Title: The Agency: Meeting of Souls 37/?
Author: Karina
Pairings 13x6 [eventual], 5xS [established], 3x4, Others undecided at this time.
/…/ Thoughts
~/.../~ Telepathy
The Agency: Meeting of Souls
Chapter 37
There were recorded cases where children of decidedly young years had displayed developing higher psi potential than most. Some of these children displayed psychic potential up to their fifth or sixth year of life and then, for some reason science had yet to identify, their potential diminished, never to redevelop. Other children would seemingly lose the potential only to have it re-emerge when they broached adolescence.
The children whose talent re emerged with the physical development into their teenage years tended to mature into high range Psi's, and for Zechs to be revealed to be one of those talented individuals was not really a surprise, given the extent of his maturing talent. What did come as a surprise for Treize was the discovery Zechs had been a psi active child when his file clearly recorded the instances of psi awakening on reaching puberty… but nothing was registered in his development of psi activity for his formative years.
Something was definitely not right and Treize determined to study the records when the occasion suited to look more closely for early indications of emergence. Gabriella would likewise want a re examination of the records and if she was not satisfied Treize expected her to have the orphanage staff interviewed. Gabriella did not particularly like mysteries.
A child gifted with an active empathic/telepathic talent would have been an absolute nightmare to raise. There was no way those who had had custody of the child could miss such a thing. The sensitivity of the individual child's talent would denote how stable the child would have been emotionally and psychologically, and any resulting effects on the family unit would likely not be subtle enough to mistake. The active potential would determine how well he or she reacted to the interaction of people in the immediate proximity on a day to day basis.
The orphanage records he had viewed made no mention of anything which might have indicated early potential, but after this nights activities it was beyond doubt that Zechs Marquise had been psi active as a young child. Might there be other records the Agency had not been made privy to? The potential he had sensed in the child Zechs, made Treize more than a little curious about the parents and how well, or poorly, they had coped with their child prodigy's daily emotional state.
Children could be notoriously temperamental after all.
/This will be rather interesting and definitely informative. If he was psi responsive at any sort of range beyond a few feet, it would have been an indication as to the adult depth of his talent. He could very well have driven his parents and any siblings to distraction. Perhaps even to extreme measures./
Was this an indication as to why Zechs had ended up in an orphanage, though it would not explain why he had failed to display any talent during his tenure there, at least not until his teenage years. No, something was not right about the whole thing and there was really only one way to find out more.
Gabriella's interest was well and truly piqued, he could feel her attentiveness. He wondered what that 'other' who observed through her psi 'eyes' thought of the revelation. He and Gabriella both wished to know more but this was neither the time nor the place to pursue such a line of questioning. For now he needed to concentrate and return to the real work, namely giving Zechs the attention he deserved and delving into the riddle surrounding his incidents of recurring memory.
Even as he considered the possible implications of Zechs having been psi aware as a child, Treize generated soothing warmth into the darkness, standing as buffer against the child's screaming, shielding the younger man's mind from the full impact of it. He was gratified to see that after the initial shock Zechs was steadying, curiosity more than the edge of fear evident in his awareness. Marquise was quite aware he was not alone and that security could be found in Treize's presence.
~/Why? Why would I scream like that?/~
His 'voice' was a whisper, infused with the essence of his shock, elements of fear, hesitancy… and burgeoning curiosity. This was no frightened child but a curious young man who was confident in the presence of a Prime talent; a young man with trained talent of his own and no small degree of courage.
~/What frightens a child this much? I don't know, Zechs, but with your assistance I intend to find out. Do you have a… How are you with darkness?/~
For the child Zechs to scream with this degree of terror, and given the utter absence of light in the memory, Treize could not help but wonder if Marquise, in his adult persona, had a problem with the dark. Given the depth of the child's terror Treize would not be at all surprised if Zechs did have some level of phobia… in fact the surprise would be if he was 'not', at the very least, uncomfortable with an absence of light.
Treize could almost 'see' the blush that seeped through their link and there was clearly the mental equivalent of a shrug accompanying that 'blush'. So, as he had surmised, Marquise was at least uncomfortable in the dark and perhaps it was more than him being discomforted.
~/I'm… not too bad really, so long as its not really dark. At night its okay if I can at least see my hand in front of my nose, so to speak. I… Once I got locked in a cellar at the orphanage and…. and it wasn't… pretty. I couldn't find the light switch and it was a total absence of light. I sort of… well… Lets just say the entire orphanage knew about it./~
Gabriella stirred within his awareness but Treize ignored her for the moment, focusing instead on Zechs and what went unsaid. He could plainly feel the distress in the younger man at the mere mention of that past incident.
~/For the moment I will not ask how you came to be locked in a lightless cellar, but I would like to hear how you found yourself in such a situation if at some later time you would elaborate? Zechs, your reaction to a lack of light in your immediate vicinity as an adult is understandable given you had an experience that produced this extreme reaction as a child. Dealing with it, understanding it, will go a long way towards easing your discomfort./~
~/I really am a walking phobia. I'm sorry./~
~/To be honest, Zechs, I do not know of a single Prime talent in any of the Psi criteria who isn't, as you so quaintly term it, 'a walking phobia'./~ Treize blithely commented. /~It's in our sensitive nature, don't you know?/~
His flippant dismissal drew a flashing warmth of amusement and Treize was content with that for the moment. Zechs did not need to feel there was anything wrong with him that others did not, in turn, experience. The Good Lord knew some of the T/E Primes were, to put it nicely, eccentric.
