Eventually, they finished off the sushi.

“I was thinking,” Jana said as she threw the blanket atop the table into Jeremy’s hands then levitated the ice kotatsu to the side. “Since, as you’ve made absolutely sure I’m aware, we’re visiting a dangerous guy, I think you should have some protection.”

“Protection?” he asked. “So...another psychic?”

“No, not that. It’d be a pain in the ass to find another psychic to protect you. There wouldn’t even be a point.” She shrugged. “But a gun would be helpful.”

“A...gun?” he said as if it were a foreign idea. “You’re saying that, to protect me from a dictator, I need a gun.”

“Yeah. A weapon’s a weapon, man.”

“It’s a gun. How about you instead get me a knife. Or better yet, a white flag.”

“Fine, if you’re so against it, we’re just going to settle on a knife, kay?”

Getting Jeremy a decent pocket knife wasn’t very difficult for Jana, even in a more conservative country like Japan.

It wasn’t as though civilian weapons were big deals, anyway. Since anyone could be born with telekinesis, a sizable number of people were walking around with an inborn ability to shoot high-speed projectiles via thought. Policies varied across the world, but in some countries, dangerous psychics were disallowed from certain venues, as if they were weapons, and were given particular I.D.s to identify them as such.

More importantly, most children fully developed their psychic abilities at twelve years old, which kind of defeated the purpose of gun control.

After they quickly bought the knife, Jana brought Jeremy to a hotel, where she slapped her I.D. onto the reception desk.

The receptionist looked between the card and Jana’s face briefly, then lingered on her face.

“[What? Is something on me?]” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

The receptionist shook her head quickly, then stared at the I.D. “[U-umm, nothing.]”

...

“[It says here that you’re seventeen...]” she wearily said. “[We only allow people over the age of eighteen.]”

Jeremy was standing behind Jana. They had walked in like normal guests, so it was unlikely that the receptionist knew who she was yet. Still, he wasn’t sure what was passing between the two.

“[Further down,]” Jana said, glaring.

The receptionist furrowed her eyebrows but looked further down the foreign I.D. She didn’t often see foreigners, so she assumed the purple border around the I.D. related to that, but as she slowly read a line of text at the bottom, she paled.

“The owner of this I.D. is officially recognized as a Greater Psychic.”

“Greater...Psychic,” she repeated in English. It was the formal term for super-psychic. Quickly, she handed the card back. “[U-understood, I-I’ll get you checked in right this instant.]”

Jana smiled, though it only came out eerily to the receptionist. “[And make it two rooms.]”

Jeremy, laying on his bed as he watched videos, got a phone call.

“Yo,” Jana said once he picked it up.

“Isn’t this a bit overkill to call me just to talk to me?” he asked.

Jana was in the room behind Jeremy’s, in her own bed. They had both prepared for bed once they entered their rooms. Coincidentally, they took about the same amount of time to do so, though Jana took longer in the shower.

“So, what, do you want me to get dressed again to walk over to your room just to talk with someone before I drop?”

“No...” he said, trailing off.

“That’s what I thought,” she said. “So...” she began, thinking of subjects, “What do you think about Japan?”

“I’ve hardly explored it,” Jeremy responded, regretful.

“Let’s not pout. Once we open a white hole or something to get her out, you can take all the trips to Japan you want.”

“I guess so. I wish we had time to explore...”

“Time waits for nobody. That isn’t going to change.”

He sighed. After a moment, he asked, “Don’t you own a company? Do you really have time to be doing all this?”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’m considered a legal adult since I’m...me, but that doesn’t mean I get tons of respect. I leave most of the company stuff to my agents. They call me up when they need to, send me weekly reports, that sort of thing. I handle whatever I need to personally attend. I also manage them, obviously. Right now, this is what I’m dealing with.”

“That makes sense,” he responded. “So, have you been to Iraq before?”

“Yeah, I have,” Jana responded sternly, as though Jeremy should have been aware.

“What’s it like there?”

