Winters Family Psi Chronicles 1: Transformation (16 page)

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.

“Don’t get caught,” Julie said.

“You trust Lynette to keep quiet about this?”

“Yes, she’ll be okay with this.”

Jeremy wasn’t sure Lynette would be so accepting of this plan but she surprised him by taking the news easily. He didn’t sense any deception or concern from her. She seemed to feel it was necessary and accepted the need for the deception. The two of them made the trip over to the mental care facility and stepped into the lobby. They flashed their badges to the receptionist who immediately called a doctor by the name of Tom Zimmerman. He had a harried air about him as he burst into the room. Jeremy and Lynette introduced themselves as they briefly displayed their badges.

“We need to ask you a few questions about the patients,” Jeremy said.

“I’ll do what I can but you’ll need to understand that limits of confidentiality may apply,” Doctor Zimmerman said guardedly.

“Have any of the patients been behaving unusually or has there been any trouble lately?” Jeremy asked.

“I already explained what’s happened to you guys when I reported the missing patient,” Zimmerman said with a touch of exasperation.

Jeremy delved into his mind to pull in any stray thoughts that may be useful. The doctor had called the police earlier because a patient had somehow escaped. Everyone in the lobby had somehow been knocked unconscious without any physical damage to their bodies but there had been some drops of blood by the front door. The patient who escaped was named Rose. The surveillance camera had filmed the occurrence but there hadn’t been time to watch the tapes before the police had arrived to collect them.

“I know you already explained this but can you think carefully about Rose and her behavior before the escape?” Jeremy said. “Is there anything you might not have thought of when you talked to the officers who had first arrived on the scene?”

Zimmerman frowned in thought. He hadn’t remembered anything strange about Rose but he could vaguely remember now that two of the orderlies had complained several times about her being creepy. They couldn’t list anything concrete about her but had just said that there had been something disturbing about her as if she may become cognizant at any moment and attack. Zimmerman quickly brushed aside these fleeting thoughts as irrelevant.

“You thought of something important,” Jeremy said. “Rose had disturbed one or more of the orderlies.”

“How did you know that?” Zimmerman said with astonishment.

“Your body language indicated what you were thinking and I took a hypothetical guess,” Jeremy said smoothly. “Can you tell me if they said anything specific about her behavior?”

“No, they didn’t. They couldn’t name any reasons for their feelings.”

“I would like to talk to them,” Jeremy said.

“All right but we’re extremely busy. Can you get by with talking to just one of them?” Zimmerman asked.

“I suppose that will have to do.”

Zimmerman called an orderly by the name of Ken into the room.

“Hi,” he said guardedly.

“These are police officers who are doing follow up questions about Rose’s escape,” Zimmerman said. “I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for them to track down an insane woman who should stick out like a sore thumb in public.”

“It’s just a little bit harder to track down one person among millions than to make sure they don’t escape from a fully staffed mental facility,” Jeremy said coolly.

Zimmerman’s jaw clenched but he didn’t offer a response.

“Tell me about Rose,” Jeremy said to the orderly.

“She suffers from severe disassociative disorder and autism. We can’t be sure how aware she is of her surroundings because she’s so unresponsive. She just lays down or sits in the same spot that you leave her unless you have her move. She rarely does anything on her own,” Ken said. “She gives me the creeps. It feels like she might just suddenly attack me without warning.”

“Why do you feel that way?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s just a feeling,” Ken said.

“Think carefully. Is there anything else about her behavior that is unusual?” Jeremy asked.

He probed deeply into Ken’s mind and realized there was something strange that shouldn’t be there. An energy imprint that was related to what he’d found in Emily’s mind. It wasn’t exactly the same but oddly similar. Jeremy tried tuning into the energy signature but couldn’t do it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to concentrate for very long. He and Lynnette asked several more questions then left the building.

“You found something, didn’t you?” Jeremy asked as they approached his car.

“Yes, I was touching various objects in the room to get impressions. Rose did something to weaken the psychic imprints. When she sent out the psychic pulse, it left an imprint of her intention behind. She feels threatened by Emily and Nathan and intends on keeping them unconscious until her plans are achieved. She is extremely powerful – stronger than we can imagine. It’s like there’s some sort of energy that is all around us and she can tap into it,” Lynette said.

