Chapter 17: Otherworldly Voices

'Alex? Are you busy?'

'Sure, Mickie.' Alex recognized her mental signature as he sat back, enjoying yet another coffee while the girls around him discussed what being a Seeker meant to their lives. 'I've got a few spare moments, ' he teased, seeing as how he wasn't doing anything at the moment. Becky and Melinda had everything well in hand.

'I really wanted to apologize for walking out on you. I didn't want you to think I don't regard what you are doing as important, but ... well... , things are tight, and I'm living from bill to bill. If I didn't get back I might lose my job, and then I'd—'

'Say no more, ' Alex assured her. 'I've never asked anyone to abandon their lives for me. I just tell them what they need to know and let them do with it what they will.'

'Well, that's a relief ... of sorts. I still feel guilty. After all, this is probably the biggest thing in my life, and I don't even have time to—"

Not wanting to hear Mickie beat herself up about what she had no control over, Alex tried to steer her away from the topic. 'Speaking of others like you, I'm sitting in Cesar Chavez Plaza Park with several Seekers and Seers. We've been picking them up while wandering around downtown Sacramento, and now they're discussing what it entails. Even if you don't have time to meet with me, you can always commiserate with them.'

Alex quickly introduced each of the Seers, figuring they could introduce her to the others later. He had them speak long enough to remember the mental signatures needed to speak to each other on their own. But Mickie couldn't be distracted for long.

'Look, I'm sorry I can't help with your concert tonight. I realize this is a major deal. One which could change the course of my life, but like I said, I'm hanging on by a thread here and losing a couple of hours work means another bill unpaid, which means another service interrupted, which means I'll have to spent hours on the phone, which means more work lost. It just goes on and on, ' she complained, her despair and frustration bleeding over their mental connection in a way a normal phone call couldn't.

'So it's really been that hard, huh?' Alex prompted, hoping to get her to continue so she'd reveal some way he could help. After all, cash wasn't a big issue for him, though moving a large sum around would be. Better yet, if he knew how to utilize her, he might find someone locally who could help her out.

'You have no idea, ' she said, taking the bait. 'It's been a long haul. I had such plans when I was young. I really wanted to change the world. I planned on being a medic or a Peace Corps worker, but my father ran out on us and Mom struggled so hard she never had time for us. Even if she did, she resented me for blaming my dad for what he did and, in her opinion, chasing him away. I ended up working day and night to take care of my brothers, who only took off the first chance they got, leaving me alone to pay all the bills.'

Alex was about to comment but Mickie blazed on, relieved to finally have someone she could pour her heart out to, so he let her continue uninterrupted.

'So I ended up taking the only job I could manage, given my lack of training. It wouldn't be so bad, but they keep trimming my hours, trying to curtail their corporate expenses, so I can't depend on a steady income. And while it averages out overall, every time my bills are late the banks and utilities tack on more fines and I fall even further behind.'

'Look, if there's anything I can do to help, ' Alex offered, responding like a typical guy, always eager to offer a quick fix rather than focus on the larger issues. Alex wanted nothing better than to help her out, but he was thinking more of finding her a better job rather than understanding why she'd gotten herself into this position in the first place. But the way she kept rambling on—speaking excitedly and running her thoughts together—indicated she was glad to have someone she could finally open up to.

'No, that wouldn't help. What I need is a complete break. I really wanted to attend the concert as I have a feeling you didn't just fall into my life by accident, but are actually a sign things are changing for me, ' she explained, hitting the familiar refrain. 'This is the first time I've ever been on the edge of something more significant than my hum-drum boring life. The first time I've been able to do anything which may amount to a real contribution to life. Something which may make everything I've ever suffered through worthwhile.'

Melinda was trying to get Alex's attention, not yet familiar enough with him to recognize when his mind was elsewhere. Not wanting to lose the thread of Mickie's story, he idly waved her off, which only caused her to wait impatiently until he had time—which also meant the others girls were waiting expectantly for him to answer their question so they could continue their discussion.

