“People have cyberware. You could be like a cyborg ninja or something who can throw cars. Even if you’re small.”
Kirsten sighed. “I could override the lock with a police code. Will that prove I’m legit?”
“Won’t using an override set off an alarm all over the building? Lock everyone in?” asked the woman.
“You’ve been watching too many movies.” Kirsten chuckled. “It’ll log the entry, but no alarms. No one is locked in. That’s a whole separate process, not merely using an override code on one door.”
“What do you want with me?” asked the woman, likely Marley over the chirps of a NetMini. A GlobeNet welcome jingle followed.
“Hoping for some answers to some really confusing questions. Or maybe you can’t answer them and I at least know I’m in the wrong place.”
“Welcome to the National Police Force public GlobeNet portal,” said a soothing female voice inside the apartment.
“Oh, shit. There is a Zero. You’re psionic.”
“Correct.”
“You’re not a crazy fan?”
“I am not a crazy fan.” Kirsten smiled. “I’ve only listened to one song of yours, but okay, it’s pretty good.”
“You’re being generous,” said Dorian.
Kirsten gave him a ‘not now’ look.
The door slid to the right, vanishing into the wall.
Marley Santiago looked pretty much the same as her ID photo except for clothing. Same three-color hair, same pale pink irises. She still wore a sweatshirt, only this one didn’t have white-and-pink alternating rings down the sleeves, being solid pink with a cute white cat face on the chest. The legs of her baggy white sweatpants mostly covered her bare feet.
For the second time in a week, Kirsten ran into someone who didn’t make her feel tiny. Marley had only about an inch of height on her.
“So, umm… why do you want to talk to me?” She leaned a little into the hallway, looking around. “C’mon in. It’s way creepy out there.”
“Thanks. I’ve just got a few basic questions.”
Kirsten followed her into a living room so cluttered it seemed as though six teenage girls shared it and expected their mother—who didn’t live there—would pick up after them. Holographic posters decorated most walls, mostly faeries, flowers, rainbows, unicorns, or cute cartoon versions of characters from pop culture. Six miniature waterfalls made from what appeared to be stacked stones, probably fake, stood around on shelves or tables. The biggest, a five-foot-tall ivy colored ‘stone wall’ took up one whole corner. It used holographic water, likely due to its size. A fruity-berry smell clung to the sofa and carpet, testament to frequent Flowerbasket or Placid Rain use going on here.
She totally looks like the kind of girl who’d inhale Rain all the time. Kirsten learned about the chem in the dorms, mostly as a warning from the staff, when she’d been about fifteen. Within forty seconds of inhaling it, the user fell into a state of mellowness, awash in feelings of positivity and contentment. Unfortunately, they became so mellow, their body tended not to move for up to an hour. Someone taking it on purpose enjoyed the ultimate chill out, but it left them vulnerable to assault since they’d be functionally paralyzed. For this reason, most of the street chemists who made it added overwhelming grape, cherry, or mixed fruit flavors to prevent sneaky dosing of an unwilling person.
Dorian walked in behind her, whistling. “She’s lived here for years and still expects her mother’s going to swoop in clean up?”
“Ugh, not again.” Marley fidgeted, staring at the doorway.
Kirsten raised an eyebrow. “Not again?”
“I’m just having one of my anxiety attacks. Sometimes, I get scared and stuff for no reason. It feels like someone’s watching me when there’s no one around. Even if I’m alone. I’ll be sitting in my studio all by myself and out of nowhere, I’m a little kid afraid of the monster under the bed. So annoying. Been happening to me ever since I was little.”
Curious, Kirsten peeked at the woman’s surface thoughts.
Normally, making a telepathic connection also came with a mild sense indicating whether a person had psionic ability. If a person had weak abilities, they might not be apparent without a deeper telepathic dive. However, when Kirsten linked to Marley’s brain, a mild storm of tingles went off in her sinuses. This girl definitely had psionic abilities. Despite the distracting urge to sneeze, Kirsten managed to read confusion in her surface thoughts as to why Division 0 would bother with her as well as genuine fear reminiscent of how she used to feel at home, dreading Mother would come looking for her.
