The Agency: Meeting of Souls

by karina001

In an alternate universe those with psionic ability receive specialist training and take positions of prominence in society. For Treize Kushrenada his position as Prime for The Agency leads him into some interesting situations and may lead him to meet the

3. Chapter 3

Title: The Agency: Meeting of Souls 3/??

Author: Karina

//…// Thoughts

/.../+ Telepathy

Chapter Three

He had to admit he was impressed by the facilities he had thus far viewed at the complex. Throughout the drive from the main gates to the accommodations sector where the murder had taken place, he had ample opportunity to admire the spacious grounds consisting of neatly trimmed lawns and gracious plantings of trees, shrubs and flower beds. This prestigious complex set outside the precincts of the city itself was very different to the Luxembourg campus of the Psychic Institute where he had received his own training.

The buildings he glimpsed through the trees and bushes offering discreet privacy screening were stately and classical in design. Within these sprawling acres the accommodations sector oozed beauty and grace and echoed less stressful and far more genteel times. He had caught a glimpse of what looked to be a massive sprawling structure of modern steel and glass as they had driven down the steep hill beyond the main gates, and around a sharp bend before passing behind the hill and winding down into the parklands.

Yuy had noted his interest in the modern designed construct of steel and glass and informed them the building was the Parapsychic Investigation Laboratories, where the vast majority of the psychic training procedures undertaken by the students were carried out, and thereafter announced they were headed in the opposite direction, to the accommodations park. The University complex bridged the two areas and was a massive sprawling assortment of buildings within easy walking distance of the particular dormitory they were to visit.

Chang took pleasure in the gentle rolling parklands, the carefully tended lawns with the screening trees ranging from old willows, silver birch, conifers and massive oaks dating from at least a century by their impressive size, to the smaller blooming lilacs, rhododendrons and camellias in clustered beds full of assorted plants. Every bed seemed to have plants in flower, some of exotic shapes and colours and most had stunning feature plants to draw the eye. He decided it would take a veritable army of gardeners to keep these extensive grounds maintained.

The silence in the car was comfortable, and he spent the time noting as many styles of bedding plants as he could. Gardening was a secret passion he rarely could indulge, given the daily routine of his life and the apartment life he endured, but whenever time and opportunity permitted he would visit the public gardens and immerse himself in the beauty of nature. Curving around behind one sprawling house his interest was piqued by the appearance of Buddhist prayer flags, and he suspected the heavy screening of plants might hide an oriental-themed planting, perhaps even a formal Zen garden. If he should happen to have the time he would be interested in finding this place again.

At this time there seemed to be few people moving around the grounds, and aside from the odd bird chirping audible through the cars open window, there was little in the way of sounds to draw his attention. The entire place oozed peace and serenity without being oppressive and annoying, and he wondered if the designers had incorporated subtle sonic emitters within their carefully tended grounds. He had marked a notable difference in the tension within himself and he was not blind to the effects on his partner. The use of subsonic sound to effect change in human emotions was something that had been experimented with for many years, but it was not until the recognition and common use of psychic abilities that the science of sonic audio manipulation had come into its own.

Treize seemed to sigh and relax back into the seat, his eyes were narrowed, lids half closed and the lines of tension seemed to bleed out of his face, making him appear his actual age. Some days the man looked closer to thirty than to his recently acquired twenty five years. The telepathic empath, more sensitive to the aura than he himself as a kinetic, clearly gave his stamp of approval to the carefully maintained psychic aura of the grounds. This place was for the psychically gifted to learn how to live with their abilities and use them to their best advantage, and certain requirements had to be met to cater to the comfort and peculiarities of the students and their talents.

//This is what Treize needs. For him to have relaxed so quickly after entering the grounds they must be making use of sonic emitters generating a relaxing vibration. This is a far cry from the office atmosphere he has existed in for so long but it is more than just restful gardens affecting him. I had presumed he would return to his estates at the first opportunity but perhaps not. He may intend a visit to a relaxation centre first, one that caters to the express needs of telepaths and empaths. There are a few of those where the security would be of an acceptable standard for his Prime status.//

He had not mentioned the Prime's need for space and time to repair stressed shields after leaving Une's office. After all, they did not need Yuy to know that the Prime had problems. The man was observant enough to note there was a high degree of tension between Kushrenada and Une, and courteous enough not to inquire into matters that were of no concern to him. The clash of personalities and the Prime's need for time away from duty was an internal matter, and they needed to sort it out quickly and quietly, and to do that it would be necessary for them to attend to the mystery surrounding the John Doe's death. Treize no doubt intended to solve this matter with all haste, and Chang straightened in his seat as they approached the dormitory block in question and the driver slowed down.

The dormitory proved to be a four-story structure with a Georgian flavour painted in deep cream, with accents of a light mustard shade. It was not a colour scheme he recognized with the period the building echoed, but then the building was not true Georgian and he decided the colours were chosen for a purpose other than to be accurate to a set period of architecture. This entire complex was designed to give off an air of quiet and peace, and the colour scheme was not glaring on the eye and tended to blend into the scenery in a comfortable fashion. Again a concession to offer ease to the psychically aware, particularly to those with augmented vision and the telepaths and empaths of their number, who would be affected by the moods of all persons surrounding them.

