08-14-2016, 06:22 PM
Great Spirit, the man was fast. Jon had just enough time to throw up a barrier of Air before he saw the gun fire and a flash of light. Even from a hundred feet away, his ears rung and his eyes burned with the faint afterimage of the flash. The bullet zipped straight at him on a trajectory to strike his chest, till it struck the barrier and deflected over his shoulder. If Jon hadn't already been holding the Power he would have been too slow.
Jon popped his ears and gripped the podium, the Power surging within him, threatening to rip his soul from his flesh, daring him to give into the white-hot chaos within him. He prepared to lash out, but the man was already down. His skin prickled with goosebumps.
There was a young woman, in a brown suit jacket and two dark braids running down her back. Her hands were on the body. She stood up, glancing about nervously and wiping her hands on her skirt. The people nearby moved away, clearing a wide area around her. That woman had done it. She could use the Power, too, even though Jon couldn't see anything. It was like that woman at that burlesque house in Moscow. But Jon owed his life to this one.
"He's dead,"
the woman said. "I didn't mean to kill him. Just..."
She looked at Jon. He could read a plea in those brown eyes. Help me.
Jon came down from the podium and walked across the room. He saw the handgun lying where it had scattered. If it could even be called a handgun. The barrel was almost ten inches long with a detachable magazine. It had some sort of advanced targeting optics Jon didn't understand -- which accounted for him getting on target so fast. What a nasty piece of work. How by the Great Spirit had he managed to keep it concealed?
"Don't anyone touch anything,"
he said. "I think the danger's over."
He glanced at the man's body. He didn't recognize the native or what tribe he represented. He turned to the woman. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "We'll get this sorted out."
Silently, he mouthed thank you
to her.
Sirens in the distance. The BIA had undoubtedly been alerted. There wasn't much to do but wait and see how things shook out. There wasn't any way he had the power to manipulate the memory of this many people...and something told him it would be wrong to do it if he could.
Jon popped his ears and gripped the podium, the Power surging within him, threatening to rip his soul from his flesh, daring him to give into the white-hot chaos within him. He prepared to lash out, but the man was already down. His skin prickled with goosebumps.
There was a young woman, in a brown suit jacket and two dark braids running down her back. Her hands were on the body. She stood up, glancing about nervously and wiping her hands on her skirt. The people nearby moved away, clearing a wide area around her. That woman had done it. She could use the Power, too, even though Jon couldn't see anything. It was like that woman at that burlesque house in Moscow. But Jon owed his life to this one.
"He's dead,"
the woman said. "I didn't mean to kill him. Just..."
She looked at Jon. He could read a plea in those brown eyes. Help me.
Jon came down from the podium and walked across the room. He saw the handgun lying where it had scattered. If it could even be called a handgun. The barrel was almost ten inches long with a detachable magazine. It had some sort of advanced targeting optics Jon didn't understand -- which accounted for him getting on target so fast. What a nasty piece of work. How by the Great Spirit had he managed to keep it concealed?
"Don't anyone touch anything,"
he said. "I think the danger's over."
He glanced at the man's body. He didn't recognize the native or what tribe he represented. He turned to the woman. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "We'll get this sorted out."
Silently, he mouthed thank you
to her.
Sirens in the distance. The BIA had undoubtedly been alerted. There wasn't much to do but wait and see how things shook out. There wasn't any way he had the power to manipulate the memory of this many people...and something told him it would be wrong to do it if he could.