Arise X-man || The draw of destiny
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xp_logsBackdated to Thursday, November 4th, 2021
Trigger Warning: Warning for psychological manipulation and future adult themes.
Laurie meets with Dr. Nathanial Essex and begins helping his son, Adam 'Nate' Essex.
“Have you decided on the dose yet”
Laurie strode toward one of the recreation areas, Dr. Essex at her side. She had more time today, having made excuses to Darcy about needing some time to herself for the afternoon. It was a small lie, and unlike Doug, Darcy did not have the power that could read lies in her body language.
“My power will never lead to an overdose but effectiveness can vary over time dependent on dosage and frequency of application.”
"We aren't looking for a prolonged response. The more you help Adam's body integrate the use of his powers, the more his body will build reflexive reactions. Those should take over for your powers." Essex said crisply, flipping through his notes. "Rather like a crutch. Once the patient is healthy, he'll walk unassisted so to speak. However, I have some concerns over your powers in regards to yourself. You do realize that the physiological aspects of your powers have also been damaged by your injury? According to my scans, you're operating at least fifteen percent lower capacity than you should be, but the effort to maintain that level is the same or even greater than it would be at full strength."
“I hadn’t known, no.” She hadn’t thought to ask anyone, to be honest. She wasn’t sure what that meant for her. “Is it dangerous? Also, we’ll need to be aware of the slight addictive properties of what I do. It shouldn’t be a problem over the shorter period we’re working with but I want to make sure it’s been accounted for.”
"It's concerning. Repairing the nerve damage may correct the issue. Or it may not. It's... a variable." Essex hated variables. "As for your addictive elements, Adam's telepathic abilities can counter the physical elements that your pheromones use to create the addictive response in the brain. As long as you stay within the spectrum of output I outlined."
He didn't need to even hint what would happen to her if she didn't. The one thing she'd learned almost immediately was that Essex would burn the world to protect Adam.
“What would correct the issue?”
Laurie gave him a sharp glance, she was not doing this to only be half-healed. If there was more to be done, then she wanted it done. She waited as Essex opened the door to the more residential side of the building, and then moved through as he gestured her on.
"I'm not sure yet. Regenerating the nerve damage is your current priority, yes? If so, it will take the timeline we discussed to correct that issue. Trying to formulate a new separate treatment for a different condition will take considerable time and resources."
“Nerve damage first and foremost then, everything else can be a renegotiation after that.” Laurie entered the lounge where Adam was waiting, apparently an entertainment centre given the PlayStation 4 currently being utilized. “Nate, good to see you again.”
"Doctor Collins." He nodded politely, looking up from the Maddon game he was playing via his telekinetics, the controller in the air in front of him while being manipulated. "I guess it's time for another session?"
“Call me Laurie, please. There’s no need for such formality.”
Laurie moved over to sit beside him on the couch and held out her hand. It was a simple exchange but her power had always been easier to both use and direct with physical touch.
"I have work to do. Doctor Collins, do see me before you leave." Essex gave them both a nod and then left, headed back to his own lab. Nate reached out and took the controller and set it down before taking her hand.
"OK, so, what are we working on today?"
“We need to find out which cocktail of hormones works best with your powers. So if you can do some psionic scanning, I can try different combinations and you’ll tell me when things start to feel less chaotic.”
There were other things as well, but sticking a million leads on him to monitor everything would not be the best way to start this. She could always ask his father for scans later to adjust her approach if it was needed.
"Sure." He reached out with his powers and almost immediately recoiled. "Um, sorry, are you sure you meant telepathic? Because, uh, who's Darcy?"
“A friend of sorts, a girlfriend?” Laurie pushed her power gently, remembering the parameters she'd discussed with Essex earlier. She didn’t often explain how things worked for her, how her power was more an art form than a science. Most of the time she had to remember feelings that corresponded to the hormones she was looking for, and don’t even get her started about what combinations were like. She’d dissociated almost everything just to make sure she didn’t accidentally dose everyone in the mansion with a case of panic when she’d been doing finals every year. “She helps me with a lot of the issues I have only having one arm. What did you see?”
