Sykoddik

"Wake up, S. It's time for your medication."

Sykoddik wasn't about to put up with that sort of crap. Those words proved to be the last of one particularly unlucky and cold-hearted scientist named Sinclair. The last thing that went through his head when he realized he was about to die? A piece of piping maybe a foot and a half long.

Sykoddik hastily fished through the late Dr. Sinclair's pockets until he found the keys... as well as his ID card. Both were, of course, looted. The keys weren't actually for the door of the cell, but for the locks connected to his straightjacket. Sykoddik's powers were immense, but he figured it wasn't worth it to waste time trying to unlock tumblers that he couldn't see. Rather, he concluded that it was much easier to kill two birds with one stone... or, as it were, to kill one scientist and steal one set of keys with one cylindrical piece of steel.

As if hung from invisible strings, the ring of keys picked itself up off the bloodied floor and floated in front of Sykoddik's face. The keys flipped over each other several times until one finally pointed straight upward. The other keys bunched together and the keyring levitated into the first lock, opening it with a click. There was the sound of jangling metal as he fumbled with the keys, finally getting the other two locks to obey him and open.

The straightjacket fell to the floor. Sykoddik cracked his neck, then let out a loud yawn and stretched his arms to their full extent. The door was open, the stage was set and the pieces were all in place. It was time to make his escape.

From the first second he walked out of the cell, Sykoddik already knew he was being watched. There were very few live guards patrolling the halls of the facility, but a widespread network of surveillance cameras kept watch day and night, continually feeding the video through to the security guards. He wouldn't get far unless he took some precautions. Luckily for him, his abilities were immense enough to do just that.

The security camera on the corner began to spark and emit strange noises, as its circuitry overheated and melted into a metallic goo. Now was the moment of truth. There was probably already someone on their way to apprehend him. Being as ingenuitive as he was, though, he would be prepared.

Sykoddik closed his eyes, clearing his mind and not so much forcing as allowing a series of images to pop into his head. Clairvoyance is a fickle ability, sometimes working the opposite of how you want it to, but this time, it came through. Just like that, the entire layout of the facility was burned into his mind. There was nothing left to do but follow the white rabbit. And follow it he did.

-

"WHAT?! HOW COULD HE HAVE ESCAPED?!"A fist slammed down on a table. Someone was mad. That someone happened to be a general. He was a big man with an imposing figure, but no uniform and no number of medals could hide the panic evident on his face. He'd asked a rhetorical question, so he wasn't really looking for an answer, but that was what he received anyway.

"Apparently, when Dr. Sinclair tried to administer the sedative, he pulled a piece of piping out of a wall outside the room, jammed it into the doorframe before it could close, drove it through Sinclair's head, and finally looted his keys."
"You allowed that quack to walk into a cell with the most unpredictable PK on the continent, unprotected and without backup?! Unacceptable! And furthermore, why would you even CONSIDER giving Sinclair all three keys?!"
"He's never put up that big of a fight before. The suppressor usually did the job just fine."
"Well, obviously, it didn't. The fact is, Sinclair's dead and Sykoddik is storming the halls. The guards are completely unprepared to deal with him. We're both dead if he sees us, and even if he doesn't, he'll escape, and then what will we have to show for it?! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!"

The professor tried to simmer the general's searing rage. "Don't worry, General. I have a way to debilitate Sykoddik. Once he's weakened, we can capture him again, and I promise you he won't see the light of day. Nobody will know a thing about our operations." The general tried to keep his cool. It was difficult, but he put up a valiant effort.

"Well, get on it, Professor. And remember, if this doesn't work... you and I were never associated."
"Of course."

With that, the two went their separate ways, one confident in their ability to restrain a psychokinetic, the other worried about what this breach of security could mean for his job... or his life.

-

Sykoddik, meanwhile, was slinking his way through the halls. Despite the drugs he'd been given and the abuse of his powers, he didn't have a grudge against everyone in the building. The guards, after all, were just doing their job. He was certain, however, that the general and the professor would likely not make it out of this ordeal alive. Unless they just let him go, which, of course, was never going to happen.

