Is that all you got?

 

 

Not long after martial law was declared across the United States pending numerous natural disasters following the passage of a national health care bill, the existence of telekinetics was proven.  This caused a tremendous stirring of fear and excitement.

 

As to be expected there was a divide among many.  People, fearful of a hostile alien takeover, petitioned the very government which was continuing to oppress them in the aftermath of a partial economic collapse during the recovery of multiple natural disasters.  Eagerly answering this call, the Federal government gave the green light to a new program called Mutant X.  It wouldn’t be long before this program was revealed to the general public concerning its capabilities.

 

And so, on a water front park on Long Island Manhattan police responded to numerous reports about a suspicious character.  Anonymous tips relayed to local law enforcement told of a telekinetic individual roaming about this Long Island park.  The individual knew he was being targeted.  No matter how well the overzealous mutant hunters hid their activities well versed telekinetics could feel their movements in what they called the Matrix; a web of atoms that connects all and shares an energy that sends signals everywhere like a fly caught in a spider’s web.

 

The lone individual knew he needed to remove himself from the situation.  His kind couldn’t be seen fighting back against the un-evolved without be unfairly ridiculed for fighting essentially defenseless individuals.  This mindset was ridiculous considering that most telekinetics who were attacked varied in their control of such abilities.  It was why so many were easily gunned down; but who among the telekinetics’ critics cried foul about that?

 

The hunters were closing in with a gleeful mindset as police sirens became prominent in the area.  The lone individual continued walking towards an exit to an open beach area where fewer people could be hurt if something happened.  And when he made it to the beach the sirens stopped.

 

He could feel the police and the hunters pursuing him casually, guns drawn.  He committed no crimes but he was going to be targeted for the crimes of other telekinetics.  Telekinetic crimes were extremely difficult to solve for lack of evidence and that put pressure on law enforcement to exercise their own discretion.  Just as it had been the case for seemingly more black individuals being unfairly targeted by police in the previous century, now was the time for those who truly were different and capable of terrifying acts.

 

And there it was. “Freeze right there!  Stop moving!”  Police finally made their move.  The lone telekinetic stopped and slowly turned with his hands up, about face height, and with palms facing the officers.

 

“What’s my crime,” the telekinetic asked?

 

“We got a call about a suspicious character and you fit the description,” an officer replied.

 

“Of course I do.  Now what’s my crime?  I’m not making any threats.  I just want to know what my crime is and why I’m being targeted.  Tell me what is wrong and maybe I can help.”

 

The officers didn’t answer his question.  One continued to train his gun on the telekinetic while the other switched his gun to a tranquilizer gun.  The telekinetics had heard about that.  It was well known that police would carry tranquilizers to subdue any telekinetics they came across as it made them easier to deal with.  Every state invested pretty heavily in them.

 

Not to allow himself into such a situation where his exponentially greater freedom would be removed, the lone individual began slowly backing up.  The officers started moving faster towards him.  One tranquilizer dart was fired, caught mid air, and returned to the officer who fired it.  That officer fell within seconds before he could pull the trigger again.

 

The other officer squeezed off two rounds.  One barely grazed the shoulder of the telekinetic.  The other missed as the telekinetic threw up a tremendous barrier of sand that stopped the second bullet and knocked them both on their backs.  The crowds and other hunters had luckily already scattered when the police had drawn their weapons, but many stayed close and hidden just enough to capture the event on their phones.

 

When the sand and dust cleared the air the lone individual stood up.  He could feel it coming.  He was ready.

 

There was an electrical blast streaming from the upper reaches of the atmosphere.  The telekinetic raised a hand to accept the electrical charge.  It knocked him down to one knee as he directed the charge into the ground singeing his clothes.  That little trick drained him something fierce.

 

After several moments he stood and screamed at the sky, “IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!?  IS THAT ALL YOU FUCKING GOT!?  COME ON YOU COWRDS!  SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!”

 

Without warning the telekinetic raised his hands made a motion as if he was pulling something invisible out of the sky.  No one dared approach him as he made his way to a camera seated atop a pole nearby.  He pulled the pole down and took the camera in his hands.

 

Looking into the camera and knowing it was recording audio too he spoke.  “Is that all you can do?  I did nothing to provoke this and now you have cost taxpayers more.  Leave me alone.  Not us, but me!  Understand who you are looking for.  There will be a war and you will lose if you press this.  You think you can trust those like me who are working with you!?  Eventually they will figure out not to trust you and will destroy you from the inside out.  Your control is just an illusion.  You will lose this war.  Cyberdyne will fail in time.  Mark my words.  It will fall and you will fall with it.”

 

There was a large and loud splash just off shore.  There was a wave to follow but it made little difference to the lone individual.  The water parted around him, not like that which parted for Moses but for someone who has a solid understanding of how to feel and manipulate matter with his mind.  He walked out to the splash site on the wet coastal shelf and picked at the fallen satellite.

 

He removed the remains of a camera.  It was still focusing and moving about in its enclosure.  “You won’t win this war.  Let us live in peace.”