by John O'Riley
“What’s going on?” Leo asked pleasantly which wasn’t like him. He was normally mildly grumpy with a slight frown on his face.
“Rose’s awake,” Ken said.
Leo’s smile widened and he stared at them for several seconds before saying, “That’s great news!”
He straightened to his full height and the pain from his arthritis melted away. He walked over to them and they embraced in a group hug for a moment before breaking away and marching toward the front desk. The receptionist, a young woman, buzzed them past the glass security door. They marched purposefully into the lobby area with Rose.
“Where are we going?” she asked hesitantly as the front doors loomed ahead. Venturing outside made her feel unsafe. The unease popped the bubble of euphoria and Rose lost her connection to the mysterious force she’d been tapped into although she was still linked with the psychic network. Being cut off from that beauty gave her a terrible sense of isolation and despair. She desperately wanted to feel that way again.
“What’s going on here?” one of the doctors burst into the room.
“Rose’s awake,” Ken said.
“So she is,” the doctor said with bemusement. “Can you hear me Rose?”
“Of course,” Rose said quietly as the depression grew stronger. Her pupils shrank to their normal size and her legs shook with the effort of keeping her upright. “What’s happening to me?”
She abruptly passed out and awakened in her room early in the afternoon. A horrible sense of despair and sadness gripped her body in a vise. She couldn’t continue to live this way. This was unbearable. Rose became aware of the presence of a powerful mind brushing against her consciousness.
“Rose, you don’t have to feel this way,” a female voice said. It seemed oddly familiar as though she’d heard it many times before.
“I don’t want to be awake anymore. I can’t take this,” Rose thought.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Open your mind to me and I can help,” the voice said.
“I don’t trust you.”
“I’ve been helping you for quite some time. Your body was like an empty vessel and I put events into motion to heal you.”
“You used me like a puppet,” Rose said defiantly. “You violated me.”
“I did what I could to help you. It was all for the greater good.”
“What will happen if I open my mind to you? Will you take over my body forever?” Rose demanded.
“That is no longer possible now that you are healed. I’m the one who put events into motion to have you become part of a psychic network. Originally, it didn’t happen until much later for you but now, you will enjoy a longer life.”
“How can I believe you? I’m remembering the things you did. You made people do what you wanted.”
“I was doing it to help others of our kind. You know about the electrical storms that changed the world,” the voice said. “You know of many things because of your unique gift. You are more special than you can imagine. We can be an incredible team.”
“You want to take over my body! You’re hiding something from me. I don’t trust you. Leave me alone!” Rose said forcefully.
“If you don’t let me help you, the doctors will experiment on you. I can save you from a lot of grief. There’s no need to suffer through the torment that awaits you,” the voice said desperately. “Open your mind to me! Allow me access and I’ll show you everything!”
“Go away!” Rose screamed and pushed violently against the intruder.
Rose breathed a tremulous sigh of relief but the despair still washed over her in tumultuous waves. It felt as though she was dying. She desperately reached out with her mind in search of the mysterious force she’d connected with earlier and finally found it. The heavy sense of hopelessness melted away as waves of euphoria washed over her. She clung to the mysterious force as her eyes dilated until they became completely black and the temperature in the room plummeted. Rose realized she was in a clean white uniform and her hair was slightly damp. While she’d been unconscious, the orderlies had bathed her as they did every day.
Rose sat up and faced Leo who was seated nearby watching her. She smiled and greeted him warmly. He smiled back and spoke into his walkie talkie. Soon, Doctor Tom Zimmerman arrived with a clipboard and papers.
“Rose, it’s a pleasure to see you active and aware,” Tom said.
“It’s good to finally be healed,” Rose said.
Tom smiled widely at her and she knew that while she was connected to the wonderful source of mysterious life energy that she exuded a strong sense of tranquility and bliss to anyone surrounding her. Tom bombarded her with a series of questions designed to gather information about her personality and subconscious. Soon, Rose became aware of the greedy nature of his thoughts as he intended on parading her to his colleagues at other facilities and news reporters as her prize patient who he had single-handedly helped to escape the lifetime of unconsciousness that had plagued her until now. Her connection with the mysterious force wavered and she instantly reverted all her attention to it and away from those minds surrounding her.
“Rose?” Tom prompted for he’d just asked her a question and repeated it twice. “Are you still with us?”
“Yes,” she said but chose to remain only partly conscious to him. “It’s hard to concentrate right now.”
“I have more questions for you.”
“I’m tired, Doctor. Can’t this wait for another time?” Rose said cheerfully.
“I suppose so,” Tom said reluctantly but he was feeling good so therefore generous. “We can continue this session later. You can rest for now.”
