Wonder ~ Patrick Jane "the Mentalist" One-Shots

Turned

The humming stops.

A man looks up at you.

The man.

Baggy eyes; purple tie; dark hair.

He reeks of terror.

Not far behind you are the footsteps, louder and stronger than before.

Now, snarls the voice.

Now, your stomach repeats.

Now.

"No no please!" The man shrieks.

You raise the gun, tease the trigger.

"Please stop! I – I can explai –"

BAM!

His eyes roll back in his head as blood splatters from the bullet hole. You drop the gun, instantly satisfied. The man collapses. His body hits the floor so hard it masks the damning beat of your pursuers. Caught up in the taste of your triumph, you miss the cock of a gun.

"PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND TURN AROUND SLOWLY!"

That you don't miss.

A female voice.

Anger rushes in.

She didn't take your meal...but she's going to stop you from enjoying it.

"Lisbon wait –"

"HANDS UP!"

"Lisbon –"

You refuse the woman's first request and keep both arms planted at your sides. With the smoking gun firmly clamped in one hand, you gradually turn on your heels, ignoring every order for you to raise your hands and drop the weapon. The woman's voice has no meaning, no consequence. You're still reeling from the satisfaction of killing your target. The man and woman's cries mingle into an incoherent hum, background feed dominated by his voice in your head, urging you to face your opponents head on. As suspected, a barrel stares you down. The woman is short. She appears frail, but her furrowed brow and deadly eyes testify to a potential threat. You focus on her face, watching the torment ripple across her pale flesh. She looks...pained. You can't understand it.

Why doesn't she shoot you?

You don't really mind if she shoots you.

"Once you find him, once you end him, you're complete..."

He told you your purpose was solely to kill the man now strewn on the office floor, staining the carpet a nasty red.

You clench the gun in your hand.

"If they get you, that's ok.

Just make sure you get them too."

"I SAID PUT. THE GUN. DOWN!"

"LISBON!!" The man bellows, finally shutting the lady up.

And just as you start to raise the gun.

The lady has the gun.

You want to shoot her first.

But the voice at the front of your head calls for you to prioritize the man.

"He'll try to stop you. He'll take away the delicious self-satisfaction of your victory and bring you to your knees."

No.

"Jane!" The woman snaps. "She's gone insane! She has a gun! She could still kill us!"

"She's hypnotized!" The man hisses. He flings a hand your direction. You don't flinch. You don't even blink. You haven't blinked once since...before. "Our killer knew we were close to finding the witness. He grabbed her and hypnotized her and put us into this dilemma!"