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Jon relayed this information to Borrowman, who still stared at Powell with a semi-bored expression on his face.

Borrowman let out a long, gusty, weary sigh. “So you’re trying to revive your dad, in other words. Is that what the captive person is for, to give your Dad a new host?”

Powell froze, panting shallowly, and he looked on the verge of a panic attack or an explosion of temper. From the way Jon and Abby both tensed up, I’d say more of an explosion. Oh dear. I braced myself, getting ready to move.

I wasn’t the only one, Lachlan and Donovan both also shifted their weight to the balls of their feet, ready to spring in there.

In a threadbare whisper I almost couldn’t hear, Powell spoke. “Don’t speak of my father. He was the best man in the world. The only one who understood me. He taught me everything I know. He would have changed the world if not for…if not for…”

“A disease of some sort,” Jon muttered half under his breath. “I think that’s why he became a doctor.”

Ah, that also tracked.

Borrowman was done at this point. He stood, expression almost pitying. “You can’t bring back the dead. Any Medium can tell you that. Now, once last chance. Tell me where the second location is. We’ll find it, one way or another, but your sentencing will look better if you tell us where it is.”

Powell glared back at him. “I’m not telling you shit. I don’t believe you can undo my portals. That Reader of yours likely guessed about my dad, but you don’t know anything. You’re just fishing, Detective.”

“Yeah…well, you’re half-right, but you’re also very wrong. I might be fishing, but it’s true that I can undo everything with the experts I have on hand. Sorry, but you’re done, and that pipe dream of yours is done.”

Oh shit.

In that split second before I moved, turning to race through the door, I saw what I feared would happen. Powell had limiter cuffs on, of course, caging his power in, but he clearly hadn’t been sitting idly in a cell. He sharply yanked one hand out and it cost him, he’d clearly torn off a hunk of flesh from his hand, but it didn’t stop him. He’d somehow loosened them enough to get them off his hands.

Which meant pyrotechnics were about to go off if I didn’t get in there fast enough.

Lachlan was a bare step ahead of me as we raced out of this room and into the interrogation room. I was ever so glad he was armed, the iron sword on his hip, as we might need it. Hopefully I could stop him, though.

Borrowman wisely got out of there immediately, and we changed places with him, Lachlan’s sword leaving its sheath with an angry hiss of metal against metal.

Powell laughed, the sound maniacal and high pitched. “And what are you going to do with that toy! I COMMAND TIME AND SPACE!”

The second I was around Lachlan, and in line of sight of Powell, I dropped all shields and let my full aura blaze out. It was with a vicious sort of satisfaction that I watched his eyes go round, and he faltered back a half step, all color draining from his face.

“It’s not him you’re dealing with,” I said calmly, still walking steadily towards him. “It’s me.”

He moved, trying to keep distance between us. “Wh-what are you? What even are you?!”

“A chaos magician. You didn’t believe I was here.” I smiled and from his expression, my smile reminded him of a grim reaper. “You believe it now, don’t you.”

Terror shook him from head to toe. I didn’t quite understand why until he started babbling at high speeds.

“You can’t destroy it, you can’t, I need it, you can’t undo all of that, it took years, years!”

“To you, it doesn’t really matter if it’s destroyed or not.” I kept my voice soft, chiding, as he really didn’t get the full picture even now. “You’ll never have access to it again. And with what I’m about to do, you wouldn’t be able to manage it anyway.”

“Wh—” his eyes darted to me, then Lachlan, back to me, and it’s like the first flicker of understanding darted over his face. “What are you going to do? You can’t do anything to me!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

Lachlan snorted. “I can slay you like the mad beastie you are, but it’s my fiancé you should fear, man. The world itself bends to his will.”

Which Powell was about to discover the hard way.

Now, typically when I worked with another psychic’s power and ability, I was careful. I used the appropriate safeguards and measures, I remained delicate in my touch, since I wasn’t trying to cause harm, but help.

Needless to say, none of that applied here.

If this man could get out of cuffs, then he was a danger no matter where he was sent. And that I would not tolerate. My friends and apprentice were here, they were close, and I would not leave a danger like him in the same city. This man’s reign of terror would end right now.