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AWS: Mind Games


Abel Cross

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It was time for What he had planned to get off the ground, and to that end, Abel called for Mariah, Jeane, James, Sara and Sean,  to one of the special meeting rooms in the Irregular Solutions headquarters.   Blitz was there as well, in a seat beside Abel.

Once they were there, he offered a thin smile, and nodded once.  "Thank you all for coming, I know this is somewhat out of the blue, but I need your help."   This caught James and Mariah by surprise, Abel seldom asked for help outside of transport, or the odd project he felt they could handle.


"What I'm going to say here doesn't leave this room, and the fact I trust you all enough to say it aloud to you, well that should tell you all something.    It's true, all of it.   I know you've suspected that my ability to read minds was far more, and you're right.   I can control them, change them, and destroy them."  
Mariah and James were obviously shocked, but Abel shook his head.   "Aside from reading your minds before I had full control of my power, No, I haven't done anything to any of you using my abilities, aside helping you to learn faster than normal."

"In our last big battle, and Jeane knows this, I was engaged by another Telepath of equal strength.   It was easily able to hold me at bay, and came perilously close to breaching my mental defenses, which are among the strongest of any Key.  If it had not been so focused on fighting me, it could have easily taken control of the other Irregulars there, and likely killed me or reduced my defenses to the point it could have gained the upper hand."

"To keep this from happening, I need to train my abilities, the ones I seldom speak of.   I want to ask each of you to help with this.   In the interests of full disclosure, it would involve me using my powers, getting better, refining the skill i already have, just as we all do with our other powers.   What I want is to ask you to help me, to give me permission to do this.   Everything I do can be simply undone, Blitz has been remarkably helpful in testing this, But it's not enough."

He sighed.  "I consider you all friends, and you're the ones I trust to understand what I'm asking, and why I'm asking you.   Each of you can test me in different ways, and I need that to be able to grow beyond where I am now.  Please consider this request, it's not an order, it's not going to vanish from your minds if you decline, and if you feel you cannot trust me after this, then so be it, you're free to leave.   I do understand, I know exactly what I'm asking of each of you.   So there it is."

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Jeane leaned forward and rested her hands palm down on the table in front of her, exhaling heavily. Today was a blue sweater and black jeans day, hair in a loose ponytail and expression deadly serious.

"Okay. Total honesty moment here. If you weren't as ridiculously good-looking as you are, I might have jumped out of the car and made a break for it as soon as I figured out you mind-controlled the Principal into letting me go with you all that first morning, Abel," she confessed, "That was scary. Is scary. Words can be bad enough in how they hurt without leaving a mark, but what you can do takes away the freedom to ignore, reply to, or escalate physically against those words. Boom. Choice made for you. A lot of evil there in the wrong hands."

The tall blonde sucked in a breath and leaned back, "....Buuuut, those powers exist, and if the squids made only one of those brains, I'll eat my hat as soon as I go buy one. Better our own big brain be able to stop them or find them if they go bad. So aside from, uh, 'safe words', I guess, is there a plan?"

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Sara reached over and took Sean's hand while Abel spoke. Then when Jeane the new girl spoke up she looked over at her. The two hand't really spoken since they returned from the Canadian wilderness, they didn't know much about each other at all, or rather Jean didn't know much about Sara, except what the others had mentioned or told her most of it out dated and wrong.

Jean was young, younger than what they had been when they had been Keyed.  And now she was not only adjusting to powers but to a new body which had developed so they believed from the Canadian Indian named Pete's power.

Sara smiled at Jeane. "It's not as bad as you imagine. Psychic abilities are the most common of the Key abilities that form especially in those who are older who Get Unlocked, to use your term. There is a reason for that one which should have been apparent to Dr Rashoud and Dr Mizuki, Humans are Psychic by nature."

"What?" Sean blurted out surprised. Abel was equally surprised but remained silent hoping Sara who had been some what vague about a lot of stuff following her transformation would be forthcoming about this.

Sara squeezed Sean's hand reassuringly. "Psychic abilities have been a part of the human experience since we first started to walk upright. We just never developed it because it was scary. Where do you think magic came from? It scared our ancestors so much that as  a species we didn't evolve and embrace it, instead we sidestepped it. But it's still there. Every person alive has the potential to be psychic. Abel was probably unaware of it but already actively psychic when he was Unlocked and that is what led to his over development in Psychic abilities."

 

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Abel sat and devoted nearly his entire thought to what Sara had said.  After several moments, veritably an eternity with the speeds at which his mind worked when devoted singularly to one thing, he nodded.  "That does explain a great deal.  I do know of other psychics out there, most are not at the level where they can threaten us, and most simply wish to be left alone.  There's one fairly near to us, the first of the modern age, but then Sean, i did tell you about him, and when we tried our expiriment, sara, i assumed you had some inkling of his presence, hence the way we communicated."

He looked over to Jeane, then Mariah, James, and Sean.   "What you said about it, it's true.  It is the power to remove choice, to make another do as you wish, to believe as you wish, to destroy minds utterly.   It's a powerset i'm not the only one with, though I do mean to be the best at it, so I can keep all of you safe from the others.  To do that, i need to practice, to refine my abilities, which admittedly I have neglected, out of a desire to not use them.  We cannot afford half measures, hence this meeting, and my request.  Yes, i did use my powers in that office to get you out, so you could come help us find Kyle.   I thought that the necessity of finding him quickly outweighed the risks, and I have since made things right with them, covering tracks, but keeping things so that no one is at risk.  I didn't like using my powers, but it was the only way in that situation."

