Saint Joseph School

(( This thread is closed. However, others have collaborated or made contributions: Eshva, Glacial Mass, Psychwave. ))

"You're in luck, Eric. I've managed to acquire an electric powers inhibitor through an old friend at DATA. I can't promise it'll work perfectly, but it should at least help."

Eric was both relieved and excited. At the Sadie Hawkins dance, Lucia had mentioned that Zigursky Prison uses inhibitors on their superpowered prisoners. As soon as he heard about it, he wanted to try it. He'd do almost anything to dampen his powers: they'd already caused enough damage in his life, and he was eager to prevent them from causing any more. He'd stopped in to see Doc Syl the following Monday to see if she could obtain one for him to use. "Anything would be an improvement."

Doc Syl helped Eric put the device on his upper arm. It fairly small, easily hidden underneath a long-sleeved shirt. She then pulled out a second device, which had a small LCD screen and various buttons. "Since they're designed for prisoners, they have to be configured externally. This device allows you to change its settings. I've programmed in an upper limit to the inhibitor so that you can't suppress your powers completely, though. Given the nature of your mutation, I don't know how safe it would be to do so."

"What do you mean? It's just an electric charge, how could it hurt me to turn it off?"

"Your bioelectric charge is intertwined with your nervous system's electric charge. Full suppression could have a serious impact to your neural functions. I'm not willing to risk that."

"Oh." Eric's excitement dampened a bit. It would still be an improvement, but not quite what he was hoping for. "So how do I use this thing?"

Doc Syl handed Eric the controller and showed him how to use and configure it. Eric set it to the settings she had recommended and enabled the inhibitor. Immediately, the world seemed to shift, as though everything had become flat and dull. After a few moments of bewilderment, he explained what had happened to the Doc.

"As I said, your bioelectric charge is intertwined with your nervous system. I would guess that you have some subconscious awareness of the kinetic energy in your surroundings, which the inhibitor took away."

"As long as it keeps the charge down, it's worth it." The charge was clearly diminished. Eric felt like he could safely use a computer--or touch a person, even--for the first time in months. "Thanks Doc!"

"Just be sure to stop by again in a few days so I can make sure there aren't any negative side effects. And try to only use it when you need to, I'm not a huge fan of suppressing your body's natural functions like this."

"Okay Doc, see you in a few days then." Eric left the infirmary feeling much happier than he had in months.

_________________________


Less than an hour later, Eric was hurrying off to his next class. In his excitement, he wasn't really paying attention to where he was walking... and thus turned a corner and collided with Biff Hannigan. "What the *$@! do you think you're doing?" Eric found himself slammed against the wall, supported by one of Biff's massive fists.

"I, uh, I, I..."

"You what? You'd better be apologizing, or I'll make you even sorrier--" Biff's words were cut off as Eric exploded with electricity, knocking him back a few steps. "You #*%^&@!!"

Moments later, as he was trying to get someone's attention to let him out of the locker, the familiar smell of fried electronics wafted up from his arm. "So much for the inhibitor," he mumbled, banging on the door even harder in frustration. "Maybe I should talk to Pyrite's friend after all."

Descending from the darkened sky, Eric slowly hovered down to the entrance of an abandoned office building in Faultline. It was hours past curfew and this was a dangerous part of the city at night so he was being very careful to avoid being seen. Especially since he was pretty certain what he was seeking was somewhat illegal. Legal or not, it was something he needed. A glance at the nearest street sign, though broken, confirmed that this was in fact the place that Pyrite had said he'd meet him at tonight, though Eric suspected he was a bit early. He knew he'd left the campus earlier than necessary in his excitement and anxiety.

It was still something of a surprise to Eric that he had formed a friendship with someone like Pyrite. They had met one evening while Eric was out on patrol in the Royal Refinery district of King's Row. Pyrite had been engaged in a losing battle with a large crowd of Clockwork. He had many of them subdued in rocks and stone, but there were just too many of them for him to effectively fight. Eric had stepped in to lend a hand and together they were able to make short work of the situation. They had struck up a conversation afterwards in which Eric learned that Pyrite often worked for Hero Corps, though he made it pretty clear he often contracted his services out to others as well. Pyrite's specialty was recovery ops, and his earth-based powers usually allowed him to make quick escapes when jumped by adversaries.

Eric was pretty certain that the unspecified others that Pyrite contracted his services to were probably among the city's vast underworld. Despite this, Eric felt he could trust Pyrite. The man seemed to put a lot of stock in keeping his word, and he insisted that he owed Eric a debt for extricating him from his difficult Clockwork situation. When Pyrite learned of Eric's electrical issues, he was quick to recommend the services of a doctor friend of his who was experienced with cybernetic enhancements. Apparently this doctor owed a rather significant debt to Pyrite, and this seemed a good opportunity to collect on it. Though initially reluctant to the suggestion, Eric finally decided that the possible risks would be worth it. His powers had already caused enough damage in the world. He was rapidly becoming willing to try anything that might help bring them under control.

