Mr. Mentality #1: The Power of a Thought

 

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Introduction

My name, simply put, is Steven Dittman. There is not too much special about me. I mean, sure, people tell me I am handsome, smart, clever, creative, but who lacks all of those at once? No one I know. On the flip side, I am thin, a little nerdy, and definitely not someone you would go to for help if you were surrounded by a bunch of bullies. Yeah, actually, when I was younger, I was the one being bullied. Anyway, I am also a romantic. Not that anybody cares. They may mention it every now and then, but everyone whom I thought I really liked just didn't like me back. I finally figured out why a few weeks ago. I have had rough patches. I once got incredibly homesick, and was mostly repaired the following summer, but the experience forever changed me. As a person, I have evolved from a naive introvert, to a slightly better comprehending psuedo-extravert. Yeah, I am into Psychology, when it comes to topics of educational discussion. But, when it comes to hobbies, I love superheroes, a lot! As you may or may not have already come across, I have thought up a Multiverse of happenings, focused in many cases around various versions of me, but good chunks of it are on entirely fictional people. I only recently learned that I was an actual part of it all. A missing link, so to speak. But hey, why spoil all the fun, find out for yourselves what on this good earth happened!

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Chapter 1: Seeing Red

    It was our second day in Washington DC, and we were visiting Gettysburg. We rode on horseback, and drove our van to multiple monuments dedicated to those who died and lived to tell the tale on the battlefield. All-in-all, I remember it as my favorite day. The clouds protected us from the blazing sun for most of it. Plus, there was more history packed on that battlefield, than on any two of the other sites that we visited over the entire trip! It was shortly after leaving the gift shop that I noticed something peculiar. My sunglasses, which I had just bought, were framed in red, and apparently the lenses gave everything a red hue. I tried to tell my family about the phenomenon, but those who wore them at my request did not notice a difference, except for perhaps my brother. Aside from that, after wearing them awhile the eyes need to readjust, and in doing so, they make things look mainly green. It is a little weird, mainly because I am almost the only one who notices it. Red is my favorite color, but I would never have connected the dots had it not been for the secret government organization known as the Mentality Society, or the MS, for short. Supposedly there was an agent of theirs at Gettysburg, and Mount Vernon. He heard me try to tell my family about what I saw. Upon calling his boss, he was told to try and recruit me, somehow. It took him long enough. I was able to make it to about two weeks before school started before he made contact with me.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you be interested in a job at the Walmart on 57th Street St. Paul?" (I know he comes to my door and asks about a fictional job at a Walmart that does not exist. I saw right through him.)

"Uh, well considering there is no Walmart on the non-existent 57th street in St. Paul, no. Will that be all?"

"Sorry that I have to do this sir, but too much depends on it."

"What?" Pssss. "Hey, I dont want to be... hughnnnshooo..."

"Just what do you think you are doing with my son?"

"Son, mam?"

    The agents put a light emitting device in front of her eyes, which I later learned hypnotized her into giving an actually believable excuse to the others, as to why I had to be taken away from the house. She would be herself again, when I later said, "Mom!"

I woke up in an elaborate office filled with twisting circular pictures, and crooked handled clocks (at least 12 of them). I was immediately suspect.

"What am I doing here?"

"Why my good lad, you are here to be tested, and talked to," exlaimed a five foot man in a tall chair cheerfully.

"I take it this is not Walmart?"

"Confound it Jeffrey! That stupid Walmart excuse will never get you anywhere!"

"Yes, Mr. Coleback. It is simply all I can think of in the moment. I will try to think it through next time."

"Well you had better. That is what we are all about, after all. My apologies Steven. Allow me to introduce you. This is Jeffrey Janhousen, our most reliable field agent. We are a small government organization, known as the Mentality Society. My name is Mr. Kelly Coleback. Just call us Jeff, and Mr. Coleback. We already know everything about you, at least what the public can access."

"Then you know that I am not special. Look, I respect your regard for the human mind. I appreciate it too. It is arguably the most complex thing that can be studied period. That does not explain why I am here."

"Well Steven, you are here because you caught our attention. Doubtless, you have heard of how insane people can exert far more strength than they actually have? Well, our theory is that they simply imagine they can to the point of sincere belief, and BAM, they are super-strong. You love the color red, no?"

"Yeah, but..."

