by John O'Riley
“I’m afraid you have all the time alone that I can allow,” he said apologetically.
“Thank you for accommodating us,” Sharon said and projected a false sense of gratitude and pleasure at the staff member. “I know you did your best.”
Bradley preened at the praise and his anxiety melted away.
“I’ve talked to my cousin long enough. It’s time for us to leave now,” Sharon said.
Bradley escorted them to the lobby and Sharon thanked him once again for his help. As she left the building, her cell rang. She checked the caller I.D. before answering it and cringed when she saw George Hendrick’s name. She briefly entertained the thought of ignoring her phone but reluctantly answered it.
“Hello, George,” Sharon said.
“Tell me what happened,” he said.
Sharon explained what had just occurred and waited impatiently for him to speak. He allowed the silence to stretch on and she wondered why he was acting like such a jerk before remembering that he was a man and therefore such behavior was expected.
“Interesting,” he finally said.
Sharon rolled her eyes as she stood in front of her car. She could feel Kevin watching her from behind. He was such a sneaky bastard.
“You were right about her being a multipath. There is so much power in the network now it’s hard to believe,” she said.
“I feel it, too. It’s a pity that our empathic ability is the only one to increase; however, there’s a chance that could change. Multipaths have more than one ability so it’s conceivable that we’ll eventually find one or more of the new ones to join our network that are gifted with empathy and telepathy both which might give us the same benefits as a telepathic network,” George said.
“That’s an interesting theory,” Sharon said.
It was also a very speculative theory based on conjecture with no facts. Sharon remembered Rose’s brief state of lucidity and shivered as a sense of foreboding crawled over her. There had been something utterly disturbing about the entire event. Sharon turned and glared at Kevin who was staring at her back. He continued to gaze at her without chagrin.
“We’re going to test our abilities today. I suggest you do the same at your facility,” George said.
“Will do,” Sharon said.
“There’s another mental institution in Portland, Oregon that I may have you pay a visit to. There are several patients who may be multipaths. I’ll contact you when I know more.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” George said before abruptly disconnecting.
Sharon frowned as she holstered her cell phone.
“You’re going to have to quit staring at me,” she said icily.
“It doesn’t hurt to look,” Kevin said casually.
“It annoys me and I want you to stop,” Sharon said.
“I know it bothers you.”
The doors of her car unlocked by themselves and Kevin let himself inside. Sharon stared at her car as she dug in her purse for her keys. She slipped in behind the wheel and started the engine.
“How did you do that?” Sharon asked.
“I don’t know,” Kevin said carelessly. “It just occurred to me that I could so I tried it.”
“Is it a new ability? Do you think Rose’s integration in our network has grown our abilities?”
“Yes, I can feel it. All of our abilities are stronger now. It’s not just because of Rose but the others she drew in,” Kevin said.
“Did you sense anything disturbing about her?” Sharon asked.
“Not at all,” Kevin said. “Did you?”
“Yes,” Sharon admitted reluctantly.
“You’re too cautious.”
His jab pissed her off so she drove in silence. It was a reminder of what an obnoxious pain in the ass he was. Sharon couldn’t allow herself to forget that he was a spy who would report everything she did to George Hendricks. As soon as Sharon arrived at Psi-Tech, she ordered immediate testing for the members of the empathic network. She quickly sifted through her emails then read through some of the reports her assistants and department managers had sent. She placed a call to Marissa and ordered her to report to her office immediately. Marissa was a researcher for the psychometry department. She was currently a level three psychometrist and a level six empath. Because she was one of the few employees who could participate in the psychic network and the strongest at the Seattle facility, she was now a very valuable individual. Marissa knocked on the door and Sharon beckoned her inside. Marissa’s strong empathic abilities made her vulnerable to people’s emotions, resulting in her becoming increasingly timid and anxious around others.
“Close the door behind you,” Sharon said.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said meekly.
Sharon had intentionally made the purpose of this visit unknown. She smiled coolly and motioned for Marissa to have a seat.
“I presume you finished your testing?” Sharon said.
“Yes, my empathy abilities have risen to a level nine and my psychometry is a six.”
“The experiment was a success then,” Sharon said with satisfaction as though it had been her idea to strengthen the psychic network with Rose’s abilities. “We’ve recently expanded our network. Another multipath like Kevin is now adding their strength to ours. It’s been theorized that if we had enough multipaths, all of our abilities would strengthen instead of just our empathy. We now have the same advantage as a telepathic network.”
“That’s a huge step,” Marissa said nervously.
“I called you here to find out if communication among those in our network is easier which I suspect to be the case now,” Sharon said.
Marissa regarded her manager with unease. Sharon could feel her presence in the network. Because Marissa was the strongest empath at this facility, her mind burned like a bright beacon that Sharon envied.
“Can you hear me, Marissa?” Sharon said telepathically using only a small amount of effort. This usually wouldn’t transmit to an empath no matter how strong they were.
“Yes, I do,” Marissa thought back reluctantly.
“Excellent,” Sharon said with excitement.
