Alan's heart had been pounding throughout that ordeal; he knew that his family was alive and well. Calm down; centre myself, don't destroy the building you're living in.
He calmed himself down by thinking about what they said, that the army could use them as hostages, and he felt anger well up to suppress, emotion needed to be controlled.
Breathing in, out clear the mind… what should I do, I guess I can do nothing but practice until I least reach twenty metres, shouldn't take too long managing a metre in a week. So it's possible that maybe I should search the building to find out where they are. Who's Ashley, she sounds important to that scientist guy Gareth, wasn't it?
Maybe I should follow him to find Ashley, he was still within his awareness although he was heading for the lift so he might not be for long. Watching as he entered the lift that was filled with people looking hagged and dirty. He travelled to the very limits of his abilities to find two floors down and walk up to another isolation room, with a single person balled up sleeping under some blankets.
He watched as Dr Gareth talked to an older woman who hugged Gareth to is own his credit took it well. Gareth gave her a pat on the back and entered the room collecting a board checked the patient over he then he rejoined the older women outside. By this time, Alan had guessed that It was the mother of the girl inside the room, through the conversation Alan learnt that the women's Gloria and the female in the isolation room, Ashley. She was apparently the progenitor of us all.
He looked more closely at the girl in the room, her long white hair splayed out her petite body, and cute face, with bright blue eyes that stared straight into his soul. “Hello,”
Alan snapped right back into his room and looked around, he waited not moving just in case it was Darl or John calling to him they'd do it again. After a few minutes, he hears nothing. He moved his focus back down to Ashley, where he heard, "Hello?" Alan looked at her mouth but couldn't see her mouth moving. The soft voice spoke again, "I'm in here, silly?"
He then thought, “Are you in my head?”
There was a giggle, “Yeah, you can talk to me like that.”
Alan didn’t quite know what to think, does she know my deep thoughts, or is she just reading my surface thoughts? Do I need to be careful about my thoughts like how pretty she is, man hiding anything from her going to be difficult, like surprise birthday parties? A lot giggle echoed through his mind before it became laughter, looking down he saw a smile on the face of the girl.
Alan couldn't help but smile, "Right, you can hear my thoughts if you wouldn't mind disregarding everything you just heard as the rambling of an insane young man I'd be most grateful."
“Hahaha," was his reply, looking back at her body he now saw tears running down her face. The room was being torn and twisted, chairs that had once stood straight now as mangled pieces of steel the wall hummed and splintered. Smiling, Alan reached forward into the room's form and straightened the chair, repaired the walls, and set them where they’d been before.
Alan waited for the laughter to die down before asking "Hey, Ashley, isn't it?"
Even though the telepathic connection he could hear breaths she was taking to calm down, “Yeah, how’d you know that?”
“Oh, I heard it mentioned by Dr Gareth, And my name is Alan, by the way, I'm two floors above you in another isolation chamber."
“Ah, Dr Gareth he was one that made my abilities stronger, to cure me of my inabilities, they think I'm insane don't they?"
Alan's heart started aching for some unknown reason, "I don't know what you mean are you supposed to be insane?"
She started talking normally, but her pace increased as she got more excitable. "No silly, I've good mental stability if I was one whole person, but I'm not I've been trapped in my own head since I've been young. Every time I've tried talking to my mother or the Doctors they think several things, that they're insane, that I'm attacking them, that I'm scaring them. For Gareth thinks I'm trying to talk to him, but it's so hard to talk to normal people, it's like there's no receiver to talk to. Unlike you, how I can talk to and have the first normal conversation in my life, I’m trapped here please help me.”
Alan could physically feel the pain and sorrow transferring through their link. His body could feel the building shake as his emotion flared along with hers empathically grasping a hold over his own feelings. He directed them toward the one who caused them using his emotions to help her as her room was torn to shreds and people fled, the people collapsed bones braking. The building's structure buckled and cracked alarms blared, and evacuation orders were given. Alan focused on the most pressing issue, and that was containing Ashley. Who was now being surrounded and embraced by her loving mother whose clothes were torn and her skin flayed
He picked up her mother and peeled her forcefully off Ashley and threw her out of the room before he imagined a bubble that could contain Ashley. At the same time, he listened to her cries the whole time. He managed the form a bubble that seemed to be able to stop the energies she was giving off, but since he'd never fought another psychic. He'd no idea of the pain of another power would put on him as his mind screamed.
Darl and John who were still in the room trying to call to him watched in horror as blood poured from Alan eyes, ears and nose. With the pain forcing Alan back he realised he needed to calm her down before he gave up the ghost, "Ashley, you need to calm down you're hurting people!"
He realised she wasn't listening to his mind anymore and if he was going to talk, he was going to have to speak to her directly.
He petted her hair, forcing himself to focus himself into her mind see the electron and the void where he assumed their powers came from. Then he was wondering how'd talk to her he imagined producing some air distortion. He found that this kind small amount of strength seemed to slip through his finger; he was too far and didn’t have the control.
