Swarley - Issue 6: Clarity

The mall was busy as usual. It was only minutes until the meeting was supposed to occur, and Ryan was standing in the food court watching people pass by as he waited. He wore a hood that was drawn up and he kept his head down – the last thing he wanted was to get recognized and get in a brawl with the authorities here. He didn’t imagine anyone would recognize him anyway, but it was best not to take chances. Today was important for him, and he needed things to go smoothly.

“What's up man?” came a familiar voice from nearby. Ryan spun to see Greg approaching him. “Mind if I grab some Subway?” he asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Go for it. I'm not really hungry though.”

Greg nodded in response and made way for the Subway lineup, only to change his mind and hit the Mr. Sub where the line was one tenth the size. As Ryan stood and watched him, another voice called out to him.

“So where are these other people you were talking about?” asked Lyle, “please don't tell me you're the only one, and you think the voices in your head are other people.”

Ryan smirked, and then pointed over to Greg in line. “I assure you,” he responded, “not just voices. That’s Greg over there.”

Lyle looked a little reassured at that notion. “Okay, I’m going to grab a taco then. I need to clean my colon.”

“Wonderful,” mused Ryan as he walked over to a table and sat down. It wasn’t long before Greg was back.

“So really, what’s up?” he started again, as he placed his tray down on the table. “Why’d you want to meet Seguin and I?”

"It's more than just you and Seguin,” Ryan offered as he gestured towards Lyle talking to the girl at the Taco Bell counter. “I ran into that guy over there the other day. He's like us."

"Like us as in attractive, funny and awesome? Cause that's cool and all, but I'd rather you brought a girl out to join our group of friends,” smirked Greg.

“A comedian today eh? You know what I mean"

"I try,” said Greg with a short bow. “Okay, so when you say like us, what exactly can he do?"

"Well, that I'm not sure. But I did see him disintegrate someone,” recalled Ryan as he looked over to see Lyle heading his way.

"Disintegrate?” A look of bewilderment crossed Greg’s face as Lyle sat down at the table, taco in hand.

"I don't care what anybody says,” interrupted Lyle, “Taco bell is good for you. It's cheaper than getting a colonic."

Ryan laughed to break the tension. "If you say so."

Noticing Greg’s look of confusion, Lyle chimed in again. "No, I don't make gas if that's what you're wondering. Well, toxic that is."

Greg laughed a little uneasily.

"Figured out what kind of bike you ride yet?" Ryan joked.

I have an idea,” replied Lyle as he fiddled with some coins in his pocket, “but I'm a little apprehensive about going into depth on it. If the wrong person were to found out then something bad could happen." Lyle paused a minute to lean back in his chair before finishing. “It’s sufficed to say that I'm affected by the type of light I'm in."

Nothing is said for a moment, as Ryan and Greg both took a second to take in what they’d just heard.

"Light, you say," quipped Ryan eventually as he looked over at Greg with a mischievous smile, who smirked a little bit in response. Lyle looked genuinely confused.

“Well, that's very interesting, um... I don't think I even know your name. I'm Greg by the way," he gestured as he extended a hand for Lyle, only to retract it quickly a moment later when he remembered Ryan’s comment from earlier. Lyle didn’t miss a beat responding.

"Don't worry. I'm inside, I can't blow you up if that's what you're thinking. I'm Lyle, disgruntled programmer and occasional heavy drinker," he exclaimed as he shook Greg’s hand. Greg seemed to relax a little.

"Nice to meet you Lyle, disgruntled programmer and occasional heavy drinker. So, you know what Ryan can do, and you’re probably wondering what I can do? Well, I mean, even I don't really have a firm grip on it, but as far as I can tell, I can become/control light to some degree. That's why I found the fact that your powers also related to light interesting."

At hearing that, Lyle stood up suddenly, looking slightly alarmed. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I don't mean to offend either of you but I think we may have a problem if you use your powers near me. I should go..."

“Sit,” replied Ryan calmly as he shook his head. "No one's going to be using any powers right now. Relax." With a sigh, Lyle nodded and sat down again.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing. I don't have much control over what I can do. I'm just a little uneasy being near someone who can make light."

"Well, I've got that aspect under control, so it won't be happening without me wanting it to happen,” assured Greg. “So, how long have you been able to do whatever it is you exactly that you can do, Mr. Lyle?"

"Actually my first name is Lyle,” corrected Lyle, “my last name is McManus. As for your question, I'm not one hundred percent sure. I just started to notice odd things happening the last few days, but my invisibility could've been going on for much longer than I thought."

"Invisibility... interesting," mused Ryan. Greg chucked a bit.

