Nice! Another day, another chapter written. I've kept the pace pretty casual, but from here on things are gonna pick up. That said, it's also fun to write things that don't involve fighting too.

Mr. bukanorang : Fair criticism one didn't read till I wrote the chapter. I suppose I'll need to work on it. Meh, I suppose everyone has room to grow.

Gon Freaks: Thanks, I try my best. Well myself and Arces my editor.

FreeJSJJ: Thanks. It's a lot of work but fun. Also, many of the behaviors done in the past aren't part his of actual personality. That was the product of a stressful anxious life. It's not actually good for people to be so on edge. He's not exactly naïve, but he does trust Magneto a LOT. He's the guys only support system. Basically no matter how smart someone is, if they have a strong enough attachment, they will act irrationally. In general anyway.

Valkorion51: Thanks!

THEtoken1: It's good to be back.

We finally got to the penthouse level. Before getting out of the stairwell, Jacob paused. He swiped his phone's screensaver. "Huh, we're here early."

"We are. But that's on purpose. We don't have 10 minutes to get there, not really. We have 10 minutes to be there, ready to walk out the door."

"So he expects us to be ready to leave by that time?

"Precisely. Plus, If we rush, we might forget something. For example, I might forget to put Watts in his crate. With my father, being somewhere at a given time means being ready to proceed with whatever the current objective is, at that exact time."

"Kind of sounds like the military."

I nodded. "That would be a correct characterization of things, yes."

We got out of the stairwell and let ourselves inside.

"Do you have everything?" I asked just in case.

"Phone," he touches his left pocket. "Wallet and keys," he pats his right. "Yep, I'm good."

I did the same check to make sure I had everything. I did. We sat by the doorway until the older man came by.

Jacob spoke first. "Oh good, you're here. Now we can go grab the food."

"Indeed," my father responded.

Father settled on a place not far from home, so we were able to walk there. It was an upscale restaurant that specialized in breakfast food. This meant the restaurant had breakfast food all day. Even so, my father with his strict sense of order as to what should and shouldn't be eaten at certain times only came by here with me during breakfast hours.

You could tell that it was rather an expensive restaurant by the sheer number of options given for breakfast. Very tasteful decorations and well-heeled men and women in businesswear completed the look.

We were seated by a waitress who was a young, slender, brunette woman of Asian descent. Additionally, it did not appear to be a wig or dyed hair. Yes, a man can realize these things.

"Welcome, what can I get for you?" She was a local, not a hint of an accent.

"For myself, coffee with one spoon of sugar-teaspoon, not a tablespoon. Toast and a croissant will do as well," My father said.

"I..." I was always a bit dazed by the number of options given, so I defaulted to what I normally did.

"Father, what you ordered us last time, can you please get that?"

Jacob decided to say, "Same."

My father nodded and ordered what he had gotten before for the two of us. One thing that my father never minded was others deferring decisions to him. I could always count on him to take control of things, whether I wanted him to or not.

Still, his decisiveness did have advantages. We would get a quick meal without dilly-dallying over meaningless trivial matters.

The waitress took these orders and left.

"That was quite a bit of food to order," Jacob remarked.

It did seem strange. Of course, we didn't normally order that much. However, while my father knew my favorite types of food, Jacob was a wildcard. To make a good first impression Father ordered more than necessary on his first day to ensure that there was something that the boy liked.

He explained this, smiling while he said, "Well, an extra person is eating with us after all. Unless you're fine with abstaining from breakfast..."

A loud rumbling of Jacob's stomach answered that question. It was a firm 'No.'

That was able to cow even Jacob through embarrassment into not asking any more questions.

I felt a familiar gaze on me. His. My father's.

Clearly, I was to say something. Something not overly cheery, but enough to get things rolling. Anything less would be impolite.

I adjusted my cutlery nervously. "Jacob, so... where did you get your car anyway?"

Yes! A good question. A non-stupid question.