“Umm, Marley?” asked Kirsten in a hesitant, soothing tone. “Do you realize you’re psionic?”
“Me?” She laughed, glancing briefly in Dorian’s general direction. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I’ll take that as a no.” Kirsten bit her lip. Her suspicions regarding Marley’s involvement in the storm of hauntings shifted. She changed modes from interviewing a potential suspect to wanting to help a psionic who had no idea how to use her abilities.
Dorian walked over to a corridor leading deeper into the place.
Marley’s laugh shifted tone from genuine to uneasy and petered out. “Seriously, you gotta be confused.”
“How long have you been living here?” asked Kirsten.
“Almost two months.” Marley raked her fingers through her hair, again glancing vaguely in Dorian’s direction. “Used to live in East City, but my ex-boyfriend went super psycho when I tried to break up. Wouldn’t leave me alone. He snuck into my place and sat in the ventilation duct, watching me work on a new track. Goes completely crazy and tries to kill me. Well, kill us. Said if he couldn’t live with me, he didn’t want to live.”
Kirsten winced. “I’m sorry…”
“Not your fault.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, eyeing the big waterfall—where Dorian stood.
Two months… the spike of hauntings is only two weeks old, but if she is somehow connected, it explains why it never happened before. “You keep looking at specific spots. Does it feel like where the sense of fear is coming from?”
“Yeah. Like the monster is watching me.”
Dorian smiled. “No one’s ever called me a monster before.”
“Marley, I’m not sure how you made it to age twenty without realizing it, but you have psionic abilities. It’s the reason you’ve always felt something watching you, an eerie presence nearby. You are sensing my partner, Dorian. He’s a ghost.”
“Hey,” said Marley in a dazed, sleepy voice. “I’m the one on chems. You shouldn’t be talking about seeing ghosts.”
“How much do you know about psionics?”
“Umm, not much. I heard they exist… and some people don’t like them.” Marley shrugged. “You’re the first one I ever met and known about, but I got nothin’ against anyone. We’re all on Spaceship Earth together, part of the same breathing world.”
Dorian made a face at Kirsten. “Been here two months? I think we solved the Flowerbasket shortage.”
Fighting the urge to laugh, she stepped closer to Marley and cleared her throat to regain seriousness. “Is it okay if I take a deeper look to see what kind of abilities you have?”
“Are you going to tell me why you’re interested in me? You said you’re not a crazy fan, right?”
“I’m not a stalker fan, no.”
“What are you going to do?” Marley dazedly scratched her head.
“Look into your thoughts. It will only take a moment.”
Marley flapped her arms in an ‘okay, whatever’ gesture.
“All right. Just try to relax and stand still.”
“If I relax any more, I’m gonna fall over.” Marley giggled. “You interrupted me when I was about to start writing a new track. The Rain’s gone to phase two.”
“I’ve never tried it. Don’t know what you mean.” Kirsten rested her hands on Marley’s shoulders and stared into her bright pink eyes.
“Means
I’m still one with the universe but I can move.”
Kirsten initiated telepathic contact, again suffering a strong tingle in her sinuses. Must be from the Placid Rain… It both surprised her—and kinda didn’t—to find the woman also possessed Astral Sense, though felt quite a bit weaker at it than hers. Evan likely had a higher rating, but the boy had been practicing lately—not to mention frequently used Astral Projection before she found him. Marley also showed signs of having weak Telepathy. By far her most potent ability was Telempathy. Considering Kirsten didn’t have Telempathy at all, her being able to sense it meant the woman had a strong rating.
She burrowed deeper into older memories, unable to find even one case of Marley using her psionic abilities intentionally. Based on hundreds of ‘fear attacks’ starting around age five, Kirsten figured Marley had been aware of ghosts nearby but didn’t understand what she felt. Everything inside the woman’s head appeared somewhat blurry and indistinct, another likely effect of the chem. One curious theme repeated in her thoughts: whenever she sat at her equipment making music, Marley experienced a near transcendental sensation. It reminded Kirsten of how it felt to astrally project with the added sensation of being surrounded by rainbows and riding a wave of emotions from dozens of other people. This woman performing in front of an audience gave her a high ten times stronger than any chem on its own.