~/ Now then, Zechs, we are not going to make much sense of anything just sitting here listening to this screaming. We must determine where you were as a child since 'dark' is not of much help. It is absolute darkness and, from the 'feel', what I can sense of the child's awareness, suggests to me a small space. Centre in for me and we will attempt to nudge this memory just a little. If we can go back in time, just until we reach your previous impressions, it should give us some idea as to what happened./~
Treize resisted the sigh at the instant response to his request. Zechs was beautifully responsive to work with, falling easily into working mode and merging with Treize who deftly 'sidled' around the screaming child, and then they were sinking delicately deeper into memory…
—-
"Shhh, little one. It's alright now. No need to cry. Where is your mother? Johnny, there's something wrong with this kid. There has to be some reason she's screaming like this."
—-
Zechs flinched and Treize lightened his touch, backing away from the memory, uncertain why Zechs had reacted. The voice in the memory was male, deep, and with the sound had come a glimpse of what Treize suspected was a blue uniform. Just a glimpse of blue, and a flash of something silver and the 'feel' of being held in strong arms.
~/She?/~
Treize could not resist the snicker, or 'nudging' Zechs and letting his amusement flavour the atmosphere surrounding them. A little friendly teasing never hurt in his view.
~/I guess you were a pretty kid./~
~/Oh, please!/~
But there was enough amusement in the rejoinder to relax Treize and he was well enough pleased with the reaction. Assured Zechs was willing, Treize brought the memory out to the fore for examination, capturing the glimpse of 'sight' as well as sound and concentrated on clarifying it, trying to bring resolution to the image.
~/A badge of some sort?/~ Zechs offered, as keenly interested as Treize in identifying both the uniform and the design of the badge.
/~I think so. Perhaps… police?/~ Treize mused.
There was, Treize mused, something about the child's reaction to the 'feel' of the strong arms that held him against… yes, against a broad chest. The impressions were steadily solidifying the more they were studied and Treize could almost feel the long ago embrace, and he was equally as aware of the reaction of Zechs mirroring the child's awareness. What struck Treize the most was the child's discomfort in that embrace and it took a moment for him to realise what it was that bothered him.
The child was not accustomed to being held by a man.
The young Zechs Marquise was not in the embrace he recognised, not in the arms of his mother. It was too strong an embrace, very different from the touch of his mother and…
~/I don't understand. Why was it obvious, so clear, that I had psi talent when I was screaming my head off and now… In this memory there is no real trace of psionic potential?/~
Absorbed in the child's reaction to the arms embracing him Treize had not noticed, but Zechs was right, he realised. Passing his awareness over the memory once more the absence of psi potential was irrefutable. While he had been screaming there was no doubt about the existence and suggested level of psi talent, but now there was no indication the child had any psionic sensitivity.
/Interesting./
Treize considered the contradiction for a long moment and came to the conclusion that the 'nudge' he had given the previous memory had shifted them a little in the wrong direction. Not that a forward shift explained the lack of psionic talent.
~/I think in the memory we have progressed past the screaming, to a future time, instead of regressing to a point where we might understand what eventuated. With your permission, it may help us to better understand what took place if we follow it a little further?/~
He took the spike of interest as silent agreement and Zechs made no objection as Treize slid their co-joined awareness back into the memory. For now it was not important, but he would certainly give consideration to the child's reaction to being held by a male. There were many thousands of single mothers in the world, but there was something odd in the child's reaction to the embrace that he could not quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was simply that the psi element had been taken out and the child's perceptions were changed because of it.
He felt Gabriella stir within his awareness and he knew she was equally as curious about the memory.
—
"Look, the best thing to do would be to call in social services. They'll take the kid and see she's examined and make sure there's nothing wrong with her. I've spoken to the neighbours and they say they haven't seen the mother since yesterday when she walked to the store early in the morning. They heard the kid crying this morning and when no one answered the door they called us."
"Hush now, little one, its okay. We'll sort this all out. Something went down here, that's for sure. You had better call in a forensics unit to go over the place, probably homicide too. There's enough blood splashed around here for at least one person to have been seriously injured, if not killed."
"And nobody except a little tyke locked in a cupboard and screaming her head off to explain it. Okay, I'll put in a call to the station for back up and help from social services."
—
Treize felt the distress spear through Marquise and was quick to ease them out of the memory, offering what comfort he could. There might not have been anything in his records pertaining to such an incident but Treize had no illusions about what had happened. Violent crime. He knew the 'feel' of an area following a violent crime and he recognised it in the eyes of the investigators. For a moment he had looked through the eyes of the child and met the eyes of the men who watched him. He could read it in the child's distress, underlying everything.
