MindStep: a Psi-Kicks story by GF Willmetts.

The last place Sara Seeker, Sheena Ramone and Courtney Adams expected to turn up was a private hospital ward in a general hospital in a city in the early hours of the night. In the bed was the fallen Vampiri Olicia Noctoree, still very much comatose. By her side was Fernfaire with Ludomere Shear, nodding before leaving.

‘Isn’t she supposed to be recovered by now, Fernfaire?’ Courtney Adams asked, placing a large box of chocolates on the side table.

‘Our own Psionics aren’t powerful enough to work out why. Miss Shear has supplied enough energy so she doesn’t drain anyone here. The elders don’t approve me asking but we need someone to get inside her head.’

‘That’s tricky’, Sheena looking closely at Olicia. ‘We can manipulate memories or give orders. The mind is more complicated, dontchaknow.’

‘All electrical spikes’, explained Sara. ‘Hard enough to work out what are memories, let alone personality. Even our memory interrogator has to direct a question to get a memory recalled by the conscious mind before it can be read.’

‘Conscious mind is only ten per cent of the whole, dontchaknow? Rest autonomic. Real mindfield.’

‘You’ve been inside Olicia’s head, Ms. Ramone. You must have seen something different about us Vampiri?’

‘Like living off psionic energy?’

‘We…shall I use your word…leech off anyone near by unless we are deliberately fed.’

‘We need to confer,’ Sara said, she reached out and touched Sheena’s hand.

<<Feed me what you saw in the Vampiri’s brain.>>

<<It’s only a flash memory. More concerned about turning her off.>>

<<Show me.>>

There was a pause as both Psionics studied the image.

<<And with feeling. It looks like city lights. No wonder you didn’t want to store the energy.>>

<<Serious indigestion from you and Lancey. Shared off you and used that to redirect the energies. Glad you absorbed it Was flashing lightning all over that playground. Tiger’s tail.>>

<<I saw the result.>>

<<So why doesn’t Fernfaire leech from us? Must be more than their tamed Psionics.>>

<<We saw the result. Overfeeding. He must realise we know.>>

<<How old is he? You told me he was relatively young compared to the elders.>>

<<Been careful not to scan him.>>

<??>

<Needed to establish trust>>

<<Trusted us here now. We need to look at a normal Vampiri brain and how its mapped.>>

The two Psionics turned to Fernfaire.

‘That was quick.’

‘Spaking doesn’t need breathing, dontchaknow?’

‘Sheena says that Olicia’s brain was lit up when she briefly scanned it. Can’t promise anything but need to see what a normal Vampiri brain looks like than just turn you down. Do you know if your kind are wired differently? It would be like rewiring an old-fashioned telephone exchange.’

‘You want to scan me?’

‘Unless male and female Vampiri are wired differently.’

‘Are you going to give away any secrets about your kind?’ Ramona got serious. ‘We can keep secrets, dontchaknow? You must have an annual medical check, just to make sure that nail through your finger hasn’t gone rusty?’

Fernfaire looked down at his small finger, looking up, ‘Olicia’s nail was missing.’

‘So whoever had her captive took it out’, Sara mused. ‘Didn’t you tell me it was supposed to signal a pain threshold?’

‘It reminds us we can still experience pain.’

‘Olicia bouncing round like a rubber rabbit looked super-human, dontchaknow?’

‘We tend to act restrained. Modern mythology has links to us. Spring-heeled Jack.’

‘One of yours?’

‘The human vampire legends focused on blood and seduction not the physical attributes we get. We think Stoker saw one of us scaling a wall and added it to his book. We have the long life but we need to control the energy we digest.’

‘We figured that but what if you’re starved of the energy.’

‘We’ve never have been until…’

‘From starving to over-fed and then drained.’

‘An’ no charity aid ta come to the rescue’, Sheena added. ‘cept us.’

‘Ludomere was one of your more powerful Psionics?’ Courtney finally joined the conversation. ‘Wouldn’t she know how much to give before she drained herself or do you normally take indiscriminately?’

<<I don’t think they’ve ever had to analyse how their powers work before…or not in a long time.>>

<<I didn’t translate the energy into physicality.>>

<<You’re not a Vampiri.>>

<<They damaged her. Can we reconnect the connection?>>

<<I’ll need help as to what to connect.>>

<<I’ll get Fernfaire to do something I can track.>>

‘Ms. Shear couldn’t rouse Olicia, Ms. Adams.’

‘We can hardly have you walking across the ceiling in here.’

‘How about something to show how strong you are?’

Fernfaire looked at the two Psionics with raised eyebrows.

‘Unless there’s something else to demonstrate how strong you really are?’

‘Don’t worry if this tickles.’

Courtney moved to the windowed door and looked out. It was quiet.

As Fernfaire was about to lift the bed, both Psionics sat on the side of the bed. The Vampiri lifted all three women without any strain.

Sara reached out and touched Fernfaire’s head and in turn was touched by Sheena, who then touched the comatose Olicia. They remained as a tableau for Courtney Adams to watch. Whatever was going on was at a level she could ever sense. That wasn’t her job. She just had to make sure there were no interruptions. The male Vampiri looked entranced.

‘You can put us down now, Fernfaire,’ Sara finally said.

‘What did you do to me?’

‘Sorry, we didn’t want you screening us out of your brain. We needed to see how you turned psi-energy to physicality.’

‘An’ me to make the same connections in your lady love, dontchaknow,’ added Sheena.

Octavia gave a soft groan before turning over.

<<Did you do it?>>

<<The main connections. The rest should regroup.>>

‘Sheena might have to check in a couple days,’ explained Sara. ‘Whatever was used on Olicia messed her brain royally. Having her energy conversion working should take some of the strain away.

‘Could a Psionic have done this?’

‘Too brutal, dontchaknow. More like drugs.’

‘Human?’

Sara shrugged. ‘We intend to find out. You’re still missing, what, two Vampiri.’

‘What now?’

‘Let her rest. She’s having a natural sleep now.’

‘Its nearly dawn, Ferny, we have to avoid the rush hour. Too many norms, dontchaknow. Ferny might have to dodge the daylight.’

‘I asked for your help, Ms. Seeker, Ms. Ramone. I’m grateful for any help.’ The Vampiri bowed but careful not to touch either of them as they left.

‘Have a good sunset.’

oooooooooooOOOOOOOoooooooooo

Courtney Adams drove the range rover towards the outskirts of city. On the back seats, Sara and Sheena were lounging with their eyes closed, the latter with a bottle of lemonade.

‘Is there anything I should know?’ she asked.

‘Just log it as doing a favour, Court,’ Sara replied. ‘We’re still making sense of it ourselves. It’s the first time we’ve broken through a Vampiri shield. Lots to make sense of. No wonder his elders didn’t want us scratching around.’

<<Olicia is Fernfaire’s wife?>>

<<Or lover. I wasn’t scanning for specific gen. He didn’t suspect we took control of his mind?>>

<<I didn’t want him complaining. He isn’t prone to temper tantrums but others might. We didn’t share off him. Vampiri energy usage has more in common with Chris and your TK.>>

<<Shame. I’d love to go climbing walls.>>

<<You still might have to. Whoever caught Olicia and the others could easily do the same to us.>>

the end

 

© Psi-Kicks, Sara Seeker, Sheena Ramone,

 Courtney Adams, Olicia Noctoree, Fernfaire, Ludomere Shear,

© GF Willmetts 2025

All rights reserved.

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