Post 6: The Techy

Adrian

What she’d done to deserve benefits were beyond her. They had started to take turns watching her. Julius Constantine, the Healer, had been the first to come in. They’d talked about everything except the reason she was being held, Hunter and what was happening next. They talked about his ability to heal and how he often takes a tour of the world healing those who’d die without him. He seemed humble but sad. He’d told her stories of how he couldn’t exactly save all of them. She could see it weighed on his shoulders. At one point, after a long stretch of silence, he’d gotten up and left the room. Vectio had replaced him a few minutes later.


She’d done nothing all day but sit in the room, tied to the bed and only had asked to pee once. It seemed like the storyteller guy had been taken off babysitting duties as he hadn’t come back to check on her. She’d met two other men since she’d woken up but Julius and Mendax were the only ones that actually talked to her. Vectio, the one she remembered from the night before, that had held the knife to her neck, sat and grunted at her every time she asked him questions. When she’d pointed out that he’d spoken to her just the night before he looked away from her like he was ashamed. Whatever it was, with this guy, it needed to stop immediately. She’d always been fond of the silent type but not broody, moody and dangerous. Not to mention he was handsome, either.


She turned and studied the one who’d taken babysitting duties last. He seemed no more than a boy but she was sure it had something to do with the unruly hair and the glasses that perched on the tip of his nose. Despite his young looks, he was handsome just like the others. The way he slouched in the chair made her think that maybe he wasn’t as dangerous as the others. He held a comfort about him that the others didn’t display in front of her. Either he truly believed her harmless or he just didn’t care.


She hadn’t tried to speak to him but he seemed to be having a conversation all on his own. He sat leaning back in his chair with one hand playing out on his leg like he was typing keys on a keyboard. The other hand swiped at an invisible screen before his face. He seemed to be reading something and completely ignoring her. She’d asked him what he was doing but he’d ‘shhhh’ed her like she was disturbing him. She figured he had some sort of ability that he could see wavelengths or radio waves like a computer. It sounded really farfetched but she’d always thought there was more to the world that what was on the surface. Apparently, anything was possible.


“Am I going to get to go home any time soon? I do have a job you know.” She figured with him there was no need to be sweet like she had been with Julius, or the Healer or Constantine, as she’d heard him called. She tried that and it hadn’t worked. He only seemed to block her out even harder.


“You don’t, not right now at least. Your boss gave you the summer off because she’s on vacation with her lead assistant. She paid all your bills and you’re basically free for the entire summer.” The man didn’t even look at her. He seemed completely distracted by whatever he was reading on the invisible screen and didn’t bother to stop what he was doing. It was beginning to irritate her.


“I’ve always been special. My dad was never a part of my life. It’s…”


“It’s just you and your mother, she doesn’t live with you. She wanted you to take care of yourself but was really upset that you left. She came to visit you in college every weekend before you finally told her that you were an adult and needed space. You’ve been working really hard and not just to be an editor but to show her that you finally can and she doesn’t need to worry.” He continued to silently click on his keyboard.


“Uhhh, I mean they told me you were the techy but they said nothing about you being a mind reader or a fortune teller.” Agitated, Adrian leaned forward in the bed and crossed her legs underneath her as comfortably as she could. He was ignoring her again. She leaned her chin against the wrist they’d untied. It had been her first thought to try and untie herself but the rope around her wrist was enforced with some kind of invisible seal. No matter how hard she tried to undo the fraying end it would curl back onto itself. She’d studied the rope for an hour before reserving herself to the idea she’d be there until she convinced one of them to let her go.


“I see you looking at the rope again. It won’t come a loose. Is it hurting you?” She whipped her head around to stare at him once more. He now stood looking in her direction; fingers stilled from their typing, true concern covered his features. She didn’t get them, they all seemed to really care about her warfare but none of them wanted to let her go. She couldn’t lie to him though.


“Actually, no. It’s quite comfortable, thanks for asking.” Adrian blushed as he walked over to the side of the bed, anyway, and tugged at the rope. It felt looser than it had before but she wasn’t sure how he did it and she knew she still couldn’t come out of it if she tried. He walked away from the bed, with a confident stride, back over to the chair and plopped down silently.


“As a kid, I sometimes thought that people were talking to me in my mind whispering from across the room or sending me messages from other countries. It always made me sad. I’d sometimes get weird vibes from people and I was able to tell someone’s intentions just from being around them. I could do more than manipulate people; I began to realize that me just hugging or talking to them made them feel better. I could affect their emotions. My mother said I was a miracle worker but word spread fast and we had to move a lot. Whether being called a miracle worker or a devil worshipper, it’s all the same.” Adrian stopped as she realized that he still seemed to be ignoring her. She watched as his swiping stopped and his fingers slowed. Without looking at her, the man tilted his head toward her as if urging her to continue. When she didn’t he looked over at her but stayed silent. “I don’t get them when you guys are around. Isn’t that strange? I can actually think. I…”


“Obviously, there is something other worldly going on with you. You have to believe it now. You know the things that we do. I know Mendax has shown you a little of what he does. I also know that Constantine talked to about his ability to heal. I’m guessing that is one of the reasons you aren’t as scared as you should be. I would have thought you would be terrified.” The man shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “So, there must be something that you know. There must be something that would make you believe us and not think that you’re just crazy. Why is all that’s happening so easy for you to take in? You’ve even been kidnapped!”


