Chapter 8

Alone again, I took to the streets - hood up, careful not to make eye contact with the very few people passing by - traversing the hellish scenery of Seattle, none of this seemed familiar. I guess it must have looked nice before the DUP and the conduits used it as their battle ground. I wasn't even close to remembering anything and I hadn't heard anything from Eugene or his angels for a while – I missed the distraction.

Be careful what you wish for I sighed as gunshots were fired from down an alleyway not far from me. I didn't need to get involved – I quickened my pace in the opposite direction. Then a loud scream, I froze. I shouldn't get involved, I really shouldn't get involved - more gunshots, another scream – dammit.

I cautiously hurried down the alleyway unsure of what I was walking into. Had I always been this reckless? or was my power making me feel invincible? I froze, somewhat concealed in shadows created by an overhanging canopy.

There was a man, I could see his side profile and I immediately recognised him – Morris, the guy who had so kindly shot through my hand. He was currently standing on the throat of a woman squirming beneath his boot, that wasn't all she was covered in blood, the same blood soaked into a baseball bat that he clutched by his side, neither of them had spotted me. If she was a conduit, surely she would be fighting back – this guy was obviously a psychopathic asshole using his little conduit crusade as an excuse to inflict violence on whomever was unlucky to cross his path. I raised my hand, I'd put a stop to him.

In my mind I practiced throwing him several hundred feet into the air and wrapping concrete boulders around his legs, letting go and leaving gravity to do the rest, however that's not what happened next. The girl coughed and wheezed beneath him and I could tell that she used every ounce of her strength to splutter up a flurry of paper that struck her assailant from every direction like an agitated swarm of bees. Morris stumbled momentarily and covered his face from harm. The razor thin like paper was slicing away at his bare arms – it was impressive, who knew paper could be so destructive. However the poor girl, exhausted, was unable to keep up her tirade. Her arms fell outwards onto the floor and her head slumped and fell in my direction.

Our eyes locked.

"Celia?" the name crept from my mouth before I even realised I recognised her.

She didn't hear me, but Morris did. He immediately shot his sights towards me, closely followed by his gun – he didn't hesitate like I did and I was thrown back by several bullets.

I landed heavily on my back and the wind was knocked from me, I clenched my fists and winced, urgh I was lead to believe bullets to a conduit were like a walk in the park - agony -– I resisted trying to writhe around or move too much I didn't need any more bullets. I could feel them inside my flesh, one in my torso, one through my shoulder and the other through my arm. I lay dazed but the strangest sensation washed through me and it was as if my power was on autopilot. The bullets were pushed from my body by shards of concrete originating from within me and the pain was quickly vanishing.

This time I wouldn't hesitate, recovered - I leapt to my feet, enraged - I punched the air throwing my target backwards away from Celia and I curled my fingers into a ball as if to give my concrete instruction and I watched callously as Morris became helplessly locked into placed by thick boulders. In a desperate bid to break free he shot at the manifesting concrete swiftly approaching his thighs, realising this was no good he turned the gun on me once more. I was prepared this time, the bullets came to an abrupt halt but a few centermetres from me and I span them in his direction, his gasp was my cue and I let them loose – only coming to my senses millimetres before one of the bullets was about to penetrate his forehead. I wasn't going to be a killer. I relaxed my influence of the bullets and they fell from their trajectory and hit the floor.

Morris said nothing, eyes wide he dropped his gun as the concrete continued to envelope him. I ceased at his shoulders and turned my attention to Celia.

She was standing now, slouched but on her feet and encased in odd paper armour she'd adorned herself in, the paper stained red in her own blood, tightly clinging onto a rather large wound to her side. Her healing ability was obviously overwhelmed, she'd been injured beyond the level her conduit abilities could cope with.

"Celia," I whispered – I recognised her but from where seemed just out of my grasps.

"I don't know you," she coldly remarked. Though I couldn't make out her expression behind her paper made rabbit like mask.

What was this feeling? I was deeply concerned for this stranger, Celia? As if she should have been someone I deeply cared for, I continued my gaze wondering if she was staring back, she fell to her knees and groaned pulling her bloody soaked paper hand away. I didn't think – my first instinct was to comfort her. I lunged forward to catch her, I gripped her shoulders and immediately felt somehow as if we were blending, I let go straight away - once I realised my mistake, but it was too late. My power had already reacted with hers and she lifted from the ground and let out a loud scream. She became a violent whirlwind of paper that threatened me to stay away. I heeded her warning and scrambled away from her on the floor.

The contact was brief but as earlier, several images flashed through my mind – images that didn't belong to me. I had no idea who most of these faces were but two were prominent – one I knew, Delsin Rowe … the other – a middle aged woman - Augustine – seemed to be the name I was getting, she actually seemed vaguely familiar to me too but I couldn't be sure. Not only had I acquired what I presumed to be Celia's thoughts but I could feel a new surge of energy flowing within me. Had I taken Celia's power too?

Celia showed no sign of calming and Morris remained stranded in his concrete restraints bellowing for help, if this continued we'd definitely attract unwanted attention – but I couldn't leave Celia like I had the gravity conduit and Delsin.

"Saisei!" I'm not sure where it came from but I somehow knew Celia would understand the relevance.

It worked! – I think. The spiraling paper ceased and Celia in her normal form slammed to the ground "how did you know that?!" she writhed, winded, her power seizing up with her words, it seemed she was struggling to keep it under control "what did you do to me?!"