With everyone waiting, Alex tried to ignore them and continue his discussion. 'If you need a complete break, we've given others a new start elsewhere, ' he suggested, leaving the offer undefined until he saw whether she was interested or not.

'Thanks, that's a nice offer, but we'll have to discuss it later. I'm still at work. Once I finish, I'll head home and change so I'm not dressed in these tacky clothes and covered in all the day's shit. If we could talk after your show, hopefully we can cover all the details then, ' she offered. 'I'd also like to let my boyfriend know what's happening and maybe bring him along.'

'Sure, that sounds ideal; if you think your boyfriend can handle it at this stage, ' Alex offered, remembering all the boyfriends in the past who weren't. 'Hopefully you can slip into my room without it being a problem. If not, we can make other arrangements. Patricia, the woman whose band is performing at the concert tonight, has a touring van we could use.'

'Nah, that's probably overkill. No one would complain if I paid you a visit once I change out of my uniform. I'll plan on meeting you tonight after your concert. As I said, that'll give me a chance to make myself presentable.'

With that little detail covered, Alex turned back to Mel and the other girls, putting Mickie's problems out of his mind for the moment.

"You know, Alex, it's amazing how much you've changed in such a short time," Becky shouted, trying to be heard over the crowd surrounding them. Winona's band just finished their set, to rousing applause, so Becky hurried to say whatever she could before either the next set began or more followers discovered them. "Before, you were always shy about encountering anyone, now you seem so ... I guess 'serene' is the right word. These new ... techniques of yours, like providing all the information they need nonverbally," she said gesturing towards the new girls surrounding Alex he'd been indoctrinating, "seems to make all the difference."

"I needed a better way of communicating," Alex responded, knowing they only had so much time before the music restarted. "Since Diane insists we remain right by the stage so my followers can help excite the crowds, it's difficult to talk to them. Plus, it eliminates the more embarrassing aspects of these encounters."

"Yeah, but you are doing a lot more than you used to," Becky reminded him. "I was amazed back when you first started telling them everything telepathically, but now you're doing so much more! You're activating and boosting them without anyone noticing, and you eliminate about twenty minutes of dialogue. Heck, I wonder what I'm even doing here, since you've made my job superfluous."

"Not to mention the effect having him speaking in their heads has," Melinda added. "They're even more convinced he's an angel, only now they don't dare challenge him when he denies it."

Becky's point about his new attitude was proven when Alex ignored the comment, rather than trying to argue he wasn't any such thing.

The two newest girls Becky had struggled to help, Alecia and Sara, were standing beside them, still basking in the wonder of what they'd learned about him. They both had long dark hair and were the same height with Alecia wearing a pink blouse and Sara wearing a leather jacket and faux-leopard skin,

"So, are you also going to boost these two?" Melinda asked, sounding tired of it all as she strove to encourage Alex to perform yet another miracle, having a hard time keeping the excitement from her voice. She was captivated with how easily he accomplished what had previously caused him so much stress and aggravation. "I'm curious who you're deciding to boost and who you aren't now."

Without uttering a word, Alex casually waved his hand in front of them, barely moving his hand, and both Seekers jerked their heads back, more from surprise than from any physical change to their systems.

"Take a look around," Alex suggested, leaning in so they could hear him. "Try to pick out the good guys in the crowd to see if you can differentiate people's actual personalities.

The two girls started glancing around, anxious to test out their new abilities. "Not that one, and not him. And while that one is hot, he's clearly a real jerk," Sara counted off.

"And to think he's the one I would have zeroed in on before," Alecia responded.

Both Melinda and Becky were fascinated, since Alex had only managed to boost a handful of Seekers to full pre-activated Seer level before, and now it took no more than a vague recognition of them.

"How about him?" Alecia asked, pointing to a tall, good-looking man dressed in a dark jacket and wearing a nice shirt and an expensive haircut.

In answer, Alex turned to his security guard, as always standing just behind him. "Gini?"

