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Sylvia and some of the other 'Usual Suspects' link up with Dave for a ride to the hospital.

Billy Hitchcock was the name they found by asking around to some of the other upperclassmen.  Armed with that and what seems to be an incredibly easy conversation with the nurse at the desk, they find themselves in Billy Hitchcock's room.

Billy is in traction.  Two broken arms, two broken legs and coountless bandages for assorted cuts.

"Wow, visitors."  he says as the group enters.

Sylvia may have been thoughtful enough to bring along a card and a mylar balloon or something like that.  "Hi," she says, going into the routine she's perfected through her first few months in Chicago.  "I'm Sylvia."  And then she goes around, making rapid-fire introductions.  "We're from school."  Awkward pause.  "How's it going?"

"Doc's say I'll live.  It's gonna be in here for the next few weeks, but I'll live.  So, what brings you guys out here?"

Sylvia's gaze drifts to Kel, the assertive one, or Colin, the friendly one.  She's hoping they'll save her from herself sometime soon.  "We kinda wanted to know what happened and see if you were okay.  So what happened?"

"Got wired on some Superman with some guys downtown and then got jumped by some thugs.  We ended up in a car chase, and my ride got flipped.  So now I'm here."

"Where'd you get the Superman?"

"One of the guys I was partying with.  He said he got it from some dealer downtown, Van-something."

"Do you remember the name of the guy?  Not the dealer, the guy you were partying with?"  She feels obligated to reassure him.  "We're not going to narc or anything."

"Rodney.  I heard he died in the crash though.  Hey, you wanna help me out?"

Sylvia is at least willing to listen to the request.  "Yeah, okay."

There we go. That bastard.

Colin is willing to listen too, though he can't promise anything.

Sarah puts down some flowers on the side that she scooped out of an empty room along the way.  Other than that she listens quietly.  What is muscle supposed to do?  Shouldn't I have sunglasses and maybe a little earphone keeping me in  contact with headquarters?

"In my jacket pocket, in the closet there.  It's a couple of hits of Superman, can you flush them for me?  You have to really dig down, there's a hole in the pocket, they're in the hole."

And that, there, is maybe what muscle is supposed to do.  Sylvia looks at Sarah expectantly.

[Re:  last post, Sarah.  :laugh: ]

Sarah nods to Sylvia and heads over to the closet and opens the door.  She starts digging around in Billy's pockets looking for the one with a hole.  When she finds it she fishes out the pills if they are in there.  She closes the closet door quickly and heads straight for the bathroom. 

Once out of sight she sticks the pills in her own pocket and flushes the toilet with her foot.  She comes out with another nod.  "Mission accomplished."

OOC: Anything else interesting in his pockets while I'm browsing?

"Thanks.  Last thing I need is to be tempted to take that again."

OOC: Nothing else in his pockets

"What did it do to you exactly?  What did it feel like?" Sylvia asks, giving in to her developing interviewer's instincts.

"Makes you feel invincible.  Faster, stronger, like nothing can hurt you.  It was the most incredible high I ever had."

"Do you--"  Sylvia has trouble putting it in words.  She's lived a sheltered life.  "Do you feel like you want more?"

Hitchcock chuckles, "That's why I had you flush them.  I could already feel the urge.  You don't ride a high like that and not want more."

Colin realizes with a shudder that he too wouldn't mind feeling invincible sometimes. He can see why anyone would want more, and how truly dangerous this thing is.

"Is there anything else we could do for you?"

Yeah, blackbird. Is there anything I could do for him? I'd like to help him.

Colin's thoughts draw his eye to the window, and the blackbird on the sill.  "Undo the knot in his soul."   an erie voice says, and the blackbird flies away.

Colin's eyes widen in surprise, and for a moment, he cannot react.

Then he takes some steps towards Billy's bed. He looks at him at his broken and bandaged body, at the longing in his eyes. He takes Billy's hand, and puts the other hand on his chest. Bobby told him that he  doesn't heal directly, but rather acts a conduit for the spirits. Colin isn't sure this works the same way, but he closes his eyes and tries to concentrate on becoming transparent. He thinks of the people that loved him, his father, grandma Rose, and of the people that surely must have loved Billy too, and asks for their help. He tries to feel within Billy, to feel his soul, and find out what's wrong. Hoping that the blackbird didn't use some kind of metaphore, he looks for a knot and tries, slowly and gently, to loosen it, to undo it.

Colin feels the room fill with essence.  The spirits of other people crowd the room and walk through the bed, and Billy, then they exit through Colin back to the spirit realm.  A few moments later they're gone, and the light of the room returns to normal.  Billy's eyes are watering, "Thanks."  he says, with a voice almost too weak for words.

OOC: was this visible to everyone, to me and Billy, or just me?


It's all so new and intense that Colin staggers a bit, but there is no lightning, no pain, no zap this time. He doesn't really know what to answer Billy, he tries talking a couple time, but in the end he just holds his hand tightly for a moment, then he rushes out of the room. He stops by a window in the corridor, and looks outside.

So *this* is how it's supposed to work! Thank you. Thank you!

He doesn't even know who he is thanking, probably the blackbird, Bobby for teaching him, and the spirits that helped him do it. All of them. He feels a glow inside, he feels like he is floating.

Bobby said there is a balance. You have helped me, and I should return the favor. What can I do for you? he says in his mind, not only to the blackbird but to the spirits as well, trying to feel them around himself, looking at his faint reflection in the window.

Visible only to Colin, but everyone in the room felt "something" happened.

Sylvia gives Colin one of those sidelong, teenage stares of what-the-hell-did-you-just-do.  Then she looks at Sarah like Sarah should know what to do with him.

Sarah can only offer Sylvia an uncertain shrug.  He did something cool again.  Now that's a power worth having!  Healing people.  Helping people, even if you don't know exactly how.  Thats just amazing stuff!

"I think maybe Billy needs a chance to rest.  We should probably get going soon anyway."  Sarah comes up to Colin's side and touches him lightly on the shoulder.  "You ready to head out?"

Colin nearly jumps when Sarah touches him.

"Oh! Oh, yes, I'm ready. Sorry, I was somewhere else."

Well, if you need me, you know where to find me, I guess.

He falls in line behind Sarah.

"Oh! I forgot! We should have kept one for T.J. to analyze!"

Sarah turns towards the door and keeps her mouth shut.  With her back to Colin and Billy she winks at Sylvia on the way by her. 

Sylvia can't quite keep the smirk of female conspiracy off her face as she follows them away from Billy Hitchcock.