"That? My parents got it for me when I turned 14. That said, I was looking forward to getting it beforehand. That way, I could practice for my learner's permit."

"I see."

"It's a reliable ride, so, even though I could trade up to a new model, I really don't want to. It gets me kind of nostalgic, I have a ton of memories from it," he said.

My father's gaze returned. But it was softer, a gaze that told me, 'Very good Election, I am pleased.'

My father questioned Jacob this time. "What got you interested in medicine, Jacob?"

"Well, my parents are doctors. Mom works as a GP and my dad's a surgeon." He laughed. "It's so stereotypical. Doctors marrying doctors, immigrant man studies hard to have a better future in a new country…" Jacob shrugs. "But hey, that's how it turned out."

Jacob's dad was an immigrant? From where? I'd known this guy for months and didn't even know that?

"And your mother?"

"Native-born. From the Atlanta area. I also have a sister, she's named Trudy."

My father nodded. He knew all of this beforehand, of course. Heck, it was likely that he knew these things even before any of us had met.

Still, Father nodded and said nothing of this. So I didn't either.

I wondered about it in my mind though, if Jacob was aware of this too and if he was also pretending. It was getting harder to tell. Truth and fiction easily blurred when he and my father talked, with the mind games coming from both sides.

The waitress returned. One of the many great things about eating out with my father had to be that I always got great service at restaurants with him around. Even when not donning his helmet, his aura of command was enough to get us great service. It also helped that his glares were intimidating enough to stop those few who decided to be mean to us.

It was a good thing that the table we sat at was family-sized. There were so many plates! They had to wheel them in!

I looked to my left where Jacob sat. The fact that his eyes were closed didn't weird me out, it was common for him to do a silent prayer. Admittedly, I liked when he did it. Something felt warm and fuzzy about it. Not at all trauma-inducing, surprisingly.

My father continued to ask questions and Jacob answered them back. It was surprising how easily he was able to converse with him.

It looked so normal. Anyone passing by would think of us as a grandfather, grandson, and family friend. Not the leader of the Brotherhood, his son, and the telepath he's trying to recruit.

There was zero sense of hesitation from Jacob. Which was far more than I could say about me. Sure, I didn't fear talking with my father (anymore) but I was always a bit more... measured in my words and actions around him.

Jacob didn't seem to care either way, which was very strange to me.

I was very used to everyone being somewhat anxious around my father and wary of angering him. Jacob... just didn't act that way. I knew he wasn't reckless, it's not as if he didn't care whether he angered Father or not. So what was his reason then?

That fact stuck with me. How could he act more comfortably around my father than me? What did that even mean? Maybe he was faking it. I wasn't sure. I didn't come to any conclusions, but I was certain that whatever the problem if there even was one, it wouldn't be my father's fault.

The rest of breakfast went well. Father paid and now properly refreshed, we returned home.

We went into Father's office.

"As I said, we will enter this building." My father pointed to a hologram of a structure.

It looked a bit dingy, a large rectangular structure. Like a box in the middle of the Nevada desert.

"This is where they keep them," my friend spoke. I looked at my friend, surprised. He wasn't supposed to be told about how things were for mutants so early. I had figured Father would be merciful.

"Yes, and no. Not in the building but several meters below it. This is to reduce escapees."

"Oh, I see. How did you find it?" What was this guy doing? We could ask questions and comment on this, but only after Father was done talking. What was he doing?

Take the hint man.

My stares didn't seem to phase him. No way he didn't notice them. But he just kept going. The audacity!

I was a bit concerned, anticipating my father's reaction.

There was nothing.

Jacob was taking full advantage of my fathers leniency. Likely pushing it to see how far he can go. It was so like him.

"We heard about it through rumors and confirmed the intel using satellite data."

Jacob nodded. "I see."

"We will enter the building from above. Our security team will scout the perimeter as well as keep enemies away from us."

The hologram switched to a floor plan. A red line appeared at the flick of a wrist. Magneto continued. "We will take this path to find and free the prisoners."

