Between Broken Glass and Butterflies(Psychic Rpg)

The copy quickly fades from sight, leaving just one Laya to visibly flinch at the sight of the knife. Whatever her powers were, Alexandra's read on her emotions made it clear that despite her ability to project, she was pretty easily frightened from basic weapons. She didn't seem all that strong despite her abilities. "Um...sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't know there were other people who could do what I did." Trying to apologize from it, she still stepped away to let Alexandra approach the door. She could sense it. Panic was starting to build in quite a few places, but overall...things were strangely calm. Directly down the hall...she could already feel someone there. Unnaturally calm and laid back. To the left passage their was a very similar calmness though it felt much more aggressive than the other. The most feelings of chaos were surfacing down in the right hallway.

Dr.Cho immediately recognized Dr.Mason as she stood in front of him, with a strained look on her face. Her thoughts were more blurred than most, but he could gather the general gist of it. He's alive! Good...but...what's happening? I should run, shouldn't I? But I can't just leave him here.

None of what Dr.Cho knew would be too helpful. He could read minds, but hers tended to be a little harder to grasp. It was more open when she was stressed out, but most of what he knew about her wasn't anything outstanding. She frequently fretted about college tuition fees and if she had fed her dogs enough for the day. She also didn't like peanut butter. Nothing spectacular to note in the lands of psychic revelations. The issue is with constantly being fed information about what people were thinking, is not everything they were thinking was always actually useful. In this case, that seemed to have changed given the oddly serious look on her face.

"This might be hard to explain...we need to evacuate right now. Umm...someone suggested the courtyard. That might be best. I know you got a lot of questions and I still don't get all of this either...but we need to get out of here soon."

....He said some stuff about a caterpillar living in a cocoon waiting to become a butterfly and it turns out to be a moth instead.

What the fuck does that mean?

You think I'd know, what he's thinking? Anyway...I had the chance, but I fucked my throw because someone got in the way. I just couldn't think of any reason why she deserved to die. I'm already working to getting the one I needed.

I had my guy...but the fucker knew to get out of the way at the last second. I didn't think anyone but, the boss could do that....so we both suck at this.

Yeah.

I'm gonna keep an eye on him, try again later.

Same.

If I just burn the hospital down..that wouldn't be cool.

It wouldn't. I tried being subtle, but I'm going to switch up to harder means. I'll move to the upper floors, keep to the lower ones if they try to get out that way. Be ready to back me up if you need to.

Got it.

Dr.Cho heard the voices. The whole exchange happening right outside of his hallway. Not with words, of course. Some kind of form of silent communication that the pair was blissfully unaware that it was even possible for someone to eavesdrop on their conversation, the sound of footsteps walking past, meant they had already concluded what they were talking about, and it definitely didn't bode well for anything. This wasn't some empty threat against things. These were their actual thoughts that they thought nobody could hear. It wasn't a fake threat...these people really were here to kill somebody.

 

Alexandra calms a little, lowering the knife. "Look, do you know what's going on? Where did the scalpel come from? Who tried to kill us?" She strips out of the gown, putting on her jeans and sweater. "I though that I was the only one, too".

She texts her lover, Damian, hoping that he's not with his wife or son, asking him if he can pick her up from the hospital. She focuses on the relaxed person in the hallway, trying to get a better idea of their intentions.

 

Laya shakes her head. "I don't....or..." She stopped herself trying to focus on something. How exactly her power worked became more apparent to Alexandra as she observed it in action. While she could make astral projections of herself that were able to mostly interact with the world, it wasn't entirely autonomous. She still only had the focus and attention span of a single person, which must be why she looks almost constantly distracted. Probably a just useful enough skill when being short handed on medical staff for basic duties, but not an exceptional ability to fight back against murder attempts. While she was honing in on that, the teacher's phone buzzed.

Are you okay? How serious is it? I was just about to go out to eat with the family. Can this wait?

"There's a guy at the end of the hall. He keeps checking his phone and looking at this room...he's not bad looking really...but something about him really creeps me out." Laya apparently was the kind of girl who despite how mostly friendly she was, did take the time to check to see how attractive a guy is. From what Alexandra felt second hand from her, she definitely liked what she saw. But it was still replaced with the anxiety.