Adding Rose had caused a revolutionary step in the psychic network. In the future, there had been some empathic networks but the abilities had paled in comparison to the telepathic networks. Psi-Tech now stood an excellent chance of retaining its current power base and achieving a stronghold in the near future. After Marissa left the office, Sharon noticed a new email from George Hendricks stating that Psi-Tech was now scheduled to go public with the media in a couple of days which would cause a sharp increase in their business and multipaths whose conditions hadn’t yet become fatal would seek them out for help. It would provide an excellent opportunity to add new powerful members to their psychic network. This would greatly strengthen Psi-Tech’s chances of reaching their monetary and political goals in the near future and to prevent the telepaths from achieving too much power.
Chapter 11
Rose LePont gazed sightlessly out the window of her room as an orderly, Ken, checked in on her. He was a new member of the staff with an earnestness that hadn’t yet given way to a cold cynicism as was common. He had short, curly brown hair and brown eyes and wore the standard, sky blue uniform. Ken strode over to her side so he could make sure she was really okay. A thin trail of spittle had dribbled down the right side of her face.
“Hi, Rose,” he said as if she could understand him. “I’m just checking to make sure you’re all right.”
She didn’t respond in any way to his presence. He pulled out a tissue and gently dabbed away the spittle before heading for the door. His hand closed on the knob when he heard something behind him. Ken turned and saw Rose gazing intently at him. He regarded her with surprise and was struck speechless for several seconds.
“Rose?” he finally said.
Her gaze narrowed and he felt a wave of dizziness for several seconds.
“Ken, sit down on the bed,�
� Rose said succinctly.
Instead of following her instructions, he turned the knob and stumbled out into the hallway. His body felt oddly uncooperative as though compelled to obey Rose’s command. He instinctively felt the need to escape her presence. He moved to slam the door shut but it burst open of its own accord.
“Get back in this room,” Rose said authoritatively.
Ken’s body froze as he struggled to make up his mind to escape or obey. It felt as though his consciousness had split in two and were at odds with each other. Rose slowly stood up from her chair and strode toward him. He struggled to escape but couldn’t make his body budge.
“Get back in that room and sit down,” Rose said.
This time, Ken found himself obeying and the last vestiges of independent thought evaporated from his mind. He sat down on the bed as Rose closed the door behind him and stood facing him. A thin trail of blood trickled down her nose.
“You made this very difficult for me,” Rose said tersely. “It causes a lot of psychic backlash to control someone so completely. I don’t know why you couldn’t have just cooperated.” She paused and glared at him. “Tell me what day this is.”
“Thursday.”
“What month and year is it?” she snapped impatiently.
“September 2012.”
“Have you seen Psi-Tech on television?” Rose demanded.
“Psi-Tech?” Ken frowned with puzzlement. “No.”
“You haven’t heard of them yet?” Rose’s hands balled into fists and her face contorted with fury.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Damn it! What’s taking them so long? They’re supposed to go public!” Rose snapped with frustration.
Ken was struck violently sideways by an unseen force. He hit the floor hard and lost consciousness. Rose stood over him with murder in her eyes. She swayed from side to side and shook her head to clear it.
“I’m running out of time,” she said in a panicked tone.
She stumbled backward and positioned herself back onto the chair. Almost instantly, her gaze lost focus and she was once again staring sightlessly out the window. Ken regained consciousness and sat up. He gingerly rubbed the sore spot on his head then gazed at Rose. He stood up and approached her. Blood had dribbled down her nose and stained the front of her shirt. He gasped in alarm and used a tissue to wipe away the blood from her face but the shirt was ruined. He left the room to get help and had no memory of seeing Rose awaken from her stupor.
Chapter 12
Jeremy strode into the dining room where Julie, Ryan, and Emily were enjoying their breakfast of pancakes. Of course, Emily was the most appreciative because she’d endured years of nothing but oatmeal for breakfast during her imprisonment at Psi-Tech. For her, pancakes were quite the luxury. Everyone immediately looked up as Jeremy stepped into the room because a distinct chill permeated the air and his eyes were black as his pupils had dilated to the point that only a sliver of color remained.
“Jeremy, are you all right?” Emily rose from the table and frowned in concern.
“I saw something terrible,” he said shakily. The violent vision still clung to him like a dark cloud and his gut twisted with anxiety. “Psi-Tech will discover that Phoenix Enterprises Center is going to open sometime during the third week of escrow and most of the members will be executed.”
“I didn’t realize they could possibly find out before we even opened,” Julie said shakily. “Are you sure it’s during the third week?”
“I’m positive,” Jeremy said.
“They must have operatives in the government that are watching business licensing records,” Julie said musingly. “We need to come up with a way of opening the center earlier.”
“They went public yesterday so I’m surprised that they’re willing to take the risk of continuing to murder telepaths,” Ryan said.
“As long as they feel the risk of discovery is minimal, they’ll continue to do so,” Emily interjected. “We’ve got to get our center up and running quicker somehow.”
“You might be able to forgo the escrow and get the center started within a week,” Jeremy said.
