(Un)wanted Visitors:
I was able to get a TV like I wanted, and usually I would have just rotted my brain on comedies and cartoons, but since the explosions and subsequent loss, I kept my focus on any and all news channels. I found coverage of my survival and smiled at their ignorance, calling me a miracle child. I watched as my parents were interviewed to see how they felt about their only son surviving, they were obviously grateful I was alive, but also drew attention that many more were lost.
Of course, there were more biased stations that threw my survival into a conspiracy theory about espers, which wasn't far from the truth. What was outrageous was their claims that I was there as a spy for PANDRA and that my current condition was an act. That was when I first reused my powers after that day two weeks prior.
I was so angry at the program and shot the TV straight through. I hadn't even consciously done it, one second it was running, the next I was looking at a black screen with a hole the size of a penny going through to the next room. When Mr. Masato came in for a visit, he seemed a bit surprised, but also a bit happy.
"I see you're getting better." He smiled after he had called for a nurse.
"A bit." I said in a raspy voice. Mr. Masato took it upon himself to pour me a glass of water from my bedside and hold it for me. I had enough function to move my hand to use the remote beside me, but I still wasn't ready to keep a grip on objects.
"Thanks." I sighed after I finished.
"Not a problem." Mr. Masato said as he took a seat beside me. "So what prompted the out lash?" He asked as he gestured to the broken TV.
"Just some ignorant asses labeling me as a spy for PANDRA." I sighed in agitation. "Sometimes I just wish I could show my before pictures to the public."
"You know those would be to graphic for a general audience." Mr. Masato warned.
"I know, but some, no, a lot of people don't understand what's going on in the slightest. It seems that they see espers as some sort of alien invasion to subject them into slavery or something."
"And for some that's exactly what they see." Mr. Masato nodded. "But for others, they see it as a way to be accepted. Persecuting one group to feel accepted by another is in no way a new thing. But then there are others who don't know any other way, there was a case Ryo and Kazumi just went through reconnecting an esper daughter to her normal father who had been anti-esper up to that point. The second he knew his daughter could teleport, he dropped every preconceived notion and hugged his daughter like she was the only thing that mattered."
I tightened my lips at the last part, but continued onward. "So how are those two doing right now? I haven't seen any of you for two weeks."
"I'm sorry about that Satoru, it's hard to schedule visits like this. Ryo and Kazumi have to juggle school, friends, and work and I have more than enough to work around, I had actually planned this visit for last week, but a prediction esper was trying to get away with a van heist for a bank." We were both silent, unsure of what to say next. It wasn't like I knew much about him or the other two, but they were the closest I could stand to see, even if they were complete strangers.
"Have your parents visited yet?" Mr. Masato asked, breaking the silence.
"They haven't, but it's mostly the same reason as last time, but now they're also a media goldmine right now."
"Too true." We went silent again for a minute before I worked up the courage to finally ask something that had been bothering me.
"So what do the three of you do at BABEL?"
"We're mostly a search and rescue group. Kazumi has become adept in interconnected psychometry and Ryo works in spot to spot teleportation, so together they work with me to find people and things and return them to a spot. In your case, it was looking for survivors and bringing them here."
"And what's their track record like?" I smiled, thinking the two were probably new, given their arguments beforehand.
"You were their highlight in their career. Most of what they've been up to till now was finding lost pets, finding dodgy personnel, or being a personal transport. They were pretty fed up with their job until they found you."
"Well, I should probably thank them personally when they stop by sometime."
"You won't have to wait long." Mr. Masato checked his watch. "It's already three."
As if on cue, the space at the foot of my bed seemed to fold in on itself. When it snapped back to normal, Ryo and Kazumi were standing right there.
"Sorry for the delay Mr. Masato." Ryo apologized. "Kazumi wouldn't stop talking to her friends."
"Well excuse me for having a life outside work, Mr. Busybody." Kazumi huffed as she came around to my right. "How are you doing Satoru?"
"Fine, I guess." I smiled, which she returned.
"Not to well I'm guessing, what happened to the television?" Ryo asked, looking at it.
"Nothing big, just some frustration with the media."
"Yeah, that'll happen." Ryo sighed as he leaned against the wall. When I looked closed at Ryo's attire, I was a bit off put by his brown overcoat and his grey striped tie.
"Do you two go to Nashatomi Middle School?" I asked.
"Yeah, how could you tell?" Kazumi asked.
