Chapter 5: Twists of Fate

About once a week Jake's parents made a point of getting home early so that they could have a sit-down dinner with their children and "act like a normal family" was how they put it. Truth to tell, these dinners actually were quite pleasant little family get-togethers and Jake looked forward to them.

Everyone was civil, and they got caught up on what was going on with everyone else. For whatever reason, they had not had a family dinner since things started going strange for Jake, but tonight they would.

Around 5:00, dinner was ready, and everyone sat down to enjoy the pot roast that Jake's mom and sisters had made. (It was Jake's and his dad's job to set the table and clean up afterwards.) Quickly after settling in they started passing around the food, as Genny started telling their dad about her latest fancy at school-- apparently, she was trying out for cheerleading. Jake watched his mom and dad as they listened attentively to their daughter. Something was bothering him about them.

On impulse he stretched out a probe to gently peek around inside his dad's mind-- and almost immediately yanked it back before his dad felt it. His dad's mind was something similar to his! He could feel controls and shields and neural defense nets spinning in a complex pattern around his thoughts. It was a trap for the unwary psion. Quickly he checked his mother, and sure enough, she possessed the same abilities as dad did. Further gentle probing revealed that neither of them were nearly as strong as Jake-- with a little experimenting, he found he could read them almost as easily as anyone else, and most likely force his will upon them as necessary-- but he hoped that would never be necessary. Still, this is where he could get some information on what was going on. His mind was racing so far ahead that he almost didn't hear his father ask him, "So, Jake, we've heard from everyone else. What's been going on with you?"

Jake looked directly at his father. Hmmm. What to say, what to say? He decided to stick with the bald truth. "Well, dad, today I experimented with psionic healing of nerve damage. I almost killed this guy at school by throwing him halfway across the quad and breaking him virtually in two, and then had him patched up before the ambulance arrived. I guess I'm pretty proud of that." There, he thought. Let's see what he makes of that. His parents' reaction was all that he hoped it would be. His mother's eyes widened and his father started choking on his sip of wine. Courtney was obviously shocked he had said anything about his burgeoning powers and the twins were not impressed with his "joke". In fact, Mickey started her self-important "lecture" about not taking things seriously enough before their dad spoke again.

"Mickey, hush. Jake's said more than you think." He turned his attention fully upon Jake. "Do you mean to tell me that your powers have woken without prompting? And that, within the last month, you've already begun to master them?" The incredulity in his voice was unmistakable, and the confused stares of the twins were rapidly turning into alarm-- most likely because it seemed that the whole family had taken leave of their senses.

Jake shrugged. "'Master' is a pretty strong term, Dad. I've certainly gotten beyond the first stages, though. I've begun experimenting with mind control, weather, healing, and physical conditioning. My probes are becoming more subtle, as you obviously can't feel them. There's a lot going on that I don't understand, however, and I thought maybe you could fill me in."

Jake's parents sat staring at him for a long time. Finally, his mother spoke. "Jake, dear, it's not so simple as that. What you've described as being able to do, well, only the most powerful among us have been able to perform like that, and it took years of formal training, study, experimenting... nobody has been able to do what you've described since, well, since Ykir."

Ykir! Jake knew that name! But from where? "Well, you can tell me about who-- or what-- we are. What we do, how many people are like us, what I can expect, that sort of thing, can't you?"

His father looked troubled. "Yes, Jake, we can, but it's for initiates' ears only. And while you certainly seem to have the power, technically you're still not an initiate, and both your mother and I could get into serious trouble. Just this conversation breaks strictures stronger than you could imagine, strictures that are heavily enforced." He looked glumly at his three daughters. "As it is, it's going to take all night to make the girls forget about this conversation."

Jake shook his head. All night? He could do it in moments. To Genny and Mickey at least; he didn't worry about Courtney wagging her tongue. "I'll take care of it, dad," he said as Genny and Mickey suddenly realized they were being talked about. Both of them looked at the other and bolted out of their chairs, running for the door.

