Jayden’s hands trembled as she raised her gun, her finger tightening around the trigger. Her eyes were wild, her breath ragged—a woman pushed to the edge. "Stop," she snarled, her voice breaking with desperation, "or I’ll shoot."
I chuckled, my amusement dark and unshaken. I didn’t even glance at her. Instead, I turned to Martin, John, and Larry, who stood beside me like silent sentinels. "What are you waiting for?" I said, my voice calm, almost bored. "Complete the task I gave you."
Without hesitation, they turned and began moving away, their steps measured, their expressions blank.
Jayden’s voice cracked. "STOP! DON’T MOVE!" Her gun didn’t waver. She was past reasoning, past fear—she had nothing left to lose. "If I kill you," she whispered, her voice raw, "everything will be fine."
And then—
BANG.
The gunshot echoed through the station like a thunderclap. The bullet tore through the air, a silver streak of death aimed straight for my head.
I didn’t flinch.
With a flick of my will, I stopped the bullet mere centimeters from my forehead, suspending it in midair as if time itself had frozen. My fingers twitched, and the bullet drifted into my palm, spinning slowly between my thumb and forefinger.
Jayden’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror. "How—how is this possible?!" she stammered, her gun slipping from her fingers, clattering to the floor.
The other officers—still immobilized by my telekinesis—stared in terrified awe. One of them whimpered, his voice shaking. "This... this isn’t possible..." Another officer backed up, his face ashen. "What is happening?!" His voice cracked. "Is this some kind of trick? It has to be—"
I smirked, rolling the bullet between my fingers before crushing it into dust with a mere thought. The metallic fragments scattered like ash, drifting to the ground.
"No trick," I said, my voice smooth, almost conversational. "Just power."
Jayden’s legs gave out. She sank to her knees, her body trembling, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "You—you’re not human..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I crouched in front of her, my gaze locking onto hers. "Oh, Jayden," I murmured, my voice dripping with mock sympathy. "I’m whatever you need me to be."
She shook her head, her tears spilling over. "This isn’t real..." she choked out. "This can’t be—"
I stood, my voice cold. "It’s as real as the bodies on the floor."
The officers around us began to whimper, their fear palpable. One of them dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his head. "I don’t want to see this..." he moaned. "I don’t want to be here—"
I ignored them. My focus was on Jayden—broken, defeated, but still defiant.
"Where are Martin, John, and Larry?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
I didn’t answer Jayden. I didn’t need to.
Instead, I chuckled, my gaze sweeping over the remaining officers—the ones who had thrown away their sunglasses in panic. Their eyes were wide, terrified, and completely exposed. With a single thought, I unleashed Absolute Hypnosis, my voice a low, commanding whisper:
"You are mine."
One by one, their bodies slumped into submissive bows, their guns clattering to the ground. Their breaths hitched, their minds now utterly enslaved to my will. The station, once a symbol of authority, was now my kingdom.
Jayden’s face twisted in horror and disbelief. She staggered back, her hand pressing against the wall as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. "No... no, this isn’t—" Her voice cracked. "You can’t—you can’t control all of them—"
I turned to her, my expression cold, my voice calm. "I am giving you one last chance." I tilted my head, studying her broken form. "Bring Lorena, her mother, and Arturo here." I let the threat hang in the air, unspoken but crushing. "Otherwise..."
Jayden’s breath came in ragged gasps. She knew she had lost. But she wasn’t done fighting.
"I’ll bring them," she whispered, her voice hollow.
She turned and ran, her footsteps echoing down the hallway like a condemned woman’s last steps.
I sat down in a chair, my fingers steepled, my expression unreadable. With a flick of my wrist, I pulled out my phone and activated SERA.
"SERA," I said, my voice low, "control the situation."
"Affirmative, Master Jack. Initiating full spectral dominance. All external communications, surveillance, and law enforcement responses are now under my control. The station is locked down. No one enters. No one leaves."
I smirked. "Good. I don’t want to deal with the annoyance of fighting the whole world." My fingers tapped against the armrest. "Not yet."
I pulled up the global news feeds on my phone. The headlines were already exploding:
BREAKING: U.S. GOVERNMENT DEMANDS ANSWERS IN MEXICO’S POLICE STATION STANDOFF.Sources confirm Jack Reynolds, a billionaire and U.S. citizen, is being detained unlawfully in Mexico.
White House releases statement: "The safety of our citizens is our top priority. We will not tolerate slander or threats against Mr. Reynolds."
I chuckled. "Of course." The American government was scrambling. I was one of the richest men in the world—a weapon, an asset, a symbol. If anything happened to me, it would be a global embarrassment, a sign of weakness. They couldn’t afford to let me fall.
Not when I was this powerful.
I pulled up Jayden’s location and communications through SERA. She was still fighting.
"She’s contacting her superiors," SERA informed me, her voice smooth. "Transmitting now."
Jayden’s voice came through, frantic and raw:
"Sir, this is Officer Jayden James! I don’t care what you’ve heard—Reynolds isn’t just dangerous, he’s not human! He’s controlling people with his eyes, he stopped a bullet with his mind—!" Her breath hitched. "I need backup, I need authority—if we don’t act now, he’s going to—"
A superior’s voice cut in, skeptical and dismissive: "Officer James, you’re under extreme stress. We have reports of a hostage situation, but your claims are—"
"I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" Jayden screamed. "He’s real! He’s here! And if you don’t listen, he’s going to kill us all!"
I smirked. "Pathetic."
SERA’s voice was calm. "She is also attempting to track Martin, John, and Larry. She suspects they are carrying out your orders."
I leaned back, my voice cold. "Shield them. I don’t want her finding out yet."
"Affirmative. Activating spectral cloaking. Their locations are now undetectable."
Jayden’s voice came through again, desperate and furious: "Damn it! Their signals just vanished! Sir, you have to believe me—"
I cut the feed. "Enough."