Chapter 1

Prince of Mancovia

“Wow! This place is something else.” The younger boy looked up at his partner, who continued staring straight ahead, appearing not to have heard. “Mark?”

“Yeah?” The sound of his name shook the older teen out of his daydream. “Oh, erm, sorry, Paul, I was miles away. What were you saying?”

“I was talking about this place,” said Paul. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mark shrugged. “It’s OK I suppose, but a bit overdone for my tastes.”

The two teens were waiting in a reception room in the Mancovian royal palace. The expensive carpets, priceless paintings and gilt encrusted mouldings gave a sense of overworked splendour that would perhaps have more suited a bygone age. In many ways, Mancovia itself was a bit of an anachronism. A tiny, independent state, on the eastern edge of Europe, it had pretty much escaped the changes and political upheavals of the recent past. It was one the few countries left in the world where the monarch still held absolute power, though this power was limited by the fact that the entire country was hardly bigger than some Western cities.

“What do you think he’ll be like, this Prince Nicholas?” asked Paul.

“I’ve no idea,” Mark replied. “You’ve seen the file, so you know as much as I do.”

“He’d better not start thinking he’s any better than the rest of us, just because he’s a Prince,” said Paul, with a frown.

Mark shook his head. “It was made clear during the negotiations that he would be treated exactly the same as any other trainee Corps member.”

“Yeah, well, he might not be able to help himself. What I can’t understand is why he’s been assigned to us. His file says he’s potentially the most powerful member the Corps has ever had. Why haven’t one of the other bases snapped him up; London or New York?”

“That’s an easy one,” said Mark. “The original tip-off that a member of the Mancovian royal family was a potential powerhouse came directly from Sir Jeffrey Jenkins, the head of the British Secret Service. Sir Jeffrey has never been a very strong advocate of the Corps and certainly never does anything for anyone else unless it benefits him; the Corps Council are suspicious that he’s up to something. None of the leaders of the bigger bases were willing to take the chance that there might be something underhand going on, so it’s been passed down to us. The theory is that since the US West Coast base is the smallest, we’ve got less to lose than some of the others.”

“Couldn’t you have refused to take him, like the other base leaders did?” asked Paul. This was a reasonable question, since Mark was the leader of the West Coast base, as well as being a full Council member. In fact, at just nineteen years of age, he was the youngest base leader in the Corps’ history.

Mark gave a grin. “Yeah, I could’ve done that, but I thought it was more than worth the gamble. If this boy is as powerful as his assessment indicates, he’ll be a great addition to our team. We may be the smallest base, but when it comes to power we’ll be able to compete on even terms with any of the others. We already have some of the best; you’re the Corps’ strongest teleporter, and Adam’s one of the strongest telepaths. Prince Nicholas will not only be one of the most powerful kinetics, potentially, his energy manipulation abilities are off the scale.” The teen had failed to mention that he himself possessed healing abilities that were second to none.

Further discussion was brought to an end by the arrival of a manservant dressed in full black and gold livery.

“Gentlemen, if you would follow me please, his Royal Highness is ready for you now.” The man spoke perfect, clipped English, with just a trace of an Eastern European accent.

After a walk of what felt like miles, taken at a dignified but sleep inducing pace along richly furnished corridors, the uniformed servant stopped at a large double door, knocked smartly with his gloved hand and swung the door open. As Mark and Paul followed him inside, the servant gave a brief, shallow bow towards the sole occupant of the room, a formally dressed teenager.

“Your Royal Highness, the Corps representatives.”

Not knowing what he should do, Mark followed the servant’s example and inclined his head slightly.

“Thank you. That will be all,” said the young man, addressing the servant.

The man gave a slight nod of his head and left, closing the door behind him.

Mark felt a little out of his depth, unsure about how exactly to open a conversation with the fifteen year old heir to the throne of Mancovia. “Prince Nicholas, I’m…”

“Prince Nicholas Alexander Gromeko,” the boy interrupted, his voice cool and formal. He paused a moment and then gave an almost shy smile. “But please call me Nick. Nicholas if you want, but I prefer Nick.” He stepped forwards, holding out his hand.

“Pleased to meet to you, Nick. I’m Mark and this is Paul.” Mark gave a smile, instantly feeling more relaxed as he took the boy’s hand and shook it, warmly.

The Prince shook hands with Paul and then turned his attention back to Mark. “You’re a base leader? You’re younger than I expected,” he said, giving the teen an appraising look.