“I don’t know what it was like before the...catastrophe, but...listen: nothing is ever enough to please some people. Even after everything I went through to protect them, the people in that part of the world hate me,” Jana said with subdued vitriol.

“Huh. I can’t blame them, though. That region's got some bad history with super psychics.”

“Ch! Sure,” Jana said. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t smack anyone who tries to call me a devil in the face.”

“Wait, they actually do that? I thought that was a rumor,” Jeremy said in surprise.

“Ohhh yeah, they do. It’s what I get for putting my damn life on the line to save them; jack shit.”

Jeremy did agree with her on that point. Jana was rough around the edges, but she did fight to save the world.

“Jana, I just realized,” he suddenly said.

“Hmm?”

“You’re, like, a hero.”

“A...hero?” she said confusedly. “That’s a really freakin’ overbearing title. Sounds dumb. At least make it ‘war’ hero.”

“Well, you risked your life to save the world. I think it can be considered heroism.”

“By technicality,” she said. Though, she thought her motivations weren’t ever so pure. “My opinion hasn’t changed, though. If you try to call me a hero again, I’ll gag.”

“Fair enough,” he responded. “Well, can we get to bed now? You said you wanted to get up early tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. Eight sharp. Night.”

“Night’.”

Standing on a dirt path, surrounded by new buildings, the world in front of him seemed to be waving and bending. A blue aura emanated from his surroundings, growing more opaque further beyond the gate. It was impossible to see through the aura, sadly.

“So you’re saying you’re looking into the future through that person’s eyes?” Jana asked. “I know I said I believed what you said when you mentioned this happening before and all, but that’s still just dumb.”

They had gone back on the road again and were now floating over the Sea of Japan as the sun rose behind them. “It’s as ridiculous to me as it was to you, but I’m just saying facts. I was Hatty, and the people walking along the road seemed to be...Iraqians?

“Iraqis,” Jana corrected him.

“Iraqis.” Jeremy picked up his controller. “How long until we get to Iraq?” he asked absently as he resumed his game.

“It’ll be sunset by the time we get there,” Jana responded.

“Oooohh my god -that’s so damn long!”

“Oh, shut up. I’m the driver here, punk.”

“It’s also you who brought me on the trip,” Jeremy retorted.

Actually, he didn’t want to admit it, but he didn’t regret being dragged along, at least not yet. The trip, at times, was painful and boring, but...when he took in a deep breath, cleared his mind, and felt his heart, it became clear: he wanted to be there to save his sister. He didn’t know if it would be in vain, but Jeremy wouldn’t ever be happy with himself if he didn’t stay. There was a peace of mind in doing this.

“Well, excuse m-” Jana began, looking back at him.

“But thanks,” he interrupted lightly.

“Scuse me?”

“You’re really trying your best, and I don’t even know why. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have a chance at helping my sister,” he said. He may not have even tried.

Breath caught in Jana’s throat as she stared, surprised. “E-erm...you’re...welcome,” she said, quickly looking forward with a taught expression. “And also, if you think I have only ulterior motives for doing this...I can’t say what I’d do. Probably slug you.”

“I didn’t-”

“I’m helping you because...” she began before trailing off, regretting even mentioning why. “Whatever.”

“Wait! Please, don’t leave me on a cliffhanger like this!” Jeremy joked. “Why?”

Jana shook her head, hard, swinging her braided hair back and forth, trying hard to maintain her frown. “You’re really pushing your luck, pal!”

“Alright, keep your secrets,” he said, averting his head but not his eyes.

“Fine, you really want to know, punk? Hmm?!” she said, finally looking back at him with a growl. “It’s cause’ you’re in the same boat as me.”

“Same boa-” Jeremy began, confused.

She quickly looked away. “And now, I’m going to leave you on that vague bullshit and let you contrive meaning from it without any direction.”

“Mean!” he yelled with a smile. “That’s just mean!”

“Well, I’m an awfully good bully, so it ought to be,” she responded. “Now, little jimmy, go back to your vijieo games.”

“Hmph!”

