Raymond had been thoroughly working on his telekinesis ever since he started bending air. At first, he used directly compressed air for the job, but it became frustrating when it came to balancing as most of the objects tended to topple or just spill over if it was liquid.
That was until he realized he could just will things with his mind by focusing on the already existing air surrounding them rather than adding more on to it. It made his work a lot easier as basically almost everything was surrounded by air.
It didn't hurt either being silent and subtle as the whooshing of displaced air always gave his ability away when he used compressed air. His mastery of air had definitely improved a lot. With little focus, he could now release controlled gusts of wind at a target and the harder he tried, the more force he garnered behind his attacks to the point where he accidentally ripped apart their makeshift shower.
Surprisingly Charles never said anything about it when they were fixing it earlier yesterday. Closing his eyes sat down on the cold floor, he let his conscious spread out once more. Soon he had the layout of the entire warehouse. One by one equipment and assortments of other objects floated into place, and he was done in under a minute.
Raymond also noticed his tendency to get tired lessened over the last few days with him trying to catch his breath after been chased down by dogs to going through an entire day's worth of activities and feeling no worse for wear. With his work done, he slowly spread his conscious further out soaring across the warehouse, spreading even further.
One thing that baffled him was the more he spread his conscious, the more it grew. His brain was now as big as the warehouse if he could try and elaborate. Deciding to go further, he pushed his awareness outside the building and was immediately assaulted by a myriad of sounds, mostly from the nearby traffic and a nearby construction site that had a big cement mixer running. Zooming in on the traffic he saw Charles's jeep having entered Highway 3. He was probably going to meet up with a bunch of Centaurs and catch up on their current affairs. That thought made him chuckle, and he once again heard his voice resonating through the air that he had to remind himself not to speak while in this form.
Another sound that caught his attention were bird chirps. Focusing, he saw several Seagulls camped on top of the warehouse he was in, and several others were flying around seemingly aimlessly.
He targeted one of few perched on the rooftop and brought his conscious closer to it. It continued with its inactivity staring blankly into space. He began to imagine himself like the bird curiously and wasn't surprised when his view changed, and he now found himself seeing through the bird's eye.
What changed, however, was the range, he was initially taken off-guard with the level of detail he received by looking at far objects that he usually wouldn't pick out while back in his own body.
Just out of instinct he commanded the bird to fly, and it immediately launched itself into the air, spreading out its wings and flattening its tail in the process. With a downstroke of its wings, it soared through the air as it gathered speed.
It didn't take long before they were soon flying along the coastline, passing several boats and people. Tilting his wings down and to the left, while using his tail as a rudder, he picked on the direction into the city and was soon zipping past skyscrapers.
Glancing through glass walls and windows, he spotted several people busy in their offices. Picking a new direction again, he started soaring up and up, putting more and more effort as he fought against the crushing effects of gravity, surprisingly he didn't black out and chalked it out to the bird's biology.
He kept pushing the poor thing's limits until he was freely surfing through the clouds, he could barely get a glimpse of the city's skyline as the smoky clouds engulfed his whole body. The experience was exhilarating.
There he was on his first flight. He would have never thought possible in a million years. For a moment he was glad he had all those abilities, and he knew going back to being the average kid wasn't an option, not with the thought of losing all this freedom.
After what seemed like an eternity, he tilted his body to the right while adjusting his tail like a rudder; taking the route back to the city. He then slowly angled his body directly down making for the warehouse. Steadily, he picked up speed and soon he felt the wind splashing his streamlined body as he further gained speed.
He was soon sure he was moving faster than any sports car built by man. From a distance, he quickly spotted the warehouse using his enhanced vision. Something caught his eyes.
There were two black SUV and a white van, judging by the lack of license plates, a chill ran up his spine. Closing his eyes again he forced his conscious out of the poor bird and immediately sucked himself back into his body.
Opening his eyes, Raymond was met by a strange face patiently leaning across from him waiting. He didn't look at all provoking, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from raising his guard.
"Can I help you with something?" Raymond asked, doing a poor job hiding the slight tremor in his voice.
"Yeah, I suppose you could. You're Raymond, right?"
"What do you want with Raymond?"
"I have questions for you. Let's say your recent activities have caught the eye of very weary and cautious people. I'm here on behalf of them. I would like for you to come with me."
