Chapter 2: Still me. (Patreon)

Chapter 2: Still me.

My mind was struggling to make sense of everything.

Part of me was still at the shelter; seeing the tall man playing while the here and now clawed its way into the forefront.

Pain distracted me from thinking clearly, as the wounds on my feet began to register alongside the pain in my hand and the bruise on my shoulder.

The throbbing worsened too.

It resonated within my skull as purple mist flowed freely from behind my eyes.

My entire body felt out of balance, thrown off kilter by the overlapping sensations of reality and the unnatural fog.

My eyes darted around and captured two different scenes at the same time, each violently clashing with the other.

I tried to banish these new flaring impressions.

To isolate myself from the both worlds and shield myself within memories.

To escape.

Memories of documentaries and interviews surfaced.

I tried to recall anything that might shine a light on my situation.

Classroom lessons came up; facts so well-known I never bothered to pay much attention.

Mrs. Doyle’s utterly nihilistic monologues began to play within my skull.

Blurred and distant impressions from the seventh grade emerging to fill the gaps.

“Now kids, today we’ll be going over Esper typing and career prospects.” She had said, just before lighting a fresh cigarette and drawing in smoke.

“Most of you won’t get powers. That’s a sad fact we all have to acknowledge. Still, the curriculum demands that you be somewhat educated on the matter. Maybe one of you will meet a real Esper someday while you’re out delivering fast food or cleaning vomit off the floor. Maybe.”

She stopped for effect, narrow beady eyes staring into our souls.

Small grey puffs continued to escape with her words.

“Regardless, you have to know the statistics to pass, so we might as well.”

Another pause.

Another drag.

“Enhancers account for roughly 51.7 % of all super humans, making them the largest demographic by far. If you develop these abilities, you can expect a typical military career after graduation. There isn’t much super strength or speed can do for you in an office after all. Any Enhancer will find themselves in high demand near rift-prone cities and even the weakest of them get decent wages and benefits.”

She yawned after that, as if this was an annoying routine that someone had dumped on her.

Every motion of her face betrayed her disinterest as her eyes drifted about.

“Projectors make up 18.6 % of the whole and can look forward to more options, depending on what they can do. Pyrokinetic and Electrokinetic Espers have the highest demand right now as power plants are hiring more and more suppliers. Or you could go the military route as well, though you’ll have to demonstrate some offensive abilities in order to justify any special status. Other powers can get you into a circus or a performance group, so there’s always that to fall back on.”

There was a smirk on her face for a mere fraction of a second.

Then it was gone and lost forever.

As if the very idea of humor repulsed her.

“Moving on, Shifters sit at 21.2 % and should all report to their nearest police station immediately so that their tracking bracelet can be installed. You will then be required to attend mandatory anger management courses until graduation. Failure to comply will result in incarceration. If you get Shifter powers, you should just keep your little furry head down and cash in the healing money. Also, you should stop growling at people trying to buy your services. Just heal people and get rich. How hard is that? Oh, and do your best to avoid snapping and killing people. Seems to happen an awful lot. The government really wants it to stop.”

She stopped to nod her head at this point, in a way that suggested she’d done us all a genuine favor with that advice.

“Lastly, Telepaths are the least common at a measly 8.5 %. There weren’t many job openings for these guys before the bombs fell. As you can all guess, this hasn’t improved. Due to the threat they pose to global security, Telepaths are all required to register for forced re-education and monitoring. By order of the Entente Coalition, all Telepaths violating this agreement label themselves as enemies of the free world. This legally revokes all human rights and allows for law enforcement to carry out on-site executions.”

“Good Riddance.” Said someone behind me.

“Indeed. Remote controlled attack drones are standard in these cases, although snipers have also been used on occasion. Career prospects include police work, SWAT team negotiators, espionage, military service fighting rift spawn, life on a prison island or target practice.”

I distinctly remembered my lack of reaction to that statement.

Back then, the shelter visited me every night.

