by John O'Riley
“Thank you, Teresa,” he said quietly.
“You’re welcome, Dad. We need to get you home,” she said.
“I’ll drive you,” Paul said quickly. “You can’t concentrate while you’re protecting his mind.”
“I do need someone to drive but I want you to stay here,” she said firmly. “Amy, if you would take us to your grandfather’s house, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Amy said.
She slipped behind the wheel of her car with her mother seated beside her and Jason slumped in the back seat.
“Did Agent Hurst pick up anything useful on Brian?” Amy asked once they were on the freeway.
When the quiet stretched out for a couple of moments, Amy wondered if her mother would answer her.
“He picked up some details but he doesn’t know where Brian is,” Teresa finally said.
“Does he know why Brian was taken?” Amy asked.
“Yes. He’s known ever since Agent Driscol took readings of the house with her psychometry. They have been searching for this group for years.”
“Why didn’t they tell us?” Amy said in outrage.
“Calm down. I’m having trouble keeping Dad protected with you projecting like that,” Teresa said icily.
“Sorry, Mom. I’m just really worried and I can’t believe that those FBI agents are hiding stuff from us.”
“Of course they are,” Teresa said distantly. “A lot of the work they do is classified including this case. Since I also have high level clearance, anything I’ve picked up from them with my telepathic ability is strictly confidential and I can’t share it. They’re doing their job and what they are keeping from us wouldn’t help us to find Brian.”
Amy glowered but didn’t argue. She resented being kept in the dark like that when her brother was missing.
“But there’s something else,” Amy said quietly. “Brian’s going to die, isn’t he?”
“I can’t answer that,” Teresa said.
Frustration, anger, and fear clawed at Amy’s gut but she didn’t lash out at her mother. She took several long moments to calm down because she knew she was probably broadcasting her emotions and thoughts very loudly which was detrimental to her grandfather’s condition. Teresa wouldn’t be able to keep the shield up if Amy didn’t control her emotions.
“Thank you,” Teresa said.
“You’re welcome,” Amy said grudgingly even though she felt her mother should tell her what kind of danger Brian was in.
“You’ll understand when you start working for the military,” Teresa said.
“If we don’t get Brian back, I may change the direction of my career,” Amy said coldly.
“The older you get, the more you’ll see that the world is all shades of gray. There’s no black and white. Ever.”
Amy wasn’t in the mood for another one of her mother’s infamous lectures on morality.
“Why did you want me to drive you instead of Dad?” Amy asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“Because I’m under an obligation to keep anything I learn about classified investigations to myself but anything your father discovers, he can tell you.”
“You surprise me sometimes,” Amy said.
“Why is that?”
“It seems like the job is the most important thing to you but then you say or do things like that,” Amy said.
Teresa smiled weakly. “Everything is shades of gray but nothing is more important than family.”
“Why didn’t you ask Uncle Dick to drive you and Grandfather home?” Amy asked.
“Because once we get to his house, it may take your grandfather a few hours to strengthen his shield to the point that I can withdraw from his mind. I don’t like Dick and I don’t want to spend that much time with him,” Teresa said.
“Be nice. That man is your uncle,” Jason scolded.
“Dad, he’s a jerk. Just because he’s your older brother, doesn’t mean you or I have to excuse his bad behavior,” Teresa said.
“He’s not that bad. He can be pretty cool to hang out with,” Amy said.
“He’s a selfish, egocentric, male chauvinistic toad,” Teresa said. “I don’t know why Stephanie puts up with him.”
Amy knew her mother didn’t like Dick but she rarely said anything negative about him. Teresa must be exerting a lot of her concentration on maintaining a psionic shield over Jason to suffer from such a loose tongue. Usually, she was so closed up about expressing herself in such a manner. Amy surmised that her military training had turned her into an extremely disciplined and aloof individual. Then again, some people were just like that. Amy had chosen her career in the military because she’d wanted to make a difference. Because she was a level ten talent, she was required to work for the government. Her telekinetic ability limited her options. She could try to work in other branches besides the military but it would be extremely difficult. She would have to score extremely high on the skills tests because her talent was primarily utilized by the government as a weapon.
“I don’t want to be a weapon,” Amy said.
“There’s always other options. You don’t have to be in the military but you will need to start preparing yourself for another field right away. You graduate from high school next year and haven’t looked into college yet,” Teresa said.
“You’re reading my mind,” Amy said bitterly.
“Your mind is like a foghorn,” her mother said coolly. “You will need to discipline your thoughts if you don’t want level ten telepaths to eavesdrop on you.”
Amy’s face reddened with embarrassment as she remembered how many of her peers in her psychic control and attunement class sometimes picked up on stray thoughts and mocked her. But that happened to everyone who wasn’t a level ten telepath.
“If you learn to establish the Quiet, people won’t be able to hear you,” Teresa said.
“That takes years and years of training and practice. I don’t have that kind of time,” Amy said dismissively.
On the other hand, she would be working with many level ten telepaths and they would always have a leg up on her as long as her private thoughts leaked out.
