Chapter 13
"Doctor Heidelburg woke us all up one by one," said Vaughn. "Gave us all these injections, then made us perform different meditations. Staring at candles, holding stones, picturing ourselves on the ocean, that kind of stuff. And something called 'neuro-pressure.'" He rubbed his neck at the recollection. "It all helped though."
He had been awake for over six hours, since he had been revived from his coma. He now sat on a bed in the medical lab, updating his fiancée Angie. She hadn't left his side since she'd been informed he was comatose, but had to leave when Doctors Heidelburg and T'Ling began his resuscitation and treatment.
Garrison and Dehner were at the other end of the room, also talking to each other, while Heidelburg and Keller sat at a table in the centre, running through some more tests. A MACO watched over Heidelburg, as did a stonily silent Dr. T'Ling.
Angie's round, pleasant features curved into a smile, but there was still concern in her eyes, and she gripped his hands a little too tight.
"So you're okay now?" she asked.
"Doctor T'Ling says we've stabilised, but there's still signs of trauma which could escalate again. Doctor Heidelburg believes that if we get our new abilities under control, the chance of further damage will be much lower. When the stuff he injected us with is filtered out our systems, the risk should be gone, along with the enhanced abilities."
"Psychic powers," Angie said, shaking her head in understandable disbelief. Vaughn had told her all about Heidelburg's wild intentions. "I always knew there was something special about you, Rhys."
Vaughn laughed. "Well, the doctor says our abilities would have been very mild before he magnified them. He's been helping us get them under control. Seeing if we can read thoughts or move things with our minds."
"So what powers do you have?" Angie asked with a grin.
"It's not quite as simple as that," Vaughn said, smirking. "We all show telekinetic and telepathic potential, but to varying degrees. Doctor Heidelburg says I have precognitive senses too. He had me guessing what a random number generator would display, helping me to focus my 'future-sight.' I can't quite control it yet, but it's getting better. I guess that explains my cunning intuition." He scoffed.
Angie reached up to stroke the cheek of Vaughn's cherubic face. "You might have always had the ability buried somewhere deep down inside, but your way with people is all you. You're the one who always knows what to get me for my birthday or what I want to eat for dinner… You're the one who knew just when and where to propose to me. Not some future-sight." She kissed him softly on the lips, making him blush almost as red as his hair.
Vaughn tried to recompose himself. "I, uh, I wish I see into the future and know if the doctor will get us all back to normal soon…" He looked across the lab at Heidelburg.
"Concentrate," said Heidelburg for the umpteenth time. He held up one of his cards with the back facing Keller. "Picture yourself on a still ocean. You and I are the only ones there. Quiet your thoughts…"
Keller felt like socking the old man across the jaw. Bad enough that he had nearly killed them all, now he was treating them like monkeys in an experiment, and he had the gall to keep telling them to calm their minds. Keller was the furthest thing from calm, even with the fuel lamp's tiny flame on the table between him and Heidelburg creating a serene ambience.
But, he did as he was asked and imagined the ocean. After a few seconds, he saw a clear picture in his head - no, in Heidelburg's head - of the other side of the card. It was a strange sensation; as if he were literally reading Heidelburg's thoughts like a book. He could even feel the slight trepidation the doctor was experiencing over whether or not his experiments would succeed, and the desperate need for it not to fail.
"Red triangle!" he said, in awe of himself.
"Wunderbar, Herr Keller!" said Heidelburg.
"That was amazing," said Keller, his anger momentarily forgotten. "It was like I knew exactly what you were thinking. I… I can't explain it."
Heidelburg smiled as he made a handwritten note. "This is an entirely new experience. I imagine the words do not yet exist in any Earth language for describing the sensation."
"So, we're all gonna have these abilities?" Keller asked.
"It depends on the individual," Heidelburg explained. "You, Herr Keller, have shown the greatest skill with telepathy, for example. One of the earliest studies into Human psychic potential divided all psionic abilities into two categories: Psi-gamma and psi-kappa.
"Psi-gamma describes extrasensory perception - perceiving the environment and other people with more than the five basic senses - such as telepathy, precognition, psychometry.
