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The Center-Meet The Enhancer-8
by: Stanman63
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[*][*][*]
I woke up in a strange bed with an I.V. drip going into my right arm with a strange looking crystal rod aimed at me from behind my head attached to a monitor screen displaying my current vital statics with its twin at the foot of my bed.
On the right hand bedside ottoman was an open laptop on a swing arm and on the left hand ottoman was a meal tray with several chilled bottles of my favorite soda, diet root beer as well as what I could tell from the label, chilled butter pecan coffee with French vanilla creamer and sweetener.
"You back with us?" asked a relieved Dani.
"Yes. What is this place? It looks like I'm on board the Enterprise in the sick bay."
Dani smiled as she passed me a soda, "You're not far from the truth."
"Oh?"
"The Center's gadgeteers have been working upon this new medi center and have been readying each module for permanent replacement of the original. You are the first patient."
"You mean to tell me that the mattress is inlaid with sensors and that that gizmo under the monitor actually works?"
"Yes. The wall behind the monitor contains the diagnostics computer as well as a selection of on call equipment in case of emergencies."
"That's cool. What about the ottomans?"
"The one under the laptop contains your reading material while the other one is a minibar filled with sodas and snacks."
"Good! I'm still thirsty!" I said as I finished my soda with a belch.
"Well, at least you sound healthy," she giggled has she exchanged my empty for a fresh brew.
"Sorry about that, but a good root beer will have a good head of foam that'll give you a good belch. NOT to drink just before exercising or in a battle," I admitted with a smile.
"True, anything else you want to know about the room?"
"Yeah, does the color of the readout vary?"
"Good observation, they are color coded with green meaning healthy, yellow meaning caution and red meaning danger."
"Cool, are there any warning alerts?"
"You bet. When the monitor shows yellow, a yellow light turns on, bathing the room in a yellow hue and a bell sounds off along with a warning alerting you and the attending staff to your condition, Same with RED alert, except that there is a clarion bell that sounds until the crash team arrives."
"Okay. But what about the zombie bodies?"
"They are being held in a secure vault down in security where it is on a sealed environmental system. You have to go through an airlock and decontamination in order to enter or leave."
"But what about the Center? Those zombies must have contaminated everything."
"Nothing that bleach and a force field can't fix. As for any infection, it can't stand up to a healthy immune system."
"So, only a weak mind and/or body is at risk."
"Yes, unless you get bit. THEN you need antibiotics FAST or risk becoming a zombie like them, calling out for brains."
"You gotta be kidding! That only happens in bad movies good only for FRIGHT NIGHT THEATER.
"Got'chsa," she giggled.
I got my pillow, "Why!" and threw it at her, "You!"
She ducked, "Me what?"
I felt refreshed as the culmination of pent up stress finally found release. I could once again sense Dani's aura as well as the electromagnetic spectrum.
I found that I could filter out all but the visible spectrum and sense everything with a radar-sonar echo-location sense that pinged off of every mind in the Center, giving me the unique ability to see everybody, again.
"Danni, I need to get serious, now. I think that we need to test me to see just what I can do."
She held my hand,, "I can sense that you can link to others, especially those who've you've linked with before and in your presence, their abilities automatically achieve the boost that you gave them, but that is all that I can see. I can call Lili in so she can do a deep probe."
"Please do."
[*][*][*]
I went to the lavatory to refresh myself and take care of my morning ablutions. I still marveled at my new body and wanted to take care of it, so I used a sponge to clean my more delicate parts and stepped over to the closet to pull out today's outfit.
It was the school uniform along with nude pantyhose since it was known that I liked wearing hose. Once I was dressed, I came out to find that Lili was in the room with Danni.
"Danni says that you need confirmation of your capabilities. Is that correct?"
"Yes, but I am afraid that I may hinder your probing without meaning too," I confessed.
She placed her hand on my shoulder, "I am not probing your memories, except for those of you using your gift and scanning your mind to see what you see and feel. Can you open your mind to let me see, or enhance me so that I can?"
"Is there some sort of equipment that can be used?"
"Lili, there are the VIRTUAL REALITY HELMETS used by the gamers in the arcade. They are set up so that two players are linked into the same game. We can ask Colonel Harris if there are any that we can use," offered Danni.
"I'd prefer not to bother him with this since he is busy with setting up other Centers. Kristyn will have the same information, call her."
Danni nodded and went over to the panel by the door and pressed a gold button with K K on it, "Kris?"
"Yes, Danni?"
"Are there any of the VIRTUAL REALITY HELMETS not in use in the arcade?"
"Why do you need them?"
"Lili needs a set in order to more effectively probe Sunny in order to evaluate her abilities."
"Let me check. There four sets refitted for use as teaching aides and dampening rogues and one set up for interrogation. You want that one?
"Kris, this is Lili. That would be perfect. When can we use it?"
"Come to my office. I need to make sure that the Colonel isn't using it "
[*][*][*]
As we headed out, I asked Lili, "Why would he be using the headsets?"
Lili smirked, "Colonel Harris does not want for the Center to know thathe indulge in a frivolous past time. He is a bit vain in that regard."
"Couldn't they also be used for communication with someone?"
"Yes, with anybody wearing a helmet or a com-link. And it can be used to control him by a telepath."
"Well, we're about to find out," observed Danni as we entered the office of Kris.
She had a set with her behind her desk and Colonel Harris sitting in the chair across from her, wearing another helmet. As we sat down on the padded bench, he removed his helmet, "I've just been in conference with Homeland Security via the helmet. There is a mounting crisis where we will need you, Sunny. Are you ready?"
"Sir, I need to know what my capabilities are before I can safely answer that question. Last time that I was in a battle, I just about burned out."
He nodded, "Fair enough. Kris has a set ready for that purpose."
Kris placed the set on her desk, "These have been readied for your use. Because of the possible exploitation, only telepaths and Command Personnel know of its existence, but not of its location. And I need the Colonel's authorization to unlock it from my safe."
"But you can easily get it out anytime," I observed.
"True Sunny, but it takes a drop of my saliva to activate them," answered Harris.
"Follow me to my private office," ordered Kris as she carried the tray through a hidden door.
She placed the set on small table between two recliners in the corner with a love seat against one wall and another set up next to a a computer terminal next to a twin bed with a door by the bed giving access to her bathroom.
"Lili, Sunny, sit in the recliners. I will monitor from my terminal."
We sat down with Danni on the love seat by Lili, Harris in the love seat by me.
Kris set a helmet on Lili and me, then sat down at her computer, "Lili, go ahead, the system is ready."
I felt a gentle breeze flow through my mind, then found Lili lifting off the helmet, "That didn't take long at all."
"No it didn't. In fact, it felt like a gentle breeze."
"What is your assessment?"
"Sunny can automatically enhance anyone that she has linked to without any strain to her or the target. But still causes a drain upon herself if she links to anybody new, and is immune to anybody's gift that she has ever linked with, Colonel."
"What of her senses?"
"She can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum and has the hearing, sense of smell of dog with the added ability to block any sensory overload as well as the ability to sense the mental aura of anybody within the Center."
"Is she ready for the mission? We need her help."
"That's up to her, Sir," answered Lili.
"Colonel, what is the crisis?"
"Terrorist have taken over a private school where there are at least twelve pre-emergents. WE have been asked to assist since it concerns us."
"I'm game."
[*][*][*]
End Of Center: Meet The Enhancer-8
To Be Continued In Center: Meet The Enhancer-9