Yuy's driver dropped them at the main entrance before pulling away to park the car at the rear of the building, and the ESUN security agent wasted no time leading them up the wide steps and through the open door into the spacious foyer. The classical design of the exterior was echoed in the fine wood panelling, and the highly glossed polished oak floors. A grand staircase spiralled around the foyer in a gentle rising curve that was definitely not Georgian architecture, but again did not jar the eye; rather lead it into the depths of the upper levels in a smooth and gentle sweep. The upper sections of the walls were decorated in flocked wallpaper of deep red, and paintings of forest scenes adorned them as well as a massive framed gilt-edged mirror that took up the majority of the eastern wall's upper surface.

In the grandeur of the building Treize looked extremely comfortable, as though he belonged amid the gilding and wood panelling, while Yuy simply ignored it, apparently determining such details as useless distraction, and marched up to the stairs. Chang glanced around one last time and suppressed a shiver entertaining the uncomfortable sensation the building somehow diminished him, and he followed Yuy to the red carpeted staircase in silence, hoping the upper levels would prove to be less intimidating.

//Intimidating? Daunting. Treize is unaffected and Yuy seems not to notice anything other than the duty of the moment, so is it just me? Perhaps it is merely cultural differences that disturb me. My talent is kinetic, not empathic sensitivity and the building should not bother me. It is different to the world in which I grew up, where the colony is graced with classical Chinese architecture. Perhaps that is the problem. This building makes me feel … small. The sonic emitters are not installed here, I think, which is interesting. I may ask Sally to find out more of those devices as I am certain from Treize's reaction that they are in operation throughout the grounds.//

His diminutive height had not always been a sore point with him. There had been nothing remarkable about his size on L5 where he had been of average stature for his age, and it was not until his family sent him to Earth that he encountered those who commented on his physical stature or lack thereof. He had found himself able to ignore the annoying derogatory comments, and some of those comments had been down right insulting, and only twice during his tenure at the Psychic Institute had he found himself forced to defend his stature against those who considered it amusing to take down the 'little guy with the funny pigtail'. While he had not resorted to abusing his psi talent in either instance, his martial arts training had been more than up to the task of issuing discipline to the ignorant. He had considered the discipline issued to him in turn by his less than amused trainers, following what they termed to be his abuse of privileged training, to be worth the trouble.

Yuy led them up the gently circling staircase, bypassing the landings to the first and second floors and to the third floor landing, then proceeded in silence down the seemingly endless hallway with its classical statues placed at regular intervals and seascape paintings. The dark wood panelling and deep green flocked wallpaper lent an air of classical gentility, and he almost expected to see a maid in a uniform from a bygone century emerge from one of the heavy panelled doors and walk toward them.

Neither Yuy nor Treize seem inclined to comment on the elegance of their surroundings, so he maintained his peace, ignoring his inferiority complex as being unimportant and determining to get past it. It was a character fault he could not afford, and his family on L5 would be dishonoured if he permitted such to affect his performance of his duties. In his line of work, and working for the Agency in particular, he found himself inhabiting the slums of the cities as much as the marble halls of the rich and famous. On more than one occasion he had found himself under his wife's stern gaze, with the admonishment that he 'get over' himself.

He had known the building had been large by its exterior façade, but the interior appeared to make the exterior seem small. He suspected the bulk of the building had been effectively screened by careful positioning and strategically placed plantings. The grandeur gave the building more the appearance of a high class hotel rather than a dormitory block for a university, and he could only wonder at the usual standards of living of the parents of the students who resided here.

Yuy finally halted before an oak panelled door with a brass knob and key pad placed to one side of the frame. He touched the keys in quick succession before he reached to twist the knob and motioned Chang and his partner into the room as the door swung inward.

"So how do the school authorities plan to explain what happened in here?" Chang queried.

Glimpsing the interior of the suite he briefly wished the dorms he had roomed in at the Parapsychic Institute were as comfortable and spacious. He turned his attention briefly to the door, seeking for any sign of a possible forced entry and expected to find exactly what he did … nothing. Yuy or Une herself would have mentioned the means of entry had there been an obvious forced entry. He noted Treize also ran an eye over the door and the electronic lock panel placed discreetly to one side, but then his attention turned to the suite and the open plan lounge.

He sidestepped the corner of a three seat couch and paused beside an armchair, making a mental note that the room was entirely too neat and clean to be the room of a single, let alone a threesome, of normal healthy young males. Perhaps the grandeur of the dormitory tended to intimidate those who roomed here into keeping their rooms neat. He would have expected that to work for perhaps as much as a week before the cleanliness deteriorated into slovenliness, unless regular room checks were carried out.

Glancing quickly around he noted that while the hallway had been decorated in old world traditionalism, the suite itself was decorated in modern design. The couch was positioned to face an entertainment unit that any young man of this day and age would consider necessary to their amusement. A large television console, complete with a video games unit and entertainment package for the playing of movies, including a holographic projector, was packed neatly into an ultra modern designed unit. The entertainment unit was a fixed device with 'Property of Tsuberov University' written in neat gilded lettering, and dominated the wall.

A music system with overlarge speakers and an impressive wattage output, and some modern artwork on the side wall, was flanked by a large lounge chair and potted plant. The floor was of highly polished floor boards with a couple of throw mats to soften the lines of the blue, cream and yellow furniture. Chang hated the colour scheme and the room in general, and determined this was not a room where the students were meant to relax, as everything was far too neat. Notable for its absence was the lack of personal effects of any of the three students, and again he thought of the impression of a comfortable, but entirely impersonal, hotel.