"Very much so. Oh, and sorry, I have the habit of taking people's first names and using Mister before them, don't ask me why. So, you can go invisible eh? That's very cool. We're the first people you've met that can do things as well?"

"Well unless being a jerk is a power, than yes,” joked Lyle with a little smirk, as he continued fiddling with the coins in his pocket. “I still don't know what to make of all this to be honest."

Greg laughed. “Well, I can't say we've had much more luck running into others of our kind. So far there's us, and our friend Seguin. You know where he is, by the way Ryan?”

Ryan pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and examined it for a moment before looking up and shaking his head. "It looks like he won't be joining us today."

"Weird. I haven't heard from him at all for like a week.”

"Well if he's your friend I'm pretty sure he wouldn't ditch you,” reasoned Lyle. “He may drop in, you never know"

"Maybe, but I won't count on it,” responded Ryan sternly. “I haven't heard anything from him at all. In any case, you're probably wondering why I actually brought us all here." Both Lyle and Greg nodded. "Well, I've had a lot of time to think lately. It seems to me that we've been given a chance here to actually be something with these powers."

Greg nodded again in approval.

"We can sit around and question why and how, but in the end, this is it, this is now who we are,” continued Ryan. “We have it in our power to do anything we want now, and that's a startling discovery."

"You should be a motivational speaker,” interrupted Lyle. “What do you propose we do with these powers? I can go in the womens bathroom, you can lift their skirt, and Greg can blind them so we can all have a peek."

"I was thinking on a larger scale, but remind me to get us to try that sometime," said Ryan with a grin.

"So, what exactly are you proposing, Ryan?" asked Greg.

"I'm saying that we should work together. Just think what we could do. No one could stand in our way.
Haven't you ever wanted to be rich and powerful? Well, we could be."

"It is tempting, I'm not going to argue that,” replied Lyle, cracking his neck. “I practically lost my job a few days ago, but is using our powers for personal gain really a good idea? I don't know about you but I can't dodge bullets, and I hate to break it to you, but that’s what cops have."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Rich and powerful are one thing, but exactly how we do that with these powers is another. It's not like just because we can, we should go rob banks."

"I can take care of bullets," offered Ryan with a smirk. “And why not? Why shouldn't we have what we want? Who's to say down the road that we all aren't wanted anyway. Bet it'll seem like a good idea to have stuck together then."

"But if we stay low profile we won't have to worry about being wanted,” reasoned Lyle again. “If we do something, that'll draw attention. I'm sure I can hide better than most right now, but I think we gotta ask ourselves, if we decide to do something, how do we not get caught? Either way, I think the grouping together is a wise idea if by chance we do get figured out."

Greg leaned forward in his chair. "I'm clearly all for grouping together, I mean, as long as it's like the Avengers, not the lame Fantastic Four. But I'm not about to do it just to go out and take things. Oh, and about that wanted thing," recalled Greg as he pulled out the picture from his coat and slid it towards Ryan. "Someone out there’s looking for you."

Ryan snatched up the picture and took a good look at it. "Where did you get this?"

"I had a run in the other night with these government guys. They drugged me with some drug that temporarily took away my powers, and tried to recruit me. It seems like they're after you."

Ryan slammed the picture down on the table. "The government knows about us?"

Lyle chimed in again. "You’re worried about the government? Come on, they couldn't even find Osama bin laden, what makes you think they can find us?"

“These guys seemed very secretive. Like beyond CSIS secret."

Ryan sat back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. "I'm not going to end up in some test tube."

"I don't think you'd fit in one," joked Lyle again with a laugh.

"What's to say you won't be next?" snapped Ryan back.

Lyle shrugged. "If they try catching me inside. I disappear. If they do it during the day, I'll run away. If they try anything at night, well you saw what happened to that mugger."

“You need to hide,” suggested Greg. “These guys are good. I was lucky to escape without having my memory wiped. They have people like us working for them. I don't think it's as easy as we think it's going to be."

Lyle’s calm demeanour faded. “What do mean like us? This grouping up thing keeps sounding better and better."

"Well, the one I ran into said he had more people of our "unique" type that worked for him, and the girl who was going to wipe my memory was definitely of the powered variety.”

"Well if she had powers how did you get away?" inquired Lyle.

Greg grinned. "Well, let's just say I got lucky. Plus, my powers can make me pretty hard to touch." Jokes aside, I'd be up for teaming up, but you should know I'm not in for doing things just to get what we want. You should know that especially, Ryan."