"This would also be a good way to practice your ability to read minds. It could be used to ensure that the guards aren't lying to you. You could also be used to sense enemies before they see us. Still, if you can't use your powers on command by then, that is fine too." Which meant the information Jacob's powers would get us was already in Magneto's hands and we didn't actually need Jacob to do anything.

Magneto swiped the screen, which now showed us a mysterious device. "That said, your main responsibility will be to keep this on you. It blocks radio transmissions and is also useful in deactivating hidden microphones. It is programmed to hack into devices and shut them off. It will also allow us to access any door that would normally require a keycard."

"Woah," Jacob breathed.

"Basically, it allows us to control any device with a Redtooth connection. It helps a lot of agents in the field not to be spotted by cameras," I explained.

Father nodded approvingly and I smiled, happy that I had done the right thing.

"Exactly, however, it does have a limited range. Don't venture too far off and we'll all have a few less things to worry about. Electron and I will likely have to fight the enemy. So we'll leave carrying the device in your hands. Stay out of the line of fire and this will go well."

"This is the floorplan of the compound you'll be in. You are to memorize the entire floor plan of the building though. Inside and out."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, Father."

"Electron is used to these things and will help you. In the meantime, Jacob, you have to familiarise yourself with the device."

Jacob was introduced to the device and we went to the VR room to test it out.

After an hour of this, we were taken outside to a local park. There were more people than I'd expected: families taking a walk, people walking their dogs… There was a playground where a group of kids was happily playing in the sandbox, a few parents keeping their eye on them from a bench nearby. A flock of ducks had taken up residence in the pond on the other side of the park, quacking loudly whenever a dog walked past.

We had a good view of most of the park from where we were sitting while the group of trees behind us gave us relative privacy. It was private, while also not boxing us in. If there were an attack, we could escape in any direction. Funny how a group of hypervigilant people can instinctively pick out a spot like that without even communicating with each other.

I put down my backpack, sitting down to Jacob's left as Father took his place on the other side.

"The power of telepathy is inseparable from influencing other people," Father started. Jacob took a breath, seemingly preparing himself for a heavy conversation, and nodded.

Father turned to look at the park. "You should be able to find people to try your abilities on here."

The other boy was aghast. He looked up from where he'd been busy staring at a hole in the ground. "What? But I…" I could understand his shock. Things could go wrong very quickly, after all. But I tried to be a calming presence.

Father met his eyes. "You won't be discovered. Some of the stores nearby do have security cameras but we took care to disable them beforehand." Jacob looked at me, still uncertain.

I smiled reassuringly. "Yep, I spent 20 minutes yesterday night making sure to disable them all. It's okay. I just cut some wires inside of the cameras, I'll fuse them back later." It was a lot of work, but helping anyone escape the hell of not knowing to control their powers was more than worth it.

"It's not like that. I just wonder if it's immoral. I-" Jacob fidgeted nervously. "I have to admit, sometimes I think that my powers might be evil."

Oh no…

Saying you fear your powers is one thing. My father would pity you, but not be angry. But rejecting them completely…

"They are not!" Father boomed, startling Jacob. Some of the people walking by turned to look at us. He took a second to calm himself down. Jacob had jumped at the tone, and I laid my hand on his shoulder. He started at the contact, but after a second I could feel the tension melting just a bit.

Father took a deep sigh and looked Jacob in the eye. "Your telepathy is a completely natural ability. It exists to help you and others like you. You just need to learn to control it, so that you don't live in fear of things going wrong. Uncontrolled telepathy is dangerous. It can do far more than merely give people headaches."

The boy froze. He likely knew this, but lived in denial of the issue.

"So," my friend said solemnly. "Either learn to control them but feel bad about using people without their permission. Or don't and live as a time bomb."

"Unfortunately," Father said solemnly. "Yes."