//It could be that it just looks that way because the rooms have been cleaned while they were on the tour. Give them a few days and it could more accurately fit my image of a bachelor pad for young men.//

"Concerning the death itself, I believe the official story is that on a routine security check of the building a security guard had an accident and broke his neck in a fall. The rumour circulating the university is that one of the guards was the thief known to be active here, and he had a fatal accident while engaged in checking out what might be worth stealing in one of the dorms. Another rumour is that a security guard was visiting one of the female students, and slipped while descending a fire escape and broke his neck. It was decided that it would be best not to release the news the body was found in one of the dorms. The housekeeper appears to be an eminently sensible woman, and did not panic before notifying her employers of the body. It has thus far been kept relatively quiet, in the hopes the investigation will be handled discreetly."

"If it is not known that he died in this room how are they explaining moving the students to another suite?" Chang queried.

"Plumbing problems." Yuy deadpanned.

Kushrenada smirked and moved past the couch and freestanding armchair to enter the kitchenette. It was a small kitchen, entirely suitable for a bachelor pad where the occupants had easy daily access to a cafeteria for main meals, and was dominated by the breakfast bar and three long legged stools. A bench against the rear wall boasted a small oven unit that was more of a toasting grill, a microwave unit and the sink. His quick survey of the cupboards below and above the bench, showed they were freshly stocked with packet food, no doubt brought in by the housekeeper preparing for the students return.

The refrigerator stood against the side wall between the sink, the work bench and the breakfast bar. The door of the unit was closed and he could see the residue of fingerprint powder all over the handle. The floor was the same highly polished wood found throughout the dorm house, and the walls of the kitchenette were lined with soft blue tiles with muted yellow cupboards. Everywhere he looked he could see the evidence of the forensic team in their search for evidence.

"So how long can we expect these plumbing problems to last?"

Treize was interested in how long they might expect to have the use of the apartment before the University Governors wished the dorm suite was to be cleaned and made ready for occupation. He considered the breakfast bar for a moment then turned his attention to Yuy, who lingered near the door.

"Close the door please. I think it would be a good idea not to allow Winner back into this suite. We know it has been broken into not once, but twice, first by the burglar and then by his killer. I would not consider it safe for him to return until we have found the killer."

Yuy closed the door as requested and moved to rest his hands on the back of the couch. "The plumbing excuse should hold for at least a week, and I am hoping we will have the matter cleared up before then. It should be a relatively simple matter to trace the burglar."

Chang and his partner exchanged faintly amused looks, and the L5 segment of the partnership shook his head in a negative as he faced Yuy.

"It may not be so simple to catch the killer." Chang returned.

Yuy sighed, the heavy tired exhalation of one who knew that life, in spite of his fondest wishes, was about to become complicated. "The killer doesn't need to be a Psychic. Why complicate things by immediately assuming we are dealing with a psychic here? It could have been one of the security guards who may have been a little overzealous in capturing an intruder, and is simply afraid to come forward."

"It could be." Treize agreed eyeing the agent and restraining the urge to grin. //But only if you totally discount the evidence.//

He knew only too well Yuy hated the complications that inevitably arose in the hunt for Psychic criminals. Their talents all too often complicated such a hunt, and required the use of a high level investigations team that included Psi active members to track and take them down. While Yuy was the product of select genetic manipulation, those altered genetics had been along a carefully devised blueprint of requirements, and his designers had not seen fit to activate and stimulate the genes that manifested the Psi awareness. Such experiments were at this time banned, as it was feared what artificially enhanced Psi talents might produce.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to devise effective detection techniques to aid in the pursuit of psi active crime, and organized criminal syndicates were all too quick to becoming aware of the potential high level psychics had in the underground. Kinetic and clairvoyant talents were particularly sought after by the underworld's recruitment program. Nobody was stupid enough to claim psychics were so ethical as to not join up with criminal elements.

"It may be as simple as that, but with such a high profile identity as Winner's son involved no one would be willing to take the risk, hence your visit to the Agency and our presence here now."

Treize cast a glance around the room and loosed his perceptions, lowering his shields sufficiently to sample the suite and shook his head at the impressions he received.

"This place does not 'feel' right. I know the students assigned here have been absent for a month on their tour to the colonies, but there is no lingering 'feel' of them in this room. There is nothing I could recognize and tag as belonging to former residents, either recently lingering residue or from years past. To all intents and purposes this suite had been swept clean of psychic impressions."

That comment drew the immediate attention of his partner. "Not possible, surely?" Chang questioned.

"I would have agreed with you before entering and sensing this room, but all I am picking up at a surface scan is a residue of what I presume may be the reaction of the housekeeper to finding the body, and some static that I believe is the emotional overflow of the forensic team and initial investigators who responded to the call. If you had not informed me there are three young males resident in this suite I would not have known it. What is more disturbing than this lack of residue of their existence here, is that I cannot detect any trace of the past occupants, and from the background reports this building, and I presume this suite, has been occupied as a student dormitory continuously for some twenty to thirty years."