"So it comes down to whether all of you, or any of you, trust me enough to help with this."

Mariah and James had been mostly quiet, and James spoke softly.   "You promised honesty when I signed on, so far you've delivered.   I trust you Abel, because i know you really didn't have to ask anyone here save Sean and Sara."

Mariah nodded once.  "You have given so much to me, and to my old home, in my name.   Of course I will help.  In fact I think I can even help you with the mind breaking abilities you possess.  Unlike Lily, my clones aren't exactly me.  Certainly they have my abilities, my intelligence, but they are simple copies, they mean nothing personally, and while I cannot shield myself as well as others, if you need someone to test your more damaging effects against, well, i can think of none better.  Provided I do not touch them, what happens to them won't effect me."

 

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Well. Wasn't that spooky? The disquiet flickered across Jeane's face at the thought of psychics you couldn't even ping to identify, only settling as first Abel spoke and then what she thought of as her 'fellow Sophomore Keys' added their two cents. She honestly didn't know what to make of Sara, scary as both her story was and her power levels appeared to be. James she trusted though, the warper her, well, key to tagging new safe doors in new places, a fellow nomad at heart. She hummed and crossed her arms on her lap.

"What James said. I know *I'm* awesome at what I do," she began, wry smile taking some of the arrogance out of her words, a laugh in her blue eyes, "But aside from being too stubborn for my own good if you ask my Mom, I don't see what I bring to this table in terms of 'mental training'. My brain's as vulnerable as anyone's, nothing that will give you any trouble since I'm being honest again. Garden variety average on a good day. You've probably thought of something I'm missing, Abel, and between the fact I owe you nearly as many favors as James and you haven't steered me wrong yet... What's the plan?"

     

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"You are a control group, Jeane," Sean said, pursing her lips as she recovered from her surprise at Sara's revelation about the psychic potential of humanity. A potential that might serve everyone to pursue. There were already issues between Keys and the Locked. At least being able to attempt developing psychic disciplines could help ease the disparity. "With average mental defenses, by your own words, Abel can better determine the effort required to penetrate those with greater or more developed defenses. Also, you may be able to develop some psychic fortitude of your own in the process."

Sean squeezed Sara's hand in return, flashing her an understanding grin, but there was just a hint of tightness to it. At times, it was vaguely disconcerting when Sara revealed something that was previously unknown to most or all. Mostly due to the fact that doing so before hadn't been in Sara's... suite of capabilities. Sean wouldn't lie to herself - she felt a small stab of envy that Sara's awareness seemed to have surpassed her own, even as she thrilled to share it with her.

Sean turned her penetrating turquoise gaze on Abel, perhaps her most long-time friends, a faint frown gracing her perfect lips. "I have to tell you, Abel, I find the prospect of someone tampering with my mind more worrisome than facing a lethal threat."

Her mind was her greatest asset. The idea of someone changing it, changing who she was, who she thought she was, and maybe without her even realizing it... Sara could feel Sean's shudder through their linked fingers. While she didn't have particularly developed psychic defenses, her expanded and enhanced mental functions did provide her with a formidable will and mental discipline.

"But you're right, people with powers such as these are out there." She nodded at Sara. "Most than we initially expected, it seems. And we'll need someone who can counter and overcome them in kind. If someone needs to be Xavier or Jean Grey, I'd rather it was you, Abel." Sean smirked wryly. "Though if you go crazy, we'll have to put you down, and I'm not going to be able to not considering contingencies for if you do." She took a deep breath, folded her arms beneath her breasts, then nodded firmly. "So despite every part of me not wanting to do this, I'll help you practice and develop your terrifying mental mojo. But God help you if you don't put everything back the way it was."

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Abel smiled.  "Sean, i've always had a contingency for if i actually do go bad, I always have."   There was an understanding in his eyes, and his smile didn't fade.  "It's always been all of you, though I admit Lily, Kia, and you figure prominently.  It's part of why they're not part of this group.  It might be abit Batman, but I knew you guys would have to be the ones to take me down if I went off.   That's why I taught you all how to resist mental powers before, and as a penance for hiding the truth so long."

He nodded, and went back to the board.   "I have an ability to take a mental snapshot of your mind, and encode it to another medium, It takes a fair amount of power, but I was planning to do this with each of you.   It would allow you to compare, should you wish.  This isn't a working copy, but more like a printout so that we can all be sure we get back to normal."

he looked to Jeane and the others.  "What Sean says is true, the trio of you don't have psychic defenses like the rest, and with this I do hope to help you build some, in addition to my own training.   Sean and Sara do have them, but not to the extent i do, or someone like Lily.  I want to work my way up."

His gaze rested on Mariah,  "I thank you for that offer, truly I hated to ask such a thing, but I'd much rather test and train that on your duplicates, as opposed to all of you."