Nearby footsteps caught Eric's attention. "Right on time, as I knew you would be. Ready to get that problem of yours taken care of?" Pyrite was clearly in a good mood. Eric supposed the man really did want to help him out. Pulling out a key, he led Eric inside the building and up several floors. The building was mysteriously still powered, and Eric wondered once again who pays the power bills for all these abandoned buildings.

The office Pyrite took him to was filled with assorted medical equipment. A hardened old man smoking a cigar and wearing a surgeon's garb was speaking with a younger man who seemed more like a thug than a nurse, despite the introduction where Pyrite told him that this was the doctor and his assistant. Unsurprisingly, no names were actually given.

After asking a few perfunctory medical questions, the assistant had Eric strip and lay down on the examination table. The doctor then walked over with a hypodermic needle and explained that he'd require general anesthesia for the procedure. As Eric drifted off into unconsciousness, his last thought was the realization that they'd never actually told him what they were planning to do.

Agony. That was the first thing Eric became aware of as he began regaining consciousness. He felt as though he were in a sandstorm from hell. Howling with deafening intensity, it scoured at him with intense heat, and he felt he would go blind from the light that blazed in from all directions. He could feel every bit of movement in the storm around him... no, he could see the movement... or was he tasting it? Trying to make sense of it increased his agony even more.

He tried to lift his hand to cover his eyes but found his arm too heavy to lift. Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't puzzle out why his arm felt so heavy. Opening his eyes, he tried to look but couldn't move his head well enough to see his arm. Looking at the ceiling, he realized that perhaps it was just as well he couldn't: seeing through the sandstorm was incredibly difficult.

A voice drifted in through the storm, seemingly from a great distance. "... seems to be awake..." As Eric struggled to make out more of what was being said, someone came over and sat on the floor next to where he was laying. It was hard to tell through the storm, but it looked like a young girl. Maybe ten or eleven years old, short green hair, and... horns? Something about her seemed familiar, but Eric was having a hard time focusing well enough to figure it out.

"You should look before you leap, you know." Eric realized she was talking to him, and with her being so close, he was able to make out what she was saying fairly well. The girl held something up in front of his eyes, a photo in a frame. "I believe you know her? She's much older now and has horns too now." Eric squinted his eyes as he looked at the picture. Another girl, the same age but with dark hair... she looked very familiar but something seemed to be missing. He knew he should know who it was, but his mind just couldn't focus. She took the photo away after a moment, placing it on the floor next to him. "I think we can help each other. But first, you need to take your medicine."

Several pills were put in Eric's mouth, followed by water. It was a struggle, but he swallowed them down. The girl just sat watching him, with a smirk on her face.

The past few days were a blur to Eric. He was having a hard time keeping track of where he was and what was going on, and his sense of time was all but useless. If it weren't for Mila, he wasn't sure what he would do. The medicine she kept giving him was the only thing that seemed to keep the sandstorm at bay. It was always there, but at least with the medicine it was damped enough that he could function.

"How are you feeling now?" Eric put his hand to his head and winced. Looking around, he realized he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there. Again.

"Everything's still kinda weird... where are we now?"

Mila Dybbuk smirked at Eric's question. "We are in Atlas Park... Eric." After a moment, she pulled out a photo and looked at it. "This girl. Has hurt me..."

Eric swayed a bit on his feet for a moment. His sense of balance kept randomly threatening to leave him, but fortunately he hadn't fallen yet. "Girl?"

"Yes. She's my sister."

Squinting his eyes, Eric tried to make out the picture. "She looks familiar somehow..." Had he seen this picture before recently? He couldn't remember. "Do I know her?"

"She is. You go to school with her. I've helped you, now I need her back with me. She has done me a great evil."

"School?" This seemed like something he should know. "Saint John's?"

"Yes. Correct."

Frowning, Eric continued, "She shouldn't do evil to you."

"That's right. She shouldn't. Her name is Eshva. She killed one of my best friends, Clamour."

"Eshva... wait, I know her..." Eric paused, looking very confused. "She seems so nice though. Evil? Killed?"

"She killed my best friend, Clamour... she's in the hospital getting fixed. I just got the word now."

"Thats... not very nice..." Eric put his hand to his head again, wincing in pain and confusion.

Mila looked at Eric with pleading eyes. "I want her brought to me."

"How?"

"Knock her out. Then bring her here."

"I don't know where she is though. I don't think i do anyway... I'm not really sure."

Mila smiled. "Go to this address. Eshva will be there shortly." She handed Eric a a slip of paper with an address on it, followed by a second slip of paper and a photo. "Give her this message and photo, too."

Eric squinted his eyes, looking at the slip of paper. "What does it say? It looks blurry..."

"It says, 'Rose, Everything will be alright, from your loving sister, Mila.'"

"That's a nice message."

"I do love my sister. I want to help her."

Mila paused and frowned briefly. "You okay to remember all this?"

"I think I can remember... the pills you gave me help a lot. Should I go find her now?" Eric swayed a bit, then caught his balance again.

"Yes. But Don't call her Eshva while you're trying to get her. Call her Rose. She'll be there soon. Make sure you beat her there."