Some hours later, they were hovering over China, the landscape flying by below them.

“How long until we get there?” Jeremy asked.

“Seven more hours,” Jana responded.

“Uhhhhrrg...”

“Hey, we started off needing about thirty-two. This trip was, like, fifteen-thousand kilometers.”

Jeremy leaned back, looking up at the sky. “Holy shit, that’s so faaar...”

“Wow, you think?” Jana said sarcastically. “I thought it was jack shit kilometers away, not holy shit kilometers away...But I guess now that we’re in a conversation again, I gotta mention: we’re passing the next biggest city in China, so if you thought of something you wanted to do here last call.” She said, remembering how he had complained about not getting to go to a maid cafe earlier.

How he had the guts to say he wanted to go to a weird place like that was beyond her...

Jeremy sighed, then looked off the platform.

The land in sight was populated by windmills and farms, and some small mountains further out. The rest was a thin, arid forest, with some areas further north that looked almost like deserts.

“At least there’s a nice view,” he said. It really was quite pretty, or, at least, better than looking over the ocean. Like, the ocean was literally just blue; the most boring terrain ever, if that.

Jana chuckled. “Sure. Not only am I a living weapon of mass destruction, I’m also able to make good views.”

“Yep, those two go together like water and fire. Ash looks good,” Jeremy said.

“Wow. Much poetic and witty.”

Jeremy continued to look at the terrain below them and suddenly said, “Uhh...Stop.”

“Stop? What are you talking about?”

“Th-the whole- Just look below us!”

Jana unconcernedly looked down.

“What’s your pr-OH SHIT!”

From farmland below them, someone, nearly a speck on the ground a few hundred feet below them, suddenly jumped with incredible speed, and before Jana could even react, they precisely shot straight above them and landed on her psychic barrier.

She scrambled toward Jeremy, grabbing him like luggage to launch him backward, away from the person, who simply slid off the frictionless barrier as they flew away, falling onto the platform, which remained stationary.

“What the hell’s your problem, you lunatic!” Jana yelled once she was a dozen meters away. She quickly let an incredibly disoriented Jeremy down onto the floor of her barrier.

He said something in Mandarin.

“English, please. Or French. I don’t give a shit.”

“Who are you?” they asked. Now that they were standing still, Jana could tell it was a man, probably twice her age. His muscles were clearly quite toned, and he wore a simple, small brown shirt that didn’t reach his waist, as well as rolled-up jeans.

“I’m Jana. Not so nice to meet you.”

“Jana Pontoon?” he asked, crossing his arms. “The Greater Psychic?”

“Uhh, yeah. Duh. And who are you?” He definitely looked familiar, but Jana needed a bit more information to recognize him. There weren’t many super-psychics, but remembering each one’s face wasn’t particularly easy. Well, unless one’s name was Parkarka. Was he even a super-psychic?

“Lee Qiang.”

Ahh, him. He was the only Chinese super-psychic. Two others had died to Azad, apparently, which resulted in the country getting out of the catastrophe scot-free. A loss of two allied super psychics was a massive blow to any nation’s political power, though, so it wasn’t so ‘scot-free’ as it seemed. “Any why did you just...” Jana violently waved her hands in his general direction, furious. “Do that? It’s kinda rude to jump into someone’s face at supersonic speeds.”

“I don’t know. Why are you here?”

“I’ve got a better question for you!” she said with fake excitement. “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

...

“You...a chicken? What? Why would a chicken cross a road?” Lee asked, completely flabbergasted in his confusion.

“Dude,” Jana said as though his response almost worried her. “That’s what I just said...”

“Well...yes,” he said. Lee’s voice was low and a bit too quiet for Jana to hear. He had been quite imposing when he first arrived, but once he’d become confused, the man lost much of his composure. “I suppose a chicken would cross a road for food.”

“No,” Jana said. “It’s because it needed to get to the other side.”

...

“I-I don’t get it. Is this some American insult?”

Jana put a hand over her eyes and muttered to herself, under intense mental pain: “I’m fucking Canadian.”