Jacob looked shattered. He hadn't considered this at all, apparently. He didn't fathom how much things in his life would change with his powers, and he hadn't considered what would need to be done to help him learn to control them.

A cry rose up from the playground as one kid tripped and fell. One of the parents tore themselves away from their conversation to check up on her as the other children flocked around, chirping their explanations. We watched the drama for a moment, silent. The parent tutted their consolations softly, gently chastising the little girl. The other children, apparently deciding the situation wasn't interesting enough anymore, drifted away to continue their games as the parents who'd been watching curiously resumed their small talk. A squirrel skittered past, walnut in hand.

"...I think I understand," Jacob eventually said. His voice was strong, but his characteristic confident smile looked a bit worn.

"The sooner you know how to handle them, the better." Father put his hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Don't be ashamed, Jacob. It's a necessary thing and using your powers is not wrong. To the contrary, it's your natural birthright."

Jacob sighed. "Okay, I'll try... But if it feels weird or something..."

Father nodded. "I understand." I was gobsmacked. How was this even happening? I knew my father wanted to recruit him, but the extreme contrast from his normal behavior was almost too much. I was about to say something, probably 'what', but covered that word with a sudden fake cough.

"Have you... ever willingly influenced anyone with your powers?" Father made sure to word the sentence carefully. Using the term 'control' would probably make him feel even more guilt-ridden.

Jacob shook his head. "No, I haven't… Every time I've ever used my powers was a mistake. Not something that was supposed to happen."

The phrasing of the sentence and the word 'mistake' wasn't something my father approved of. Through my years of knowing him, I could tell that he was thinking something along the lines of 'I clearly have work to do in this boy's mindset'. It made sense. Jacob didn't seem to like his powers much, which could lead to dangerous levels of self-hatred, since they were literally a part of him. It could lead to real emotional damage down the line.

That said, it did surprise me that the guy felt this way about his abilities. He just… didn't talk about them, normally. Sure, he had said he was trash at using them but it had felt like harmless self-denigration. Stuff you joke about with your friends. I didn't realize the extent of the issue.

It frustrated me a bit since I used to be better at reading people. I was losing my edge. Of course, back then it was a matter of not being blown to bits due to a petty dispute. It was a survival mechanism and not entirely part of my personality so it was no surprise that in a safer location a lot of that fell away. My sleep schedule did improve a lot after my hypervigilance dimmed down a bit, so it wasn't all terrible.

My father paused for a moment and then said, "You're not to refer to your powers by calling them mistakes in my presence ever again." His voice was unwavering, hard as steel. It didn't leave room for any discussion.

Jacob was caught off guard. His eyes widened, but he didn't speak.

There it was. There was the Father I knew. He was being firm, but I understood why he'd do this.

"Additionally, Electron," Father began, turning to me.

I locked eyes with him. "Yes, Father?"

"If he does say such things where you can hear them, be sure to correct him."

I looked away, smiling. "Of course."

My father explained. "Your powers aren't mistakes, they aren't defects. They're gifts. Hating your powers when they are an integral part of you is simply unhealthy."

"I-I never said I hated them," Jacob stammered.

Father looked him in the eyes, mouth set in a flat line. "You don't have to. What you say indicates that you do to some extent. I don't allow this sort of self-hatred to fester in any of my adult recruits, so I certainly will not allow it in a young teen like yourself. Anything else would be negligence."

Jacob stared at him for a second, eyes wide. A moment later, something seemed to have clicked as he turned away. "I think I get it. I still kinda see my powers as something external, something I have to fight to keep under wraps so my life doesn't get derailed. Not really something I like, just deal with." He ducked his head nervously.

"How long have you had them?" I asked.

"A few weeks before I met you I suppose." Father certainly knew this. He wouldn't have been able to find Jacob if his powers hadn't awoken.

My father nodded. "You've lived with mostly uncontrolled powers for a while then."