"Okay... Rose. I'll go now, then. Thanks Mila." Eric squinted at the first slip of paper and thought for a moment about how to get to the warehouse from Atlas Park. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could find it.

"No, thank you Eric." Mila smiled as she walked off.

Eric managed to make his way to the warehouse Mila had indicated. A quick tour of the premises indicated that he had successfully beaten Eshva there. Pausing in a darkened corner to wait, he considered what Mila had told him. He was having a hard time remembering, but this seemed so unlike Eshva. Maybe she was sick like he was? If so, Mila would surely be able to help her sister even better than she had helped him. Everything was so confusing of late, but Mila was so helpful and friendly. Following her request would undoubtedly be the best thing to do.

He was so grateful to Mila for her help. The doctor had encased him in a metal suit that allowed him to suppress his electric fields, but he seemed to be having some nasty side effects from it. The suit wasn't much to look at, covered with rust and chains, but at least it worked. He still wasn't sure he understood everything about it, though. He especially was concerned about the two metal spikes that the doctor had rooted into his shoulders. One of the Freaks had told him that they were polarized. The suit itself covered his entire body except for his head. That it had built-in functionality to handle bathroom necessities indicated that there probably wasn't a way to remove it, and if there was a way, he hadn't figured it out yet. Of course, he hadn't been in a condition to really explore that lately. He felt lucky that he was finally stringing together coherent sentences. Mila's medicine had been a lifesaver. It fought back the sandstorm and allowed him to think again, even though it was difficult to do so.

It wasn't long until he heard footsteps echoing through the empty warehouse. Eric pushed one of the buttons on his left wrist, indicating to his suit that it shouldn't restrain his electric field. A brief smile flitted across Eric's lips. It was so nice to be able to turn his powers off and on. The warehouse filled with static. As the footsteps came closer, he heard a young woman's voice. "Hey my comm seems to be acting up."

Eric stepped out of the shadows and crept quietly towards Eshva. Her back was towards him, and she seemed to be trying to get her comm to work. "Your sister sends a message for you."

Jumping a bit, Eshva spun around in surprise. "GAH!! Eric?" Surprise seemed to turn into concern a moment later as Eric shot a bolt of electricity at her. Into her comm, she screamed, "Eric! ERIC!!!" The comm then cut out completely as Eric flooded the room with even more electrical static.

"Yes, Rose, it's Eric."

Eshva stopped, apparently stunned. "How'd you know that name?" Another bolt of electricity forced her to jump out of the way. She began to run around Eric, dodging his attacks. She appeared to be debating whether she should fight back to protect herself, but she seemed torn over what she was feeling.

"Your sister told me. She wants to help you." Eric threw a ball of electricity in Eshva's direction.

"Help me?" Eshva again ducked to avoid an electrical charge. This time she counterattacked: with a swift movement of her arm, she threw a concussive blast at Eric. It struck his arm, sending him flying. Her attack hardly phased him, as he soon bas back on his feet sending another bolt of electricity flying at Eshva. She spasmed as it surged through her body.

"You've been quite bad, she says." Eric frowned as Eshva shook her head to regain her train of thought.

"... what? I haven't done anything wrong!" Eshva's voice was strained with confusion.

Eric continued throwing electricity at Eshva while running to dodge her counterattacks as best as he could. At the same time, Eshva was running to avoid his blasts of electricity, still choosing not to use her deadly claws to stop Eric. These exchanges seemed to be getting Eric nowhere near his goal of capturing Eshva for Mila. It was proving much more difficult than he had expected, and he often found himself staggering briefly when his balance threatened to abandon him.

"She says you hurt her friends!" Eric shouted at Eshva as she jumped to avoid another blast.

"Wha...? Eric, I don't understand!" Eshva responded, pausing to face her attacker.

"Your sister will explain soon. Once I take you to her."

"I don't want to hurt you. Please stop!" Eshva was clearly upset and concerned, but she didn't really seem afraid. Eric was fighting with only his electrical powers, and even those weren't as well executed as they normally would have been.

"You don't get it. You're coming with me, unconscious like."

"... WHY!"

Eshva's eyes went wide. Eric took advantage of the fact that she'd stopped moving by successfully hitting her with another blast, sending her body convulsing with current yet again. Eshva's jaw tightened as she fought to regain control of her muscles.

"Gotta help Mila, since she helped me."

"She's corrupted you!" Eshva countered.

"At least she doesn't hospitalize people!" Eric paused for a moment as corrupted rolled around in his head. Corrupted? Eshva charged at him. Soon he was dodging claws, which had suddenly shot out of Eshva's hands.

"I didn't do it!!" she screamed. Her eyes were closed, but she was moving so very fast. Pain erupted in Eric's chest. As he looked down, he was shocked to see Eshva's claws buried in his chest. He looked back up to see Eshva's eyes staring directly into his own. They were open wide and filled with shock. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of her face. Seconds later, his eyes began to close. The world darkened and faded into the distance.

