Locksmith

A piece of "Heroes" fan fiction

"Locked your keys in your car, huh?" the maintenance guy said with a slightly condescending laugh.

I had noticed my keys on the front seat after parking in the garage for work, but left them for my lunch break because I knew if I took any time at that point I'd be late. What the guy didn't know was that I had shown up a little before him and realized the car wasn't locked. I'd waited for him a couple of minutes before trying the door, knowing that would be pointless. The car automatically locks the doors after the engine cuts off as some sort of safety feature. Imagine my surprise when the door opened. The alarm didn't go off or anything.

I'd quickly locked the door again and shut it to avoid looking like an idiot. Then he showed up with a wire hanger, a couple of tools and a smirk. I took a bite of the sandwich I'd gotten earlier from a vending machine, to appear nonchalant. Instinctively, he tried the door a couple of times. The door didn't budge. As he unfolded the hanger, I reached out to open the door, I guess to do something besides stand around eating. The door opened.

We both stared at it for a couple of seconds. He recovered before I did. "I guess you've got the magic touch," he said, turning to walk away and swearing at me under his breath. I collected my keys and went back to work.

My name is James Sesame. I'm a middle manager for the personnel department at an architectural firm. The rest of the day was kind of a blur, but not because I noticed any change in myself. Most work days for me are kind of a blur. There's not much difference from one to the next. The most exciting part is usually seeing if someone left any food behind in the conference room. I filed paperwork, wrote a report and a few e-mails, and punched out a little early to go home. Aside from making an appointment with my mechanic to make sure nothing was wrong with my car, I didn't think about it until I got home.

I was trying to be funny, maybe reassure myself there was nothing wrong with my car. I decided to try the door to my building without using my keys. It opened.

I must have stood there for longer than I thought because the security guard eventually looked up from his paper and asked, "Is everything okay, sir?" I just nodded and went to my apartment. I got in without using my keys there, too.

For a while I sat on my couch and wondered what this meant. I walked over to my bathroom door, locked it, shut it, and opened it from the outside. I did this with every room in the apartment over and over again. After that, I went a little overboard. I went to the garage and started randomly opening the doors and trunks of my neighbors' cars. I didn't set off a single alarm. I went down to the storage lockers in the basement and made sure no one could see me. I opened every single one as if they weren't locked at all. I didn't even think about taking anything. I was too amazed by what I could do. I didn't have to worry about access codes or alarm systems. Locks meant nothing. I could open any door.

After the initial shock subsided, I began to think about the practical applications. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be too many. I could clean up as a cat burglar or bank robber, but being able to open doors didn't mean I wouldn't show up on security cameras. Besides, I'm not a thief.

Until I could think of something I used it simply as an added convenience. I got paper for the copy machine at work without having to ask the janitor for the key to the supply closet. I used gas station rest rooms on my commute whenever I needed to. I didn't bother bringing my apartment keys with me, although I got into my car one time only to have no way to start it.

I fantasized about waving my hand in front of a pair of elevator doors and seeing if I could get my director of operations to fall down an empty shaft, but that was silly and cruel. Also, I wasn't sure if it would work.

One day my co-worker Nancy told me she was applying for a promotion at work. She'd been there ten years and had been passed over twice before. It wasn't fair, especially since she obviously deserved it. I decided I had to help her.

I stayed late at work the next day, waiting until almost everyone else had gone home. I went to the office of the director of operations and walked right in. Once inside, though, I wasn't really sure how to proceed. My first thought was to find something incriminating to blackmail him into giving Nancy the job. I tried his desk drawers and file cabinets, but they were locked and holding. Apparently, my ability only works on doors. Or maybe I haven't honed it yet, I don't know.

I was going to give up, when I noticed his computer was on. It only took me two tries to figure out his password. I opened his e-mail and wrote Nancy a glowing endorsement. Nobody questioned how uncharacteristic this was of him, or that it was written hours after he typically left work. Nancy got the job.

I suppose I was riding pretty high after that scheme worked. That's why I decided to try robbing a bank. I put on a ball cap and an old sweat suit and carried a backpack. That way if anyone asked what I was doing, I could say I was out for a jog. When I got close enough I tied a handkerchief around my face, like something out of an old western.

There was no security guard to avoid. I guess whoever was in charge figured the alarms would be enough of a deterrent. They never went off. I walked through the front door, went right to the vault and walked out with the backpack full of cash. The combination lock didn't have to be tried. I just pulled on the giant handle. Nobody noticed the money was missing until later into the next day. Eventually the news reported police were focusing on bank employees. I had gotten away with it.

I ended up anonymously giving the money to various charities. I felt too guilty about doing something criminal to keep it. I began to think this might be a way to use my power, as some kind of Robin Hood. I could open the doors of a grocery store and feed the hungry, or get blankets for the homeless out of a department store. Maybe I could help other people at work the way I had helped Nancy. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to do more than think about these things before they came to get me.

I don't even know who they are, really. One minute I was sitting in my apartment, noticing a tall black guy standing outside my window. Next thing I know, I'm drugged up and strapped to a gurney with wires attached to my body. After that, I woke up in a private cell wearing a hospital gown. I don't know what's going on, but I don't plan on staying here long. After all, I can open any door.

Thompson—

After an initial escape attempt, subject "Locksmith" has been kept under restraint. Sedation not recommended. Subject could prove useful for low-level espionage with proper training. Await further instructions.