“I wasn’t
doing
anything.”
Agent Willman put his hand on my cheek and said, "Hey, if I keep this off, do I have your word that you won't do something to us?"
I replied, "I don't know what you think I did, or plan to do, but I didn't attack those other agents, and no, I'm not going to attack you. Honest." I really wanted him to believe me. It was the truth, and that shocking was painful.
He nodded. I slumped back onto the bed and closed my eyes. He took a deep breath and smiled.
I said, "Oh, thank you. Damn, that hurt."
“That machine is set to only shock if you are trying something. Since your brain only activates in a certain spot when your telepathy is active, you’re trying something. Come on now, don’t lie to me.”
“I haven’t used my telepathy since I’ve been at the scene with the kidnapper. Your machine isn’t working right.”
“Come on, we’ve tested it on several telepaths, and the results are very consistent, per the techs.”
Nurse Katie said, “Psystar, we can see the brainwave activity on the monitor right now. You’re doing something.”
I caught Agent Dimmer’s thoughts as he approached from out in the hall. I mumbled, “Oh, great, Dimmer’s coming in. He’s an a-hole.” Just then the door opened and he walked in.
Nurse Katie said, “How did you know he was coming in?”
“I saw his thoughts as he approached in the hall.”
“Wait a moment, is that automatic?”
“Yeah.”
Agent Willman said, “Hold on, you hear our thoughts now without trying to read our minds?”
“Duh ... yeah. I hear everyone’s thoughts when they get close enough. Just like you hear noise that is close enough.”
Agent Dimmer frowned, “Why isn’t the machine on, she’s using telepathy on us?” He walked over toward it to turn it on.
A look of horror crossed my face.
Nothing like seeing your own fearful face from other people’s eyes at the same time.
Agent Willman grabbed his arm. “Hold on, I turned it off, and it is staying off for now.”
Agent Dimmer angrily said, “What? Why? You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t screw with you like she did that poor guy, or scream in all our heads and give us bloody noses and ears again. She knocked one guy out.”
Nurse Katie said, “Actually, having the machine on caused her to scream and make a fair number of people bleed just a little while ago. Obviously it doesn’t stop her from using her power.”
Agent Willman held up his hand, palm out at her, “I’m the agent in charge here. Dimmer - out of the room if you aren’t going to be helpful.”
“Whatever. This is bullshit.” He stormed out of the room. He wanted to turn the machine back on, even if the only effect was to hurt me.
I blew out my breath. I must have been holding it in anticipation of being shocked.
Agent Willman said, “Where was I? Ah, you were saying that you just hear people thinking when they get close to you?”
“Yeah. Don’t all telepaths?”
“No. Those tested all, um, turn it on. Something like pulling a trigger on a gun to read someone’s thoughts.”
“Not for me. Being around too many people is a real pain in the ass for me. I get a ton of mindviews all blocking my vision, and can’t hear because so many people are talking in their head.”
“Then you
were
using your telepathy?”
“Huh?”
Nurse Katie jumped in, “That makes sense, actually. She just has an always-on type of telepathy. Almost an extra ear for her.”
I nodded. “I haven’t spoken with any other telepaths, Psycom was supposed to call me, but I haven’t heard from him yet.”
Agent Willman said, “He was a test subject for us. His works on the on/off type usage.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great, I’m a freak among freaks.”
“You mentioned a ‘mindview,’ I’ve never heard of that, what is it?”
“It’s a visual of what you guys are seeing or thinking. It reminds me of a T.V. in my visual field.”
“You said ‘a ton of mindviews.’ You see many of these?”
“One for every person close to me. Wait, your machine hurt more every time more people came in the room. I wonder if my mindview link registered as more telepathic activity?”
“Beats me, I’m not a scientist. Sounds reasonable, I suppose. Jesus, you actually see what both of us are thinking right now?”
“You two and Mr. Firre out in the hall. Oh, and someone cleaning the room above or below us as well. Sometimes someone else’s appears when they walk by in the hallway or enter the room above or below this one.”
“So, ah, T.V. screens keep appearing and disappearing in your head?”
“Right. Although ‘in my head’ isn’t very accurate. They appear out where I’m looking. As in, they get in the way of my eyesight if my eyes are open.”
“Huh. That’s, ah, interesting.” He actually thought it was disturbing, peering into every person’s thoughts.
“I also hear what you think, Agent Willman. I’m sorry it’s disturbing to you. I’m hoping to get used to it enough that I can
not
react to what other people think.”
He nodded. "Now that that is cleared up, I'd like to hear in your words what occurred at the scene with the kidnapper."
"Do you mean my capturing of the kidnapper, or my mind reading of him, or when I was so rudely interrupted and apparently screamed at everyone and hurt them all?"
"Give me a rough overview until the interruption."
