Seeking In Rhythm : a Psi-Kicks story by: GF Willmetts

‘I’m glad I spiked her for this meal’, Sara Seeker said quietly to the statuesque Libertine Rush, Baroness Samedi, sitting opposite her in the café, looking down at the people coming through customs. Half of the meal was still on the plate. ‘I had to spike her for a child’s portion. It’s even bigger than an adult version back home.’

‘Deys haves bigs childrens.’

‘I think they prefer quantity over quality so they’re too stuffed to do anything more than tip the staff.’

The Baroness dipped one of the chips into the ketch-up and ate it slowly. ‘Maybes wes shoulds imports ours foods.’

Sara copied her and slowly ate. ‘At least we wouldn’t be putting on weight. It’s going to be harder avoiding their hormone meat.’

‘Messes ups da genes?’

‘They might not know that. All about normality. How did you handle it when young?’

‘Ah travels. Dats hows Tullius becames Samedi. Wasn’ts dere to oppose ‘im.’

‘And your mother?’

‘Travels. Didn’ts cares ta bes ins ones places ta longs.’

‘A trait of the old world Psionics. Medea travelled the world when it was the hardest thing to do with ease, becoming known as someone else at each place.’

‘Wit’ everyones ‘membering her. Peoples remembers talent. Shes alsos flees hers reputations or hers sisters.’

‘We’ve got away with it so far. Well, a limited number which we control.’

‘Differents talent.’

‘Nothing in black and white.’

Sara’s eyes glazed as she reached out and then back to normal. ‘No signatures. Maybe they failed and just stirring things to see what we would do. They misjudge us. We wouldn’t go in ham-fisted and pick a fight without a recce.’

The Baroness shook her head, ‘Deys learns ta hides. Dos scramblers.’

‘The models we’ve grabbed didn’t stop us but it’s a good point. Negative imaginary.’ Sara’s eyes glazed again briefly. ‘I think we need somewhere else. Cross-coordinates.’

‘Youse founds somethins?’

‘Just a trace. It would be easier if they’d be spread out doing something. Steven Regal isn’t even home. Abroad. We have to make believe we can’t track him but didn’t want his signature disturbing things here.’

‘Youse dones the backgrounds checks?’

‘Enough. Time to bait the trap.’

‘Youse beens quiets ‘bout dats, evens ta mes.’

‘I had to move quickly. Just had to move quicker than I thought we should. I’ve been careful not to have an spakers doing this. The last couple pops into America had to be aborted. The norms were watching out for us. We have no idea if this Peregrine Project has any telepaths listening in.’

‘Ah is no spaker.’

‘Of course not. But if this project has any spakers, we don’t know if they can read even you or listen in…or you can jump them. So I’m keeping the mental network quiet while we’re doing this. They’ll listen out but not spake to us but continue the way we normally do at home.’

‘Youse missings somethin’?’

‘There’s a possibility that they have some of your DNA. If they’re playing mix the DNA, there’s a possibility of a domino like you who can spake or spike.’

‘Ors dat shares youse dos.’

‘We under-estimated Regal when we thought he was just looking around. DNA theft. We should have been paying more attention than just being nice.’

‘Dats means deys weres successfuls.’

‘Or long coincidence or they have farsighters.’

They both paused and ate some more fries.

‘Why don’t they supply vinegar.’

‘Deys donts makes reals chips.’

‘Only when they make steak chips and I don’t want to touch their meat. I swear they put the hormones in to target us.’

‘Dat trues?’

‘I hope not. If their recruits have been, it might mess them up. Culturally, the Americans haven’t mixed enough genetically to produce natural Psionics.’

‘Problems wit’ nouse world. Toos manys peoples nots enoughs ins-breedings.’

‘Probably applies to any country that doesn’t mix their gene pool that much. The orient hasn’t any naturals.’

‘Ahs comes froms ah limited genes pool.’

‘That doesn’t stop a mutant thread like your mom. It’s why psionics run more in women then men. The seed would have spread further if men dominated.’

Sara stopped, glazed briefly. ‘She’s just got through customs. An Open Book. Lucy Sparling. One of several Psionics I know of but didn’t recruit.’

‘Dat don’ts works out.’

‘She has no obvious psionic talent. I couldn’t figure out why I kept returning to her and then realised she had my scent and was using my talent to actually track me. This was before I recruited you. I got a couple of the others to have a look and she shared their powers. Well, power. She was like a two-hand card game. A pure share.

