Winters Family Psi Chronicles 2: Project Onyx (5 page)

“That was really weird,” Russell said with trepidation.

“Yes, it was,” Brian said.

Samantha burst into the room with a brittle smile.

“Brandon advised me that you’ve been influencing me, young man,” she said in a chilling tone. “I guess you were hoping I would feel sympathy towards you and Russell. You’re wasting your talent. As soon as I’ve finished testing you and Russell, you will be free to go. However, if you try to manipulate me again, you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,” Brian said.

“Let’s continue with our testing then,” Samantha said crisply.

Brian had once again sensed her lying when she’d told him that he’d be free to go. There was no mistaking her intention to kill them both once she’d finished evaluating their abilities.

Chapter 5

There were always excessively long lines at the movie theater after school and today was no exception. Amy, Derek, Dick, and Stephanie had already waited five minutes and there were over thirty people ahead of them. Amy really wasn’t in the mood to see a movie with her younger brother missing but Dick had insisted that they should do something to take their mind off his disappearance.

“Mom was supposed to come home from her assignment this morning. She may be expecting us,” Amy said.

“You worry too much,” Dick said emphatically. “If Teresa needs to talk to you, she can pick up the phone and call you.”

Amy didn’t know how to respond to that one but she was already tired of waiting to see a movie she really wasn’t looking forward to.

“Do we have to see a horror movie?” Amy said.

“I suppose you’d rather watch one of those worthless chick flicks,” Dick said.

“It’s better than watching one of your stupid slasher movies,” Amy retorted.

Derek patted Amy’s shoulder affectionately. “We’ll all have to vote on the next movie we see.”

“Whatever,” Dick said dismissively.

The line moved forward and they all eagerly shuffled closer to the cashiers. Amy’s cell phone rang and she dug it out of her pocket.

“Who is it?” Dick asked quickly.

“It’s Mom,” Amy said with bemusement as she looked at the display.

“Don’t answer it!” Dick said sharply.

“I’m not going to ignore her. It might be important,” Amy said. Dick rolled his eyes in exasperation as she brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Amy, there are two FBI agents here who are working on finding Brian. We need your help. We’re going to link together and hopefully they’ll be able to pick up on his location. Do you happen to know where Dick is? He isn’t answering his phone,” Teresa said without preamble.

“Yes, Mom, he’s right here with me,” Amy said.

“Good. We can use him too. All relatives and friends. If Stephanie is there, it wouldn’t hurt to have her tag along as well. Also, Derek is his best friend so I’d appreciate it if he could come, too.”

“Sure, Mom. We’ll be right over,” Amy said.

“What is it?” Dick asked as she disconnected the phone.

“There are two FBI agents who want all friends and family to meet over at our house. They think if we’re all together, they may be able to find Brian,” Amy explained.

“That’s so cool!” Stephanie exclaimed.

“So that means you and Derek are also welcome to join us. We’d appreciate your help.”

“I’ll be glad to,” Stephanie said.

“I’ve heard about this,” Dick said.

“Heard about what?” Amy asked.

“Sometimes in missing person cases, a level ten remote-viewer can use family members as a link to find someone. Usually, it’s not needed though,” Dick said. “Something must be wrong.”

“I hope we find him soon. He’s been missing for three days now,” Amy said.

The police had already used three of their officers with remote-viewing ability as well as their psychometrists without any success. Dick had taken his car to drive them to the theater so they all piled into his black SUV and headed for Amy’s house. When they arrived, there was a silver sedan parked in front that she surmised belonged to the FBI agents. Inside, everyone had gathered in the living room. Jason, Teresa’s father and Dick’s younger brother, were talking to Paul on the couch located at the far side of the room. Jason’s wrinkled skin was riddled with liver spots and his brown eyes sparked with concern and fear. Like his older brother, he was a multipath although he didn’t share the self-regenerative ability to stay youthful. His psychic talents included
pyrokinesis, telekinesis, botany psi, empathy, and psychometry. He had struggled to control his power for his entire life and had faced psychic burnout frequently. His empathic ability gave him the most grief as virtually everyone caused him pain which was the same for Brian and Derek. Because the three of them were level ten empaths, their proximity didn’t inflict any pain or discomfort on each other. Jason lived in an isolated house in the woods in Arlington which was a good hour drive from Lynnwood.