Memories of a smaller, more vulnerable version of myself watching people move and dance according to some freak’s whims.

Seeing the tall man forcing the monsters to kill each other.

Being helpless as he toyed with my neighbors and my parents and everyone I loved.

It was normal to hate Telepaths.

Just one of them sparked the third world war.

Who cared if they got shot?

No.

I didn’t have time to think about that back then.

I was going to be an Enhancer.

The strongest one in the world.

I wouldn’t wind up in some boring job like Mrs. Doyle said.

I would be like Horizon or Thunder Fist.

A superhero.

Someone who wouldn’t be helpless ever again.

That brilliant, juvenile fascination with super people and what they could do had me in its grip back then.

Telepaths were the bad guys taking over companies, starting cults, hijacking political movements, defrauding the public, escaping custody, harassing people and all sorts of other wacky hijinks. I only needed to worry about taking them down.

Back then, it was a small dream.

One of those fantasies that always kept their appeal.

Until I passed the age range that is.

If someone didn’t get powers between 12 and 14, then that was that.

Normal as normal could be. Getting powers at 22 should have been impossible.

Yet here I was.

In a cave.

All alone.

Hung over and sucking on stones for hydration.

Okay, I wasn’t sucking on stones, but I was scooping up unfiltered water with my one good hand.

Unhygienic? Absolutely.

Did I care? Absolutely not.

“(Centipede) me, that’s the stuff. Oh, I really needed that.”

I’d been running from the freaking centipedes for a good hour.

Yes, I checked my wristwatch.

One whole hour of dragging a throbbing, bleeding hand all over these nasty tunnels to save my sorry behind.

My sorry Telepath behind.

This time, I managed to hold the sobbing in check.

There had been enough of that already.

“Get yourself together man!” I shouted. “You survived university! You can survive this! Stay calm. Stay positive. Think about what happened and what you can do about it.”

A few seconds passed as I bathed in the deafening silence that followed.

‘Yep. I’ve officially lost my mind.’

I chuckled in response to my own dry humor before reasserting my argument as valid.

Sure, the situation looked bleak, but staying positive and thinking things through never worsened someone’s odds.

Firstly, the issue of the cave.

I’d never heard of being teleported to some hole filled with giant centipedes.

I mean, there weren’t that many people with powers, maybe two hundred thousand or so worldwide, but the few that did exist loved going on talk shows.

I was pretty sure someone would have mentioned this if it was part of the process.

Maybe this was what the inside of a rift looked like, but that just begged the question of how I’d gone from my cozy bed to an open rift.

In addition, there was the screen.

I focused on it once more and brought it before me.

Name:

Solomon Carter

Psy:

43/65

Type:

Telepath Level 3

Abilities:

[Sense Thoughts] 1 / [Message] 1 / [Mental Bolt] 1

Ability Points:

6

‘Okay.’

‘Okay. Don’t panic. I got this.’

‘Breathe in, breathe out. I’m not some kind of deranged cult leader or anything. I haven’t brainwashed anyone. No one needs to know.’

‘Yeah, in fact, no one will know. I’m way past the testing age. Who would think to look for me?’

‘So long as I keep my mouth shut, I can move on with my life. Just get out, get my final grades, my degree and my cat. After that, get a nice stable engineering job and never think about any of this ever again. But first, I need to survive this place. Positive thoughts now. Positive thoughts.’

The screen was still open and I glanced at it once more.

Hesitation boiled through my entire body, suffusing each and every one of my cells.

I had no idea what this thing is.

Where it came from.

How it changed me.

It looked like something out of a video game, which only raised more questions than it answered.

What kind of sick freak kidnaped people and threw them into video game land?

More importantly, why?

Was this a secret military experiment?

The levels implied that they wanted me or, us I guess, to get stronger, which meant that outcome was to their benefit. If so, why do it like this?

Why not just throw a bunch of people in a boot camp?

I didn't know what happened as I was laying down in bed.

I didn't know if someone used a power or some drug to make me into a Telepath.

