"Okay."
"Now say you want to make a shield around the whole room. First, identify a clear area where your shield cannot damage anything.
"What are these objects you keep bringing from nowhere?"
"They are a representation of our power. Every one of them."
"The black box looks like an old-fashioned television set."
"It is. But when you activate it, instead of receiving a signal, it sends one out."
"Does that mean..." Lux trailed off. "Is this some kind of hologram thing?"
"Close, but not quite."
"So then...does the TV receive signals from people using their powers?"
"Not directly. It receives energy signatures that are similar to the signals from the other boxes."
"And then those signals turn into holograms?"
"Correct."
"So I can create holograms of myself?"
Lux stared at the TV set for a few moments, trying to understand what was happening.
Finally, he spoke. "So, the TV screen shows real things?" Like images of actual places or people?"
"Right."
Lux took a deep breath. "Where do you think they're getting the data from?
"They? It's all part of the experiment. It is inherent in us."
"So why don't I know anything about it?"
Hunter shrugged. "You couldn't know. Only when awakened to this power could you see the dots connecting."
______________
Jay exited the car smoothly, quickly transitioning from sitting to standing.
He approached the police station with a steady pace, his demeanor resolute as he entered through the front doors.
One of the officers greeted him as he approached the desk.
"Good afternoon," Jay said, speaking with a firm tone of voice.
The officer glanced at the ID card on the table before her. She tapped on a few keys on the computer and frowned.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said after several seconds. "We've been having trouble verifying your identity."
"Can you please look again?" Jay asked politely.
"Sure, sure." The officer typed for a while longer, then gave Jay a puzzled expression. "Well, let's try something else."
She pressed a different combination of buttons, then looked at the results. "Oh, right. There you go. It seems to be working fine now."
"Thank you so much," Jay said, flashing a warm smile. "I would hate to miss my appointment because of a simple technical issue."
"No problem. We'll expedite your processing."
"Excellent," Jay said. "In fact, if you wouldn't mind giving me directions to the holding cell, I would greatly appreciate it."
"Holding cell?"
"Yes, please allow me to collect a sample of the criminal's DNA from the scene."
"Oh, yeah." She turned to a colleague beside her. "But you wouldn't mind if I asked,You aren't even a detective, are you?"
"That is correct," Jay said. "I only agreed to help in this case because only I can catch this criminal with my experiments."
"Wow, okay. Okay, well, I guess I could show you where the holding cells are."
"Perfect," Jay said. "Thanks very much."
After making his way down the hall, he found himself looking through a heavy door with a small window.
He searched around the cell, picking up different samples of things around him: a rag, a piece of glass, a rubber ball, and a broken bottle. He had no idea what any of it meant, but he knew it would provide useful information for his tests.
As he walked back to the entrance, he noticed two policemen talking in the hallway. One of them was a short, bald man with a square face who looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. His partner was taller than most men, but he wasn't exactly muscular either. He had a short beard and wore glasses pushed up against his forehead.
"What happened to the guy we caught last week?" the tall policeman asked. "Didn't he just break out of jail?"
"Yeah, we have our work cut out for us." The short one shook his head. "This guy is really dangerous, though. What's wrong with the guy? Why isn't he afraid of the law?"
"Maybe he doesn't know how to fear the law yet," the tall one suggested. "Or maybe he's just crazy. Maybe he thinks he can escape by breaking out of jail."
"That's ridiculous!" the shorter cop snapped. "It takes a lot more than breaking out of jail to avoid the cops."
"But—"
"Look, I know you guys want to pin this crime on someone," the tall one said. "But the guy is clearly mentally disturbed. And that makes him dangerous."
"Why does it matter whether he's crazy or not?"
"Because we can't let criminals walk free! Look, I know you don't agree with my methods, but I'm trying to protect the city here. If we let these types run rampant, people will die. That's why I'm doing everything I can to find these criminals. Even though he killed numerous people that night alone, he remains undetected. Now, you tell me that we're wasting time chasing after a bunch of ghosts?"
"That's enough," Jay interjected. "Both of you stop arguing. You're both too close to the investigation. Go back to your posts."
"Sorry," the short one said. "But who are you?"
"I'm Dr. Jay, the scientist in charge of all operations at Jay Laboratories." Jay explained. "And I'm trying to help apprehend the killer."
"So, why did you come to talk to us today?"
"Just routine questioning," Jay said. "Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Wait," the short one said. "Who do you think the suspect is?"
Jay hesitated. Did he want to answer that question? But since they seemed to have some suspicions, perhaps he should clear up their misconceptions.
"The killer is obviously Detective Lux," Jay said. "He's been acting strangely lately."
We didn't know that," the short one said.
"Of course you didn't," Jay said. "Because you have no proof. I've been studying the evidence myself, and I believe there is sufficient evidence to conclude that he is guilty." In fact, I've already started preparing to catch him."
"What kind of preparations?"
"You don't want to know." Jay replied. "But suffice it to say that I am quite confident about catching him soon. I won't need your help, so please return to your duties."
With that, the pair turned away and walked off.
'They must be working on a hunch.' Jay thought as he walked.