Something dark and deadly. Extreme violence had taken place in that room.
~/Zechs?/~
~/I… Keep going. It's okay. I need to know what happened to her… to my mother./~
He had courage to face it like that, but Treize was not going to allow this to continue if he did not think Marquise could cope. Over the course of his career he had seen too much, witnessed too many reactions resulting from deep memory scans to mistake the distress. While they might learn something from continuing with this memory, it was equally possible they would learn little more than they knew already. He was not going to put Zechs under stress to discover nothing more of any use to them.
~/I could take us back into the memory but… Zechs, listen to me carefully, okay? This is what I do for a living and I've overseen numerous deep scans and investigations in the past; enough that I know how this would have progressed from this point. It is, to be honest, unlikely the child you would know much of the procedure and investigation that took place from that point in time. Social Services would have taken you into custody and, while you would have been questioned, they would not have explained matters to you. You were upset enough as it was without someone asking you questions. It is fact that your mother was not found and a relative was not located who could care for you. You would have been placed in care, perhaps in a foster home for the duration of the investigation, at least until it became clear they would not resolve the case./~
~/I… would like to know more. If they… what they found, whatever it was. I believe I went through a succession of foster homes before I was placed in the orphanage I grew up in./~
~/We can investigate. We can certainly look into the records to glean whatever information we can, but I would prefer to make a more constructive use of this time./~
~/I would like to know… more. If you don't wish to go forwards… Can we go backwards?/~
Disappointment, a touch of fear, a widening gulf that was a glimpse of the uncertainty lingering long over his past, the sheer fact he knew nothing of who he was… No, Zechs would not want to give up easily. He would want to know more, despite the very real fear.
~/We can certainly try./~
Really, Treize decided, given the discovery of the potential for a violent crime having taken place, Zechs was taking it quite well. There was no lack of courage on his part and a deep curiosity. Zechs wanted to know more and he was willing to push at his memories to find that information, and that willingness to push was something Treize knew he needed to be careful of. He would need to call a halt to proceedings if he thought Marquise had had enough and it would be he who made that decision, not Zechs, who would ignore his own needs in the thirst to know more.
Wrapping his awareness once again about Zechs, Treize eased them into the memory, holding firmly to the awareness of the younger man, matching them precisely to the memories of the young child, pausing and then, ever so gently, easing back…
—-
"Hush now, sweetheart, what is all the noise about, hmmm? Ma'ma's here. And what is it that's upset us now, hmmm?"
Satisfaction… Desire for sweet flavour, tingling on tongue in anticipation.
"Ah, so we want a piece of apple, do we? Well, that is easy enough, my lovely. Now then, to get our apple, we have to tell Ma'ma what we want, don't we? Come on, Milli, we have had this talk before. Apple, Milli. See? Now you say it. Apple."
Reach, thrusting arms eagerly forward, reaching for the treat… Frustration surging as it was moved beyond the reach of his grasping hands.
"Uh huh, no, Sweet Cakes. No, Milli, you know the rules. You have to say 'apple' to get it. Apple, Milli."
Flash of irritation, scowling discontent and demand. Fingers flexing, reaching, demanding satisfaction and rising temper subjugated gently but firmly by a warm pressure.
"No, my dearest, one must not do that. Such a temper you have, sweetheart, and that is so very dangerous. No, Milliardo, if you want the apple then you must talk to Ma'ma. Apple, baby. Apple."
Flash of honest temper, frustration welling… demanding. Again the soothing caress that warmed physically and defused and redirected the anger, turning it into something else.
"When you say 'apple', you can have it."
~/Apple!/~
Flash of frustrated amusement and caress of gentle warmth. Something else that was not understood, but the piece of apple was placed gently into greedy fingers and it was deliciously sweet.
"I suppose that will have to do, but it is hardly a gracious way to speak to your mother, Milli. Such a temper you have."
Satisfaction suffused him, along with the sweetness of the apple and with the glowing warmth surrounding him all was well with the world.
"What am I to do with you, little love? Oh, Milliardo, what are we to do?"
The warmth mingled with something he did not like, something that threatened, making her someone other than his one constant in a changing world. He did not like it when this 'something' troubled her.
"I think we have stayed here too long; longer than we have ever remained in one place since I left home. I don't want to go, but really, I think there is no choice. I'm sorry, baby. I hate my job, but that is neither here nor there as it puts food on the table and lets me buy my greedy little boy his favourite treats… and it gives us enough money so we can move on. Another piece, baby? More apple?'
Surge of eager agreement, hands reaching out as quickly as the emotion filled him.
"What do we say?"
Frustration surging but the warmth was there, surrounding him, and the apple was there too, he could taste the sweetness of the piece he had eaten… grudging surrender.
~/Yes./~
"Pardon?"
~/Yes… please./~
Amusement, gentle and warm. Everything was shades of warm when she smiled.
"Much better. We must always remember the magic word, mustn't we? Here you are. When you finish I suppose I had best get you ready and we can see about buying some new clothes. I think a nice pretty dress would be best. It's not so hard to lay a false impression while you are still young enough not to fight me."