“We tend to be that way in the Corps,” Mark said. “I think we have a few members over thirty, but most of us are much younger. You speak better English than I expected,” he countered, with a grin. The Prince spoke with a refined English accent.

“I should do,” Nick replied. “I’ve spent most of my life at school in England. It’s a sort of family tradition. I’m more at home there than I am here. Sorry to keep you waiting, by the way, I had a meeting with the British consul and it went on longer than expected. Since my mother and father are both away at the moment, it’s left to me to represent the family. These things are always formal, hence the fancy dress.” He glanced wryly down at his black velvet tunic with its silver buttons and gold braid. “Please don’t get the idea that I dress like this all the time.” He led the way across to some easy chairs and indicated that his guests should sit. “No one’s told me very much about what’s going to happen,” he said. “Apart from the fact that you would be collecting me today and that I’m going to be staying at one of your Corps bases for a while. I don’t even really know what your ‘Corps’ is.”

“In that case perhaps we should start by filling you in about a few things,” said Mark, taking one of the chairs.

“I suppose I should know what I’m letting myself in for,” said Nick, waiting for Paul to take a seat before sitting down himself. As he lowered himself into his chair, a momentary pained look crossed his handsome face. It disappeared instantly. “I don’t mind admitting that I’m pretty scared at the moment.”

“That’s understandable,” said Mark. “I hear you had a bit of an accident a few days ago.”

“The accident? Oh, you mean the fire.” Nick gave a frown. “I haven’t a clue how it happened and I’ve hardly dared to go to sleep since then in case it happens again.”

“Well, that’s where we come in,” said Mark. “We’ll show you how to control your abilities so that it doesn’t happen again. You caused the fire using an ability we call energy manipulation; that involves taking energy from one somewhere and releasing it somewhere else, possibly even changing the energy type in the process. You must have subconsciously taken in energy and released it as concentrated heat.”

“So can all you Corps members do that?” Nick asked, looking both worried and a little confused.

“No, very few. Strong energy manipulators are comparatively rare,” Mark explained. “There are different types of ability. The most common ones are telepathy, telekinesis, energy manipulation, teleporting and healing, though there are others. All Corps members possess different combinations of these abilities, and some of us are stronger than others. Everybody is different.”

“I see,” said Nick. “It’s going to take some used to.”

Mark gave a smile. “Once we have you back at the base and start your training, you’ll soon start to feel more comfortable with it all.”

“Where is this base of yours?”

“The one we’re taking you to is on the Western coast of the United States, in San Francisco. There are around a dozen bases altogether, located in various countries around the world.”

Nick looked surprised. “San Francisco? I didn’t realise I’d be going so far.”

“It’s not as far as you might think,” laughed Mark. “Paul is a teleporter; a very strong teleporter. He can transport up to three people, anywhere in the world. He’ll have us back at the base in less time than it takes to think about it.

“That’s incredible,” said Nick, wide eyed. “I never realised such things were possible. This whole idea is like a comic book story.” He shuffled on his chair as if uncomfortable and again the momentary pained expression passed over his face.

“Are you OK?” asked Mark.

“Yes, thank you, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“You sure?”

Nick gave a thin lipped smile. “Yes, don’t worry; I’m just a bit sore. I fell off a horse yesterday and cracked a couple of ribs. I’ve got them strapped up at the moment. The doctor says it’s nothing serious, but they’re going to be painful for a while. It’s worse when I laugh, so please don’t start telling jokes.” The smile vanished and he suddenly looked worried. “This isn’t going to affect what you have planned for me, is it?”

“Not at all,” said Mark. “In fact, it’s something we can take care of right now. Take off your shirt.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Take off your shirt,” Mark repeated. “I can fix your ribs for you, but I need to be able to get at them.”

“What do you mean you can fix them? My doctor says that there’s nothing that can be done except wait and let them heal on their own.”

Mark gave a smile. “Your doctor’s methods are different from mine. I don’t believe in waiting quite so long. Come on, I’m not going to hurt you and once I get started it will only take a few seconds.”

Looking sceptical, Nick got to his feet, his hands going to the front of his dress tunic. He slowly unfastened the buttons, from top to bottom. He wasn’t wearing anything under the tunic, and as he allowed it to hang open, the top part of his lightly tanned, bare chest came into view. Just beneath his nicely defined pectoral muscles, a broad swathe of white bandage was wrapped tightly around his torso.

