"C'mon," Lanie nudged Skye, "let's go."
Beckett watched as Lanie escorted Skye down the corridor toward the clinic. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the look on her partner's face. "What's the matter, Esposito," she teased, "you and the missus having a fight?"
Esposito, to Beckett's surprise, was all business. "Beckett, I think I need some time at the temple."
All thoughts of further teasing died in Beckett's mind. "Everything ok? I think this is the first time you've asked me to take you there."
"I thought your rule was no questions asked once one of us request a trip?" Esposito countered.
Beckett pouted, briefly annoyed that Esposito was throwing her own words back at her. "Okay then," she relented, "step into my office..."
Her 'office' was a small corner of the bullpen that had been set up with comfortable cushions for meditation. It was used by all the Guardians at various times - Castle in particular found it to be a great spot to take a nap - but the space was used by Beckett far more than anyone else. "Get comfortable," Beckett told Esposito, "you don't want to come back and have to bug Lanie because you sat on your leg the wrong way. Trust me." Esposito nodded, sitting down cross-legged on a couple of thick cushions. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing," Beckett continued.
Esposito followed Beckett's directions, then felt her hands cover his own and the world dissolve away in a curtain of blinding light.
#
They woke up in the courtyard of a Buddhist temple, surrounded by five Tibetan men who looked to be deep in meditation themselves. Esposito studied the men, looking for any indication of their level of consciousness. "Beckett," he whispered, "are they...here?"
"Yes, honored Xiānzhī, we are 'here'," Ngawang replied, clearly annoyed at having had his meditation disturbed.
"Be gracious with your successor, Ngawang," Wangchuk told his brother. "After all, I believe this is the first time he has paid us a visit." Wangchuk then turned his attention to Esposito. "How may we assist you, brother?"
"We are facing a new enemy," Esposito replied. "Our allies believe him to possess psychic ability. Enough so that they call him the Clairvoyant."
Wangchuk listened patiently to everything that Esposito was telling him. "What gifts does your enemy possess?"
"Our ally believes the Clairvoyant has the ability to see the future," Esposito replied.
Wangchuk nodded. "I see. So how may we help you defeat this enemy, honored Xiānzhī?"
"The legend we first discovered about the Sìfāng said that I have the ability to see the past *and* the future," Esposito replied. "Is that true?"
Wangchuk nodded. "It is."
Esposito's eyes went wide. "Why haven't I seen more of the future before now?"
"Because you've had no *interest* in seeing the future before now," Ngawang explained, his annoyance never having abated. "Among your brothers and sisters you were the one least interested in embracing even your most basic abilities." Esposito opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it and let his predecessor continue. "You only learned how to maintain your memories when the pressure in your brain almost killed you. And since then you've done almost nothing to strengthen your abilities beyond their simplest level..."
Esposito fought to control his own defensive emotions, knowing that his predecessor was right. "I'm sorry," Esposito sincerely apologized. "I'm ready to change that."
Ngawang got up and walked around Esposito in a slow circle, seemingly sizing up his successor's intentions. "Yes," he mused out loud. "I think you finally might be. First, answer me this. What are the two components that make up the future?"
Esposito took the time to think through Ngawang's question carefully. "Outside circumstances. You can't create a hurricane."
Ngawang nodded curtly. "And the second?"
"Personal choice, both yours and the choices of others. You can plan and dream all you want, but the only actions you have any control over are your own."
Ngawang seemed satisfied, if not yet pleased. "Think about what you've experienced of your gifts so far. Which side of this should *you* focus on?"
"Personal experiences. The memories I carry around in my head."
Ngawang nodded in agreement. "The gods will take care of the 'outside circumstances', as you call them. Remember this, young Xiānzhī: the gods *want* you to be able to see the future. If you keep your mind attuned to your past and the pasts of those you carry with you, the gods will fill in the blanks and you *will* be able to see the future."
"How do I keep my mind 'attuned to the past'?" asked Esposito.