Sweet. Crunchy. Satisfaction, ignoring the coolness that infiltrated her warmth, the strange 'something' that bothered him and bothered her no less. He did not understand and all was safe and wonderful while she was close.
"This should be the last time we need to move for a while. It's been months since I sensed anyone looking for us, Milli. If we put a little more distance between us and home then I think we should be safe enough."
~/?/~
"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart. Don't mind your Ma'ma. I'm just talking to hear another voice. You really are going to have to learn to talk properly. You need to talk like everyone else does, so that we can blend in. Not everyone will be able to understand you this way and it will draw attention to us. We really need to blend in, Baby."
~/Apple!/~ Hands thrust forward, fingers wriggling, laughing.
One pale golden eyebrow arched magnificently and blue green eyes centred on him, gentle disapproval weighing against him and expectation.
Pouting… He laughed, clapping his hands together but still she looked at him and he knew what it was she wanted, there was no mistaking it. There would be no treat if he did not comply.
~/Apple. Please./~
"Much better, Milli."
He watched as she stood, moving to the cupboard as he claimed his prize happily, watching as she moved from cupboard to cupboard, tidying up.
"Now when Mrs. Harris comes today you need to be a very good boy. Please don't frighten her again…"
Sudden alarm impinged on his awareness, the warmth becoming chilling as she stopped. It was almost as though she had gone away though she stood across the room from him, and in alarm he dropped the apple and clambered to his feet, tottering as fast as he could, running to grasp her skirt.
~/Ma'ma? Ma'ma?/~
Her warmth was back, filling him, but there was that darkness and the cold too, stronger, distracting her and making her seem to leave him. He did not like it.
"We will go to the shop now, I think, Milli. I'll just get your coat and my purse and we'll be off shall we?"
—
Treize backed off from the memory, drawing them clear of the veil and taking care to guard his thoughts. His attempt to take them back before the memory of the darkness had succeeded all too well, and he felt that he owed the younger man an apology. He dared not hope said apology would distract Zechs from the contents of the memory but, now or at some other session, inevitably, this memory would have surfaced.
~/ I'm sorry. That was a little… a touch too far back, I think./~
~/Yes…Too… far… /~
Zechs was distracted and Treize knew a great many thoughts would be passing through that young mind. He could sense the curiosity seeping into his awareness along with a rising uncertainty…No, there would be no distracting Zechs.
~/She was… scared./~
Treize could only agree, momentarily distracted by the awareness of Gabriella and her unknown observer and the suddenly increased intensity of the screening shield Gabriella had erected. He could sense the irritation rising from her, but nothing he might use to identify the one who accompanied her, and who now seemed intent on irritating her. He wondered who the man was and how long it would be before the old Gypsy put the fellow in his place.
He turned his attention away from the shielded disagreement, from the growing argument -and he was sure they were arguing. He would love to eavesdrop in the hope of learning something of interest, but his concern was not this unknown person but the young man who was having his world considerably shaken by long forgotten memories. Whatever the man wanted of Gabriella, Treize knew she understood he would ignore any attempt from her to interrupt the session for any reason other than the safety of Zechs Marquise.
What was of more immediate concern to him was the nature of the interaction between mother and child revealed in that memory, and Zechs' reaction to it. His most striking observation was that not once in the time they were immersed in the memory had he sensed the child speak with his physical voice. The young Zechs had exclusively used telepathy and empathic nuance to make known his desires.
There was also the small matter of the child's name.
What, Treize wondered, was going on here? Was Zechs Marquise not, in fact, Zechs Marquise?
~/Millie. Milliardo. I don't understand./~
Treize was quick to focus his attention on the young man and offer him support, strengthening their ties and offering comfort. He had no more idea than Zechs what was happening, what this memory was revealing, but if they wished to know… to unravel the knots of confusion, they would have to go back into the memory.
It struck Treize as being curiously disjointed. The time spans and the orientation of the memories contained in the isolated veil were all wrong, confused. It worried him.
~/ Nor do I, Zechs./~
~/Am I… Zechs?/~
Yes, well it would have been too much to hope for him NOT to have noticed that. Treize could offer little in the way of assurance, he needed to do some concentrated investigation to unravel this knot and there simply was not going to be enough time in this session.
~/Your mother was a telepath. A strong one, I would venture to say./~
~/I… didn't speak, did I?/~
Here at least he might be able to offer some small reassurance. With high talent telepaths, young children, it seemed more natural to use the innate talent of the mind rather than learn to physically speak a language.
~/Not so unusual with a high talent child in a family of telepaths. I have heard of it happening in a number of strong telepathic and empathic talent families. No infant is born with the knowledge of language and parents have to decipher the needs of their child as best they can. For a child born with active telepathic or empathic ability, when those talents manifest at a very young age, why use vocal cords when it is more natural to project their needs on the emotional level? Telepathy would develop before vocal speech. Of course, there are sensational drawbacks./~
~/There are?/~
~/ Take one very young infant, misinterpret their desire and enter a temper tantrum. Likely the entire neighbourhood would hear the child crying on the physical level not just the psi level. And an unrestrained child who is angry…/~ Treize grinned. ~/ That would be neither pretty nor peaceful./~
~/I… Yes, I suppose it would be… unfortunate for all concerned. She curbed him… Me, I mean. She curbed me./~
Treize had, in fact, noted that control and been more than a little impressed by it. The young mother had had total control of her talented child's reaction.