"You see, these lenses are meant to make things seem darker. They are tinted a dark brown, not red, or even rosy. You sincerely believe that you are seeing red through them, and so you do. One does not need to be a psychopath to activate this unique feature in the brain. You just need to believe. It is kind of like the Matrix, but in the real world. It takes no less bravery, either."

"Huh. Hee, hee. HA!!! You think I am brave enough to test my mental capacity to believe to its limits. Well, hee, even if you are right, how do you expect to motivate me. This is interesting and all, but I have school in two weeks. I have a life to get back to."

"Oh, you will, in two weeks. Listen, do you want this rubber ball to hit you in the face?"

"Exactly how is that relevant to our discussion?"

"Just answer the question, Steven."

"Well, naturally no. You do not plan on throwing it at me do you?"

"That is exactly what I intend. Do you want me too? Do you want it to hurt? I can through it hard if you like. Are you willing to believe that I will miss? Are you willing to concentrate on moving the ball away from your head as it speeds towards you at 90 miles an hour? Are you?"

"Really, this is kind of, OH MY GOSH!"

Mr. Coleback threw. I ducked.

"Are you crazy?"

"Again."

Whoosh!

"Hey stop!"

"Again."

Swoosh!

"Enough is enough!"

"Again!"

WHOOSH! BANG!

"Please, you are going to hurt someone!"

"Focus Mr. Dittman. AGAIN!"

SWOOSH! BAM! SPLAT!

"How are you throwing so hard?"

"Mr. Dittman, FOCUS!"

"Sir, he can't do it!"

"Enough Jeffrey! AGAIN!!!"

"STOP!"

CRACK!

"Oooh, okay, congrats. That was my throwing arm. That is not quite what I told you to do, but still, good job."

"Sorry, I just sincerely believed that you would stop."

"Yes well, now that you have proof, I will use my good arm to try and hit you. Stand still, and believe that the ball will curve away. Ready, GO!"

Boing!

"Ow! That was a little fast! I need time to focus!"

"Alright, calm down! We will try again. GO!"

Bing!

"I am sorry, this is a little different than before."

"Just focus, third time does the charm. You are doing well. GO!"

This time, to the surprise of all three it zoomed (at 120 mph) at Stevens head and curved 45 degrees to the right bouncing of the wall, and returning to hit Jeff's left ear. Thud!

"Ouch! Why, does this always happen to me?"

"Always? There were others before me?"

"A... yes, actually we currently have nine other students in training right now, and we have been getting them in and out between three and five weeks before they reach there full potential. Granted we have only been up and running for a year, but..."

"Hold it, why aren't there more occurrences? Wouldn't this make the news?" And how are you going to get me out in two weeks?

"Well these kids are trained to use their abilities wisely, without their parents knowing. You see, whenever the kids are here, their parents think that they are in a hospital. We are planning on spreading the word to the families soon, but the delay is owed to the fact that it could risk disrupting some of the families' integrity. As for your two weeks, well, let's just say you passed this test much faster than your pears, each one of them creative to boot. Besides, you are the only one to have broken my arm."

"Sorry about that."

"Oh no worries. It was bound to happen someday. Jeff will show you to your new room. Have a nice vacation here with us. Oh, and do think of it as a vacation. Believe it! School is just around the corner, and having a schooling mentality will get you nowhere here."

"Thank you sir, er, Mr. Cole."

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Chapter 2: The Training Facility

    The rest of my first day with the MS was pretty basic. They showed me the restrooms, dining center, training room (which was not currently in use, since it was now the evening), and of course my own room. I had supper, brushed my teeth, and went to bed. It was day two that really gave me things to think about.

Brooooooooom! Brooooooooooom! Broooooooooooom!

"Attention all students, it is now 6:00 AM! Time to begin training! For those of you who are new breakfast is after your first session at 6:15, and will be eaten at 7:15! Time to begin training!"

"Uuuungh, 6:00 am? Okay, gimme a minute. I am coming. Be right there."

"Up and atom Mr. Dittman. It is going to be a tough first day. You have the morning training both before and after breakfast, noon competitive imaginings, and afternoon break for lunch. In the evening you will get to cool down and relax to some music practice. Then supper, and back to bed. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there. Where is the restroom, again. Oh yes..."

"Pardon me, but that will have to wait. Get dressed. Come now, you have only three minutes left!"

"Fine, I will get ready Mr. ..."

"I am your personal trainer Mr. Phlambiram."

"I won't be long, thank you."