‘Or some new experimental cybernetic implant. That would explain the screens and the censorship. Best case scenario, its an ocular implant and someone gouged my eyes out. Worst case scenario, it’s a cranial implant and some yahoo was poking around my brain while I was out. Ah (Centipede), that would explain the censorship. What’s with that? Is this daytime television? Is the CBC going to pull the plug on this whole operation if some of us express how (Centipede)ing horrible this situation is?’

Images of bomb collars assaulted me.

All were taken straight out of documentaries detailing the prison lives of Espers convicted of violent offenses.

They couldn’t be trusted to roam freely out in society, but the governments around the world couldn’t let a rare resource go that easily.

Not when rifts still killed so many.

Maybe that was it.

This really was a government experiment to get more soldiers on the ground.

Human rights be dammed.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t even know if this could be reversed. Maybe there was some hope for me. Some way that I could be cured. If that was the case, then any interaction with the screen might blow my chances of rehabilitation. It might make this whole thing infinitely worse.’

Frustration set in as the throbbing in my hand worsened; along with the aches in my head.

That insufferable itch returned to the forefront, demanding my attention.

Fresh memories assaulted me.

Jaws tightening around my hand.

The second strike that never came due to my intervention.

The usage of my power.

I bit my lower lip as I recalled the feeling.

The relief that it brought.

With that came the certainty that I would not have survived without this power.

Wicked and evil it may have been, but I was still alive because of it.

Thanks to it.

Yeah. It would be stupid to give it up. I needed all the help I could get.

If the screen let me live, then it was right to keep using it.

I hardened myself. The choice was made. Time to game plan.

Looking back, it all seemed self-explanatory.

The listed abilities had plus signs next to them, implying that the points could be used to make them stronger.

The few shots I’d fired were deadly, but there was the glaring issue of the barrier that kept me from firing them in succession.

Maybe that would go away if I strengthened it?

There were three abilities listed in the screen and I immediately knew what two of them did.

The third one would need testing, though it appeared straight-forward in concept.

Something to keep in mind for later.

Right now, I needed a better way to fight back. Preferably from a long distance away.

The wound on my right hand had stopped bleeding and I had cleaned it with water, but it was still tender and unresponsive.

I took a moment to imagine all the ways this could turn out. This cave was anything but sterile, so there was a risk of infection.

Not to mention the side effects from whatever venom that stupid bug may or may not have had. Come to think of it, could bug bites pass communicable diseases? Did centipedes carry rabies?

‘No. Probably not. That’s silly. But if they did?’

I gazed down at the hand once more.

Better to avoid directly facing the enemy from now on.

Just in case.

With that in mind, I focused on my only offensive ability and assigned my points. I had expected it to go all the way to seven, but it looked like each upgrade cost more points. Bringing it up to 2, took 2 points. Similarly bringing it up to 3, cost 3.

Now I had one point left over and nothing to put it towards.

Each of the remaining abilities cost at least 2 points to raise, so that was out.

Maybe I could save them and then bring [Mental Bolt] to 4?

Unless…

“Hey system. What can I do with leftover points?”

Ability Points:

May be used to enhance existing abilities or acquire new ones. Abilities are limited by current Tier. Current Tier yields 3 ability points per level.

“Whoa! Okay. That worked. Good job me. Time to capitalize. System, show me what I can get for 1 point.”

Available Abilities:

[Static Illusion] 1 / [Fever] 1 / [Sleep] 1 / [Electronic Interface] 1 / [Floral Interface] 1 / [Fungal Interface] 1 / [Team Tactics] 1 / [Team Spirit] 1 / [Team Resilience] 1 / [Team Momentum] 1 / [Team Doctrine] 1 / [Mental Map] 1 / [Fear] 1 / [Courage] 1 / [Anxiety] 1 / [Confusion] 1 / [Hobble] 1 / [Phobia] 1…

Wow.

That was one big list.

A nice little overview of what a supervillain might do on a Friday afternoon.