~/She was quite good at it too. I doubt the neighbours would have been thrilled to find themselves reacting to the whims of a child. A young parent must govern a child who is too young to understand the need for control./~
~/But later… I don't understand, Prime Khushrenada. I was psi active in that memory but… There was no trace of psi talent when the police came./~
The young man was rattled if he was resorting to the formal Prime Khushrenada, Treize mused. Understandably, true, but he was not, at the present time, in the mood to tolerate the formalities and niceties of etiquette as taught by Tsuberov.
~/Less with the Prime Khushrenada and more with the Treize, if you please. I will feel as ancient as Gabriella if I hear much more of that from you. There is only a few years difference in our ages, after all, so at least in private its Treize. I am well aware of the formalities that Tsuberov observes, Zechs, which are all well enough in their place and this has nothing to do with Tsuberov. Now, I can not deny there are some… anomalies… revealed in this memory that need to be pursued. I have no answers for you at the moment and to find answers we would need to push on; to pursue the memories contained within this veil./~
~/ I…suppose so./~
~/There is no need to pursue the matter further at this time. We can stop now if you wish and resume at some other time./~
~/No! No, please. I… Now, if you would. I… I need… I don't think I could 'not' find more out now… If you understand what I mean? I didn't… I thought I had no memories of my mother. As much as I would try to remember her, something, anything about her. The earliest memories I have are of the orphanage and the last of the foster families I was with for a time./~
~/Foster families?/~
~/I hired private investigators to…./~
The mental impression of a shrug finished off the thought and Treize was careful to keep his reaction neutral. There was no need for Zechs to know that he already knew the young man had dealings with Private Investigation companies in an effort to track down his mother.
~/The investigators said I was placed in a succession of care homes, but I was never in them for long. They gave no reason for it, but I got the impression that I didn't seem to have… Well… We didn't seem to deal well with each other is the impression I got. In the end the authorities decided the state run orphanage would be the best alternative. I was told one of my past foster carers said I was 'anti social' and that I had very little grasp of the social graces and absolutely no concept of sharing./~
~/Zechs, few 'only' children have much of a grasp on the concept of sharing./~ Treize offered a mental grin at the younger man's obvious embarrassment. ~/I was an only child and I was a selfish little bastard, or so my cousins take great delight in informing me at every opportunity. It is possible some of your difficulties might have stemmed from the fact you were, at one stage, an active psi and, for whatever reason, you lost that medium of communication. You would not have understood why and resented it, and you might very well have been singled out as different if your speech patters were well behind others your own age. So… do you wish to continue?/~
He sensed a protest coming from Gabriella who, it seemed, thought this session should be curtailed, but Zechs set himself to continue and without any assistance or guidance from Treize, pushed himself into the veil of memory. Treize, with a mental hiss of disapproval, thrust himself in after, grasping control quickly.,
~/Zechs!/~
~/Sorry! Sorry, I hadn't meant to do that. I just thought I… I wanted to continue and… and I just sort of… fell into it./~
~/It's alright, no harm done, but curb your curiosity and remember to maintain control. Now then, where have you pushed us, I wonder? This… is not the same place… not the same house. The 'feel' of the place is different./~
—-
Dissatisfaction growing stronger, increasing with every small white button. He was not amused and he did not like 'it'. He did not want to wear the 'thing' with all of its frills and bows. No, he did not WANT to wear it, he did not LIKE it.
"Ah, now Milliardo, please, stop fidgeting. Do not be like that, after all, its only for today. I promise I will not make you wear another dress after today./~
/~No! Not want dress!/~
"But you make such a pretty girl, my dear, and anyone who notices you will remember a pretty girl, not a pretty boy./~
~/Not pretty! Boy not girl! No, no no!/~
"Oh my, such a temper. That is quite enough, young man. It will just be for a few hours, Milli. Come on now, stop squirming. You never used to mind./~
The last button was secured despite his wriggling and protests and she turned away, bustling about the small room, throwing the few clothes scattered over the bed into a small bag. He glared balefully at her, unhappy, hating the pink 'thing' with the white bows and buttons that made strange women exclaim over the '…such a pretty little thing!' and touch his hair and pinch his cheek.
Slowly one small hand found its way to the top button and slender fingers fiddled. He wasn't really taking it off, just playing with a button… and the next one down…
"Milliardo! That is enough! You will leave the buttons alone and wear your dress. Baby, we don't have time for this now; we really must hurry and I'm so sorry. I know you hate it but you must wear the dress… and please don't scowl like that. Pretty little girls don't scowl and just for a little while you have to be a little girl. Just until we get off the train, Milliardo! We'll have a new house where we are going and you'll be going to school soon. When we get to our new house you'll be able to make friends."