Her control was waning - her power was building and building and she was unable to subdue it – it reminded me of the gravity conduit swallowed up in the ground, of Delsin losing control – and then it dawned on me –it my fault, a side effect of my power. Was I more than a power sponge?

"Hands up! Hands up!" Several DUPs flooded the alleyway and surrounded us.

Celia lost it, she screeched again and diminished in to streams of paper and threw herself into the DUP, sweeping several of them off their feet, the wind carried her away and the remaining streams of paper scattered like confetti and drifted to the floor. My heart sank, I didn't see Celia's form manifest after that – just scraps of paper strewn about in different directions being separated in the wind.

Now was my chance to escape - Celia had certainly stolen the limelight - dammit, I couldn't leave her, I'd already promised myself I wouldn't but when she didn't re-emerge and my hopes were dashed the DUPs attention turned to me.

"He's a bio-terrorist!" Morris called out.

Could I recover from a tirade of close range bullets? I didn't fancy my chances, I raised my hands in surrender but of course I denied Morris' claims. I was struck violently by one of the officers and I fell – remembering that a blow like that could have quite possibly rendered a normal person unconscious. I lay there feigning injury, don't get me wrong it hurt - but I was already recovering.

I was dragged to my feet by two DUPs hauling me up, one holding each of my arms.

"He's a bio-terrorist!" Morris called out again as if they needed to be reminded.

Luckily for now they didn't seem to take him too seriously, it looked as if they suspected him too. I allowed the DUPs to carry me off leaving several of them behind with Morris. How the hell did I end up in this predicament?

I didn't assist their movement, I stumbled and slumped as they marched me away. I was escorted to a huge black van brandished with the DUP logo. There was at least ten in a circle around me, I kept my head down and my hood hid most of my face. A DUP abruptly ripped the hood from my head and I came face to face with him, he looked me up and down from behind a menacing mask and pulled the van's heavy side door aside. I spotted a hand scanner on being forced inside, I was momentarily startled by its presence but quickly realised it was powered off. Were the hand scanners still malfunctioning? Just how widespread was the problem if this scanner was affected too? It didn't matter. I was struck again by a DUP officer from behind and patted down, I had no belongings – on that realisation, the DUP forced me into a seat in the back of the van. I was promptly cuffed into a large heavy yellow device that seemed excessive. It weighed my arms down and greatly restricted my movement. Several of the DUPs sat around me and the door was slammed closed. Then we were moving.

I didn't dare look up, my vision focused on faint red blemishes that were most likely blood stained onto the vans white floor, the windows were completely blacked out and the lighting was extremely harsh and hurt my eyes.

How was I going to get out of this one? For now I guess the only luck I had on my side was the disruption of the scanners. I had no idea if they had any other means of identifying conduits but at least for now there was no way they could be certain I was actually a conduit.

I slouched back and allowed my heavy lids to close, I drifted somewhere between awake and asleep. The DUPs accompanying me must have assumed I was asleep as they began to talk freely among themselves.

"What do you reckon?" one of the muttered, I guess they were referring to the question of whether I was a conduit or not.

"It's not like it matters," came a reply.

"We got an ID?"

"Nope, he had nothing on him."

"Did you see the state of the other guy?"

Did they mean Morris? I didn't know who was talking to who, my eyes remained closed as I intently listened.

"The guy up to his neck in concrete?"

"Yea, I've seen shit like that before from Augustine," there was a pause "it's weird and unnatural."

"Yeah, I've not seen anything like that since the concrete DUPs"

"How Augustine ever got permission to turn those poor guys into those freaks!"

"Fighting fire with fire, or so that's what I heard her motto was," a sigh "glad those days are over."

"We're lucky we didn't get that treatment if Augustine had had any longer we'd most likely be one of them by now, I heard it mashed their heads – they become robotic - can't think for themselves," the voice was a hushed whisper, it was difficult to hear over the sound of the van in motion "You know what else I heard? The military are planning to get rid of them – execute them I heard – the military don't take any chances."

"You know we're not meant to talk about that shit, just count yourself lucky you're not one of them."

The conversation died down and I wasn't sure if I did actually manage to slip into sleep in the end or not but I was abruptly brought to by some more violence. I groaned as I was suddenly lifted from my seat. The van's motion had ceased.

"On your feet!" the DUP yelled.

I felt groggy, still tired. I was pulled from the van and landed on some grass – far ahead was a huge barbed wire fence lined with armed DUPs around the perimeter I did not like the look of this one bit. Perhaps my newly acquired paper powers would make for a feasible escape, there was woodland all around I could lose them in. Was I even in Seattle anymore?

We marched ahead, it was now or never. I could feel the new power surging and swirling around me, how did this work? I stopped for a moment attempting to execute my powers.

Nothing.

I searched inside myself, I could definitely feel it's presence lingering, bottled inside but try as I might I could not release it.

"Move along!" The DUP behind me gave me a hard shove, forcing me to advance.

Well that was disappointing, paper was a no go. Looked like I'd have to rely on good old gravity. I easily located the energy within me that I identified as gravity, it was a strange sensation – each power felt distinctly different but gave me a similar buzz. I looked around, I'd throw them all away and burst into the skies.

Again the power built and swirled within me, but I couldn't use it. What the hell?

Concrete?

No! no concrete either.

Shit.

Was this heavy yellow device clamped around my hands somehow nullifying my powers? It was the only explanation.