"I have." Jacob shrugged. "I have my own tricks I guess. The incident at the chess match made me think a bit. After that, I took the threat of me possibly harming someone a bit more seriously. When I made-" He clenched his hands into fists before relaxing. "When my powers did something I didn't want them to do, I took note of what I felt and what led up to it. I did that before, but I'm more aware of things now."

A glance at Father told me he approved of the rephrasing. A cyclist passed by. Jacob continued when he had gone out of earshot.

"So my system is pretty basic but it works okay. I live in campus housing and the first few weeks of it were hell on earth. I could hear everything people thought." I winced. That sounded horrible. I would never be able to sleep if that happened to me. "I was going to go home, but I was so concerned that I'd harm my parents or my sister that I kept myself where I was."

He looked a bit guilty, rubbing his arm as he looked away. "Better the other students deal with the fallout than my own family since, well… Selfish reasons. I was worried I'd kill someone, and I'd prefer it to be an unknown stranger than them."

"That's perfectly understandable," Father said, back to being nicer. I couldn't agree more.

Jacob continued. "I stayed away from people when I could, slept in my car a lot if I felt a bit off." He chuckled humorlessly. "My RA thought I was homesick. Luckily, after noticing when I felt off, I also started to notice when my powers acted strangely."

Jacob took a break to collect his thoughts as my father and I waited patiently. Poor guy, he looked properly rattled. He had regained a bit of composure back , but talking about his powers seemed to be hard on him. He took a deep breath. "Sometimes, I can't fully turn my powers off. I feel a bit of a headache when I use my powers, so when my head hurts like that, I make sure to act calmer than usual. If I phrase things strongly…" He let out a sigh of frustration as he looked for the right words.

"At a restaurant for example," he said, gesturing. "It's a place where you naturally give people orders. So if I told the waiter 'get me a cheese pizza' a bit too strongly, they'd get it for me, but not of their own free will, it'd be because of my powers. They don't even ask me for money! And- and they forget that it even happened too…" He covered his eyes with a hand, voice wavering. "If I didn't have the food in front of me, I would think that I was hallucinating. Not that I'd eat the food anyway. One look in their eyes and my appetite is gone. Devoid of expression. Dead. Just empty." Jacob seemed to shake himself out of the memory with a shudder, and he looked at us sheepishly. "Right, um… I eat at home a lot now."

This was obviously a confession. No wonder he felt guilty… This issue was just as psychological as it was related to his powers.

My father understood this sort of thing well. He knew what to do.

"Take your time," he said, putting his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"Thanks," Jacob said, giving a weak smile. "So, I know that strange feeling in my head plus me giving an order leads to them doing it. No matter what." He swallowed nervously. "I've been taking aspirin a lot."

"What?" I said, shocked. Father frowned deeply, expression turning dark.

Jacob explained himself hesitantly. "It seems to help a lot. When the pain in my head goes away, my powers are mostly contained. So it's like a kind of anesthetic for my powers. Not sure why it works. The pain is there, but it's dulled, rendered mostly harmless."

"Harmless implies that they are harmful to begin with," my father added, reminding him to cut out the negativity he had for his powers.

Jacob ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Oh right. So... I developed decent shielding out of self-preservation due to everything I got to hear from kids' heads on campus. It was…" He took a deep breath. "Everything. Good stuff, bad stuff. Some of the students… I stay away from now since I heard what they actually thought. Like future serial killer or rapist kinda stuff. Assuming that they haven't done anything already." He shuddered. "Like, they don't even know why I avoid them. But I do, so it can be pretty awkward."

Wow…

He realized how that sounded and smiled to defuse things. It didn't make us think things were okay. It did alert us to the fact that while he looked perfectly fine on the outside, everything that had happened to him had made a real impact on him. It was so weird to see him be this vulnerable. It was hard to believe he was the guy who verbally sparred with Father so brazenly on a regular basis.

How much of the way he interacted was him being a happy, confident person and how much was a front to keep people from thinking things were wrong? It makes sense though. Sure, he had a certain image, but he was a person. This sort of thing would leave an impact on anyone.