Okay.

Time to sit down and think about all the options carefully.

‘AAAAAGH! Help! Help! Somebody help me! Someone wake me up! This isn’t real! This isn’t real! Please! Anybody!’

My brain froze as screams came through my fog.

Upwards and to my left.

The layers of stone between us did nothing to muffle the desperation packed into their plea.

Ephemeral energy tracked their passage as they ran.

Behind them were six centipedes acting in unison.

They gave chase as their own emotions flared up. A half-dozen lanterns glowing with naked malice.

Trauma resurfaced and strangled my response. I though back to my own flight. The wound on my hand ached with increasing fervor. The numbness in my left bicep spread. Adrenaline was flying through my veins once more, stepping up to keep my alive.

There was a disturbing clarity within me, pulling my strings like some sadistic spirit. Demanding that I resist.

Power began to gather behind my eyes. Ready to do just that.

Then it stopped. I hesitated, thinking back to the screen.

To the possibility that I might be making things worse for me by gaining levels and becoming stronger.

The victim slipped while I remained frozen.

A small wave of hateful chitin caught up to them.

A spike of pain travelled back to me. It continued to surge as a shapeless mass of incandescent anguish.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Whispers break their hold some time later, brining me out my stupor and into a repulsive, disgusting truth.

‘I, did nothing. I could have helped. But I did nothing.’

A new fresh terror shattered me alongside the realization.

In that moment, there was no Solomon. There was no me. Instead, there was a monster wearing my skin.

Clothed in my now-tainted pajamas.

This being was revulsion made manifest.

Self-hatred and shame given form and flesh.

It was a mockery of humanity and all that is good.

I stood there, considering this foul creature, and struggled to comprehend how it came to be.

‘I did nothing. They are dead because of me.’

More emotions danced in my mist. More misfortunes reared their head. The sword of Damocles lay poised and ready to snuff out more lives.

Unless I stopped it.

Immediately, I resolved to help.

New impulses activated and power flowed through my eyes once more. It stuck to my ghostly web, searching through it for a target.

It didn't need to wait for long.

The person on the other side of the stone walls was running from a large group, 14 centipedes forming a hunting pack. They skittered on the floor, walls and ceiling, faster and faster.

[Mental Bolt] activated and the leading centipede fell over headless.

My only means of attack went on cooldown, having barely made a difference.

Psy:

40/65

I looked through the list of abilities before I could stop myself. I needed something else to slow them down. Something that could hit all enemies in an area. The screen didn't have any information on what each option did, but the names provided clues.

I closed my eyes and heard more screaming.

More desperation.

More hunger from the pursuers.

They didn’t even notice their kin’s death.

I opened my eyes and chose the first option that can sounded like an attack.

[Fever] activates.

Unlike my earlier strike, it spread outwards like a blooming flower, creating a net of energy that entangled the middle of the swarm.

Those affected either stop or slow down considerably, losing their grip and falling unto the floor.

Pain radiates from their skulls as a crippling surge of heat leaves them stunned.

While none of them died, the charge had been broken.

Bewilderment reached me from the fleeing human as they looked over their shoulder.

They turned on their heels and held their hands over their heads in one fluid motion.

Then the hands came down. All the unaffected creatures went silent in the fog.

The rest changed their tune.

Where once was bloodlust, there is only fear. Their prey was a Projector.

One who was now fighting back.

Another hand motion made my victims redouble their terror.

Thoughts and feelings came through my ability, carrying news of fire.

Then, silence.

Level Gained: +5 Maximum Psy. +3 Ability Points.

Psy:

35/70

I smiled in response, realizing what I’d just done.

I, filthy Telepath, had just saved someone’s life.

Helped them kill a whole squad of monsters.

It was an odd feeling. I hadn’t really thought about any of it. I’d just seen someone in danger and decided to help. I hadn’t done it for any kind of self interest or personal gain.

I’d just done it because I wanted to help.

A natural reaction to the situation.

