The Secret
By Cybra

A/N: Ah, yes. Things get more interesting. ^^ Tee hee hee…Anyway, this one doesn't have any action. It's mainly explanation of an Empath. Just so you guys aren't totally lost. ^^ Now, on to the reviews!

Van the Key of Lain – I know this is an answer to a review of Chapter 8 that I didn't see until after I posted up Chapter 9 but…You watch Star Trek?! Holy cow! I love Star Trek TOS!!! clears throat Glad to see a fellow Star Trek lover out there! ^^ And the episode you "mentioned", that's where I got the idea! ^^

kitfunk – Okay, calm down, girl…guy…whatever you are. The pairing of Arnold/Maya is completely one-sided. Trust me on this one. Don't have a spazz.

Irina – I'm glad that you're interested! Hope you like this part! It should help explain things. ^^

Sennical – Thanks! And, yeah, there are days that I want to wring Sid's neck, too. His and Rhonda's, but we're not going there…^^

Paradoxal Reality – whining I wanna see "Parents Day"! It'd probably be my favorite episode of all time from what I've heard of it! :::stops whining::: Anyway, don't you just love complex story plots? ^^

Kaiobaby – sighs with relief Thank you for not shooting me! :::reads review again::: Not quite the Football-Headed Mafia, but close enough. You kind of have a step in the right direction. As far as a description for Maya, wait until the next chapter. I know I can hardly wait to see a drawing of her! ^^

LM – I got this one out as soon as possible. Is this soon enough? ^^;;; I was holding on to it so that I could make it as good as I could. Enjoy!

Notebook Girl – I loved that episode! It was one of my faves! Wasn't Choc…er…Radish Boy great? He finally got off of chocolate! Glad you liked my last chapter!

Disclaimer: Remember the Fish Market Mafia I mentioned in Chapter 9's disclaimer? Well, they'll still come after you if you claim that I said I owned Hey Arnold!.

Chapter 10: Dr. Pollock's Research

Cops had questioned every child who had been on the playground when Arnold had been kidnapped. Every one of them said the same thing: Two masked Odds had slipped up behind Arnold on the other side of the fence, fired some sort of pistol, then came inside the fence and grabbed him after he passed out. Analysis of the dart Arnold had removed from his shoulder confirmed that a sedative had been used.

The police knew the "how", knew the "when", and knew the "where"…

Now the only question was "why".

"Sir, I know this is difficult, but we need to understand why these men decided to kidnap your grandson," the lieutenant patiently told the old man sitting across from him.

Phil and the two officers sat along with the rest of the members of the boardinghouse around the dining room table. Several kids had opted to sit in, those kids being the same children who had heard Arnold's secret at the time it'd been revealed: Sid, Gerald, Harold, Stinky, Rhonda, Nadine, Helga, and Phoebe.

"It could've been an enemy," he told the officers. "I mean, Arnold's not liked by everyone. He's brought down a few corporations' big plans. Someone coulda done it because of revenge."

"The car was described as being a pricey sports car," the lieutenant's partner commented.

The officer nodded as he and his partner stood. "If any ransom notes show up, don't hesitate to call."

"Yes, officer."

The two officers left. Phil sighed and sipped at the tea in front of him.

Neither the boarders nor the owners spoke for five minutes.

Phoebe quietly asked, "Why didn't you tell them about Arnold's…ability?"

"They'd never believe me. But if they had asked for another reason, I'da given it to them. I called over Dr. Bliss to explain it."

"Woah, wait. Dr. Bliss? As in the child psychologist?" Helga demanded, secretly afraid.

"Yup. The Short Man goes to her once a week starting a few weeks ago. They're continuing a study started ages ago."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Suzie stood and answered it, then led the child psychologist who was carrying four folders to the dining room.

"Looks like I'm a little late," Dr. Bliss noted.

"It's okay, Christine," Suzie said. "They weren't willing to stick around for another explanation. I think this place gives them the creeps."

The psychologist shrugged and took Ernie's offered chair. She folded her hands on the table and saw the other children standing there. "I'm guessing I'm going to have to explain anyway."

"Yeah. They found out on Saturday," Ernie told her.

"All right then." Dr. Bliss watched as all of the children shifted. "I want to know what Arnold told you so far."

"He said he's a Level 5 Empath. Whatever that is," Gerald told her.

"He also said he could read emotions and stuff," Harold put in.

The child psychologist nodded. "In other words, he barely scratched the surface." She slid a folder towards the children.

Rhonda was the only one who dared open it. Inside was an old picture of Arnold when he was four years old. Paper clipped to it was a basic data sheet dated several years ago with the following information:

Name: Arnold

Age: 4

Physical Characteristics: Blonde hair, green eyes, height of 3'2", weight of 74 pounds; Odd

Level: 5

"Well that shows us one thing: he was always a shrimp," Helga commented.

"What does all this mean?" Phoebe asked, glancing at the many pages of notes in the folder.