A seagull passed by overhead, squawking loudly. The all but rabid chihuahua that had been terrorizing the ducks stopped growling as its head shot up. It started to yap at the bird so frantically one might think it would keel over from the exertion. The owner didn't even look up from her telephone, leash held loosely.

Jacob picked up the conversation where he left it. "I gravitated to the chess club at school since I play the game at home. They practiced in outside places that were a bit out of the way, so things were usually pretty quiet. My shields, while good at keeping stuff out, were still pretty tiring to keep up. All of the thoughts brushing up to the edges of it was a constant hammering on my defenses. Sometimes the shields shattered, so I'd find a nearby wooded area and just hideout."

The dog finally gave up on the seagull. A second dog entered the park, its owner calling out to the person walking the first one. They looked up and waved as both dogs growled and barked at each other. The second dog was a lot bigger, but the chihuahua wasn't deterred. The owners didn't seem to take notice.

Jacob sighed. "Honestly, I didn't even ask to join, just hung around in the vicinity. The chess club, I mean. They talked to me first. It was revealed that I played and after a few matches they wanted me to join. It was pretty cool. I got to be the president pretty fast since the elected president had to leave, family issues. I'm good at playing the game, wasn't polarizing, and had experience leading a team at home. That and since I didn't want anyone to know what was happening, I had a vibe that looked rather self-assured. I didn't want an incident like how the RA knew I didn't feel right."

"Because you didn't want anyone to know." My father said. Jacob shrugged.

"Yup. So at my college, most people are used to fighting for spots and winning. So when the prez left we had an election. Pretty much everyone ran. You got to rank your choices, which of course means everyone chose themselves for the first spot. I was most people's number two though. People like me a lot."

I smiled. "It helps that you're a legitimately good person. You deserved to win." I said. His popularity at the tournament now made much more sense. Jacob ducked his head in an attempt to hide the large smile he had on his face.

He cleared his throat and started talking again. "My shielding got better. I kinda had no choice since I had classes to attend, plus I lived in a city. So I went to the tournament, armed with rudimentary shielding and knowledge that helped a bit. And…" He sucked in a breath. "I got overwhelmed. Managing the team, keeping morale up, and shielding… it just didn't work. So that's why things…" Jacob cleared his throat before continuing.

"Anyway, my shielding has since gotten a lot better through exposure to hostile elements and the few times I met with the professor." He frowned. "I'm still not happy with him, but he did help a lot. My shields, as I said, were pretty basic. They didn't hold up to pressure very well. So with a few visits, I was able to get them to the next level. Basically, my fields went from being made of iron to steel and I could just feel the difference. Life got a lot easier. That's why I'm able to exist here in Manhattan without an issue. I do have the occasional break in my shields and I do take aspirin for both pain and if things get a bit… off. That said, if I'm emotionally okay and the odds of anything happening are pretty low."

"This explains why you were able to manage on your own," my father said.

"Yeah, I've been winging it for the most part though." Jacob rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled wryly.

"Did you tell Xavier about the aspirin?" I asked.

"I did. He was a bit concerned but I didn't use it too much. Since even then I had much better shields it wasn't too necessary. Plus, the last thing I want to do is develop a chemical dependence on it."

Father hummed. "I see. Even still, you are to cease with this habit of yours. You have no idea what any possible side effects can be."

Jacob thought it over silently. "I can't promise that. I have to think about the safety of the people around me. I've had three close calls near my family so far. Any side effect is worth not harming them."

My father didn't like that answer, but he could also understand. He sighed.

"If it gets to that point, very well. But not a moment too soon," he urged.

Jacob nodded. "I can agree to that, to be honest, that's a goal of mine anyway."

Father looked pleased with the reply. He took out a notepad and fountain pen. "Very good. Let's begin then. You described pain in your head when you used your powers. That is likely the strain of using your powers. You don't use them regularly so you'll have to train until the strain goes away. Think of it as building up the mental muscles you need to use your powers with ease."

