Disclaimer: The mutant concept is owned by Marvel comics. The common
people concept was created by Kielle and Phil Foster. All characters
belong to me. Enjoy.
Radio Ga Ga
"Today's best music and yesterday's favorites, 96.5 KRSP FM. This is Kali Warrant here with you this afternoon. After this, the weather."
Kali switched on the commercial cart and switched off the microphone. She sighed heavily as she pulled the headphones from her head and draped them over the mike. She combed a hand through her chin length blond hair.
"Well, China," she addressed the station cat, "looks like we have a few minutes to do the windows." Kali slid around the counter and out the door of the sound proof DJ booth.
She snagged the Windex and a roll of paper towels. Three quick squirts of Windex and two paper towels later, the window between the DJ booth and the front office was spotless. Kali rushed back into the booth to switch songs.
The itching started between her shoulder blades. Kali called China into the booth and closed the door. She perched nervously on the edge of the wooden stool.
She felt the release of the telekinetic energy a scant second before the outer door blew in. Kali's hands were dialing 911 when more tk energy knocked her back into the CD rack.
She hit the floor with a dull thud amidst the raining CD's. Stars danced behind her closed eyelids. Before she could recover, she felt her arms jerked behind her back. She felt a cord cut into her wrists. * My headphones. * She noted absently.
Her ears rang with a sharp slap.
"I said, do you understand?" The silky, deep voice demanded.
Kali wracked her brain for the last few seconds. * Do what I say . . . No escape attempts. . . Won't be hurt . . . *
"L-" Wrong sound. "Y-" I'm getting there. "Yes." Kali tried to shake the cobwebs from her head. The attacker's face swam into focus. Blond hair, close cropped, military-like. Hazel eyes, neatly trimmed mustache. Wiry body in neck to toe black.
"Tell me how to work this thing." He gestured to the sound board.
"W-what do you want to do?" * Mouth, you'd better start working soon, or we're BOTH in trouble. *
"I want to talk." Then he pulled a cassette tape from a pocket. "I want to play this, as well."
Kali took a breath that filled her rib cage. She heaved herself into a sitting position, hard with her hands tied behind her back. "To turn off the music, hit the yellow button below the red one that is lighted."
Silence echoed through the studio.
"Then?"
"Dub the one labeled "DJ Mic." Up to zero and hit the red button. Talk. For the tape, dub up the one labeled "cassette" and hit that red button."
A dizzy spell stopped anything else she might have said. The man was not concerned. He had what he wanted.
"This is Sergeant Michael Reeves of the United States Marine Corps. I am a mutant, and for this, I am to be dishonorably discharged from the service that I've served faithfully for fifteen years. They * knew * that I was a mutant when I signed my enlistment contract. They've * used * my power. I was on the front lines in Panama and the Middle East. But recently, a member of the Friends of Humanity became the commander of our Battalion.
"Since then, ten mutant Marines have been dishonorably discharged. Just for the crime of being different.
"You may think I'm nuts, but I have proof. Listen." He switched on the tape.
"We have to face it, gentleman, the military is downsizing, and I'll be * damned * if I let those no good muties take up valuable slots better left for * humans, *", a deep voice growled over the speakers.
"But, Colonel Jefferson, what about EO?" A much smaller voice asked.
"The whiny little Equal Opportunity brats can kiss my grits." Silence for a few seconds. "Now, I have a list of our * mutant * population, I want them out, no benefits, that'll just drain us of funds. I don't care how you do it, get rid of them."
Silence descended. Kali suddenly remembered to breathe. Then Reeves began to speak again.
"I have one demand. That is that Lieutenant Colonel John Jefferson be dishonorably discharged from the USMC immediately. If my demands are not met by the end of the week, I will destroy this building and everyone in it."
Kali fainted.
Something was shaking her, none too gently. She shook her head in denial. Of what, she wasn't quite sure.
"Come on, girl, wake up. You can't sleep with that concussion."
It was * him *. The man who'd * given * her that concussion. She opened her eyes to gaze blearily at him. "Fuck you."
One corner of his mouth quirked. "Don't have the time, darlin', otherwise, I'd be honored."
Kali growled deeply in the back of her throat, but she was wide awake now. "Don't wannna lose your only hostage?"
He shook his head. "Don't wanna lose anyone. I only want that bastard brought to justice."
The telephone rang. Reeves straightened and answered it.
"Sergeant Reeves."
"Pleased to meet you, Officer Hollis. What is being done about my demand?"
"Only the DJ. She has a concussion, mild."
"No one."
"No one."
Silence.
"Fine, one man with the medication, * only *."
He slammed the phone down. He took several deep breaths. "They're sending a man up here with medication to treat your concussion." He turned to glare at her. "No funny business, understand."
Kali chuckled faintly and nodded as Reeves' face faded.
"Wake up, Kali."
"No."
A cool moist cloth wiped the sweat from her face. "Yes, now, come on."
Kali opened one eye, then closed it again. "I'm seeing things."
"What are you seeing?"
Kali chuckled dryly. "My fantasy."
"Which is?"
"Antonio Banderas, circa Desperado, as a fireman."
"Now, that's one I haven't heard before."
"Minus the accent. But I can live without that." Kali opened her eyes. "Am I dreaming?"
The Antonio look-alike shook his head. "My name is Alec Jamison. I'm your medic."
"Then why are you dressed in that fireman t-shirt?" She asked.
He smiled lopsidedly. "I'm a fireman. I'm just trained as a paramedic." He moved her arms into a position to check her blood pressure. "Sorry I can't untie you, but Sergeant Savage over there said no way, no how."
Kali rolled her eyes. "That's fine. He'll get his as soon as my head's clear."