"Sorry Eric..." Eshva's whispered voice was the last thing he heard.

A moment after Eric went unconscious, his suit made a short beeping noise and the static electricity in the air vanished. Eshva coughed briefly, then spoke into her comm. "I... I... don't understand. Glacial... Call for medical help... " Several minutes later, Psychwave and Glacial Mass made it to the warehouse. Almost to herself, Eshva said, "I tried not to hurt him... my claws went right through his chest..."

In near unison, Psychwave asked incredulously, "You stabbed him?!" as Glacial Mass demanded, "Why did you do this?!"

"He attacked me!!!" Eshva started sobbing in grief. "He... called me Rose... my... my sister..."

Psychwave applied pressure to Eric's chest, then began focusing her mental energies on healing his wound. "So?" she asked, as she noticed a few slips of paper in Eric's hand. "What's this...?"

After Psychwave had managed to pull them lose, Eshva's eyes widened. "It's... me!!" One of the slips was a photograph of Eshva at age ten, before her mutation changed her appearance. Another slip was the address of the warehouse, and the final slip was a note adddressed to Eshva: "Rose, everything will be fine. Your loving sister, Mila."

Glacial Mass stared blankly while Psychwave continued to focus on healing Eric's chest wound. Eshva looked at the letter in shock. "Eric said my sister helped him... That I hurt her friends... I'm... so confused...."

"This doesn't make any sense," Glacial Mass thundered. "Where the hell are the medics?!" A few minutes later, a small team of medics burst through the door. Psychwave stepped back, sweating and shaking from extreme exertion. Glacial guided Eshva out of the way as she started to cry, and Psychwave leaned on her for support.

The medics began trying to put Eric on a stretcher, but they struggled with the weight of his suit. "Can't you people handle ANYTHING?!" Psychwave yelled. With Pyshwave's telekinetic assistance, Glacial Mass lifted Eric up as delicately as he could, then set him on the stretcher. He then took the front of it and led the medics out the door.

"Eshy, talk later. Move it guys." Glacial Mass set a quick pace to the ambulance. He wanted to get Eric to Doc Syl as soon as possible.

As usual, Doctor Sylvia Orson had her hands full. Based on how many beds were typically occupied in the infirmary, life for students at Saint Joseph's School seemed to be filled with one hazard after another. She was just stepping out from checking on a student when the infirmary doors burst open and a team of paramedics led by Alex Waters, more commonly known as Glacial Mass, came bursting in with a metal-clad youth on a stretcher. "Over here!" she called, pointing to a fortunately unoccupied bed. Please, not another unconscious one, she thought to herself as the paramedics brought the young man over. Sure enough, he was unconscious.

"Someone tell me what happened." Her eyes spotted the chest wound and, since it was the most obvious injury, began examining it while she waited for a response. The paramedics had finished transfering the youth, who she now recognized as Eric Copper, onto the bed and were now consulting with a nurse to get some paperwork taken care of. The chest wound appeared to have been healed partially and wasn't posing any imminent danger, so she looked up at Alex to see why her question remained unanswered. He was standing back out of the way, fidgeting a bit, and clearly very upset. "Alex, I need you to calm down and answer my question. I can help him better if I know what's going on."

Alex stammered for a moment, then paused to compose himself. He explained as best as he could that Eshva had been attacked by Eric, and in the fight that ensued, Eshva had been forced to injure him to protect herself. He and Olivia O'Malley, known better as Psychwave, had shown up shortly afterwards. Olivia had performed some crisis healing on Eric's chest wound while Alex called in paramedics, then escorted them to the school. Finishing his explanation, Alex paused again and looked at Eric. "I-is he going to be okay?"

"Well, the chest wound is doing well. Olivia did an excellent job, I just hope she didn't over extend herself. His chances are good, but I won't really know for sure until I figure out what this suit is doing to him." Doctor Orson frowned, then began taking some blood samples from Eric's neck, which was one of the few places she could find easily accessible skin.

"It wasn't there when I last saw him..." Alex chewed his lip nervously.

"I gathered it was a recent addition," Doctor Orson said wryly. "He wasn't wearing it last week, and I doubt the sisters tolerate him coming to class in it without sending him to see me first."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" After a pause, Alex added, "Sorry, stupid question."

Doctor Orson looked up and smiled slightly. "Just be patient, Alex. Right now, waiting is the only thing you can do. When he regains consciousness, though, the support of his friends will probably be most helpful."

"Okay. Um. If there's anything... you know. That comes up -- uh, I'll be out here." Alex gestured to the waiting area.

Doctor Orson nodded. "I'll let you know. Thanks Alex. Try to relax, you did well by bringing him here so fast."

As Alex left for the waiting area, Doctor Orson frowned at Eric. Where on earth did he find this thing, and who put it on him? she wondered to herself. Yes, her hands were most definitely full this week.

The sandstorm was there waiting for him when Eric awoke. Something was different this time though. It was still painful, feeling as though it would scour him away, but found himself able to think much more clearly than he had in days. He slowly opened his eyes and, looking around, discovered he was in the school infirmary.