A new house. Make new friends. He had heard that before. He knew every time Ma'ma put him in a dress it resulted in a long drive, or a ride on a train and a new place to live. There would be new people for him to watch from the windows. He did not mind that so much, not really, but the last time had not been so long ago and she had promised then he could have his birthday in the old train in the park and they would eat cake there and feed the birds. And it was not his birthday yet and he was not happy he had not been able to eat his cake there.
"Sweetheart… Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Her arms were around him and her scent surrounded him and her warmth infused him… It was wonderful to be held in her arms. He was sorry for making her cry… It was bad to make Ma'ma cry. He should not make her cry as he liked it best when she laughed and he was a naughty boy…
"No, no. It's okay, baby. Ma'ma's sorry, sweetheart. I know I promised you we would eat cake in the old train, but I promise you we'll have a look for another old train in a park where we are going. We'll eat your birthday cake there and I'm sure there will be birds for you to feed, maybe even a duck pond. We really, really have to go, Milli. Do you remember the bad people Ma'ma told you about? Do you remember me telling you about them?"
Bad men who would hurt them and his Ma'ma did not want anyone to hurt him. He nodded, feeling small and frightened and very very naughty to make her cry.
~/You remember me telling you about them, about them wanting to take you away from me? They are why we have to go now, sweetheart. Ma'ma knows they are here, Milli and they will come here looking for us and we will be gone, isn't that clever, Milli? It's very clever for us to be gone when they knock on our door. One more time, Milliardo. Just one more time you have to wear the dress to make them think you are a little girl, because they don't know I have a wonderful little boy. I promise we will not need to run away again after this time."
He felt very bad for making her cry and he would wear the silly, horrible dress if only she would stop crying. He was bad for making her cry, because good boys didn't make their Ma'ma's cry and he so wanted to be a good boy. He was so very sorry for making her cry.
"Shhh, it's okay. I know you hate the dresses, baby, but its just this one time. One last time. I'll call grandfather, I promise I will. I'll call grandfather and he'll come and get us and then everything will be alright. Let's wash your face and take away all the tears… Oh, and mine too, I must look a sight, not pretty like you. Can't have that, can we?"
She was pretty. She was always so very pretty.
—-
~/We were… running away?/~
~/It would appear so./~ Treize considered the memory, trying to make sense of the deep emotional gradients that had coloured the child's perceptions of her.
It was Zechs who had backed off, retreating from the memory. Zechs who had curtailed their mergence with the memory just as it was Zechs who had instigated the resurgence of this memory. Treize could feel it, the echo of the child's fear to displease in the younger man. There was also the fear of discovering something bad in his past quickly being replaced by a driving curiosity to know more, and Treize was quick to restrain the surge of intent to go back into the memories and learn more.
~/No. Wait./~
~/Wait? But… I… don't want to stop now! I need to know more. Please… For so long I've wondered… who I was. Where I came from. I've wanted to know who my mother was. I don't remember her... Well… I haven't remembered her before now. I've been petrified of whatever caused this recurring panic attack I've had for as long as I can remember and now… I have the chance to learn more. No one wanted me, not my foster families, nor anyone else. No one wanted to adopt me and I'm sure it was because of the attacks… and I can't blame anyone for that. I was too high maintenance, Treize. I still am. Only Duo and Quatre have ever been able to stand living near me for any period of time. Please. Please don't make me back off now./~
He should, Treize knew, do exactly that. He should call a halt to the session and he could feel Gabriella push gently against the shield binding her from interacting with them. There was little doubt she would advise curtailing the session, it was the cautious thing to do.
Marquise was almost vibrating, his curiosity driving him beyond common sense. There was no fear in the younger man, just the drive to know more, to answer some of the questions he had been trying to pursue for years. But in amongst that drive to know, Treize also detected a willingness to take advice. Eager as he was to continue Treize knew Zechs would heed him if he called a halt to the proceedings.
~/I assure you, Zechs, I am no less curious than you are to find out more. I am, however, somewhat divorced from the events we observed, and I have the training to better make sense of what we have witnessed. It is clear to me that these events are in no set order, the time line appears to be all over the place. What needs to be done to best make sense of it is for us to establish control points./~
He could feel the younger man clench, holding himself taut, expecting the refusal; and Treize was gratified when Zechs did not push against his decision. Zechs might not like it but he would obey, only too aware of the requisites of his training for him to continue against advice offered by a high talent psi with more training than he himself could claim. Treize doubted Zechs would offer so much as a single protest, suspecting he would keep his disappointment to himself and there would be little in the way of sulky, spoilt behaviour.
This young man was not a prima donna, he was too well trained. Tsuberov could take a bow for how well this young man handled himself and, blessedly, it was not in the younger man's nature to sulk.
