The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(68)

Looks like I bypassed Level 1, aka the regular Quiet. Otherwise, I’d be in the alcove with a knife in my chest. So Mimir’s theory was right, which is awesome, because it means I shouldn’t be Inert.

I try to phase in. The world stops. Except now I know that it isn’t ‘stopped’ so much as slowed to a crawl. Semantics, I think as I run to where Kyle is hiding.

He’s already walking onto the stage when I reach him.

There’s only one reason why he would be walking toward Thomas and I rather than running into the pathway: my Guiding worked and he’s following my instructions. At least, that’s the likeliest explanation.

Can I phase into Level 2 and Read him to make sure?

I try. I do what I’d do in the real world to phase out.

Nothing happens.

I guess I need to work out how to phase into Level 2 at will. Doing it once hasn’t made it easier, just like phasing into the Quiet when I was a kid. I eventually learned how to phase into the Quiet at will, but I hope I won’t have to repeat all those near-death shenanigans this time around. I shudder to think that I might have to have people almost kill me every time I want to enter Level 2. It would make my new talent damn near unusable.

I get back to my body and phase out.

The sounds are back. Kyle runs across the stage and to the stairs that lead off it. In a flash, he’s off the stage again.

When he walks up to Igor, the tallest and biggest of the Russian gangsters, I know without a shadow of doubt that Kyle is following my script. He tells the mobster something. Though I’m too far away to hear him, I know he said, “Don’t move, bitch,” because that’s what I made him say.

He jams his gun into Igor’s side for the same reason. I made him empty the gun of bullets back in his hideout, but Igor the Giant doesn’t know that.

I make my way closer to the stage to see the rest of the scene unfold, but something is nagging at the back of my mind—something that’s distracting me from enjoying my revenge.

Meanwhile, Kyle drags his hostage onto the stage—a place where Victor, great marksman that he is, can shoot him, which is the culmination of my plan.

I notice people looking at the stage in disbelief. I can’t blame them. How often do you see someone be taken hostage? Especially during a science convention? And especially when the hostage taker is half the size of the ‘victim’?

As I get closer to Kyle, I see Victor drilling the stage with his eyes. “Let my colleague go!” he yells. “I give you two seconds.”

Victor has a gun aimed in the direction of the stage, just as I suspected he would. This is it. He’s going to shoot.

Seconds pass, and Victor continues to just stand there with his gun aimed at Kyle. For some unfathomable reason, he’s not pulling the trigger. Gasps begin to emanate from the audience as people start to notice.

I look back. Thomas is walking toward Victor. It’s unclear what Thomas is thinking of doing, but I bet he’s trying to make sure no one gets hurt. That’s good, because it means Thomas won’t open fire in a crowded room and shoot Victor before he has the chance to kill Kyle. Still, Thomas is getting close enough to tackle the guy.

Why the hell is Victor not doing his part?

And then the answer hits me, and I phase into the Quiet.

I run toward the gangster, cursing myself. I explicitly Guided the man not to shoot anyone. So predictably, he isn’t shooting.

It’s impressive he raised the gun at all.

I walk up to Victor and touch his outstretched hand.





*





We’re not going to shoot anyone, the thought repeats in our mind like a mantra. Nothing else exists, only the mantra.

I, Darren, disassociate. This strange focus that the Guided possess is a marvel. I took Ritalin—the drug rumored to help with concentration—once, just to try it out. The focus the drug gave me was okay, but nowhere close to the single-mindedness of the Guided. It’s eerie.

Okay, I broke it, so I have to fix it.

You can shoot the guy on the stage. In fact, as a good leader, you must. When he’s dead, you will throw away your gun, because it’s out of bullets.

Happy with my instructions, I exit Victor’s head.





*





On my way back to my body, I reinforce my earlier control over Victor’s cronies. They are to remain peaceful observers. I approach my body and linger before phasing out of the Quiet. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing some variable.

Fuck it, I decide, and touch my frozen self’s forehead.

When the sounds of the room return, I realize what’s been bugging me.

I must stop Victor.

I’m not ready for Kyle to die.

And then, as though defying my thoughts, a shot is fired.

Or did I imagine the gunshot?

I’m not sure because I’m again surrounded by silence. The gunshot, or maybe it was my epiphany, made me phase into the Quiet for the millionth time today.

I run toward Victor, hoping it’s the stress and not an actual gunshot that made me phase in. If it isn’t too late, I’ll Guide Victor to not pull the trigger.

Only when I get there, I see Victor’s gun surrounded by a cloud of smoke.

Shit.

I didn’t imagine it. He did it. He shot Kyle.