Chapter four - Unfamiliar thoughts
theshadowcat - Thank you very much. Intend to keep going, however I can't promise it'll be any good
Psycho Llama - (Furious blushing) thank you very much, I've never been complimented quite as much as that. Taking care of reviews is the best way I can think of to say, thanks for giving me the encouragement to go on.
epalladino - thank you very much!
My brain hurts
Vivi: It comes from abusing innocent mages!
No, it comes from it's being cold, and I don't like it!
Vivi: Moany git
Don't make me silence you, now, on with the fic.
Vivi: Run, run while you still can!
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The office was still as daunting as before to the psychic as he returned to his tank, the ominous feelings still lingered there and Abe had to force his tired mind to find the strength to protect itself until he could slip into the water. Once in the tank, he could let his shield down a little bit; water seemed to nullify his abilities to the degree that he could sleep and relax without distraction.
He curled himself up in one of the tubes that lead else where in the building and tried to sleep; he had often wanted his powers to go away but was never sure what he would do without them, they were very much part of him as a person. Imagining himself without the ability to sense other peoples thoughts was like imagining Hellboy without the 'Right hand of Doom'; it was so set into how he thought about himself that even dreaming about missing the ability was akin to a nightmare. As Abe lay between being awake and being asleep, he found his mind being dragged backwards into an unfamiliar feeling memory; one of his own.
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When it had emerged that the Icthyo Sapien was a psychic, professor Broom had spent a few sleepless nights trying to work out how not to overwhelm the poor creature with the multitude of thoughts, feelings and motivations he would experience in day-to-day life. Abe was comparatively good at focusing his abilities on only one person, therefore not hearing too many things; but even one person had a multitude of things occurring in their mind and it seemed to affect him no end. Whilst in the water of his tank, Abe seemed better equipped to deal with people and so Broom approached him whilst he was there. "Good morning professor," Abe greeted, he had been swimming around lazily in the tank as there was really nothing more he could logically do with his mind under constant mental bombardment.
"Good morning Abe,"
As Broom moved closer to the glass, Abe did the same thing; as graceful as he was out of water, in it he was infinitely more fascinating to watch in it and Broom had often found himself watching Abe swim from the corner of his eyes when he was supposed to be working. "I think it best that we work on a way to stop you picking up on everything people think and feel." Broom told him softly; Abe nodded in reply, he knew what Broom was thinking and started to work through the problem himself. "We need to teach you a way to block out enough thoughts to focus your abilities, maybe to the degree that you would only pick up on thoughts when you chose too. Perhaps, even to make you capable of utilising your skills through your hands."
There was an affirmative 'Hmm' from Abe, who was now almost perfectly still save for the small motions of his gills and hands. "We could possibly work on the formation of shields, a mental block to keep you from experiencing too much." It was hard for Abe to ignore what Broom wanted to say, concerning the constant headaches and fainting fits that assailed him out of the water; they had caught Abe off guard too, leading him to the logical assumption that his psychic abilities were comparatively new to him. "It may be logical to teach you how to meditate, which will allow you to focus yourself."
Abe moved to the very front of the tank, resting his hand against it to steady himself slightly, "Something has to be done; we both know I'd go insane if not." He said, demonstrating that, despite the constant bombardment of other people's thoughts, he was intelligent. Broom felt a great deal of sympathy for the being, a different type of sympathy to that he felt for his son; Abe was undeniably an intellectual and had expressed a desire to learn, a desire which was hindered by the fact that he could not logically focus on himself.
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AN: Originally, I wasn't going to jump into Abe's past because I felt that was something the comic book either covered or will do so in the past. (My 'comic book' taste lies more towards Manga then anything else.) However, when listening to the DVD commentary I found something very important - Abe isn't psychic in the comic book! I was thrilled, it meant I could peek into his psychic past without any real implications.
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