"Ah, you're right about him being an upstanding young man, but you'll be disappointed as he's decidedly not interested." When the girls looked at her with curious expressions, she elucidated her reason. "He plays for the other team," she said simply.

"You can tell that from his aura?" Sara asked, fascinated by the idea.

"Actually, one of the abilities I picked up in my time with Alex is my gaydar," she explained with a laugh. It took them a couple of seconds, but when they figured out what she was implying they both blushed. But they recovered enough to turn and scan those surrounding them again. "But the clear giveaway is how their lust rises depending on who they glance at. It's pretty easy to pick up once you adjust to it."

"OK, how about him?" Sara asked, pointing at a medium-sized guy standing at the back of a crowd of friends.

"Good choice," Alex said, not even knowing if it was correct or not yet, "you're now looking beyond their outer attractiveness and at their inner beauty."

"An excellent choice," Gini informed them. "He's honest, shy but he stands by his beliefs and treats those he cares about well," Gini explained, though Becky and Melinda still had trouble understanding how she could glean so much from a simple glance at his aura.

"Man, I can't wait to give this a spin," Alecia said, looking around at the others surrounding them.

Alex was about to say more, but the crowd's chants for an encore were growing. Movement behind the curtain drew the audience's attention, but instead of Winona, whom they were shouting for, Diane Kennedy came out. There was a bit of an embarrassing silence, but rather than getting upset, Diane made a show of dragging someone from behind the curtain onto the stage and Winona appeared beside her, grinning wildly. Diane then held both their hands up and the crowd went wild.

It was clear Diane knew what she was doing. She was hoping to ride Winona's popularity, trying to boost her own acceptance rather than fighting it like she had unsuccessfully with Patricia. Alex figured they'd finally sat down and hashed it out as they'd worked with Winona getting her ready.

Once the crowd's cheers began to settle down, both women strode forward to mid-stage while Diane's band took over the stage behind them, Diane took the microphone.

"I know you aren't ready to let this wonderful rising star go yet, but to help transition from her music to mine, I thought we'd take this opportunity to do a little experimentation."

The audience, not sure what to think, waited to see what she was intimating. They thought they knew, when Winona leaned in to kiss her, but were surprised when Diane backed up, lifted her mic, and began singing one of Winona's song. Rather than being nonplussed, Winona picked up her own mic and began singing the same song in counter-rhythm, producing a whole new version of the tune, one as different from Winona's as hers was from Patricia's. And as if that wasn't enough, Patricia then strode out on stage, picking up her own mic, and the three began belting out a melody focusing on how Alex made each of them feel.

Alex, of course, had no clue this was in the works, or even that they'd been practicing together. Instead he'd been touring the city, missing the long hours they must have spent preparing for this moving scene.

Alex was bowled over, not just at the emotional words being sung to him by Patricia and Winona—both of whom were looking right at him as they sang—but Diane Kennedy singing to him as well as she belted out an emotional version as if for him personally.

To ensure this was indeed a personal message to him, despite the carefully couched lyrics still sounding like a simple romantic ballad, a spotlight was suddenly shone on Alex and his group, highlighting him for the crowd. But this time, instead of ambushing him, the engineer had apparently carefully arranged it so the spotlight lit him from the back, casting his face in shadows, while highlighting the fact he was a single man, surrounded by women. Getting into the spirit of the song, the crowd started to sing along, and Alex, knowing there was no getting out of it, stood and let the adoration wash over him.

The song was a tremendous effort, and it must have taken a long time to get their voices and different approaches to the same song to work together so well. The crowd was eating it up, Alex was not only putting up with it but was enjoying it, and his sisters Becky and Melissa were dancing in place to it.

'Alex? You've got to help. I'm in trouble!'

Alex's attention was yanked from the stage and his entire world centered in on this one distress call.

'What is it, Mickie? What's wrong?'

'I ... I need help. I was in a car accident. I'm hanging upside down by my seatbelt while the car is still spinning. I'm seriously injured.' Alex could feel a small inkling of her pain from their shared telepathic connection.

