I don't know where my powers came from. Freak genetic accident, probably. The sort of thing no one can predict. I never thought puberty would see me picking up on thoughts from people nearby. It's not like you see in books and movies. I never mistook it for people talking, never thought people were actually saying... those things. It just feels totally different.

Media gets one thing right, though. It doesn't turn off. And it's all self-centered arrogance, vitriol, and pettiness. I thought I could learn to shut it out, but no. Isolation made everything calm, but eventually I needed more and more, until no matter where I went, I wasn't alone. Because as I aged, my power grew.

Grew enough that I could push back. Change minds as easily as you change your socks. When I figured that out, I turned into a power-hungry puppet master for about five minutes. That's all it took to get bored of that.

But it helps, because it gave me the means to get the one thing I want. Tranquility. It's impossible as long as all you little monkey-instinct brains are polluting the mental landscape. Which, to answer your question, is why I'm going to kill everyone. I could shut people off one by one, but that takes far too long. And even changing your socks chafes when you do it ten thousand times a day.

So I'm going to kill everyone on earth. Including you. Oh, you want to help?

How nice.