The smile widened as adrenaline continued to flow.

“Yeah. I’m still me. I’m still a decent person, no matter what happens.”

Memories of recently deceased were quashed. I fought tooth and nail against myself to submerge them deep in my subconscious.

It was a truth too terrible to contemplate at the moment. I needed to focus on what mattered. The life I managed to save.

Things would undoubtedly become difficult in the future. I had no idea where I was. I had no idea how long ago I’d been kidnapped. I didn’t even know why I was taken. Right now, though, the comfort kept those uncomfortable facts away. I’m wasn't going to become some degenerate just because I was like this. I wasn't going to turn into some power-hungry lunatic.

I was still me.

(Centipede) what everybody else thought about Telepaths.

I was still me. I was still in control.

I could control myself.

I decided whether to be moral or immoral.

Not some societal pressure of temptation inherent to my Type.

I controlled myself.

New sounds filled my psychic senses.

This time from below me.

Once more, I reached out to assess the situation.

Deep down underneath there were two people surrounded by enemies.

They seemed to be a hundred meters down, just on the edge of my senses.

Worry crept up my face as I counted the centipedes.

Dozens and dozens.

To make things worse, there were outliers among the horde.

Signals that felt far too alien to be human while also forming coherent sentences and plans within their own brains.

They hummed within the fog, shining with might.

I threw a [Mental Bolt] in their direction, followed by a [Fever].

Psy:

27/70

Even as I attacked, the situation didn't look survivable.

Critters leapt at the humans, 5 from the front and back.

I prepared myself for the worst.

I tried to brace myself against a cave wall in expectation of the silence that would surely follow.

Miraculously, my expectations were subverted.

Not only were the people still alive, they fought with renewed vigor.

I couldn't see exactly what they were doing through [Sense Thoughts], but I began to get more information through their enemies.

The centipedes continued to think in small words and big emotions. Their minds simplistic in their design.

‘Hunters. Weapons. Strong. Strong prey. Strong flesh. Rip it. Tear it. Feed.’

The others came through far more clearly.

‘They are well trained. They coordinate with each other. Axes and knives are swung. They will not fall easily. Someone else is attacking. From the shadows. Unseen. Looking for them. Break the formation. Break their spirit. Break their bodies. Not here in the pit. Up or down the tunnel. Send hunting party to search for them.’

The thing did something then.

Its light shuddered and expanded, getting a reaction out of all the nearby centipedes.

I attacked it as soon as I was able, sending both powers against it.

It died from a bolt. Its followers were slowed by [Fever].

Level Gained: +5 Maximum Psy. +3 Ability Points.

Psy:

19/75

Unfortunately, it didn't stop the reaction from the crowd.

I gulped as more and more life entered my fog. They formed a river of flesh and chitin that separated from the main battle below and branched out into the tunnels that lined the space.

Some went further downwards and disappeared from my senses once more.

Some went either left or right and disappeared as well. Some went upwards.

Towards my position.

Oh poo.

I really did it this time.

I looked on helplessly as I waited for my attacks to finish their cooldown. Then I went back to the screen to fish out more attacks.

[Fear] was used immediately after being acquired.

I felt the energy gathered within me and expanded it outward. Like immaterial water that flowed from all my pores, it shot out in all directions.

The wave traveled through the walls in search of my target.

It fell short.

Psy:

17/75

Unlike [Fever], this ability didn’t start from a point of my choosing.

Meaning its range was always limited by my position.

I cursed as the hateful bugs went unimpeded.

They delved deeper and deeper into my fog, through tunnels big and small.

I felt them searching. Hearing their legs as they moved. Tiny, sharp noises raining down incessantly.

Down below, the hunters were still being besieged from all sides as more and more reinforcements surged from the chambers below them.

I worried that I’ve just delayed their inevitable deaths as I considered the numbers.

Hundreds had gathered together. A veritable storm of clicking jaws.

My peers didn't falter.

The line was held.