A few metres away, he could hear the sound of two guards talking as they patrolled the halls. Something about a new model of car which was coming out next year. Sykoddik, obviously, had no time to eavesdrop on them. After blinding another of the security cameras with a bright flash of photokinesis, he set to work doing a little trick. The moment the guards turned around the corner, a message appeared in both of their heads that was impossible to ignore: "You can't see me."

You see, if you can force something into someone's mind as thoroughly as Sykoddik could, you can make them believe it. He was right in front of them, but they walked right past him as if he wasn't even there. Sykoddik smirked confidently. Yet another victory for psychokinetics everywhere.

Elsewhere, the professor looked over her shoulder in a paranoid fashion as she headed for the facility's locker room. In her opinion, the general was going a little off his rocker, but there was no denying that Sykoddik was infinitely useful to the government. With his immense abilities at their disposal, they might be able to locate the Soviet Union's stockpile of nuclear weaponry, wherever it was. On the other hand, it probably would've been a better idea to ask him rather than abduct him. What could she say? Everything is clearer in hindsight.

The professor opened a locker and extracted a large set of machinery: A battery pack and what looked like an amplifier, the size of a suitcase but light enough to be carried. Sykoddik wouldn't get far if she could catch him with this. A shiver ran down her spine. If she failed, somebody would have her head, whether metaphorically or literally.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

-

Sykoddik spent several minutes navigating the complicated corridors, all the while sabotaging the computer systems and generally laying waste to everything he saw while still staying out of sight. Finally, at long last, the two main doors stood in front of him. The moment he walked out, they'd never be able to find him. He was ready to disappear for good. Suddenly, the professor's voice rang out in the hall.

"Going somewhere, S?"
"Ah, professor," he said dryly as he turned his head, "So nice to see you again. You know, it's been fun, but I really must be going. So many things to see and all that."
"I have nothing against you, Sykoddik, but I can't let you leave. You're too powerful for me to risk you joining the USSR."
"Join the USSR? You misunderstand me, professor. I just want to get some air."

The professor didn't have time to listen to him right now. She flicked a switch on the device she was carrying. It began humming ominously for a moment, then activated all at once. The sudden emission of sound waves caused Sykoddik to fall to the ground, clutching his ears. The professor, of course, was wearing special earmuffs to mute the aggravating noise. She said something to Sykoddik, but he couldn't hear her over the machine.

Sykoddik slowly raised his right hand and cleared his mind as best he could. The sound waves began becoming quieter and quieter, until they were reduced from a crippling scream to just a whisper. The professor had underestimated him, as usual. You see, sonokinesis, or psychic control over sound waves, is quite real indeed. He had just never shown it off before.

"How did you do that?" was all the professor could say. Then, she yelped in pain and pulled her hands off the device. It dropped to the ground, hardly making a sound. The metal had become red-hot, and now, just like the camera, it was melting into a pile of liquid scrap on the floor. Sykoddik grinned one last time and flung the professor into the back wall with a telekinetic shove. He then walked out the door, and according to the professor's report, was never seen again.

At least, not for the next several months.

-

A news report flashed onscreen. "The man known as Simon Kodd is still at large. He is wanted by the FBI and the CIA on several charges of armed assault and destruction of government property, as well as suspicions of conspiracy and treason. A $250,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to his apprehension. Kodd is considered armed and dangerous. If you have any information, please call-"

The TV was abruptly shut off. Simon sighed. Obviously, they still wanted him.

"Maybe if I come back willingly, they'll pay me," he thought. Simon Kodd, aka Sykoddik, quietly walked out of his apartment and headed for the police station. It was worth a shot. After all, if they disagreed, he'd just have some more... fun with them.

He wasn't even all that sure why they were so desperate to keep him contained. It wasn't like he was the only psychokinetic in America, and there were certainly others who would be more than willing to defect to the Soviets for the right price... such as, for example, the chance to press those big red buttons Simon had heard so much about. It was a tempting thought, but really, global thermonuclear war is kind of a high price to pay for just pushing a button, even for a man who could throw a tank with the power of his mind.