"Psi-kappa describes psychokinetic abilities - the power to manipulate the environment and other people with just the mind - such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis, mind-control.
"Just as some people are better at running or painting, you will each have your own strengths and weaknesses. This is all merely an extension of Human capability. A new stage in evolution."
"Evolution," Keller repeated. He liked the sound of that.
"I had hoped to one day develop a scale for measuring individual psionic potential," Heidelburg said wistfully. After a moment, he perked up again. "For now, let us try the telekinesis test again." He moved the lamp aside and placed down several polished rocks, which he'd earlier referred to as 'meditation stones.'
"As before," continued Heidelburg, "concentrate on the stones, but do not strain your mind. Keep your thoughts clear and imagine moving one of them."
Just as Dehner had mentally ripped apart the equipment and shattered the water glass, Keller had so far been able to make the rocks shake slightly, but nothing more.
This time, he calmed his mind and focused on one stone in front of him.
It was almost as if he could feel new muscles flexing in his brain itself, and before he knew it, the stone started to twitch.
"Yes," said Heidelburg quietly. "Keep concentrating. Try to move it."
Keller maintained his focus without straining himself and the stone started to levitate off the table. It was like he could feel the entire rock without actually touching it, and he simply lifted it as he would with his hand.
"Focus," said Heidelburg. "Move it closer to me."
The stone started to vibrate in the air as Keller put all his thought into picturing it moving. It now felt as though he could feel the inside of the rock as well as the outside, every part of it oscillating under his effect.
Suddenly, the stone burst into flames in mid-air. Both Keller and Heidelburg jumped back in alarm as the small fireball dropped onto the table.
The lab's fire suppression systems had been deactivated for the candles, but thankfully everything was fireproof. The MACO guarding Heidelburg quickly sprang into action as well, grabbing an extinguisher off the wall and spraying the flaming stone back to its inert, if somewhat charred, state with a jet of foam.
"What the hell was that?" Keller shouted. The whole room was watching them after the fire.
"Pyrokinesis!" Heidelburg exclaimed, far too happy. "The ability to summon or control fire. You agitated the very molecules in the stone, causing them to ignite!"
"They're not the only thing that's agitated!" said Keller.
"This is an incredible breakthrough, Herr Keller," said Heidelburg. "You've shown psychokinetic ability at the molecular level. That's far beyond my expectations."
"So, what?" said Keller. "I'm even more evolved?"
Heidelburg chuckled. "More skilled in one particular area, perhaps. Some of you have shown unique talents: Lieutenant Vaughn has his precognition, while Ensign Dehner possesses remote viewing - the ability to 'see' distant locations."
"What about me?" said Garrison, stepping up to the table.
Heidelburg looked up at him over his wire-framed spectacles. "It may take more time and further training for each of you to fully develop your talents, Lieutenant."
Provided that Dr. T'Ling allows us to continue long enough.
Keller, stunned, looked to Heidelburg. He had clearly heard what the doctor was thinking, even though nothing had been said aloud.
He snorted derisively, but gave nothing else away. He might have known the Vulcan would be handicapping them somehow; putting limits on their development. Now that her people had psychic powers of their own, they probably didn't want Humans overtaking them. Typical.
"Let me try the fire thing," said Garrison, pointing to the charred rock. "Show me how to do that."
Heidelburg held up his hand. "We don't want to overdo it. After a short break, maybe-"
"Show me," Garrison said, quite forcefully. His girlfriend, Dehner, just sat on her bed, looking at the floor.
"Yes," said Heidelburg, staring into Garrison's eyes. "I'll show you…" He started to gather up the stones again.
Keller was a little surprised by Heidelburg's sudden change of tune, but then T'Ling stepped up.
"No you will not, Doctor," she said. "A period of rest is required for the test subjects."
Keller sneered and Garrison positively glared at T'Ling.
"Let him show me," Garrison said to her.
"Perhaps later, Lieutenant," T'Ling said, matching Garrison's glare.
"Ah, ja, later," said Heidelburg, shaking his head and rubbing his temple. "I think I am tired myself."
Keller and Garrison both returned to their respective beds, but shared a look between them which conveyed that neither was happy with being ordered around.
Keller didn't plan on tolerating it much longer.