Becky and Melissa immediately noticed when he turned away, trying to cover his ears so he could filter out the distracting noises of the stadium to concentrate on Mickie's message. Gini noticed too, as did the trio singing, though Winona and Patricia guessed what was happening and carried on. Diane was thrown for a minute, but catching on, she used her years of stage experience to regain her footing, getting back into the syncopated rhythm almost immediately.

'You're speaking clearly, ' Alex pointed out, confused by her dire words versus her excited but consistent responses. 'Surely the injury isn't as bad as you fear, ' Alex argued, trying to buoy her spirits.

'No, I can converse mentally, but I'm in INCREDIBLE pain. I can't feel my arm, the car impacted my side, and there seems to be a steel rod impaling me, ' Mickie calmly told him, as if observing herself from a distance, watching herself dangling from her seatbelt as her car careened wildly.

'Where are you? I'll call the police if you can give me a general location.'

'I'm not sure of the exact street, ' she admitted, still sounding strangely dispassionate about what was occurring. 'I left work, driving through downtown Sacramento to get on ... Lincoln Highway rather than taking the closer ... West Side Freeway, when I felt something crossing ... an intersection. I looked up and—'

'Mickie, your current location, ' Alex reminded her, fearing she was going into shock and was no longer functioning rationally.

'Sorry, ' she responded, coming alert again. 'I was near Lincoln Highway, which would put me—Aargh!' she cried out unexpectedly.

'What happened?' Alex asked, worried her defense mechanisms were failing and she was only now feeling her pain for the first time.

'The car just slammed into another vehicle and it hit me hard, ' she explained, still sounding as dispassionate. 'I'm now pinned in place, unable to move. I think I fractured my leg, ' she told him coldly, as if discussing the weather.

'I'll get an ambulance, but—'

'I'm at 3^rd and X Streets, ' she said, her thoughts suddenly clear and absolutely sure of the details. 'I was entering the onramp, crossing an intersection when I felt this extreme agitation to the side. Since I'm not used to such feelings yet, instead of avoiding it I turned and looked to see what was causing it. That's when I saw someone trying to outrun the police. They ran the red light and... '

Alex couldn't wait any longer. He turned, finding Gini already standing there ready for instructions.

"Call 911," he instructed. "Mickie Monroe has just been seriously injured in a severe car accident at 3^rd and X streets. The police are already nearby. They were pursuing someone, but they may not know the extent of her injuries."

"What do I tell—?" Gini tried to ask, but at a quick rebuking glare from Alex, she shut up and started dialing while Alex returned to his conversation with Mickie.

'... then I felt this incredible pain lancing through my side and—'

'The ambulance is on its way. They should be there shortly. I'm leaving now, I'll try to reach the hospital as quickly as I can. Hopefully I can help.'

'You'd better hurry, ' Mickie told him, sounding cold and distracted. 'Cause I don't think I'm going to last long.'

Once she made the 911 call, Gini grabbed Alex, steering him forcefully out of the stadium. They were having trouble maneuvering through the crowd when Patricia's voice cut through the surrounding noise.

"Sorry, but we have an emergency. There's been a severe accident downtown and the people in front of the stage need to exit right away. Could you please let them out?"

Everyone was surprised to hear first two out of three singers cease singing and then Patricia deliver that announcement as Diane turned to stare at them. 'Your work?' Alex asked Gini, even as he continued listening to Mickie describe what was happening, trying to keep her engaged and active to prevent her from slipping into shock.

'Yeah, I didn't think you'd be able to reach out to everyone. Someone is already contacting security who'll arrange an escort with the police for us. I have no idea how we'll explain it, but we should be there in no time, ' she assured him.

"Hopefully it won't be too late," he lamented. "I knew things were going too smoothly."

"That wasn't too bad," Gini said apologetically as she opened the door for Alex. "The escort helped us get here quickly."