“Thank you.” Rose smiled gratefully at him even as she sensed his vile intentions for her. There would be no peace for her as long as she stayed here. Unfortunately, she had no idea where she could escape to. She didn’t have any experience in the outside world even though centuries of wisdom flooded through her mind. She could hear so many thoughts surrounding her and one individual’s thoughts caught her attention. It was Doctor Zimmerman and he was planning a series of tests and experiments for Rose. Her life would be quite an ordeal, just like the strange intruder had told her. Focusing on this unpleasant reality caused her to lose her grip on the force. Instantly, hopelessness and despair took root. Pain wracked her body as the negative emotions tore through her like poison.
Rose suffered through days of agony with only short periods of reprieve as she managed to temporarily connect with the force. Unfortunately, most of the time she spent was in misery brought when she was cut off from this joyous phenomenon. The powerful intruder visited her a couple of times to request access to her mind. Finally, Rose reluctantly spoke with her.
“What do you want from me?” Rose asked.
“I want to give you the benefit of my discipline and experience so that you don’t have to suffer anymore,” the voice said.
“How do I know you won’t try to take over if I let you in?” Rose asked fearfully.
“You can always create a very small opening and shield the rest of your mind. That would protect you,” the voice said. “It would severely limit the rate of information exchange between us though.”
“I could live with that,” Rose said.
“You are running out of time. Once Dr. Zimmerman gets it in his head to start drugging you, your abilities will become dormant.”
“Drugs will make my abilities go dormant?” Fear rose inside Rose and threatened to overwhelm her. It would be like becoming a prisoner in her own body – like reverting back to the way she was.
“The only way is for you to learn what I know,” the voice said. “We should get started since you’re going to severely limit my access.”
“All right,” Rose said.
She opened her mind just a sliver and built up the shields so that the intruder wouldn’t topple them from the inside. It was possible that the stranger would try to push her way through and break the mental barriers from both the inside and outside. If Rose k
ept her concentration up then the risk of this happening would remain negligible. Information trickled into her mind from the powerful intruder in the form of memories. Amazingly enough, they revolved around life at Evergreen Terrace Center which involved chatting with the orderlies and the other doctors as well as being questioned by Doctor Zimmerman. When he began administering drugs, the memories turned darker as the individual in question became extremely isolated and lost her abilities. Doctor Zimmerman showcased her like a trophy to many people including news reporters as well as managers and doctors from other medical facilities. Rose lost her concentration on her shielding when she realized that these memories were of herself in the future. How could they be memories from a time that hadn’t yet occurred? Her control slipped which unintentionally allowed the opening in her mind to expand. The amount of memories quadrupled and she was overwhelmed with information. Desperately, Rose tried to close the opening in her mind but was too weak from the over-stimulation.
She struggled against the intruder but the relentless barrage of memories continued. Terror clawed at Rose’s insides as she imagined her consciousness being seized by this powerful individual. She should never have allowed this but now it was too late. Rose felt her personality changing with the experience of another’s memories. Her mind became more disciplined, colder, and harsher. She had manipulated so many people to change events in her favor. Everything was going according to plan. Soon, she would be unstoppable. Abruptly, Rose identified the intruder as herself.
“Why are you doing this? You are me!” Rose cried out. “How is this even possible?”
“We are united now,” the intruder said. “I am you from the future. You see, in the original timeline, I remained a prisoner in my body until I was almost fifty years old. My multipathic abilities hadn’t awakened until I became a part of the psychic network. I didn’t learn the full extent of my abilities until recently in my final years. I’ve already changed things for the better but things aren’t yet the way they need to be. I’ve been manipulating the CEO at Psi-Tech and got him to include you in their psychic network which plugged you in over thirty years earlier than what originally happened. I also got them to change their policy to include telepaths in their network instead of killing them. It was a discovery I showed them that they wouldn’t have found out until forty years in the future. They had never before considered it possible to link with multipaths or telepaths. I made it all possible. And the network has grown to the point that you have healed and become self-aware.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Rose asked.
“You wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Other patients that are linked to our network are getting better. Is that a common side-effect?” Rose asked.
“Yes if they are dormant multipaths then being linked to a psychic network will heal their minds and stabilize their conditions,” the voice said.
Rose felt her consciousness transform completely. She now viewed the world in a much different way – as something that she could manipulate and eventually control. She remembered all the cruelty she suffered at the hands of the medical community but now that she had acquired all the experience of the future memories, she could avoid this. She now possessed the discipline and practice of over one hundred years. Her healing abilities would extend her own life and they were already slowing the aging clock. She had originally lived to be well over one hundred but now she could probably easily surpass two hundred years. Rose reached out with her mind and tapped into the force that flowed all around her. There were several different types of this energy and the one she’d first tapped into required a relaxed, happy frame of mind to connect with. The matrix that she was currently tuned into was different; it required a discipline of mind but no specific emotion. It wasn’t as powerful as the original but offered more choices for controlling the environment around her. This was a rare talent that Rose knew wouldn’t exist in a multipath for many years to come.
The first order of business was to leave this mental institution behind. Fortunately, her future self had already arranged a safe place for her to stay. Her partner, Kevin, would probably be waiting for her there or perhaps he was still working at Psi-Tech undiscovered. Rose sent a powerful stream of psychic energy to distort all of the psychic imprints that inhabited this facility which would prevent any psychometrists of learning any valuable information about her. She couldn’t allow herself to be hunted down just yet. There was still important work for her to do.