"Of course I have actually been working on psi screen technology as well, something like the small white device on the table, which prevents outside psychic powers from peircing the walls, but that's not something I want to advertise publicly, it's something I worked on for you all after the last incident, should you be forced into the field.  They are still in the prototype stage, but once I'm done, they will be excellent augmentations to your innate defenses."

 

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"Okay, guinea pig numb..," Jeane added after a pause and then paused again, a flip comment dying on her tongue. Abel being able to download her mind onto a cd or whatever was strange as shit. It didn't take her a lot to realize that if he could copy her brain and then use that copy to restore her brain if he broke it... And cloning Keys was definitely a thing... Then... Huh. She shifted her gaze between the resident geniuses of her team. Wow. Okay. Mind officially blown.

"Let's put the breaks on for a second," she started again, sitting up fully in her chair again, "First off, what kind of medium? Two, how long is it good for? Three, can we talk to ourselves? Four, how long have we had the cure for death in your pocket? That's... Damn. Last, for now anyway, how much power would one of these nonKey psychics have to have to pull off Abel's trick and also flip the Grim Reaper the middle finger?"  

That last question, accompanied by an ever increasing tone of 'holy shit' was directed more to Sara, the tall blonde's eyes swimming with even more questions.

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Even James was abit taken aback by Abel's admission of what he could do.   "Abel that's an astounding ability..."

Abel nodded.  "It is yes, but I want to stress, it isn't as though it could be loaded into a computer and interacted with.   In simple terms, the Copy is read only and non functional.  I'm the only Key with this ability, as its a combination of several of my own abilities.  As to what medium, I am using a gel crystalline matrix, that has no means of communication with the outside world, and can only be accessed by a single special computer. The capability for data storage is several orders of magnitude superior to anything else out there.   Yes, I took pains to avoid a Skynet situation."

 

Mariah looked at him and smiled  "So that's why you had me working on that.  "Yes, if we're going to be doing research I wanted it on hand, and to not depend solely on my ability to create it."

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  • 2 weeks later...

"It's like an EKG guys or an MRI. Abel's development as a Key was a bit different than what the rest of us, even me, experienced. Like I said it is most probable that He was already psychic and his Unlocking followed and enhanced those abilities. There isn't anyone in the universe at this time who can do what Abel does or comes anywhere close to what he is ultimately capable of. what he wants to do here is explore his abilities, his limits, Find out what he can do and learn how." Sara stands and walks over to where Jeane is sitting and behind her putting her hands on her shoulders from behind she gently massages reassuringly.

"Death is nothing to be afraid of. I don't mean to get philosophic but in a way just being unlocked and gaining your Key powers mean that you have already died once. Everything that makes each of us, us, came into existence at the moment of the creation of the Universe. Every atom in our bodies has existed in one form or another since that miraculous moment, and every atom will continue after what we think of as us, is gone, will continue to exist.

What Abel can do here with us is find out how his powers play into the cosmic game how, we, fit into the puzzle. This is one of the Keys to understanding, and unlocking more of your potential as well as his own."

She pats Jeane's shoulder one last time then returns to her seat by Sean.

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Abel's eyes narrowed as he looked at Sara, and wondered even more about just what the hell happened to her.  She seemed to have an even more indepth and innate knowledge of their condition as keys than He and Sean had together, and he admitted inwardly he was both jealous, and abit concerned with regards to it.   "Sara is correct.I want to train and grow myself.  Many of the abilities i plan to test and work with are ones I've had for a long time, but largely refrained from using, either out of fear, not just of what they can do,  but what might happen to me if I came to rely and even enjoy their use; or moral concerns.   I spent over two years reading the thoughts of everyone around me, not intentionally, but because I couldn't shut my power off.  I know things about everyone I ever encountered, things I wish i didn't.   I have learned to control it now, but I know I can still do more."

He looked to Jeane, James and Mariah.   "It's like I told each of you when we first met.   We all have so much potential to be more than we are.   Just as I promised to help you achieve yours, I'm asking you to help me.  I know this is different, but another benefit of this will certainly be helping you learn how to resist others with the abilities i have."

He looked to Sean, curious if he had anything more to add to this, and if everyone was onboard, he'd go ahead and get started.

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Jeane frowned, Holding up both hands in front of her, "Well excuse me for considering the invention of death insurance to be a big deal, Sara. I just need a few minutes to get used to the idea I might wake up only to discover that a demon space flea we fought ate my head six months before. Not good, not bad, just a little bit mind blowing."

The frown softened as she glanced at Abel, relaxing, "Which isn't to say I'm not fully onboard to help. In fact, I volunteer to go first in the control group. Don't use my head for much anyway, so a few more cosmetic dents shouldn't do much." 

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Abel nodded, and actually pulled out a small retangular box from a briefcase.  he had half a dozen of them there, all securely packed, and he nodded.  "These are the storage devices I designed.   They'll be the medium on which each of your mental snapshots will be recorded.  Jeane if you're ready, and no one else has any objections, we'll begin."  He motioned to the pair of chairs that were in the room by themselves, with a small table between them.  "If you'll join me, I'll have you relax, and you may all watch.  These storage devices will be kept in a secure vault for the duration of this, as a security precaution."

He looked to her.  "If you like, I'll begin the expiriment after that, starting with something small, so you all can see for yourselves what I intend."

