Chapter 306: Mind Place!
"Make sure to make a list of all the equipment that the Admiral brought for us." Jace told Nila. "I need to go talk to this one." He patted Cho’s head. "Bring me the orders when they come up. But otherwise our squad just needs to get familiar with the equipment and relax now that they are off duty."
Nila nodded before walking away.
Jace walked back to Cerberus’ ready room and went straight to the training room. "Okay, Cho. First, when were you able to use telepathy and able to walk through walls?" Jace asked as he sealed the training room.
[Cho needed to talk to Daddy and Mommy! So Cho adapted! It is easy to walk through walls! Cho can teach Daddy! But first Daddy needs to connect Cho to Mommy! Cho needs to show Mommy how to close her mind!] She spoke directly into his mind.
"What do you mean by ’close her mind’?" Jace asked as he poked at Salem’s mind. Doing the equivalent of making a request to her. He could feel her mind light up when it was quiet before. She was probably sleeping.
She was still stirring so he decided to wait a minute. [Cho means to close the mind. To... secure her mind. Mommy’s mind can look in other minds. But bad minds can look in Mommy’s mind as well. Like the predators.] Jace took a moment to process her words. It sounds like Salem’s mind reading made her vulnerable to something else. Something that an Astral Beast naturally saw as a predator.
"So what are these predators you mentioned?" Jace asked as he could begin to feel Salem begin to poke back at him. Informing him that she was ready.
[They are hunters.] Cho answered.
Jace closed his eyes and opened his mind. Bringing Salem into his mind that he quickly constructed. He learned how to do this after his encounter with the Kin. He kept it in his mind so he just constructed a gray room with a light on the roof for the moment. He would change it in a second.
A door appeared on one of the walls. It was a white wooden door with a gold handle. It turned and opened. Salem stepped out looking around with a frown. She was dressed in a pair of jeans with a white tank top and a pilot’s jacket. He was feeling aroused in his own mind. But before he could say anything she frowned and he shut his mouth. "Sorry, I forgot."
His rogue thoughts were already open to her to read. "It is fine. Was there a reason besides eyeing me up and showing me..." She looked around with a frown, "whatever this is?"
"It’s a mind place!" They both looked over to a small child with white hair and cat ears that looked a bit like Salem when she was younger but with Jace’s skin tone. Jace was confused for a moment before he saw the white and green striped tail whipping back and forth behind her.
"Cho?" Jace asked, tilting his head.
"I am Cho!" She then looked around. "Daddy already knows how to do a mind place. But Daddy needs to work on keeping it constant. This was hastily constructed." Cho looked around and then jumped into Salem’s arms. "Mommy! Cho needs to teach you how to do a mind place like this and secure your mind."
Salem blinked in surprise. "Mommy? Cho why are you calling me Mommy and Jace Daddy?"
Cho tilted her head and her cat ears twitched. "Because you are Mommy and Daddy! Cho imprinted on Daddy and Mommy is Daddy’s so Mommy is Mommy!" Cho explained.
Salem looked at Jace but he just shrugged in response. "Okay, what did you need to teach me?"
"Cho needs an example." Cho looked over at Jace. "Daddy can we construct a secure mind building? Daddy is not very creative."
Jace sighed and waved his hand. "Go for it." He then looked back behind him where a cushioned chair appeared. He sat inside it and watched as Cho narrated what she was doing.
She started off by turning the gray box into a gray landscape. The white door was still there but it gained a stronger frame. Jace quickly realized this was just how he was perceiving things.
The sky turned blue like a normal planet with a breathable environment would have. Then the surroundings were filled with green grass. Next a few trees started popping up. Then a sun and clouds appeared in the sky. Next they turned in Jace’s direction and Jace suddenly felt unbalanced and looked down to see his cushioned chair had been turned into a wooden rocking chair. Then all around him a wooden structure popped up until a nice house was made and he was sitting on the porch of the house. One he had seen in an image before but was slightly different.
"That seems like the basics but what about the security stuff you mentioned." Salem asked as they walked back up to the new building that had appeared. But something about the environment was bothering Jace.
After a few seconds he was able to place it. It was far too quiet. "I have to leave the instructions for making your mind secure in your mind. I cannot help you with that. You need to have your mind to yourself when you do it." Cho explained. After a moment Jace noticed that her speech pattern seemingly changed.
"Okay..." Salem then leaned down and Cho pressed her forehead against Salem’s. Then Salem pulled back and was blinking. "This is complex." She then looked over at Jace. "Did you need me for anything else?"
Jace shook his head. "I am all good."
Salem bowed her head before walking to the white door and walking right through. Cho then waved, "I am going back out Daddy!" She then disappeared. It was probably just her habit to disappear like that instead of using a door to exit like how a humanoid would perceive the situation.
Jace stood up from the rocking chair. But as he did he heard a crack coming from the house. He blinked in surprise before entering the house and walking around. He only made it a few feet before he saw smoke coming out from under a door. He opened it and saw a set of stairs leading downward. He walked down through the green fog to find himself in a basement. The basement room looked a bit like something he had only vague memories of. It was a room... but he could not remember whose room.
But in the center of the room he could see a hatch slightly opened with a glowing green light coming from inside. He was thinking about moving forward and opening it up. But he felt his body shake slightly. So he opened his eyes to find Cho in her white and green striped tiger form.
[Daddy should not dive too deep in his own mind. It is dangerous.] It would seem Cho was back to her normal speech pattern.
Jace smirked and stood up. Feeling exhaustion rack through his body. "Noted, come on. I need to take a nap." Jace told her as he left the training room and went to his quarters. It was less that his body was in pain and more like his mind was tired.