“And how could I do that?” Julie regarded him with surprise.
“I could buy the building for you,” Jeremy said.
“You have that kind of money?” Julie asked with shock.
“Yes, I do and I would insist on being an officer for the business,” Jeremy said.
“You’ve got a deal,” Julie said crisply. “How does vice president of operations sound?”
“That sounds great. I don’t have any experience though.”
“I’ll help with that,” Julie said.
She went over the plans with him, they had a quick breakfast, then they visited Julie’s lawyer to take care of the legalities of the business and paperwork. Once that was finished, they went to the bank and Jeremy purchased the hotel. By the time they returned home, the day had gone and it was early in the evening. The rest of the week was hectic as Julie and Ryan ironed out the details of the business and security. Meanwhile, Emily and Skylar helped with the preparations as much as they could. Emily worried about the change in her brother’s attitude toward Julie and the company. The present had turned out to be completely different than what she had foreseen due to changes she’d made as well as those made by Psi-Tech, Inc. Unfortunately, now that there were so many precognitives, the future would continue to change drastically moment by moment. Many events would be impossible to foresee because of the instability of the future – especially those events affected by larger groups of people and other precognitives. Emily had always assured herself in the past that if she could only escape from the clutches of Psi-Tech that she would be able to avoid any dangers because of her powerful ability. Unfortunately, she had failed to consider that there were many others who shared her talent including those who possessed agendas that conflicted with hers.
Coming to the realization that the future would never be certain was difficult to come to terms with. Living in an apartment at Phoenix Enterprises felt like exchanging one prison for another even though Emily could choose to leave whenever she desired. Taking up residence there was the best way to ensure her safety but she planned on figuring out a way to live on her own. Jeremy and Skylar had both agreed on this but now Jeremy’s attitude was vastly altered by his monetary investment in the company as well as his new level of responsibility and authority. Emily wasn’t so sure he would ever choose to leave Phoenix Enterprises if she chose to do so. He had lived many years believing she was deceased so now she wondered if their familial connection remained as strong as before. She was afraid that wasn’t the case.
On Tuesday, Phoenix Enterprises was ready for business. Emily, Julie, Ryan, Skylar, and Jeremy stepped inside the building with their colleagues who also chose to work and live here. The lobby and main offices were tastefully decorated and furnished. Emily was impressed by how quickly Julie had arranged everything. Emily shared a large office with her brother while Skylar was assigned with four other telepaths in another one farther down the hall. Emily was the manager for precognitive contract services. A manager wasn’t really necessary in her opinion since there was only one other precognitive besides herself but Julie offered a very attractive salary and Emily certainly wasn’t going to protest. Julie had sent press releases for Phoenix Enterprises yesterday afternoon at all the major local news networks and Jeremy had contacted his friends that he’d acquired who had a pull with the media and government. Favorable press was practically guaranteed.
Emily’s first day working at the center passed quickly. As expected, Jeremy and Julie were kept busy with interviews from the press. Emily had no difficulty tracking appointments for her employee as only two calls were made. She knew the by tomorrow after their business had been relayed on all the local news channels, calls would flood in Emily’s line as precognition was the most lucrative psychic ability. Psi-Tech would definitely be aware of the center’s presence but so far, neithe
r Emily nor Jeremy had perceived any direct assaults directed at them. Of course, any telepaths not protected would be in danger. Jeremy had just returned from another interview with the press at the end of the day when someone within their telepathic network conveyed a sharp terror. Emily stiffened as adrenaline shot through her body. She sensed a frenzy of telepathic thought buzzing through the network.
“A woman in our network, Wendy, has sensed men coming to kill her. There are four of them and they have her house surrounded. We’ve got to go now,” Jeremy said.
Emily followed him to the lobby where two security operatives were waiting with Julie and Ryan.
“Hopefully we can get there in time to save Wendy. We’re going to incapacitate all four men as quickly as possible,” Julie said intently as they briskly walked to her sedan.
They climbed inside and she drove at record speed.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Ryan asked.
“Yes,” Julie said. “Wendy showed me. I told her to hide and she knows a spot where they may not be able to find her for quite some time.”
“Where is that?” Emily asked.
Wendy’s raw terror broke into their consciousness and they lapsed into a tense silence. Emily’s hands balled into tight fists as she struggled to remain calm. The terror quickly subsided to the fringe of her consciousness. To feel such powerful emotion meant that Wendy was projecting far stronger than anyone had before.
“We’re almost there. Is everyone ready?” Julie asked.
Everyone responded in the affirmative and a moment later, she pulled the car to a screeching halt in front of a small beige house. The front door was wide open. The two security operatives hopped out of the car with the guns drawn and cautiously approached. Jeremy stepped in behind them.
“What are you doing?” Emily asked her brother sharply.
“I’m going to help them. Don’t worry. You and Julie can remotely take care of some of the Psi-Tech operatives from the car,” Jeremy said.
Emily bit down on her lower lip as she refrained from protesting. She couldn’t afford to distract him at this point. She could sense the four attackers within the house and one of them was positioned near the front and aware of their presence.