Lawrence focused first on his breathing as if preparing for meditation, in all actuality it was a form of meditation; quieting his thoughts, releasing his attachment to emotions, entering a state of total relaxation and surrender allowing, whatever is to be. The mental process was akin to flying in an airplane or rather a spaceship, but instead of traveling through physical space, though the experience was lightly accompanied by physical sensation, Leonard journeyed within and through psychological atmospheres and telepathic galaxies. It required he maintain a laser beam focus of relaxed concentration and imaginative ease as opposed to force. The first time he realized he had this ability to tune into and potentially manipulate individual consciousnesses was quite by accident. It happened spontaneously on his part and without any conscious effort, as though the very gift itself had enticed him to acknowledge its existence. Leonard was practicing his daily routine mediation when seemingly out of nowhere he had the vivid sensation of rising through a funnel or vortex. He felt no fear, only a little confusion and a rush of anxiety at the sudden onset of the experience. Overall, it was pleasant and peaceful. Instead of fighting against it however he chose just to go with the flow. Over the years he had learned to completely trust his intuition and had faith in his inner guidance, confident that it would never lead him down a wrong path and thus far never has. The road to which it ultimately led him was a vast oceanic mass of feeling-tones – a sea of emotions as varied, complex and unique as the universe itself. At one point during the experience, he was almost completely overwhelmed by the onrush of data he began receiving, but because his innate adventurous nature and natural curiosity it enabled him to remain poised and calm. Soon, through a kind of telepathic communication he was able to distinguish individual feelings from the sea of feelings in which he had been immersed – in this case the feelings naturally and intuitively belonged to people with whom he was intimately familiar: his mother, father Lawrence, a few friends of theirs as well as his own. He remained more an observer than a manipulator of their psychic exposure. Encompassed in that exposure he learned more about them than they possibly knew or admitted of themselves. It was at the time both a revealing and disturbing experience, which he never mentioned to any of them. Since that time, he had only used the ability on two occasions, and both to protect his life, finding each not only physically and mentally exhilarating, but quite exhausting as well. Leonard had now locked in on Dobbs and unexpectedly felt the presence of his partner…
Dobbs shuddered as if struck by a chill. He suddenly began looking around, puzzled, reaching around himself in an effort to rub his back and began shaking much like a dog does to fling water off its drenched coat.
Kawalski said, "Jesus, man, you, okay?"
"I… don't know." Dobbs replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kawalski replied. "You picked up fleas from the guy or what?"
"Just what I said," Dobbs insisted, "I don't fucking know. I… feel strange. Like… like I'm being watched … but… from inside? Something felt like it was crawling up my spine and around my gut, my heart and organs."
"You're creeping me out, Dobbs. What the hell?"
"No. It's really weird," Dobbs said gravely, looking almost panic-stricken. "Feels like… like someone's in my head."
"Paranoid. Maybe your just paranoid," Kawalski advised in an attempt to calm Dobbs down, which did not help.
"You're freaked out?" Dobbs challenged. he began to sweat and rolled down the window. "How the hell you think I feel?"
"Oh shit," Kawalski said. "You think it has something to do with…
Kawalski stopped talking mid-sentence as Dobbs head slowly rolled forward and he appeared to be asleep, unconscious or God forbid, worse.
"Dobbs?" Kawalski called out, shaking him frantically in a failed effort to get a response. "Dobbs? Shit. Shit." Kawalski shook him again, but Dobbs remained as lithe as an aged rag doll. He reached to check Dobbs' pulse. Still alive. "Okay, buddy. Hang in there. I'm calling for help." Kawalski reached for the P25 Land Mobile Radio and before he could place the emergency call for help… he succumbed to the same fate that had befallen his partner and collapsed.
Leonard was practically catatonic on the couch. He felt doubly exhausted due to the unusual fact he was able to unexpectedly gain access to Dobbs' partner and more surprisingly the ability to control his central nervous system as well, thereby causing them both to enter a deep sleep or semi-coma from which they would not awaken for hours, perhaps even days or weeks. In Leonard's experience that encounter was only available if the subject came within the designated proximity, which the unfortunate, overly confident agent Dobbs had voluntarily and unwisely ignored, while Kawalski had remained safely in the vehicle out of range. Leonard wondered, how? Why? Were his abilities advancing to a higher level on their own? The prospect of that possibility was both enticing and disturbing for him. Especially since he had no idea or prior knowledge of the how or why factor; what would be the ramifications of such a development? Not only for him personally but as well for potential future prospects of the host(s) who may become his victims. The double cognitive encroachment upon the two agents however did not come without a price. Leonard now would require at least twelve maybe even twenty-four hours of deep undisturbed sleep to fully recuperate, and he had no choice but to succumb to it. For not doing so would endanger his own mental stability, then rapidly progress to physical deterioration, coma and possibly passing on to the other side where he would probably then have no problem communicating with Lawrence. But death was not a solution for him. With what strength he had left he got off the couch and reached inside the duffle bag to retrieve the marijuana. His intention was to place the weed inside the agents' vehicle so that when they were found there would be an even further investigation into the matter thereby rendering those two assets to further incapacitation in the field. Of course, it would not stop the all-encompassing THEM from their appointed mission but would lend enough pause for Leonard to make his next move while he recovered. However, that required him to leave the house. The only way the agents were able to find him so quickly was because it must have been under surveillance. Leonard knew that whatever agency had sent them would naturally inspect Lawrence's premises just out of a matter of protocol and he could not afford to be there, himself semi-comatose when they did. He hoped he could maintain enough strength and energy to drive the car to a nearby motel, which he would find on the GPS, and there completely surrender to a well-deserved and neglected sleep. Leonard quickly slipped into his coat, picked up the duffel bag, which in his current condition seemed to weigh a ton and sucked in a deep breath as he headed for the door.