"You're projecting pretty hard and... um... it's kinda personal." He was actually blushing, which hinted pretty strongly to what kind of images he'd pulled from her first.
“Does that make you uncomfortable?” Laurie sounded fascinated but she honestly wasn’t here to make him uncomfortable, especially given the way his father might react if he complained. “We could try something else?”
"No... no, it's just... well, most people I meet don't want someone seeing that sort of... personal information. If you're fine with it." He was, after all, a healthy teenage male, and if she wasn't embarrassed by it. He probed a touch deeper, even as her surface memories of sex with Darcy played across her consciousness. He was peeling his way into recent but banal memories; a harder telepathic trick because they lacked emotional connections or context that made more significant memories easier to find. As he did, he started to wince, the tension headache already springing to life.
Laurie had been monitoring closely and had noticed the tension immediately. She let go of his hand and reached up to run her fingers along his temple and down the side of his neck, pushing comforting pheromones to ease the tension. She had known Jean long enough and been around telepaths for long enough to know a little of what they did, and the problems that might result.
“Gentle, you don’t need to push so hard, it’s a whisper, not a shout.”
"It's not- it's-" Nate said, trying to focus on the image. The pain receded, giving him a chance to push forward. "You... you had waffles, I think. Four days ago. And an orange juice and a coffee. The check was... sixteen forty-two."
“Can you taste them?” Laurie was curious, her fingers and thumb still gentle against his neck as she watched him process the new input. “I’ve never asked if telepathy is full tactile memory or just impression. Do you see images and hear sounds?”
"Images. Sounds. I'm sorry, I just... I can taste everything."
“Back off a little.” Laurie changed the pheromones slightly, pushing extra dopamine along with the endorphins she was already using. It would give him extra focus, and a little bit of a rush but nothing too major. “Try and focus on something in the scene, can you tell why I decided to go there?”
"I know. It's about the general memories first but it was-" Nate paused, and leaned back. "Those are intense."
“People are intense,” Laurie replied, settling herself back as she placed her hand in her lap. “I hide it a little better than most but we’re all a chaotic mess most days.”
"I guess. I-" Nate shook his head, trying to dislodge the sex scenes that were first in her mind. "It didn't hurt this time."
"I would hope not, otherwise your father would be most disappointed in me." Laurie smiled at that, sure that had Dr. Essex thought for a minute she was unsuitable for the task, she'd never had even heard from him, much less been given access to his son. "Does it often hurt when you try to read people?"
"Or when I spend more than a few seconds in the air telekinetically or when I lift more than three objects." He threw up his hands. "I'm supposed to have all these abilities and whenever I even slightly push them, I end up on the ground feeling like someone just caved in the back of my skull."
“Hmm, I have time, we could go through each of them and see what works best to help you there. Flight might be interesting, my power's influence lasts longer over time but we could see how long you can maintain what you’re doing before you require another dose.”
"I-" Nate stopped, gathering himself. "I'm supposed to be the one, you know? I'm going to be the one to stop the greatest evil the world has seen and... what if I'm not good enough? What if when I face him, I'm out with a damn headache?"
Laurie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She’d not taken the time to ask Essex why he needed her to help his son, only accepted it as the price of doing business.
“The greatest evil? That’s a lot to put on your shoulders, Nate. I know of several groups that face evil every day but they always have teammates to help them. Why would you have to face such a thing alone?”
"Because no one else can. At least, Dad says no one else can. I don't know." He said, obviously still a teen. "I have a responsibility to master these abilities, and it feels like I'm letting everyone down every time I can't."
“Well then, it’s good that I’m here to help with that.” Laurie stood and offered him her hand. “Come on, we need some room to practice flight.”
"OK, sure." Nate was quick to follow her, a bit of the lingering buzz of her powers, the rather graphic memories of her having sex, and the novel sensation of not being in immediate pain.