Opening his eyes, he decided to move, to act and to save people. The pain was becoming manageable at least that what he thought before he moved and found his entire body ached. He rested against his bed before he struggled to stand waving his hand at the door which mettled and he walked through, not noticing the guard who'd pulled out their weapons. Without Darl jumping in to save them, they would have disappeared, the moment they appeared on Alan radar.
He walks several metres and looked down measure whether he was in the right position and looking around to see Darl and John poking their head into the room. He was standing in the middle of the room before he fell, the floor disappearing he landed in the middle of Ashley's room with a roll. As the pressure of the landing almost blew his kneecaps off.
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Worrying about the pain, that the two-floor drop did to him, he walked over. Resting on the twisted bed and stroked her hair and whispered, "It's me, Alan, I'm next two you let me help you share it with me she all of your pain with me I'll be here to talk."
It was as if an explosion had gone off in his head. The edges of his eyes blackened as he almost fainted, the pure emotion echoed out throughout the building. He was unable to contain it all, focusing the power he'd gained on repairing the structure the weak points were fixed. People bones were moved and reformed in seconds, Ashley's mother, who's disregards of her own life was knocking at his barrier. Who's clothes repaired and flayed skin mended, she collapses as the strange and foreign feeling floods through her system, making her feel hot.
Even then she didn't stop, but neither had Ashley who's emotions were mind breaking. He knew if he failed to calm her down, then he would die and everyone in the building would.
Continuing to stroke, her hair calming himself down as the whispered, "It's ok, let it all out and stand up again."
Another mind breaking barrage rocked his consciousness, "Ashley, you can come out here no need to hide your not alone break out to talk to me."
Another pulse knocks him out cold he collapsed onto Ashley. The building started shaking again, it was until a sting pain woke him up to see a very tearful mother. He reformed the barrier to stop the building, shaking simply re-engaging the barrier almost made him black out again. He couldn't take another mental barrage and stay awake.
He asked the mother who clothes and skin were being torn again, this time he could see the layers of scars. “Can you care he down?”
She nodded “Of course!”
Alan slid off the bed and onto the cold red-stained floor and focused on two things protecting the building: Gloria's life as a barrier formed around her skin, his own mind almost breaking at the two relatively simple objectives.
It took a long, painful time, long enough for some idiots to come up armed and poke his barrier, which gave a taste of what would happen without it. Like train animals, they didn't poke it again. All he had to do was lie there and wait. He had no idea how long but the waves of energy eventually stopped looking up from the floor towards Gloria, who was bleeding from several slashes who smiled back down at him. She said two words, "Thank you!"
He dropped both barriers and instead of soldiers. Medics and scientists charged through the door giving Alan a smile at the unusual sight of the unexpected for he let the darkness take him into peaceful rest.
For a split second, he'd expected that he'd have a quiet day. Boris was pacing back and forth inside his command tent looking through all of the intelligence they had on the supers in the city. They'd managed to get a message to those still in the city. They'd only received replies asking us to leave the city and them alone, which wasn't an option as it was a British city. If they wanted to take it, then he was going to fight them, they took it poorly.
For the little intelligence, he got from drones and spy they'd found ten plus unique encounters. Still, they always disappeared so smoothly it was infuriating, and they could seemingly attack out of nowhere. He hadn't managed to get his seaward route since they'd almost continually attacked it, stopping their advance. Just a days ago they'd found some group of supers in the middle of the construction zone, and one knew how they got there.
Boris had decided that he would stop construction today and see what happens, it would also allow his men to rest and recover. It seemed to be working as they'd not attack again, which was all and well for him. He was also patiently waiting for a call to tell him what's going on at home. Now that everything was exposed he'd also asked for several bases if they could be prepared to take some supers. He'd even asked a team to find family members of those they've identified as hostile.
There were lots for him to do like check the soldier's equipment and move people around so that they don't get complacent. He really didn't need to have a hostile super in the middle of his civilian camp someone would definitely record everything. He's already gotten into trouble with his bosses over the first camera incident. Since they were civilians, they wouldn't be touched. Since the government hadn't put any laws in place, the women who did this won't be charged for anything she'd best be blessing the speed of bureaucracy right now.
Either way, he was had place a rule that there was to be no camera's outside of the civilian camp. So far they'd not other breaches showing what those people could do, but it was too late. He was just waiting for the eye of the storm to pass over, and let the chaos erupt again.
Then it happened the chaos began again when the communication officer called. "Sir EGD's buildings shaking and the supers are suffering, the captured Maddened are thrashing about and are slamming themselves at their cells entrances, sir."
Boris ran out of the tent and looked up to the skyscraper wobble like jelly, Shouting back inside, “Evacuate the building and have surrounding tents moved, and I want everyone help. Get the general on coms and tell them that we might have to move and will require assists.”
