by Ben White
xx48.11.30 / 18:08 / Still Wednesday
Spying is going both better and worse than I expected. Currently I'm in a toilet, inside a cubicle. I'm kind of hiding. I don't think I'm ACTIVELY being chased, but it's pretty clear that I'm being 'hunted'.
There's something I have to get out of the way before going into that, though. It's about C2. This is so the wrong time for this to happen, but we had a huge fight. I had to warn her, that's why I grabbed her while she was crossing the grounds to get to self-improvement. She was happy but surprised to see me, and also happy that I'm pretty much recovered from The Incident, but a little bit less happy when I told her what I was doing here—this was after we were safely in one of the unused school buildings, of course.
"This is dangerous, too dangerous," she said. "Please stop before you get into trouble."
"I thought you didn't even believe that there WAS anything sinister going on?" I said.
"Even the possibility of danger is enough—"
"I can't do nothing! I realised it while I was at your house, that being here, that living at the school was the worst thing I could've done, it clouded my mind and stopped me from acting—but now that I know, I HAVE to act!"
"You don't have to," C2 said. "You're choosing to."
"Yes, exactly!" I said. "And you have a choice, too. It's between two things. Neither of them are wrong, and I won't think any less of you no matter what you decide."
That kind of caught her attention. "Go on," she said.
"The way I see things, it could get dangerous here," I said. "If the students are being controlled then at any moment they could get hostile or even violent. You can't just keep continuing like you are, just pretending nothing's wrong—"
"I'm not pretending that," C2 said. She actually sounded a little angry. "I know that something is wrong. I'm doing my best to get by despite this—"
"That's not good enough, 'getting by' isn't an option now. You have to DO something. So these are your choices, C2. You can either go home and stay completely out of this, or you can come with me and help me stop whatever's happening here."
C2 considered this, like she considers everything. Then she shook her head.
"Those aren't the only choices," she said.
"They're the only VALID choices," I countered. "I don't want you to get hurt—"
"I don't want you to get hurt either," she said. "I care about you and want you to be safe. Please stop this, I can't see it ending well."
But I can't stop. Why can't she SEE that? If I know something wrong is happening, how can I ignore that? How could ANYONE ignore that? I told her this, I tried to explain, I did my best but I could see I just wasn't getting through to her.
"Maybe there's a bigger problem here," she said. "You seem to be very ... passionate about this. You care about it deeply. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's one way of putting it—"
"But I don't share your passion," she said. "I care about you, but I don't understand you."
I didn't have anything to say to this. After all, it was true. C2 thought for a moment, then she said something utterly shocking:
"I need to read your journal."
NO! No one can read this, these are my secret private thoughts! I know I began this thing as a record of my rise to superhero glory (hah!) but it's become more than that, this journal IS me, I can't just let someone read it without EXTENSIVE editing, not even my best friend!
"Absolutely NOT," I said. "I can't believe you'd even SUGGEST that!"
"If I could read it then I could understand you better," she said. "My problem is that I can't tell what people are feeling. I can't read emotional cues. But a journal is a place for private thoughts and feelings—"
"EXACTLY," I said. "Private! Not for anyone else!"
C2 looked confused and sad and dejected. "But—"
"No! You can't read my journal, that's FINAL! That you even ... look, just go home, C2. Go home to your amazing family and be safe, just do that for me, please. I don't know what's going to happen here, but ... but whatever happens, you have to be safe. You just have to be."
With that I left. I was angry at her, and I still am, but that doesn't mean I want her to get hurt. And she clearly isn't interested in helping me stop this. It kind of hurts that she isn't. Even if she doesn't understand me, she DOES understand that this is important to me. And more than that, she's got to understand that something wrong is happening here, REALLY wrong, and that someone HAS to stop it. Right?
Well, anyway. I think she went home. I hope she did. I haven't seen her since then and I've been EVERYWHERE in this school. I did a lot of 'sneaking' and 'infiltration' courses in the training room back home (mostly, I admit, because they're so much fun), and even without super-agility and phase-shifting I didn't have any trouble getting around unnoticed, even in the gymnasium where they're rigging up a bunch of fireworks, I guess for tomorrow's 'big game'. Both the roof AND the floor retract to make it an open-air stadium thing with grass underneath, it's kind of neat actually.
Argh, I think the mind control is affecting me, my thoughts keep wondering. I have to focus. I have to concentrate on the task ahead. And most of all I have to be very, very careful, because they're after me, specifically ME, although I don't yet know why.
It was while I was exploring one of the disused school buildings that it happened. I thought it was empty, it definitely hasn't been used for a while and there's dust and mess everywhere, but while I was creeping down a corridor I heard muffled voices. It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I realised they were coming from below ground-level—which was doubly suspicious because none of the school buildings have obvious basements. It was hard to make out what they were talking about, but I eventually found a good spot and listened really hard with my eyes closed, and although I couldn't make out complete sentences I got a word here and there, and one word that kept coming up was DEFINITELY 'psychic'. No question. Well okay FINE it was either 'psychic' or 'high kick' but I REALLY don't think whoever was in that hidden room underneath a disused building was discussing martial arts, do you?
