Half of My Heart

Too many secrets.

Ying bowed to Yunlan and kept his head lowered to help hide his face even more, while Chu opened the cell door to allow him access to the sleeping telepath. The guard behaved more like a doctor when he sat on the edge of the bunk bed and ran his hand gently over the man's forehead as if he cared, before he held his wrist and concentrated for a couple of minutes. He then nodded to Chu in agreement and stepped away from him, watching as the telepath awoke and sat up sharply in fear.

"I know who you are, I haven't done anything wrong," the frightened man uttered.

"No, you have done nothing wrong, but you are in pain and I can help you if you want. I have someone who needs your help and in return, we will teach you how to control your gift and not feel the fear and pain that comes with it. This is not a threat, it is an offer that you can refuse if you wish. But listen to the peace in your mind just now ... that is what we can give you."

The telepath stopped his nervous reactions towards the guard and looked more relaxed when he realised that he could hear nothing other than his own thoughts, and began to smile before he stared at Guo Ying again.

"You can do this for me and I'd hear no one all the time, only when I wanted to listen? What's the catch? What do I have to do?" he asked because there would be a price to pay for this peace in his mind.

"Someone is ill and the only way he can be cured is if you use your energy for him. If you decide to say no, then we will still help you but no more than that. You can think it over and tell these two officers your answer but please, don't take too long."

Ying turned to Yunlan and nodded before he vanished, leaving him staring at an empty space, and he sighed deeply. He would have liked the chance to speak to the guard before he disappeared, and he approached the cell and smiled.

"Would you like a drink, tea or coffee?" he asked the prisoner, while Chu glanced over at him wondering what he was going to do.

"Chu could you bring us two coffees please while I stay here and speak to ... what's your name?"

Yunlan wanted some time alone to ask questions and Chu knew it, so he ran upstairs and made the coffee as fast as possible and hurried back down. While he was away, Yunlan had a chance to ask about the guards.

"They catch criminals and take them back to the homeworld for punishment. They can put fear into anyone who breaks the law, and they are very powerful. They only obey one person," and the man paused as he looked around before he spoke the name,"Black Robe."

Chu arrived very quickly with the coffee and gave them both a mug, while Yunlan changed the subject completely.

"So what will you do, will you accept his offer? It seems like a good deal."

The man who never gave his name, sat quietly and studied these two minds in front of him while he held his coffee. He smiled when he found out that neither of them were telepathic and weren't a threat to him while he enjoyed the peace in his mind. He wanted to meet the guards because then they would lead him to his targets, and if they could relieve the turmoil his gift brought to his mind, then it was an added bonus.

"Yes I will accept. I haven't been in this world for long. The person who brought us offered us work and a good life to look forward to, but expected us to use our gifts for his benefit, so I escaped. But in this world, your minds are so noisy and you don't stop, even when you sleep you dream, I need peace."

Yunlan now realised that this man was illegally brought for ulterior motives and he reminded him where he was.

"I don't know if you've realised that you are in a police cell, and as a police officer, I have to ask you for some information about who brought you here, because it was against our law. What he did was illegal and he needs to be stopped, you were a victim and not completely innocent but by helping a law agency, that can be overlooked."