Han woke up abruptly. He jolted out of bed and stared about him in confusion. Something had woken him up, maybe some kind of sound, but he didn't know what it was. It was a quarter before ten pm. His alarm would have gone off in just a few minutes, to wake him up in time for patrol. 

The window was open, a light breeze coming in. Han hadn't left it open. He slipped out of bed and onto his feet and put his hands in front of him in a defensive stance.

A noise from behind made him whirl around, just in time to see his desk lamp flying at his head. He ducked and it flew over him, but it was already coming back around by the time Han turned to face it. He didn't dodge it in time and it smacked him upside the head. He fell to the ground. 

Han only had a moment to be dazed when the lamp struck him again, right in his stomach. He managed to grab a hold of it and held onto it tight to stop it from attacking again.

Unfortunately, Han forgot about the lamp cord, which quickly wound itself around his neck and tightened. He felt his throat being squashed. He couldn't breathe. He let go of the lamp and grabbed onto the cord, struggling to get it off. As he struggled, a figure appeared above him. The cord suddenly released and Han yanked it off him, throwing it. He coughed for breath.

"What do you want with her?"

Han glanced up and saw the same man who had attacked him at the school with the brick. "With who?" His voice was raspy from being strangled.

"You know who!" The man kicked him in the side, with more force than he should have been capable of. "Sidney."

Han rolled onto his side, bringing his knees up in an attempt to protect his torso. "I don't want anything with her. I'm trying to help her."

"Lies!"

Suddenly Han wasn't on the ground anymore. He was flying through the air, straight up. He slammed into the ceiling and then fell back just as hard onto the floor. All the wind was knocked out of him and for several seconds, Han couldn't see anything. When he could finally speak again, he looked over at the man. "I'm one of the good guys. I swear it. I'm not trying to hurt her."

The man attempted to lift him again, but this time, Han was prepared. He willed his body to stay where it was. The man strained to lift him while Han fought against his will. Telekinesis was only good on people who were weak or unaware of your attack. Otherwise, they could maintain control of their bodies. Han knew that much from training at the Collective.

The man kneeled beside him and grabbed him by the collar. He punched him in the face, sending pain radiating through his head. "You've been digging into her past."

"It was my job!" Han shoved the guy off him, throwing him back into his dresser. Han stood on wavering legs and stood his ground. "I was sent to figure out why a surge of magic in the city was traced back to her. It was just for information. It was never to hurt her. And the mission is ended. It's over."

"Then why are you still following her? And having others follow her?"

Han's bed sheets flew off the bed and onto him. Han felt them tighten around his head, making it hard to breathe. There was a sudden tug and Han slammed back into the wall. The sheets wrapped around his neck and lifted him clear off the floor. Then he went flying into one of the double doors. The glass shattered from the impact. The sheets released him and Han fell to the floor in a heap, all tangled in them.

Han managed to get his head out so that he could see the man, and his attacks. But he was completely out of breath and in pain. "Are you Sidney's father?" Han asked before the man could hit him with something again.

"What?" the man seemed surprised by the question. "You know who her father is."

"No, I don't."

The man took two wide strides to his bedside table, opened the drawer, and pulled out the drawing that Sidney had let him keep. He came to him and held it in front of his face. "Ricavani Valenteen."

"But... then... are you another Valenteen?"

"You really don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Han asked, getting frustrated. The adrenaline was beginning to leave his body and Han was feeling weaker by the second.

"You found out about who she is, didn't you?"

"Yes, some."

"Who did you tell?"

"No one."

"Lies!" the man raised a fist.

"I told some of the truth to my superior, okay? Just enough to get him to agree to protect Sidney. We're not after the truth anymore, I just..."

"Then why are you still with her?"

"Because I love her." The words slipped out of his mouth before Han realized what he was saying. But once they were out, he realized they were true. "I love her," he repeated. "I don't want anything to happen to her. I can keep her safe."

"That's my job," the man said solemnly. "Her father bequeathed it to me. I'm her guardian."

"Who the hell are you?"

The man crumpled the drawing as his hands closed into fists. "I'll look into your story. If you're lying... well, I think you know what happens then." The man stood and once again, vanished into thin air.

Han had a sudden fit of coughing, his body still fighting for all the air that he had lost. He crawled his way over to the bed and managed to get his phone from the nightstand.

"What's up?" Orion answered after one ring.

"I don't think I'm gonna be making it to patrol tonight," Han croaked into he phone. 

"Why? What happened?" Orion's voice was now filled with alarm.

"I was attacked." That was all Han wanted to say for now.

There was a moment of silence. Han knew Orion was thinking of what to do. "Okay. Just hold tight. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"There's no need," Han said, but then the phone slipped from his hand as his eyes went dark for a moment, his head dizzy. His whole body hurt and his throat burned. His head was pounding. Han put a hand up to where it hurt the most and felt the stickiness of blood. That explained the pounding headache. Apparently it was his head that had cracked the glass on his door. The pain worsened as Han lay there, and it wasn't long before he slipped into unconsciousness.