How'd I get here? he wondered. He frowned as he struggled to remember. The image of Mila's face floated into his mind, followed by recollection of his fight with Eshva. She'd buried her claws in his chest. He cautiously brought his hand up to his chest. It felt fine now though some holes still remained in his suit. He was finding the memories of the past few days very confusing. He couldn't remember everything Mila had told him, but he did remember that she'd sent him to take out Eshva. And he'd done it, willingly.

"So you're finally awake." Eric was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of Doc Syl's voice. "How are you feeling?" She walked over and stood next to his bed, jotting a few notes down on her clipboard as she waited for his answer.

"Is Eshva okay? I-- I didn't hurt her, did I?" He'd thrown a lot of electricity at her during that fight. How could have he done that to her? She was his friend! The whole point of the stupid suit was to make sure he didn't hurt anyone he cared about again. This wasn't supposed to happen! Between the sandstorm and the emotional strain, tears were starting to form in Eric's eyes.

"You didn't do her any lasting physical harm. She suffered a few shocks, but her regenerative abilities compensated for it quickly enough." Doc Syl frowned to herself. This was not a topic she wanted to discuss with him quite yet, not with the girl hospitalized herself at the moment. The last thing he needed to do in his condition was get upset. "Now, how are you feeling?"

Eric sniffled a bit, looking a tad relieved. A tear had rolled down his cheek, but he seemed to be regaining composure. "Like hell. Can't you do anything about the-- the sandstorm? It's so bright, loud..."

"Can you describe this sandstorm for me, Eric? I'm not sure what it is you're dealing with."

Eric winced as he tried to find words to explain. "It feels like a sandstorm. The sand is so hot and bright, feels like it's going to burn my skin. It's blinding, deafening. It's like I can feel every speck of sand in the storm, it's overwhelming." Eric closed his eyes, trying to distance himself from it, but it wouldn't leave.

Doc Syl paused in thought for a few moments. "When you tried the power suppressor, you told me the world felt flat and dull while you had it enabled. I explained to you that you probably had some awareness of the kinetic energy in your surroundings. I was you to focus and think for a moment. Do you think this might be related to that? Look at the sandstorm and see if it makes any sense."

"I don't know..." Eric tried to focus on the sandstorm instead of just trying to block it out of his mind. It was hard to make sense of it because of its fury, but some he noticed a few things. There seemed to be certain paths where the sand flowed like rivers. Somewhat nearby, the storm seemed to have a quiet spot. He explained these things as best as he could to the doctor.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say those rivers are probably the electrical wiring in the walls and that quiet spot's probably your friend Alex. He's spent quite a lot of time in the waiting room during the last few days." Doc Syl made some notes on her clipboard while she spoke. "That suit of yours seems to have heightened your kinetic senses. Care to explain where it came from? You might also tell me why it was you were engaged in combat with a fellow student."

"Um, well... I kn-know this guy named Pyrite..." Struggling at times to speak, Eric told Doc Syl everything that had happened during the previous several days; Pyrite, the doctor, Mila, Eshva. She took notes periodically during his explanation, frowning to herself here and there as he described things.

"Eric, you should have seen me again. There were other options we could have explored to help you out. I'll spare you the lecture though, as I'm sure the sisters will be giving you quite the earful once I let them. I did some bloodwork on you while you were unconscious. The pills that Mila were giving you weren't all helpful. Some of them were power suppressors, which explains why it helped keep the sandstorm sensation under control. However, she was also giving you some mind-altering drugs that makes a person highly open to suggestion and manipulation. If things seemed dull and fuzzy for the last few days, that would be why. It also explains why she was able to get you do something like that so easily."

Eric was stunned. Mila had been giving him mild-altering drugs? No wonder things had been so crazy! He fumed at her manipulations and at his own incompetence.

"I'm going to put you on some medicine that should help the sandstorm sensation for now. I've already been giving you something similar which probably has been helping some, but this is more potent. It will probably also put you to sleep. You'll have to wait a bit longer for visitor's, I'm afraid. I think I can adjust your suit to help soften the sandstorm sensation, so the medicine will be a temporary measure. The doctor that put this contraption on you had no clue what he was doing. It's really interfering with your nervous system, and I suspect that some of the changes you've experienced with your kinetic senses may be permanent. Unfortunately, I can't just take you out of the suit, especially with those spikes rooted into your shoulders. I'll have to consult with some of my colleagues on this." Doc Syl handed Eric a few pills. "Take these, and try to get some rest. We'll talk some more later, when you're feeling better."

Eric took the pills then closed his eyes again. He would have liked to have seen Glacial, but between the sandstorm and the guilt he had over what he'd done, he was pretty exhausted. Without any effort at all, he was once again asleep.

"Eric's awake. You may visit with him now, if you'd like."

Glacial Mass blinked himself awake and jumped to his feet. "Really?" When Doc Syl nodded in bemused acknolwedgement, he bounded his way over to Eric's bed. "Eric! Hey! How're you feeling buddy?"