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Jeane got up out of her chair and made her way over to the testing area, trying to wrap her brain around the fact that she very well could wake up in a pod without knowing her brain had been backed up. It was an... odd thought that she tried to keep out of her expression as she settled down again at the new seat, squaring her shoulders while Abel sat down across from her.

"Okay, Sage. Upload my brain then, I guess," she commented, an uncertain smile dying as a ten seconds passed in silent nothing, "...Abel?"

"It's done," the telepathic teen replied another few seconds later, gaze not deviating from her face, "Just want to test one thing. What's my name?"

"Brian," the tall blonde replied easily, "Like I'd forget that just because you looked at my brain."

Spoiler

Tee hee. Whammied.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

It was a simple change, and yet at the same time a profound one.   Changing a person's name throughout their entire mind, So simply and easily, it was a perfect and somewhat scary display of his powers.   "Jesus, Abel, you did that so easily."   James said quietly.     Mariah nodded   "Indeed, it seems as if you hardly need work with that."

Abel grinned.  "It is the ability I've had the longest, or at least part of it."   He closed his eyes, and Then looked to Jeane.  "Humor me, tell me my name."  


"You're Abel."

 

The others looked on, and he nodded.  "You just Asked me that though Abel, why ask again?"    Abel sighed.  "unfortunately such a change still overwrites all instances, so you remember me asking, and your answer, but If I were to show you the memory from one of the others here, you'd see you called me something different."   With a nod, James gave his assent, and Abel showed Jeane Jame's memory.   

 

"See that's another reason I want to at least do these excercises in pairs, so that notes can be compared."

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"That's messed up," Jeane replied, eyeing James and Mariah to verify for herself they weren't fucking with her before looking back at Abel, "But great. Yeah. You *can* snap my memories around like Legos. I didn't feel thing. Glad you're a good guy cuz if I couldn't get the drop on you before you tagged me... Game over."

She frowned, considering something warily, "So how many people with that power should we expect coming at us, and how long would take them to train more?"

 

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Sean's lips twitched at Jeane's substitution for Abel's name. The substitution was seamless. Reading the big blonde's micro-expressions and body language, there was no struggle or hesitation in using the new name. Smooth... and disturbing.

As disturbing as Abel's ability to capture a mental snapshot of someone. She glanced a question at Abel, who nodded and sent the technical specs on the recording devices and their implementation to her phone, while she collected one of the recorders for the case to give it a physical examination. Seems like there were some definite restrictions that prevented them from become a sure death insurance policy.

The mental snapshots couldn't be used to overwrite a different individual's mental identity, they didn't seem compatible. It was like the mental snapshot was unique software that would only function on a specific piece of hardware, that it, the identity's original body. Looking at it, she wasn't even sure a cloned body would be acceptable - it might be genetically identical, but the neural pathways and development might not be established in a sufficiently similar pattern.

Which did leave a concern that is one was mentally/psychically altered to too wide of an extent, might the mental snapshot not be able to be imposed? Something to consider.

"Physical enhancements and psychic enhancements seem to be the most common quantum expressions, Jeane," Sean offered, pursing her delectable lips in thought. "And considering what Sara has suggested, psychic capability likely isn't limited to Keys. Interesting that you ask about how long it would take to someone to train others to be psionically active. Once Sara made the comment, I've been musing on how to develop a training program or regimen to do just that."

Her lips curved in a half smile as she nodded at Abel. "Perhaps not this, exactly, but mental communication, telekinesis, psychic defenses and the like. If unlocking as a Key isn't feasible and becoming psionically active is, I'd like to see the opportunity being available. The more enhanced individuals there are, the less likely we'll see an us-versus-them scenario. Plus, there would be more people able to detect and disable psychic chicanery, which I think we all believe would be a good thing. I would conjecture there are few, if any, of Abel's power, but subtle use of more limited abilities could present their own problems, especially if they go unnoticed."

The gorgeous genius gestured at Abel. "Is it as easy for you to change someone's perception of their own name - or other personal details - as it is for you to change their perception of someone else's?"

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"There are a good number with mental abilities of some sort.  The exact number is somewhat difficult to pinpoint, but over thirty percent of active keys, at the very least, have active mental abilities of some sort, though most are quite weak."    He said without concern.   In truth, he really needed to do a full scan again, but he'd not really seen it as worth the time, or risk.  As to making more, well it's something that could be researched, but I'd not given it much thought, as I figure nature would sort it out.   With more and more keys active, we will see more people unlock as keys.   Now that we know there are those who have powers, but aren't keys, well, that's yet another area of research and study to delve into."

The handsome young Key looked to his best friend and nodded.  "Yes, it is.  It's not the exact same process, but it takes the same tools.  Once I am inside, I can do nearly anything, and those with enough power or skill can do the same, that's why the shielding is important.   The shields I helped you all develop initially protect even when you don't know you need to, because you are correct, there are those out there who can use their abilities without anyone knowing."

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"Mind control is mind control is mind control," Jeane volunteered with the sage confidence of someone whose decided that the big words flying over her head didn't actually matter for the most part, at least right now, "What we could use is a sensor or a test anyone could use. Sure it could be used for bad stuff, but a tool's a tool, and I get the feeling that psychics can recognize one another, anyway...? Whatever. Safety for the poor guys who may have to deal with less nice ones *and* get students into your new psychic academies quicker. Win-win if we trust one another a little."