Jacob nodded, frowning. "I see. That makes sense."

Magneto stopped writing for a second to wave a hand in Jacob's direction. "It's fine though. I was more concerned about the state of your shielding anyway. We'll be in a building with many people and I don't want you to be overwhelmed, especially with the things they have inevitably seen." Ah, I hadn't thought of that. Many of The Brotherhood's members had this air about them like they had seen things. This would undoubtedly be harder for Jacob to block than the usual things.

"I understand," Jacob said.

"That's why I asked. I needed to know where your abilities stood. I had a suspicion that you have improved your shielding immensely since you visit us here in Manhattan often."

He smiled, "I have."

Father looked at Jacob, a serious expression on his face. "You should be proud of the progress you've made. You've survived a lot. Mostly on your own, as well. You're a strong young man."

"Thanks." That made him perk up a bit, a hint of pride showing itself. He deserved it, given what he'd been through. Watching a repeat of what occurred a few years prior was a strange experience. I felt as if I were intruding as if I shouldn't be there. Even so, it was heartening to see him finally be taught that his powers weren't something terrible.

Father tapped on his notepad. "As I said, your powers need strong telepathic muscles to work well. So we'll begin with developing them." He gestured to the people walking around in the park. "Pick someone to test your abilities on."

"Uhm… Err..." Jacob stuttered. His eyes darted around, not focusing on anyone, clearly uncertain.

My father nodded. "I expected as much. The man in the black sweater is awaiting trial for abusing his wife, kids, and their pets. Through my resources, I was able to confirm that he has, in fact, done such things."

I was simultaneously surprised while also not. Preparing everything like this was a classic thing for my father to do.

Jacob frowned. He turned to Father. "How-" he began.

Father answered him before he could even finish the question. "Using data gathered from his phone we were able to discover that he frequents this park at the same time every day."

"And what if we didn't show today?" At a nearby lake, a duck quacked at a child who had gotten too close to its young.

"He's also rather dim, it would've been easy to coax him out. He fell for a great many internet scams and took it out on others around him. He was able to pay bail and is thus free. We were able to subtly let the wife stumble on the evidence necessary to convict. Still," He settled on the word for a moment for emphasis before continuing, "Now, I don't know about you, but personally I feel like he doesn't deserve to enjoy the park so happily. As a matter of fact, I'm sure he's looking for his next victim as we speak."

I had to suppress the urge to shake my head at the manipulative words but then again… I did agree. I once knew someone from school who had to spend time in confinement until his trial, which took months. And for what? A small bag of weed. Luckily, it all ended well. The police had misplaced some of the evidence and the case was dropped. But the whole experience left its mark on the guy. He sure as heck wasn't the same dude when he came out.

And to have this guy walk free without incident? For a much more severe crime? It made me want to use my powers and beat the crap out of him myself. I clenched my fists in anger. I could feel the hum of various bits of metal calling to me. I could use it all on his guy.

A quick look from my father brought me back to earth and I calmed down. This session wasn't about me, it was about Jacob.

Jacob… He didn't take the news he'd been given well either. The guy was pissed, and rightfully so.

"With the data gathered he'll surely be convicted. But there's no reason why he can't have someone punish him for his wrongdoings a bit early," Father said.

Jacob nodded and took in a breath. "Okay. So he is human trash. I appreciate the trouble you went to." He sighed. "I guess if I had to practice on someone I'd prefer it to be someone like him."

"Correct. This guilty man might experience some discomfort but it'll at least ensure the same won't happen to someone innocent."

Those were just the words Jacob needed to hear. He collected himself and looked Father in the eye.

"I'm ready."

Father smiled. "Perfect. You can sense the people around you?"

Jacob closed his eyes. "Yes."

"Focus your concentration on that man."

There was a pause for a second, then my friend said, "Done."