“I don’t know what you mean.” Adrian looked up at him and back down at her hand. Since her other was tied to the headboard she couldn’t really fiddle in the covers the way she usually did when under close scrutiny. Good, it was time to break that habit anyway.


“Come on, Adrian. You know why you’re here. You haven’t asked anything about ‘how’ you were able to put Hunter to sleep or even ‘how’ you were able to burn Vectio’s eyes. You already know but you refuse to tell us. Don’t play dumb with us.” The soft-faced boyish features she’d seen disappeared before her eyes. His façade slipped away and a rugged man with wire rimmed glasses and the same hair replaced him. She hadn’t met him before, he hadn’t been one of the others that babysat her, and this must be a new guy. So he can hide who he is also? She thought to herself. She gasped in further understanding when Mendax suddenly appeared next to the bed. He’d hid the truth from her again, he’d been standing there the entire time. He’d lied to her. For some reason she felt betrayed and glanced up at him. He looked down at her a new expression on his face. The loving, happy guy she’d talked to earlier was gone. The light from the window poured in from just behind him giving him, illuminating him. He was the illusion of an angel. A dark angel, she thought.


“You’re right. I’m not dumb, I obviously know I’m different but I don’t know how. I’ve never really thought about it before last night. I thought there were more people like me, in hiding, maybe they didn’t want to get exploited either! When Julius, or Constantine or whatever it is you call him…when he said that about the man you killed not being human and that maybe I’m not either. A part of me believed him and a part of me didn’t want to. What else could explain the things I’ve been able to do, now and as a child?” She startled as the rope that held her in place disappeared and her arm fell slack beside her on the bed. She could barely feel it until small pins and needles prickled her skin starting at her wrist. “Are you letting me go?”


“No. Until we know exactly what you are, where you come from and who you are, you are going to stay here. But we will no longer hold you to this room like a prisoner.” Tristan, the leader as she remembered, stood in the doorway. A familiar face stared at her from behind him. It was more so that she felt his presence than recognized him. Happiness jumped inside of her, she almost smiled and had to fight against it. It was both arousing and a mental joy that filled her soul. Ignoring it, Adrian shook her head and slid to the edge of the bed. The pajama pants they’d given her caught against the covers and slid up her legs. She stopped moving to push them down uncomfortably. The techy guy, who’d begun pulling at his skin as if to make sure he was fully himself again, stood with her and helped her to her feet.


“I’m David Modus. I didn’t get to introduce my true self earlier, sorry about that. I’d prefer being called Technik rather than techy.” Technik smiled at her and pushed her towards the bathroom. “You’ll find a change of clothes sitting on the counter in there, regular clothes. I checked your most recent bank statements to see what sizes you recently bought but the latest one I could find was two years ago, you really don’t shop that much? Anyway, I got four different sizes in everything.” He bit his lip, worriedly, while studying her size.


“My bank statements? Is that even legal?” Adrian’s mouth fell open, their tone had changed, just when their leader appeared. They were giving her clothes? They were letting her walk around? What is going on here? Wary, she headed towards the door to the bathroom at the same time in anticipation to change into some real clothes.


“Is kidnaping legal?” Tristan stated gruffly, a wry look covered his face.


“Touché.” Adrian ignored the man that stood just behind the leader even as she caught eyes with him, she blushed slightly. He hadn’t said anything, just stood there staring from the door. He hadn’t even moved from his position when Tristan had given him space to enter the room. Maybe he couldn’t feel the electricity that he sent her. Shaking her head, once in the bedroom, Adrian dropped the pajama’s to the floor and almost squealed at seeing the pile of matching under garments and the jeans and t-shirt ensemble. Someone knew exactly what she liked.


Maybe being kidnapped wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. She’d definitely escape as soon as she got the chance though, just because they played nice now they might not if they found her out to be something alien, dangerous. Murderous, she thought. She stared at herself in the mirror above the sink, looking into her own eyes as she’d done many times before. She’d never seen anything in them looking back at her before but from time to time she could swear there was a glint of something else. Something inhuman? Watching as a tear slid down her cheek, Adrian lifted a hand to swipe it away and took a deep breath. No, she wasn’t a monster, she hadn’t meant to hurt them but it was safe to find out whatever caused her powers before she escaped though. At least she’d get something out of it all.




"The only way to be a writer is to write, write and write. The only way...is to write." -Irma Jemison