A maniacal laughter that lasted over ten seconds then the sound of glass shattering and books flying all over the place. I barely managed to cover my eyes in time before the booming sound threw me off and left me sprawled on the ground.
"How dare you want to take her away from me!?" The suspect walked towards me. He was enveloped in debris as though he was the eye of a miniature hurricane inside the library. The furniture moved away as he made his way, unstoppable yet slow.
"I'm not trying to take her away from you!" I shout trying to get my voice past the ringing noise in my ears.
"Liar! You're just like them. Don't think I didn't see you luring her to the adult aisle." He grunted as he pointed at me with his hand. Albeit bare, it somehow looked more menacing than if it carried a gun.
"I just want to know what happened to the missing people."
"You will find out soon enough." His voice was followed by an unseen force that pinned me to the wall. The pressure increasing by the second and I felt it on every bone in my body. It felt akin to being strangled, stepped on and restrained all at the same time.
'Time... I need to buy time... I just need time.'
"Reinforcements are close, just endure a little longer." The system voice popped into my mind, but enduring was no longer an option as I was thrown away by the same invisible force. Everything hurts and I can feel my consciousness fading away.
'If I don't do something, anything...' I think to myself grasping at straws. As a desk agent I never questioned myself about whether or not I had what it took to kill someone in service and now I didn't have the time to sort my feelings. I strain my muscles to the maximum in order to grab my standard issue Glock19M and open fire.
"Worthless, you're worthless." The suspect laughed maniacally.
'Did I forget to remove the safety? No, I heard the shots. Maybe I missed?'
"Did you really think a gun could hurt me?"
'That jerk Ericssen lied. I know it for sure now, there's no way a normal person could corner a returnee.' I closed my eyes for just a second, enough for me to drop limp on the ground and I became spectator of my soon to be demise. The silliest thought of me becoming one of the voices in the white room made me chuckle despite coughing blood.
At that moment the room became silent and the hurricane like movement of debris stopped altogether then a single leather cover book flew into the suspect's hand. It looked dangerous in a way I could not describe. It wasn't how the book looked, but rather the ominous feeling drenching out of it as though it sucked out all the light in the room.
"Your vitals are dropping, you need to wake up." The system manager said in its built in neutral tone, but I could tell the agent on the other side was worried.
I was completely powerless against such an enemy. Bullets could do him no harm and his power allowed him to move objects with enough force to break through concrete. The fact that I was still alive was nothing short of a miracle, but then an idea popped into my mind. What if it wasn't a miracle, but that he couldn't manipulate living beings. It made sense and that was all I needed.
"You're just a scared kid." I say as I stand up with the same grumble adults let out when standing up from a couch. The suspect tried to laugh it off, but the moment I pointed my hand towards him he flinched then closed his eyes bracing for impact. Of course, nothing really happened safe for the soft water sprinkle I could let out. It was so weak it didn't even reach him, yet somehow it granted me the opening I needed and I didn't miss the chance.
I ran with all my might in a tackle without much hopes, but the moment our bodies made contact he dropped on the ground out of breath. It turned out that he was immune to bullets not because he possessed a strong body, but rather that he was able to stop them mid air with his psychokinetic ability.
"So maybe he wasn't lying after all." I let out in a relieved sigh after putting the suspect in handcuffs.
"You think this will stop me?" The boy said with a smirk. Before he could try something weird I gave him a goodnight punch and he dropped once again, only now he was unconscious.
The reinforcements appeared not long after and they handled the rest of the situation. The system manager said I didn't need to stay for questioning and he or she would write the report which worked perfectly for me. I was done with the day and the only thing I wanted was to get some sleep.
A young agent stopped me right before I entered my car and placed a gentle hand on my chest. At first I thought she may have been interested in me and was getting ready to turn her down, but then a fresh sensation traversed my body.
"I'm sorry, this is all I can do. You probably still need to go to a hospital."
"I'm fine, thanks." I shake my head. Heading to the hospital would mean more paperwork, but that was the only silver lining. They would asks questions I still didn't know how to answer and do lots of tests only to give me pain meds which I wouldn't take anyway. All I needed was the comfort of my apartment and a good night sleep.
The next morning Patrick showed up early in the morning reminding me it was a weekend. Usually, FBI agents work a minimum of 50 hours a week with desk agents mostly working an 8-5 hour day and some work on the weekends. However, desk agents in my department work differently. It's a 9-5 with no weekends in. This might change in the future, but for the time being they allowed me to keep the same schedule to keep a solid cover.
I make a late breakfast wincing at every small movement under Patrick's close supervision. My entire body hurts, but I'll be fine. A quiet weekend is all I need to recover.
"So, how did it go?" Patrick asked hinting that he knew more than he let on.
"You... how did you find out?" Cold sweat trickles down my forehead as I plan my options. If the only thing he knows what he saw when I watered the succulent with my skill then I can make an excuse about learning magic tricks online or something. That would require me to actually learn some tricks, though, and I'm not into magic.
"Figuring it out was easy for someone with a sharp eye like me. Besides, I did some digging. Confess now or else."
"Patrick, you must not tell anyone!" I glare at him, the glare that usually makes him flinch. Only now it didn't work.
"Then you have to tell me everything about your date last night."
"Date? What date?"
"Come on! We know everything. You suddenly remembering you had something to do and pushing me out of your apartment then Tasha bailing on Maggie out of a sudden. You may be an FBI agent, but you sure can't keep anything a secret."
'You'd be surprised.' I inwardly say to myself. In the past few days I have been to two different worlds where science and the laws of physics are a suggestion rather than universal laws. I'm now able to do magic albeit weak. Not just that, I also fought against a returnee who had the power to control objects with his mind.
"So you kept in touch with Maggie." I deflect.
"Of course... I have a good feeling about her. I can already see myself settling down, adopting a puppy, painting a new house...," He let out a wishful sigh then continued. "our children will be named..."
"You can stop there. If she hears you talk like that she will lose your number." I joke.
"Anyway, how did your date go? It must have been a pretty wild night if you're still sore." He laughed.
Unfortunately my deflection wasn't good enough and I'm left pondering my choices once again. If I say I didn't date Tasha he may ask me where I've been. On the other hand, I can't lie and tell him I had a date with someone he knows or he'll catch my lies. I could be vague, but then he will keep pestering me. Then I resort to my default.
"It's none of your business." Patrick didn't seem offended which surprised me.
"It's fine if you don't want to say anything about it. I just want to make sure you're alright." A faint smile popped up in his face as he looked at me with honest eyes.
"If you're so worried about me, then start by doing the dishes." I turn on the TV and sit on the couch leaving him pouting.