Her mind couldn't help but run to the psychic fish thing she ran into the first time she teleported, and the chance she could grab a heads up on anymore of those encounters. Would be nice.

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Sara had watched Abel as he used his abilities to manipulate Jeane and she also noticed Sean's attention perk up. A side glance allowed her to see the information on her lovers phone she frowned a little. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

"We can't help them."

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"Not the way you are thinking and suggesting." She shook her head, "Like I said all humans have the ability locked away in their brains in their DNA, even we did. But what happened to us was never supposed to happen to a human being. We arne't designed for what we have become. Abel was probably a low level psychic when he was unlocked as a key. That formed the bulk of the template the quantum used to rewire him. But his psychic abilities are not true psychic abilities they are quantum mimicry of what he could have maybe evolved into naturally. We need to be like Picarcardo on Star Track. We need to follow that prime directive and not interfere in their development. We should observe and certainly protect but your,' she looked at Sean and smiled then at Abel, "Talents would better serve humanity trying to find a way to stop any more people from Quantum Unlocking.

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Such technology already existed, but all the same it wasn't something he liked to advertise.   He had lots of tech that was just for the irregulars, to keep them safe, and not for widespread consumption.   "So you're saying increasing the number of Keys in the world is actually bad."   The three of them were the only ones there who knew Abel could do that on his own.  He looked to Sean, nearly petitioning his own explanation, searching to see if his friend knew anymore about this line of thought.  Given her earlier comments, he guessed the answer was no, and that she was as surprised as he was.

"Putting off the question of helping humanity develop these burgeoning psychic powers they might come into inherently or not, Why exactly do we need to halt the unlocking of further Keys?"   Already he was thinking of means to do so, but they were all pretty unethical.  While it hadn't happened yet, he was also curious if status as key would be inherited by children of Keys.

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Sean gives Sara a look, clearly wondering the same thing as Abel, but doesn't say anything or repeat the question as she tries to work through why Sara would claim such a thing.

Sara, for her part gives the other Keys, Mariah, Jeane, and James, an apologetic glance be continuing directing her conversation to the two who are closest to her.

“Several reasons actually, but I'll talk about the most important two. After what happened to me I have lets call them insights none of you have. Sean and I share some of the same abilities now just on different levels and scope.” She reaches over and takes Sean's hand gently in hers. “This, what happened to us is not natural, it isn't evolutionary, it isn't genetic, or even biologic. Our development was done to us. We were made by an outside force. That force is intelligent but it is also beyond even our understanding. We think, have been taught that DNA is what makes us, us, and while that is true we are also subject to a separate template the template which we have chosen to call Quantum. In the easiest most basic way of explanation that template is what determines what is energy, or physical, or any other state. It is fundamental and it is all one. It is immutable. Once a thing is made at a quantum level that is what the thing is regardless of it's state. Unlocking a Key Breaks that. What is fundamentally immutable becomes mutable. It challenges the universe. The universe doesn't like that and acts to correct the infraction.”

She pauses, squeezes Sean's hand then stands and paces.

“That is what happened to us, we are the correction. Pandora and her remaining siblings are the infraction. Their ending is our purpose.”

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Abel frowned.  "So, we were created to balance out Pandora and her siblings, to remove them.  But we're unnatural too.  So will this outside force make something to remove us too?  That's not solving the problem, it's just kicking the can down the road.   I don't plan on dying fighting them, and I highly doubt anyone else does either, so that would leave us in a position to become the next thing that has to be set right, or else, there's something to us Keys that makes us self-correcting problem."

"Why give anyone the ability to create more Keys if it's fundamentally bad to do so?"

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"Good, bad, right, wrong. Those are human concepts. I said that we can't even begin to understand the intelligence which set these things in motion, or even if you can really call it an intelligence. The First Ones which is what I will call Pandora and her ilk have created a universal problem. We have been thinking in terms of us and we need to think in terms of ALL.

As for the ability you have to unlock a Key. If you look at it as a power of creation you need only conclude...that which creates can also destroy."

She fixes Abel with a stare.

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It was so simple, it had been staring him in the face since he got the power, he'd just both never used it, or even thought of what else it might be able to do.   He sat there for a moment, and then sighed.  "That suddenly makes the power make alot of sense, and adds another aspect to an ability I've only ever tried twice."

He still wanted to know what happened that reset the world, probably the Universe giving him, them all, a mulligan.   He didn't expect another one.  Still if making keys was bad, how was he expected to learn more about the power?   Give someone powers only to take them away? He didn't like where that path led, and what if it could only be used once per person.  There were so many unknowns with that particular ability....

"Wait, just a minute."  James looked to the other keys, his gaze focused on Abel.  It was Mariah who spoke though, obviously thinking along the same lines.

"You can actually Unlock new keys?"

Abel, still pondering the ramifications of Sarah's words, simply nodded.  "Yes, I can."

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"You're actually going along with this freak generation bullshit?" challenged Jeane to Abel into the momentary void, having stewed in mounting disbelief and anger. She had completely missed the revelation of creating new Keys or uncreating old ones, so livid was she. She got up out of her chair and started pacing, whole body seething with anger.

