Psychometric Musings #1
Black Coats, White Hats
Summary: Hunters, the hunted, and a growing unease. Set during "Loaded Guns" or "Time to Say Goodbye"
Rating: PG
I've worked with the man for over five years. You'd think I'd understand him by now. You'd be wrong.
I came to the STN-J as a child, barely older than Robin, and intrigued my by new abilities. My Inquisition had been relatively mild – after all, psychometry isn't a Craft. Not one that can cause much harm, anyway. And I liked the idea of working to restore order, to protect people. Having an ability no one else could use ... was an added bonus. There isn't a woman alive who isn't drawn to secrets, at least a little bit. I settled down quickly into the routine of Hunting, eager to do my job well.
Of course, I was never partnered with him. He's a combat specialist; I'm more involved in the investigative side of things. All things considered, the higher-ups decided to keep me as more of a team member, rather than a leader. That was fine with me, but it did mean that I never spent much time with Amon. Even with my experience with emotions – and believe me, I'm probably more than halfway to psychologist status by now – I could never really read him.
None of us knew what really led to Kate's Hunt. We saw her becoming more and more secretive, more and more unbalanced. I don't pry, as a rule – but there were times when I couldn't help touching certain objects after she had handled them. And the more powerful, primal emotions tend to leak, if you know what I mean. I could feel her anger and despair, her sense of helplessness – but the Craft will do that to you. Why do you think there are so many Witches, and so few Hunters? Even Craft-using Hunters become ... distorted ... with time. As their abilities fade with age, the effect lessens, but it's what drives Witches mad. I suppose you could call it a "darkness of spirit." I've sensed that darkness in those we've Hunted, but I must have overlooked it in Kate. Perhaps I wanted to believe that because she was a Hunter, a "white hat" if you will, that she would be okay.
Amon didn't, though. You wouldn't think it to look at him, but the man's understanding of human nature – especially its less savory side – is almost as good as mine, and he has an ironclad sense of justice. I don't know whether he told the higher-ups about Kate, or vice versa, but the effect was the same. I've never seen him show mercy – or any human emotion – towards a witch.
And then there's Robin – poor child, she's fallen hard for him. Tall, dark, and mysterious is a combination that's hard for any woman to resist, and those brooding good looks of his certainly don't help. Hey, I'm a woman, I have hormones too. I've learned to tune them out most of the time, but he makes me weak in the knees occasionally. Thank God I'm old enough to know that men like him are Bad News. Poor Robin hasn't learned that yet, and I worry about her.
I see myself in that child, sometimes. If Amon's Hunting her ... well, I'll have to pick a side, won't I? And that's not something I look forward to doing.