“That’s disturbing,” Jeremy said. “Do you think we’ll be able to protect Emily and Nathan from further attacks?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like it’s possible.”

A chill of foreboding crawled down the back of Jeremy’s spine as he wondered if Rose would soon consider him a threat as well. Obviously, Emily and Nathan were the strongest precognitives and their abilities would somehow reveal Rose’s plan before she could complete it. It was imperative that they awaken soon.

“I wonder how much time we have before it’s too late to stop her,” Jeremy said gravely.

“She’s so strong I’m not sure that it’s possible to stop her even now,” Lynette said.

When they returned to the Phoenix Center, Jeremy took his turn watching over Emily with Skylar. Kate had finally taken a break and was gone. Jeremy fervently wished there was something he could do to help her. For hours, he tried breaching the barrier that ensnared her mind but once again failed to achieve any results. It was after midnight and Jeremy was debating how much longer he should keep vigil before going to bed when he sensed an intruder’s presence. He immediately contacted Julie telepathically so she could round up reinforcements. Jeremy pushed back against the intruder but found the individual so strong that he could only delay the arrival. The attacker approached Emily and energy pulsed around her, strengthening the imprisonment of her mind. Jeremy struck out savagely against the attacker and abruptly realized it was Rose. He had suspected but now her image flashed in his mind and he knew for sure. She obstinately continued working on Emily even as Jeremy continued to push her back. Julie and a large group of telepaths were suddenly there helping him. Rose was forced to halt and unexpectedly and she linked with Jeremy. He sensed her cold anger directed at him as he hadn’t allowed her to finish.

“You’re going to be sorry you did that,” Rose threatened. Her anger changed to surprise. “You’re Jeremy Winters.”

“I’m not going to let you kill my sister.”

“I’m not killing her. She needs to be kept out of the picture for awhile longer. I don’t want complications. Unfortunately, you’re a problem since in the original timeline you were dead. How is this possible?”

“Leave her alone. You have no right to attack her,” Jeremy said menacingly.

“You’re a multipath and you were supposed to die about a week after the electrical storm. I wonder if you’re part of the reason things haven’t gone quite right,” Rose said.

Her mind began to wrap itself around Jeremy but he pushed enough to prevent her from gaining a firm grip. He could tell she was trying to trap him in a coma like Emily but suspected she would kill him once he was incapacitated. Rose continued her efforts for awhile longer before abruptly leaving. Fatigue swamped through Jeremy’s body and he sat down heavily on a chair.

“Are you all right?” Skylar asked.

“I’m just tired and frustrated,” Jeremy said.

“She tried to put you in a coma,” Skylar said.

“Yes, she did,” Jeremy confirmed.

He stayed up late to keep an eye on Emily but finally had to retire to bed. Unfortunately, he woke up with a terrible headache and realized he’d made a mistake. It was late in the morning so he quickly shaved, showered, and changed into a clean pair of jeans and sweatshirt before checking in on his sister whose condition remained the same. Kate and a telepath he didn’t recognize were posted in her room. Jeremy went downstairs for a quick bite to eat and met with Julie to discuss a few important scheduling matters before returning to Emily’s room. He spent all day trying to tune into the entrapment that kept Emily in a coma to no avail. For some reason, it was impossible for him to affect it in any way. He lost track of time and found himself dozing in the chair next to her bed.

A precognitive vision abruptly replaced a dream. Images of Psi-Tech, Rose, and Kevin flashed through his mind. He saw newspaper articles featuring the expansion of Psi-Tech by the opening of new facilities across the country. An impending sense of doom crashed over him as dark images swirled uncontrollably through his mind faster than he could make sense of. One vision pertained to his sister dying. There was chaos in the United States following a government collapse and anarchy. Jeremy saw Psi-Tech becoming a government entity controlling the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Other disturbing events rushed through too quickly for him to remember. He abruptly awakened to find Skylar and Kate standing over him with anxious expressions on their faces.