Ngawang stood up and crossed the temple courtyard to sit in front of his successor. "Honored one, may I see the memories you keep with you and how you organize them?"
Esposito frowned, confused. "You can do that?"
Ngawang soon shared his confusion. "You *cannot*?"
"When we were searching for the North Star," Esposito explained, "we met a man called the Prophet who shared aspects of my ability. When I searched for the man I discovered who he was *because* I wasn't able to get anywhere near him."
Ngawang rolled his eyes. "Yet another defense birthed in fear," he grumbled. Out loud, he was far more stern with his successor. "You can read *anyone* you wish, honored one," Ngawang explained. "Reading those few who share your gift is not something to be feared. It is a great blessing."
"I didn't *fear*..." Esposito protested quickly.
Ngawang cut him off, ignoring Esposito's outburst. "If and when you are lucky enough to read someone who shares your gift, it is a chance to delve deeply enough into the past that it could only *strengthen* you. It does you no harm to do so. Now please, may we continue?"
Esposito nodded, submitting to his instructor and leaving his palms resting open on his knees. Ngawang placed his hands on Esposito's and their world, once again, exploded in a flash of blinding white light.
#
When they arrived in Esposito's mind, Ngawang saw the problem immediately as he stared at the never-ending racks of perfectly stacked memory cards. "Who taught you this system?"
"Tenzin," Esposito replied, clearly confused. "He said this was the way you organized..."
Ngawang, to Esposito's surprise, grew even more frustrated almost instantly. "You stupid child," he muttered under his breath, "if you hadn't already crossed over..." After taking time to calm himself down, Ngawang turned to instruct his patiently waiting student. "Allow me to show you how I *actually* 'organize' my memories."
The 'room' suddenly went black. "Master Xiānzhī?" Esposito whispered quietly.
"This is how I 'organize', as you call it, the memories of those I have met," Ngawang declared.
The 'sky' above them exploded. What had once been black was now covered in what looked, to Esposito, like a giant constellation map. "What is this?"
"This is the combination of the memories you carry with the memories I have acquired over the years," Ngawang explained.
"What are the lines connecting the...dots?" asked Esposito.
"Those are the connections that humans make over their lifetimes."
Esposito re-considered the memories around them, staring up at them in awe. "That's what you meant about being 'attuned to the past', isn't it? When we stretch those lines out from the past, we can follow them to see the future."
Ngawang, for the first time since Esposito had entered the temple, smiled. "Finally you are beginning to embrace your destiny, young one." When he noticed a fresh connection between one of his memories and one of Esposito's, though, Ngawang's smile left him. "Who is this girl?" he asked his successor.
"Who?" Esposito countered. He followed Ngawang's line of sight to the memory the older man was closely examining. "Skye? We're not entirely sure. She's a projector, we know that much. Super powerful. And Lanie says her genes are stronger than any of ours."
"I'm not surprised," Ngawang grumbled. "We need to get back to the temple," he then announced. "Immediately."
#
Ngawang was moving back toward his brothers almost as soon as Esposito could re-focus on the temple surrounding him. "Lobsang," he called out. "I have...news."
Lobsang frowned. "What news, brother?"
"The child lives."
The color drained from Lobsang's face almost instantly. "She's *alive*?" Ngawang nodded, his eyes widening seemingly more by the second.
Beckett watched the conversation in wary confusion. "Who?" she demanded to know. "What child are you talking about?"
"Skye," Esposito replied. "Ngawang saw her in one of my memories and freaked."
Lobsang seemed to be having trouble keeping himself upright. "Tell me about her," he asked, almost plaintively.
"She's a projective telepath," Beckett replied. "She had the gift as a girl, but seems to have suppressed it. Ryan's helping her to learn to control it..." Overwhelming curiosity ended Beckett's description as her mind was consumed by one simple question. "Master Mùshī, how could you possibly know Skye?"
Lobsang seemed to be getting himself under control even as tears were starting to fall from his eyes. "Mistress Lièrén," he quietly admitted, "the young woman you call Skye...she is my daughter."