"What we want and what we need may be one and the same very soon," stated Ryan. "If we plan to be able to protect ourselves, we're going to need resources. I'm not going to take from the poor to get them or anything, but I certainly think that the rich have some to spare. Better to go into this prepared and together rather than try and do it all ourselves and end up serving whatever fuckin' purposes these guys have for us."

Lyle looked confused. “What are we going to need exactly? Like I'm assuming we really don't need weapons, so the only other thing I can think of would be money, but if you think about it, why would we need that if we can just take what we need?"

"Everything is easier with money," quipped Ryan in return.

"Speaking of that,” observed Lyle, “I should buy some stuff while I'm here for a costume. I'm not doing anything unless I'm disguised. I don't want to end up in the papers like Ryan."

Ryan shifted uneasily in his seat at that comment and took a quick look around to see if they were being watched.

"Ya, that's how they found me,” recollected Greg, “cause I went out without a costume at first."

Lyle smiled. "Well it's a good thing I'm learning from your mistakes. I don't want these guys to find me. That mugger had me worried enough."

"In any case,” interrupted Ryan, “it's good to see I can count on you guys. Before we make any plans, I want to talk to Seguin first. Until then, we should probably keep our heads down. We should also probably figure out how we can contact each other easily if the need arises."

"Bat signal anyone?" mused Lyle with a short chuckle.

Greg laughed too. "Just what I was thinking. Actually, you could probably just use my cell for now, until we come up with something better that is. Now, if Seguin were here, he could just be our mental walkie-talkie."

Ryan took his cell out of his pocket again and stared at it for a moment, a look of incredulity crossing his face. Startled, he set it on the table next to them. "I'll use a pay phone if I need to call you. Doesn't seem safe carrying around something they could use to find me."

"Hate to be a pain but I don't suppose we could continue this conversation outside?” questioned Lyle urgently, his hands starting to fade from view. “I'm having difficulty staying visible."

Ryan shook his head. "We're nearly done. Lyle, I’ll just need your number."

"As will I,” mentioned Greg, “ I should be going anyhow, gotta meet someone for some coffee."

"Just call my home number,” offered Lyle as he pulled out a couple business cards from his wallet, giving one to Greg and Ryan. “I'm not going to be at work for a few weeks."

Ryan stood. "Sounds good. I'll be in touch with our next move as soon as I find Seguin... Or perhaps he'll be in touch." Ryan laughed. “Bloody telepaths.."

Lyle sighed. "Something tells me I'm not going to like this Seguin guy. Last thing I need is someone going into my head." Ryan smirked.

"Well guys, since we're done, I'm leaving,” stated Greg as he stood up and began to walk away. “Let me know if you hear from Seguin, Ryan. And keep your head up. Those guys are probably still looking for you pretty heavily."

Ryan nodded. "Until next time gentlemen, be safe."

He watched as Greg left through another exit and Lyle faded to invisibility before heading to the entrance from which he'd entered earlier. Pushing through the doors, he stopped and leaned against the cold concrete walls once outside. It was cold out, but since he'd learned to shield himself from the wind, he didn't mind it so much. He needed time to think. The world around him seemed to fade away as he drifted into his own mind.

So many new questions now without answers. Who were these new enemies he'd made? Why exactly were they after him? Things were going to get difficult in between the police and now this. He'd had a hard enough time staying undetected on the radar for the last couple of days with only one enemy. He hated living like this, and he knew he needed the support of his friends to lift him out of the hole he'd dug for himself. They couldn't know the real reasoning for what he'd done though, else they were liable to desert him too. A life of secrets he knew he was doomed to lead, if he could lead a life at all.

Scenarios played out in his mind as future versions of himself found themselves in various dilemnas and worked their way out of them. It was easy to be content imaginging yourself winning and getting what you wanted when it was all in your head, and lately Ryan had spent a lot of time in that place. It couldn't last forever though. The sound of the doors to the mall being locked roused him from the dream this time, and immediately he felt the weight of his problems take it's seat on his shoulders once again.

"Fuck," he mumbled to himself, cursing his own situation. "I need to find Seguin fast. I've had enough of this running. Hopefully he understands."

He began walking out into the parking lot, trying to find a deserted area where he could take flight and not draw much attention to himself. He looked around and saw only a single person walking to his left wearing a blue jacket and sporting a baseball cap. He smiled at his fortune, and headed for a the small enclosed section ahead of him that lead to another entrance to the mall; rounding the corner would put him out of sight of the man. As Ryan approached the turn, he looked back to try to spot the man and was startled to see that he was now roughly 30 paces behind him and looking right at him. Ryan looked away and rounded the corner, pausing for a moment to decide what he should do.

