Chapter 6: Corrective Measures

It was going to be a really long night. I looked at Bob and he just shrugged. "I'm over my head, Jimmy. My only concern is how Angela will take a stranger walking in on her and talking about things no one is supposed to know."

"Oh, I don't want to talk to her," Lizzy said. "Not yet anyway. You're right; it will take some time before she's ready for that. I just want to be there for her for now, be with her, let her get used to my presence, maybe get to know her a little. I was thinking you could just take me in invisibly like you and Allison were when you came to check me out."

"What good will that do?" Shannon said, "How is she going to get used to you if she... ?" Suddenly she stopped and nodded her head. "Oh yeah, the same way you made Jimmy... , got it."

"Thanks, Sha," Allison said. "I was just wondering the same thing, now I don't feel so stupid. You're saying you'll be able to help even if she can't see you?" Lizzy nodded and Allison turned back to the rest of us, "So does this mean she's like, an official part of the team, and we tell her all about keys and doors and all that stuff?"

"Might as well. She knows pretty much everything else already."

"Oh goody," Lizzy said, bouncing up off the bed. "I can't wait for the initiation! Do you do that one at a time or all together?"

"I'm out of here." Bob said, heading for the door at a fast walk. "Call me if you need anything."

"I'm kidding, Bob," Lizzy giggled. "I know they're not ready for me yet. That will come later." She walked over to him and took his hand then stretched up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for coming, and for listening."

"It was my pleasure and privilege," Bob said, lifting her hand and kissing it. "Now, I know you all have a lot to talk about, as well as lots to do tonight," he looked at me for that comment, "so I'll leave you to get started. Like I said, call if you need me." Then he turned to leave, he faded out before he got to the door.

"Hmm, that look said something's happened," Lizzy said, walking back over to me. "It wouldn't have anything to do..." she passed a hand across my chest, " ... with this big cloud of anxiety and uncertainty that seems to be hovering around you, would it?"

Allison answered for me, "There have been some complications in some dreams Jimmy gave some people. They went from being, let's say corrective, to full blown nightmares that wouldn't stop and just keep getting worse. At first we couldn't figure out what might have caused it, then something happened this morning that pointed to some outside force using Jimmy's power, in this case in a way we didn't even know it could work. Was the news in your area carrying a story about a bank robbery where the robbers ended up killing each other right there in the bank?"

"I don't really watch the news, but yeah, everyone was talking about it."

"We were there, Jimmy and I. We saw the whole thing."

"Jesus! You're kidding."

"No, and it happened just like they said. One of the robbers, suddenly and for no apparent reason, started shooting the others, starting with the woman that was their insider working as a teller; the guy in the vault shot back and killed him at the same time. The only survivor was the one guarding the outside,"

"And you're saying there is more to it."

"To put it mildly, yes. Something used Jimmy's power to take over a little daydream fantasy the guy was having, and turn it into something so real that he was convinced he was in a jungle trying to escape enemy soldiers that were after him. He was locked so tightly in the dream that he never even questioned it. The dream itself was overlaid so perfectly that when he shot the enemy in the dream he simultaneously shot and killed his friends in the bank."

"Damn! No wonder you're so upset; and you saw all this happen. Gross!"

"It was worse for Jimmy. I only had to watch what was happening in the bank, Jimmy had to watch the dream that did it, and all he could do was watch. Lizzy, he had to watch while something used him to take over that man's reality and then use him to kill four people. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad, they were planning to kill all of us before they left, but still, can you imagine the damage your gift could do in the wrong hands. You use it to heal, but can you imagine the pain you could cause?"

"Stop, please, don't ever go there. Yes, I've thought about it. There have been temptations, especially at first, when it was new. God brought me through it, but I shudder to think what could have happened if I had given in to the darkness; and Jimmy's gift is so much greater than mine." She shook her head as if to erase a memory. "So now you think it wasn't some outside force but rather what I saw hiding inside him?"

"Yes, I'd like to talk to you more about that, but Jimmy has work to do." She turned to me. "Jimmy, are Mikkelson and Parry around yet?"

I stopped and concentrated and found both of them. I nodded and she continued, "Good, why don't you take Shannon and go see what you can do about correcting those problems. I want to talk to Lizzy, bring her up to speed on everything and answer any questions she may have."

"Uh-oh, Lizzy," Shannon said with a grin, "looks like oral exams are starting."

Allison and I rolled our eyes at the obvious joke, Easy just giggled and said, "Gosh, I hope I have time for a little review before we start, you know, just to brush up." I dropped them both in the lagoon before Shannon and I left.

