The Eye
The Eye had been waiting for them. Waiting patiently for his moment.
And now, it was his.
As long as Avery didn't sense him, he was home free.
The tour bus of the Hansons was stopped. The Eye reached out with his mind and seeked out the youngest of the Hansons. Who shall it be? Zoe or Mackenzie?
Mackenzie. A much more fitting target.
He entered Mackie's mind and went to work. He telepathically blocked Mackie's use of his power, and then just for kicks made a few more blocks to make it impossibe for him to move physically. Well, outside of important functions such as breathing.
He also left a little surprise behind. He knew it wouldn't be long before someone realised and fixed it, and he wanted them to have an appropriate greeting.
He smirked to himself and then went on his way. With Isaac out of the way it would be much easier to tormet the Hansons. He would enjoy picking them off like flies.
Mackie couldn't move. He couldn't even utter a sound to tell them he couldn't move. He panicked.
"Somebody help me! he cried.
Avery
Avery winced. That was loud.
"Mackie?" she asked.
Mouse
Mouse looked around, startled by the surge of fear that had erupted out of nowhere. She tried to track it back and found it was emaneting from Mackie. "Mackie, cher, what's the matter?" She walked over to him, concern on her face.
Fafnir's head swung up, and he growled. He could scent that something was happening and he knew he wouldn't like it.
Zac
"I can't move! I can't move! Avie! Help me!"
If Mackie had been capable he would be crying.
Meanwhile, Zac and Taylor were training Ash to pose as Isaac. Being a shapeshifter he should visably be able to look like Isaac and sound like him when talking. But as for music, well, they would have to get him to fake it. Mackie had been watching.
"Ash, that is not how the song goes," Zac was saying. "You have to - Mackie? What's with the blank look? Two seconds ago you were cacking yourself laughing. Mackie?"
Taylor and Ash G
"Yeah, laughing at me, being oh-so helpful," Ash joked.
But Taylor's face twisted in concern at the look on his fiance's face.
"Mac?"
He made his way over and waved his hand in front of his eyes. No response.
Avery
Avie stepped over to Mackie and sat in front of him.
"Mackie, what's happened? Why can't you move?" Avery frowned, she didn't like this at all.
Mouse
"Mackie, calm down, ok? We'll figure this out." Mouse put her hand on his shoulder, seeing the terror in his eyes and feeling it thrum through her as well. She looked down at Fafnir. GO do a bit of a patrol.
Will do. Fafnir loped off with Bets by his side.
Taylor and Ash
"Let's get him in the bus," Taylor knelt down beside him.
He glanced back at Zac and Ash before putting an arm under his brother's shoulders and his other under his brother's knees, and lifting him into his arms.
"Someone find mom and dad."
Mouse
"Right," Mouse said, and ran back to where she thought Diana and Walker were. "Diana! Walker! Something's happened to Mackie!"
Zac
"I can't move! I can't even fly!" Mackie whimpered in his mind.
Once they had awkwardly moved Mackie into the bus, they laid him down on a couch.
"It's okay Mackie," Zac said to him, wondering if he could even hear him, "we're going to figure this out."
Avery
Avery hovered above Mackie, her prescence still in his mind.
"Mackie, it's going to be ok. We'll call Tanya or something, and we'll get you out of this... do you mind if I poke around a bit?"
Mackie
"No, I don't mind. Just please don't leave me!" Mackie replied.
At least being able to talk to Avery made his feel better. Why couldn't he move? Why oh why oh why?
Mouse
Fafnir whined deep in his throat. Something was off, and he couldn't quite pick what. Too many people walking by, and the scents were all muddled. He thought he could smell something familar...something that made his hackles stand up and his lips draw back from sharp teeth. Enemy. But he couldn't quite get it! Fafnir snarled in frustration, then headed back to Mouse. There's been something out there, but I can't get it. There's been too many people, too much movement. I know it's bad, but I can't pick what!
Thanks anyway, Fafnir. Mouse ruffled his ears. "Fafnir said there's something. or was something but there's not enough scent left to say what ot was exactly."
Enemy. Old enemy. I should know who!
"An enemy. Old enemy. Not enough to say who, and he's quite frustrated about it."