Yuy considered the man in silence as he watched the auburn-haired Prime walk a circuit of the kitchen, and then pause at the refrigerator. After a moment of what looked to be deep thought Kushrenada reached and opened the door, bending slightly to peer within. He knew the man would find nothing as the body was long gone, and at this time the refrigerator was unplugged so there was no light to help him look for clues. Besides, the forensic team had thoroughly searched the unit seeking anything that might offer them insight into the killer, or the identity of the victim.

Yuy resisted the urge to sigh, which he determined would be a waste of effort at this time. He had received a briefing both in the past and on being assigned to this mission, on the foibles and eccentricities of the talented, and the patience he would need to work with them. Generally he did not mind working with psychics, but every now and then he encountered what amounted to a language barrier. What Psi's seemed to understand and take for granted might as well have been a totally unknown language to him.

"I don't mean to appear ignorant, but exactly what is notable about this absence of emotional … residue … you say is missing? I don't profess to understand even a half of the briefing I was given on the range, uses and strengths of the various forms of Psychic abilities, but perhaps you might help me understand exactly what it is that disturbs you about the suite?"

Kushrenada straightened slowly from the fridge and glanced across the breakfast bar at Yuy. "The residue I speak of is the psychic impression left behind by people marking strong emotions. A form of psychometry. It involves telepathic and empathic sensitivity and a touch of precognitive talent, with perhaps a dash of clairaudience combined, to permit the sensitive to read the emotional imprint left on items or an area. Good humour, irritation, sexual tension, anger, lust, frustration, loneliness … these are only some of the residue that I should perceive from the suite. Being a dormitory room for an institute offering a high level of education and complicated training, I would expect to find a reasonable level of frustration, irritation and anger, and I would think good humour lingering here. These emotions I would expect to mark the complexity of the level of work required of Tsuberov students in the pursuit of their studies. Every emotion we feel leaves an impression on our surroundings that can linger for years, in the case of strong emotion, and in the case of long term habitation lesser emotions would reinforce within the psychic atmosphere. The human male in particular is a volatile mix of emotions, the strongest through adolescence being sexual tension and aggression as the bodies hormones fluctuate. These emotions I would expect to find here in this suite as a matter of course, but I am detecting none of that. It is remarkable and notable for its absence."

Chang had been quietly opening cupboard doors and examining the contents as he listened to his partner speaking, and paused as he reached the last cupboard to consider his partner in silence and look about the room. He was not a sensitive to perceive these left over impressions, but he found the lack disturbing now that he knew of it, and while he knew Yuy could not appreciate just how unusual the lack of residue was, he knew the man was a professional and would not dismiss the concern. He turned back to the cupboard and opening the door found himself staring at a sizeable garbage bin.

"It would be considered disturbing by every sensitive I know capable of sensing the emanations of past emotion. To find a residence where there is one resident male clean of that type of emotional residue might be possible … doubtful and certainly disturbing, but potentially it might be possible. For there to be three male teenagers resident in this suite, and for there to be no discernable emanation of their past presence, in the form of lingering emotional imprinting, is beyond merely worrying. There should be a very strong residual build up to be tapped into."

"So the suite is notable not for what it is, but for what it does not, contain." Yuy looked between the two psi's for confirmation, filing away the information to investigate in private during his off-duty hours. The subject matter would likely keep him entertained for some time.

"Exactly." Treize confirmed. "Winner, Merquise and Maxwell are all telepaths and/or empaths of high, or respectably high, levels. The lowest of them claims a level five reading, and that is still a considerable talent. There is no way that I know of to strip a room of psi emanations as this room has been. It might be possible to lay a false cover to obscure lingering traces of emotion, but I can usually detect that type of deception, and I detect nothing of the sort here. Tsuberov teaches its telepaths and empaths to shield, and those shields are used to protect the user from the thoughts of others and the emotions of others, and they can not be used to seal off the emotional overflow that is human nature. We simply cannot shield the very air around us from our impressions of life and how we deal with life's vagaries. Simply living leaves residue, and this room has been wiped not only of their presence, but of the trace residue from previous inhabitants. What is most noticeable about this lack of 'presence' is that there is no indication that a murder took place in these rooms, and I assure you death leaves one hell of an impression. Especially sudden and violent death."

"Why are you so interested in the fridge?" Yuy queried moving forward to lean over the breakfast bar and watch as Kushrenada knelt down to get his head in the unit and angle himself around to have a close survey of the interior.

Treize sat back on his heels and considered the refrigerator in silence for a long moment. "I will be very interested in seeing the autopsy report on the victim at the earliest possible convenience. I have no doubt that the report will prove the killing was performed by a Psi, and not a low level psychic either. I believe this murder was carried out by a psi with a high level kinetic talent. To be honest, Yuy, given the circumstances of the kill it is the only explanation possible."

Chang's investigation of the garbage cupboard had revealed a latched door in the rear of the cupboard which, on investigation, proved to lead into a stairwell behind the unit. The building, he realized, was designed to have a communal garbage collection taken from an internal stairwell at regular intervals, possibly once a week. He determined that the bin would be pushed through the small door in the rear of the cupboard into the stairwell, to be collected by what he was sure would prove to be a contractor with access to the building, and he snorted softly at the revelation. In his view this was an unnecessary security risk, but he would reserve judgment until he investigated the stairwell and any security procedures that might be in place. It was possible that his investigation would reveal an adequate level of security to safeguard this access to the students' suites to satisfy him. Deciding he had exhausted all possibilities with the cupboards, he moved to join Treize and in his turn knelt to peer into the fridge.