"I don't care how many layers of reality you can peel back with your brain, Sara. We exist! Keys exist! Keys are just as human as anyone else, and we have every right live, do, and grow to as any normal human or so-called natural psychic.   Quantum powers are neither good or bad. They're just tools," the tall blond ranted, throwing out one arm and conjuring a crackling lightning axe into it to help make her point, "I could kill someone with this thing. Or I could cut up the rubble pinning them down and get it off them. It's all in what *I* choose to do with it. Guess what, Sara? Doesn't matter why I have my gifts, the moment I accepted using them was the moment I started getting half-way good enough to help anyone with them, and that was mostly cuz I stopped waffling about it up here!"

She dramatically slapped her temples with both hands, letting the axe crackle away into sparks, exasperated, "Like it or not, Keys are part of the human race now, and if we don't do everything good we can to help, to dare to try and risk falling, to take the jump towards building a better world... Well, we're the first generation to have these abilities! We have no elders, at least no human ones, and it's up to us to try. We're the example for all the others to come! Just us! And in my mind, preventing more Keys from unlocking smacks of giving up before we've started, to call us a bad idea. Each and every one of them could be the one who saves the world and makes it a better place. Each and every one, Sara! No one has the right to take away their ability to try before they've done anything wrong!"

Jeane huffed at her senior teammates, eyes narrowed to blue-blazing slits. 

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"Jeane, calm down and think. I know you don't have the experience that the rest of us have but you have enough now. Look at the aliens we have encountered so far, what is the one thing all of them share in common?" Sara didn't wait for an answer, "Conformity, that's what in all three of the major species we have met to date all three of them conform, same out looks on life, the don't have the imagination the individuality that we do. Look at the T'tauri their space force has modled it on a fictional space force developed by a species that hasn't even left it's own system under their own power yet.

We are a species of individuals and now some of those individuals have powers that make them gods. How do you think that's going to play out? You have an example."

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Jeane had a 'are you shitting me?' look in her eye for a moment before she shook away the irrelevancy for what it was. God, they needed to find some better aliens.

"We train up a bunch of psychics and Keys to keep the worst offenders of any type from hurting others? Get out there, be awesome, and inspire others to be better while protecting them from the things they can't fight like you claim Keys were born to do?" Jeane replied, still angry but a coherent angry thanks to the derail, "I wouldn't have jumped off my first roof if I wasn't an optimist, and that extends to people who haven't fucked me over yet and don't seem intent to. Like every human being who hasn't been born yet, for one. Things change. Hell, I just need to look at and *down* at basically everyone else to know that. Freaky? Yes. Bad? Hell, no. We can do this. *If* we dare try."

The glare still simmered in her eyes, challenging, "Crazy guy called George Washington might of had a similar idea once or twice. Roughly."

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"Jean, you weren't born for it none of you were." Her hand sweeps out indicating Jeane, James, Mariah and beyond, then she sweeps the same hand back to encompass Sean and Abel, "We were. The seven original Irregulars. We were the weapon, the systems correction, whatever you want to call it. Your creation , and it's not your fault, was an accident, you and all the rest are unplanned and will become a problem."

She holds up her hand to stop the words Jean was fixing to throw back.

"I'm not done. You Jeane are a good person your heart is in the right place but as you have already seen more and more will unlock and not all of them will be good people. Humanity isn't supposed to have this level of power. and you will continue to grow you already have grown and i'm not talking about your height. Every key has almost unlimited potential in the power thay can weild. and even the best person alive is going to want to use that power. Trust me I did. Devin did.

You Have no idea what I am capable of, what i could do right now to each and every one of you in this room. Today I could be the queen of the earth if I wished or burn it to a charred husk along with everyone on it. And there is nothing none of you could do to stop me. None of you." She looks back at Sean and Abel. "But I won't do that. But thats not to say that other wouldn't and each and every one of you has the potential to to be just like me.

So yes for the sake not only of the Earth and the Human Race but for the Galaxy for the Universe. Stopping the creation of more keys would be the best thing that could happen."

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"So what, you want me to go around Locking down Every Key that's manifested, save those of us who were the solution initially?  What right do I have to take away that potential from others who've done nothing wrong?"  It was a ludicrous idea, and would be virtually impossible.   "Do we shut down all the tech development programs going on?  God, we'd all have to do what you did constantly to put that genie back in the lamp."  Even as he said it, he began thinking about worst case, how he'd do that.

He stopped, and sighed.   "You're telling me, us, that we should prevent anymore keys from unlocking, and short of some absolutely draconian measures, i just don't see that occurring.   The public at large knows about Keys now, and there's little we're gonna be able to do on that score, short of mindwiping a planet, and I'm not at that level, no one is."

He looked at Sara, his voice was cold, and all emotion had drained from his voice, as he shunt all of it away, to process how this could best  be done for the betterment of all.  "I want to help this planet, and the people on it Sara.  I want them to grow and prosper and not have to know the destruction i've already seen.    The Asheen destroyed thousands of planets, cultures and races, and that's just the servants of Pandora and her Ilk.  The fact we destroyed them is karmic justice, and something that had to be done to save our home.    I want to stop them from doing that here, and not become them in turn."