Avery
Avery felt around tentatively in Mackie's mind, unwilling to do more than look for fear of hurting him. She could sense the wall which was blocking his powers and movement, but there didn't seem to be a way around it. Going through it would take a lot of power, and Avery wasn't quite confident she could do it herself.
"Mackie, I'm not hurting you am I?" she asked nervously, extending her prescence further into his mind.
Zac
"No. You're not hurting me. Please help me Avie!" Mackie cried.
"Am I to assume that you're doing something Avie?" Zac asked in a low voice. "Considering it's awfully silent back here and I have no idea what's going on?"
Avery
Avery looked up, withdrawing most of her prescence from Mackie's mind.
"Yeah, sorry. I'm having a look around. There's... there's a big block in there," she told her older brother.
Avery sighed tiredly and let herself enter deeper into Mackie's mind. The block was solid... there was no way she'd get through it. Ever.
"It's ok, Mackie, I'm here."
"Oh, I'm never going to get through that," Avie mumbled sadly. "I'm not powerful enough."
Taylor
"It's ok Avie," Taylor rubbed her shoulders.
"You can only try. If you can't do it, we'll contact Tanya. Can you try... Can you sense who it was? You know how when a telepath has been in someone's head they always leave a sort of fingerprint? Can you see who it was?"
Avery
Avery poked around, concentrating intently when she let out a little gasp.
"No... it can't..."
She wandered around a bit more.
"Mackie... are you still ok? Let me know the minute I hurt you."
She rubbed her eyes and focused then sighed sadly.
"It's... it feels like The Spider. But that can't be... right?"
Taylor
Taylor's face lost colour.
"The Eye..." he whispered, turning away.
If the Eye had Isaac, then who knows what...
"Zac? Find dad. Tell him the Eye's been here," he shook his head slightly, "we need... we need to find Tanya and Leroy."
Zac
Zac nodded and ran off.
"Dad!" he called urgently.
"You're not hurting me, Avie," Mackie replied, a little calmer now that he knew his sister was trying to help.
Walker
Walker heard his son's cries from across the parking lot. Ash had just been trying to explain to him what was going on.
The two began to rush for Zac.
"What is it Zac? What's happening?" Walker's face twisted in concern.
Jessica
Jess heard her brother's cries, and ran over to see what was wrong.
"What's wrong, Tigger?" she asked.
Zac
"Something's happened to Mackie," Zac replied. "Avie went into his head to find out - The Eye has been here!"
Walker and Ash
"The Eye?" Walker gasped.
"Oh man," Ash shook his head.
"Ashley? Find my phone I think I left it with Mark."
Ashley ran off.
Walker nodded to his son.
"I'll let Leroy know."
Zac
Zac nodded.
"I'm going to see how Mackie's doing..."
He hoped Avery had been able to help as he ran back.
Avery
Avery looked up to see Zac, then returned her attention to Mackie.
"I'm just going to try and break the wall down. Tell me the moment it hurts."
Avery took a deep breath and started to feel tentatively at the wall. It was thick, and it was unlikely she could do it. In fact, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to break it, but she would try.
She extended her prescence all around the wall, attacking it at different angles, searching for a hole to slip through and unlock it. Nothing so far. She continued to scan carefully, up and down. She pressed cautiously against the wall. Solid... but in time, it could be broken.
Her optimisn started to reappear. Maybe she could break it. Not quickly, but maybe in time, she could unlock some of it.
Zac
"How's it going?" Zac asked softly.
"What kind of wall is it?" Mackie asked. "Can you break it down with a sledge hammer? Or one of those great big balls?"
He imagened a huge brick wall getting smashed down.
Avery
Avery sighed. "It's... it's tough. I've never really... I'm not sure if I can." She took a deep breath. "It's thick. But I think I could get through in time. I wish I were stronger."
"Yep, it's like a big brick wall. You're going to be ok, Mac," Avery lied, forcing herself to keep her thoughts cheerful.
She pushed again at the wall. Right, this would be just like taking the collar off. Except of course, she was working on the thought of Taylor dying. And then herself dying. So the pressure had forced her to succeed.
It was much like the energy she'd dealt with before. So she'd start small again, and work with small sections.
Avery took another deep breath and focused on knocking down a small section of the barrier. She carefully poked through it, then retreated from his mind.