Wu Fei looked about the interior with professional interest, noting the exact amount of room available, and the dimensions of the unit suggested the victim would need to have been short and slender to have been packed into this rather diminutive space. His examination complete he sat back on his heels and exchanged a knowing look with his partner.

Yuy glared at the agents who shared a look that suggested they had an answer to questions Yuy had not yet devised the questions for. Both men exchanged brief nods before looking again in the unit. Their fascination with the refrigerator was honestly beginning to annoy him.

"I hear what you are saying and I believe I even understand most of it, but I still fail to understand why you think it was not only a psi, but a high level kinetic talent, that was involved in the killing."

Chang rocked back on his heels and after a moment rose to his feet and turned to look at Yuy. "It was without a doubt a high level kinetic, unless your body in the fridge was smaller and lighter than I am. I would have to do some fancy and inventive wriggling and contortions to make myself fit in the available space, and those gymnastics would certainly involve dislocating a number of joints, which I would not be willing to do."

"Alright, I accept your certainty that a kinetic talent was involved in placing the body in the refrigerator, but exactly how do you come to that conclusion? I'll need a little more to include in my report at the end of the day than a brief note that in your opinion a kinetic did it." Yuy's resignation to the inevitable conclusion was apparent in his voice.

"I have no idea how tall or how heavy the victim was, but to fit a body of my size in a fridge of that size," Chang inclined his head to the unit, "would require dismemberment of the body, and a means by which the body parts could be restrained from falling out so the door could be closed. The limbs would need to be tightly tucked into the fridge to get the entire body within it, and that could be accomplished using the torso, but to fit the whole body, in my opinion, would have required more than just dismemberment. There was no evidence of blood in the crime scene photographs you brought to the Agency, and the body on the slab shot was certainly not a body that had been hacked apart."

Treize nodded slightly in agreement, but remained silent and allowed his partner to brief Yuy. This was the forte of the kinetic talent in their partnership, and he was more than willing to allow Chang to summarize.

"To accomplish the task of getting the body in the refrigerator in one undamaged piece, I think the only feasible explanation would be for the body to have strategic bones broken to enable it to be moulded to fit the available room. I would estimate that a kinetic talent of at least level 8, my own level, would have been required to do it neatly enough not to leave obvious signs on the body, or have the broken bones pierce the skin as the body was manipulated. Telekinesis is my specialty and I test high, not up to a Prime rating, but I do not lack for ability or training, and I can tell you honestly that it would have taken exacting concentration to get that body to fit in the fridge without breaking the skin when the bones were broken. It is a very neat piece of work."

"A reading of no less than that estimated strength would explain the neatness of the kill itself. No blood, guts or gore as demonstrated in the photographs, means no visible wound to explain the cause of death. There are a number of means to accomplish this, but before we jump to conclusions I believe you must consider this caution. A high level kinetic is quite capable of stopping a person's heart, or of delivering a direct blow of untraceable kinetic energy to the brain. All very neat and tidy with little risk of blood as evidence, or leaking to reveal the body before the killer could make good his, or her, escape. Mind you, turning the brain to mush would involve a considerable amount of pressure, and I would have expected at least some blood flow from the eyes, ears or nose. Such evidence was not revealed in the photographs, so I would expect the heart to have been the more likely target." Treize rose and moved away from the fridge, making his way across the room to what was revealed to be a bathroom.

"Professional hit men with psionic potential have been known to perform their kills by the simple expedient of stopping their targets heart as they walk past them. Unless you look for specific signs to the contrary, this method looks like a heart attack." Chang agreed. "It is something too easily done, and it has been known to occur by accident, such as in the case of irate lovers engaged in a dispute over possibly trivial matters, or in one or two rare cases by adolescent emergence of kinetic talent during a violent dispute. It's not so rare or hard to do, and is easily done accidentally by kinetics who have little or no training, and who tend to have short and volatile tempers. That is one of the reasons why all kinetics are registered as early as possible, and exactingly trained."

Yuy blew a breath of air at his bangs, considering the options offered him by these men who took the topic of killing with an unthinking thought so casually. He understood that they could accept accidental use of this talent, but the idea of the cold-blooded deliberate use of it sent shudders up his spine. Anyone who walked past you might be capable of killing you quietly, neatly and quickly. If there was a psychic running around capable of stopping people's hearts, and stuffing them into too small refrigeration units without apparent second thoughts, he could only wish his superiors had assigned the problem to some other agent. The theories these two offered was disturbing for how little effect he might be able to have on such a killer, and he decided to act on the one portion of their theory that he could do something about.

"I will not pretend this news thrills me, but I will not refute your suggestions without proof to the contrary. At this time I believe it would be best for me to begin making inquiries on the number and identity of known, and suspected, assassins who have kinetic talent of at least Level 8 on the scale. They would not be too common."

Treize reappeared from the bathroom and for a long moment considered the agent, before turning to the door closest to the bathroom. "I doubt you will find out much. Any assassin with that kind of talent would have the finances and organization to see his particulars were a closely guarded secret."

"It is a place to start and at this time we have little else to go on." Yuy returned.

"We are supposed to be interviewing this housekeeper. When is she expected to arrive?" Chang queried.

