Isaac
While one group of alien hunters were plotting (or rather alien alien hunters) another was preparing to make his move. [insert dramatic music here].
Isaac walked up the path to Ashley's house, with a bouquet of flowers in one hand. He was going to take her out to a fancy restuarant this night.
He knocked on the door and waited for a moment. Dale opened it, and eyed Isaac for a moment.
"Taking my daughter out somewhere respectable?"
"I wouldn't dream of taking her anywhere else."
Dale grunted, then called for Ashley.
Ashley
Ashley heard her father call for her and went downstairs.She smiled when she saw Ike.
Isaac
"Hi Ashley," he said. "I bought you some flowers."
And on that quite obvious statement, he gave her the bouquet. His eyes flickered to her father briefly and he decided that now was not the time to give her a kiss, even one on the cheek.
Ashley
As they got out the door Ashley turned to Ike,"Ike I have to tell you something." She said as she stopped walking.
Isaac
"Sure what is it?" Isaac asked. "And hey, aren't you going to put those flowers in water or something?"
Isaac/Ashley
"Oh, ahh, sure," Ashley replied, somewhat distracted.
She ran back, gave her father the flowers to put in a vase for her, and then returned.
"Umm... yeah... okay... look, we can't go to the restuarant tonight," she leaned over. "Dad knows what you are."
"What?" Isaac repeated, alarmed.
"He overhead us talking when you came over the other night."
"I knew it. I knew it was a bad idea to be answering your alien questions."
"I know. I'm sorry. He's planning an ambush. We have to go elsewhere."
Isaac put his hands on his head and massaged his face.
"I don't want to go through this again. This really sucks."
"I'm soooo sorry."
Isaac sighed.
"I know. C'mon, lets go."
Isaac and Ashley got into the car.
"I know somewhere else we can go," Ashley said. "It's real quiet. I'll give you directions as we go."
"Okay cool."
A few minutes later they pulled up. They got out of the car, and Isaac looked around, a little confused.
"This is it? There's nothing here. That's resturant has obviously been closed for months."
"Mmm. Health regulations," Ashley replied.
Isaac's eyes narrowed and he looked at her.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
Her lips curled into a snarl.
"What do I want? You. Dead."
"What? Why?" Isaac was, naturally enough, rather alarmed.
"Because you killed my uncle. Because you don't belong on this planet. Because of what you did to us!"
Isaac took a step back nervously.
"Us?" he repeated.
He felt something in his back.
"You ain't going nowhere buddy," Dale growled.
"Thanks to you I have that... that... that stupid girl in my head!" Ashley screamed at him. "I don't know who I am any more. You let me die! Her die! You never loved me. You used me! You don't belong here! You deserve to die! Die! Die!"
Isaac's eyes widened as he saw what had become of Ashley. He could see in her screaming two people. Two people.
"Myra?" he whispered.
"I hate you!"
The gun behind him cocked.
"Time to die," Dale said smugly.
BANG!
"Daddy!" Ashley sobbed, running to his side.
Isaac had a grim, shocked expression on his face. He had used his telekinesis to move the gun, but he guessed adrenaline had caused him to move it further than intended. Dale was dead, Isaac too stunned to move.
He felt dizzy. Not again. This couldn't be happening again. His memory of that horrible day where Myra died - or at least her body died - came rushing back. He collasped, memory becoming reality and reality becoming simply vague impressions. It was through clouded eyes that he saw Ashley spring upon him, her fingers wrapping around his neck to choke him. He didn't even try to stop her, It was all a dream.
Time passed, how long Isaac didn't know, but soon he found himself sitting up. There was a woman, all in black leather, kneeling beside him. Dale was lying on the pavement still. There was no sign of Ashley.
"What... what happened? Who are you?" he babbled.
"I'm Tanya," said the woman plesantly. "And you?"
"I.. Isaac. What's going on?"
"Your girlfriend didn't seem to like you much. She was trying to choke you. Fortunately, I managed to get her off you. And fix some of her mental problems."
"Mental... oh dang... Myra."
Tanya sniffed.
"That wasn't really Myra, by the way. Just an echo. Echo's tend to react to whosever mind they're put in - they have these gaps and... well, it's complicated, especially for a non telepath to understand. Suffice to say, it reacted badly to Ashley's mindset and personality."
"Oh," was all Isaac could manage to say. "Umm, thanks."
"No prob."
"I guess I was lucky you were here."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Tanya grinned. "I'm a master of Ga'Revali*."
"Ga'Revali?" Isaac gasped.
"Mmm. I caught a high burst of telepathic energy earlier this... well, New Years. Figured I should check out the local talent and find out what they've gone and done. I would have come sooner, but there was a couple of urgent matters I couldn't delay. Actually, by the time I arrived in Tulsa it was pretty easy to track down Ashley - echos tend to give off a lot of telepathic residue. It's rather irritating. It's just the talent I was having problems finding."
Tanya sighed.
"It's a shame things have gone how they have. I would have like to get the talent to remove the echo - it would have been a good way for me to assess them. Still, if I had realised just how badly Myra's echo was screwing with Ashley's mind..."
"Where is Ashley?"
"She's run off. I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. I've removed any memory of this night from her mind - and aliens for that matter," Tanya looked at him kindly. "I can do the same for you if you wish."
Isaac hesitated.
"Or maybe you're rather I dulled it? You reacted pretty traumatically."
"I think I would prefer that. I feel a little silly wanting to remember..."
"Nothing silly about it at all. If you block it out completely you can't learn from the experience, can you?"
"I suppose."
"Now, I imagine you know who the little talent is, huh?"
"It would be my little sister Avie."
"Mmm... younger than you huh?" Tanya looked pleased. "A telepath able to create echos at a young age is a strong telepath indeed. Not many become Ga'Revali masters, but your sister just might, if I can assess her abilities, and she starts training now."
Isaac nodded and breathed deeply.
"Well, I guess I have no more plans tonight. I can take you home and you can meet her now if you'd like?"
"Actually, I think I'd feel safer if I did the driving," Tanya grinned.
Isaac managed to smile back.
*Telepathic Martial Arts