The door to her room opened of its own accord as she stepped toward it. Rose walked briskly down the hallway. An orderly came into view which she knocked out using her telepathic power. Rose was one of those multipaths that possessed both telepathy and empathy. She blocked the worst of the shock wave that struck back at her mind but there was still a mild twinge of pain through her body. Rose reached the glass doorway blocking the lobby and opened it telekinetically. She quickly knocked everyone unconscious which lambasted through her mental blockade. Agony smashed through her skull and she clutched her head in both hands. The backlash of using her telepathic ability on four people in the lobby was too much. Blood trickled down her nose and she realized she should have used telekinesis on them even though it would have taken longer.
Rose stumbled weakly to the front door and stepped outside. She focused on streaming healing energy into her body and directed the majority of it at her aching skull. After several long moments, the pain subsided. Rose strode over to a black sedan and felt out the electronic signature of the locking mechanism. Soon, she had the anti-theft alarm deactivated and the door opened.
Rose slipped in behind the wheel with a smirk of satisfaction. The world was hers for the taking.
Chapter 18
Jeremy and Kate stood vigil over Emily as they waited for some sign of improvement. Jeremy had fully expected his sister to awaken from her coma by the time he’d returned from his trip to California but he sensed the peculiar energy encasing her mind was almost as strong as when he’d left. Julie was trying to figure out a way to get them into Evergreen Terrace Center but it had been a couple of hours since his return and he wondered if she’d be successful.
“I just don’t understand what’s happening,” Jeremy said.
“I wish I knew. She should be awake by now. The future has changed for some reason,” Kate said fretfully.
Jeremy sat down on a chair next to the bed and focused on the malignant energy that caged Emily’s mind. Perhaps if he tried hard enough and long enough, he could tune into it and learn to manipulate it. After an extended period of time, Jeremy still found the mental prison to be elusive to his efforts to eradicate it. The temperature in the room plummeted as he worked even harder and tapped into the powerful potential of his psychic abilities. When his continued efforts proved useless, he tried contacting Emily directly. A tingle of warning flickered in the back of his mind as he connected with his sister.
“Jeremy, you have to help me! I’m dying!” Emily cried out.
“I’m going to wake you up. We can break out of here together,” Jeremy said.
“No, it won’t work. If you stay here with me, you’ll become trapped here, too. You have to leave now! Break through from the outside!” Emily said quickly in warning.
Jeremy reluctantly pulled back and found himself being held back by the imprisonment. Alarm rushed through him and he swiftly pushed harder. He wasn’t completely stuck yet but realized he soon would be. The malignant energy pulsed chaotically around him and disoriented his mind as he struggled to return to his own body. Abruptly, Jeremy awakened and found himself lying on the floor facing the ceiling. Kate and Julie both knelt over him with concerned looks which quickly changed to relief when they realized he wasn’t trapped in a coma.
“I’m okay now. I almost got stuck with Emily,” Jeremy said.
He tried to push himself up into a sitting position but his arms wouldn’t support the weight. He waited several seconds then tried again. His body trembled with
exertion as he managed to sit up.
“How long was I out?” Jeremy asked curiously.
“You were lying there for about an hour,” Kate said.
“That long?” Jeremy regarded her with astonishment.
Kate nodded slowly and gnawed on her lower lip with growing concern. “We were afraid to move you. What happened?”
“I connected with Emily’s mind and tried to help her get out of the mental prison she’s in. She immediately warned me that I’d be trapped and even though I pushed my way out, it was a close call,” Jeremy said.
“What’s happening to her? Why isn’t she awake yet?” Kate asked.
“It’s almost as if the attacker came back and strengthened the barrier at some point,” Jeremy said slowly.
“Do you really think that happened?” Kate asked sharply.
“I think so. I should stand guard over her to make sure the attacker doesn’t return,” Jeremy said.
“I’ve been here for the entire time,” Kate said.
“You’re not a telepath though. You can communicate to people in the network because I drew you in but you won’t be able to sense the attacker,” Jeremy explained.
“The best way to help your sister is to find out what’s going on. I’ll have two telepaths keep watch over her at all times but I think it would be a good idea for you and Lynette to go to Evergreen Terrace Center,” Julie said. “ Skylar can be one of the ones to watch over Emily while you’re gone.”
Jeremy reluctantly agreed even though he knew he was the strongest one and the most likely to keep any attackers away. Hopefully, he’d return back in time to confront the individual. He intuitively sensed that Kevin wasn’t the one who had done this even though he’d attacked the psychic network earlier.
“What’s our cover for the Evergreen Terrace Center?” Jeremy asked.
“I have fake police badges made for you,” Julie said. She pulled them out of her suit pocket and handed them to him.
“Won’t we get in trouble if we’re caught?” Jeremy asked.