Z-E-R-O (part 19)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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2nd January
15:18 GMT -7
**Grgrlulgrlur.**
The Scintillating Psionist lists in the air for a moment, and everyone it had been holding in thrall legs it. Then its telekinetic field starts fluctuat-shield!
My orange barrier expands, forming a dish-shape to protect the town as the telekinetic barrier leaps outward! My barrier is shoved away, the upper third where the force was concentrated cracking and break-.
"Ah!"
Part of the telekinetic blast went into the library! Ms Birchall dived to the side in an impressive display of athleticism for someone her age, but the floor is collapsing beneath her-.
**Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh.**
Another telekinetic surge, this one grabbing objects at random. I watch two cars get squeezed to wreckage-.
Ring, read patterns of activation and improve the suppression system!
Compliance.
**Uhhhhhhhh.**
There's a momentary increase of the force on my armour, but the kinetic shield soaks it. Then the telekinetic barrier around the Scintillating Psionist fails completely, and the brain drops-.
Flight aura!
I catch it before it can splatter against the ground, another construct extending into the building and propping up the floor Ms Birchall is standing on. She nearly trips as it falls an inch onto my supports, but then steadies herself-.
"His dial!"
Because there's an off-switch, hopefully.
"Where is it?"
"You didn't-?!" She turns around, frantically searching the wreckage in the library for any sign of a dial.
I raise my hands, dismissing all constructs except the ones keeping the Scintillating Psionist off the ground and unconscious before sending out filaments to grab the rubble and pile it neatly in the street. Or as neatly as possible, at any rate. No, no… I really hope that wasn't it, as if it was then it's been crushed-.
"There! There!"
Ms Birchall points frantically at a small, dull grey object. I grab it with a construct and pull it up as I float towards her.
"How do I deactivate it?"
"Do you know what he dialled?"
Ah… "Four six seven seven six seven."
She shakes her head. "Horror. No wonder he wouldn't listen." She takes the dial from my construct and holds it out to me. "He has to dial it in reverse."
I glance at the Scintillating Psionist. "He doesn't have hands. Is there another way?"
"These versions don't have the power to maintain the transformation indefinitely. Can you keep him unconscious for an hour?"
Theoretically, yes, but long term neural suppression can do all sorts of unpleasant things to a person. "I'd rather avoid it."
"It doesn't have to be voluntary. If you can just press it up against him, that should work."
"His external surface is part of his brain."
"Injuries disappear when we change back."
"How long does turning back take?"
"A few seconds."
Right. I-.
**Mrugh-ugh?**
The telekinetic shield momentarily re-establishes itself, breaking the link to my flight aura. Then it disappears again, the Scintillating Psionist falling towards the ground! Aura back o-!
There's a pulse of telekinetic force, sending the unconscious brain upward into the sky! Shit, okay, that… Cable doesn't appear to be plugged into anything vital. I fly up until I'm alongside him, hold the dial as close to him as I can and then yankanddial!
The telekinetic surge stops almost immediately, so I extend a flight aura around everything but the end of the cable. Seven-! Fuck, the rotary dial! I can't make it go back to neutral faster! Neural activity… I don't know enough to monitor him effectively, but I don't think he's dying. Six, and a painful wait. Seven. Seven. Some of the cables are pulsing worryingly. I hate not understanding-. Six. I… Think he's having some sort of stroke. No, can't stop now.
Four.
The shift is immediate, the image of a disembodied brain shrinking and fading as the image of an adult man grows and solidifies. Two seconds pass and the man is all that remains, his eyes blinking as he adjusts.
Ring, stop neural suppression.
Compliance.
Binding my newly human guest in construct chains, I float back towards the library.
"I would appreciate an explanation, please."
Ms Birchall nods. "The man you were looking for is called Robert Reed. He's-. Well, he doesn't live around here any more."
"And who are you?"
"We're-. I suppose you'd call us clones. We were… Grown from tissue samples taken from.. transformed heroes. Neither of us were ever able to manifest powers, so we were kept around for other things. Spying, mostly."
"By who?"
"One time, Robert needed to be in two places at once. He used the dial to make two of himself, but… One of them was evil. The evil side went its own way, and… Created us."
"And new dials."
"No, the ones we use are far weaker than the original."
"Is he still around?"
"No, they merged back into Robert Reed decades ago. But we're still compelled to obey our master's last orders. He wanted the dial back."
"You seem to be managing."
She shakes her head. "It's been a long time, and I don't know what I'd do if I actually saw the.. bedamned thing."
"Do you have any way to locate it?"
She shakes her head. "We wouldn't be here if we did. We came here because it was our only lead, and since we didn't have anything better we settled down… I thought we were out."
"And your dial."
She hesitates. "I-. I've got it, but I can't give it up. I'd-. I'd try and kill you, I'd have to-."
"Okay, just don't try and use it." She nods gratefully. "So who would have a way to track the dial down?"