Eric was lying in bed with his eyes closed, but upon hearing Glacial they fluttered open. "Huh...? Oh, hey Glacial. I've felt better... felt worse too. Doc has me on some meds... help but make me kinda tired."

"I'm sure you're still worn out from the whole ordeal."

"Yeah... where's Eshva?" Eric looked worried and struggled unsuccessfully to sit up in bed. "... should talk to her."

Glacial pulled up a chair and haunched down. Hesitantly, he replied, "Eshva... eeh. Complicated." He paused to gather his words carefully, then, "Okay. She's here, and she's not feeling too good either." Then, really fast, he added emphatically, "But it wasn't you that put her here so don't worry about that, okay?"

Abandoning his attempt to sit up, Eric looked at Glacial with confusion. "Then wha... happened t'her?" After a momentary pause, his eyes widened. "Mila?"

"No, vampire. I don't think there's a correlation."

"She okay?" Eric once again looked troubled, which wasn't the effect Glacial was looking for.

"She'll be fine. Just had a tough night." Glacial tried to take a somewhat lighthearted tone to put Eric as ease. "She's popular with all the wrong people."

Grinning very slightly, Eric added, "An' some of the right ones, fortunately."

Glacial Mass beamed back. "I'm really glad you're up, dude. I was so worried."

"Not sure I'm glad... feel like hell. Doc muted the sandstorm... but it's still there... and meds make me woozy..." Eric sighed, closing his eyes again briefly.

Glacial laughed quietly, then sobered as he processed Eric's words. "Sandstorm?"

"Yeah... feels like one... Doc Syl says its my kinetic senses."

Glacial looked pained pain, and said sympatheticaly, "That sounds horrible."

"Yeah... feel all the kinetic energy... rather overwhelming. Said she'd do somethin' to the suit later... should help."

On Eric mentioning the suit, Glacial fidgeted a bit. "Yeah... So. Uh... about the suit? I... uh." Glacial scratched his head, at a loss for the right words. "Well, it's a suit."

"Oh yeah... forgot about that... friend was helping me... his doc friend put me in it... didn't work as expected, I guess."

"I'm surprised you can walk around in it. It's heavy."

"Tad heavy I guess, not too bad..." Eric lifted his arm a bit, then brought it back down. "Sorta moves with me."

Glacial nodded slowly, then frowned. "I'm guessing there's a reason the doc hasn't taken it off yet."

Eric was starting to look groggier and seemed to be having a harder time staying focused on the conversation. "Yeah... somethin' bout bein' wired into me... she's consulting colleagues... shoulder spikes are problems, too..."

"I mean, it's hot in a way, but... enh." Glacial blinked, then clapped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he'd said. He glanced around quickly to see if Doc Syl was nearby. She wasn't.

Eric laughed slightly. "S'a bit warm." After a brief pause, he added, "Hope she takes me off th' meds soon... so drowsy."

Glacial rested his arms on the bed, putting his head on his arms. "You lookin' to get some sleep?" He looked disappointed at the thought of leaving again so quickly.

"Yeah... probably should... said something 'bout letting me out t'morrow if suit works like she expects... maybe see you then?"

"Yeah!" Glacial was beaming again.

"Thanks for coming... Doc said you've been waiting a lot..."

"With you and Eshy both in, it's not like I had anywhere else to hang out. And besides, you know, I'm pretty fond of you."

Eric smiled hesitantly. "Thanks."

"I should let you get some shut-eye."

"Yeah... having hard time staying awake... tomorrow..." Eric's eyes were already closed.

Glacial nodded as he got out of his chair. After ruffling Eric's hair, he went back to the waiting room to crash.

"Let's start by talking about why you got the suit."

Eric grimaced to himself. He'd been practically bouncing with excitement earlier. Whatever Doc Syl had done to his suit, it was working like a charm. The sandstorm was so quiet he could almost put it out of his mind entirely. He could actually think again! Unfortunately, he'd been required to see the school counselor, David Conrads. The last thing Eric wanted was a counselor digging around inside his head. That could lead to awkward questions, questions whose answers he didn't want to deal with right now.

"I didn't know it was going to be like this," Eric began. "I was just trying to find a way to control my powers better."

"Why are you so desperate to control them, Eric?"

Eric had the unsettling impression that the counselor was literally digging around inside his head. Didn't someone say he had empathic abilities? "Umm... well, you know. They can be dangerous."

"There are safer ways to deal with the danger than consulting with the Paragon City criminal underground, though. Why the rush?" Mr. Conrads smiled reassuringly, softening any possible harshness in his words considerably.

"Um..." Eric paused, realizing that he wasn't going to get out of here without having the whole story drug out of him one way or another. Might as well get it over with. "Well, I... ah... well, you see...." Eric stammered, trying to find the right words to explain himself. "It started in high school. There was this guy... Mark. We'd been really friendly for a while. We were in the bathroom one day at school... had been joking around about something. All of a sudden, next thing I know, he was kissing me. Next thing after that, the power cut out. He... um..." Eric's words stumbled to a halt as he fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, looking considerably upset.