"Um..from what I see..how do I put it? All the hospital cameras...are gone. Jut gone. The wires and everything are still there and look like they were cut, but in this super weird clean way....so if that guy is the reason for that, then he's probably the guy trying to kill us. He...has powers too then?" It was obvious the doctor didn't really understand much of this better, but she stiffened for a moment. "He...just walked right past me...and smiled...but not in a mean way."

Alexandra got that sense too. She hadn't a proper look at him, but from what his emotional read was..it was unusual. He had traces of annoyance towards the two of them, mostly seeming directed at Laya for inadvertently getting in the way...and at the same time, it was just a mild annoyance. If he was attempting to kill them, this wasn't a personal grudge against them, but there was still a focused intent in his heart. Without getting a closer look at him, it was difficult to say. He didn't seem to actually have any problem with either of them. Though it was possible that he may just care that little about killing people.

 

Thinking for a moment, Alexandra decides that bringing her lover into this could get him and his family killed, if there really is a psychic sociopath outside. She texts him back. I'm fine. They're calling me back in, apparently they want to do some more routine tests. I think it's an insurance thing. I'll take a cab home when I'm done. Enjoy your meal, see you later.

Alexandra thinks for a moment. "So, you were just minding your business when you got powers, like me?" She goes to the window, trying to see if getting down to the street is possible, or if she'll break her back.

"He destroyed the cameras? Can't you call security on him?"

 

@Tjf

Sorry. I'll make it up to you later. Promise.

Looking out of the window, Alexandra could see that this room they had put her up in was roughly on the third floor. A risky height to jump from, but the idea crossed her mind that she might be able to slow the fall with telekinesis, but there was a huge if factor to trying it. She could feel the man's presence begin to trail off, floating upward. She had to assume that meant he was walking up the floor above theirs. Laya still looked a little tense, apparently not liking what she was seeing.

"I guess, I could have always done this, but the first time I remember was when I passed out from a party in medical school and still needed to study. It was at least six am of cramming before I even noticed." She laughed a bit, feelings of nostalgia surfacing up, but quickly dying down, remembering the situation at hand.

"Well..he hasn't really did anything concrete, but maybe they could at least stall him for a bit. I still can't be sure if he did...but...who do you even call for this? The police? I don't think they are going to get any fingerprints or anything. I don't think our security is really trained for this, but I could probably get one or two to watch him. If a fight breaks out, that at least gives something proper for them to go on...but also...I don't think he's just here by himself. A fire broke out in another room...even if he can split like I can, he still couldn't have possibly have done all of that, at the same time. I guess, that means the one they tried to burn is probably like this if they want them gone, right?"

 

Alexandra looks out the window again, before turning away, thinking that it's a last resort. She says "He's going upstairs. You're right, but frankly, we don't have a choice. We have to leave eventually. We're clearly not safe in this room."

She looks at her chart, trying to find the listed cause of why she was hospitalised. "Do you guys have a list of recent incoming patients that we can look at? If they're going after people in other rooms, maybe there are others like us in the hospital. If anyone has the same cause and symptoms that I do, maybe we're connected in some way."

 

'Okay, we won't stay any second longer,' Jack nodded and took Laya's hand in his, leading her to the door and grabbing the bag with his clothes on the way out, 'Let's go and get outta here.'

Worst day ever! He thought while opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. He looked around for signs to show the way to the courtyard, 'Which way, doc?'

 

"The cha-sorry, I can only do so many things at once." The doctor's face looked almost pained trying to split her focus between so many different places at once. Her ability might be impressive if she trained it properly, but it seemed more like a liability. "Okay, a couple of security guys are stopping to talk to him. He says he's looking for Radiology...I doubt it."

"They all seem different....but they're all beyond weird. The other one almost drowned...on land. In a traffic accident. Another guy got struck by lightning when he was working inside the office...if we just assume that it's going by cases that don't make a lot of sense, then he might be added to the list...but maybe not, because they're not trying to kill him..."

Alexandra could feel a small flash of annoyance surface up in the apparent killer's mind, brought on by getting pressed by security staff. There still didn't seem to be that much actual aggression to any of his actions, but any time to delve into it more was cut off by Alexandra's phone buzzing again, this time from an unlisted contact. There wasn't even an actual number. The space where any name or phone number for a contact was completely blank.

Do you regret your sin?