Neither of them even got close before Jake had them. Within seconds, two blonde girls with blank faces were quietly sitting back down at the table. His parents were staring a little wild-eyed at him. Apparently, this was way out of their league. His dad recovered first. "Uh, don't forget about Courtney." He said, casting an apologetic look at his eldest daughter. "Courtney is not a threat, Dad. I trust her implicitly." She gave him a small smile at that. "Besides, I don't think you'd find her mind as pliable as most other people. I like her the way she is, and that is the way she shall stay."

Jake's dad looked uncomfortably at him. "You may be right, but the Council is not going to like this." That had the definite ring of authority to it. "Council, huh? I think perhaps I should go visit this Council. Maybe things'll straightened out easier than you realize." If the people on the Council's powers were in any way comparable to his parents', he would have an easy time with them; if not, he would still be a force to be reckoned with. From the vaguely sick look on his parent's faces, they did not relish the idea, but would help him meet these people.

"It'll take a couple of days to organize, but we'll see what we can do, Jake." Jake could accept that, and that was more or less the end of dinner. His father didn't have much to say as they picked up the dishes and silverware, and cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. Jake had the feeling that he had been unnerved by the abilities his only son had displayed. Jake felt sort of guilty about that, but it was, for all intents and purposes, unavoidable.

Later that night, Jake once again was laying in bed, unable to sleep. Ever since the beginning of his new life, all he needed was about an hour of sleep a night-- even then, he just did it to pass some time on the way to morning. In the last week, he'd decided to use this time more constructively by practicing with his powers. He went over in his mind how he had healed Jim Bacareau earlier that day, and, using that as inspiration, devised what he thought should work rather well as an auto-heal program, in the event of severe physical trauma. After double-checking the whole sequence for possible problems, he applied it to himself and, following a few moments' wait for the "program" to sink in, he took his pocketknife and deliberately slashed his palm wide open. Fascinated, he watched as the wound closed itself and healed in a manner of seconds. A few seconds after that, there was no sign there had even been a cut except for the blood still pooled in his hand.

Jake chuckled to himself. Now, even if he was unconscious, he would still be healing himself. He figured he could easily survive multiple gunshot wounds, falls from large heights, car accidents, and all sorts of other freak accidents. That should help out in a pinch.

Jake got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hand off. As he let the cool water run, he felt a strange surge in the direction of his parent's bedroom. At first, he thought they must be using their powers to contact the Council and set up a meeting, but then he remembered that all they had had to do was make a telephone call to the local "Guild Chapterhouse". Curious, he extended a soft probe towards them.

The probe ran into something... dark. Whatever it was, it reacted instantly, launching a spike of energy at him, following his tendril of thought all the way back to the source. Wincing in pain, he quickly pulled it back, embarrassed that he had come up against a ward, perhaps interrupting something private, and then suddenly realized something-- that bolt had not come from his parents. It was far too powerful. What was going on here?

His speculation was abruptly cut off with a shriek of terror from their room. His mother! Without hesitation he launched into motion. Running out of the bathroom, he burst into the hall and, bracing himself, ran full tilt into his parents' bedroom door. The heavy oak shattered like thin glass, and his eyes took in a scene right out of a horror novel.

Blood was spattered across the walls and ceiling. The bed and floor were covered with it, and in the center of the room was the most demonic looking monster Jake could have ever imagined. It was big and black. It was scaly and slimy. It had tentacles. Most of all it had a mouth that took up half of its body size, with rows upon rows of huge, sharp, bloodstained teeth and two little glowing eyes that immediately fixed upon this intruder.

Jake was in utter shock. A quick glance saw his mother huddled in a corner, whimpering and covered in gore. He saw no sign of his father-- with the exception of the mess all over the place. But he had no time for making sense of this carnage, as the monster's tentacles whipped around him, the sharp tips biting into his flesh. Immediately Jake rallied his mental defenses as his powerful body flexed against these unnatural bonds, and attacked with the full force of his will.