Kirsten dropped the telepathic link, finding herself holding onto Marley’s shoulders to stay upright. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, whoa.” Marley giggled again. “You made me feel dizzy.”
Something she’d read about Aethervein clicked in her head. People who go to concerts adore her. Fans hearing it only online aren’t as enthusiastic. She’s a telempath… “Marley?”
“I’m still here.” She grinned. “At least, I think so.”
“Try to focus. You are a psionic, strongest in Telempathy, but I’m also seeing Astral Sense and Telepathy in there, too.”
Marley blinked. “Am I in trouble?”
“No. You haven’t done anything intentionally wrong. But I’m starting to maybe understand what’s going on… and also getting more confused.”
“How can you understand and be confused at the same time?” Marley laughed.
“I’m curious as well.” Dorian folded his arms.
“You have some seriously devoted fans out there.”
Marley nodded. “Yeah. Some are wild. I’ve had people offer to give me their children.”
Dorian whistled.
“What?” Kirsten gawked.
“Yeah, like they think their kids will be sooo happy living with me or they’re like totally in love with me they want me to have their most precious possession. Not like a kid’s a possession, yanno? Just a saying.”
“Right… and the fans who only hear you online aren’t as nuts.”
Marley nodded.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Dorian. “She’s an empath.”
“Exactly.”
“Huh? I didn’t say anything.” Marley looked sort of at Dorian again. “You talking to your ghostie?”
“Yes. Ooh. Idea. Quick experiment.” Kirsten concentrated on Marley’s thoughts and telepathically sent how it felt to concentrate on basic Astral Sight years ago when she needed to ‘turn on’ the ability to see spirits.
Marley made a cross-eyed face and nearly collapsed to the floor. Probably would have if not for Kirsten holding her up. “Ooh, that felt weird.”
“Try to think exactly the way I just sent to you. One of your abilities is called Astral Sense. It’s super rare. There’s only like three of us in West City. You’re relatively weak at it yet, which is why you need to concentrate on wanting to see spirits.”
“You’re teasing me. I… umm.” Marley looked down. “Thought I saw the ghost of my brother once when I was little. He’s a lot older than me and got killed.”
“Sometimes ghosts can appear to you when they want. Please try what I showed you.”
Marley looked up, making a concentration face.
“She’s either going to turn it on or need new pants,” said Dorian.
About two minutes later, Marley’s eyes glowed bright pink—she screamed, grabbing Kirsten, hiding behind her. “There’s a man in here!”
“It’s Dorian. He’s been here the whole time.”
Marley peered around Kirsten. “He doesn’t look like a ghost.”
“When we use Astral Sense to see spirits, they appear exactly like a living person… assuming they don’t have visible wounds. If you see a ghost who appears ghostly, it means they’ve manifested.”
“Manifested?” Marley blinked at her.
“Projected themselves into the physical world so anyone can see them. Not all ghosts can do it. They start off real weak after death and need years to build up energy.”
“Oh.”
“She got the hang of it rather fast.” Dorian clapped.
“Well, I did telepathically show her exactly how to do it. Much more difficult to talk someone through it.”
“Wow. I really am Psionic.” Marley picked up a small mirror from the floor. “My eyes are glowing.”
“Yes. It’s normal for using Astral Sight.”
“Yours aren’t.”
Kirsten chuckled. “I basically lived with Astral Sight on continuously for two years, so it kinda stuck. I see ghosts all the time now. Can’t turn it off.”
“Wow. So how did you find me?”
“Most of what I do with Division 0 is handle cases involving ghosts. There have been a ton of spirits causing trouble lately, all around this area. You’re living at the center of a spirit hurricane. Some of the spirits I had to deal with complained about ‘the noise.’ Another said ‘Aethervein’ when I asked him what the noise was.”