"Alrighty class, most of you know the drill. For those of you who are new, take these rubber straps and tie your hands behind your back. Perfect, now sit in your chair, arms behind the seat. Finally, look in front of you. Different levels of training will receive different speeds, but essentially you are about to be shot at by mini-guns. The faster you make the harmless bubble bullets move off to the side, the faster they will be blown at you. Ready, set, go!"

    The exercise began. It lasted for 45 minutes in total. The first 5 of these saw me being hit by a good fifty plus bubbles. But then, I believed that they could curve away. And then things got crazy. They came faster, and faster, and faster! I was told afterwards that I was the only one who could attain such focus so readily. I came only a few seconds away from breaching the fastest speed of the guns, when the forty-five minutes suddenly ended. Yes, those things have thousands of settings. Anyway breakfast was a relief. I quick used the bathroom, and began eating the eggs and bacon that they served. I sat there, the only new recruit. All of the rest of them said that they were already impressed with me, and we briefly discussed our families. It was the most fun I had had in a long time! And this coming from a man, who held a boa constrictor about a week ago. Afterward, we had more training. This time we were made to take fighting stances and face a seemingly immobile robot.

"Keep your eyes pealed. These guys look low-tech, but do NOT be fooled! Each of them is an expert at imitating your fighting style." Mr. Phlambiram and the other instructors pulled off the exterior armor of the robots. Underneath was a basic, and yet very acute design. "Careful, because of secrecy, despite what we tell your parents, we cannot actually send you to a hospital. Ready, set, go!"

    This task was also kind of simple. It could do no more than you could. However the faster you defeated it (pressed the button on it's chest) the faster it defended itself. I was focused on the task, but about ten minutes into the 45 minute exercise, I began noticing some peculiarities in the robots facing my compatriots. Major malfuntions, and blowouts, that magically repaired themselves were just the beginning. I saw one kid turn his into jelly! Then I understood, sometimes the best way to outdo your enemy was to out-imagine them! I quickly picked this up, and began to morph my own bot into all kinds of crazy things, until finally it evaporated into a thousand little bubbles. Then the session ended. There were several other classes, so to speak. But, eventually we were off to the competitive imaginings. Based on what I saw, I had plenty worthy opponents! In fact all ten of us were really good at believing the impossible!

"All right students, this is easy enough, even fun! Sit behind your respective glass windows and just think of whatever you can to bring into a battle. A pet so to speak. Then pit it against your opponents pets! Ready, set, GO!"

    This time, anything went. Dinosaurs, mecha-monsters, and even creatures never before conceived were pitted against one another. My own beasts were beaten several times. Finally, I got the hang of it, and realized that it was not just the size and shape of the creature, but its skills that mattered. So, I simply constructed a kung-fu alligator with abnormally long limbs and a lethal, spiked tail. This had them stumped for a whole half-hour (this session lasted two hours total)! However, it was defeated by a razor sharp spinning top eventually. Honestly, this was pretty fun, but I had not experienced the whole day yet. We had lunch. We went through some quite and peaceful alone time. Finally, we had music practice. This was designed to be the final exercise, and to cool you down in a way that all the free time in the world ever could!

"Remember, you must always be calm and cool in a conflict. Now, we play out loud hear to inspire one another, but out there, you are on your own. It often helps to have a soundtrack that keeps you on your feet and alert, as well as relaxes you enough to remain rational and keep you from over-exerting yourself. Conjure an instrument, conjure your voice, whatever helps. You will need to be able to play it in your head later, or perhaps make it sound to distract your enemies. Okay, relax, set, GO!"

    The sounds made that evening were so fantastic, I could not have even comprehended at the time that this was really just the beginning. It was really a shame when we had to go to bed! I mean, imagine taking turns playing songs with your friends in a talent show, except now you can perfect any and every note at will! Well, that is what we did, and it was wonderful! The sleep I had that night was the best I can remember, for you can get used to such things.

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Chapter 3: Early Graduation

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Chapter 4: The W.E.L.C.O.M.E. Party

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Chapter 5: Partners in Crimefighting

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Chapter 6: Klarisshe's Mind

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Chapter 7: Further Experienced

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Chapter 8: The Mental Society

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Chapter 9: Dark Cages

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Chapter 10: Converging Paths

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Chapter 11: Trust Issues

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Chapter 12: Internal Conflicts and External Outbursts

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Chapter 13: Liberating Loved Ones

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