~/This would be the best place to halt the proceedings, but there is one thing I would like to attempt to do before we end the session. With your permission, I would like to 'skim' the veil of memory. What I would do is lightly and quickly take my awareness through the veil. In the process I would take from it what equates to samples of the memories for me to study and learn what I can to attempt to fit events into a chronological order./~
~/What I don't understand is why my memories would be so mixed up. It's not just one memory, is it? It's a group of memories in there./~
~/I believe you are right, it is not a single event. At present there is no reference that will permit us to neatly place each memory into a slot, one after the other. I do have some suspicions as to why your memories are the way they are, and why they are contained within this structured veil. No, I will not enlarge on that before I can offer you something more than supposition that could be wrong. I'm not ready to commit myself to one train of thought at this time. I lack the evidence to do that and in my line of work I know the value of sound evidence./~
~/It is what you are trained to do… as an Investigator, not as a Prime./~
~/Exactly. It is what I have been trained to do and I assure you I will not let this go. So Zechs, my question is this. Would you allow me to dip into the veil containing these memories, skim what I can in short order and then examine the memories at leisure? There will be no quick resolution to this little mystery. We can arrange working sessions under controlled conditions, either at the Tsuberov complex or at the Agency's laboratories. I have no particular preference for the venue, just for the need for a monitored, controlled environment./~
~/I'm… actually a little afraid they won't allow it. I will probably be in trouble, potentially a great deal of trouble, for allowing this much to happen. They are likely to ban us from continuing./~
Treize felt Gabriella's interest rise and his limited awareness of that 'other' suggested he was curious too. The shadowy shape that shimmered like a dark, sheer veil of material, the memories themselves, moved, drifting gently, growing a little lighter in texture and he loosed a tendril of thought, marking the memory, holding it within the younger man's mind.
~/Is there a particular personage whom you think will speak out against the examination of these memories?/~
~/I suspect my Guardian will have a great deal to say about what we have already done, and none of it will be good. He'll not want it continued, and I'm not too sure Tsuberov's staff will be exactly keen. It would doubtless interfere with my training program and disrupt the schedule for my testing out as a Prime./~
Treize, had he been in his physical body, would have snorted at the very idea of Tsuberov, or this Guardian, protesting against the whim of a Prime Telepathic Empath in the pursuit of the mental stability of another individual claiming similar skills. He strengthened his reassurance around the awareness of Zechs and offered up the impression of him flexing his muscles.
~/You are under the eye of the Prime's, Zechs. I think we can handle any objections your Guardian might offer. As for Tsuberov, I think you might be surprised. Your instructors, on learning of the nature of your 'panic attacks', should be only too interested in dealing with the problem. At the moment unearthing these memories and dealing with them holds more priority than measuring how strong you can bellow 'hi' to some stranger on the moon./~
~/Would you… Will you be able to continue to work with me? Or is it more likely I will be handed over to someone else?/~
~/If you are most comfortable with me I have no objections to continuing to work with you. I admit, I am quite curious about your past… I should imagine you would have looked quite pretty in a dress./~
~/ Oh God./~
Embarrassment flared in their private niche and Treize could clearly hear Gabriella's cackle of amusement. He should not tease, but it lightened the atmosphere and gave the younger man something besides his fear of his Guardian stepping in to think of.
~/My apologies, I could not resist. My training in the investigation of crimes will be more of a help than a hindrance in assisting you to uncover the facts behind a frightened child's memories. If you prefer it not be me, then I think Gabriella would make herself available if you would prefer her assistance./~
~/I would actually prefer you, if possible… but you are investigating what happened at the University./~
Treize dismissed that concern with a pictured shrug, unconcerned. He could handle both cases and truth be told, the more he worked with Marquise, the more secure his shields became. He had noticed the improvement in his personal protection after their first real contact and so had Gabriella. At the moment he was limited with the progress of the incident at Tsuberov whilst he waited on the forensic units findings. There were other avenues he could pursue but he could not, in all honesty, see any real clash between working that case and working with Marquise.
They still did not know which of the three students was the target, after all, and if he kept Marquise in his mental eye, then he could keep a closer eye on Zechs than even the redoubtable Otto and his security staff. Gabriella would agree, he was sure, especially since each time he contacted the blonde his shields received a polishing. He really had to learn how Marquise did that.
~/I can do both. I will see about your Guardian and the niceties with Tsuberov. Now then, what do you wish to do?/~
He could still feel that yearning to go back into the veil and seek out answers. He could feel it, but he could also feel the tempering caution, the result of Tsuberov's teachings never to overextend oneself.
~/Is it dangerous for me to go back into the memory?/~
~/Dangerous? Possibly not. Inadvisable is perhaps the more appropriate terminology at present. As I said previously, I have a few ideas but I need more information before I will relate them to you. And to be honest Zechs, it is late. We have both put in a long day and we need sleep. That is primarily the reason why I prefer you not to enter these memories at the moment. I can skim them, gaining what I can for later study, and at the same time I can lock down these memories within a contained sphere so we will be able to find it more easily and access it without difficulty next time./~
~/You are sure 'they' will not say we can't continue?/~
~/Oh I am quite sure, Zechs. I'll put it this way for you and then maybe you will understand. The Primes, myself, Gabriella and the others in our field, will demand we continue. The sanity and mental wellbeing of a Prime is paramount, and leaving this jumble of memories would be more dangerous to you than investigating them will be./~
The trust was there, strong in the link, and for an instant Treize permitted Zechs to be aware of Gabriella nestled in the link. Her assurance backed up Treize's certainty and Zechs subsided with a sigh of clear regret… but the trust was there.