‘Whys youse nots recruits.’

‘She’d be mirroring anyone she worked with and be defenceless alone. The share goes out of proximity.’

‘Youse ‘ave hers heres.’

‘I get the scent when I know what I’m looking for. They aren’t even using scramblers. They may have tried cross-blending with Blanks. The worse combination.’

‘Ors uses ones ofs dems own.’

‘Regal?’ Sara paused. ‘Well, we’ve got to find them. Easy as that.’

ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo

  Lucette Riona Sparling was on her passport but everyone called her Lucy. She felt a fuzziness in her head, identifying it Sara Seeker, who had paid her fare with credit card to go to the States. The time she spent going through customs could have wasted half her trip. How she was going to do her task when even Sara Seeker knew her range and she was realising where she was. There was even a stronger signature next to her which must be someone Sara had called the Baroness but not open to the share. Sara had said that was likely to happen. Something missing in her brain also excluded telekinesis. Quite how she was expected to find rogue Psionics beat her. What were they going to do, walk through the airport?

Time to spring the trap as she saw Sara Seeker approaching her and two FBI agents behind her. Although things weren’t quite what they seemed.

ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo

  ‘And you are?’

‘Special Agent Sarah Trevaran. That’s Sarah with an H.’ She showed her FBI card. She wore a dark wig to hide her red hair and match their undercover FBI agent and matched the photo on the card. Special instructions had led them to this big estate with a garden party or barbeque going on and the Baroness now had the male agent under control.

‘Special Agent Crawford came down with laryngitis and asked me to come along as a talking aid and to come here. Wouldn’t go home. He’s over there with the supposed suspect. No sense her hearing this.’

‘Supposed suspect?’

‘We found someone called Sara Seeker at New York Airport and told her she was a non gratis person even when she flashed a diplomatic passport and deported. She’s on her way back to Britain. I was told to bring any person of interest here for a check up. She’ll probably pull something to get this lady back so we can’t keep her long.’

‘You show resourcefulness, Agent Trevaran. I’ll put you on our resource list.’ The man waved at Agent Crawford and the Baroness waved back as he pointed at the big house.

‘He’ll take her in for a few swabs. No need to take her down to the base.’

‘Can I ask what makes her special? Is she contaminated?’

‘Agent Crawford hasn’t told you?’

‘Communication has been on notes and need to know. He took it as a matter of urgency to get here and just gave directions.’

‘Using covid, make a good excuse. Seeker is interested in people with particular talents. So are we.’

‘The party?’

‘Oh, make yourself at home, Agent Trevaran. Have a drink and something to eat. You can take her back to the airport in an hour. We won’t need her longer than that. She won’t be harmed.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

Sara walked down to the party garden. He’d been careful not to give his name or assumed she would know it. A few people were in the swimming pool but they must have arrived while most of them were eating. She picked up a glass of something but only carried it as she looked around. It would be easier to read their signatures and probably would as she left. Right now, names were less important compared to seeing if there were any psionic talents here. One thing she was instantly aware of, there was more than one person looking at her. Were they sizing her up or just suspicious of a new guest? Would this cause any problems when she returned her FBI identity?

Best to act like a curious agent. The people were of various ages and grouped by that than how people would mix more in the UK. Using that, she could always say she was looking to see if there were any more FBI agents here as her front. It was going to be easier to scan and see if any of the people flashed up psionic or were they waiting for her to leave.

She leant by a tree looking contemplative and then scanned for Psionics again. What were they celebrating? The Americans could party at the drop of a Stetson and there were enough of them here. It would explain where some of the money was coming from or hiding behind or costing more than they thought. Recombinant DNA behind sorting out some human genetic illnesses was still illegal internationally. Thing is the public only saw ESP as a minor party trick. To disclose Psionic sapiens was in no country’s interest because it would mean governments had been lying that people could actually do a variety of things with their minds. You wouldn’t want people paranoid looking for Psionics. Not that Psionics couldn’t take care of ourselves but couldn’t be so covert. To manufacture Psionics would create all sorts of problems because it meant anyone could become them.

Sara’s casual look around the garden had a second image in her head, gauging psionic ability. No one has a significant psionic signature. Why party over failure or hadn’t they arrived yet?