"Thanks, but I'll have to say no," Ray replied and rose up. He stretched his limbs eliciting a groan. His stomach chose that time to remind him of his hunger.
"I was hoping we could do this the easy way. If you would just come with me, I promise you will be back by Monday morning."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Ray replied a little more defensive this time. He ignored the stranger and went for his bag where he had a fresh set of clothes he could change into.
"Moving in for extraction."
Ray heard the man murmur behind his back. It's a good thing his hearing had drastically improved within the past few days. He was now able to pick out even the tiniest of whispers in a crowd if he focused and right now his senses went into overdrive the moment he knew he had company.
A moment later he heard several footsteps approaching the front warehouse and several more coming from different locations outside the warehouse. They must have concealed more of their vehicles a little further for stealth based on their numbers.
Ray guessed this wasn't their first operation further raising his already high adrenaline levels. He could feel the hair on his body standing as the tell-tale sparks of electricity started manifesting on his fingers. Someone was going to get hurt.
The Stranger silently leaned on one of the support pillars as he observed his Raymond's behavior. The Stranger had to admit. This one was by far the least violent assignment he had ever dealt with.
Most of them tended to attack him right after he expressed his intentions. He loved the thrill it brought. Pretty much all confrontations ended up with him having to defend himself and was taken off guard when he was ignored by Raymond.
That was the biggest insult to his ego, and he was going to personally see to it that Raymond understood. A chilly smile spread on his face as he approached the target, his back was turned to him. The Stranger suddenly stopped as he saw a change in his demeanor.
Gone was Raymond's indifferent attitude only to be replaced by a predatory posture as his hands turned to fists. He could've sworn he saw a few electric sparks but quickly disappeared as fast as they appeared. His target then turned to face him, and Raymond had the familiar face he had seen plenty of times; it was the sign of an imminent attack.
The Stranger's spirits rose once more, and he actually forgave the boy for his initial treatment. He would gladly let that slide as he now had what he wanted.
Raymond turned to find the Stranger even closer than he was before. He considered blasting him with a strong gust of wind but chose otherwise. If he was going to keep a low profile, he would have to do it the old fashion way; fisticuffs. Hopefully, his assailant would keep up.
Ray wasted no time and charged him. The Stranger anticipated the attack and drew out his gun a lot quicker than most highly trained soldiers would and proceeded to fire three quick rounds center mass. He was however shocked when his target's momentum wasn't affected in the slightest even though he winced.
The Stranger immediately dived into the ground on his left, letting his Raymond smash head first into the pillar, shaking a little dust from the roof. A deep groan was heard as Ray reoriented himself.
"Damn! You're unusually strong for a human."
Raymond grimaced as he tried to brush off the pain. His assailant stood ten feet away from him looking no worse for wear. "You're going to pay for that."
"Come on, now is the time to change. Let's see what kind of beast you are hiding underneath. I love good surprises."
Grunting, Raymond focused on the space behind his opponent and willed himself there. Nothing happened. Another wave of pain reminded him to start focusing on his wounds rather than his inability to teleport.
"I'm still waiting."
Ignoring the Stranger's taunt, Ray focused on his injuries. He was able to locate the three bullets. None of them had hit an organ, and Ray had a new respect for his opponent. He the impression that the Stranger was not to be underestimated. Willing his body to heal, he was surprised when again, nothing happened.
That was odd, feeling again for his powers he felt nothing. Something cracked in him; he was afraid. The Stranger probably did something to mess up with his abilities. He needed to get the fuck out of there, and fast. Coughing a mouthful of blood, he made a run for it.
"Oh, Come on!"
Ray heard the Stranger curse as he started picking up speed. Another round hit him as the sound of gunshot reverberated into his ears, and Raymond soon found himself on the ground. An uncontrolled scream escaped Ray's lungs as he crushed on to the sparring mat. Ray quickly clutched his left leg and brought it closer to his torso.
This was not happening again. He was once again helpless with no way out. It's like the fates were always against him. He was powerless again, and he hated it. Fumbling for any trace of power he could gather, he found nothing. Not even his vast reserves were there.
Raymond heard several footsteps getting closer, by his guess there were around twenty guys. "Take him away." Was the last thing he heard before Ray felt two sharp pricks on his neck and his world fade into complete darkness.