"I presumed you would wish to investigate the suite before you spoke to her, but if you are ready for her I will send word. Would you prefer the interview take place in the security office, or will these rooms be acceptable?"

"Perhaps you could inform her to meet us here. These rooms shall serve us well enough for the interview, and request she arrive in fifteen minutes." Kushrenada called from the bedroom. "That should provide us with time enough to complete our examination, and I would prefer to follow her movements throughout the suite. Her impressions will be stronger here."

"It's all in the report." Yuy sighed and began punching in the call code for the security centre. "They never read the report." A low muttered complaint.

"Of course we read the report." Chang flashed Yuy a grin as he moved to the door opposite the room Treize had entered. "I take it these are the bedrooms? Ah, yes. Just because we read the report does not give us the right not to do our job to our best ability. If we did not go over the report's findings in exacting detail, we would not be worth the exorbitant fees the Agency charges for our services. Quite often we find there is some minor detail that was forgotten or overlooked. It might be something that was considered to be unimportant; mundane even, that could not possibly have significance, and may in fact relate to the investigation. If there is something there that has been overlooked by the housekeeper, you can rest assured that Treize can dig it out of her."

"Coax, Chang." The exasperated comment drifted from the bedroom Treize was investigating. "I do not dig into my subjects' mind and I would appreciate it if you would remember that. Saying that I dig in their minds is so uncouth, and implies unethical behaviour. During my interviews with witnesses I coax them to remember details they overlook."

Yuy snorted softly as he made the call, watching and listening to the by play between the two men, faintly amused at their banter. He had had the pleasure of working with them on a previous assignment, and knew they had been partnered together for two years, and in that time had come to understand each other on a deep level. On the occasions they had worked in unison previously, he had found a high degree of respect for each man, and it was directly through the Prime's talents that they had been able to learn of the terrorist leader's location, and through Chang's kinetic ability they had circumvented some of the nastier security measures the group had used to deter visitors. While he had learned to respect them as professionals, there had not been the time to get to know them on a more personal level.

"So? Same difference." Chang called back, crossing the room to investigate the bedside unit with a wicked grin, knowing himself safe from reprisal. Treize could not see his delight in his success at annoying his partner.

In the first of the three bedrooms Treize sighed and refused to bite, knowing the infuriating man would take every opportunity he could to get a rise out of him. It was one of the things he liked about the man, though he would never consider permitting Chang to know his amusement.

He continued to stare around the room in awe at the mass of posters lining the walls, some overlapping others as there was insufficient wall space to display them all. A high shelf over the bed was littered with models of space ships, some of which he recognized as freighters and shuttles, but others were of unknown designs. There were incomplete models of ships and what he presumed to be machinery models, possibly pertaining to some class taken at Tsuberov.

"From the paraphernalia in here I would venture a guess that this is Mr. Maxwell's room. Space ships, shuttles, blueprints for …" He paused and leaned closer to the wall taking a few seconds to study the schematics before him. "A robot of some kind? Hmm. Mr. Maxwell would appear to have quite a talent."

Yuy glanced around the suite and shrugged as he tucked away his com unit. "It is my understanding he is working on the design for some kind of robotic suit. I believe it is intended to be an environmental suit for those who work in vacuum that would allow greater mobility and dexterity for exterior maintenance on ships for the Sweepers. It is expected to revolutionize working conditions in space. His brilliance in the field is what led to his placement here at Tsuberov, not just his psychic potential." Yuy sighed and suppressed a shiver. "You know, I don't like the design of these suites. There are no windows in the kitchen or lounge and I find it claustrophobic."

"I suspect the students may spend much of their time in their bedrooms." Treize lifted the mattress from the bed by a corner and peered beneath, before replacing it and emerged from the bedroom. "I take it following our inspection the students belongings will be removed from this suite and sent to the new rooms?" At Yuy's nod, Treize flashed a devilish grin. "Yes, I thought so. Well I wish luck to whoever has the unenviable task of removing Mr. Maxwell's belongings and replacing them in some semblance of the order he so painstakingly arranged them in. I believe his system might involve the exacting and difficult art of standing in the doorway and throwing."

"I think that is termed artful disarray?" Chang chuckled exiting the room he had been investigating. "This is Mr. Winner's room, I believe, and he would appear to be a disturbingly neat individual. All of his books on business management, amongst other somewhat surprising topics, are neatly placed on shelves while posters of the L4 colony cluster, profit margins and performance graphs are neatly secured on the walls, nothing crooked or overlapping. It was a relief to find the magazine, though I admit it was a surprise."

Treize arched a quizzical eyebrow and Chang grinned at him, though it was Yuy who responded as he moved to stand between the two, near the door to the third bedroom where Treize joined him.

"The Gay Life." Yuy informed Treize, and acknowledged Chang's nod. "I know it was rather a surprise, especially considering the ethnic origins of the L4 Colony cluster. I wonder if daddy knows his son's personal choice of reading material."

Treize shrugged and opened the door to the smallest of the bedrooms in the suite. For a long moment he stood in the doorway and considered the room, his eyes trailing slowly over the walls and bed. The room was noticeably smaller than Maxwell's room, and he frowned as he considered its sparse decoration. The walls, like Maxwell's, were the uniform pale blue he personally thought was rather a cool colour, and one he would not have in his own bedroom. There were no posters, no photographs of family or friends, or any of the trappings he would normally associated with a young male living independent of a family.

