Categories > Original > Drama > Separation
October 2, 1979
“First, there are a couple of things you need to know about Ray,” Charles began, taking a seat before a host of medical professionals. This included his grandfather, Dr. Karl, Dr. Mina, Ray’s old friend Eddy, and a myriad of others he didn’t know by name.
“First, he is not a Burnout.” Excited murmurs immediately rose, threatening to drown out any further explanation but Charles held up a hand. The conference room grew quiet again.
“He’s not a Burnout, but I can see how easy it must have been to misdiagnose him. Metaphysically he’s trashed, but he’s not beyond help. If we can put his psyche back together, his physical body should follow.
“Second, when Ray was still active duty and living with Alex and I, he routinely had power issues. The guy’s basically a satellite dish and he can’t control the amount of input he gets. Even after he’d learned how to regulate the visions, there would be times when he’d get in over his head. He needs other people to maintain his stability. I think this boils down to a multitasking issue: he can’t redirect so much data and interact with Real Life, so he tends to use people around him as backup memory. He isn’t feeding off of them so much as using them like a render farm, borrowing their unused power to bolster his own. Alex in particular is perfect for that since he’s huge and has no mental abilities himself.”
The chagrined blush threatening to creep above his collar could not be helped. He’d be kicking himself for months for jumping to conclusions like a stupid high school kid. God, how old was he? Misty would have said he was only seven in Girl Years. Some days he wondered.
“Dr. Karl, I believe you have data that backs up this theory?”
The petite surgeon nodded. “Yes, it would seem that all the Clairvoyants on record did better when in the company of a companion.”
“There’s your answer, then. Clairvoyants, at least one’s as powerful as Ray, need a guardian of some kind, both to watch out for them until they get the hang of the whole visions thing, and to help them sift through the cosmic energy flooding their brains.”
“Excellent, we’ve got a working plan for any further Clairvoyants,” Dr. Xerxes commented, steering the conversation back towards the topic at hand, “but what shall we do about Raymond?”
“Your problem there is he can’t seem to hold a charge,” Charles explained. “He’s burning everything he’s got just trying to heal his physical body. If he keeps up like this, he’ll end up like my father and do himself permanent damage.”
Silence settled heavily over the group as everyone pondered the implications.
“I don’t want to see that happen to my best friend.” Though the words caught in his throat, it felt good to say them. “He’ll instinctively pull on another super to try to supplement the lack of his own energy. It isn’t much, and it isn’t intentional, but right now a large part of him is focused on survival, plain and simple.”
“That would explain his anxiety over being alone,” Dr. Mina mused aloud.
“And why my treatments only did so much,” Eddy agreed.
“So he’ll need a nurse of sorts until he’s powered up enough to begin drawing in energy again himself?” Dr. Xerxes asked.
“Pretty much. Somebody- or better yet, several somebodies- who are really Zen and laid-back like Alex. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to appoint someone to be his personal, full-time buddy, either. Actually, I’m pretty sure I can get a volunteer without any trouble.”
Julian quirked a suspicious eyebrow, but Charles just smiled.
“First, there are a couple of things you need to know about Ray,” Charles began, taking a seat before a host of medical professionals. This included his grandfather, Dr. Karl, Dr. Mina, Ray’s old friend Eddy, and a myriad of others he didn’t know by name.
“First, he is not a Burnout.” Excited murmurs immediately rose, threatening to drown out any further explanation but Charles held up a hand. The conference room grew quiet again.
“He’s not a Burnout, but I can see how easy it must have been to misdiagnose him. Metaphysically he’s trashed, but he’s not beyond help. If we can put his psyche back together, his physical body should follow.
“Second, when Ray was still active duty and living with Alex and I, he routinely had power issues. The guy’s basically a satellite dish and he can’t control the amount of input he gets. Even after he’d learned how to regulate the visions, there would be times when he’d get in over his head. He needs other people to maintain his stability. I think this boils down to a multitasking issue: he can’t redirect so much data and interact with Real Life, so he tends to use people around him as backup memory. He isn’t feeding off of them so much as using them like a render farm, borrowing their unused power to bolster his own. Alex in particular is perfect for that since he’s huge and has no mental abilities himself.”
The chagrined blush threatening to creep above his collar could not be helped. He’d be kicking himself for months for jumping to conclusions like a stupid high school kid. God, how old was he? Misty would have said he was only seven in Girl Years. Some days he wondered.
“Dr. Karl, I believe you have data that backs up this theory?”
The petite surgeon nodded. “Yes, it would seem that all the Clairvoyants on record did better when in the company of a companion.”
“There’s your answer, then. Clairvoyants, at least one’s as powerful as Ray, need a guardian of some kind, both to watch out for them until they get the hang of the whole visions thing, and to help them sift through the cosmic energy flooding their brains.”
“Excellent, we’ve got a working plan for any further Clairvoyants,” Dr. Xerxes commented, steering the conversation back towards the topic at hand, “but what shall we do about Raymond?”
“Your problem there is he can’t seem to hold a charge,” Charles explained. “He’s burning everything he’s got just trying to heal his physical body. If he keeps up like this, he’ll end up like my father and do himself permanent damage.”
Silence settled heavily over the group as everyone pondered the implications.
“I don’t want to see that happen to my best friend.” Though the words caught in his throat, it felt good to say them. “He’ll instinctively pull on another super to try to supplement the lack of his own energy. It isn’t much, and it isn’t intentional, but right now a large part of him is focused on survival, plain and simple.”
“That would explain his anxiety over being alone,” Dr. Mina mused aloud.
“And why my treatments only did so much,” Eddy agreed.
“So he’ll need a nurse of sorts until he’s powered up enough to begin drawing in energy again himself?” Dr. Xerxes asked.
“Pretty much. Somebody- or better yet, several somebodies- who are really Zen and laid-back like Alex. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to appoint someone to be his personal, full-time buddy, either. Actually, I’m pretty sure I can get a volunteer without any trouble.”
Julian quirked a suspicious eyebrow, but Charles just smiled.
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