"If we can't even save our own little piece of the cosmos, what can we possibly do for the greater expanse of it?"

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"Your not listening to what I am saying. I didn't ask you to do anything. I just told you that your talents would better serve humanity by trying to figure out how to stop Keys from unlocking.

Hooli showed us worlds.. not a world, but worlds multiple, all of them just like this one, where either Keys as we are now called destroyed the planet trying to destroy each other or where technology much of which I see the two of you developing was used to destroy us and in the process destroyed the world.

We can't help them by giving them what they need. They need to find that on their own. The Universe already has a plan for humanity we are the aberration. The MR node is a mutation of the pituitary gland. The development of the node is caused by an outside force when the node mutates and grows it irrevocably  alters the gland for all intents and purposes killing it. That gland has been evolving for millions and millions of years and it is the key to humanities ascendance. it is what controls psychic abilities. It in a lot of ways is what defines humanity." She looks over at Jeane, "That is one of the reasons why I say and stick by what i said, that we are not human anymore not really not the way humans are meant to be.

We don't have to give up helping and protecting but we do need to stop the cycle. Before we become the Titans. As for turning back the clock, re locking those who are un-locked, we don't even know if that is possible. But, If we stop more from unlocking we can, I don't want to say control but in essence that is what it is, we can control the situation.  We need to help them help themselves. And right now the best way to do that is stopping the mutation. Because unless we stop it, It wont stop on it's own and eventually every child will unlock when they reach puberty or during that time and the human race will end"

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Jeane stopped moving. She stopped breathing. Her eyes closed, and for all intents and purposes, the tall blonde became a statue with lips pressed thin and bloodless. Pulse thundering in her ears, she bent all of her considerable will to mastering the rage spiking ever higher with every word Sara said, the implicit dismissal of humanity's potential to be better tomorrow than it was today, the explicit dismissal of every Key's humanity, the naked insult in calling every single Key other than the first seven a disease in need of curing. The anger burned so deep, so black, behind her eyes that if she let herself move, she'd take a swing at the other Key and probably end up flash fried for her troubles. Or worse, belittled and dismissed some more. She needed somewhere to go cool down where Sara would definitely leave her alone. Needed it so bad she could feel the ache in her bones.

"Guys, full honesty here. Either Sara leaves this room right now or I do," she added in the softest, flattest of tones, hands starting to shake from her porcelain-fragile control, "She's talking fear right now, and the worst, most infectious kind, the kind the Irregulars are supposed to beat. If she says one more word about us bringing the end times just because we're different, I am teleporting away and don't know if I'll want to come back here. We're different from those failed planets because we're alive. Now. Because we have yet to take a test we very well could pass. Those who refuse to try will always fail. Forever. And what would be the point of that, huddling in the dark because of what might be just when the entire universe is opening up?"

"Please back me up on this, guys. We got this if we work together, no matter what she thinks. We are *not* a disease," she finished with shaking muscles, not daring to look up as rage twisted with the fear that they'd back Sara and shut her plea down, shut her down before she could run, red sparks dancing between her clenched fingers in readiness in case Sara did speak again. 

Spoiler

Teleport action prepped just in case.

 

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"Alright, everyone calm down."   He looked around, and There was a steel in his gaze no one was used to seeing.  "We're getting worked up, and that's not good.   I'm gonna say we take a break, say for an hour.  That will let everyone cool down and think about this, and we can find the others and all talk about this together.   I'm not going to make some promises of a simple elegant answer to this, but an hour will help me to go over some things, and maybe come up with some palatable ideas for doing this, if that's what we all decide we should do."

"Each of us can only make a decision for ourselves, and if this is something The Irregulars have to deal with, then we should ALL be involved with that decision."

Mariah was quiet, obviously the revelation was something weighing on her heavily, and it was true James was distressed by it.

Abel looked to them, and then to Jeane.  "I don't feel you, or any of the other Keys who have unlocked are a mistake, a disease or anything on those lines.   We are different, but I told you all that I believe in our potential, that we can truly do great things, and make the world better.  Never doubt that."

James and Mariah both nodded, and placed their hands on his shoulders as they got up to leave.  "See you in an hour, Abel."  was what they both said quietly, and he sat there, preparing to reach out to Kia, Lilly, and Charlie.   This was going to be a hell of a thing, and he looked to Sean.   <well?   Do you have anything for this, because she's right, I really don't see Kia, Lilly, or Charlie going along with this.>

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"...Okay," Jeane added after  a deep sniff and a tone of voice that was as far from okay as you really could get, "An hour then. No one follow me."

She released her grip on reality and vanishing in a burst of lightning. The numb, immobility of her foggy transitionary state only made the anger at Sara's words worse, spiraling and ramping through her shattering thoughts. A flash of disappointment surged for a moment at the absence of any of the strange creatures that hunted here, honest monsters at least. A single, flickering mote of determination guided her as she reached out and south from the nexus of her consciousness, the scattered beacons of her 'keyholes' glowing through the fog, mental hand gripping and rejecting aperture after aperture as too close before angrily just picking one and pulling herself through.  

She reappeared next to the Grand Canyon, a lovely little spot most tourists didn't visit that James had showed her. It was thankfully deserted now, as the tall blonde locked gaze on an unfortunate block of stone and pictured Sara's face on it's sandstone surface. She took a swing at it and smiled grimly as a nice divot flew loose at the impact of her knuckles.

