, and Kellen turned to look at the man. He seemed to be fighting something, but ended up sighing instead of continuing his thought. "I'll go grab Ms. Green. No doubt she's worried about you, and she can also do a check up to make sure you are in working order."
The Captain headed for the door like he was escaping, pausing with his hand on the handle. "By the way Mr. Woods, you tested in the B Class before I drained you. You might already be A Class given how aggressive I was." With those shocking words, the Captain opened and closed the door, leaving the three of them alone. Kellen sat in silence, stunned.
"I...What?" His Dad gripped his shoulder tightly, and Kellen watched as a tear fell from his eyes.
"I don't care what you are, as long as you are safe." His voice was hollow as he spoke. "When I got the phone call from Captain Thatcher about what had happened...I don't even remember the drive to the Guild Kellen. You must not scare me this way anymore, alright? You have to let me save up my energy for your sister." He smiled weakly, and Kellen reached his arms for him. His Dad hugged him tightly, and Kellen squeezed him in return.
"I second that. Your sister has had her head down, focusing on getting into a guild so she hasn't stirred up anything yet. Please, save some gray hairs for her." His Mom pleaded and Kellen laughed.
"I'll do my best. I suggested trying to do it again, but I doubt the Captain would allow it. He seemed...spooked. Did you guys get a report of the test?" They both shook their heads.
"They haven't revealed it to the public yet, which tells me how unusual the results are. I'm sure I can get them for you from the Center. Shal I go do that?" His Mom asked, wringing her hands.
"I would love that Mom. Dad, would you be able to get me some food and some tea? I didn't realise it, but I'm starving." Both of them shuffled out just as Taylor was arriving. They gave her a couple of comforting pats on the shoulder before leaving the two of them alone. Her eyes were red from crying, and Kellen's first worry was that some stupid idiot had broken her heart before she sniffed and stormed towards the Guide on the bed.
"You fucking dumbass. I shouldn't have to find out what's going on with you because you're injured. When the Captain brought you in I thought I was going to die from a heart attack." Kellen felt that this wasn't an appropriate time to make a joke, so he held it in since she had such a serious look on her face.
"I'm sorry Taylor. In fairness to me, I didn't know that was going to happen. I thought at worst, I was going to pass out from a panic attack." She sniffed again before pulling out her charts and started to go over him with her power. She paused as soon as she realised he still had his powers, and that they were stronger then before. He couldn't stop the stupid grin from crossing his face at the shock on hers.
"Wh-What the fuck? Kellen, how?" He shrugged, pleased.
"I have a theory, but the Captain doesn't want to try it again." Her eyes widened in horror.
"Of course he doesn't want to try it again! You have no idea what you looked like when he came storming in here with you in his arms." The man of the hour didn't seem convinced. "You looked like a corpse, Kellen! I know you have good luck, but don't test it again. Your lucky rabbit's foot is bound to run out at some point, and I do not want to be the one who has to clean up after you die!" A tear escaped from the frantic woman's eye and he swore.
"Shit, sorry Taylor. I didn't mean to make you cry. I got excited about it, I never-" He sighed and watched her wipe her eyes. "It isn't like I don't know my luck will run out at some point. I was curious if it was a one time thing, or if it was just me, you know? Things like that. I get curious, but I don't want to die." He affirmed and she sniffed, nodding.
"I'll heal you fully, and you should be able to move about with minimal issues. Wait for your parents to come back before you leave Kellen. If I see you trying to leave without them, I'll tan your hide." Her threat was heard and received. Kellen grinned at his friend.
"Understood Dr. Green." Her cheeks flushed as he saluted her before she huffed and started the healing procedure. It wasn't often that he didn't doze off while she healed him, but this time he was wide awake when she was done. She hummed, made a note of it before jotting some other things down.
"Did you and the Captain talk?" She asked casually, and Kellen grew confused. He tilted his head.
"What do you mean by that? Beyond me confirmed he didn't ruin my life, no." She bit her lip at his response, before making a face.
"Oh, well, that's good then. Well, everything seems normal now. Remember, don't leave without your parents." She rushed out of the door like a demon was at her heels and he frowned. What the hell was he supposed to get from that interaction?
~
His parents got back at around the same time, both looking flushed and flustered.
"Don't worry, we didn't look at the results without you, we just took the stairs instead of the elevator since there was a line." His mom confirmed as soon as she saw him. Kellen made his way over to the small table while his Dad placed the tray down.
"Well I wasn't worried before, but now I am." He teased and she narrowed her eyes. She held a large manila envelope in her hands and glanced around the room.
"Taylor gave you a clean bill of health?" His Dad asked as all three of them sat down at the small table. It felt very similar to the morning's events.
"Yup, but she did threaten that if I left on my own she was going to do something bad to me." His Mom chuckled.
"Good. She's a good friend, that one. Come on, have a couple of bites before we look this thing over. I'm nervous enough as it is, I need to make sure you have some food in you first." She gulped for air, clearly still panicking while his Dad kept his face a mask.
Curious, but knowing there wasn't a difference between now and a few minutes, he did what was asked of him. His Dad had gotten him a couple of sandwiches, a cup of tea, and several mandarin oranges. He ate the sandwich, aware that he needed the fuel for his body. Kellen split the oranges among the three of them, peeling them calmly. Finally, once he had finished and the tray was pushed to the side, he reached for the envelope.
"Everyone ready?" He asked and they nodded. His Mother had given up her seat to his Father so that they could see the results at the same time. She hovered over their shoulders.
He opened it up, pulling out the test and papers inside, staring at the numbers and words uncomprehending until slowly everything became clear. Captain hadn't been wrong when he'd told him that he had ranked in B Class at the beginning of the test, but he hadn't told the whole truth either. The graph showed that instead of the steady stagnant line that was common in power tests, Kellen's went up. It cut off when the connection with the Captain had broken because he'd fallen unconscious, but Kellen had a sneaking suspicion that the Captain was right.
Kellen might have breezed through B Class and gone straight to A Class. The paper shook in his hands and his Mom covered his hand with hers.
"Baby, you might be A Class." She whispered and he gave a jerk of his head.
"W-W-What does that mean? Dad?" He asked tentatively and he laughed wetly.
"It means, Sweetheart, that you were probably right all along. I bet if we took all of your test scores and lined them up over the years we would see a slow, but steady increase of your powers over time. You were doing just fine, but Captain Thatcher...expedited the process." Kellen couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes. He hadn't been wrong, he had been getting stronger on his own. The Captain had no idea what kind of gift he'd given him, nor the value.
"What's the other sheet of paper?" She asked, and Kellen jerked. Oh, right.
"Oh, the Captain and I had never tested our compatibility before this, so we thought to take this chance to." Kellen flipped over the precious page, but this time when he stared at the paper he felt his face drain of all colour.
"I-Is this a joke?" He muttered. His Mom went to take the page out of his hands, but he didn't trust her. Her eyes were glowing purple.
"Why would the Center lie about this?" His Dad muttered in return to his son's question.
"He is not allowed within five feet of you." His Mother growled and her husband patted her shoulder.
"That, my dear, is not our choice. Kellen, you are aware this is a better match rate then you mother and I were initially, right?" His Father prompted, and Kellen sat in stunned silence.
"B-But I haven't heard of anyone having this kind of match rate before? This has to be fake. I...I need to go talk to the Captain!" He fumbled, pushing the chair back and rushing for the door, papers still clutched in his hands.
"Kellen!" His Mom called.
"Get him to clarify Honey!" His Dad called as his son raced towards the elevators. He had no idea where the Captain would be in this giant tower, but he was going to find him no matter what.