Two new presences striding into the party. She looked directly at them. They were drawing guns. Angry. They were not partygoers. They fired their guns and people were dropping to the ground than being shot. Sara dropped her glass, drew her FBI registered gun, dropped to one knee and shot at both of them in succession. There wasn’t enough time to fire two bullets at each the FBI way. This is what Sarah would do. One bullet was enough for each. No one else seemed injured.

She walked forward to both of them. Considering this was a gun-totting country, the partygoers had all got very quiet. She kicked both guns away. Both men weren’t moving. Not dead but each had a bullet in their lung and in shock.

The man she had spoken to before came up. ‘Very quick, Special Agent Trevaran. You saved a lot of lives with your quick action.’

‘They’re wounded not dead.’

The man paused.

Shock. That would really stop your party and my people can find out who they were doing this for. Do you know why they became party-poopers?’

‘No.’

She scanned him briefly. A little jump in his neural flow and a repressed psionic flow. Not as good as Ben Fane but he wasn’t being totally honest. But there was something odd about him and then the others. Were they being spiked? He had a name. Randolph.

‘Fine. Then we’ll have something to work from.’

The man fingered to the staff. ‘Police. Ambulance. Back to the party, folks.’ He raised his glass and everyone turned as if nothing had gone wrong. They resumed partying as if nothing had happened.

  <Sara?>

  <What?>

  <They want to give this Crawford a cure for laryngitis.>

  <Didn’t you hear the gunshots?>

  <Gunshots?>

  <Might be a set-up. Stall.>

‘They won’t need handcuffs. I need to report this to my associate.’

‘Why?’

‘He’s got the authority by seniority to make this an FBI case.’

Sara didn’t wait for an answer and stalked off to the house. Something was not right. Finding Lucy was easy. Even with only the ability share, she stood out like a bright light. The Baroness’ signature was odd when she jumped into someone else’s body and shank as she jumped more leaving a trail behind her. Her capacity to do showed how much energy she was pumping. No wonder no one could share off her even if they could. They’d be over-whelmed. She stopped at the door and looked around. The party continued outside. She set a marker that would react to any change before stepping inside. The next time she’d have to bring a Blank.

Inside, Sara instinctively went down the corridor and to the right door into a small medical centre. Lucy had stalled the two medics. Both were standing with their jaws wide open and she was looking at them.

‘I don’t know how you do this.’

‘Practice. I wasn’t expecting you to share my abilities or spike so easily. No other Psionic around?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘You’re the most powerful source.’

The Baroness in Agent Crawford’s body was flicking through a notebook, wisely not speaking. Her voice through a man’s body could be remembered beyond spiking or a lot more work. She gave a look at Sara.

‘There’s something odd going on here. Avoid the party and switch back. I’ll sort out his memories when you bring Crawford back here. It’ll save me doing it later.

With the Baroness gone, Sara looked over the room psionically. Electricity circuitry went where it should. No battery sources for bugs. None wired into the electics.

‘I don’t think any norms are watching but something’s wrong. Drop your control, Lucy.’

Effort changed to ease and Sara had them before they closed their mouths.

‘Gentlemen, as far as you are concerned you gave Agent Crawford his laryngitis jab and he has recovered. Nod if you understand.’

Both men nodded. She just wanted to make sure the transition from Lucy to her was good.

‘What have you done with Lucy’s sample?’

‘Someone came and collected it’, Lucy interrupted.

‘Where has the sample gone?’

Both men just stood there.

‘I don’t think they know.’

The Baroness walked in with two men held in arm locks. She was imposing in or out of her Samedi guise.

‘Deys weres stealings ma body. Hads ta leaves Crawferd in da cars.’

‘That must have surprised them.’

‘Wouldn’t they have tranqed you?’ Lucy asked.

Sara was studying them and the Baroness dropped their arms.

‘If you’ve tranqed my beautiful friend here she will jump into your bodies and throw you out an upstairs window. You might survive the drop if she’s benevolent.’

Both men’s eyes widened. They couldn’t help themselves. The scare was enough. Low psionic levels but they were being spiked. She needed that control gone and the scare was enough. Whoever was controlling them needed that frightener as well.

‘We may not have long. OK, boys, where were you taking my friend there and did you tranq her? You speak and you correct him if he lies.’

The first man stiffened. ‘We were told to just take the lady’s body to a car waiting by the road and rejoin the party. We don’t know where she was being taken.’