~/Alright./~
~/Then we shall delay no longer. Relax and allow me to take the lead. I need you to become totally passive if you can. The more you can relax, the deeper I should be able to skim./~
~/Will I share what you sense?/~
~/I would prefer not, to be honest. I will not be hunting full memories in detail, just skimming the surface, taking little pieces that might give me some sense of order when I examine them in greater depth. You could very easily misconstrue what you see or hear. The last thing I want is for you to become confused, or agitated, because you have misinterpreted a tiny piece of a memory./~
~/Ah. Alright./~
` ~/Good. Relax now; allow me to take control…/~
—-
"No! No, I will not tell you!"
"Grandfather… Please understand."
"Hush little baby, don't you cry, Ma'ma's gonna buy you a mocking bird…"
"It is always for the greater good! Well, sometimes for the greater good…"
"I'm so sorry, my little Milli. I'm so very sorry, but I can't see that I have any choice. They're coming. I can feel them and they will take you away from me…"
Darkness, suffocating darkness, filling senses, taking away eyes, voice, hearing… swamping… Screaming in the darkness, hearing her scream, unable to move…
"You'll never get your hands on him to kill him! I'd die first."
"Child, what have you done?"
"My dear, that is exactly what you are going to do. Die."
"Apple, sweetheart?"
"What have I done? What have YOU done! Your family means nothing to you does it?"
"Yes, but then I am prejudice. I think she's gorgeous."
"He has not eaten anything. He does not speak, though he reacts to sound normally. He's not deaf, merely mute. I would say it has something to do with the trauma…"
"Has his mother been found?"
"Milliardo Christian Lovernius! Get your sticky little fingers out of the honey this instant!"
"You won't get my child! I'll never let you get my child."
—
Treize spun a silken web of restraint skilfully about the veil, strengthening it, isolating it and securing it against decay or impinging once again on the young man's consciousness. Gabriella remained with him, watching as he spun the seal, enfolding the memories within a cocoon. He considered the brief flashes of conversation he had heard, the few glimpses of places and faces that he had skimmed from the veil as he worked and he thought he might have taken more than he had expected to grasp.
He could not be sure exactly what he had caught until he found the time and opportunity to study the samples in detail. He must choose a point from which to build his time line and examine the memories, placing them where he thought they might belong to make some sense of order from the chaos. Not an easy thing when one had no idea what one was dealing with, but that was for later.
~/Zechs?/~
His mind hovered near the border to natural sleep and Treize understood why he had been able to dip down as deep as he had into the veil. Zechs was a pleasure to work with and he would look forward to doing so again in the future.
~/Yes?/~
~/It is time to finish for the night. I will keep the memories locked within the shield I have spun and anchored so that it can be accessed; so that 'we' can access it. There will be no need for you to do anything to maintain it. I can access it at need. If you wish I can set a 'sleep' imperative in your mind. There is very little chance you would dream if I did./~
From the hesitation Treize knew the young man would have been expecting nightmares, had most likely experienced nightmares in the past following one of these 'attacks'.
~/With the seal in place is it possible I would experience another panic attack?/~
~/Very unlikely. The memories are now contained for our pleasure, and I will try to arrange a session within the next twenty four hours or so. It might take a little longer, it depends on how certain people take this session and whether or not there might be a breakthrough in the investigation into the disturbance at Tsuberov. If I can arrange a session you will need to be well rested./~
~/I understand. I can take myself down to level seven sleep if you wish./~
~/That would be acceptable./~
He did not question, demand or seek assurances that Zechs would indeed set himself to that deep level of sleep. The man was almost a fully accredited Prime and knew the necessity of a well rested mind for deep level work. He was responsible, not prone to needless recklessness, as demonstrated by his acceptance of backing off from the investigation in the interests of personal safety.
He would sleep and Treize determined to set himself to sleep to that deep level as well. He too wanted to rest, despite his burning curiosity and there was a full days work ahead of him., not that he expected to roll in to work on time. He could only hope Une would not turn queen bitch on him, but then Une would not be keen to have Gabriella in her face.
t.b.c.
Karina Robertson 2010
Notes
Treize Kushrenada : Level 10 Sending/Receiving Telepath + Receiving and Projecting Empath at Level 10. Prime rated. Agency Operative contracted term of 5 years with 2 years remaining. [25yrs of age] Training facility: Psychic Institute Munich Division.
Zechs Marquise: Psi Student 5th year at Tsuberov Parapsychic Investigation and University. Level 10 Receiving/Projecting Empath [approaching Prime Designation] + Level 9 Sending /Receiving Telepath, Projected L10 function. Finder function suspected, not officially registered. Country of origin, Luxemburg. [20 years of age]
Gabriella : Romany descent. Level 10 Sending / Receiving Telepath + Level 10 Receiving and Projecting Empath. Prime Rated. Training facility rumoured to be Government Laboratories of the Prussian Republic deposed in the year AC 45. Age: Unknown [rumoured to be approximately seventy four]. Oldest of the Prime Telepathic Empaths.