“Here, I’ll help.” Paul stepped up to the prince to help him remove the tunic completely.

“Thanks,” said Nick, with a pained grin. “I had to have one of the servants help me dress earlier.” He looked at Mark. “You want me to take the bandage off as well? If you do, I hope you’re serious about being able to make it better, because it’s really awkward and rather painful to put back on.”

“Don’t worry, I’m serious,” said Mark. He found the end of the bandage and between them, he and Paul unwound it from Nick’s body.

Now naked to the waist, Nick stood looking a little uncomfortable. He folded his arms in front of his chest, and then grimaced and thought better it, letting them hang down by his sides.

Mark looked the young teen up and down. Even without his fancy tunic, Nick was every bit a prince. He was quite tall for his fifteen years and though slim, was deceptively muscular; more so than he’d looked when dressed. His dark hair, a little longer at the back than the sides, framed a handsome, boyish face, with strong cheekbones and piercing green eyes.

“Paul, put your tongue back in,” said Mark, giving his younger friend a quick glance.

Nick looked at Paul and then immediately reddened as he saw the way the fourteen year old was staring at him.

“I’d give anything to have a body like that?” Paul muttered, softly, his eyes still locked on the prince.

“Just ignore him,” said Mark, noticing Nick’s obvious discomfort. He put out his hand and gently placed the tips of his fingers against the side of the teen’s chest, using his power to probe inside.

“Hmphhhh!” The touch, gentle though it was, caused Nick draw in a sharp breath.

“Sorry,” said Mark. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I needed to check exactly what the problem was. You have two cracked ribs. I’m going to have to put my hand on you again, but this time I’ll be doing the actual healing.”

“Will it hurt?” Nick asked, worriedly. “Just so that I know what to expect.”

“It’ll be agony,” said Paul grinning widely.

“Paul!” Mark glared at his friend, who, with an effort, managed to look suitably chastened. “Take no notice,” he told the prince. “He tries to be funny but he isn’t very good at it. It’ll probably be sore when I touch you, but that’s because of the bruising. The healing itself shouldn’t hurt at all. Here goes.” Once more, the nineteen year old laid his hand on the smooth skin of the boy’s torso, closing his eyes as he did so. In his mind he could feel the full extent of the injury, the cracks in the bones and the bruising around them. Concentrating, he directed his energies towards the injured area, instantly feeling the bones begin to knit together and the bruises begin to disappear; the mending of bones required someone with strong healing abilities, but Mark was more that up to the task. Moments later it was all over.

The older teen opened his eyes and gave a soft sigh. Healing was hard work. He lightly slapped the side of the prince’s chest with his hand. “There you go, good as new.”

As Mark’s slap made contact, Nick suddenly tensed as if expecting pain, then he relaxed and smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. “It is better.” He rubbed his own hand across his side, seeking out the soreness that had previously been there. “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

“That was nothing compared to some of the things you’ll soon be capable of doing yourself,” said Mark. “You’ll need to take things easy for an hour or so, since much of the energy for the healing came from you and you’ll be a little tired.”

“You’ll be able to rest up for a while once we get back to the base,” said Paul.

“While you’ve got your shirt off, I may as well do a full scan,” said Mark. “It’ll save me doing it when we get back.”

“What’s that?” asked Nick, once again looking just a little bit worried. He was still absently rubbing the side of his chest, as if unconvinced that the aching pain was not going to suddenly return.

Mark gave a reassuring smile. “It’s just a routine thing that we do with everyone who comes to us. It involves me putting my hands on you for a few seconds so that I can do a deep scan to check that you don’t have any serious medical problems; you won’t feel a thing.”

“If you’re going to have to do it anyway, I suppose we may as well get it over with now,” said Nick, with a slight frown.

Standing at the side of the teen, Mark placed one of his hands flat on Nick’s back and the other in the centre of his chest. The skin felt warm and velvety soft and Mark could feel the boy’s heart beating quickly beneath his touch. The older teen realised his own heart was beating almost as strongly, but for a different reason; this boy was seriously attractive. With a big effort, he pulled his mind back to a professional level. Closing his eyes, he allowed his senses to penetrate deep into Nick’s body, checking for defects and abnormalities. He found nothing; everything was in perfect working order.

“Was that it?” Nick asked, as Mark took his hands away.