“Everyone’s a critic.” Marley stuck her tongue out. “My music isn’t noise. It’s deep and emotional. Trancelike. No screaming… well, only one track, but that one’s all about being angry.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Dorian.
“I can’t read your mind, but I believe so.” Kirsten took a deep breath.
“This is so weird. I like legit heard him talk.” Marley walked over to Dorian and poked a finger through his chest. “Wow. He’s cold.”
Dorian appeared about to make a wiseass remark but held it back—likely because Marley could hear him.
“Remember me saying I understood but also became confused?” asked Kirsten. “You are what we call a telempath. You also have telepathy, but it’s way weaker than your empathy. Telepathy is sending thoughts—words or images or ideas—to someone else’s mind.”
“Okay,” said Marley.
This is telepathy.
Marley gawked. “How did you talk and not move your mouth?”
With Telepathy. Kirsten smiled. Sending words into someone else’s mind is the second most basic use of it.
“What’s the first?”
“Reading surface thoughts, knowing what someone’s thinking in the moment.” Kirsten rested a hand on Marley’s shoulder. “Telempathy is similar to Telepathy, except instead of words or ideas, you read or send pure emotions. You can tell how someone is feeling or forcibly change their emotions if you want to.”
“Whoa. Really? I never did anything like that.” Marley fidgeted. “Why is… His name’s Dorian, right?”
“Yes,” said Dorian.
“Why’s he scary?”
“He isn’t. Anyone with any psionic ability feels weird when they’re around ghosts or other paranormal beings. You feel scared because you don’t realize what the sensation is and your mind’s giving it meaning based on uncertainty.”
“Okay, so does that mean my random anxiety attacks aren’t really anxiety attacks at all but ghosts being close to me?”
Kirsten nodded. “If what you’re calling ‘anxiety attacks’ are more like feeling watched, nervous, and a little on edge, then yes. Actual anxiety attacks are much more severe.”
“Wow.” Marley b
linked. “Lots of ghosts kept being around me.”
“Yes. They can sense people who are astrals, and probably hoped you could talk to them.”
Marley gazed into space. “Trippy.”
“Okay, so, hear me out. You didn’t know you were psionic, so you couldn’t have intentionally or consciously used your abilities. However, the subconscious mind isn’t limited by awareness. I think you subconsciously use your telempathy abilities whenever you are creating or performing music. You infuse actual emotions into the people listening to you or radiate them around you.”
Marley trembled.
“What’s wrong?” Kirsten took her hand.
“Couple days ago, I was kinda pissed off. The distribution company said some bullshit about my music not having ‘wide enough appeal,’ which is their sneaky way of saying it’s not basic enough to make tons of credits. They don’t understand music at all. Just want the same generic crap everyone else is putting out there. Like music, for me, is a total emotional journey into another place, a higher state of being where me and the audience just like… you know, share this prismatic transcendence.”
“Riiight…” Kirsten tilted her head.
“I got pretty pissed off at the company. Pissed off is kinda rare for me, since I’m like way mellow most of the time. I decided to make a song about how much greedy people suck. It’s angry, not like most of my stuff. But I’m a critter of emotion, so I ran with it. Same day I wrote the song, the cops came to this building seventeen times.”
“Nikolas…” Dorian raised an eyebrow. “Guy was overcome with anger. Mindlessly trashing everything in the building.”
Kirsten checked her terminal. The same day she got the call about Nikolas, Division 1 had eighteen separate calls to this building for assault, fighting, two attempted murders, and various noise complaints related to people screaming at each other. “Wow. Damn. Okay, Marley? This is where you get to see me bend the rules.”
“You do it so rarely.” Dorian rolled his eyes.
“Hush, you.” She smirked. “Division 0, in general, bends this rule all the time.”
“Uh oh.” Marley took a step back.
“When you’re performing music, you subconsciously use Telempathy, projecting the emotion you’re feeling out into the world. The reason Div 1 showed up here so many times that day is because you made everyone in the building as furious as you were.”
The Shadow Fixer Page 29