In fact, the monsters appeared to be on the backfoot.

Minions charged time after time. Each assault adding more carrion to the floor as feedback was cut off.

The warriors danced their way into a macabre spectacle, axe and blade singing through the air in concert.

Only then did I realize how they were managing the impossible.

Its not just that they were armed. These two were Enhancers getting ludicrous amounts of experience.

If I managed to thin the numbers a bit, they could totally escape.

An idea formed in my beleaguered mind as I considered the screen. I spent 4 points on bringing [Fever] and [Sense Thoughts] to 2.

Heat spread from behind my eyes as my gamble paid off. My fog’s range had doubled, as had the range of [Fever].

I waited a few more precious instants as the walls in my mind dissipated.

As they crumbled, power lashes out.

My attack slowly killed the weaker centipedes and gravely wounded the others.

Feelings flooded into me with increased intensity, as grunts felt their juices boiling as their own nervous systems turned against them.

I assessed the situation while waiting for my cooldown to end. The area of effect was still not very big, but the enemies were bunched together so tightly that it hardly made a difference.

That last shot affected 28 centipedes within the horde, collapsing 3 or 4 attack waves at once.

I expected this to be the signal for a hasty retreat.

For the two hapless souls to run like the wind and disappear.

That, didn't happen for some reason.

The survivors rallied and redoubled their efforts, their thoughts now reeking of triumph and jubilation.

‘The Holy One acts!’

‘There’s a shepherd here! Don’t break formation.’

‘Have to fight harder. Harder! Don’t let up!’

Huh.

Wasn’t really expecting that to be honest.

I would have been running the second shells started hitting the floor.

No matter.

These people still needed help.

Actually, they needed my help now more than before.

Emotions radiated from each bug around the two, raw bloodlust sending psychic punches in my direction.

My walls dissipated and I acted again, determined to make this one count. [Fever] cascaded over the chamber and another thirty fell down.

Psy:

7/75

A brief lull descended onto the battlefield, giving me a brief window to act.

‘Run!’ I thought as loudly as I could, hoping I was right about what [Message] did. ‘Escape while you have the chance!’

The two people looked at each other below my feet. They stood there, injured but not beaten despite the odds.

Imposing as wolves among hounds.

I failed to catch their movements until they reached one of the tunnel entrances. Then they began to move upwards, though slightly away from my current base.

Fog followed them until the very edge of my perceptions.

While there were some pursuers, most were struck down as soon as [Fever] finished re-charging.

A warm smile blossomed on my lips as I felt another increase in level.

Psy:

2/80

Horrible as that was, I just saved the lives of three people. All without putting myself in any real danger. Getting caught outside would still suck, but maybe this isn’t such a bad thing right now.

I only realized my mistake when the clanging of jaws on metal reached my ears.

Clang!

Turning around revealed the scouts I had forgotten about.

The ones that spilled out of the depths in search of the invisible attacker.

There were 4 of them here, trying to chew their way into my haven. I attempted to lash out in wrath, only to realize that I couldn't.

Clang! Clang!

[Mental Bolt] wouldn't activate, despite not having been used recently. I summoned the screen for answers and noticed the measly 2 in my reserves.

Oh.

Double poo.

I’m was of attacks.

Clang!

I activates [Fear] for the second time, hoping that I’d be close enough for it to count.

This time, the ability worked as intended. The probing ceased. A sharp whip of emotion came my way. Centipedes flee in panic.

I laughed. Softly and quietly.

I was going to make it. I was going to go home. I was going to save as many people as I could.

I was still me.

These notions warmed me while my body grew more and more lethargic.

I didn't even notice anything wrong until my fog dissipated, leaving me alone with the stream and the glowing mushrooms.

“Wah…?” I stuttered as the shock of losing control brought me back to reality.

I tried to activate it once more but nothing responded inside.

As if the wellspring of my power had just run dry.

‘Oh right. The Psy. I got to 0’

My eyes began to shut against my will. Darkness consumed me.