"He's probably one of them," he thought to himself as he levitated roughly 15 feet in the air, guessing the man would not think to look up. It was time to send them a message he decided, Vengeance was not to be taken lightly - Especially not by some chump in a baseball hat. As expected, the burly looking man wearing the cap marked with an H rounded the corner and stopped, looking dumbfounded when he saw there was nothing between him and the doors 30 feet ahead.

"Looking for me?" mused Ryan as he descended behind him. Without bothering to turn, the man replied.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Not interested," Ryan snapped back.

"Pity."

Catching Ryan completely off guard, the man spun and delivered a huge backhand to the chest that sent him flying towards the wall on the other side of the walkway. He had used telekinesis to protect himself, but was not prepared for the force of it, and the speed at which he struck the wall stole the consciousness from his body, leaving him tumbling to the ground in a heap. The man stared at Ryan for a moment before shaking his head and taking a cell phone from his coat jacket. He dialed a number and brought the phone up to his ear.

"What news?" came an impatient voice from the speaker.

"He didn't cooperate. He's down."

"Pity. Sedate him and bring him in then, let's give this one one last chance before we're forced to erase him. I want to talk to him personally."

"Roger, boss."

"Good work, Max."

"Thanks."

He went to hang up the phone, but much to his dismay, it lifted itself up out of his hands, and then crushed itself to pieces in midair. He covered his eyes against the debris, and then as if realizing his blunder, quickly looked over to where Ryan had been left unconscious. Now on his knees, one hand holding himself up off the ground, and the other outstretched towards Max, Ryan was awake with blood pouring down his forehead and a devil's glare in his eyes.

"Fuck," lamented Max, and before he could even move, he was pinned up against the opposite wall.

"Quite the strength you've got there," rasped Ryan, as he got to his feet, one hand now clutching his head to try to help fend off the pain. He coughed and spit up blood as he stepped forward. "But I can do that too," he finished, augmenting his strength with his power to deliver a monstrous blow to Max's face that would have sent him flying if not for the telekinetic hold on him.

"Wait," coughed Max, "We could use someone like you."

"Should have thought of that before you went and fucked things up for yourself. Who are you, and who's we?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Then what good are you," retorted Ryan through gritted teeth, the pain threatening to make him lose his concentration. "Give my regards to the others like me your people have squashed. You'll be joining them shortly."

"Wait!" screamed Max, getting frantic now.

Ryan stepped back, feeling like making a show of it, and readied a new trick he'd learned recently. Focusing his power, he created an invisble blade that extended from his arm, and then slowly gathered dust from the ground around it's edges, giving it visible shape. Ryan smiled as he completed it, pointed it towards Max and watched him struggle in morbid anticipation of what was to come. He readied himself to charge, but before he took the first step, he felt something sharp hit his leg, knocking him off balance. The extra pain and shock caused him to lose his concentration and the blade dissipated, along with his hold on Max as he stumbled to the ground.

"What the," Ryan mumbled, looking down at his leg and seeing a dart sticking out.

"Tranquilizer," offered Max.

Ryan was the one in a panic now, and he could feel the effects of the drug setting in. In a last ditch effort, he looked up to see where the shot came from, noticed the sniper, and pulled him down off the roof towards him in one swift motion, the gun landing a few feet from where he sat. He tried to pull the gun to himself with TK, but Max was ahead of him and stepped on the gun, shaking his head.

"Sorry friend," he remarked, "but today you lose."

Ryan's eyelids were getting heavy now, and he was losing control of his body. He sank back on the ground and collapsed, unable to do anything anymore. The last thing he saw before his consciousness faded once again was another man running towards him.

"Late," he mouthed before he finally passed out.

Max looked over too late, and another fist caught him in the face, sending him to the ground. Seguin was now standing over top of him, tranquilizer gun in hand, pointing it towards him.

"You," stated Max with a bewildered look, "you were supposed to be dead."

"Sorry to disappoint, but that won't be happening anytime soon. Goodnight." Seguin fired the other remaining tranq dart into Max's chest and tossed the gun aside. Without waiting to let it kick in, he turned, picked up Ryan in one quick motion, and started to high tail it out of there. He was moving swiftly enough for one carrying another person, and after running for 100 feet or so, he looked back to see Max face down on the concrete. He sighed to let loose the build up of excitment in him, knowing he was now safe, but it proved to be a short respite. As he turned turned back towards the parking lot, a huge explosion engulfed the road in front of him, the shock of it nearly knocking him over.

"Man, what have these guys gotten themselves into while I've been gone," commented Seguin as he watched the flames rise up.