Trials of the Mind

He suddenly realized the significance of his head problems.  This was no ordinary headache; it wasn't even a medical problem. 

            Even though he was making himself stronger he still had the problem of the attacker. It dawned on him that the pain he was experiencing was from some outside force that was trying to enter his mind.

            At first he thought the idea was crazy, but he could feel its presence.  The probe that was pounding on his brain grew in intensity as he renewed his resistance to it with all of his might.  Doug couldn't stop from screaming out with pain as he felt the mysterious probe amplifying its strength.  He screamed and clamped his hands onto his head as if to prevent it from cracking open…

            …A beam of electromagnetic energy burst through the ceiling and down around Doug, showering the classroom with fragments of concrete and paint.  The power of the probe started to envelop him in an energy field, permitting no one to come in contact with him.  Doug’s friends and teacher were trying to force their way through the barrier that now enclosed him but without any success.  Mr. Reilly stared dumbfounded through the newly opened hole in the ceiling at the energy beam that glowed green from igniting the nitrogen in the earth’s atmosphere.  Even though no one could see it, everyone present now sensed the attack to be from an alien source.

            Students from other classes were coming into the room to see where the horrendous noise was coming from, and soon a group of people stood pressed up against Doug's technological wall of imprisonment.  No one could get close to Doug, and he didn't hear anyone's voice no matter how loudly they yelled.  The room was filled with such utter chaos and confusion that no one present really knew what was going on.

            Doug was paying no heed to anyone or anything in the room.  His concerns were concentrated more on his present condition.  He could feel the alien probe pushing its way into his mind, even though he was resisting with all of his might.  He realized that it was slowly frying his brain, but he couldn’t think of any way to fight against its raw power.  As soon as he started to contemplate ways that he could augment his own mental strength to resist the probe, Doug felt a little more intelligent as well as physically stronger.

            After a few minutes of this form of battle, his increased intellect determined that the reason he was succeeding in his struggles was because he was absorbing the power that the probe was using against him, and redirecting it to enhance his own capacities, as well as returning some of the probe's beam right back at the source.  Not only was he filling his mind and body with power, he was also increasing the potential of power he was capable of holding.  He then devoted all of his concentration to reforming his mental and physical defenses.  His imagination was given free reign to go wild with ideas of inhuman power.  His only limitation now was how much raw power a mortal frame was capable of holding...