Father looked at him, then back at the man, who was watching the children at the playground without a care in the world. "Think about the pain you felt when you used your powers. Try to bring it back." After a second he added. "It might help if you hold an arm outward."

"Got it." Jacob held his right arm outstretched as he focused.

Then, his face soured.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The guy," Jacob said, sighing. "He's just so angry. It would be manageable if I wasn't focusing on him, but now that I am, it's hard to keep his thoughts out. I get murmurs. Bits of words. 'Trial. House. Innocent?' No, you're not!"

"Focus on sealing it away. Influence him and not the other way around. Regain control," Father said.

Jacob furrowed his eyebrows. "Trying. Uhm…" I shared a look with Father. "Okay, it's gone quiet. I think I patched it up."

"Very good," Father said. "Now, imagine a hand reaching into his mind. Then imagine him doing something, anything you'd wish him to."

The man stood from his bench, his countenance devoid of expression, and proceeded to fall into the nearby pond.

There was a beat where the entire park seemed to have turned silent. Then, the man popped up from the water, looking as flabbergasted as everyone else. The next moment, the entire park started laughing, as did we. Jacob with a tiny, entertained but conflicted giggle, myself in my normal way, while Father (like always) was able to combine smug amusement with a dash of murderous intent in his chuckle.

"Good choice," he added.

The pond was shallow, so he walked out. Once out of the water, he tripped, falling on the grass. I glanced over at Jacob to see he hadn't given up control over the man's body yet. This continued for a minute before Jacob gave up. The man sat down on the grass gingerly, clearly still not trusting his body.

A tall officer clad in a black uniform and armed with a freshly shined badge walked by, taking note of this behavior.

We had to contain our laughter so we wouldn't be noticed. It wasn't very successful, at least among us boys. Father had far more restraint.

"I'll just leave this for him to handle," Jacob said as he opened his eyes.

We watched the scene unfold, giggling. It seemed like the man was currently arguing that he wasn't drunk. The cop didn't buy it. The other man then deferred to his first instinct as he swung his fist at the cop, who proceeded to catch the hand with ease. Then he retaliated with a punch between the eyes.

"Not so fun picking on someone who can fight back," I said.

"A lesson well learned," my father said.

The police officer's voice rang out over the park. "You're under arrest for public intoxication and attempted assault of an officer. You have the right to remain silent…"

We couldn't hold it in anymore and all of us laughed out loud. Luckily, it seemed we weren't the only ones laughing and jeering. Thus, no attention was placed on us.

"What's your name?"

"Rob Sky." He was now locked in handcuffs.

The cop typed that name into a tablet and sighed.

"It says here you missed a court-ordered appearance today regarding a case. And you're on bail. Guess who's gonna have to spend the rest of the time till the trial in the slammer?" The cop found it as hilarious as us and was laughing as he took him away.

We could hear him talk to the guy as he walked by us. "Man, all you had to do was keep your cool until the date. You'll be in there for suspected child abuse, domestic violence, and animal cruelty. The inmates are gonna love you." They disappeared into a nearby cop car which drove away.

Even my father couldn't have planned that, but that made it even better.

"Even though our test subject was taken away, I think you've practiced enough for today," he said, once they left.

Jacob grimaced, holding his head. "Yeah, I'm getting the usual sort of headache." He grinned. "But it was so worth it."

With that, we returned home.

Father finished our day by having us learn more about the location that we were to break into. This meant we spent a lot of time memorizing floor plans with flashcards. This also involved things like learning what we should do if we separated from the group and were stuck in the wild. We'd have to practice the skills in person at a later date, but that didn't mean we couldn't learn the basics of Morse code. Or rather, for my friend to learn this, I knew all of these things already and had decent survival skills for many different environments. Fighting is awesome, but being a great fighter is no good if you get lost and die of dehydration.

Also, I've been editing the story. We've been cleaning up grammar etc. So don't freak out if things aren't quite exactly as you last saw it.