Raymond Parry was not a well man and his wife Christine was getting worried. He wasn't sleeping nearly enough, and it seemed that every time he did manage to fall asleep the dream would start. Twice this week she had been awakened by the sound of him sobbing into his pillow and begging God to make it stop. He still wouldn't talk about the dream, just shook his head and refused to speak whenever she asked. He just wasn't himself. He had even put his truck up for sale. The girls, usually loud and rambunctious, tiptoed around the house. The only upside was that Ray seemed to be spending a lot more time with them than usual, looking at their latest projects from school with them sitting on his lap, even watching cartoons with them. He also told her how much he loved her two or three times a day instead of once or twice a week. That part was nice, but she'd give it all back to see him get one decent night's sleep.

As usual she was asleep first. By the time Shannon and I got there the dream had already started, Parry was buckled into the front seat and backing out of the driveway. He knew that Gabby's seat belt wasn't fastened right but he couldn't stop the dream to fix it. The big truck cleared the driveway and began the race for the corner, where he rolled through the stop sign to the accompaniment of the horn on that car swerving to miss him. The big truck just rolled on towards its nightly meeting at the light and somewhere deep inside Raymond Parry sobbed and prayed; the same prayer he had prayed every night for weeks, "Please, God, not again." The big truck rolled on; weaving through traffic and picking up speed as if it had a mind of its own. Then, for the first time in weeks, something different happened. He heard a siren. He couldn't tell where it was coming from but a quick glance at all the mirrors show it to be a motorcycle cop coming up fast behind him with its lights flashing and siren blaring. Instinctively he edged toward the side of the road to let the cop by, but instead of passing, the officer slowed and followed him to the curb.

Parry sat stunned, unable to fathom what was happening as the officer removed his helmet to reveal that he was in fact a she; a she with silky, dark hair in a long braid which reached to the middle of her back.

"License, registration, and proof of insurance please," she said as she reached his window. He handed over the requested documents and stared out the front window. "Mr. Parry, I think we both know what happens next if I hadn't stopped you." She said as she began writing out the ticket.

He turned his head suddenly to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I think you've seen it enough that you could write a screen play of it. The question is, have you really seen it enough to get the message, or do you need more. You do understand that this was done for a purpose, don't you?"

Tears had formed in the big man's eyes as she spoke and then started running down his face as he nodded.

"Step out of the car please, Mr. Parry," she said, stepping back to make room. He quickly stepped down out of the big truck to stand towering over her.

"You see, Raymond, you're a little too big to spank, and you don't respond well to authority. Any other time you'd be really pissed off at getting a ticket, wouldn't you? Especially if I was a guy giving you a ticket."

He had to chuckle at that. "Yes ma'am, I think I would."

"But not this time, why not?"

"Because I'd take a thousand tickets if it meant I didn't have to see that one more time. Please tell me that's why you're here, to make the dreams stop. I've learned my lesson, I swear. I've changed. I'm even putting the truck up for sale. I don't really need anything this big anyway, just don't make me hurt my babies again."

She started to hand him back his paperwork, along with his copy of the ticket saying, "You don't need to sell your truck. I think you've learned the lesson, Raymond, don't you?"

"Oh God, yes!" He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, holding her tightly and weeping against her, his sobs shaking them both. "Thank you."

She stroked his hair and said, "I don't think I'm the one you really want to be hugging." Suddenly his girls were there and he turned to take them into his big arms, crushing them tightly against his chest like he would never let go.

"I think we'll just let you off with a warning this time, Mr. Parry. Now, you drive carefully out there, okay."

He laughed and took the paperwork back and suddenly she was gone and he was alone on the side of the road with his girls, then this too faded and he found himself awake in bed next to his wife, Christine, who was staring down at him with worry in her eyes.

"It's alright," he said, sitting up suddenly and pulling her in close. "She said she was letting me off with a warning." He pulled her close and began kissing her, it was pretty obvious where this was going so I left and rejoined Shannon at her cabin retreat.

"So how did I do?" she asked.

"Great, I think he'll be okay now, but I'm going to be watching to make sure. You know I have to say, Shannon, you look really sexy in that uniform."

"That's convenient. Since our next stop is a police station, I'm going to be wearing it for a while."

"You'll be invisible so it really won't matter." I opened the door and we stepped into Mikkelson's current nightmare. It only took a second to recognize it; Maria Pena. Of the four girls who had died Maria had lasted the longest. She'd paid a steep price for that record. She was the only one that he had been forced to use 'professional' equipment on. According to Rebecca the odd contraption of bars, braces and restraints had probably been special ordered from a company specializing in bondage paraphernalia and equipment. He got his money's worth with Maria. Several times he'd had to put that hardware to the test, pitting it against Maria's drive and determination to deny him at any cost. Trust me, the cost was really high. The autopsy said she'd dislocated her shoulder trying to get free. According to the killer's memories, she'd done so at least three times, each time getting progressively easier as the damage to the joint increased with no time to heal properly in between. Three broken fingers, busted ribs, she'd put up a hell of a fight. She died anyway, but you had to admire her spirit.