"I'm gonna have to..." Avery mumbled to herself.
Zac
Mackie blinked.
"I blinked!" Mackie thought delightedly. "I can look around the room! Yay!"
"He's moving his eyes!" Zac exclaimed. "Good work Avie."
Avery
Avery smiled slightly and concentrated on the space in front of her. She closed her eyes and let some telepathic energy flow from her mind. She opened her eyes and spread it out into a line.
"Come on, come on, come on..."
She watched the energy swirl around into a spiral like shape and then she flattened it out into a round disk.
"Aha... Daraik-nam."
She took another deep breath and lifted the Daraik-nam in front of Mackie's face and sent it into his head. She sighed with relief as it worked, and let her prescence enter his mind again.
"Mmmkay, let's get this show on the road," Avie muttered, biting her lip.
"You ready, Mac? Well, of course. Nevermind."
She sent the disc running along the small hole she'd made in the barrier. She let the Daraik-nam swirl around back into energy.
"Ok, let's hope that helps," Avie whispered.
Mackie
Mackie opened his mouth, his eyes glittering with relief and excitment.
"I... I can talk! Whoo hoo!"
Avery
"Silence is golden," Avery said dryly, then refocused on the task at hand.
She sent the Daraik-nam's energy into the tiny opening she'd made and felt a larger hole be created. She'd unlocked half his mind.
"Hey Mack, move a limb. Not drastically though," Avie said.
Mackie
Mackie bit his lip (delighted in the fact that he could) and attempted to wiggle his fingers.
"Yay!" he grinned.
His arm from the eblow twitched slightly
Avery
"Come on, come on... just like riding a bike," Avery muttered.
She used the Daraik-nam to rebuild the half of the wall she'd knocked down and let it push the other half down. Her eyes lit up as a gold light shone from them, and her hair flew back, for a brief second turning white.
Avery shot backwards one metre from the force of the wall. The wall crumbled and she let the Daraik-nam dissipate, then toppled over.
She was about to tell them it was over when a picture flashed into her head.
"NO IKE!"
Taylor
"Avie?!" Taylor exclaimed, rushing to her side.
"Ave, what is it? What about him?"
Avery
"No, oh god no, no!" Avery cried, holding her head and holding her eyes closed.
She fell onto Taylor.
"Ike... he's... oh god, no. He can't be. He's... no. Tay, he can't be, he just can't be."
Avery's tears fell from her eyes.
"Dead."
Taylor
Taylor's eyes widened, before he pulled her into his arms for a hug.
"No, no, no... he couldn't, he couldn't," he shook his head.
The Eye wouldn't kill him. He was always so... different about things. He always got someone else to do the dirty work.
Then again, he had been kinda pissed when Isaac had saved him from Canada...
He just shook his head again.
Avery
Avery hugged Taylor, crying into his shoulder.
"It's my fault... because I helped him get the collar off, and now he's back and he's not going to leave us alone, is he? Why did I help him?!"
Taylor
"Avie no, it's not your fault," Taylor ran his fingers through her hair.
"You only did it because you had to. They made... you didn't have a choice, ok?"
He began to rock her back and forth.
Avery
Avery hugged Taylor tightly, still freaking out from what she saw. She wouldn't tell them the details. They didn't need to know. She didn't even want to see it. But she would rather face the gruesome picture alone rather than let her family see what she was seeing.
"He can't be... Tay, I know he can't be. He... he just can't."
Taylor
"Sh, sh..." Taylor hushed, trying to calm her down.
"Maybe... maybe he was playing a trick on you or something, ok?" he tried, "this guy is pretty powerful. We can't underestimate him."
Mouse
"He can make you see what's not real. Confuse and bend what's happened so it appears all wrong," Mouse said quietly, thoughts immediately turning towards Christian. Fafnir was quietly snarling beside her; almost out of his mind with rage that someone had dared to hurt them *again*. Bets tried to calm the wolf down, and he shook her off. Mouse could feel her own anger rising, the fact that it was one of the kids really beginning to get to her. It wasn't right to do this to kids. Calm down, Pack. You'll scare the pup.
Mouse, I swear, we're going to kill him. He's gone too far.
He went too far the first time he used his powers to control other people.