"Has anything been removed from this room by the investigating team or by forensics?"

"No. It is disturbingly empty, isn't it? I was surprised when I initially searched the unit at the lack of personal effects. Looking at the room you would not know that a twenty-year-old male had lived in there for two years, and the three, Maxwell, Winner and Merquise, have been rooming together in this particular suite for that length of time." Yuy moved to stand in the doorway behind Treize, and glanced around the room. "The big surprise was in the bedside drawer."

The Agency investigator accepted the verbal nudge and crossed the room, his footsteps loud on the polished wooden floorboards, and he sat on the low bed, reaching to open the first of three draws on the lowboy set near the head of the bed. A bundle of loosely tied papers tucked between some clothing drew his immediate attention, and after removing them and carefully untying the ribbon that bound them he carefully skimmed through them, finding them to be on the one topic and becoming interested despite himself. Undoubtedly this was what the young man was expending his finances on, and Treize could only sigh and shake his head, hoping that he was not wasting his money.

Included in the bundle were four reports, each one proving to be from a different Private Investigations firm and all concerned with a search for a woman named Crystabel or Crystal with a possible surname of Martin or Matthews. Three of the four reports were marked as case closed, but the fourth proved to be a still active search, and the latest report amid the bundle was dated just prior to the young man's departure from the Earth on the tour of the colonies.

"Your report stated Merquise was an orphan with an unknown benefactor." Treize looked up at Yuy who nodded his confirmation and Treize considered the papers in his hand. "He is intent on finding someone." He checked the dates included in the reports summary on the investigation. "His mother?" He mused.

"I believe he may be seeking surviving relations, though such a search may not be possible considering he has no accurate information as to exactly who his mother was, not even a confirmed name. I am having the Private Investigations firms checked out to see if they have a reliable reputation. He has spent a considerable amount of money on the search to date, and from the lack of personal effects here I believe he is attending only to his own basic requirements. I have my doubts that this in any way relates to the murder, but I will not leave any avenue uninvestigated. From what I have learned he's friendly enough with Maxwell and Winner, but I suspect he has a lot of pride and would not appreciate hand outs."

"Hmm." Treize began to restore order to the bundle, ensuring the documentation was returned to its original place in the bundle. "His entire education here at Tsuberov is a hand out. I presume his benefactor pays him a stipend; otherwise he could not afford the services of these companies. Their fees, while considerable, appear not to be exorbitant, but it would explain his frugality."

Treize replaced the papers in the top drawer and opened the second, where he removed a large folder the length of the unit's draw and opened it, revealing a portfolio of sketches, and he leafed through them with a critical eye.

"Une said Merquise appeared more suited to the study of art, and I would have to agree that there is talent there. These are quite good. Do we know the subject?"

Most of the sketches contained in the portfolio were of a young woman in her mid teens, with flowing hair and wide eyes that seemed to convey a type of innocence that appeared rather idealistic. Treize found the depictions disturbed him, though he could not explain why, and that was enough to pique his curiosity. Was it the artists style, or had he captured something of the model herself that bothered him?

"Not as yet." Yuy shifted to make room for Chang, who peered into the room and looked around with narrowed eyes. He examined the sketch Treize was holding up and dismissed her.

"She is probably of no consequence, but an identity would help to exclude her from the investigation. Possibly his girlfriend, or a friend of a friend." Chang commented. "Looking at this room, I would wonder if anyone stayed here at all, if I did not already know otherwise. It looks very much like a hotel room, or a blank canvas waiting to be given personality."

"It is unnaturally clean, isn't it?" Treize looked about him with a weary sigh before replacing the art work and closing the folder. "Not just this bedroom, but the whole apartment gives the impression of having been cleaned … No, perhaps scoured is more an appropriate term, considering what I sense. Something here is not right beyond the fact there was a body that ended up in the fridge. It just does not feel right."

Yuy backed out of the room and returned to the lounge with Chang following him, leaving Treize to replace the portfolio and finish investigating the chest of draws.

"Is there anything else in the suite I should be aware of?" He queried.

Chang shrugged slightly and eyed the refrigerator over the breakfast bar. "I'm the kinetic, he's the sensitive. We have worked together for around two years now, and in that time I can't actually say that I have seen him react to a place the way he has to this suite. Undoubtedly it is because of what he does not find, or sense here, but there is something more than his sensitivity he is reacting to. I would call it instinct, and yes, we can have instincts that do not necessarily relate to our psychic potential. I do admit to being more than curious as to how a room can be wiped of psychic impressions, and murder leaves a very large and disturbing impression. That lack of imprinting has me … frightened."

Yuy considered the shorter man in silence and shrugged. There really was nothing he could add to that. He knew little about psychics and psionics in general, though he could see that he would need to request his trainers provide him with a higher level of training in dealing with psychics, and understanding their idiosyncrasies and the seeming unfathomable language they occasionally spoke.

"He's good at what he does, isn't he?"