"This hasn't been my best day at work either." She still didn't really pick up on him only thinking thoughts instead of saying them. In his rush, he failed to notice it properly. When he gripped Laya's hand, to start with, it didn't connect. As bizarre as it was, his next attempt to squeeze managed to take her soft feminine hands in his. While he ushered her to move quickly, her feet planted where they were trying to pull him back from taking a turn.

"Don't move...okay, that way." Her directions to get to the courtyard were precise and easy to follow, leaving the two out into a small park area. Jack still wasn't sure of what the exact issue is and Laya was...it was hard to pin it. She didn't look like she really got what was going on, but she didn't look entirely oblivious as much as she was a few minutes ago. The park was a nice area and had plenty of fresh air, but the doctor didn't seem to be breathing much better.

"I'm not sure how long this will be safe..how do I ask...Jack...when the heart monitor exploded, you knew before it happened...do...can you do other stuff like that? It seems like...someone really doesn't want people who can do what you can do to be around anymore." While she had slumped against a bench, mentally exhausted from the ordeal, Jack could feel his phone buzzing, the source of it being completely unmarked, adding into another series of insane and confusing events.

Have you lived up to your potential?

 

Jack sat down on a park bench, breathing a sigh of relief, Phew, at least the trees won't explode in flames like that heart monitor.

He looked at Laya confusedly, 'I don't know. I mean I had this happen before... a truck nearly hit me on an intersection, but I had this tingling feeling at the back of my head and before I knew it I jumped out of the way as if on autopilot, the truck barely missing me.' What's she talking about? Like superhero powers? Thinking about it does sound like spidey-sense. Too bad I can't shoot webs or stick to walls. He gulped, 'What do you mean? Someone's out to kill me?'

Jack looked concerned as she slumped against the bench, putting a hand on her shoulder, 'Are you okay, doc? I could go back to the reception and fetch some water for you.'

He heard the buzzing sound of his phone from the bundle of clothes, 'Oh, there's where that went.' He opened the sack and rummaged around for his phone, unlocking it. What the hell kinda message is this? No sender either. Have you lived up to your potential? No, probably not... he looked weirded out and showed the message to Laya, 'And now someone is sending me ominous messages. This is getting creepy.'

 

Alexandra smiles when feels that the assailant is detained. She takes the doctor's hand, and leads her out of the room. "Let's grab that chart, and get out of here." She heads to the nurse's desk, trying to make it seem like the doctor is leading her, rather than the other way around. The teacher looks down at her phone, confused and disturbed. Who are you, and why do you want me dead? She replies.

She directs the doctor to grab the patient chart, and then leads her downstairs to the lobby, and out into the car park.

 

@unisol_gr44

"Well, no. I'm fine. At least, this one is." Not bothering to expand on what she had meant, she gave him another look. "I don't know if you'd call it superpowers...something like it. It seems like a few people have them. I thought I was the only who did at first, but apparently other people have them too. From what I can tell, someone is out to get you. I don't know why. I'm going to try to have the other ones met up with us. It's probably going to be safer in a group...but that also puts everybody in the same place."

"That's really creepy." She agreed on the message, though her focus was still strained between everything else. She was actually managing to relax somewhat, but Jack's instincts were kicking right back up again. Looking to see what the latest danger is, he saw it standing outside the doors to the courtyard. A woman with red hair, taking the time to smoke. On occasion, she would glance at their direction, but wasn't really doing much of anything that could be called suspicious. But there was a look in her eyes that still made his impulse to avoid things grow.

She was spending more time enjoying her smoke or texting, than actually watching them. It seemed like she was waiting for something, but there was no telling what it was.

@Tjf

Laya had taken the chart and was quick about following along with Alexandra, helping lead her down the hallways. After about the third turn, things looked to be getting easier until Alexandra felt it. The presence had moved directly above them. On top of the ceiling, the same white sparkling look from the flashes where the scalpel had came from started to light up, and with it a whole rain of glass shards that feel to the floor and scattered into even smaller pieces. The attempt of an attack was from the sheer volume that poured...but all it accomplished was making a loud noise and huge mess against the hallway floor. Alexandra made a quick summary of why none of them hit anywhere. While he apparently had the ability to teleport objects to different places, a power that Alexandra didn't even have, he didn't seem to actually have the ability to properly sense people. Or if he did, maybe her own psychic energy was blocking his abilities from working how they should have? These attack attempts were just educated guesses of where his target might be. Teleportation was clearly an excellent ability for getting away with murder, but hindered without being able to actually use it to hit anything.

