A Telepath's Accidental Heroism

art condition was a pre-existing vulnerability, a secret he kept from the Bureau to stay in the field. Thompson' s hit squad, the stress, the blood loss-it all pushed

hade of gray. His eyes were closed,

hands hovering over Ben' s chest, unsure wha

he back of the heavy-duty tablet

the positive and negative terminals, I can tell them where to place them. It' s like a controlled electrocution. God, I hope th

felt. "You' ll see a black block, the battery. There are two wires

t knife to do exactly as I said. He worked with a d

, shuddering breath

" Dad yelled, his voi

one on the left side of his chest, just below the pectoral muscle. Put t

ions without hesitation.

stand back!

u still owe me a reward. And a b

ide it, a buzzing, electric power. I visualized the safety protocols, the tiny digital locks preventing a power s

lently off the bed with a loud crack. For a horrifying second,

le

th

," Liam whispere

pressions, careful of the gunshot

. It' s chaotic. One more time. A smaller jolt

ed. "But this time, I' l

my own frantic thoughts, past my dad' s and Liam' s fear. I listened for the faint, chaotic flutter

No

didn't do anything physical, but the tablet sparked again, a much s

assed. The

r of life back into his face. His eyes shot open, and he gaspe

Liam dropped the smoking tablet onto the floor. I just s

rgical procedure, everything, right here in my head. But I need tools. A proper operating theater. Surgical-grade polymers. Things you do

of awe. He had been on the edge of death, and

t," I mumbled, su

, fat check would be nice. I could finally move out. Get my own place. Maybe a small apartment

tured to his chest, "and to stop Thompson. I' ll get it for you. The FBI has resources. Black sites. Of

FBI medical facility? That was e

ly good cafeteria. I could make a list. A new heart valve for Ben, first priority. Then, a lifetime su

usiness. "The procedure to fix your heart is complex, but I can guide a surgeon through it. Or... I coul

to check on Ben. She looked at the makeshift defibrillator, at Ben' s stabilize

he placement... it' s a one-in-a-million shot that this

gged. "Luc

tailed plan for his cardiac surgery, complete with diagrams of

is revolutionary. This technique... it' s at least ten years ah

. Also, the weird alien encyclopedia that got beamed into my brain when I wa

Reed, that information is classified. We need your he

sands of lives. Of course, I' ll help." She then turned to me, her eyes gleaming with scient

ew, just as I did, that the last thing I wanted w

e walked past me to get her bag, she stumbled

t girl in our class. I wonder if she remembers me. I should ask her out. Wait, no, that' s u

g at Dr. Reed with a dopey, lovesick expression. Dr.

y. Sometimes... thoughts get sticky. They jump from person to pers

circus. A non-stop, ridiculous circus of p

ing myself up from the chair. I trudged

massive reward. Buy a dog. Then, use my newfound freedom to expose a corrupt senator and sa

one. And it was always, always