‘You’re partygoers?’

The man nodded.

‘Do you remember what the party is for?’

‘We were just celebrating.’

‘We need to be quick. Lib, let these boys take you to the car they were supposed to and bring back anyone there. Luce, you know enough to control them. Bring them to our cars and I’ll give Crawford his needed history.’ Sara turned to the two medics. ‘We were gone twenty minutes ago. Go about your duties. If you have none, go and get a drink.’

The Baroness with the two partygoers went ahead. Much faster as she was on her two feet. When they got closer to the road, she’d let them carry her.

Lucy held back.

‘I doubt if they’re going to be stronger than you, just stop them driving away and the Baroness will do the rest. You’ll be driven back with Crawford and back to the airport and out of here. Keep to the plan. You’ve done well. Spake if you get in trouble. Your DNA won’t show any psionic talent.’

Lucy ran to catch the others up and Sara got in the back of the FBI car, flashing her ID at the driver as he was pulling his gun.

‘You don’t move and only listen’, she addressed the driver and then turned to Crawford. ‘You had a boring trip here from the airport after telling Sara Seeker to take the next flight out but you didn’t wait to see her go. You brought the young lady here as quickly as possible before someone from the UK requests her back. She was a chatterbox and you tuned her out. You’ll collect her at the gate and return her to the airport and make sure she takes the next flight back to Heathrow or Gatwick. Any interference in this, you’re to protect her at all costs or there will be a diplomatic incident. Once these orders are carried out then you can return to your normal duties and even write the report of all of this. Any problems contact Sarah Trevaran to help as she had to go ahead. You will trust anything she tells you to do.’ She turned back to the driver. ‘You obey Agent Crawford. Let’s get to the gate.’

As they drove down the drive, Sara looked back at the party. No one was coming their way. No changes in their neural paths. Whoever was pulling their strings was adapting quickly but only using what they had.

They got to the waiting car. Four men were waiting outside the car being watched by Lucy as the Baroness was checking the dashboard putting two guns on top of it.

‘Off you go, Lucy, and get a move on. I have no idea when we’ll be out of range.’

‘Can’t I come?’

‘We’re not staying. Just need a different route out. I’m not even supposed to be here.’

Their car did a three-point turn and was away.

‘You two. Go back to the party. You delivered the body and going to have a decent drink and forget whatever else you’ve seen.’

‘This is going too easy.’

‘Deys wasn’t readys for us.’

‘Or they wanted to see how we did it and had a ringside seat.’

‘Youse saids nos dere.’

‘I think they were really planning to use those two gunmen to kill them. I ruined that.’ Sara paused to think. ‘These roads are empty. I think we walked into a training session. We got in purely because they couldn’t pass up on Lucy’s DNA.’

‘Da gunmens?’

‘To see what happens when someone they’ve spiked dies. Will it have any repercussions on their psyche.’ Sara put her finger to her mouth.

‘Das havta finds dats outs fors themselves.’

Sara turned to the two men. ‘You will both go back to where you were going and report that the lady was asleep in her car and indignant that she was woken. You returned home without her.’

The two men nodded and drove off.

The two women watched them drive off.

‘It was so tempting to go with them but I think I have enough information and you did put a bug in their car when you searched it.’

The Baroness nodded.

‘I don’t think they know what hit them back there and I’d rather not give Sarah with an H too much extra work when we switch back. The fact that they can spike norms is worrying enough.’

Sara turned. The older man from the party was walking towards them.

‘We’ve been waiting for you to come out.’

‘You knew?’

‘Not difficult. Everyone else partying. You were the only one who spoke up and I didn’t take the mickey in the drink. You can’t do your control without making them submissive.’

‘It was a quick improviso.’

‘You’ve been doing that a lot.’

‘I couldn’t control you or you.’ He looked at each in turn. ‘You’re Brits.’

Neither lady spoke.

‘You’re not supposed to be over here.’

‘Theft, Randolph. Yes, I know who you are. We’re accounting for stolen DNA. You might have had some spliced into you.’

‘How do you stay young?’

‘Why?’

‘I aged thirty years with the power. I was in my late teens when they spliced me.’

‘And I bet they’re still trying to get it right.’

‘I was going to stop them.’

‘I recognised some of them. A couple geneticists among them. Is that the reason for the gunmen. They were obeying orders to fire.’