He started shouting out orders about unit movements and direction along with secondary rendezvous.
"And someone finds out why the building is shaking, someone checks the sewers in the basement, check every floor and find what is going on."
Minutes later, the communications officer called out. "Sir the buildings stabilising we have reports of the class S, Alan has broken out of iso and dropped two floors to Primogenitors room. He has formed a protective bubble; it seems that Alan is protecting us."
“Good, coms, let's keep evacuating the building just in case.”
His level of appreciation of Alan had risen, he obviously keeping secrets and can act. I should talk to the young lad when the opportunity comes and see if I can get him out onto the field. “Coms, how’d he get out?”
“He melted the door and dropped through the floor straight into Ashley's room.”
Boris thought it how'd know precisely where she was to drop there does he have some sort spacial awareness, he at least must be able to see through walls, how'd he know she needed help? The other super knew something was up, but they couldn't tell him where.
Anyway, he now just had to worry about the fallout, he'd been pushing to get civilians out of the area. He could only try more to make it an entire military base. Hopefully, he'd get some sort of order or instruction from the government to sink his teeth into.
“Sir the shakings started back up, reports are Alan’s barrier’s dropped!”
“God damn to hell.”
“Sir, shaking stopped, soldiers are approaching the barrier… the barriers dropped for a moment shaking the building when they touched it …”
“Well tell them not to touch it. Have the team try and see what's going on."
“Sir, the team reports Gloria comforting her daughter Ashley while Alan lies on the floor.”
He tried remembering Gloria but had no idea probably a family member risking her. What worried him was Alan collapsing probably put everything into protecting the building. Better report that to the general maybe we could use it to show the good of these people. Maybe give him a medal for outstanding duty to Britain, have him calm the populous. Because when they find out that there are people who'll definitely use their powers for selfish means we're going to need someone to look to.
"Sir buildings evacuated and the surrounding area are at fifty per cent cleared."
A few moments later, the communications officer called again, "Sir the Generals on the line, and he told me it's for your ears only."
Walking over into the satellite phone he picked up and took it to the office and grabbed the call. "Good Afternoon General Holmes we’ve things seemed to have settled down over here, so how much trouble are we in?”
A grizzled voice replied down the phone, “Oh boy, Boris we’re in for a lifetime of excitement, it seems the World has pressured and paid a lot to get access. You’re going to be flooded by the military, of over several other countries most of them don’t like each and expect them to bring their own scientist and equipment. Your job’s to make sure they don’t kill each other or fight.”
Boris’s mind did the one thing it had never done before, and that was shut down; he had no answers, no questions. All he had flooding it’s the way through his minds, "What fuck are they idiots how can I control other country actions we're gonna be lucky I don’t shoot the lot of them. Pardon my french Sir."
"Think nothing of it. I had the same reaction when the prime minister told me as for control. They've been told that any aggressive action will be immediately punished by the closure of the deal. They will not get their money back, and they have no access. So it is in their countries best interests that they don't mess about, but you must remember those British citizens, and they have the same rights as one whether they're human or not. We've got some information on the scientist and commanders they’ll be bringing with them.
Some of them are nasty people who live in countries that don't care for human life, not suffering. We're not in a position to fight most of these countries after the Remote wars these deals will help immensely in rebuilding our armies. I've arranged a convoy for you to send those two vets out of the city any other supers who're will be sent to bases all over the country. For training and figure out how to replicate the abilities. Unfortunately, we need to leave Alan, Ashley and Gareth they were explicitly in the deals."
Boris's eyebrows rose, “Sir, I don’t think they’ll be very willing to stay. How could we make them stay if they don’t want to?”
The general's voice lightened, "We can't control them through force, but money is an infinite pleaser. Ask them and the country will cover it, and I shouldn't be telling you this, but talks were never in the billions of pounds but trillions of pounds I wonder what their asking price would be if they knew that?"
Boris couldn't help but laugh at the absurd number these governments were throwing around. He totally understood what the general was saying, didn't want to be on the wrong side of the walking nuclear bombs. Bribery through making them billionaire if not trillionaires in a single second sounded like a good idea that he liked.
"Right sir I got you, I'm sure my overwhelmed mind something could slip through as soon as I meet them. Sir, what are we going to do about the wild Supers they're not exactly cooperative?"
There were a few minutes of silence. "See if you can't get Alan to talk to them, it would be good if we could at least reassure them that we're not going to harm them. Have food dropped off to feed them and any other Maddened so long as they allow transports through, negotiate with them see what we can get.”
"Yes, sir." Boris was quite relieved with that response. It wasn't long ago that they found out that quite a few were children within their group, and the morale of his troops had evaporated.
“What about the citizens? Are we going to move them out of here as they're in a lot of danger? We must protect them as is our duty, and I don't think we can do that with the supers here."
"Yes, commander Boris we'll be evaluating the citizens just in case a flame war starts over there."
“Thank you, General.”