Anyway, I was still trying to hear what they were talking about when I realised that they were coming up—just my luck, the secret entrance to the underground room was RIGHT by where I was lying. I got up as quick as I could and hid JUST as I heard the trapdoor or whatever opening, it sounded like hydraulics. Whoever they were—I didn't recognise their voices—kept talking as they came up, and what they said was pretty shocking:
"—certainly the most efficient solution, if not the most elegant. Until then, let's put those much-vaunted stamina enhancers to work, I don't want any more of the subjects dropping out. Do we have any progress on the Powers girl?"
I had to put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from yelping. 'The Powers girl', that's me!
"No sign of her since Monday, apparently the Ricardo kid couldn't keep his hands to himself and she freaked out."
I went all cold when I heard that—the guy said it in such a casual, uncaring way too, 'couldn't keep his hands to himself', that doesn't even BEGIN to describe how WRONG and AWFUL and HORRIBLE it was.
"Hm. Put her up to priority three then, I want her out of the way. Increase general security to level two also, and bugger the salience. At this point we can't afford any unknown variables."
"She's already at priority three."
"Then put her up to priority two, man, must I do your job for you? In fact, you could probably—"
They were getting further away now and I couldn't make out the next part, but I crept after them and managed to hear just a little more of their conversation before they left the building:
"—taken care of, she volunteered for advanced improvement, she's not—"
And then I couldn't hear any more. But what I'd heard already was plenty!
They want me 'out of the way'!
I'm a priority two!
Whatever that means!
Something sinister anyway, and
putting that together with what I heard about something 'psychic' adds up to something really, really bad. I don't know exactly what, but I HAVE to find out.
I waited a bit after they'd left, then I tried to get into the underground room, but with the trapdoor or whatever closed I couldn't even see where it was. There must be some kind of key, without it I don't think I can get down there. Getting hold of that 'key' is my highest priority!
Well, not my HIGHEST priority. My HIGHEST priority is 'not getting caught', because after I left the actually-not-disused building it was like all these people had appeared from nowhere—mostly students but some staff too, all of them clearly 'searching'. Searching for me! I figured the admin building would be my best chance to get more information, so I headed that way. It took a while to get there but I managed it without being spotted, except once I got inside things kind of got trickier. There are cameras in the admin building, and they're set up so there aren't any convenient 'blind spots'. They've got 'staff' patrolling the building too, which just increases my suspicions and makes me even more determined to find what they're hiding there.
Except how can I? Without my powers there's no way I can infiltrate that place without getting spotted. Also, I think this place is really starting to get to me, the mind control I mean, I'm having trouble thinking straight and it's hard to remain focused.
I didn't want to, but I gave up on the admin building—just for now, just until I can think of a way to get in there without being seen. But HOW? If I could phase-out—but I CAN'T, I have to stop thinking like that, I CAN'T go out-of-phase, I wish I could but I just can't. Maybe I'll never be able to again. It's a sad thought and a lonely one, but it's something I have to face.
Right now, though, just keeping safe is difficult enough. After I gave up on admin I retreated to one of the school buildings, to one of my trusted safe-havens, a toilet stall. That's where I am now, writing this, trying to figure things out. I should take a deep breath and think this through logically, gather together everything that I already know and hope it leads me to some kind of amazing conclusion. So, what do I know? I know that they're looking for me, actively hunting me specifically, as well as guarding against 'unknown variables'. That means that whatever they're planning, it's at a critical juncture. Something important is happening, either now or soon. What else do I know? I know that whatever they're planning it involves widespread psychic manipulation, of an entire school (with residual influence spreading to the entire town).
Psychic manipulation. That's really the shocking thing about all of this—it's possible, of course, it's certainly not without precedent, but on this kind of scale, an entire school! I've never heard of anything like that, how are they doing it? Dark Judgement is probably the most famous example of a psychic manipulator (even though he wasn't actually psychic himself) but his 'little sages' only worked on one person at a time, and they had to be in direct contact with the skull to function at all. Also they needed a mutated hypermouse brain to work at all so yuck. Then there were villains like Triforks and heroes like Paradiso, they both had pretty much the same power, the ability to influence the behaviour and mood of others. Triforks used it to control people, Paradiso used it to heal psychic injuries. Gaia too, she was in Mum and Dad's group for a while, her power was a little different but she used it for good, to heal people, to help people. But this isn't helping people. This is definitely 'controlling' people, specifically the students here.
Getting distracted. Have to focus. The strangest thing here is the scale of all of this—wait, no, the actual strangest thing is that they're broadcasting at all. Has someone figured out how to broadcast psychic signals? How is that even possible? It's been proven that you can't reproduce psychic energy mechanically, I'm sure it has, in fact I'm CERTAIN it has because I remember Daniel getting really worked up about it when I suggested a 'happy ray' as something positive he might like to invent. You CANNOT artificially create psychic energy, it's just an impossibility. Except clearly it's not, because here we are.
