The phone is ringing. He won't pick up until I've started leaving a message, I know without even having to See it. It's a paranoia that he has, maybe from living someone who always is looking into the future.

Schuldig has been having a depressed period. It will let up soon, as long as he doesn't do anything stupid. I feel like this is a little stupid, that he should have the emotions of others rub off on him, but what do I know about being a telepath? Maybe some people's thoughts filter through his shields better than others.

Statistics show that 99 percent of telepaths suffer from severe mood swings—the more powerful, the greater the swings. Of that 99 percent, 80 percent commit suicide, and 13 percent are killed in action. Only 7 percent die of old age.

This, however, is only from Esset has gathered.

"Please leave a message after the tone." Beep.

"Mastermind. Pick up the phone." Silence. "Now."

Finally, there is the sound of thephone being picked up.

"Yes, I'm still alive. No, I haven't been cutting myself."

"I know that," I say. "Mission?"

"You know what happened."

"For the record." He does this every time.

"Complete."

"Was it the challenge you hoped for?"

He laughs on the other end. Just from that, I can tell his answer. "No," he says. "Not by a long shot."

"Maybe they will get the idea that they should give us something a little harder," I say, with the raise of an eyebrow he can't see. "I don't want you getting bored."

I know what happens when her gets bored. He makes a point to find something interesting. His confidence gets stretched out of proportion, he gets lazy, and I'm the one that has to clean up his mess.

"Don't worry."

I don't worry. Not until I find out if I can See what I will happen. Unlike telepathy, precognition is a fickle mistress. She is the one who decides when to cooperate, and if I try to force her, she whacks it at me with the force of a headache that might rival what Schuldig might give his victims, should he wish. Then I have to take the medicine reserved for when his shields crash—the ones that can knock you out for the rest of the day.

I lay down on the couch of the hotel suite and light a cigarette.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm not naked, if that's what you're asked."

"Fuck you."

"I'm doing paperwork," he replies.

I sigh. "Always doing paperwork."

"We're heading back soon."

"What?" I don't want to go back. "Are we really done so soon?"

"No," he says. "We're looking for a new member."

Now he has my interest. "You don't know who, yet?"

"Of course I know," he says, calm as always. "But we need our timing to be right, or it won't happen."

"How old?"

"Nine, I believe."

"Nine? There's no way they're going to let us have a nine-year-old," I say, incredulously.

"We'll see about that." He then says, "We'll be leaving in two weeks. Enjoy yourself while you can."

"Do you know where we're going next?" I ask.

"I've Seen us in Kyoto at some point, but I'm not sure exactly when."

"Kyoto? As in Japan Kyoto?"

"Yes," he tells me. "Sometime this year."

"Anything else?"

"…I'll talk about it later. Not on the phone."

He hangs up the phone. I listen to the dead-tone for a moment before slamming the phone back. Asshole. Why the hell can't I be the one to hang up for once?

Cause he's a fucking control-freak, that's why. I want to shut myself up, but I can't. I know it's true.

But I have control in one thing that he'll never know or understand.

And that's the way people work. I don't need to make guesses on how people are reacting. It makes me satisfied to know that.

"You asshole."

Notes: Yes. I know I haven't written in a while. And I lost my "Brad" (thank God…sort of…), so he'll probably be more out of character for a while. Until I get used to the stick-up-the-ass-control-freak-but-not-totally bit. Advice on his would be helpful.

I'll try to update as much as possible. However, I'm trying to get myself into passing range for my German class, so it may not be as often as you hope. But I promise, I won't go a year at a time again.

And I lost my flashdrive with a lot of my files. Wish me luck in finding it!