For his part, Mikkelson was doing his best to not watch it, but that just wasn't working. There was nowhere he could look that he couldn't see it, closing his eyes didn't even work, it was like his eyelids were made of glass. And no matter what he did, the sound of her cries echoed in his ears. He couldn't escape the chair, couldn't even cry out, all he could do was watch her pain, hear her cries, and eventually, watch her die.

"Why couldn't we have come in at the end?" Shannon asked.

I absently nodded my agreement as the end approached. As bad as the scenes were they weren't the worst of it. You see, everything Mikkelson had to endure was from the killer's point of view, as if he himself were doing it. Worst of all, just as I had the first time, he had to endure the killer's emotions along with it. The thrill of the hunt as he stalked and kidnapped her, the rage when he abused her physically, the elation when at last he broke her to his will yet again, all culminating in the heady rush of orgasm as he repeatedly raped her, violating her in every way you could imagine, and several that I certainly never would have dreamed of.

Mikkelson was in tears long before it ended, and I prepared to move him to his boss's office to see what we might be able to do about putting a stop to it.

Suddenly the scene disappeared and I was floating in an eerie sort of dark nothingness. Shit. I'd been here before and knew what to expect. In fact, I was glad to be here; it was a place I'd wanted to be for weeks. This was where I watched the killer and got a glimpse into his world. The timing sucked but it was still a good place to be. Mikkelson obviously wasn't in any need of my assistance; he had convinced himself that he could handle all of this by himself. I shook my head that anyone in law enforcement could be so pigheaded. But then, considering how all this started, I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised. I settled myself to wait and see what would unfold.

The visions started slowly, small tears in the fabric of the darkness began to occur, each a window into a memory or, if I was lucky, a doorway to the man behind it all.

A particularly colorful rip caught my awareness and I reached out to stabilize it and hold it open. It seemed easier this time, without the strain that usually accompanied the effort. A glance within showed a scene I had witnessed before. Diane McKenzie having lunch with a friend. I let the vision fade and waited for the next one, this time choosing one of the darker ones. I entered the scene and found that it was again something I had seen before, the view through Maria Pena's bedroom window. Once more I withdrew but immediately seized the next available window, only to find yet another re-run. Something was definitely wrong here. I started to rise and leave but suddenly several tears occurred at once. Without thinking I reached out and was amazed when all four of them froze open, again with very little effort on my part. I was starting to get a very bad feeling about this. I quickly peeked into each one and then closed them all at once while moving myself to Shannon's cabin.

"Where did you go, and what took you so long?"

"I'm not sure. At first I thought... , let's go find Allison, something weird just happened and I want both of your opinions about it." We moved back to the cabana only to find it empty. A quick mental search located Allison and Lizzy on the beach watching the dolphins play and chatting. Rather than just show up I decided to walk out. There was no point in causing one of those flare ups that bothered Lizzy so much, thinking this suddenly made me realize that was exactly what would have happened if the two had been in the cabana when we showed up. I made a mental note to always try to leave a little extra space for Lizzy. I took Shannon's hand and together we walked out to where the other two waited.

"How did it go?" Allison asked as soon as we were within range.

"Kind of weird actually. One minute I was in with Mikkelson confirming just how bad it's gotten. He was viewing Maria Pena tonight. She's about the most violent and brutal of the bunch, not to mention the most material. I was just about to drag him into his boss's office and confront him about what's been happening, the next thing you know, I was sitting in the darkness waiting for windows to open."

"You got in?" she asked excitedly.

"I thought so at first, but then every single window that opened only showed me stuff I'd seen before."

"What's so special about this 'darkness' that you're excited to go there?" Lizzy asked.

"Remember I told you that Jimmy saw all the killings from the killer's perspective?" Allison asked. "This darkness is the only place that Jimmy can get ... live, for lack of a better term, information from him. There is something about his mental make up that prevents Jimmy from bridging him directly, but sometimes he can pick up bits and pieces. It's like sitting in a sports bar late at night with the lights off and someone is turning different televisions on and off so all you see is little bits of what's on."

"All except for one," I added, "which we think is... , she told you we think he's schizophrenic right? Anyway, one particular window seems to lead to where the primary personality is confined. We're hoping that if I can ever get in far enough I'll be able to bridge the primary and hopefully use him to help stop the killer."

"Geez, I knew God had attached a burden to your gift, but I never dreamed it would be so complicated. Mine is pretty straightforward, see problem, fix problem. Sometimes I have a little trouble figuring out the real problem, but at least I can see it." She grinned and added, "And it's not like it always works on the first try. There's a necessary level of rapport you have to establish first. That can take time."