Alec paused, and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
Kali leaned closer to him, until her lips brushed his ear. "He's not the only telekinetic in the building."
Radio Ga Ga
"Today's best music and yesterday's favorites, 96.5 KRSP FM. This is Kali Warrant here with you this afternoon. After this, the weather."
Kali switched on the commercial cart and switched off the microphone. She sighed heavily as she pulled the headphones from her head and draped them over the mike. She combed a hand through her chin length blond hair.
"Well, China," she addressed the station cat, "looks like we have a few minutes to do the windows." Kali slid around the counter and out the door of the sound proof DJ booth.
She snagged the Windex and a roll of paper towels. Three quick squirts of Windex and two paper towels later, the window between the DJ booth and the front office was spotless. Kali rushed back into the booth to switch songs.
The itching started between her shoulder blades. Kali called China into the booth and closed the door. She perched nervously on the edge of the wooden stool.
She felt the release of the telekinetic energy a scant second before the outer door blew in. Kali's hands were dialing 911 when more tk energy knocked her back into the CD rack.
She hit the floor with a dull thud amidst the raining CD's. Stars danced behind her closed eyelids. Before she could recover, she felt her arms jerked behind her back. She felt a cord cut into her wrists. * My headphones. * She noted absently.
Her ears rang with a sharp slap.
"I said, do you understand?" The silky, deep voice demanded.
Kali wracked her brain for the last few seconds. * Do what I say . . . No escape attempts. . . Won't be hurt . . . *
"L-" Wrong sound. "Y-" I'm getting there. "Yes." Kali tried to shake the cobwebs from her head. The attacker's face swam into focus. Blond hair, close cropped, military-like. Hazel eyes, neatly trimmed mustache. Wiry body in neck to toe black.
"Tell me how to work this thing." He gestured to the sound board.
"W-what do you want to do?" * Mouth, you'd better start working soon, or we're BOTH in trouble. *
"I want to talk." Then he pulled a cassette tape from a pocket. "I want to play this, as well."
Kali took a breath that filled her rib cage. She heaved herself into a sitting position, hard with her hands tied behind her back. "To turn off the music, hit the yellow button below the red one that is lighted."
Silence echoed through the studio.
"Then?"
"Dub the one labeled "DJ Mic." Up to zero and hit the red button. Talk. For the tape, dub up the one labeled "cassette" and hit that red button."
A dizzy spell stopped anything else she might have said. The man was not concerned. He had what he wanted.
"This is Sergeant Michael Reeves of the United States Marine Corps. I am a mutant, and for this, I am to be dishonorably discharged from the service that I've served faithfully for fifteen years. They * knew * that I was a mutant when I signed my enlistment contract. They've * used * my power. I was on the front lines in Panama and the Middle East. But recently, a member of the Friends of Humanity became the commander of our Battalion.
"Since then, ten mutant Marines have been dishonorably discharged. Just for the crime of being different.
"You may think I'm nuts, but I have proof. Listen." He switched on the tape.
"We have to face it, gentleman, the military is downsizing, and I'll be * damned * if I let those no good muties take up valuable slots better left for * humans, *", a deep voice growled over the speakers.
"But, Colonel Jefferson, what about EO?" A much smaller voice asked.
"The whiny little Equal Opportunity brats can kiss my grits." Silence for a few seconds. "Now, I have a list of our * mutant * population, I want them out, no benefits, that'll just drain us of funds. I don't care how you do it, get rid of them."
Silence descended. Kali suddenly remembered to breathe. Then Reeves began to speak again.
"I have one demand. That is that Lieutenant Colonel John Jefferson be dishonorably discharged from the USMC immediately. If my demands are not met by the end of the week, I will destroy this building and everyone in it."
Kali fainted.
Something was shaking her, none too gently. She shook her head in denial. Of what, she wasn't quite sure.
"Come on, girl, wake up. You can't sleep with that concussion."
It was * him *. The man who'd * given * her that concussion. She opened her eyes to gaze blearily at him. "Fuck you."
One corner of his mouth quirked. "Don't have the time, darlin', otherwise, I'd be honored."
Kali growled deeply in the back of her throat, but she was wide awake now. "Don't wannna lose your only hostage?"
He shook his head. "Don't wanna lose anyone. I only want that bastard brought to justice."
The telephone rang. Reeves straightened and answered it.
"Sergeant Reeves."
"Pleased to meet you, Officer Hollis. What is being done about my demand?"
"Only the DJ. She has a concussion, mild."
"No one."
"No one."
Silence.
"Fine, one man with the medication, * only *."
He slammed the phone down. He took several deep breaths. "They're sending a man up here with medication to treat your concussion." He turned to glare at her. "No funny business, understand."
Kali chuckled faintly and nodded as Reeves' face faded.
"Wake up, Kali."
"No."
A cool moist cloth wiped the sweat from her face. "Yes, now, come on."
Kali opened one eye, then closed it again. "I'm seeing things."
"What are you seeing?"
Kali chuckled dryly. "My fantasy."
"Which is?"
"Antonio Banderas, circa Desperado, as a fireman."
"Now, that's one I haven't heard before."
"Minus the accent. But I can live without that." Kali opened her eyes. "Am I dreaming?"
The Antonio look-alike shook his head. "My name is Alec Jamison. I'm your medic."
"Then why are you dressed in that fireman t-shirt?" She asked.
He smiled lopsidedly. "I'm a fireman. I'm just trained as a paramedic." He moved her arms into a position to check her blood pressure. "Sorry I can't untie you, but Sergeant Savage over there said no way, no how."
Kali rolled her eyes. "That's fine. He'll get his as soon as my head's clear."
Alec paused, and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
Kali leaned closer to him, until her lips brushed his ear. "He's not the only telekinetic in the building."