"Arnold was one of the only three subjects in a study on Empaths, people who work directly with emotions. Dr. Jay Pollock, my mentor, had a theory that such people actually existed but had no real proof other than legends and myths. Nobody would provide him with the funding to conduct a study to see if it was possible. He continued to write papers on the theory, but no scientist was willing to risk his reputation on that theory except Jay – I mean, Dr. Pollock. However, somebody read his papers on the subject and decided to provide him with the funding to run his little study. That was eight years ago." She slid the main folder towards Phoebe. "Two children identified only as 'Steven' and 'Mary' – a five year-old and a four year-old respectively – arrived to him soon afterward. They had nothing in common except that sometimes they reported feeling faint emotions that weren't their own and sometimes their families picking up those same faint emotions from each child. After a little study, Dr. Pollock discovered that these children were Empaths. Here was his proof that they existed. Still, he kept it a secret until he had enough information to satisfy skeptics."

Dr. Bliss took the tea that Suzie offered with a smile, pausing as she took a sip from it.

"So where does Arnold fit into this?" Nadine asked.

"I'm getting to that. Just be patient." She set the teacup back down in its saucer. "He soon discovered that the boy wasn't as strong as the girl, and it occurred to him that Empaths could have different strengths. He devised the system of Levels to identify the strength of certain Empaths at a glance. Level 1 Empaths can faintly sense other people's emotions and can faintly…I suppose the word is 'leak'…their emotions to other people. Level 5 Empaths can do all that Arnold can do and possibly more." She took another sip of tea. "We don't know how far Arnold's power can go. So far, every limitation we've expected has been no trouble at all. Just give him a little practice, and he'll do whatever you want him to."

"Wow…" Gerald whispered in awe.

Helga leaned against the table. "Yeah, that's cool, but why don't you ask the other two how far their power goes to get a general idea?"

"Well, there's two problems with that. One, we don't know who Steve or Mary are. They could be anyone. It would take forever to find the right two. Two, neither of those two is a Level 5. At last check, Mary was a weak Level 3 while Steve was a strong Level 2."

"At last check?" Phoebe repeated, intrigued.

"Yes. With practice, an Empath can improve his or her ability, moving them up into different Levels. At the beginning, Mary was already a Level 2 while Steve was a weak Level 1."

"What was Arnold at the beginning?" Helga pressed.

"Level 5."

"From the very beginning?!" Sid shrieked.

"From the very beginning."

The inhabitants of the Sunset Arms weren't shocked by this knowledge. They'd been there when Arnold's "talent" was discovered.

The other children were extremely shocked.

"But if Arnold's ability is as strong as I think it is, how did he manage to get through the first few years of his life without going insane?" Phoebe asked. "I mean, he had no sort of protection against the emotions that bombarded him."

"That's the thing that Dr. Pollock could never figure out. You see, Arnold first came to him a year after the beginning of the study: when Arnold was two years old. However, Dr. Pollock had a theory. He compared his three subjects and noticed that for the first years of their lives, their abilities hadn't shown up. He theorized that there might be a natural shielding that breaks down a few years after birth. However, it seemed to happen to his first two subjects at later times in their lives: Steve when he was four and Mary when she was three. So he amended his theory. Under ordinary circumstances, this natural shielding broke down a few years after birth but intense emotion could break down that shielding if it was strong enough and it lasted long enough."

"And at age two Arnold's parents left to aid people to South America," Phil inserted. "The Short Man was so upset, he could hardly think of anything else for almost two weeks."

"That great sadness for that long period of time must've whittled away at the shielding, leaving a hole that quickly grew larger. Soon, his emotions were being sent to everyone around him, and he picked up the emotions of everyone around him. Once Arnold was in his study, Dr. Pollock immediately took steps to help him create the strong mental shielding that Arnold now has in order to block those outside emotions. However, it takes a lot of energy to maintain those shields at maximum strength, so he usually just maintains a strong shielding just weak enough to let 'ghosts' of emotion slip out or slip in. He might lower them further if he wants to." She gave a small smile. "One effect of teaching Arnold to maintain that shielding was that it taught him discipline in order to keep himself in check. In a sense, he began to mature mentally faster than most children his age."

"That explains a lot," Rhonda commented.

"Yeah, he always knows what ta do," Stinky added. "It's almost like he's already an adult."

"Mentally, possibly. Physically, obviously not," Dr. Bliss confirmed. "That along with being a Level 5 puts him out of place in this world. He's in his own category."

"You can say that again," Helga muttered.

"I believe we all understand what Arnold is now," Phoebe stated. "But why would someone want him?"

The child psychologist sighed. "Dr. Pollock had another theory about Empaths. Or rather, he had a theory that some of the most evil leaders our world has ever seen were Empaths. He definitely suspected Hitler of being a weak one."

"Why?"