“I hope we can start soon. I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” Jason said.

“Amy and the others have just arrived,” Paul said reassuringly.

Teresa was seated with two strangers who immediately stood up upon Amy’s, Dick’s, Stephanie’s, and Derek’s arrival. Teresa’s long blond hair was pinned in a tight bun which was typical for her. She was thin with piercing blue eyes, an aquiline nose, and long dainty fingers.

“I’m glad you could come so quickly. This is Agents Hurst and Driscol,” Teresa said.

Agent Hurst was a medium set man with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a tan suit. Agent Driscol was a short woman in her early thirties and had green eyes with her long brown hair in a ponytail.

“I’m a level ten remote-viewer and I’ll be trying to get a fix on Brian,” Hurst said. “My partner is a level ten psychometrist and has already checked out his room and the house for psychic imprints.”

“Did you find any clues as to his whereabouts?” Dick asked.

“We found some clues but nothing that can help us right now,” Hurst said. “Shall we get started?”

“Yes, we really should,” Teresa said hastily. “Jason is going to need to leave soon. Too many people are crowded together here.”

“Of course. If everyone will please take a seat,” Hurst said smoothly. He waited until everyone had settled comfortably before speaking again. “I will need you all to concentrate on Brian. Brush aside any other thoughts. Focus only on him. It’s always harder to concentrate on one object or person than everyone thinks until they try to do it. It helps if you close your eyes.”

“That’s all we have to do? Just think about Brian?” Dick asked in a somewhat scornful tone.

“Yes, that’s all,” Hurst said. “The reason this works is because we are all linked telepathically. Since you are family and friends, your link to Brian is stronger than that of a stranger. When you think about him, your link to him becomes stronger and allows me to track him better. Since we are all sharing the same goal, our links to each other will strengthen as well and you may receive my remote-viewing impressions. Don’t let it distract you. We should begin now.”

Amy concentrated on her brother which is what she’d been doing for three days now. She couldn’t stop thinking about him so it wasn’t as difficult as Hurst made it out to be. A tense silence hovered over them as they all quietly sat and just concentrated. A hazy image of Brian in an arm chair with two other individuals in matching chairs danced along the edge of her mind. A redhead boy about Brian’s age sat beside him and a woman in her late thirties faced them. The scene was hazy and distorted so Amy couldn’t get a clear look at any of them or what the woman was holding up. The image evaporated and Amy felt alarmed at the thought that they may have lost their link to him. She silently reminded herself that she was only receiving impressions from Hurst and he probably saw much more clearly than she did. She had no remote-viewing ability whatsoever and had to trust the FBI agent to do his best. She brushed aside her anxiety and focused exclusively on Brian.

Time dragged by with only fleeting impressions of Brian tickling the back of her mind occasionally. Amy shifted uncomfortably as her body ached from sitting still for so long. She didn’t notice right away how warm she’d become until a wave of scorching heat washed over her. She opened her eyes with surprise as she realized that Jason must be suffering from psychic burnout. His eyes snapped open and he clutched his chest and gasped for breath. A small fire erupted on the edge of the coffee table and there were several thuds from the walls as Jason’s telekinetic ability misfired. Teresa stepped toward him just as he crumpled to the floor. His body jerked spasmodically. The couch he’d been sitting on lurched violently. An instant later, Stephanie and Dick were thrown by an unseen force over the couch. The lamp on the end table toppled over and the wall pounded again as though something large had smashed into it.

The waves of scorching heat abruptly died away and the telekinetic misfires halted as Jason lay very still. His brown eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling as Teresa knelt over him with an intense expression on her face. Amy knew that she was enveloping his mind with a psionic shield. Teresa lacked the training to shore up her father’s own defenses but could reach into his mind and extend her own shield over his which would halt the psychic burnout.

“I’ve got his mind protected now. His condition is stabilizing,” Teresa said.

Paul rushed out of the room and returned with a couple of glasses of water which he poured over the small fire on the table.

“Is he going to be all right?” Amy asked.

“He’s waking up now,” Teresa said with relief.

Jason’s eyes were still staring up at the ceiling but he suddenly blinked and abruptly sat up. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and his eyes rested on his daughter with an apologetic smile.