"Kushrenada?" Chang nodded slightly, surveying the room one more time, keeping his voice low. "Yes, he is the best at what he does. At his level most psychics go insane, unable to cope with the input their extended senses impose on them. There are only about nine Prime level telepathic empaths known in the Earth Sphere who are able to work with their sensitivity, and not have it override their control. Level 10 telepaths can reach planet wide with the right preparation and focus, and I believe some of them can actually extend their reach out to the colonies. They require exemplary shields to maintain the integrity of their own thoughts, and regular maintenance of those shields. It is the high level of empathy that is the main problem with them. They are too sensitive, and pick up emotions that can overwhelm them should their shields be breached. Treize should be picking up on the lingering impressions of the people who had lived in this room from years before the three current occupants moved in. Any violent, or passionate, interaction that might have taken place would have left residue."

Yuy still did not exactly understand the talk of sensing long gone people, but he knew enough about Agency psychics to know that it was of concern that they were concerned. "And he is only reading the people who have been in here after the murder took place? Yes, I can see where that would be disturbing."

"Disturbing? Treize is more than disturbed. He is intrigued by this anomaly, and he will be like a dog worrying a bone until he has the answer."

"Is it really so important?"

Chang subjected Yuy to a faintly shocked stare. "Is it … Yuy, do you have any idea what it could mean for criminal investigation techniques if there is a way to wipe out the imprint left after intense emotions are released? Criminal investigation would slip back a hundred years. Psychics of varying levels and abilities have been used to assist in the investigation of all manner of crimes for over a hundred years, and evidence garnered through psychic investigation has been admissible in court for over fifty years. Yes, it is major, if there is a means to block our investigators."

Yuy considered the smaller man in silence as he considered the revelation. Now he understood why the Agency Prime was so disturbed about the situation he had found in the suite. Law enforcement agencies through out the Earth Sphere relied on the evidence provided by their resident psychic investigators, to back up their more mundane investigation techniques. If a criminal element should discover a technique to block the psychics, the potential for subversion of law enforcement was frighteningly obvious.

"I have requested the housekeeper who found the body to join us here. She should arrive at any time now. Her name is Catherine Bloom, and her records identify her as being an employee at the Tsuberov complex for five years; and I warn you, she is not your usual run of the mill housekeeper. Ms Bloom is in fact a member of the security contingent assigned to this block as protection for the Winner heir."

Chang grunted softly. "You did not feel inclined to inform us of this before?"

"This was classified need to know, and you did not need to know. You do now." Yuy grinned at the disgusted look that comment earned him from Chang. He had included the information in the reports, so this proved just how much attention the agent had not paid to reviewing those reports. When Chang sat down and read the report there would no doubt be fireworks, and Yuy looked forward to it.

"How many people are there in the security contingent assigned to Winner's protection?"

"There are twenty one in all, with three shifts of seven personnel." Yuy watched as Treize exited Merquise's room and entered Quatre Winner's room. "That count does not include the Winner bodyguards assigned by his father; it merely reflects Tsuberov's level of awareness of the family prestige."

"I'm surprised the poor kid can breathe." Chang settled himself on the couch, and though he disliked the design and colour he decided it was rather comfortable.

"I don't believe I would like to live in his shoes for any length of time given the level of responsibility that constantly hangs over his head. He is expected to perform beyond the expectations of his teachers and family, and I know how high those expectations are, considering the reports exchanged between his father and the teaching staff here." At Chang's look Yuy shrugged. "I had opportunity to see some of the reports, and I would not like to be forced to meet those expectations."

//Hacking into classified files again, Yuy?// He chose not to comment on the indiscretion, as it was likely that at some time during this investigation he and Treize might need to bend the rules a little. They had been known to do so on more than one occasion, and it never hurt to have a little insurance should Yuy decide to stick to the book.

"How high does the kids stress level read?"

"High." Yuy returned and glanced at his watch. "The housekeeper should be here any minute. I was given to understand that this trip to the colonies, while study related, was intended to give all three students respite before embarking on intensive training schedules on their return. In the case of Merquise, it was also intended to give him the opportunity to observe the levels of work expected of graduate psi's in the real world, and determine if he has any preferences for where he might prefer to find gainful employment."

"Gainful employment? Someone of his talent might find 'gainful employment'?"

Yuy shrugged and refrained from responding. He personally thought that in spite of Tsuberov's claims to be an open campus if you could afford the fees, discrimination did occur, and owing to his questionable background Merquise was subjected to instances of it. Perhaps he was reading more into it that actually existed, but he had found enough instances in his own past to understand being the odd man out in social circles.

//Merquise would be in the final year of his training, so I can well imagine how intensely he will be monitored for the next few months. Winner might make a Prime in the same field, though it is more likely he will succeed in a single class as Prime than the dual class as Treize is and Merquise is projected to meet. I wonder exactly what stage of development Maxwell has reached?// Chang dismissed the thoughts as superfluous to the needs of the situation, and turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "Where in relation to this suite of rooms are the three to be quartered while the investigation is ongoing?"

"A new suite has been assigned down one level. This floor is full and it was decided that it would be safer for all concerned if they were relocated to what is considered to be a safe distance."

"A safe distance? Something tells me that the other side of the planet might not be safe if someone is intent on acquiring Winner to be used against his father's interests. The shielding and sound proofing of the suite guarantees no one heard anything suspicious, but surely someone might have noticed something out of the ordinary."

t.b.c.

Karina Robertson 2006

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Authors Notes:

The design of the building follows the English floor plan where the lowest floor is the ground floor and the next floor up is called the first floor, so the third floor is actually the fourth level of the building.