The doctor jumped from the sound, but didn't flinch from it. Her emotional energy indicated that she was just mentally exhausted at this point and just not able to care as strongly anymore. "I really need a day off for this."

 

She has powers? What would that be? She seems normal... mostly. Jack sighed, 'This is crazy. Is this some kind of nightmare? An elborate prank?'

She shuddered as his sense kicked in again, looking over his shoulder to the redheaded woman. What are these feelings trying to tell me? Her? She's the one after me? She doesn't look like a killer... she's damn cute to be honest. Maybe appearances are deceiving. What Jack didn't know, was that he was broadcasting his thoughts to the redheaded woman now too, as he thought about her.

'Doc,' Jack said, a bit scared, 'There's a redheaded woman having a smoke by the doors... If there's anyone out to get me... She doesn't look bad, but I think it might be her... I get this creepy feeling again with that woman.'

 

Alexandra groans loudly, pretending that she's hurt, before grabbing Laya and running out to the parking lot, looking for a cab.

 

"Cute? I don't know about..." Stopping herself, Laya could see the woman look directly at him. Apparently having dropped whatever she doing, looking baffled at Jack. She gripped her cigarette, but was just left looking angry and puzzled. She just stared forward and...then Jack felt it. Sudden waves of heat surging as the patch of grass in front of him began to catch fire...only for it die down immediately. The smoke still billowed in the air making it hard to determine what just happened, but he could make out a second figure approaching, lightly tapping the girl along the shoulder. She reared her head over to the man whose face had became more visible through the smoke.

"That's the hot guy from earlier!" Laya probably sounded a little too excited, especially since she was aware these people were mostly likely the ones trying to kill them. The guy's presence began to set off Jack's danger sense too, but even as the light haired man looked his way, it was just with a regular smile like nothing was out o place. The woman dropped her smoke to the ground extinguishing it with her foot to rub the butt into the soil, taking extra care to be sure it was properly put out.



The two were left looking right at Jack and Laya, who still seemed completely uncertain of what to do...but before any words could be exchanged, the two were already starting to walk away. Wasn't the girl just trying to kill them a second ago? What changed? Jack had saw enough of the layout to realize they were heading to the entrance, but it didn't seem likely they had actually given up just like that. The girl clearly had some kind of ability to create fire. He hadn't seen what the other one could do, but Laya seemed to recognize him, and it didn't look like a good thing. The doctor was hesitant, but began to speak her thoughts.

"..I think they're going to try killing Alexandra instead. Maybe you aren't as important?..or too important? My brain is tired of asking questions. I think it's probably safest if you keep away from them, but...I don't know how to go about stopping them from killing anybody." While Laya was still debating on where to even begin with battling them, it was at maybe what felt like the worst possible time for Jack's phone to start buzzing again with another vague message.

Your past mistakes were always not bothering when you knew that you could make a difference when applying yourself. Will you stay safe or risk death by intervening. We cannot tell you what to do, but if we could, it would be this. Speak with them. Make them realize their mistake.

Alexandra had managed finding the yellow car waiting for her, at the same time Laya looked more worried. Turning to see why, she could past the the glass doors of the hospital entrance to see two figures heading on their way out. A casually dressed woman in a ponytail, next to a much sharper dressed man in a suit. But both held that same eerie calmness that made no mistake to who they were. "They're ignoring Jack. I think they figure it's easier to at least get one than everybody. That girl has some kind of fire power...I don't really have any ideas how to deal with them...it might be be better to just go, but then...are they just going to try killing Jack again instead?"

Any time to deliberate was harmed by the fact they stepped out in the parking lot, slowly advancing. With the amount of people close by, they seemed to be avoiding any obvious displays of what they could actually do, walking at a leisurely place, but still advancing, slow but surely. The cab driver was staring at Alexandra wondering what the hold up was. "Are you ready or did you change your mind?"

Alexandra had so many things to focus on, and her phone was already buzzing again. However, it wasn't any extended message. It had completely ignored her questions of who or what this was about in favor of just placing one simple word on the screen.

Coward.