"Well, Hitler was able to elicit vast amounts of support when he spoke. Dr. Pollock had a theory that not only did his manner of speaking affect his listeners, but also his very emotions. Even a weak Empath can spread emotion. All you'd have to do is just distract that person, insert that emotion into them, and stand back. Just by spreading it to a few supporters in the crowd, he could start a domino effect. His supporters' enthusiasm would naturally spread from person to person in the crowd. Pretty soon, the whole crowd would be cheering for him."

"And A-Arnold could do s-s-something like that?" Harold stuttered, his eyes wide.

"He could do better. All he'd have to do is focus, and everyone would be cheering for him without him saying a word. We've started experimenting to see if he could possibly slip in and/or read emotions without being noticed."

"He's very good," Suzie stated.

"Yeah, we've been his lab rats for these little experiments for years, so we know what to look for," Ernie told them. "When he started out, it wasn't so good. We knew he was doin' somethin' right away. But as he kept practicing…"

"…none of us could figure out if we were the ones responsible for certain emotions or if Arnold was," the Vietnamese man finished.

"I asked him if he could get people on the street to be generous enough to hand out money as part of his experiment. He wouldn't do it," Oskar added. At the glares of his extended family he laughed nervously, saying, "Just kidding."

"Somehow I doubt that," Phil growled, glaring at the other married man. The old man turned back to the listening children. "Once the experiment was over, we strictly forbid Arnold from ever using that unless there was no other choice. We shouldn't have worried. He was so scared that he'd abuse it that he was experimenting on his own so he could come up with a way of alerting people of his presence. Ya know, something anybody could recognize."

"So far, he's still struggling on that one," Dr. Bliss told her audience. "Arnold's been thinking along the lines of encouraging the mind to call up a certain picture for when he's doing something with their emotions so they're not scared. So far, he hasn't been able to encourage the mind to come up with the same picture twice."

"So that way we can just tell him to back off if we don't want him doing something?" Sid asked.

"Right. He doesn't like invading your privacy. Your emotions are your business. If he thinks that he can do something to help, he'll ask for your permission first unless it's a dire emergency."

"My ankle!" Stinky remembered. "When I slipped and twisted my ankle, Arnold said he could do somethin' to take away the pain. He was asking for permission then, wasn't he?"

"He was vague, but that's what he was doing," the psychologist confirmed, nodding her head.

"Does he have some kinda healin' ability in there?"

"Actually, no. He doesn't. However, I have a theory about why your body was encouraged to start healing itself faster. Without the pain distracting it, your body went right to work. As far as it knew, most of the work had been done, so all it had to do was finish up."

"So ma body was tricked inta speedin' up healin' itself?"

"Right."

"Wow!"

"Of course, by taking on your pain…Stinky, isn't it?" At his nod, she continued, "By taking on your pain for so long, he stretched himself to the limits he had at the time. He hadn't really practiced taking away pain, inserting numbness, and walking all at the same time for five minutes nonstop, so he had a reaction migraine. When he pushes himself too far for his current abilities, he'll end up with those migraines."

"So why'd he pass out at school?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, when Phoebe asked if he was all right, he collapsed!" Helga shouted.

"He told me all about it. Apparently, because of the migraine he couldn't really focus enough to keep his shielding at its normal strength. He wasted a lot of energy holding up his defenses while at the same time using it to try to heal his migraine. His body took most of that energy away, slowly leaving him defenseless. As time went on, more and more people's emotions kept slipping past his shielding. You didn't know it, Phoebe, but your concern was the emotion that tore down his last bit of shielding. Without that shielding, he was flooded. His mind couldn't cope…"

"…so therefore he fell into unconsciousness since it was too much," the most intelligent girl in the fourth grade finished.

"Precisely."

"That's why I didn't seem as concerned when you came to visit later," Grandpa told the fourth graders. "I had to keep calm. His defenses were down; even a little worry would be agony for him. Especially since he was trying to keep his own pain to himself. It bled every which way since he couldn't really control it. Had to give him a couple of some serious painkillers to knock him out so he could rest and for the relief of everybody. It was easier to just deal with feeling tired than pain."

Phoebe nodded in understanding as the others exchanged looks. "I think I see why someone would want him now."

"Care to explain to the rest of us?" Rhonda snapped.

"Well, if someone could convince him to, Arnold could influence enough people to either support that person or just get out of the way."

Dr. Bliss looked concerned as she nodded in agreement. "Arnold has the potential of being either an enormous help to society…or of being a weapon. With enough practice, he could send out fear so strong that armies would fall at his feet. He could terrify the leaders of different countries into doing what he or whoever ordered him wanted to. The thing is, not even Arnold knows his true limits yet. With practice, he's been able to strongly sense all the emotions of people within a five-mile radius of him. With more practice, I have no doubt that he could stretch his influence with the same intensity over a far wider area."

Nobody said a word until Ernie broke the silence.

"And that's the main reason Arnold kept this a secret."