Acting Recklessly

It was a split-second decision. I bolted up on my feet and towards the door, out of my hiding spot.

"No, don't!" I shouted without even thinking about it. "Don't stab yourself!"

The old woman had the scissors in a two-handed grip, her arms shaking. I was too late. I didn't have any experience in using it. She stabbed the scissors into her stomach and her dress soaked with blood, as the other occupants flinched from my shout and a snub-nosed revolver swiveled towards me.

I panicked.

"Don't shoot me!" This time my voice thrummed with power, and I saw the pretty blonde's eyes become dazed for a split second. The gun stopped coming towards me. I dashed forwards again, into the pandemonium of that room. "I'm trying to help! Stop stabbing yourself, please. Please!

They looked momentarily dazed, even the people in the cell. Even Kevin. That didn't bode well if he got a chance to turn his own voice on me.

"Stop using your powers Kevin! Don't hurt anyone." I hurriedly added.

"Who the hell are-? Fuck! Never mind - everybody out!" Jessica rounded on me momentarily before turning back towards the cell. "RUN!"

My version of the power wasn't dependent on spreading anything in the air, other than sound waves. No diffuse aura. I understood that now.

But it also wasn't as effective as Kevin's. Or at least, it didn't just take control. His mother, who wanted to obey, took much better to it than Kevin had.

His mother was about to let the scissors drop from her hands, gasping in pain, when he spoke again. "Keeping stabbing yourself, mother."

She did, before I could get a protest out. Fuck.

"Get me out of these!" That was the handcuffed cop, an older black man.

People were running, as Jessica had told them to. The dark-haired woman in a business suit, Hogarth, bumped against me on her rush to escape.

I barely felt it as she bounced off of me, focused on trying to get the situation under some semblance of control.

"No! Nobody harm themselves!" I didn't have time to think, I just shouted whatever came to my mind. Jessica whirled towards me, and I added, "I'm friendly! You can trust me! Kevin, stop trying to make people hurt themselves!"

His eyes glazed, but he shook it off. "Keep stabbing yourself." He growled, his eyes flicking between me and his mother with pure hatred.

I focused on trying to drain him as quickly as I could now that I was closer. Jessica went for the airlock to the cell as I got right up to the window, nervously staring him down and trying to counter his orders.

A goddamn mind controller shouting match. I was winning, slowly, as his power drained - but his mother had still stabbed herself a third time and fallen to her knees.

The water around her was stained red with blood.

I was fighting hard not to start hyperventilating. I hadn't been prepared for this.

"Give the scissors to dad." Kevin refocused harshly, even in his rage seeing that he was running out of time. "Cut your fucking heart out, old man."

"Don't follow his order. Nobody in that room do anything!" I countered. Kevin looked dazed for longer this time, but not long enough. He repeated his order.

"Get the fuck out of the way!" The blonde girl with the gun. I glanced over my shoulder and instinctively dodged to my left, falling to the floor when I saw the barrel pointed towards me.

Three shots rang out, breaking the glass. Kevin screamed as one bullet clipped his shoulder.

"Get me out of here!" The cop screamed, also panicking.

Jessica got into the room and grabbed the scissors out of the old man's limp hands, just as Kevin staggered out through the broken glass.

"Put a bullet in your skull, Patsy!" He shuffled as quickly as he could towards the exit.

"Don't!" I shouted in return, scrambling to me feet and tackling him. Touch.

My fingers dug into the wound in his shoulder.

Kevin was insane. My power surged. "Don't shoot yourself, Patsy!"

"Get off me!" Kevin growled, struggling to get free. "Kill yourself."

But I was skin to skin now. Flesh to flesh. I didn't have to find out if my power's mental resistance was enough to save me.

I was so much stronger now. I held him down so easily.

I drained him dry, until his suffuse aura vanished from the air.

"Nobody kill themselves!" I huffed, "And definitely don't hurt me. You fucking asshole, Kevin. Stay here. You're going to turn yourself in."

Kevin stopped struggling, his eyes glassy. The blonde girl - Patsy? - had her gun shakily pointed at the two of us, her eyes also slowly focusing.

Jessica carried the bleeding old woman out of the cell, the old man staggering after her.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Jessica, the blonde and Kevin all voiced some version of that question.

"I-I'm just a friend! Just trying to help!" I kept my grip on Kevin. Killgrave. Just in case my version of the power hadn't fully worked. It seemed slower, less immediate. "Everybody calm down, please..."

Fuck. I was bleeding. I hadn't even noticed.

Just a few scratches from the glass, but enough to sting.

"Can you unlock these god damn cuffs now?" The cop grunted, once the immediate effect of my new power wore off.

Jessica sighed, but moved towards him. Patsy still held her gun pointed directly at Kevin's forehead.

Still, he tried to make another command. "Let me go."

I saw the blonde girl twitch, but thankfully she didn't shoot. I was way too close for comfort to her intended target, even if my suggestion to not shoot me had worked.

I clocked Killgrave across the jaw, and he was out like a light. Man. This strength was insane.

"W-why isn't it working?" She muttered, eyes flicking to me. "Why aren't we doing what he says?"

Well. Some truth might be in order.

"I shut off his powers." I shrugged, then let my voice go normal. I had a better grasp of it now, but not perfect. Could turn it on and off. "I... Well, I have some abilities too."

Everyone looked at me like I was an alien.

Jessica was the one that followed up, as she released the detective from his handcuffs. "You just... turned it off?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's permanent, I think. But you have the tape, right?"

"That's a hell of an ability..." She looked wary, but not hostile, even as she smiled. "Detective Clemons, mind calling this in?"

Well that made me nervous. "Uh, look - I'm just a college kid. Best if no one knows that I was here, right? I don't need any trouble from this."

Everyone's eyes went glassy, before refocusing. I'd noticed that only Kevin had seemed to notice when I used this ability, and even then probably only because I was specifically countering his own ability.

"Yeah, no need to pull a kid into this..." Jessica muttered, Patsy and the cop following along, as well as the old guy in the back. They were all receptive to the idea, accepting it easily. Thank god.

The old was crying as he pulled his wife out of the waterfilled chamber, but... I couldn't help but think it was too late for her. I hoped not, but it looked bad. I'd been too late. It felt like a punch to the gut.

"But get out of here, we need to get Mrs. Thompson medical care as soon as possible." Jessica added.

I nodded, heading for the door, but... Hell, I couldn't just leave it be.

Patsy went to help the old man as the detective started talking into his phone, police jargon I couldn't follow.

"Hey -" I grabbed the raven-haired girl by the elbow and spoke softly, as she cuffed up Kevin. She looked a lot prettier when she wasn't overcome by anger. Her eyes went glassy. "Could you give me your number? I'd like to talk, later. In person. That'd be good, right?"

I wasn't going to take Jessica's power like I did with the mind controller. She was good in my book. She'd get her full powers back within a week, probably.

But I wouldn't lose what I'd absorbed.

It was mine now. I was stronger, harder. Permanently.

And I wanted a shot at soaking up her full potential. We just needed to spend more time in contact for me to do it passively, without leaving her drained.

"Sure kid," Jessica managed a small smile once her eyes cleared, tainted by exhaustion. She had very full lips. "I'd like that."

She activated her omni, and once I'd turned mine back on we could pair our contact details.

"Thanks."