“Ahh, right. And if I remember right, you own the Psychic League.”

“Yeah, I do, dumbass.”

“Are you looking for a fight? I don’t think you want to pick one with me,” Lee said.

“I don’t dislike fights, but no, I’m not. Now could you please end this painful conversation and just tell me what’s up?” Jana said, a little less hostile after confirming he wasn’t looking for one himself.

“I’d like to know that too,” Jeremy said, finally standing. He had struggled to, since Jana had given him serious whiplash, and her practically frictionless, oval barrier was frustratingly difficult to stand on.

Lee didn’t move as he said, “I’m here to see your intentions.”

“My intentions? They’re to go where I planned on going.”

“Which is?”

“Nonaya.”

“Never hear of the place.”

“Well, its full name is ‘none of ya’ buisness’.”

...

“Ha...ha?” Lee slowly said aloud.

“Jackass,” Jana muttered to herself annoyedly. “Whatever. Can I go now?”

“Well, where are you going?”

“You’re pissing me off.”

“Just tell me where you’re going, and we can break away.”

Jana looked to the side. He wanted to know where she was going? On one hand, it did make sense. China probably wanted to make sure no super-psychics threatened their lands, after the catastrophe, so using Lee to make sure she wasn’t up to funny business was likley their idea of policing and keeping themselves safe. On the other, it was clearly just passive-aggressive posturing. Lee definitely wasn’t just here for a friendly conversation. He was here to intimidate her, and that lit fury in Jana’s chest.

Jana opened her mouth, ready to spit out, “None of your fucking business,” for a second time, but before she said a word:

Jeremy whispered, “How about we just tell them we’re going to visit a friend or something.”

She looked between him and Lee. As much as she wanted to fuck Lee up, or just piss on him for pissing her off, now wasn’t the time to pick a fight. Trying to do the former would be the equivalent of flipping Jeremy the middle finger, considering it would likely result in wasting time, destroying his stuff, and putting him in danger. As pissed as Jana knew she was, she would have to be a literal dunce to fight Lee. She didn’t know his power level, and even if she could beat him...well, to say the least, it would have quite a political problem for her company.

That was to say, as big of a problem as fighting him would be on a global scale, Jana mostly refused to because it would be embarrassing and make some people hate her.

“Fine, whatever. I’m going to Iraq to meet a friend from...the catastrophe,” she said with an annoyed expression, remembering a few.

“Oh, I see,” Lee said, his tone quickly changing to be much more friendly. “You were the first person to arrive in the middle east after everything went down, weren’t you?”

Jana nodded, confused at the sudden change of attitude. “Yeah,” she responded slowly. She appreciated the change in tone, but...the topic reminded her of...why she was there first.

“I thought for some reason that you were one of the psychics who were absent, my bad.”

“Yeah, I guess some people assume that a lot,” Jana said. It was quite frustrating. Like, why did nobody have any expectations for her? Did they mix her up with the other seventeen-year-old Canadian psychic? “I was fucking there when it all began...” she added in a whisper only Jeremy could hear.

“But you’re visiting a friend in Iraq?” he asked. “Is it just a civilian?”

Jana nodded, averting her eyes. “I made a few acquaintances after I worked with them to...” Jana clenched her teeth together, pursing her lips. More hurtful memories. “Whatever. Most of them aren’t alive anymore...” she finished, her voice quickly trailing out. “So can I go now? I’m not exactly trying to take over the world or anything.”

Lee shook his head. “Yes, you can. I will say you were visiting a friend,” he said. So he was reporting the information to someone.

“Good, please do.”

He turned, then looked back as he walked to the platform’s ledge, carefully avoiding wires set about the ice. “And please, don’t create a scene. I don’t want to do this a second time.”

Jana waved him off. “Yeah, sure. I won’t.”

Then, Lee stepped off the platform and fell to the ground below. He began bounding away, off toward the distance.

“Well, that happened,” Jeremy noted.

“Sure as fuck did.”