Dave could sense that there was something more here than the kid getting outted by his new-found powers. "It's okay Eric. What else happened?"

Eric dropped his head and sniffled, looking to be on the verge of tears. "He died. I fried him."

"Sounds like it was an accident, though."

"It was... I didn't even know I had these powers yet, then. I can't... They're too risky. I killed him, I've hurt Eshva. Who's next? Even when I'm not doing massive harm, I shock everyone I touch. I have to control them." A few tears were rolling down Eric's face.

"None of the things that have happened were done intentionally. Many youth have bad accidents when their powers first emerge. Right now, though, it sounds like you're out of control because of your powers rather than controlling them."

Eric blinked back some tears and looked up at the counselor. "What do you mean?"

"Instead of getting help from someone at the school, you turned to the city's criminal underground. Instead of relying on your friends, you ran away from them. You let yourself get encased in a suit of metal and ensared by your friend's enemy. I'm guessing that none of these are things you'd actually have wanted if you thought about it, right?"

Eric hung his head in shame. In a small voice, he responded, "No."

"Then let's try going about things the right way. I think you're more than capable of turning things around."

Eric looked up dubiously. "What do you think I should do?"

"For starters, you need to learn to control your powers. According to Doc Syl, you should be able to learn how to consciously control your electricity, without the use of external gadgetry. Fortunately, you're not the only student who has gone through this. Here's a list of some students." Dave handed Eric a sheet of paper with names written on it. "You may know some of them. Talk to some of them and see if they'll help you out. We frequently have students tutor one another with their powers."

Eric skimmed over the list. He recognized some of the names. "Okay... I guess I'll talk to some of them."

"Good. You're a good kid, Eric. Don't let your past lead you astray. Okay?"

"Thanks, Mr. Conrads."

"No problem. And I told you, call me Dave. Now, why don't you go relax? You've had a rough time, and I imagine you'd much rather be somewhere other than in my office." Dave smiled encouragingly. "Just be sure to check in after a few days and let me know how things are going."

"Sure thing, uh, Dave." Eric crammed the sheet of paper in his pocket and rushed out the door before Dave could change his mind. Fortunately, it was the middle of a class period so that halls were all empty. He hurried back to his dorm and laid down in his bed, letting his mind drift back to the conversation he'd just had. I've really screwed up, he thought to himself as he started to cry again. But I'll fix it. Somehow, I'll fix it. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out the list. Maybe he's right. Maybe one of them can help me.

"We're going to show you how you can lose weight without dieting, changing your eating habits, or even exercising. This is not a gimmick. There's no juices or exercise machines. In fact, it's not even a diet!"

The infomercial babbled on, but Eric wasn't really listening to it. He was eating a sandwich and thinking about the past week.

There was the Terra Volta trip. Ever since he'd gone into the reactor with Glacial, Light, Oby, and Crono, he'd been unable to sleep at night. In fact, he'd not slept for a single moment since he'd been there. Strangely, he wasn't suffering from it. He was wide awake and felt "well rested". He actually felt he had more energy now than he'd ever had before.

"Wait just a minute. No one's going to believe you can eat whatever you want, not do exercise, and not be hungry, yet still lose weight."

He'd also encountered Mila again the other day. The little bitch had had some sort of remote that took over complete control of suit. He'd managed to fry the remote, but she still had the chip that was inside of it, and she claimed that she could just stick it in another remote. The way she talked, it was some sort of project she was working on. Eric really wished he'd been able to find Pyrite and ask him more about that doctor, but the man just wasn't around it seemed. He wondered if they'd screwed up with Mila, though. She just seemed to want to know who had put Eshva in a coma. Would it have really been so bad to tell her that up-front, rather than trying to zap her? Eric bit his lip at the thought and frowned. No, it was definitely best not to willingly give Mila any information on her sister. No telling what she had planned for her. He wished he hadn't finally given in and told her what she wanted, but her having that remote made things difficult. He was glad Glacial had stepped in to help, or he might still be under her control.

"But you can! You know, I recently lost 60 pounds. The wonderful part is that anyone can do it!"

He smiled around a mouthful of his sandwich as he thought about Glacial. Glace had been so nervous about anyone finding out about them spending so much time together, about them being so close. Despite that, he'd asked Eric to be his boyfriend. Along with a promise to always watch each other's back, even if they broke up, even if they stopped being friends, even if they ended up hating each other. Eric still couldn't puzzle out what prompted the seriousness of that promise, but he had absolutely no problem agreeing to it. He was glad to have Alex in his life. Eric just hoped he wouldn't end up hurting him like everyone else.

"Most people are pretty skeptical about weight-loss programs. There's so many fad diets out there, so many pills and programs that just don't do what they claim. This sounds to good to be true."

Eric still hadn't gotten around to talking to anyone on the list David Conrads had given him, though. He was avoiding it, he realized. If he disabled the suit to practice, he was afraid he might lose control of his powers and hurt whoever it was who was helping him. That had to be avoided at all costs. He hated the suit and desperately wanted it gone, but the suit was still thousands of times better than zapping someone.