"Just in case you're watching... Go to hell and stay there, Sara," she called to the empty air before taking up her stance and wailing on the inanimate proxy for her anger, growling through clenched teeth, narrowed eyes, and flying rock chips. There was no art to her form, reverting to reckless brawling that mirrored her inner struggle. A small but growing part of her knew she'd pay for snapping like she had at the meeting, but the lion's share didn't give a shit yet. That was for later. Later could take care of itself.   

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Sean gave a shirt straining sigh as Jeane made her exit. She had found Sara's revelations almost as shocking as the towering blonde had, if not nearly as insulting. She could understand Jeane's frustrations and anger, even if she didn't share them. What Sara said fitted too well, more pieces added to the puzzle as they revealed yet more pieces.

She gave Sara a disconcerted glance. True, she had considered how she could destroy the world, as an academic exercise and to consider how another Key or even a locked individual or group might do it, so she could counter it. She'd conjectured Devin could have accomplished it without too much difficulty. And she had mused on how she would go about getting elected Head of State of a nation or the head of the EU or United Nations, or been inducted into  or named to royalty.

It was strange to hear Sara claim so nonchalantly that she could destroy the planet so easily, though with the forced growth of her potential thanks to Apollo and her encounter with Kyle, Sean supposed she could see how that was possible. It was even more strange to hear say she could be Queen of the World, if she had it in mind - except through threat of physical destruction, it wasn't something Sean would have considered in Sara's... bailiwick of quantum capabilities.

"That could have gone better," Sean commented with an arched brow. "Galling as it may be, I think Sara is right, though maybe not compare it to a disease or accident, even if we are anomalies." Her enticing lips tightened wryly. "Whether intention or not. Jeane might have taken it... more easily if Unlocking had been seen as getting unintentionally dosed with quantum PEDs. A person gets boosted, becomes more capable, but it isn't a natural progression or evolution. And in the long run, I can see how it would derail humanity's natural evolution, since it would be so easy to rely on quantum-enhancement as a supremely effective crutch... until it becomes a danger more than a benefit."

Sean gestured with an elegant figure at Abel. "That description might work for Lilly and Kia, for that matter."

She leveled her intense, turquoise eyes on everyone remaining. "Despite all we can do, all we may end up being able to do..." She nodded at Sara in acknowledgement. "... as we've seen, it would take just one bad apple with enough power to make the world regret it."

Her gaze focused on Abel. "As for what we do about it, I'm not sure yet. I have some ideas on how to reduce free-flowing quantrinos and we'll have to see if we can help people down a more, er, natural or homeopathic evolutionary route - it may discourage or depress unlocking into a Key. But there's something else we really have to look at first -  the stuff we confiscated from the Navy Base Black Op. They were forcing Unlocking, and it had serious side-effects judging by Kyle and the Brain-in-a-Jar, and unforeseen ramifications." Sean patted Sara's hand, giving it a squeeze, a thumb gliding lightly over her knuckles. "But they've dealt in 'cutting' Keys more than we have. There might very well be something that pertains to this issue in there."

Abel might not have considered trying to relock a Key with his unique power, but she had. It was Abel's power however, and she had wanted to the possibility and the responsibility it would place in his hands occur to him without her input.

"And more, with Dr. Rashoud being arrested and detained due to her involvement in that Op, we have to review anything she has ever said or claimed regard us and Keys in general." A quick flash of irritation crossed her exquisite, impossibly beautiful face. "I think we really need to get a look at the things the government confiscated from there. We're still working on decoding the copies we made. Not nearly done yet - their encryption is remarkably sophisticated - almost certainly designed by a Key or with Key input - we're at 19.88%. There's definitely something there, a conspiracy, black projects that predate the Stepping Stone projects we've seen or have access to."

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Sara put an arm around Sean's shoulders and leans over and whispered into her ear, "Let's go home." Sean nodded and as they said goodby to Abel Sara paused and handed Sage a small satchel that looked like a Field Sample Bag. "Give this to Jeane when you see her next. Okay?"

Able hefted it it wasn't heavy but it did have some weight. He un zipped the bag as the two girls left the room and looked inside. It was full of rock chips some about the size of a fist...

"Where did that come from?" Sean asked as they walked tot he car. She hadn't seen Sara with it and didn't remember her carrying it before she handed it to Abel.  "It's nothing babe I just picked it up."

Later after the short drive to their place and they had gone inside Sean had sat down to do some work and Sara called to her from the bathroom "Hun I'm gonna take a shower."

"Okay" She called back as she started opening files

Sara closed the bathroom door and walked to the shower she opened the door and stepped up into the tub and her bare feet crunch on the stiff uncut grass as the vista before her opened up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath all the scents of a country spring filling her soul. The mountains so like yet unlike those of her childhood stretched across a horizon that was so beautiful ones heart just wanted to stop.

"Well?" The familiar voice came from behind her she turned and saw the short teddy bear with the black button eyes holding his stuffed paws up toward her Be side him a pretty girl named daisy stood wearing a flowered dress, she was grinning as if at some cosmic joke.

"If either of you say I told you so..."

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