 

'What the hell?' Jack jumped up on the bench as the grass in front of him caught fire, but went out a second later. First the heart monitor... now this... that wasn't because of a power surge... Did she do that?

They're both working together? This just gets better and better. You'd think a fire-starting redhead would be enough of a headache, Jack raked his mind, not making heads or tails of it.

'Alexandra?' Jack asked Laya, 'Is she another patient? With powers?' He looked concerned, 'Keep away? Easier said than done, doc,' he laughed nervously.

What's this again? Jack checked his phone and read the message. Hmm, looks like the creepy message guy wants me to do something about this... but what can I do? He looked to the doctor, 'We have to do something about them doctor. Even if they aren't after us for the moment, they'll come back for us. And if they are looking to kill this Alexandra and we know it, we can't just sit idly by, right? Besides, I'd really like some answers and those two might have them.'

'Gimme a second, doc,' he said. If I'm gonna be a stupid kid and confront those two, I won't do it with only a hospital gown on, though... He looked around for a secluded spot to change into his normal clothes. Emerging from a bush, dressed in his street clothes, he went back to the doctor, taking her hand, 'C'mon, they went towards the entrance.'

Jack led Laya by the hand towards the entrance of the hospital, following his sense of danger eminating from the two strange assailants.

 

Piss off, she replies. Groaning, she tells the cabbie that she changed her mind, and turns to rescue this "Jack" person.

 

The doctor was still in more places than she should have been, but no version of her particularly wanted to head towards the pair, and it showed on her face. But she was guided by Jack without saying anything as they approached the main lobby of the building which had maintenance crews everywhere and most of the security staff occupied trying to talk to the patients waiting and not cause a panic. "I shouldn't..." Laya didn't give him any warning before she began to fade away, the grip on her hand turning into nothing...but then she was her right there, walking along with a woman to the entrance to meet the two dangerous psychics halfway. The only difference was this version of her had a noticeable cut on her neck, unlike the image of her that he had been speaking to this whole time. Adding to all the other strange things about today, was he could see who the woman with Laya was. One of his former teachers.

The cab driver was left mouthing some less than nice words to Alexandra and drove away, leaving the pair to approach the entrance and finally actually do something about these two...though Laya's face spoke to how much she didn't like the odds behind it. She could make out one of Laya's projections fading away, and a young man walking beside her grasping at thing air for a moment. He looked somewhat familiar to her.

The more pressing thing however, was the two strangers. They stood in the middle of entrance, for a moment, but the man moved away and apologized politely to someone trying to get past him, like nothing was going on. As far as onlookers could tell, nothing about this appeared readily dangerous and they had no reason to think o anything going on.

The white haired man was the first speak, but didn't even bother turning to face Jack. "By the way. Telepathy is only useful if not everyone can hear your thoughts." He paused again and his eyes fixed to Alexandra. "You know, bad person or not, I really don't have much against you. This is just what we're paid for." He didn't even try talking quietly. Between all the noises in the ER almost nobody could hear him anyway.

The girl beside him gave a curt nod. "You got to know, what's gonna happen now, right? If you need to take a minute to make calls and say goodbyes and all, we can wait a little. It's not like I can just light things up with this many people here...but, the minute you guys leave...you're gonna die."

 

Jack was baffled when Laya slipped from his grasp and disappeared, only to show up on the other side of the entrance. Wait, what? What happened? How'd she get over there? With... Ms McKinney?! 'Alexandra' was Alexandra McKinney?!, his former teacher hearing his thoughts too.

Telepathy? Hear my thoughts? What's he on about? Wait... people can hear my thoughts? Jack couldn't believe his ears, Was the doctor hearing everything I thought the entire time?

'Paid for? You just want to kill us for money? Who's paying you? And why do they want us dead?' Jack had so many questions. No way, I'm letting them kill me... or Ms McKinney or the doctor.

 

Alexandra looks over, eyes widening. "Jack? You're...like this, too?"

"Who wants us dead? Why do they want us dead? You're not killing us. We'll stop you, I swear." She looks at the man. "Bad person? What?"

 

I wonder what powers she has? Jack nodded, 'I do. Can you... hear what I'm thinking?' He tried to concentrate on only his former teacher hearing him like that suited guy had said, Uhm... test, 1, 2. Ms McKinney can you hear me?