"I was already grumpy, I think you knew that. When I showed up at the scene they still hadn't caught the guy. I located him, flew through a window and tried to capture him. He shot me about ten times while I tried to subdue him, and he knocked me out. The police tactical squad came in right at that point and must have subdued him. One of them later said the guy had run out of bullets shooting at me. When I woke up, I went downstairs, made nice with Agent Danst, and then proceeded to enter the kidnapper's mind to dig out where they held the girl."
I continued, "I almost had it, I was reviewing his memory of their capture of the girl and driving to their hideout when I somehow got jerked out of his mind. I've never had that happen before. All I know at that point is that I blacked out."
He asked, "Why was the man screaming in terror?"
I bit my lip. "I was causing him to be afraid. He'd already shot me ten times, I wanted him to learn to be afraid so he'd give up the information easier.... Oh."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Doh. I did throw his mental self into what I call his 'fear pool.' There's a place in everyone's mind that has their various emotions. I tossed him into the place where he feels fear. It, ah, kind of gives the person a massive dose of fear. That might be why Agent Dimmer saw the guy scream as bad as he did."
Nurse Katie asked, “Why would you do that to a person? That’s a horrible thing to do.”
I sheepishly answered, “He already kidnapped a young girl today, and then when I went to capture him he shot me about ten times. Have you ever been shot ten times? It hurt like hell.”
Agent Willman said, "So why did you attack everyone again?"
"I didn't attack anyone, except maybe the kidnapper in his mind."
"But everyone said they heard a mental scream, in their words. You actually caused bloody noses and ears in some people, like Agent Dimmer mentioned."
Nurse Katie said, “Actually, she did that here as well, when you had that machine on.”
"I did?"
"Yes, you did."
"I wonder if I did that before passing out. It was quite a shock having my mental link to the kidnapper broken. Perhaps it occurred when he dragged me far enough away from the guy. Call Baracco, the paramedic. He should have been watching. I bet he could tell you if I screamed when I was right by the guy, or when I was dragged something like fifteen feet away from him."
"I'll do that." He walked out of the room, opening his cell phone as he left. His mindview showed he planned on making the call now.
Nurse Katie patted my arm and said, “Even if they are the bad guys, I would think you shouldn’t do that to them. It’s cruel.”
I sighed and looked away from her, “I suppose you’re right. I was just so mad about the F.B.I. failing to follow a simple protocol before calling me in, and then finding out that someone’s daughter was kidnapped, then being shot until I passed out. You’re probably right though.”
Agent Willman left mindview range, but I still heard his mental voice as he made a call, obtained the cell number for Baracco, then called him up and discovered that my theory was correct. He next called up the regional H.E.R.O. headquarters in Metrocity and asked what the general policy was when a hero reacts to what might be an attack on them, and accidentally harms officers and other law enforcement personnel.
While we waited the nurse helped me drink some water and get more comfortable in the bed. I thanked her.
She asked, “Where did you get your hair dyed a metallic gold?” She ran her fingers through my soft hair.
“I didn’t. My hair all fell out when I changed, and immediately this grew out.”
“Hmm, a natural gold. Well, I’ve got other patients to check on, honey.” She patted my shoulder and left the room. I was left alone with my thoughts … and the mindview of Mr. Firre, and the mental voices of about a dozen people within thirty or forty feet.
Agent Willman walked back in about thirty minutes later and unlocked my hands, and then pulled off the head apparatus.
He said, "I'm releasing you and won’t have any charges pressed. No one mentioned that you lashed out after being dragged away from the guy. Personally, I could give a rat's ass if he was screaming in terror if you were getting the information to save the girl."
"Thank you. Is my costume here?"
"I saw it somewhere … ah, yeah, over here." He picked it up off a side table and brought it to me.
I rubbed my wrists, although they almost instantly healed the chafing caused by the heavy restraints. Then I sat up and stretched. I slid on the bottoms while I still wore the hospital gown, and pulled off the top to slide on my own. He watched me until I started pulling on the top, and then looked away. I grinned at his discomfort, for some reason being flirty put me back in my comfort zone.
I tapped his arm to get him to look at me again, and ran my hand through my hair while staring at him. Like most people, he was distracted by the motion I made, which worked wonderfully as a mirror. My hair had been washed.
I said, "Thanks for that."
"For what?"
"Acting as my mirror. I see what you see. I'm a telepath, remember?"
"I wonder if all the telepaths can see through the eyes of others. For that matter, I wonder how many other telepaths are out there with always-on telepathy. You
were
using your power constantly."
"No, I don't do anything to activate that."
"Yes, but your power is still active. That must register on the machine as activity. Maybe if you’d come in for testing they could calibrate the machine so it only shocks when you actively use your power."
"Yeah, that’s a great sales pitch. Come on in so we can learn how and when to shock you better, Psystar. Not." I slid on my boots as I spoke. The headache had mostly faded by this point. It was pleasant not to be in constant pain.