Trigger Warning: Warning for psychological manipulation and future adult themes.
Laurie meets with Dr. Nathanial Essex and begins helping his son, Adam 'Nate' Essex.
“Have you decided on the dose yet”
Laurie strode toward one of the recreation areas, Dr. Essex at her side. She had more time today, having made excuses to Darcy about needing some time to herself for the afternoon. It was a small lie, and unlike Doug, Darcy did not have the power that could read lies in her body language.
“My power will never lead to an overdose but effectiveness can vary over time dependent on dosage and frequency of application.”
"We aren't looking for a prolonged response. The more you help Adam's body integrate the use of his powers, the more his body will build reflexive reactions. Those should take over for your powers." Essex said crisply, flipping through his notes. "Rather like a crutch. Once the patient is healthy, he'll walk unassisted so to speak. However, I have some concerns over your powers in regards to yourself. You do realize that the physiological aspects of your powers have also been damaged by your injury? According to my scans, you're operating at least fifteen percent lower capacity than you should be, but the effort to maintain that level is the same or even greater than it would be at full strength."
“I hadn’t known, no.” She hadn’t thought to ask anyone, to be honest. She wasn’t sure what that meant for her. “Is it dangerous? Also, we’ll need to be aware of the slight addictive properties of what I do. It shouldn’t be a problem over the shorter period we’re working with but I want to make sure it’s been accounted for.”
"It's concerning. Repairing the nerve damage may correct the issue. Or it may not. It's... a variable." Essex hated variables. "As for your addictive elements, Adam's telepathic abilities can counter the physical elements that your pheromones use to create the addictive response in the brain. As long as you stay within the spectrum of output I outlined."
He didn't need to even hint what would happen to her if she didn't. The one thing she'd learned almost immediately was that Essex would burn the world to protect Adam.
“What would correct the issue?”
Laurie gave him a sharp glance, she was not doing this to only be half-healed. If there was more to be done, then she wanted it done. She waited as Essex opened the door to the more residential side of the building, and then moved through as he gestured her on.
"I'm not sure yet. Regenerating the nerve damage is your current priority, yes? If so, it will take the timeline we discussed to correct that issue. Trying to formulate a new separate treatment for a different condition will take considerable time and resources."
“Nerve damage first and foremost then, everything else can be a renegotiation after that.” Laurie entered the lounge where Adam was waiting, apparently an entertainment centre given the PlayStation 4 currently being utilized. “Nate, good to see you again.”
"Doctor Collins." He nodded politely, looking up from the Maddon game he was playing via his telekinetics, the controller in the air in front of him while being manipulated. "I guess it's time for another session?"
“Call me Laurie, please. There’s no need for such formality.”
Laurie moved over to sit beside him on the couch and held out her hand. It was a simple exchange but her power had always been easier to both use and direct with physical touch.
"I have work to do. Doctor Collins, do see me before you leave." Essex gave them both a nod and then left, headed back to his own lab. Nate reached out and took the controller and set it down before taking her hand.
"OK, so, what are we working on today?"
“We need to find out which cocktail of hormones works best with your powers. So if you can do some psionic scanning, I can try different combinations and you’ll tell me when things start to feel less chaotic.”
There were other things as well, but sticking a million leads on him to monitor everything would not be the best way to start this. She could always ask his father for scans later to adjust her approach if it was needed.
"Sure." He reached out with his powers and almost immediately recoiled. "Um, sorry, are you sure you meant telepathic? Because, uh, who's Darcy?"
“A friend of sorts, a girlfriend?” Laurie pushed her power gently, remembering the parameters she'd discussed with Essex earlier. She didn’t often explain how things worked for her, how her power was more an art form than a science. Most of the time she had to remember feelings that corresponded to the hormones she was looking for, and don’t even get her started about what combinations were like. She’d dissociated almost everything just to make sure she didn’t accidentally dose everyone in the mansion with a case of panic when she’d been doing finals every year. “She helps me with a lot of the issues I have only having one arm. What did you see?”