“It’s not too late to start,” Teresa said. “If you ever need any help, don’t hesitate to ask me.”
“Thanks,” Amy said grudgingly.
She still didn’t think she had much of a chance of working outside the military but lately it was starting to really bother her that she would be viewed as little more than a weapon. The self-doubts and anxiety had crept up on her only recently as she was faced with the reality of how soon her schooling would come to a close and her military career would begin.
“Even if you do end up in the military, you will be a great asset to this country,” Teresa said emphatically.
“My nightmares have gotten worse the last few days,” Jason said.
“That’s because of how worried you are for Brian,” Teresa said. “You need to stay calm and centered to keep control of your abilities.”
“My shield has been so weak no matter what I do. I have an appointment to see Dr. Bettinger tomorrow.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Dad.”
“Mom, you should learn to build other people’s shielding. You could help Grandfather and Brian and Dick,” Amy said.
“I’ve told you before, I simply don’t have the time to learn that technique. It takes special training and besides, I wouldn’t have the time to work on our family that often,” Teresa said.
Chapter 6
When Samantha stepped into the room, her energy leaked impatience but her disciplined mind still maintained the Quiet. From what little she’d told them, they should have developed at least one new ability yesterday if the new retrovirus had been successful. It was becoming increasingly unlikely that the gene sequence she’d hoped would activate multipathic abilities was effective. She had already waited years to find the correct combination in order to regain her original aggregate intuition so Brian knew she must be getting tir
ed of waiting. They gathered in the far corner of the room and Samantha began with the cards. Brian suddenly realized that Samantha wasn’t enveloping his mind at the moment, it was someone else. Last night, as he was falling asleep, he felt a new mind take over. It was someone other than Samantha’s usual relief and had to be a member of the team. Brian wondered why that individual hadn’t taken over before. It had to be exhausting for Samantha to interact with both her subjects while maintaining a psionic shield over their minds.
“Pay attention,” Samantha said in a brittle tone.
Brian flinched as he realized she’d been holding the card up for him for an extended period of time. Abruptly, he realized he could see the other side of the card very clearly.
“A triangle,” he said.
“Brian is correct,” Samantha said in a voice that indicated she was far from impressed.
After all, this was his only correct pick for the session so far. She held up the next card.
“A circle,” Russell guessed.
“An X,” Brian said as the image fixed very clearly in his mind’s eye.
“Brian is correct,” Samantha said.
Her energy sharpened with interest as she held up the next card. Russell guessed incorrectly but Brian picked the right one again. As she continued to hold up the cards, Brian picked the correct image with one hundred percent accuracy.
“You’ve gained a new ability,” Samantha said with a pleased smile. “Congratulations.”
Her excitement over the remote-viewing caused her to slip out of the Quiet for a moment and disjointed thoughts crept along the edges of his mind. Brian was careful not to actually try to probe Samantha’s mind because she would probably feel it. Brandon often made sniping remarks to Samantha and she often fantasized about firing him and sometimes killing him. The research assistant, Ashley, was the youngest in the group of four. She was the one who was currently ensnaring Brian’s and Russell’s minds. Even though she was only a level three telepath, they had a drug that temporarily increased all abilities of the subject to level ten capability for about two days. It was Ashley’s turn to take a double shift to allow Samantha and Norman relief. Once her turn was over, Norman would inject himself with the drug and take over. The formula became ineffective unless it was completely out of the system when taken again which took about two weeks.
Samantha quickly slipped back into the Quiet and Brian lost the stream of information. She regarded Russell pensively as if trying to figure him out.
“Do you feel any different?” she asked.
“No,” he said.
“Strange. I wonder why the retrovirus would work on Brian but not you. This is the fourth day and it usually doesn’t take this long for new abilities to crop up. I’m wondering if it’s a delayed reaction. Maybe it’s better this way,” Samantha said.
“What do you mean?” Brian asked.
“If it takes longer for new abilities to show up, maybe they will be more stable,” Samantha explained. “All right. We’re going to move on to the next test.”
She got out the single die and passed it to Brian. He sensed the flare of hope and anticipation in her. He took his turn trying to roll a one but only succeeded once out of six tries. Next, it was Russell’s turn. Neither one of them showed an aptitude for telekinesis until it was almost time to move on to the next testing exercise. At that point, Russell managed to get a hit four times out of six.
“Good work, Russell,” Samantha said. “You might be starting to develop a new ability.”
They continued the exercise longer than usual and Russell succeeded in rolling a one for four or five times out of six for every turn he took but without any improvement over that. When they move on to the next exercise, Samantha took out two pages with text written over it.
“This is written in a code. I want you to figure it out and read the message,” she said.
