The TALONS Files: the chronicles of telepathic agent Ryan Dart

Madden Saves the Day!

Ryan broke the mental link with Esmeralda. He had to do that for a few reasons. First, it sickened him to see her struggling against Hadrian. Second, he had to concentrate on flying the SUV towards the Willis Tower. He could only guess that they were on the top floor. And that's where he had to drive.

Unfortunately, as he gained his bearings, he realized that, being preoccupied with the mental link, he had allowed the Four Runner to fly clear out of downtown and somewhere over Lake Michigan. He had used five minutes worth of fuel. He wasn't sure it would make it back to the tower, before the vehicle plummeted to the city below.

Ryan turned the Four runner back on course, and aimed it towards the tallest building in the Chicago skyline, the one with two lighted spires glowing atop the city. Ryan heard Hadrian approaching and returned to the home screen.

"Now," Hadrian said calmly. "As for your role tonight." He grabbed a tight, form fitting black glove and held it front of Ryan. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

Ryan shook his head. Hadrian pulled the glove on and walked towards a window. "It contains an electric pulse so strong it breaks glass!" Hadrian pressed his hand on the window and, with a loud pop, the pane of glass shattered into a billion pieces, allowing a strong cool breeze to rip through the room.

Ryan shrugged at Hadrian who snarled a mischievous smile at the boy. "Yeah, so."

Hadrian took the glove off and released Ryan's cuffs. "You'll understand in a second." The villain then pulled out a digital device from his windbreaker, one with a touch screen. It looked remotely like a phone, yet it was slightly bigger and wider. "Here, touch the Icon that says launch."

Ryan felt that if he didn't, the world would be destroyed. He began to realize that these feelings were tricks, alterations in his thinking. They were the dirty work of Hadrian. Yet the emotions seemed impossible to fight. He touched the Icon.

Hadrian chuckled. "You just released my prototype weapon from Tacoma, Washington. As the rocket is traveling the speed of sound, it should reach Anchorage, Alaska in an hour and fifty-five minutes. It's not as powerful as Logan's weapon, the explosion is much less and the contagion dies out after a few transmissions. However Ryan, You've just wiped the population of Anchorage clean off the map."

Ryan glared at Hadrian, as the bald headed man shoved the device into Ryan's front jean pocket. "You're twisted."

Hadrian wore a glowing face. "But the world will think you are."

He then wore a winning smile as he glanced at the phone in Ryan's hand. "keep the phone and put on the glove. You'll need it to tell the cops what a horrible act you committed. Ryan tried to resist Hadrian this time. Yet a thought came to him. 'This glove will protect me' and an irrational fear came to his mind, fearing, that if he didn't put the glove on, his hand would disintegrate. Ryan couldn't fight it and put the glove on.

Hadrian snickered as he wore a vicious grin. "Now walk over to the other side of the room. You'll understand my plan after you see your two girlfriends." Hadrian didn't have to manipulate Ryan's emotions. Ryan wanted to see these girls and make sure they were safe.

He walked towards the west side of the floor, discovering a queue line. It was a series of waist high poles and straps that, ordinarily, would serpentine a long line of people. Much like waiting for a ride at an amusement park. There were two actually, one in front of him and one on his right.

As Ryan realized what the queue lines were for, he understood Hadrian's plan and suddenly felt sick. There, along the wall, were two giant glass cases, extended from the building. They hovered over the city below, simply jutting out like like dorsal fins on a fish.

And there, in front of him and bound to chairs, were Mai and Esmeralda. Totally encased in glass with nothing but a thick pane between them and the sidewalk over a thousand feet below. Their backs were to one another, and Esmeralda pleaded with Ryan. "Ryan you have to fight his thoughts. Think of someplace where you feel safely shutoff from the outside world. Somewhere you felt as if you were on top of the world. Where would you go?"

Ryan wanted to take the glove off, and run to the girls. Yet he felt if he did, the world would end. There was no way he could do that. Instead he walked towards them, feeling a desperate need to rest his glove on the wall of the glass case, to caress the case with his gloved palm.

Ryan tried to stop himself, but the need was too great.

"C'mon Ryan!!" Esmeralda snarled as Mai had tears running down her face.

Ryan tried to think of something, anything that fit Esmeralda's description. Then the thought exploded in his mind.

He loved to play madden in his room! Especially when things became too much.

He'd lock the door and no one was there to call him psycho, complain that he spent too much money or betray his friendship with drugs. He would be the Chiefs, he loved to control Patrick MaHolmes. The quarterback was a beast.

Yet, the Idea only came to Ryan, he hadn't tried it yet. And both of his friends looked horrified as his feet had carried him to the case, and he stretched his hand toward the pane.

He closed his eyes. There was a play, it always worked. A deep bomb to Tyreek Hill, he was there. He was in control, no one could touch him, he was master. He owned his domain, if for only these moments, and right now, he was not going to set foot out of his room.

Suddenly, the urge to break the glass dissolved. He withdrew his hand from the glass, looking at the horrified faces of his friends. Expressions of horror turned to beaming smiles, as they watched Ryan put his hand at his side. He shuddered to think that had he not thought of the video game, he would have never seen those two faces again.

He didn't take the glove off, but untied the girls fast. He used his silent mind, as to not alert Hadrian. Who, by now, had to be wondering what was going on. They stood, but were still bound with metal cuffs.

Ryan was suddenly hit with a thought. Somewhere over the city of Chicago, a wayward and unmanned four runner was flying towards the Willis Tower. Ryan pulled up his phone. The Four Runner was literally two-hundred yards from the Sky Scraper. Ryan believed, Hadrian was on the east side of the building. Well, at least Ryan hoped he was.

He pressed the missle Icon on the controls, turning towards the girls, "Hold on tight!"

And only a half second later, the other half of the floor exploded. Shattered glass and metal flew, as a fiery ball rocked the floor. Wind assaulted the tower, as the wall on the other side was completely gone.

Ryan gained his composure, fixating on his control screen. He very carefully brought the Four Runner onto what was left of the observation deck.