Plan of action

Jueqel knew he had to tolerate the Yogans one more time, if he could. He didn't know what they were up to, but it didn't feel right to him. There was some other motive behind their actions. Especially that Raymond guy.

One wrong move, and he would disable the Yogan. He would disable the entire area, if it came to that. He turned to sketch of the hospital grounds. He would be brought in on the south side, the Yogans would be near the East Wing.

Jueqel looked up from the map and told those present, “Perhaps, I should go in first and suppress all psychic activity. It think it's the best chance we have of getting Karden.”

Breyn was shaking her head, “Karden will sense you coming. He was quick. I had no time to react.”

“How did Cheshin get by the encounter? I mean, he stood between me and Karden, and he wasn't stopped,” said Nepal.

“Didn't Cheshin mention anything about being attacked?” Jueqel asked.

“Cheshin wasn't feeling all that well when he got to the site. I think the psychic storm made him nauseous. We were not helping matters by maintaining the 'one-mind',” Etten answered.

“So, was he attacked?” Jueqel asked.

“I don't know, but I would say no,” Etten answered.

Nepal closed his eyes. His face contorted with concentration. When he opened them again, he said, “He does not remember getting attacked. It wasn't like Breyn's chilling experience or anyone else's creapy crawling.” Nepal glowed with pride.
Jueqel noticed Nepal's use of his new found psychic talent. “Nice to see you putting your abilities to practice,” Jueqel commented.

“I think sending you in first would be a bad idea,” Dru said.

“If I knock out all psychic activity...” Jueqel began.

“If you knock out all psychic activity, we will be unable to provide you with backup,” Dru cut him off. “And if you can't suppress Karden enough to keep him from killing you or getting away, we would be worse off than we are now.”

The room got quiet. Jueqel felt he needed to get close to Karden and broke the annoying silence with, “what if the team were to come in the old fashioned way. By vehicle. We'll have the local police to help.”

He looked to the others in the room. Their expressions were all mixed with apprehension. Perhaps it wasn't the best of plans, but it seemed a good one to him.

Jueqel inhaled a quick breath of surprise. Someone was coming with an important message. Nepal had it noticed, too.

Seconds later, Sherry came running into the room, “wait, wait.” She stopped at the table, panting from the effort. “I think you should know, there is a problem with Karden.” She stopped talking and stared wide eyed at all the people in the room. Her mouth quivered like she wanted to say more, but couldn't.

Jueqel wanted to laugh, but thought that would be inappropriate. “Sherry, it's alright. You know everyone here. Take a deep breath and let us know what going on. Peoples lives are at stake.”

That snapped her out of it, “people are in danger. Yes. You're right. Sorry. I have to tell you. Karden did not swap bodies. Yes, he did leave his body, but it wasn't a swap. The girl was not in his body. That means she is in danger.”

“Is in danger?” Nepal questioned. There was confusion in his voice.

“If she is still in there, her mind may have retreated to some corner. He may have erased her, but it is unlikely.”

“Why would you say that?” Dru asked.

Sherry stuttered at answering his question, “I, I...” She visibly calmed herself by taking a deep breath. Letting it all out at once she began, “Karden would not know how to erase a memory so completely. That takes training.” She seemed pleased with herself. She did manage to get that part out without falling apart at talking to Dru.

“What do we know of Karden?” Kefen asked.

“We know he drained the life out of all those people at the hospital. He could do that again,” Sherry answered. “There is a report of a Psi-cop that may have run into Karden on a road not far from the hospital.”

“He picked through my mind. It was painful. I had flashes of things I'd done. It was so cold,” Breyn shuttered. “My memory came alive, but he twisted my thoughts. I thought I was dying when my life passed before me.”

“He vanished from the rest stop,” Jueqel added. “So, he can teleport, now.”

Breyn affirmed, “that was one of the memories he'd pulled from me.”

“It means he learns from sifting through memories,” Kefen said.

“Or something similar, yes,” Jueqel added.

Nepal said, “he was able to blow the door of its henges.”

“He has a kind of telepathy,” Dru put in. “And possibly empathic abilities. Remember the wakeup call we all got early this morning?”

“And he can absorb psychic attacks,” Nepal said, looking at Dru.

Dru ignored any implication Nepal may have suggested.

“He can transplant his consciousness,” Sherry said.

“It also means that Karden is not bound by the rules of mortals anymore,” Jueqel added. “He has at his disposal an array of getaway routes. His arsenal is unmatched, and we don't know how to hurt him. Besides that we don't want to hurt the little girl.”

“Don't forget he may be vulnerable to a psychic storm or to getting sick,” Etten added.

“What do the Yogans say about him?” Dru asked.

Cheshin was shimmering into the room when the question had been asked. Jueqel and Nepal were already looking to the spot where he was to appear. Cheshin's voice came echoing in with his presence, “as usual, the Yogans will require something in return for information, but I think Raymond would talk to us. The ice giant he serves will give us nothing, I'm afraid.” He looked around and asked, “are we going, now?”

Nepal asked, “what's the little girls name?”

Sherry answered, “Kelly.”