She set one of the pages in front of each of them. This was a brand new exercise and Brian surmised it was supposed to test them for aggregate intuition which allowed one to see patterns and to correlate seemingly unrelated facts into a solution. His eyes danced over the gibberish and he wondered how this could possibly translate into a message. Abruptly, something clicked into place in his mind and it made perfect sense. He could read it. It was historical facts regarding world war one. Brian didn’t wish for Samantha to learn he’d acquired more than one ability today so he feigned ignorance. He knew she wouldn’t be angry because they had both already demonstrated one new skill which proved her experiment a likely success. He was afraid that if they developed abilities too quickly, she might kill them before the seven day period was up. This was the fourth day so he had three days left to think of a plan. Hopefully, his aggregate intuition might help him figure something out.
“I’ll be right back. Keep working on the puzzles,” Samantha said.
She walked briskly out of the room and Russell smiled widely at Brian.
“It worked! We’re multipaths!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, it did,” Brian said with a weak smile.
He couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm as his peer as they were still captives and he knew their days were numbered. Keeping this information a secret from Russell was starting to eat at his conscience. However, he suspected Russell wouldn’t take the news very well and would confront Samantha. The element of surprise was crucial. Brian would tell him only if an opportunity arose to escape. Fortunately, Russell was completely oblivious to Brian’s anxiety. Samantha soon returned hefting a large cardboard box piled with miscellaneous items. Samantha wore plastic gloves over her hands and she quickly pulled out a bulky, tarnished silver vase.
“Since Russell already has psychometry, the next testing is just for you, Brian,” she said as she set down the vase in front of him on the table. “I’m going to place objects in front of you and you’re going to see if you can pick up any impressions from them.”
“All right,” Brian said.
He immediately reached for the vase and gently grasped the top with his right hand. He closed his eyes and emptied his thoughts. After several moments, he admitted to her that he wasn’t picking anything up.
“Try actively reaching into it like you would if you were trying to read its thoughts,” Samantha instructed.
“I’m not able to read people’s thoughts unless they project them to me. I’m only a level three telepath,” Brian said.
“Of course.” Samantha shuffled through the items in her box with a pensive frown then gazed up at him again. “You’re a powerful empath. Reach to the vase as if you can read its emotional energy.”
“All right,” Brian said obediently.
Brian suspected his telepathic abilities were a lot stronger now but he hadn’t tested it yet. For one thing, he’d gleaned all kinds of information from Samantha and had never been able to read anyone before. It was best to keep her in the dark though. He followed her instructions but couldn’t pick up anything.
“Try this.” Samantha pulled out a rubber ball and set it down in front of him.
Brian picked up the ball and his hand tingled as if static electricity was gathering up his fingers. He reached out with his mind to probe it for any psychic imprint.
“I don’t sense anything from this either but my hand feels kind of tingly,” Brian said.
“Excellent,” Samantha said as she marked something on her clipboard. “That could be a sign that you’re beginning to develop psychometry.”
She continued pulling objects from the box. Every time Brian worked on a different item, he felt more and more of that peculiar tingle. He wasn’t sure how long Samantha would continue this exercise and was relieved when she finally gave up. Samantha swiftly returned everything back into the box and set it on the floor.
“We’re going to practice remote-viewing again. It will help you to sharpen your new ability, Brian, which may in turn help develop some new abilities more quickly. This will also give Russell a chance to see if he can remot
e-view,” Samantha said.
Russell’s eyes had glazed over with boredom as he’d been watching Brian try to perform psychometry. Now, his eyes focused again and he gazed intently at the card Samantha held up. Brian’s remote-viewing remained reliable while Russell showed no aptitude toward this particular talent. Samantha’s energy leaked disappointment but she hid it behind a cool poker face.
“It’s time for a short rest. I’m going to get some dinner for you. First, I have some questions to ask. Russell, are you experiencing any unusual symptoms? Any headaches, fatigue, or nausea?” she asked.
“No, why?” he said with concern.
“I just want to make sure there aren’t any side-effects,” she said smoothly. She turned her attention to her other captor. “How about you, Brian?”
“No, I don’t have any of those problems,” he said.
“What about psychic burnout? Are you suffering any symptoms?” she asked.
“None at all,” Brian said.
“You feel like you have enough energy? Your empathy isn’t bothering you?” she asked.
“No, but since my mind is being blocked with the psionic shield, it isn’t possible for me to feel any effects from psychic burnout,” Brian said.
“I see,” Samantha said. “Actually, you could suffer from psychic burnout. The symptoms would just take longer to manifest and they wouldn’t be as intense as what you’ve experienced before. You don’t feel any mild symptoms at all?”
“Nothing,” Brian said.
“What about the nightmares? You mentioned before that your family suffers from nightmares when psychic burnout is a problem. You were having difficulties just before you took up residence here.”
Brian straightened in his chair and abruptly realized that the nightmares had completely stopped as soon as he’d been captured. He informed her of this fact even though he wondered if this was something he should keep to himself.
“Interesting,” Samantha said. “Do you think it’s because the psionic shield is helping you?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve never had one this strong for such a long period of time before. When I went to a shielding specialist, it was built up for me but after my session was over, I had to maintain it on my own. Since I’ve been here, a psionic shield has been erected and maintained without me having to reinforce it. It’s been constant protection,” Brian said.