"I know we couldn't get here any faster," he answered a bit crossly as he climbed out, "but that doesn't mean I got here soon enough to help." Gini bit her lip as his words reminded her just how serious this was. But instead of worrying, she wrapped her arm around him and rushed him into the hospital, not bothering to wait for his sisters, who'd been trying to keep up with him the whole way out of the stadium.

"Thank you so much," Melinda told the kindly security guard who'd driven them, even as Becky looked at her nervously before turning and heading in without her. "They're a bit distracted by what's—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got that. Say, you never explained how they knew about the injury from way over by the stadium," he reminded her, trying to figure out why he'd been involved in the first place.

"Sorry, but I've gotta run," she said, turning and taking off after the others, not wanting to answer. Being there was more important than being overly nice to someone they'd likely never see again, especially since she suspected Alex would need their help. Given how close he felt to his followers, she imagined he'd take this exceptionally hard.

"I'm here about a Miss. Mickie Monroe," Alex told the receptionist, who sat tapping her pen as she loudly chewed her bubblegum, staring at the screen, apparently so busy she didn't even bother glancing up. "She was involved in a serious car accident about ten minutes ago. I believe she's in surgery at the moment."

The woman sighed tiredly, as if doing her job was a terrible imposition. "Are you a relative?" she asked, in what Alex was sure was a somewhat polite way of telling him he wouldn't be able to see her.

"I'm not, but I really need to see her. I can help," Alex pleaded, knowing it would have little effect.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can help stitch up her wounds," she responded a bit curtly, rolling her eyes.

"Look, my name is Alex. I'm her ... her priest. She needs me there to say last rites," Alex tried, hoping he could bluff his way through.

The receptionist merely looked at him, observing the lack of a collar, then taking in his age and the huge female gorilla standing beside him. She grunted at him showing her skepticism, but typed briefly on her computer anyway.

While they were waiting, first Becky and then Melinda ran in and surrounded him. The receptionist continued typing, after giving them the once over and taking the time to frown at each of them, then her face clouded in confusion. "Well I'll be... ," she whispered, not addressing any of them.

She continued to stare at the screen, so Becky cleared her throat. The woman shook herself out of her confused state, turning to Alex. "Apparently she left specific instructions to allow you in when she was brought in, despite the shape she was in. They assured her they would, simply to get her to accept the anesthesia. She's in Surgery on the sixth floor. There's a waiting room up there. Inform the surgical nurse and they'll inform the surgeons when they're done," she instructed, sounding a little more apologetic.

Alex immediately turned, looking for the elevator, but Melissa waved, already having gotten one she was holding for them.

The wide double doors swung open to the surgical area and an older man wearing a surgical gown walked out. "Is there an Alex here?" he asked, sounding embarrassed at not knowing who he was referring to.

Alex jumped up, his sisters following closely behind. "I'm Alex," he answered. "Alex Jennings."

"I was told you're the one to speak with about Michelle Monroe," he said as Alex and those with him clustered around, before pausing. "I was told you were a priest?" he asked, sounding doubtful.

"I am," Alex assured him, trying to project confidence and maturity.

"Hey, I'm Phillip Costa, I'm her boyfriend," someone behind them called, rushing forward. Do you have any news?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but she was seriously hurt and we could only do so much to help," the surgeon, one Dr. Adam Franklin according to his name tag, told the boyfriend, ignoring Alex for the moment. "You can't see her yet as her condition is unstable and she's still in critical condition, but she insisted this... ," he had to refer to his notes again to be sure of the name, "Alex see her immediately, in order to perform last rites in case she doesn't make it."

Phillip, who was alone, gasped loudly. Melinda and Becky turned towards him, but Alex was focused on the surgeon, never even glancing at the boyfriend. The surgeon turned back to Alex, looking him up and down with a cynical glance. "Call me a cynic, but you look a bit young to be a priest, even if you were still in seminary. Do you have some ID?" he asked, also checking out the others surrounding him.