That's something else, too. I'm now almost certain that C2 has some kind of superpower. Just being emotionally unreceptive wouldn't block psychic manipulation, I'm sure of it. Maybe she's like Dulleye—yes, he was a supervillain, but he had psychic shielding as his power, actually more than that, he was an 'anti-psychic', is that what C2 is? Is that her power? I really hope she listened to me and went home, I really hope she isn't still here. Already I've seen the students acting strangely, already I've seen evidence that this 'mood alteration' is far more than that, evidence of actual psychic control—but how? HOW are they doing this?
No, I'm focusing on the wrong thing here. The 'how' isn't important. Neither is the 'why', come to that. What's MOST important, RIGHT NOW, is 'where'. Where is this happening? If I knew that, then I
[ENTRY TIMED OUT]
xx48.12.01 / 02:29 / Thursday
I think I'm okay here. I'm in the hills outside the school, as far as the forest actually, quite near to where I first arrived. There are patrols, but I don't think they come into this hilly area, there are too many gullies and patches of erosion, it's not safe for their four-wheeled motorbike things.
I'm writing this partially because I'm not sure if ... I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm not sure what's HAPPENING, come to that. I can't access the greater net, but there's a data repository on one of the local nets. I have no idea how safe it is, they might even control that, whoever 'they' are, but it's better than nothing. After I finish writing this I'm uploading the whole journal, locked with my family's encryption key. Even if the bad guys manage to find my journal file, they'll never be able to open it—Daniel invented the encryption, he's told me more times than I want to remember that it'd take the combined power of all the computers in the entire world more than a year to crack it. More importantly, if my family manage to track me here and access the local nets then they'll find my personal Opal code and know the file is mine. If something happens to me, at least they'll be able to read this journal. They'll know everything I know. With that said, I REALLY hope this isn't my last entry.
Okay. Where to start. Probably back in the toilet stall, it feels like a REALLY long time since I was there. While I was writing the last entry I got a weird feeling, like something bad was about to happen. I was about to get out of the bathroom when right on cue Veronica Flux appeared along with about a dozen students. Not her old cronies, either. These were all big guys from the sports clubs.
"How nice," she said. "Our nosy little sewer rat, cornered at last."
I WAS cornered, well and truly. She and her controlled students blocked the only exit from the toilets, apart from a tiny window in the far wall—and there were four really big guys between me and that, even.
"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you," Veronica said. "We're VERY interested in you. There are some questions we're DYING to ask you. Where DID you come from?"
I said nothing. Or at least I WANTED to say nothing. But I felt that familiar twinge inside me and that tiresome curse rose up and made me say:
"From far away."
Veronica smiled, like she'd just won. "I almost can't believe this is your 'power'," she said, "but I suppose I should ask to make sure. Do you ALWAYS have to tell the truth?"
How did she know that? How did she know about my curse? But of course I DO have to tell the truth, I couldn't lie when faced with a direct question, so I couldn't help but say:
"Yes."
She LOVED that. So did her thugs.
"That's really wonderful, I'm going to have fun with you, I can see," she said. "What should I ask? Did you REALLY like Ray? Did you think he REALLY liked you?"
"Yes," I said, through gritted teeth. She laughed.
"Oh, you poor naive little girl. Your little 'breakup' with him was amusing, were you scared?"
I've never hated my curse before. I've been annoyed by it, I've wished I didn't have it, but in that toilet being questioned by that awful girl, I loathed this awful curse to the ve
ry depths of my being.
"Yes," I said. Apparently that wasn't ADEQUATE for the curse, though, apparently it wasn't TRUTHFUL enough, because I could feel it squirming inside me and forcing me to say more: "I was more scared than I've ever been."
"Haha! Goodness, you ARE fun, a scared little girl playing games she knows NOTHING about. How about this, then. Are you a virgin?"
"Yes," I said. I actually didn't mind so much answering this one. She seemed to think it was funny, though.
"But I bet you think about sex ALL the time."
"No, I don't," I said. Why would I? "Why, do you?"
That annoyed her, which made me feel just a little better.
"Fine, let's get serious," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"Hiding," I said, through gritted teeth. She clicked her tongue.
"I meant 'why did you come here, to this school?'."
"To be ordinary," I said. She clicked her tongue again.
"Are you spying on us? Trying to find out what we're doing here?"
"Yes," I said. She smiled a little at that.
"Good," she said. "Now we're getting somewhere. What do you know already? Have you told anyone else?"
"No," I said, which apparently was okay with my curse. Not with her, though.
"Answer properly!" she said.
"I am answering properly," I said.
"No, you're not! Or does it have to be a direct question?"
"Most of the time," I said. She tutted.
"Do you know about segregation?" she asked. "Do you know what it is?"
"It's a kind of separation," I said. "Splitting a group into smaller groups—"
"I didn't want the definition!" she spat. "But I suppose that means you don't know ... do you?"