‘I saw how you controlled those other people. Why not with the gunmen?’

‘Not so handy from a special agent. I didn’t kill them.’

‘And I will have to explain their presence and being shot by someone who wasn’t supposed to be there.’

‘Spike them.’

‘All good for activities but not to explain two shot men. Can’t you take them with you?’

‘No. You can find other reasons. You were seeing if you could control them in front an audience. A visiting FBI agent was faster than you. That’s all you need to say.’

‘But they’ll give the true story when they come out of anaesthetic.’

‘Who will they believe? You or them? Just say you gave them one story to attack and then you weren’t ready to stop them.’

‘That will work?’

‘Split the truth and get their memories fixed.’

‘You can do it. I can barely control the party if they weren’t drinking.’

‘I’m not even here.’

‘They could still find out.’

‘With the splice, you’re a special case.’

‘They’ll see me as going rogue if they think I tried to kill them.’

‘They can’t unsplice you. Have any more of you had…problems like this?’

The man shook his head. ‘Not as far as I know.’

Sara paused to think before speaking. ‘It would probably blow over but I doubt if they’d let you out on operations. Your team is going operational?’

‘We’re getting there. They all haven’t aged like me. It would have been easier to match an older age group.’

‘If I adjust those two gunmen’s memories. Omit it was you who hired them, I’d like something in return. Nothing treasonable. Just the occasional conversation.’

‘You want someone on the inside. That’s still treasonable.’

‘We already know about Peregrine. It can’t be you, Randolph.’

‘I can make you forget we were ever here. Would that be better?’

ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo

As they drove away, ‘I had to remind myself I was still dealing with a teenager aged over thirty years. Bet they didn’t think of the aging process. Neither did we until recently. Did you spot his gun?’

‘Ah was readys ta stop ‘em.’

‘You think you could have jumped him?’

‘Dey psionics nots perfects. I wouldna bounceds. Felts likes sour creams.’

‘I got that impression, too. It’s almost like he was one of the first prototypes. He didn’t spike that party, just controlled drunken and drugged people. More like directions. Not all of them saw the two gunmen. I was faster than him. Not all of them present worked on his genetic code. It doesn’t sound like they have any telepaths yet. That makes our lives easier or the power hasn’t developed yet.

‘Hows muchs didya reads?’

‘Not all the details. Reading memories takes longer than we had. Randolph didn’t know everything but it’ll make it easier to track him and maybe their lab. As he was willing, no resistance. I think he thought I was Sheena. Despite not seeing my red hair. Although mine isn’t dyed. She gave me a boost and I shared her ability to spike to a higher level.’

‘Ahs problems fer repeats performances?’

‘We need to bring Blanks. Protection if they’re training the Peregrines to kill. He was wrong. They wanted him to try murder. Test his ability to kill discriminately but stop before doing it. Bet they’d give their left arms to have Harbinger’s DNA.’

There was a long pause between them. She’d shared Harbinger’s power and liked it rather too much.

‘I know what they’ve done to some extent. We need to know what they’re planning next. He won’t know that.’

‘Whys no spakers? Ahs thoughts dat was commons?’

‘Might not have been entirely intentional but norms do get worried if they think they can be read except that isn’t what spaking is about. Norms get confused about that. Maybe they worry about them spaking and out of the loop.’

‘Das donts trusts dar own peoples?’

‘You’ve been around longer than any of us, what do you think?’

The Baroness paused to think. ‘Dey thinks mores o’der flag thens der loyalities.’

‘Good point. That and money. Doesn’t build loyalty, just a bank account and they probably picked people who could have been a genetic match for the splice.’

‘’ow woulds da pick?’

Sara shook her head. ‘See if any of us have relatives over here. They must have been looking for something that would make an easier compatibility.’

‘I’ll give the real Sarah a briefing of what she’s been doing then we’ll get back to the UK via Canada. No sense leaving a direct path when I’m already supposed to be over there already.’

‘Youse luck ins findings peoples astounds evens mes. Dids youse thinks its dat easys?’

‘It’s the nature of the talent. I just went with the rhythm. How many people listen to their inner voice? It works even in a social vacuum.’

end

 

© GF Willmetts 2026

© Psi-Kicks 2026

Sara Seeker, Libertine Rush, Sarah Trevaran

Lucette Riona Sparling aka Lucy Sparling

all rights reserved

ask before borrowing