Saif

The endeavor was a dangerous pursuit, because Saif could not predict the kind of powers his subjects would manifest. What if one gave birth to a gravitational singularity, like a black hole? He needed precautions. He used to wrap the subject’s thoughts with mental chains before attempting to manifest them, but the technique had been made outdated. But he had plenty of ideas and experiments to test. The concept of the seeds and their vines had sprouted from a movie. A documentary about building climbing vines. They had resilience and adaptability, the two attributes he sought after. Saif modelled and tested the concept in his mind until the designs matured.

Saif sat up in the bed and smiled as he recalled the moment he had cracked the idea of the seeds. Even the toughest of journeys have their joyous occasions. Like milestones. He twisted and reached behind himself to rub his lower back. His good mood faded. Being bedridden took a toll on the body. The greatests triumphs required the severests sacrifices. Hurdles were made to be vaulted.

Sweetness flooded him. Saif sighed in relief and dove into General Jacob’s mind. The General was already awake and doing his rounds. Another batch of manifested subjects to be evaluated. Their seeds had sprouted some time ago. Would they have potential?

Saif rode General Jacob’s mind as he entered a white cell and the elevated temperature could not be mistaken. A squarely built man crouched low and pressed into a corner, but his mind didn’t ooze of panic or fear. The door slid closed behind Jacob. The unpleasant heat did more than just warm him, it caused Jacob’s shoulders to tighten, teeth clamped shut and eyes opened wide. Jacob stirred into panic. Saif grabbed the emotion and squashed it, its cotton candy like material disintegrated. Jacob breathed out and his body’s pent up tension softened.

Saif looked into the subject’s mind. Vines were still stable. Saif spoke with Jacob’s voice. “Carl. How are you today?”

The enlarged emotions in Carl’s mind were calmness and focus. Good, they had endured the manifestation. Saif yanked Carl’s freshest thoughts and inspected them. A volcano. Heat. Fire. Molten rock and the distinct smell of rotten eggs. At least not a black hole. Could Carl generate heat or make actual volcanoes erupt from the floor. Saif yanked a set of older thoughts, turned them over and read into their details. Ah. Carl was the volcano, a volcano on two legs. Dangerous. What would happen? Carl’s mind and body could not harm the facility or its people intentionally. The seeds had rooted deep and the vines grasped tight around his thoughts. Saif have met some people he had difficulty in controlling, those people lacked certain emotions and since his mind control worked like it did, by influencing emotions, those people had an immunity. It was ironic that simpletons, people who lacked things in their head were so difficult to control. Carl was not among those people. Calmness and focus being Carl’s enlarged emotions suggested that Carl had less risk of panic. Dangers could only be mitigated to a degree before the method of mitigation grew too tedious and obstructing. Forward. The cell’s fire hazard alarm was turned off. Saif injected a sequence of commands into Carl’s mind. Triggering the man’s sweet liquids to channel to his power, which initiated activation.

Carl’s eyes widened, hands shuddered and sweat trickled down his face. Heat steamed out from his open hands. Flames of fire rose and molten rock dripped out from his palms. Drops singed the floor. Smog accumulated and Jacob’s eyes watered. Temperature rose quickly. Saif felt how Jacob grew uncomfortable, but he squashed the General’s panic again. The slow flow of lava didn’t harm Carl. His enlarged emotions had not torn his mind in half. Good. A stable subject. Carl stood up, straight back, studied his hands as the molten rock poured sluggishly from the center of his palms. The drip stopped and the lava instead flowed upwards, curling around Carl’s forearms. The flow snaked up his arms and shoulders. Enough. Saif injected a command and the vines suppressed the power. The lava dissipated into smog and the room’s temperature turned back to normal again. Carl wore a happy smile.