“Yes, that’s all there is too it. You’re perfectly healthy, with nothing at all to worry about. So if you’d like to get your clothes back on, we can be thinking about going.”

Nick nodded. “Give me a couple of minutes to get changed and I’ll be ready. I already have my things packed; I was told I wouldn’t need much.”

“Just a few clothes,” said Mark. “And your toothbrush and that sort of thing.”

“OK, please excuse me for a few moments. My private apartment is just through there.” Carrying his tunic over his arm, Nick went through into an adjoining room, leaving the door open.

As soon as Nick what out of sight, Paul leaned in close to Mark. “Wow, he’s hot!” he hissed, keeping his voice low. “Do you think he’d notice if I peeked around the door to watch him change?”

“Stay where you are,” laughed Mark. “He’s going to be with us for at least a month. I’m sure during that time you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see him without his clothes on. I take it you’ve changed your opinion of him; you seemed all set not to like him earlier.”

“Yeah well, that was before I got a look at his body. Besides, I thought he’d be all stuck up and giving orders; he’s not like that at all.”

When he reappeared, a couple of minutes later, Nick had changed out of his formal clothing into a loose fitting, blue, button-up shirt and fairly tight, black denim jeans. He looked sexier than ever. He was carrying a large holdall. “I think I’ve got everything I need in here,” he said.

“We can let you have anything you’ve forgotten,” said Mark. “We’re fairly well stocked with essentials. Do you need to say goodbye to anyone?”

The prince shook his head. “My parents are away. My father doesn’t approve of any of this; it interrupts his plans for me and I think he’s deliberately arranged his latest trip so that he wouldn’t be here when I go.”

“That stinks,” said Paul.

Nick shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter since I hardly ever see my father or mother anyway. I had a governess until I was four and then I was shipped off to boarding school in England. It was the same for my brother, Peter. It’s the way things have always been done in our family. Oh, that reminds me of something I need to ask you. Will it be OK for me to telephone Peter sometimes, maybe a couple of times a week? He’s at school in England.”

“No problem,” said Mark. “You can call him whenever you like.”

“Thanks. I just need to have a quick word with my Private Secretary and then I’ll be ready to go. How does this teleporting work, do we need to go to a special place first?”

“No, we can go from right here,” said Mark.

“OK, I’ll just be a moment.” Nick left the room through the main door, returning less than a minute later.

“Sorted?”

The prince nodded. “I think so. I’m ready when you are.” He picked up his holdall.

“You need to hold my hand,” said Paul. “Don’t let go or you’ll get left behind and I’ll have to come back for you,” he added, with a grin.

Looking nervous, Nick took hold of Paul’s hand. Mark stepped closer and took hold of the young teleporter’s other hand.

“Right, it’s best if you close your eyes,” said Paul. “If you don’t, you might get sick.”

The world gave a sudden lurch.

“OK, you can open your eyes again now.”

Mark watched the amazed look on Nick’s face with mild amusement. They had just travelled half way around the world in less time that it would take to blink. The luxurious furnishings were gone, replaced by the much more utilitarian surroundings of the base leader’s office.

“Welcome to the Corps’ West Coast base,” said Mark, to the dumbfounded prince. “Paul will show you to your room and leave you for a little while to get settled in. It would be a good idea if you were to rest for an hour or so, especially after that healing earlier. Also, it was afternoon in Mancovia, but it’s still very early in the morning here, so I’m afraid you’ve quite a long day ahead. We’ve another new boy coming in later today. Once he’s arrived and we have him sorted out we’ll be able to get started with your training.”

As Paul left to take Nick to his room, Mark sat down at his desk and pulled out a brown, manila file. On the front of the file was a label, “Timothy Marriott”. Mark smiled to himself. Tim Marriott was the “new boy” he had just referred to and had a potential kinetic ability that exceeded anything previously known. It was an amazing stroke of luck that he’d been discovered right on Mark’s own doorstep. The West Coast base may be the smallest in terms of size, but with the addition of Nick and Tim to their ranks they would be on equal footing with any other base in the world. As base leader and Council member, this would give Mark an awful lot more pull within the organisation. The nineteen year old wasn’t interested in the extra prestige this would give him, but he was very much interested in the extra leverage he would be able to bring to bear when putting his ideas before the Corps Council. Some of the other council members liked to play politics, and now Mark would have enough clout to play right along with them.
 

Comments about the above story can be made on the discussion board or you can email me at gym@softhome.net