"It probably does sound too good to be true, but it's not! There's a wonderful new weight-loss product that has been developed. Let's bring out one of the scientists who worked on the product, and he can explain how it actually works."

"Eric, the last thing you need to do is lose weight." Despite the fact it was projected mentally, the statement seemed to be accompanied by a yawn.

Eric jumped a bit, then grinned. He was really starting to get the hang of living with his invisible quad-mate, Sam. He looked towards Sam's bed, where sheets were starting to move around on their own accord. "I hope I didn't wake you up again? I tried to keep the volume down."

"Nah, I have to go to the bathroom. What are you doing? Watching infomercials again?" A certain measure of disgust was associated with the word "infomercials".

"Better than watching C-SPAN." Eric grinned again. "Wanna join me? They're just about to bring out the scientist!"

"Umm, no, I think I'll just go piss and head back to bed."

"Okay!" Eric laughed as the quad door appeared to open then close itself.

Eric looked at the tray of food before him and wrinkled his nose. "They expect me to eat this? It's all liquids and mushes and stuff!"

Glacial snickered. "I think that's standard punishment for making them do surgery on you. Don't worry, you'll be going home later tonight and then you can eat whatever you want."

Sighing, Eric pushed the tray back some and was about to reply when David Conrads walked through the door. "Hello Eric, Alex. Doctor Orson told me I'd find you here."

"Oh, hi, Mr. Con... er... Dave." Eric replied.

Looking rather uncomfortable, Glacial followed up with his own greeting. "Hi Dave... uh... how are you?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. Would you mind heading out to the waiting room for a bit, Alex? I'd like to have a quick chat with Eric."

"Sure, I'll just... wait out there." Glacial made his way out the door, which Dave closed gently behind him.

"So, Doctor Orson tells me you've had an eventful few days. Feel like talking about it any?" Dave took the seat next to Eric's bed that Glacial had been sitting in.

Eric grinned warily. "I guess I could, if you want. Look, I finally got the suit off!" Eric gestured towards his body with a wider grin, which anyone could clearly see was no longer encased in a suit. "Everything's gone except the base of the shoulder spikes. They'll be taking them out in a few weeks, because I'll require a longer time to recover they said."

Dave chuckled. "Let's back up a bit. Last we spoke, you were supposed to get help from some of your classmates regarding your powers. Doc Syl tells me you managed to find a different way to control them, though."

"Yeah! She told me it's probably a result of the time I spent in with the Terra Volta reactor. She didn't seem to like that I'd gone there. But she said it had altered the way my body processes its information or something. I have to focus to feel the kinetic stuff now, rather than it sandstorming me. Oh! And I can turn the charge off completely now, too!" Eric was getting rather animated and excited. "Which means I didn't need the suit anymore! Doc Syl had already talked to some specialists at the hospital here and they were set up to operate as soon as I was ready. She insisted on shipping me over immediately."

"She mentioned some complications you were starting to notice with the suit."

"Glacial said I was getting loopy. I don't know. I didn't notice any loopiness, though. I felt fine. She thought that my lack of sleep might be related to it, but came to the conclusion that that's actually related to the radiation and isn't hurting anything. She said the loopiness was probably because my body was doing some weird neurofeedback stuff because of being in the suit too long and having things change because of the radiation. She was originally planning to give me a temporary fix, but when I discovered I could control my powers, she insisted on getting me out of the suit immediately."

"You haven't explained how you discovered you could control your powers."

"Well, Eshva and Glacial and me were up on a rooftop practicing powers. Eshva was having me blast her with as much electricity as I could, and Glacial was working on raising his temperature. They both insisted I work on mine so I fully powered down the suit to try and discovered that everything was okay!"

"Eshva was having you blast her with electricity?"

"Oh, yeah! I didn't tell you about that yet. She started getting all stiff and numb and stuff earlier, so we took her to Doc Syl. I didn't understand what Doc Syl was saying very well, but something about Eshva's second nervous system was needing to get a lot of electricity through it. So she had me jolt her a bit." Blushing a bit, Eric added, "I actually jolted her a lot by accident, because I was too excited. But it helped her! She stopped being stiff and numb, and could actually feel again briefly!"

"Really? Well that's good news. How did that make you feel?"

"Awesome! I... my powers actually helped someone! It felt really good."

"But you've been using your powers to help people, haven't you? You work with GIFT a lot."

"Yeah, but that's not the same. I don't know them... I know Eshy, though, and my powers actually helped her. I don't know... it's just different."

Dave smiled. "Yes, there are differences. I'm glad you were able to help Eshva. And I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll let you get back to resting and spending time with Alex. I'd like you to stop by my office sometime next week, though, okay?"

"Okay, I think I can do that." Grinning, Eric added. "And I'll finally be wearing the school uniform again! No more glares from the sisters!"

Chuckling, Dave got up and headed towards the door. "I'm sure they'll be happy, too. Take care, Eric."


(( The end, of this storyline at least. Thanks to everyone who gave Eric help along the way. ))