15:18 GMT -7
**Grgrlulgrlur.**
The Scintillating Psionist lists in the air for a moment, and everyone it had been holding in thrall legs it. Then its telekinetic field starts fluctuat-shield!
My orange barrier expands, forming a dish-shape to protect the town as the telekinetic barrier leaps outward! My barrier is shoved away, the upper third where the force was concentrated cracking and break-.
"Ah!"
Part of the telekinetic blast went into the library! Ms Birchall dived to the side in an impressive display of athleticism for someone her age, but the floor is collapsing beneath her-.
**Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh.**
Another telekinetic surge, this one grabbing objects at random. I watch two cars get squeezed to wreckage-.
Ring, read patterns of activation and improve the suppression system!
Compliance.
**Uhhhhhhhh.**
There's a momentary increase of the force on my armour, but the kinetic shield soaks it. Then the telekinetic barrier around the Scintillating Psionist fails completely, and the brain drops-.
Flight aura!
I catch it before it can splatter against the ground, another construct extending into the building and propping up the floor Ms Birchall is standing on. She nearly trips as it falls an inch onto my supports, but then steadies herself-.
"His dial!"
Because there's an off-switch, hopefully.
"Where is it?"
"You didn't-?!" She turns around, frantically searching the wreckage in the library for any sign of a dial.
I raise my hands, dismissing all constructs except the ones keeping the Scintillating Psionist off the ground and unconscious before sending out filaments to grab the rubble and pile it neatly in the street. Or as neatly as possible, at any rate. No, no… I really hope that wasn't it, as if it was then it's been crushed-.
"There! There!"
Ms Birchall points frantically at a small, dull grey object. I grab it with a construct and pull it up as I float towards her.
"How do I deactivate it?"
"Do you know what he dialled?"
Ah… "Four six seven seven six seven."
She shakes her head. "Horror. No wonder he wouldn't listen." She takes the dial from my construct and holds it out to me. "He has to dial it in reverse."
I glance at the Scintillating Psionist. "He doesn't have hands. Is there another way?"
"These versions don't have the power to maintain the transformation indefinitely. Can you keep him unconscious for an hour?"
Theoretically, yes, but long term neural suppression can do all sorts of unpleasant things to a person. "I'd rather avoid it."
"It doesn't have to be voluntary. If you can just press it up against him, that should work."
"His external surface is part of his brain."
"Injuries disappear when we change back."
"How long does turning back take?"
"A few seconds."
Right. I-.
**Mrugh-ugh?**
The telekinetic shield momentarily re-establishes itself, breaking the link to my flight aura. Then it disappears again, the Scintillating Psionist falling towards the ground! Aura back o-!
There's a pulse of telekinetic force, sending the unconscious brain upward into the sky! Shit, okay, that… Cable doesn't appear to be plugged into anything vital. I fly up until I'm alongside him, hold the dial as close to him as I can and then yankanddial!
The telekinetic surge stops almost immediately, so I extend a flight aura around everything but the end of the cable. Seven-! Fuck, the rotary dial! I can't make it go back to neutral faster! Neural activity… I don't know enough to monitor him effectively, but I don't think he's dying. Six, and a painful wait. Seven. Seven. Some of the cables are pulsing worryingly. I hate not understanding-. Six. I… Think he's having some sort of stroke. No, can't stop now.
Four.
The shift is immediate, the image of a disembodied brain shrinking and fading as the image of an adult man grows and solidifies. Two seconds pass and the man is all that remains, his eyes blinking as he adjusts.
Ring, stop neural suppression.
Compliance.
Binding my newly human guest in construct chains, I float back towards the library.
"I would appreciate an explanation, please."
Ms Birchall nods. "The man you were looking for is called Robert Reed. He's-. Well, he doesn't live around here any more."
"And who are you?"
"We're-. I suppose you'd call us clones. We were… Grown from tissue samples taken from.. transformed heroes. Neither of us were ever able to manifest powers, so we were kept around for other things. Spying, mostly."
"By who?"
"One time, Robert needed to be in two places at once. He used the dial to make two of himself, but… One of them was evil. The evil side went its own way, and… Created us."
"And new dials."
"No, the ones we use are far weaker than the original."
"Is he still around?"
"No, they merged back into Robert Reed decades ago. But we're still compelled to obey our master's last orders. He wanted the dial back."
"You seem to be managing."
She shakes her head. "It's been a long time, and I don't know what I'd do if I actually saw the.. bedamned thing."
"Do you have any way to locate it?"
She shakes her head. "We wouldn't be here if we did. We came here because it was our only lead, and since we didn't have anything better we settled down… I thought we were out."
"And your dial."
She hesitates. "I-. I've got it, but I can't give it up. I'd-. I'd try and kill you, I'd have to-."
"Okay, just don't try and use it." She nods gratefully. "So who would have a way to track the dial down?"
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