"I went there two years ago before moving to Azuma Middle. I remember it being a rather harsh place to be an esper, how are you two doing?"
"We're doing fine, it's rather a nice environment to comingle espers and non-espers." Kazumi said with a confused look.
"Just my luck." I sighed. "It would be jut like me to have left just before the place changed."
"Kazumi can speak for herself. She's always with her friends that came with her from elementary school. I, on the other hand, had to transfer in after I got paired with her. I can't say the school is horrible, but it isn't the best place to interact either." Ryo said.
"Only because you never talk to anyone Ryo." Kazumi looked over at him with disapproval.
"Whatever." Ryo said, looking away.
"Well, it's nice to know it's gotten better at one school I went to." I smiled. "So how long have you two been working together now? It can't have been long."
"We've been working together for about two months." Kazumi answered. "But we really haven't done much."
"You saved me." I smiled at her, which seemed to make her blush and look down. "Thanks, to both of you." I looked over to Ryo, who was looking up at the broken TV.
"Sure." He said.
"It was an honor." Kazumi mumbled.
"Not every day you get a thank you, huh?" I asked.
"Not when you're being used as a personal taxi, not really." Ryo said, turning his attention to me.
"Sometimes from the kids I find lost pets for." Kazumi said, still looking down.
When Mr. Masato's phone began buzzing, the three of them snapped to attention as he took it out and answered it.
"Masato, what's happened? ...We're at the Nashatomi Hospital visiting. … I think he has somewhere close, they'll be there shortly." He ended the call and looked at the two. "There was a structural collapse on Holiway Drive, they need to make sure any and everybody is out. Ryo?"
"Yeah, I can get us there." Without a word, Kazumi stood and walked over to Ryo, taking his hand. "See ya later Satoru." Ryo smiled before space warped in on itself again and snapped back, the two of them gone. Mr. Masato then stood himself.
"It was brief, but I hope it was enough company for now." He said as he straightened his suit.
"It was plenty, thank you. And if you could, could you tell my parent I'm ready to see them?" I asked.
"Are you sure?"
"Now or later, it really won't make an overall difference."
"All right then. I'll try to give them a call." With a tip of his hat to me, he turned and left. It seemed the nurse he had called for earlier had been waiting beside the door, because when he left, she came in with a broom and pan to sweep the broken glass that was still on the floor.
"Still don't know your own strength do you?" She asked as she swept.
"First time I've used them in two weeks. Though I shouldn't have been able to do that much. At most I thought I would only be able to crack it." I admitted.
"Have you been tested for a level?" The nurse asked as she leaned against the broom.
"I'm told to be a level four psychokinetic, but I think that rating scale must be broken, I can barely lift anything, much less move them around."
"I'd have to say this TV thinks otherwise." She smiled. "We're sorry by the way."
"For what? The food? It's not that horrible, it could use some-"
"No, not for the hospital, though we are sorry you're here." The nurse continued as she dumped the broken glass in the wastebasket. "The Major honestly wasn't aware you were there and has been beating himself up over you for the past two weeks. He sends his deepest apologies and regrets."
By this time it had finally clicked that she was talking about Hyoubu Kyousuke. I sat straight up, which felt weird to say the least, and stared at her. I didn't know what to do with her, I could scream for someone, but she had gotten in with no one noticing, it was probable she could leave the same way. I couldn't do anything against her with my powers; she would probably just overpower mine anyways. I felt stupid just sitting there, so I did the one thing I could think to do.
"What do you want?" I growled.
"I don't want anything, I just wanted to make sure you were all right so I could tell the Major."
"All right? Who do you think would be all right after that!" I yelled. "Do you know what you did to me? What he did to me? I'm covered with burns that I can't even feel and hundreds are dead and everyone wants to pin anything they can on me! I'm going to need to relearn how to live my life thanks to all of you! Persecution might have been hard, but at least I could have lead a normal life! Now I have to live it out without being able to feel anything for the rest of my life! So you tell me if I'm 'all right'!" I screamed at her. She merely looked down at me with eyes that seemed to truly pity me.
"We're sorry." Was all she said in response before disappearing.
"What's wrong?" A nurse asked in a frenzy as she burst into the room. "What happened to the TV?" She looked between me and it, panicking slightly.
"It's…It's nothing." I said as I fell back onto my bed. The nurse frowned at me and noticed the glass had already been taken care of. She took the broom and pan and left as I stared at the black, broken screen.