“Thank you, Teresa,” he said quietly.

“You’re welcome, Dad. We need to get you home,” she said.

“I’ll drive you,” Paul said quickly. “You can’t concentrate while you’re protecting his mind.”

“I do need someone to drive but I want you to stay here,” she said firmly. “Amy, if you would take us to your grandfather’s house, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Amy said.

She slipped behind the wheel of her car with her mother seated beside her and Jason slumped in the back seat.

“Did Agent Hurst pick up anything useful on Brian?” Amy asked once they were on the freeway.

When the quiet stretched out for a couple of moments, Amy wondered if her mother would answer her.

“He picked up some details but he doesn’t know where Brian is,” Teresa finally said.

“Does he know why Brian was taken?” Amy asked.

“Yes. He’s known ever since Agent Driscol took readings of the house with her psychometry. They have been searching for this group for years.”

“Why didn’t they tell us?” Amy said in outrage.

“Calm down. I’m having trouble keeping Dad protected with you projecting like that,” Teresa said icily.

“Sorry, Mom. I’m just really worried and I can’t believe that those FBI agents are hiding stuff from us.”

“Of course they are,” Teresa said distantly. “A lot of the work they do is classified including this case. Since I also have high level clearance, anything I’ve picked up from them with my telepathic ability is strictly confidential and I can’t share it. They’re doing their job and what they are keeping from us wouldn’t help us to find Brian.”

Amy glowered but didn’t argue. She resented being kept in the dark like that when her brother was missing.

“But there’s something else,” Amy said quietly. “Brian’s going to die, isn’t he?”

“I can’t answer that,” Teresa said.

Frustration, anger, and fear clawed at Amy’s gut but she didn’t lash out at her mother. She took several long moments to calm down because she knew she was probably broadcasting her emotions and thoughts very loudly which was detrimental to her grandfather’s condition. Teresa wouldn’t be able to keep the shield up if Amy didn’t control her emotions.

“Thank you,” Teresa said.

“You’re welcome,” Amy said grudgingly even though she felt her mother should tell her what kind of danger Brian was in.

“You’ll understand when you start working for the military,” Teresa said.

“If we don’t get Brian back, I may change the direction of my career,” Amy said coldly.

“The older you get, the more you’ll see that the world is all shades of gray. There’s no black and white. Ever.”

Amy wasn’t in the mood for another one of her mother’s infamous lectures on morality.

“Why did you want me to drive you instead of Dad?” Amy asked, abruptly changing the subject.

“Because I’m under an obligation to keep anything I learn about classified investigations to myself but anything your father discovers, he can tell you.”

“You surprise me sometimes,” Amy said.

“Why is that?”

“It seems like the job is the most important thing to you but then you say or do things like that,” Amy said.

Teresa smiled weakly. “Everything is shades of gray but nothing is more important than family.”

“Why didn’t you ask Uncle Dick to drive you and Grandfather home?” Amy asked.

“Because once we get to his house, it may take your grandfather a few hours to strengthen his shield to the point that I can withdraw from his mind. I don’t like Dick and I don’t want to spend that much time with him,” Teresa said.

“Be nice. That man is your uncle,” Jason scolded.

“Dad, he’s a jerk. Just because he’s your older brother, doesn’t mean you or I have to excuse his bad behavior,” Teresa said.

“He’s not that bad. He can be pretty cool to hang out with,” Amy said.

“He’s a selfish, egocentric, male chauvinistic toad,” Teresa said. “I don’t know why Stephanie puts up with him.”

Amy knew her mother didn’t like Dick but she rarely said anything negative about him. Teresa must be exerting a lot of her concentration on maintaining a psionic shield over Jason to suffer from such a loose tongue. Usually, she was so closed up about expressing herself in such a manner. Amy surmised that her military training had turned her into an extremely disciplined and aloof individual. Then again, some people were just like that. Amy had chosen her career in the military because she’d wanted to make a difference. Because she was a level ten talent, she was required to work for the government. Her telekinetic ability limited her options. She could try to work in other branches besides the military but it would be extremely difficult. She would have to score extremely high on the skills tests because her talent was primarily utilized by the government as a weapon.