"I'll tell you what; I don't have much time for this," Alex answered impatiently, fidgeting impatiently knowing Mickie's life could be hanging in the balance while he played twenty questions with the hospital. "If I could have seen her before the surgery, she'd already be in much better shape. Let me show you my only credentials," Alex said, holding his hand about two inches in front of the surgeon's chest. The man's knees immediately buckled under him and a panicked look crossed his face as he crumpled. Gini just barely managed to catch him before he collapsed. The on-duty nurse rushed forward, looking concerned, but Alex waved her off.

"He's fine. He just had a temporary arrhythmia," Alex informed her before turning to the doctor, who Gini had already reset on his feet, despite his not being a small man. "It was purely temporary, but you didn't have any immediate health conditions I could cure, and I didn't want to waste time convincing you."

"An ... an arrhythmia?" The surgeon asked, still trying to catch his breath, sweat already streaking into his eyes.

"Yeah, a complete heart stoppage counts as an irregular rhythm," Alex reminded him, his impatience not improving. The nurse, not impressed by Alex's assurances, pushed him aside and listened to the surgeon's heart with her stethoscope.

"Your heart sounds fine," she admitted, glancing up at him.

"Of course, I restarted it just after stopping it," Alex said. "I never intended to hurt anyone. I only wanted to get your attention."

Adam glanced at him nervously. "Call me a chicken, but I'm convinced," he responded with an uneasy crooked grin, then turned back to the swinging double doors leading back into the surgical ward.

"Should I call security?" the nurse asked as Alex walked past her, following the surgeon.

"Not unless you're hoping this girl dies," Adam called back. "If he can do that, then I'm guessing he knows what he's talking about."

"Wait, when can I see her?" Phillip asked, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

Adam sighed, as if he'd completely forgotten about the man. "We really can't allow you to see her yet as she's in very serious condition requiring almost constant attention."

"Could you allow him to come if he promises to remain in the background and not compromise her care?" Alex asked, glancing at the boyfriend for the first time.

The surgeon looked back and forth between Phillip and Alex, seemingly conflicted, knowing it wasn't a wise choice but also not wanting to cross Alex after having experienced firsthand what he was capable of.

"Can you promise me he won't compromise her care?" he asked, wanting assurance this choice wasn't a colossal mistake. "Something which doesn't include stopping his heart?" he added for effect.

Turning to his bodyguard, who couldn't meet his gaze, he posed the question to her. "Gini, I won't need protection, but Mickie will. Can you keep him at bay?" Gini glanced briefly at Phillip and nodded, turning her attention back to the surgeon. "He'll be fine," Alex assured Adam. "He'll never get close enough to compromise her."

Adam once again looked at Alex, as if measuring his capabilities, then glanced at Gini, apparently convinced she was perfectly capable of handling Phillip, and then nodded. "Come along," he said, leading them through the swinging doors, his walk still unsteady as he clutched his heart as if checking to ensure it was still beating regularly.

"Don't worry, I've already healed any damage I did," Alex told him authoritatively, speaking as if he were the physician. "You're just feeling muscle spasms at the moment. It's a bit of a shock. When I restarted it, I gave it a little too much juice."

Adam glanced at him again, but didn't bother saying anything, quivering slightly at the thought of challenging him again. He paused until Phillip could catch up before responding. "She's—"

"Recovering," Alex answered for him. "I can tell. She's semi-conscious, but still not making much sense."

Adam once again glanced at him, reassessing his trepidation at crossing him. "Can you ... really heal as easily as you ... uh... ?"

Alex merely nodded his head, his mind too wrapped in what was wrong with Mickie. "You can go ahead and tell Phillip the official diagnosis, he deserves to know, even if it isn't good."

"She's in very bad shape," Adam said, glancing at Phillip to ensure he could handle the news as well as Alex was assuming. He began leading them down the hall as he continued explaining her condition. "She was pinned against her car as another vehicle plowed into her, and she suffered from a crushing impact, serious injuries and massive blood loss. She has multiple severe internal injuries, not all of which we could repair."

"Damn, that means there's not much I can do then," Alex reflected, mostly to himself. Adam raised his eyebrow in an unspoken question.