"You're projecting pretty hard and... um... it's kinda personal." He was actually blushing, which hinted pretty strongly to what kind of images he'd pulled from her first.
“Does that make you uncomfortable?” Laurie sounded fascinated but she honestly wasn’t here to make him uncomfortable, especially given the way his father might react if he complained. “We could try something else?”
"No... no, it's just... well, most people I meet don't want someone seeing that sort of... personal information. If you're fine with it." He was, after all, a healthy teenage male, and if she wasn't embarrassed by it. He probed a touch deeper, even as her surface memories of sex with Darcy played across her consciousness. He was peeling his way into recent but banal memories; a harder telepathic trick because they lacked emotional connections or context that made more significant memories easier to find. As he did, he started to wince, the tension headache already springing to life.
Laurie had been monitoring closely and had noticed the tension immediately. She let go of his hand and reached up to run her fingers along his temple and down the side of his neck, pushing comforting pheromones to ease the tension. She had known Jean long enough and been around telepaths for long enough to know a little of what they did, and the problems that might result.
“Gentle, you don’t need to push so hard, it’s a whisper, not a shout.”
"It's not- it's-" Nate said, trying to focus on the image. The pain receded, giving him a chance to push forward. "You... you had waffles, I think. Four days ago. And an orange juice and a coffee. The check was... sixteen forty-two."
“Can you taste them?” Laurie was curious, her fingers and thumb still gentle against his neck as she watched him process the new input. “I’ve never asked if telepathy is full tactile memory or just impression. Do you see images and hear sounds?”
"Images. Sounds. I'm sorry, I just... I can taste everything."
“Back off a little.” Laurie changed the pheromones slightly, pushing extra dopamine along with the endorphins she was already using. It would give him extra focus, and a little bit of a rush but nothing too major. “Try and focus on something in the scene, can you tell why I decided to go there?”
"I know. It's about the general memories first but it was-" Nate paused, and leaned back. "Those are intense."
“People are intense,” Laurie replied, settling herself back as she placed her hand in her lap. “I hide it a little better than most but we’re all a chaotic mess most days.”
"I guess. I-" Nate shook his head, trying to dislodge the sex scenes that were first in her mind. "It didn't hurt this time."
"I would hope not, otherwise your father would be most disappointed in me." Laurie smiled at that, sure that had Dr. Essex thought for a minute she was unsuitable for the task, she'd never had even heard from him, much less been given access to his son. "Does it often hurt when you try to read people?"
"Or when I spend more than a few seconds in the air telekinetically or when I lift more than three objects." He threw up his hands. "I'm supposed to have all these abilities and whenever I even slightly push them, I end up on the ground feeling like someone just caved in the back of my skull."
“Hmm, I have time, we could go through each of them and see what works best to help you there. Flight might be interesting, my power's influence lasts longer over time but we could see how long you can maintain what you’re doing before you require another dose.”
"I-" Nate stopped, gathering himself. "I'm supposed to be the one, you know? I'm going to be the one to stop the greatest evil the world has seen and... what if I'm not good enough? What if when I face him, I'm out with a damn headache?"
Laurie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She’d not taken the time to ask Essex why he needed her to help his son, only accepted it as the price of doing business.
“The greatest evil? That’s a lot to put on your shoulders, Nate. I know of several groups that face evil every day but they always have teammates to help them. Why would you have to face such a thing alone?”
"Because no one else can. At least, Dad says no one else can. I don't know." He said, obviously still a teen. "I have a responsibility to master these abilities, and it feels like I'm letting everyone down every time I can't."
“Well then, it’s good that I’m here to help with that.” Laurie stood and offered him her hand. “Come on, we need some room to practice flight.”
"OK, sure." Nate was quick to follow her, a bit of the lingering buzz of her powers, the rather graphic memories of her having sex, and the novel sensation of not being in immediate pain.
