Tales of the First

"There's something else," Sienna said. "When I touch Ryan it blocks the telepathic noise he's been having issues with. I'm not sure what to make of that."

"And I can still hear people if I listen for them," Ryan said. "But we only hear each other if we try. It's almost like our mental abilities are mirror images." He rubbed his head. "And now she's not holding my hand the noise is back though it's not as bad here."

"More likely she's extending her own mental shield around you subconsciously," Martin said. "She must have put it up instinctively so doesn't know how to get past it. I bet you can teach each other. Shall we try?"

"First we need some ice for Sienna's shoulder," he father said. "And then I want to take a look at Ryan. At least I assume he's having neurological issues like the other targets seem to have been? I've got a couple of cases at the hospital - those people have avoided attacking there for now - and I've been looking in to how to help them."

"Have you found anything?" Martin asked.

"Well it was a fair bet that the mist was involved so I reached out to colleagues at hospitals near some of the other affected areas and found out they've had similar cases. They are nervous about talking about the poltergeist activity around said patients but they have found that adapting post-stroke rehabilitation therapy works to a degree."

"You researched this?" Martin looked alarmed. "They'll be able to track that."

Her father snorted. "I'm sure they know the men I'm treating are at the hospital and a neurologist looking for similar cases won't provoke comment."

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Wendy asked when Sienna led her father, Charlotte and Ryan into the den area.

"My shoulder is a bit sore," Sienna said as she pulled off her mask. "But we're fine." She looked over at Ryan who was still clinging to her hand. "Well maybe not exactly fine but we're alive."

"Let's have a look at your shoulder," Robert said.

Sienna gently extricated her hand from Ryan's and pulled off her top, wincing as the movement made her shoulder twinge. Her father frowned and gently probed the bruised skin making her hiss.

"Well nothing is broken," he said. "Is that where the bullet hit you?"

"Yeah," Sienna said. "It felt like being hit with a bat."

"Interesting," Robert said. "It seems that your invulnerability is about as good as a good quality bullet proof vest with rifle plates. These powers? I take it that it was the mist?"

"Yes," she said. "I appear to have developed psychokinetic and broadcasting telepathic powers." She looked over at Martin when she remembered what had happened when she had given Charlotte a boost. "Oh, the psycokinesis seems to be enhancing my strength as well."

"You can say that again," Charlotte said. "She all but threw me through the loft hatch."

"Hmm... so you can lift heavier weights when you touch them and deflect more powerful attacks closer to your skin? I wonder if it's two different but similar powers or if your psychokinesis declines with distance."